During the climb, at noon, Old Gong emerged for a moment.
He had a somewhat listless feeling, and was looking at Wu Jinluan, his eyes rolling around, not knowing what he was thinking about.
Old Gong's low spirits are related to my demand for handing over the corpse pill.
He knows about our conversation, and to some extent, it was he who first brought up this matter. He made the decision first; only by letting go can disaster be avoided.
"Don't forget, you still need to help Jinlun and the others detoxify, otherwise it's wasted," Old Gong reminded me one last time before disappearing.
I slightly frowned.
There are too many things, too complicated; those involved are confused.
If it weren't for Old Gong's reminder, I would have really overlooked this matter.
So this cannot be directly left at Juxushan, it must be……communicate with those people.
Exhaled softly, allowing the slightly ruffled emotions to settle once more.
The mountain is too high, even if our legs are not slow, by the time we reach the mountain gate, the sky has already darkened.
The moonlight illuminated the plaque at the mountain gate, Juxushan Daoist Academy!
Left wooden plaque: Chu Xuan (Exit the Subtlety).
Right wooden plaque: Rù Mǔ (Enter the Vulva).
The serenity is filled with vitality, much like the last time I came here, no difference at all.
The next moment, the main gate was pushed open.
To my surprise, two rows of Daoist priests stood on either side, lined up in a row along the gray bricks, ready for battle.
As if we could never step out of the gate of Juxushan Daoist Academy once we entered it!
"Shen Luo Xian, the abbot wishes to see you!"
On the right, a red-clad Daoist priest stepped forward, his expression extremely cold, with a killing intent swirling in his eyes.
This person is relatively unfamiliar, the red-clad Daoist priests I feel familiar and have seen, all died on Xiandong Mountain.
Wu Jinlan's expression remained unchanged as he said indifferently, "Juxushan still retains some discipline of the Taoist sect, knowing to send someone properly to receive."
Although they were standing in a strict formation, Wu Jinlan described it as our courtesy.
This caused a wave of indignation among the Daoist priests.
"Humph!" The red-robed Daoist waved his wide sleeve, without explaining anything, and walked into the deep mountain gate.
The mountain gate of Sangui Mountain is not on the top of the mountain, but rather a bit lower. It encompasses the entire top of the mountain, and the temple is built along the slope.
Juxushan is completely at the summit, while this place has a larger and more extensive top area, similar to TianShou Daoist Academy and LeiPing Daoist Academy today. Except for some Daoist academies located at higher altitudes, most Daoist academies are relatively flat.
After walking for a few minutes, we entered a grand hall that enshrined three Taoist statues.
I didn't understand it the last time. Now I understand, these are three Martial/Pure Realms.
"Returning to the old haunt, Uncle, what's your impression?" Old Gong popped out from my shoulder, his eyes full of deep meaning.
Old Gong's "returning to the old haunt" is not a literal one.
He refers to the Martial/Pure Realms, and not the last time I came here.
I did not answer Old Gong.
Because there were people inside the grand hall.
Mao Xiang and Mao Su stood beside a rectangular table, on which a "person" was placed.
The body was covered in charred burns, with some areas peeling away slightly to reveal tender skin, although in some places, it seemed that it wouldn't come off for a while.
Guan Liangfei looked too pitiful, his breathing was even, but there was no sign of awakening.
Apart from them, there were also some Daoists standing around, their expressions solemn with an undercurrent of concern and unease.
As soon as they saw me, their emotions surged up, with a surging killing intent.
"How wonderful the Sangui Mountain is, how magnificent the Martial/Pure Realms is!"
Mao Xiang, the abbot of Juxushan, spun around abruptly, his anger in his eyes like surging river waters, almost becoming tangible as it beat against me!
There is no wind in the Daoist Hall, but his clothes are still crisply rustling.
I groaned softly and retreated three steps.
Before this, whenever I had contacted Mao Xiang and Mao Su, they had never openly shown their killing intent or directly used their aura to subdue me.
Only the original Mao Yi, who attacked me, and I had no way to defend myself.
I stepped onto the threshold of the Daoist Hall and halted my retreat, steadying my body.
Mao Xiang narrowed his eyes and huffed coldly again before saying softly, "Have you reached the level of a Half-True Immortal? A cruel and bloodthirsty heretic, as expected, you are advancing rapidly."
"Your words, it's like the acid is corroding your teeth," the old Gong replied with a playful tone.
"Hahaha!" Mao Xiang coldly exclaimed: "How can I, the abbot of Juxushan Daoist Academy, be envious of a heretic?!"
Old Gong just smiled and did not continue speaking.
"Humph!" Mao Xiang huffed again before saying: "Come out, He Younian!"
My expression suddenly changed.
He Younian is here!?
Not only me, even the ghost face of the old Gong faintly revealed a look of shock. Along with Wu Jinluan and the others, they looked around even more uncertainly.
"How can it be? Even the Martial/Pure Realms has appeared, yet you hide your head and reveal your tail, critically injuring Uncle Guan. You want me to serve you tea to appear?" Mao Xiang's words were even colder and more repressive and angry.
Only then did I realize that Mao Xiang had misunderstood.
He thought it was the thunder magic used by He Younian.
But he did not know it was me.
At that time, during the fight between Baishong and Guan Liangfei, Guan Liangfei was completely on the defensive, his life hanging by a thread. Baishong was too arrogant and overconfident; he even considered Guan Liangfei unworthy of his attention. He hadn't taken notice of me, who was quietly accumulating power and performing rituals on the side.
Under the heaven's thunder, almost everything is equal, but the cost is too high.
Baishong lost his arm because of his overconfidence.
Guan Liangfei, however, managed to preserve his life.
If I had not used that technique, his head would already be taken away.
"Big Brother, he did not come."
"After leaving Xiandong Mountain last time, I haven't seen him since. There's no need to call, Abbot Mao."
My tone was calm.
"Are you going to say, it wasn't He Younian who used the thunder, but you who struck Uncle Guan again?" Mao Su's tone was even colder.
"I say, you people from Juxushan are all quite skilled, yet your tempers are still so fierce. Does everyone have a problem? Should we let Old Wei treat you?"
The old Gong's tone was even more playful, he leaped down from my shoulder and his hands and feet became fully functional.
"Can't my master strike him once, and then strike again?"
"Nagging," Mao Su directly scolded, snorted coldly and said: "The last time, Uncle Guan failed to wake up because he was possessed by plague demons. We surrounded and pursued him. How can it be compared?"
"Now, with Uncle Guan's strength recovered and even improved, except for He Younian's secret attack, it would be difficult for ten Luo Xians to injure him even slightly!"
Mao Su's words ring even more forceful.
"Listen, my master, listen. These people can't be saved anymore. It's beyond repair! How can this be called saving him? Last time I slashed him to save him, and this time I did it again to save him as well." Old Gong put on a look of deep sorrow and said.
"See what these ungrateful brats are doing? " Old Gong's tone was even more combative, showing no sign of backing down.
Mao Su's emotions were clearly stirred, and his anger grew even stronger.
Mao Xiang narrowed his eyes, still scanning behind me, as if waiting for He Younian to appear.
"Alright, Old Gong," I stopped him with his sharp words.
Mao Xiang did not use any pressure to suppress me, so I could take two steps forward and speak directly: "This matter is complicated. Although Uncle Guan was indeed mistakenly injured, if I did not do so, there was nothing I could do to save his life. The deaths of the five elders were a misunderstanding, and I can explain it."
"What's more important is, I came up the mountain today for the survival of Juxushan! You are facing a calamity that could wipe out your sect!"
