Chapter 20: The First Encounter

A mountain range shrouded in rosy mist stood to the south of Xianglu Town. A hundred miles around, lush green bamboos covered the earth, rolling endlessly like a sea. As a gentle breeze swept across, waves of leaves rippled instantly, and clouds billowed in the rosy glow, presenting a dreamlike, celestial spectacle.

A streak of white light slashed across the sky and descended beneath the rosy-hued mountains. Enveloped within that white light was a crystalline infant, as flawless as carved jade. Its jade-like hands gently pinched a few incantation seals, and a beam of white light shot from its palms, flying straight into the vast mountain. Immediately following, a violent tremor shook the ground, which split apart toward both sides as if cleaved by a giant blade. Accompanied by a roaring sound, a flight of stone steps rose up—steps paved with bluestone that stretched far into the distance, seeming endlessly remote.

Without the slightest hesitation, the moment the staircase appeared, the infant flew straight into the mountain. As it ventured deeper, several wooden huts came into view on either side of the steps, where a few people were practicing martial forms in groups of twos and threes. They seemed completely unaware of the white infant flying past them. Nor did the infant show any intention of stopping, continuing its swift flight forward.

In the blink of an eye, the infant arrived in front of a palace constructed of bluestone and glazed tiles.

"Halt." Two Daoist priests guarding the front of the palace blocked the infant's path. But when they caught sight of its appearance, their expressions shifted instantly. "Xujian, you..."

"I request an audience with the Sect Master," the infant, addressed as Xujian, said with an anxious expression.

"Wait a moment, I will go immediately and rep—" Before the word report could leave his lips, a woman's voice echoed from within the grand hall: "Let him in."

Without waiting for the two guards to clear the path, Xujian rushed straight inside. At that moment, a woman stood upon a raised platform directly ahead. The platform was square-shaped, roughly five or six zhang in length and width, with four towering pillars carved from white jade standing at its corners.

"Sect Master," Xujian called out respectfully as soon as he entered the hall.

The woman slowly turned around. At first glance, she appeared no older than twenty, her snow-white, crystalline skin radiating a faint, shimmering glow. She possessed a delicate, straight nose, bright, dark eyes, alluringly red and vibrant lips, and a breathtaking figure. Every bit of her showcased a visage capable of sinking fish and dropping geese, of eclipsing the moon and shaming the flowers.

Every time he laid eyes on this woman, Xujian's heart would pound wildly. Even though he was now reduced to a mere Nascent Soul, he still could not control his racing heartbeat.

"Xujian, what on earth has happened? Where is Xujing?" the woman asked with deep concern.

Xujian slightly adjusted his mood and recounted everything that had transpired after descending the mountain.

Upon hearing Xujian's narrative, the woman's brows knitted tightly together. After a brief moment of silence, she spoke: "Xujian, go down and tend to your wounds. You may draw whatever medicinal pills you need from the treasury."

Xujian bowed respectfully and withdrew.

"The Realm of Freedom, and unexpectedly a Loose Immortal... It seems this matter must be reported to the elders," the woman murmured to herself, slowly walking toward the inner sanctum.

The cultivation secret realms of Azure Mist Mountain were divided into three tiers: the Five Pavilions of Heaven, the Five Pavilions of Earth, and the Five Pavilions of Humanity. The Five Pavilions of Heaven served as the cultivation sanctuary for the elders, descending in rank thereafter, while the Five Pavilions of Humanity were reserved for promising newcomers. At this moment, inside the Heaven-tier pavilions, eight elders sat cross-legged upon the Azure Five Platform.

Abruptly, one of the elders vanished from the platform without a warning.

"Qingqu's recovery speed is truly fast," laughed an elder with a beard sweeping down to the floor.

"Qingfeng, rather than wasting time lamenting, you would do better to concentrate on your recovery," another elder rebuked. As he spoke, yet another elder recovered and vanished from the platform.

"You think I don't want to? But the Heavenly Phenomenon Formation in these Heaven Pavilions is utterly perverted," the elder named Qingfeng said, curling his lip.

These three major secret realms had been established a century ago by their Senior Eldest Apprentice brother prior to his ascension. They contained the Heavenly Phenomenon Formation, which incorporated the shifts of the Heavenly Dao and the Five Elements. Their Senior Apprentice Brother had once declared that whoever could comprehend the Heavenly Phenomenon Formation of the Heaven Pavilions would achieve ascension. Yet, this formation was far from a mere illusion of shifting heavens and earth; it was a genuine, punishing combat array of elemental changes.

Just as Qingfeng was grumbling, two more elders recovered, vanished from the Azure Five Platform, and entered the Heavenly Phenomenon Formation.

Seeing that several elders had already completed their recovery, Qingfeng also began to cultivate with a tranquil mind. Just as his true essence fully recovered, a pillar of light descended from the sky, and a woman materialized upon the Azure Five Platform.

"Fengyu pays her respects to the Elders." The woman was none is than the current Sect Master of Azure Mist Mountain.

"Ah, it's Fengyu. Why have you come here? Could something have happened to Azure Mist Mountain?" Qingfeng opened his eyes and asked. The other elders, however, turned a blind eye and continued their serene cultivation.

"Elder Qingfeng, two disciples, Xujian and Xujing, went down the mountain to recruit disciples but were attacked by practitioners of the demonic path. That demonic practitioner appeared to be a Loose Immortal. Xujing was no match and was brutally slain, while Xujian fled back with his body destroyed. I beseech the elders to uphold justice," Fengyu said, slightly bowing.

"What did you say? A Loose Immortal?" The elder beside Qingfeng suddenly opened his eyes and asked.

"This matter is 100% true. According to Xujian, after binding him, that Loose Immortal uttered a single phrase: 'How is the Realm of Freedom?'" Fengyu explained.

"Qingfeng, what do your thoughts say?" asked the elder beside him.

"I believe this matter must be decided by Qingqu," Qingfeng said, standing up. He projected a wisp of his spiritual consciousness into the Water Phenomenon Formation within the heavenly array, knowing for certain that Qingqu was cultivating inside.

Within the Water Phenomenon Formation:

Raging, fathomless seawater surged endlessly. A reef broke the surface of the water, and seated cross-legged atop this dark, jagged rock was an elder with narrow, piercing eyes.

Suddenly, the ocean churned, and a colossal wave rushed toward the elder as if plunging from the heavens. Bizarrely, when the towering wave crashed toward him, it obediently split into two halves on either side, as though an invisible sword had cleaved the tides apart.

"Qingqu, there is a major crisis—Ah..." A voice suddenly pierced into the elder's mind. Simultaneously, Qingfeng's spiritual sense, projected into the secret realm, was shattered by the roaring waves.

Qingfeng, back on the Azure Five Platform, took a half-step back and cursed, "Damn it! Good thing it was the Water Phenomenon Formation. If it had been the Metal Phenomenon Formation, my spiritual sense would have been completely wiped out."

A hum echoed as a beam of light appeared on the Azure Five Platform. When the light dissipated, the elder named Qingqu stood in its place.

"What is going on?" Qingqu demanded.

Fengyu recounted the events once more.

"To think such a thing has occurred. Our Azure Mist disciples take the eradication of demons and upholding of the righteous path as our bounden duty. Regardless of whether it is our own disciple who was harmed, this person must be eliminated by us," Qingqu declared.

"Qingyao, Qingfeng, Qingsong, Qingbai—you four shall go together. Even if that Loose Immortal has survived five tribulations, he may not be able to withstand the combined might of the four of you," Qingqu said coldly.

Four voices answered in unison: "Understood!"

Several streaks of light flashed as the five individuals departed the Azure Five Platform. Four elders of Azure Mist Mountain sped swiftly toward Xianglu Town in the north.

Back in Xianglu Town, after subduing the Black Otter, Leiyan placed the White Tiger Hall under its command. From the very moment the Black Otter took charge of the hall, Leiyan had assigned it a task: gather intelligence on everyone in Xianglu Town. Naturally, this assignment was merely meant to let the Black Otter test its skills, and it also served as Leiyan's trial for the creature.

At this moment, inside a secret chamber of the Hundred Herb Hall, Leiyan was deep in cultivation. While familiarizing himself with his inner true essence and his Nascent Soul, he was also waiting—waiting for the people of Azure Mist Mountain to arrive. He needed to test the true strength of Azure Mist Mountain; if the enemy failed to show up, he would personally visit them by nightfall. Meanwhile, the white tiger lay sprawled across the floor, snoring away.

"Hmph, they've truly come." The smile on Leiyan's face stiffened. The strength of the four incoming figures was so unfathomable that he could not see through a single one of them. This was hardly good news.

"White Tiger, we've got trouble. Get your ass up immediately!" Leiyan channeled his true essence and gave the white tiger a swift kick. Ordinarily, he would never expend true essence just to kick the beast, but this time, he had to jolt it fully awake.

Stung by the pain, the white tiger jolted upright and roared at Leiyan, "How dare you channel your true essence to kick this lord!"

"Quiet! Four powerhouses are approaching from outside," Leiyan barked. At the same time, he issued a cold command: "Heisha, go test the enemy's bottom line and lure them away."

A wisp of black smoke—Heisha—drifted out of the secret chamber.

Noticing the grave expression on Leiyan's face, the white tiger also projected its spiritual consciousness outward. In a fraction of a second, it sensed four elderly figures in Daoist robes charging rapidly toward their location. Its expression, too, shifted instantly. The oppressive aura emanating from those incoming foes was genuinely formidable.

"What do we do?" the white tiger asked.

"What else can we do? Retreat quickly. Let Heisha test their strength first. If they prove too strong for him, we'll turn the tables and strike back later." Leiyan bolted out of the courtyard in a flash, summoned his flying sword, and streaked into the distance at maximum speed, with the white tiger trailing closely behind.

Man and beast streaked across the sky like twin auroras, fleeing a thousand miles in an instant. Suddenly, Leiyan halted his flight in mid-air, and a mouthful of fresh blood spurted from his lips.

"Leiyan, are you alright?" the white tiger asked with concern.

"Damn it! Those four old Daoists are truly extraordinary. Heisha's physical vessel has already been destroyed," Leiyan cursed. Fleeing another few thousand miles further, he finally stopped, formed an incantation seal with his hands, and watched as wisps of black smoke emerged from his body, gradually reforming into a human shape.

"Heisha, report what happened back there," Leiyan commanded.

"Each of those four possessed a cultivation base approaching the Mahayana realm," Heisha stated coldly. "Of course, merely approaching the Mahayana realm wouldn't be terribly impressive. What makes them formidable is their combined assault technique. I had to sacrifice my physical body just to kill three of them. That Five-Element Subduing Evil Sword Formation incorporates four of the Heavenly Dao's Five Elements. Had there been a fifth person, I wouldn't even have had the chance to fight back."

"You mean you actually killed three of them?" Leiyan asked in surprise. Initially, sensing that Heisha's physical form had been destroyed, he assumed the enemy's strength was monstrously high. He hadn't expected them to be merely near the Mahayana realm, albeit armed with such a specialized sword technique.

"It seems this Azure Mist Mountain indeed holds some weight. This fight was not a loss," a smile crept onto the corner of Leiyan's lips.

"White Tiger, find a place so I can regulate my injuries first. Hmph, approaching the Mahayana realm? I happen to have five of them right here," Leiyan sneered coldly. He resolved to completely refine the Five-Element Pagoda before heading to Azure Mist Mountain.

As his voice faded, Leiyan's figure drifted downward like a willow catkin.