Langya Palace, grandly adoring the throne hall.

    Left Zhi, the old immortal, sat opposite Yu Ji, with a set of go stones in front of him. There were also two boys nearby, continuously adding tea to the two people.

    The old immortal Zuo Ci holds the white stone and ponders.

    Yu Ji seemed distracted, a bit restless, and said, "Mr. Wu Jiao, more than a year has passed since Zhengyangzi was taken away by the celestial court. Why haven't you taken advantage of this opportunity to act?"

    "Not in a hurry," Zuo Ci slowly placed the stone in his hand on the board, "Although I have already discussed with Zhengyangzi about Chen Chong's matter, he has agreed to let me teach him the 'Book of Hidden Knowledge' or your 'Book of Purity and Order,' yet, I still haven't made up my mind."

    Yu Ji, who just picked up the black stone, was stunned and asked, "You didn't seem to favor this move, so why are you suddenly hesitating?"

    Zuo Ci picked up the teacup and sipped from it, speaking leisurely, "If you hand a knife to someone else's hand, don't you think you should look into their character?"

    Yu Ji embedded the black stone into the white ones and said with a touch of indifference, "Zhengyangzi, who is so demanding of his students' characters, still accepted Chen Chongyong as a disciple. His character, what do you have to worry about?"

    "At this time, it is different from that time," Zuo Ci put down the teacup and said. "Chen Chongyong realized his own method in Zhengyangzi's 'Singing the Way to Break Perplexity,' creating the 'Inner Cultivation Song of Chen Mr.,' and has a faint air of establishing a school. In the past, when he was still new to cultivation, if we taught him our methods, he might be delighted. He would then propagate and expand our methods, but now that he has become a high-level cultivator and has even cultivated a divine body, he can only wait for enough True Qi to be refined so that he can condense a Golden Core and become an immortal. People are often arrogant when they are happy, so they may not appreciate our methods. If we shamelessly ask him to learn from us, we will not be valued."

    The servant takes this opportunity to refill the teacups.

    Yu Ji furrowed his brow and said, "Then when should we teach him the great methods?"

    Just as Zuo Ci picked up the go stones, he suddenly broke into an incomprehensible smile, "When he takes a loss."

    Yu Ji remained silent and said, "He has reached a high-level cultivator, has refined the divine body of a sage, and is aided by divinities like Zheng Wenshu, Lü Dongbin, and He Xiangu, when will he ever take a loss?"

    Zuo Ci half-smiled, "Can't you make some calculations?"

    "Mm?" Yu Ji suddenly had an epiphany, "What did you calculate? Alright, let me calculate for him."

    He said this, his hands moved swiftly, a stream of purple qi burst from his fingertips and transformed into an eight trigram pattern.

    Zuo Ci sat calmly and contentedly, saying not a word more. He merely waited quietly.

    Yu Ji used his divine energy to evolve the eight trigrams, causing the purple qi to continuously condense and rise.

    Initially, there were no signs in the eight trigrams.

    Suddenly, a dark qi streaked up from within, abruptly darkening the entire eight trigrams.

    Yu Ji's face changed greatly, and he looked up, somewhat surprised, saying, "This child will experience a downfall in the next few decades. The most recent one was just a few days ago."

    Zuo Ci nodded slightly and said, "When a tiger falls into a pit, it is too late to say anything. To advance is easy, but to retreat is difficult. To expect things not to go as planned and to cause oneself inconveniences, and diseases and quarrels will be linked. This is called the 'Peach Blossom Spring,' which indicates that the Yang Qi ascends while the Yin Qi descends, and heaven and earth do not communicate. Everything fails to communicate. It indicates that after prosperity comes adversity."

    Yu Ji furrowed his brow and said, "From the diagram, it appears that his energy is in a declining stage. There will be many obstacles and setbacks. He will be troubled by petty people and will not be able to achieve his goals. He is prone to frustration. If he is careless, he may lose his life in a strange place, but there are also ways to break this curse. As long as he can maintain himself and not go along with the flow of evil, unite with like-minded people, await the right time, and naturally turn the situation around, and then come what may, reverse adversity."

    "Where there is joy, there is potential for disaster; where there is disaster, there is potential for joy." Zuo Ci agreed with the other's analysis, "If he can hold onto his heart and not fear difficulties, then one day when he falls into a deep abyss, that will be the day he truly becomes an immortal."

    Yu Ji worriedly said, "I fear that he might not survive this tribulation. What should we do if he were to fall?"

    Zuo Ci reached out his hand and touched down on the eight trigrams, filling it with a stream of clear qi and shining a faint white light upon it, "Although there were previous setbacks without life-threatening danger, he will now face a major setback. If we two of you teach him the method at this time, he will certainly understand and be able to break through this difficulty. If he cannot understand, even the Supreme Immortal cannot save him."

    ……

    On the other side, the Yin Mountain Sect.

    Xie Lingxiao, who had met Chen Yun before, was looking at the two people in awe.

    One of them was her recently ascended father, Xie Wuyang.

    The other was a man in a Daoist robe adorned with the constellations of the universe, with one eye black and the other white, like the sun and the moon. He was eight feet tall.

    Behind the man, there stood two women and a man. Among them, one man and one woman stood side by side, each with their own backed swords emitting purple and green qi respectively. The other woman also carried a sword, but the sword seemed to faintly radiate star power.

    Anyone with a bit of knowledge could tell that these three people were extraordinary.

    As the daughter of the Yin Mountain elder Xie Wuyang, Xie Lingxiao naturally had extensive experience and knew that these two men and one woman were known as Xuanzhenzi, Dongmiaofu, and Shen Xiuyu. They were famous disciples of the generation of the Star Sea on Kunlun Mountain.

    The person standing shoulder to shoulder with her father is Guoteng, the founder of the Star Sea. He attained enlightenment two hundred years ago and is a true immortal.

    Guoteng greeted cheerfully, "Long time no see, Brother Xie. Are you doing well?"

    Xie Wuyang sighed, "Indeed, there's been a few decades since we've seen each other."

    "Think about it in the beginning, I sought to attain enlightenment and become a immortal, but I was punished by heaven. It was you, Brother Xie, who helped me with your wind god banner," Guoteng reminisced with a smile. "I never expected that two hundred years have passed since then. Time really does fly like a white horse. It makes one feel homesick."

    Xie Wuyang forced a smile, "It was precisely because of Guoteng's aid that I met Xie Lingxiao's mother. However, after giving birth to a son and a half daughter, she relapsed into her old illness. Despite my search for rare spiritual roots around the world, I could not save her life."

    Mentioning this, Guoteng seemed deeply guilty, "At that time, I was in seclusion striving to break through to the level of a Earthly Immortal. I couldn't help you find a spiritual root, and I have been troubled by this ever since."

    "Alas." Xie Wuyang sighed and said, "The person is gone, and it's time to close the book on it. You don't need to feel guilty about it."

    There seemed to be an unspoken and complex relationship between the three.

    Guoteng was silent for a moment before smiling again, "Two hundred years ago, we had an agreement that if either of us had a son or half daughter, we would become in-laws. Although I didn't have a child of my own like you, I adopted several children and treated them as my own. Now that I've come here, it's to fulfill our old agreement between us."

    As he spoke, he turned to look at the young woman, "Xiu'er."

    Shen Xiuyu quickly stepped forward, "Father."

    Guoteng said, "You are already aware of the matter we have come here for today. Before I meet my nephew Wuiming, as your father, I want to ask you: Are you willing to marry into the Yin Mountain Sect and become a virtuous wife and mother to my nephew Wuiming?"

    Shen Xiuyu revealed a shy expression, "As a daughter, I will do as my father commands."

    Guoteng laughed heartily and looked at Xie Wuyang again, "Brother, have you heard what Xiu'er said? Hurry and bring out my nephew Wuiming so that he can get to know Xiu'er?"

    Upon hearing this, Xie Wuyang seemed to age several years in an instant. His voice carried a hint of bitterness as he said, "My dear brother, I'm afraid I can't bring my Wuiming child out today."

    originally slightly shy Shen Xiuyu's face changed and turned pale as a sheet.

    Guoteng's eyebrows immediately furrowed.

    Including Xuanzhenzi and Dongmiaofu behind him, their expressions also turned rather unpleasant.

    They had thought that Xie Wuyang was refusing to let Xie Wuiming marry Shen Xiuyu, which would be a face-saving move for the Star Sea Sect.

    Xie Lingxiao, however, was lowering her head in silence, lost in thought.

    Guoteng took a deep breath, feigning magnanimity as he asked, "Brother, why say such a thing? Do you want to break the agreement, or is it that my nephew Wuiming has already married and had children these years?"

    Xie Wuyang laughed bitterly and said, "I truly hope that my son Wuiming has already married and had children, but unfortunately... he will never be able to do so."

    Guoteng was stunned for a moment and suddenly thought of something bad, "What happened to my nephew Wuiming?"

    Mentioning this, even though Xie Wuyang had achieved enlightenment and become an immortal, tears slipped down the corners of his eyes. His voice was slightly choked with emotion as he said, "Wuming... Wuming is dead."

    "What?"

    "Wuming brother is dead?"

    Xuanzhenzi and Dongmiaofu were greatly shocked.

    Shen Xiuyu also suddenly raised her head and looked at Xie Wuyang. She had been adopted by Guoteng since childhood and was educated to become the wife of Xie Wuiming one day. Now, upon hearing that her beloved suitor had died, she was greatly shocked and felt as if a belief had collapsed.

    Guoteng's hand trembled slightly, "Wanjun has already returned to the realm of ghosts. Now you and her son Wuiming have also died in your prime?"

    Xie Wuyang slowly nodded, "Yes."

    Guoteng couldn't believe it and asked, "How could Wuiming nephew die? He wasn't being protected by you?"

    Xie Wuyang appeared very helpless, turning his head and saying, "Lingxiao, you can explain everything to your uncle in detail."

    Everyone's eyes flashed towards Xie Lingxiao's face at once.

    Xie Lingxiao, who had been bowing her head in deep thought, had no choice but to look up and recounted the story of Xie Wuiming's murder in detail.

    Guoteng listened in anger and said, "That villainous Chen Po actually dared to kill my nephew Wuiming. I must demand blood for blood!"

    Xie Wuyang appeared more rational, "You have already achieved enlightenment and become an immortal. You cannot take action against ordinary people. Otherwise, you will be punished by the 'Laws of the Female Heaven'."

    Guoteng bit his teeth and said, "Have you never thought of taking revenge for Wuiming nephew?"

    Xie Wuyang sighed and said, "My first disciple, Yin Wuji, was also killed by Chen Po that villainous little fellow. How can I not want to take revenge?"

    Guoteng was horrified, "Yin nephew was also killed by this man?"

    Xie Wuyang nodded, "Yes."

    Guoteng asked in confusion, "Why didn't you go find this little fellow to take revenge when you weren't enlightened two years ago?"

    Xie Wuyang said, "As the founder of a school, I am a master of great stature. He has only practiced Dao for a few years. If I take action against him, wouldn't I be laughed at by the world? Moreover, he is a disciple of Zhuangli Quan. Zhuangli Quan has two disciples who have reached the level of Sect Leader. One is Zheng Wenshu, and the other is Wang Laozhi. Wang Laozhi is not to be feared, but Zheng Wenshu is something else. At that time, I was no match for him. If I had gone to his doorstep to take revenge, there was a high chance that he would have wiped me out and I would never be able to take revenge for my Wuiming child. That's why I've been suppressed all this time, waiting for the opportunity to kill Chen Po during the Sealing God War, who knew that Yin Wuji wouldn't listen to me and went after Chen Po on his own accord? The result was that he was also killed!"

    Guoteng was somewhat speechless and said, "As far as I know, Zheng Wenshu has already achieved enlightenment and become an immortal years ago. Even if you went to his doorstep, unless Zhongli Quan doesn't follow the heavenly rules, there is no one in his sect that can be your match."

    "Mm?" Xie Wuyang's expression changed significantly, "Zheng Wenshu has been an immortal for years already?"

    "Not only Zheng Wenshu has achieved enlightenment." Guoteng revealed the news, "It is said that there was a great change in the Sect and Wang Laozhi's life or death is unknown. Zhuangli Quan also broke the heavenly rules and was captured, now Chen Po is a lone wolf."

    Xie Wuyang showed a look of regret on his face, "If I had known this, I should have suppressed my cultivation for a few years before achieving enlightenment. Now that I am an immortal, and Lingxiao child has just broken through to the level of a superior wizard, she is no match for that little scoundrel. I can't find him to take revenge and avenge my child's grievances!"

    Shen Xiuyu suddenly stepped forward and said, "Uncle, Xiuyu is willing to take up the revenge for Wuiming brother!"

    Xie Lingxiao glanced at Shen Xiuyu, noticing that her face was flushed with anger. She really couldn't understand why this woman had such deep feelings for her brother Xie Wuiming, who she had never met.

    She doesn't know what kind of education Shen Xiuyu received from a young age.

    You can say that, Shen Xiuyu was brainwashed by Guoteng from a young age, always seeing herself as the future wife of Xie Wuiming who she had never actually met. Now that she heard that "her husband" had been killed, Shen Xiuyu was naturally filled with anger.

    Xie Wuyang didn't expect Shen Xiuyu to offer to avenge her cousin's death. He hesitated and said, "Niece, you want to avenge my Wuiming child for me, I am very grateful. However, that Chen Po is not easy to handle. Even my eldest disciple Yin Wuji was killed. What abilities do you have to seek revenge on that scoundrel?"

    Shen Xiuyu's tone was cold and said, "Uncle, you don't know everything. I have already reached the late stage of high-level wizard. With the help of Zhou Tianxing Sword, I can easily kill even Sect Leaders. Chen Po may have killed Yin Wuji, who was only an upper-level wizard, but he certainly cannot be my opponent!"

    Xie Wuyang took a deep breath and said, "Zhou Tianxing Sword? It is said to be a true artifact that can even harm divine bodies. How did you acquire this sword?" He suddenly looked at Guoteng, "Where did you get this sword from?"

    Guoteng said, "Since I broke through to the level of a real immortal a few years ago, I once had a deadly fight with the previous owner of Zhou Tianxing Sword, an old man named Baiweng. I killed him, and naturally, the Zhou Tianxing Sword fell into my hands. Originally, I wanted to use this sword as Xiu'er's dowry, but never thought that Wuiming nephew had been killed by someone else."

    Xie Wuyang was overjoyed, "If that's the case, Xiu'er truly does have the ability to kill that little fellow. Alright, Xiu'er, go and meet the Chen Po for me!"

    (The end of this chapter)