Chapter 145 - 90: Jade Beauty Xue, Yunlan True Form Temple

Chapter 145: Chapter 90: Jade Beauty Xue, Yunlan True Form Temple

With Xuzhuang’s cultivation, it was easy to tell whether the woman was speaking the truth. He nodded inwardly. ’A jade spirit... long life, but slow cultivation. She would be an excellent choice for handling worldly matters.’

As for some "Young Master Chu Wei," Xuzhuang didn’t give him a moment’s thought.

Xue Yuren waited for a long moment before Xuzhuang finally gave a slight nod. "In that case," he said, "I will give you a chance."

Just as a flicker of joy appeared in Xue Yuren, she cried out in alarm. With a wave of his great sleeve, Xuzhuang transformed into a streak of rainbow light, sweeping her up as they soared into the clouds.

—

The distribution of spiritual energy in the Celestial Waterfall Realm was quite unique. The very location of the Celestial Waterfall was the realm’s foremost Blessed Land for cultivation.

The True Form Temple, the ruling power in Yunlan Province, naturally had its sect gates located at the site of the Celestial Waterfall.

Upon arriving, one could see countless flowing clouds gathering in the sky, forming a spectacular, vortex-like scene. At its center was a majestic Celestial Waterfall, thundering down from the heavens and pouring into a basin surrounded by several high mountains.

Within the mist, palaces and pavilions were faintly visible, all built upon the high peaks. Below the mountains’ waists, perhaps from overflowing springs, cascades like white-jade dragons gushed forth, spilling down to the foot of the mountains and forming a ring-like lake that encircled them—another magnificent sight.

At that moment, inside a palace in the mountains, a middle-aged Daoist with a distinguished face and a long, three-stranded beard was solemnly placing three sticks of Profound Incense into the Incense Burner. He then took two steps back and bowed respectfully to the jade statue at the head of the hall.

The jade statue’s face was indistinct and its Daoist Robe plain. It was the image of the founding ancestor of the Tai Su Orthodox Sect, the Tai Su Taoist.

After paying his respects to the Tai Su Taoist, the distinguished Daoist sighed softly before turning to leave the grand hall.

A young-looking cultivator was already waiting outside. When he saw the distinguished Daoist emerge, he said impatiently, "Senior Brother, at a time like this, you still have the leisure to be in here worshiping the founder?"

The distinguished Daoist frowned and snapped, "Silence, Junior Brother Zeng! How dare you show such disrespect before the Ancestral Hall?"

"I’m not being disrespectful to the founder," Junior Brother Zeng said. "It’s just that the situation is critical."

The distinguished Daoist said coolly, "Critical? It’s just a few Natural Stone Pools. We hadn’t even discovered them before, so what does it matter if we cede them?"

Junior Brother Zeng was stunned, then retorted unhappily, "What do you mean, ’just a few Natural Stone Pools’? The Stone Pool Spirit Truth they produce is a treasure for cultivation! Besides, Lianyun Mountain is our territory in Yunlan Province. How can we just cede it?"

"If we cede Lianyun Mountain today, does that mean we’ll cede Yunlan Province tomorrow? And the day after that, are we supposed to cede the True Form Temple itself?"

The distinguished Daoist, who had remained calm until this point, suddenly paled. He snapped, "Zeng Quanfeng!"

Zeng Quanfeng froze for a moment, then let out a long breath. "My apologies, Senior Brother Zhang," he said. "I was just overcome with anxiety."

Daoist Zhang said in a heavy voice, "Our True Form Temple was established under the decree of the main sect..."

"...established under the decree of the main sect, honored as a branch of the Tai Su Orthodox Sect, and forbidden from tarnishing the dignity of the Tai Su Orthodox Sect’s lineage," Zeng Quanfeng finished dejectedly.

"But Master has been gone for three hundred years, and the main sect has never sent anyone to take charge of the True Form Temple. Now the temple is beset by troubles from within and without. If we really give up Lianyun Mountain, what dignity will we have left?"

Daoist Zhang sighed. "This isn’t what I want either. But you know the situation. The Moyun Sect is powerful, and Junior Brother Meng is still missing..."

Zeng Quanfeng was a mess of frustration. "We can retreat this time, but can we retreat forever?" he said, unwilling to concede. "If this keeps up, I’m afraid we won’t even make it to the Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly."

"For now, this is our only option," Daoist Zhang said. "We must retreat temporarily and pour all our efforts into finding Junior Brother Meng. It’s our only hope for survival."

"Junior Brother Meng has been missing for six years..." At this, Zeng Quanfeng’s voice filled with resentment. "I’m afraid the Moyun Sect already knows he’s gone. That’s why they dare to be so aggressive."

Three hundred years ago, their Master was a Great Cultivator at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm. Even the five great sects had to treat him with courtesy, while the sects of the sixteen provinces could only act according to the True Form Temple’s pleasure.

Even after their Master’s departure, his lingering prestige protected the True Form Temple for a long time. Furthermore, with their youngest junior brother, Meng Fusheng, reaching the Nascent Soul realm, the True Form Temple had managed to persevere despite its gradual decline.

Now, with the Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly imminent and Junior Brother Meng suddenly gone, the True Form Temple was abruptly thrust into a precarious state. It was no wonder that both Zhang and Zeng were fraught with worry.

Suddenly, Zeng Quanfeng seemed to recall something. He looked up and asked, "Senior Brother, didn’t you use a Magical Artifact to send a message to the main sect? Have they not sent word back?"

Daoist Zhang sighed again without answering.

Silence fell before the hall. After a moment, the sound of footsteps broke the quiet. The two men quickly composed themselves. A moment later, a young disciple came through the moon gate, saw them, and jogged over to offer a bow.

Stroking his long, three-stranded beard, Daoist Zhang nodded.

Zeng Quanfeng, however, waved his hand. "Do you have something to report?"

The young disciple said, "Reporting to the Sect Leader and Junior Martial Uncle Zeng, there is a man and a woman outside the sect gates who insist on seeing the Sect Leader."

Daoist Zhang was puzzled. "Who are they?" he asked.

"I do not know," the young disciple said hesitantly. "But the Daoist produced a message token, saying the Sect Leader would understand upon seeing it."

Zeng Quanfeng frowned. "What token? Take it out."

The disciple quickly took the token from his sleeve. The moment Zhang and Zeng saw it, they both started, their masterly composure shattering as they cried out in unison, "Master!"

The young disciple jumped in fright. The two men exchanged a look and calmed themselves. "It’s Master’s personal token!" Zeng Quanfeng said joyfully. "Could it be... AHEM."

"Quickly, show the two of them into the front hall," Daoist Zhang instructed. "I will be there shortly."

The disciple hurriedly accepted the order and left.

Daoist Zhang composed himself and straightened his robes, then strode toward the front hall. Zeng Quanfeng hurried to keep pace. Arriving before the hall, they exchanged another glance, then entered one after the other.

Upon entering the hall, they saw a Daoist in a Crane Robe standing with his hands clasped behind his back, his own back turned to them. He appeared to be admiring a mural on the wall depicting an Immortal Venerable vanquishing demons. Behind him, a woman of extreme beauty with skin as smooth as jade stood in attendance.

Hearing their footsteps, the Daoist turned around. He had the appearance of a young man, strikingly handsome with an extraordinary air about him. The first sight of him filled the two men with admiration, which was immediately followed by a slight start.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Daoist Zhang’s eyes. ’He’s only at the Golden Core realm?’

Zeng Quanfeng’s brow furrowed even deeper as he thought, ’Could he not be from the main sect after all?’

The two exchanged a look before moving forward to greet him. Seeing them enter the grand hall, the Daoist smiled first and offered a formal salute. "Might I ask which of you is Sect Leader Zhang? I am Xuzhuang, and my Daoist title is Daomiao. Greetings."

Daoist Zhang was taken aback. He knew a few of the Tai Su Orthodox Sect’s customs and hurriedly replied, "So, it is Junior Martial Uncle Xu. I am the current Sect Leader of the True Form Temple. I am unworthy of such a greeting from a martial uncle."

"Hold on." Zeng Quanfeng’s brow furrowed. "Fellow Daoist, though you have the token as proof, how can you prove you are a True Inheritance disciple of the same generation as our revered Master?"

Xuzhuang did not seem offended. He mused, "Hmm... I wonder if you recognize this?" He raised his hand, and a small, pure gold sword materialized. Engraved on the hilt was the name ’Daomiao,’ and on the reverse, the name ’Xuzhuang.’ It was the True Inheritance Golden Sword.

The moment the sword appeared, all of Zeng Quanfeng’s doubts vanished. He quickly bowed low and said, "Greetings, Junior Martial Uncle Xu."

Xuzhuang nodded, accepting the bow. Zeng Quanfeng couldn’t hold back his next question. "Junior Martial Uncle Xu, have you come from the main sect? Is there any news of our Master?"

"Indeed," Xuzhuang said with a slight smile. "As for Senior Brother Daochen, he has already achieved the Primordial Spirit realm. He has now taken charge of the Tai Su Orthodox Sect and is revered as the Sect Leader."

"A Primordial Spirit True Man!" Both men were visibly shaken. Zeng Quanfeng murmured, "Master has finally achieved the Primordial Spirit realm... a Primordial Spirit True Man... I wonder what the difference is between that and a Grotto Heaven Zhenren?"

"Grotto Heaven Zhenren?" The term caught Xuzhuang’s ear, and he grew thoughtful. But before he could ponder it, Daoist Zhang asked, "Junior Martial Uncle Xu, for what purpose have you come to this realm? Did our Master give you any instructions?"