Chapter 448 - 423: Fairy Song and Immortal Venerable Mo

By the lake embankment, beneath a willow tree laden with snow.

Zhou Zhongqiu said, "When Immortal Venerable Mo saw that Ao Yun was about to die from the Bloodline Transfer, he defied the Three Immortals of Kunlun, despite being their disciple."

For a disciple to defy their master—from ancient times to the present, this has always been an act of ultimate rebellion, an offense against heaven itself!

As the story reached this point, the listening scholars were completely captivated, and now, they were all shaken.

Shaken, they fell silent.

No one spoke for a long time.

"For defying his superiors and rebelling against his masters, on that day at Kunlun Mountain, Immortal Venerable Mo had all his Qi Veins shattered, his Dantian Immortal Foundation gouged out, his entire cultivation crippled, and was banished from Kunlun!"

Finally, on the snow-draped embankment, Zhou Zhongqiu concluded this part of the story with that simple sentence.

When he finished speaking, the scholars listening to the story still hadn’t quite processed it.

Someone asked blankly, "What?"

Another quickly asked, "What happened after that? Immortal Venerable Mo paid such a heavy price. What about Ao Yun? And what about Xiao Yan?"

Zhou Zhongqiu said, "Princess Ao Yun was facing certain death. After Immortal Venerable Mo risked his life to save her, I heard... she managed to preserve a sliver of her True Spirit."

As he said this, there was a hint of uncertainty in Zhou Zhongqiu’s voice.

He then lowered his voice and said, "Gentlemen, Immortal Venerable Mo was originally the head disciple of the Kunshan Sect. But for the sake of a transgressing dragon, he defied his master and betrayed the sect’s principles. This matter... is hardly something the Kunshan Sect would be proud of. As such, the details from back then were rarely publicized."

The scholars were once again at a loss for words.

It was such a great story, so exciting in the beginning, but the ending was vague and glossed over. Who could stand that?

It was Zhou Zhongqiu who continued, "In any case, after this incident, Immortal Venerable Mo was banished from his sect and vanished from the public eye in the Nine Provinces. For the next thousand years, even as the Nine Provinces were unified and the Great Zhou was established, Immortal Venerable Mo never reappeared.

Originally, these past events had all faded with time, and everyone assumed Immortal Venerable Mo must have died after his banishment. After all, his injuries were too severe. With his Immortal Foundation completely destroyed, how could he possibly walk the path of an Immortal again?

If he hadn’t revealed himself this time—and upon his return, committed such a heaven-shaking deed as entering Tang Valley and assassinating the Demon Race’s Celestial Pride, Lu Wen, right under the nose of a Demon Saint—perhaps no one in the world would have ever mentioned him or remembered him again.

A person whose Immortal Foundation has been utterly destroyed cannot possibly comprehend the Great Dao again to reach the True Immortal Realm."

At this, Zhou Zhongqiu let out a soft sigh.

Only then did the crowd realize that their original topic of conversation was: Why couldn’t Immortal Venerable Mo be a True Immortal!

Now, that question finally had an answer.

’So that’s how it is. After suffering an injury that destroyed his very foundation, Immortal Venerable Mo’s path to immortality was severed!’

’For him to have survived for a thousand years, and after a millennium, to cultivate back to the Celestial Immortal Realm—and a Celestial Immortal with such incredible combat power at that—is already an unbelievable miracle.’

’How could it possibly be for him to advance further and become a True Immortal?’

Hearing this, the scholars felt a fire of frustration building in their chests. It swirled restlessly within them, yet there was no outlet, no way to release it. The feeling was utterly stifling.

How could they express the swell of emotions filling their hearts?

Someone said indignantly, "I don’t know why, but it just feels so unjust!"

Another person quickly asked the group, "Gentlemen, what do you think? Immortal Venerable Mo was in hiding for a thousand years. Why would he suddenly reappear now, and go straight to Tang Valley to assassinate Lu Wen?"

That question wasn’t hard to answer. A scholar immediately blurted out his opinion:

"It’s obviously because Immortal Venerable Mo holds righteousness in his heart and cannot stand to see injustice in the Mortal World! The Demon Race sent a Demon Venerable to assassinate our Human Race’s Celestial Pride, Fairy Song. So, Immortal Venerable Mo responded with an assassination of his own. Such heroic spirit! He’s truly worthy of being called Immortal Venerable Mo!"

Some nodded at this answer, but another said, "But that’s not right. There have been plenty of injustices in the Mortal World over the past thousand years, and Immortal Venerable Mo never acted. Why would he suddenly make a move now?"

Someone immediately guessed, "Then perhaps it’s because... that mysterious Fairy Song from our Celestial Pride List has some unknown connection to Immortal Venerable Mo?"

This remark stirred up the scholars’ excitement. They all grew animated at once, talking over one another.

"You know, that’s actually possible. The Celestial Pride List says Fairy Song’s origins are mysterious. Perhaps... Fairy Song is Immortal Venerable Mo’s disciple?"

"Exactly, exactly! Fairy Song’s combat power is so outstanding and her Cultivation Technique is so profound, it’s very possible she was taught by Immortal Venerable Mo! After all, back in the day, Immortal Venerable Mo was the undisputed number one on the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List. He was even more incredible than the current Tushan Jing!"

The more they talked, the more excited they became. At the peak of their discussion, someone even said, "Maybe Princess Ao Yun didn’t die, and Fairy Song is the descendant of Princess Ao Yun and Immortal Venerable Mo?"

Song Ciwan, who was listening in: ...

She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She was utterly speechless.

’Thanks, everyone, for your wild speculation. You’ve fabricated an origin story for me that’s so bizarre, I almost believed it myself.’

Meanwhile, Zhou Zhongqiu listened to their discussion for a moment, then gave a wry smile and said, "Everyone, while I said the Dragon Maiden left behind a True Spirit back then, that was merely my own personal speculation. Do you know why I guessed that?"

The scholars naturally pressed, "Why?"

Zhou Zhongqiu said, "Ten years ago, in Su Yang City, which is under the jurisdiction of Cangling County in Yong State, an incident of monstrous transformation erupted that nearly resulted in the city’s destruction."

At this point, Song Ciwan knew that Zhou Zhongqiu was about to bring up the incident at Bibo Lake.

That incident had caused quite a stir back then, but the Great Zhou was simply too vast. Jingzhou and Yong State were too far apart. Unless it was a world-spanning event like a change on the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List, it was difficult for news of certain incidents to become common knowledge.

At the very least, one had to reach a certain level to be well-informed.

The scholars exclaimed in shock, "A city-destroying monstrous transformation? What happened?"

Zhou Zhongqiu sighed and said, "Xiao Yan’s Transformation into a Dragon was not actually a complete success back then; or rather, he was only mostly successful. Princess Ao Yun was a True Dragon’s Daughter and possessed the body of a True Dragon. Yet when Xiao Yan transformed, he only became a Flood Dragon!

And this Flood Dragon was unlike other natural-born Flood Dragons. After Xiao Yan’s transformation, although he possessed the power of the Dragon Race, equivalent to the Celestial Immortal Realm, he completely lacked the Dragon Race’s ability of Cloud Formation and Rainfall."

The scholars couldn’t help but gasp. One of them blurted out, "Then what was the point of his transformation, other than increasing his Power?"

Zhou Zhongqiu said, "Indeed. It seems it was pointless. In any case, Xiao Yan was once a prominent figure in the Nine Provinces, but after killing his wife to transform into a dragon, he somehow fell into obscurity."

As he said this, a hint of a sarcastic smile touched his lips.

"Xiao Yan settled at Bibo Lake in Su Yang City. During that time, he managed to command some of the Aquatic Race, carrying a bit of the Dragon King’s authority. A thousand years passed like this. Then, ten years ago, Bibo Lake suddenly began to shake. The Dragon Maiden had returned for revenge as a monstrous entity."

The scholars all gasped in unison once again.