Chapter 24: The Mysterious Village (Part 2)

  I didn't sleep well last night, my waist hurt so badly. Today I have to go buy more medicinal plaster again. Now I'm completely relying on my girlfriend's massage and medicinal plaster to keep writing, it's the support of all the book friends that keeps me going. In consideration of my hard work, please give me your support with votes. Tonight I'll upload two more VIP chapters and unlock one public chapter.

  A flower bloomed in front of Hong Zhi's eyes, and the Sea Dragon had already fallen into the hands of that suddenly appearing strange person. A circle of faint white light, soft as a cloud mist, emerged from the strange person's cloak, pouring straight into the Sea Dragon's head through the Bai Hui point, causing its entire body to shudder, and the expression on its face seemed to relax a bit.

  An aged sigh echoed, "You may leave, I do not wish to take lives." Ji Wu Hui and the Five Demons were shocked to discover that the dark clouds in the sky had all dispersed, the sunlight in the air had vanished, and the twinkling starlight appeared clearly in mid-air, shining brightly and movingly, as if they had all suddenly fallen into a sea of stars.

  Lü Wú Huò's voice changed: "The stars have shifted. Who are you, senior?" The strange person in front of him didn't make any gestures or use any energy, yet he could cause the sun and moon to invert and the stars to fall from the sky; even his own adoptive father couldn't do that. Could it be... could this strange person in front of him have already reached the realm of ascending to immortality? Although he felt unwilling to give up, Lü Wú Huò still harbored thoughts of retreating.

  "The strange man said faintly, 'What I am is none of your concern. Even if Lord Ye comes in person, he must address me as senior when he sees me. I have long since abandoned any murderous intentions. All of you can leave now. Go back and tell Lord Ye that those who do many unjust things will bring about their own downfall. Let him take care of himself; the calamity is heavy, if he wants to avoid it, he must follow heaven's will.'"

  Ji Wu was so shocked that he couldn't speak, Ji Tian had reached the realm of Dou Zhuan, even in the evil path it was a secret, she never thought that she would be suddenly exposed by the person in front of her. With no more competitive heart, he respectfully said: "I will definitely not mention this again, thank you for your guidance, senior."

  "The strange man said calmly, 'The child you injured earlier can be considered half my disciple. His true master is not someone anyone in this world can afford to provoke. I advise you, do not harbor any intentions of harming him again. Otherwise, going against the heavens will have consequences that are easy to imagine. Leave now.'"

  His heart was filled with gratitude, and he respectfully said: "Thank you, senior, for your guidance. We will take our leave." After finishing speaking, he didn't dare to linger any longer, and led his five demon minions to transform into six black lights that disappeared into the horizon.

  Hongji looked at the strange man in surprise, with his hands clasped together, and said: "Thank you for saving me, junior monk Hongji has paid his respects."

  Under the cloak, two golden lights shot out, and the light flashed by. Hongzhi felt that he was presenting himself in front of the strange man like a red fruit. The strange man nodded and said: "Little monk is very good. From now on, you will follow Haicheng. This big brother, you won't recognize him in vain." At this moment, white clouds suddenly rose in the air, and blue-green light instantly filled the sky. Seven rings of light floated over, Hongzhi raised his head in surprise. At first glance, he still felt that the light was far away, but when he looked carefully at the second glance, the seven blue-green auspicious clouds had already arrived nearby.

  Clouds drifted away, and seven figures appeared before the stranger, looking like immortals. The seven people bowed their heads in unison and said, "Greetings, senior." They were the Seven Dao Venerables of Lianyun Sect. When Hongzhi used his Buddhist divine powers to deliver the final blow to the Five Demons, it had already startled them. This place belonged to the Lianyun Sect's territory after all. Just as Jietian Dao Venerable was about to send someone to investigate, he discovered the changes in the sky with stars moving and shifting. In great shock, he immediately gathered his fellow disciples and lifted the seal of the Lianyun Mountains to come together. Since they began their cultivation, it was still the first time they saw the changes of the rotating stars.

  The appearance of the seven Taoist masters shocked Da Huang again, and with his cultivation, he could naturally see that these seven people had already approached the state of Dacheng, which was called the Great Perfection in Buddhism. Although they couldn't be compared to the strange man in front of him, how could he not be shocked by the appearance of so many masters at once?

  The strange man waved his sleeve and said, "You don't have to be so polite. Originally, I didn't want to meet with you all, but things have come to this, everything is the will of heaven. Earlier, Hai Long and this little monk had a confrontation with the people of Mo Sect, Hai Long's life was in danger, which disturbed my heart that was in quiet meditation, so I came especially to rescue him. Hai Long's injuries are very severe, I will take him back for treatment. If you gentlemen have the intention, next year on August 15th, come to Maoyun Peak and Huolin to meet."

  "We learned that Senior was at Moyun Peak some time ago, but we didn't dare to disturb you as we were afraid of interrupting your cultivation. Thank you for saving the disciples of our sect. From now on, if there are any orders, Jietian will definitely do his best to accomplish them. With Senior's presence in the Lianyun Mountain range, the demonic sects wouldn't dare to invade."

  The strange man let out a soft sigh and said, "I have been to the human world for six thousand years now. I didn't expect that at the time of my departure, I would encounter a dragon king. Everything is destined, not controlled by humans. Time, fate, life." As soon as he finished speaking, a white light suddenly burst out, enveloping the strange man, the dragon king, and Hongzhi's bodies in an instant. With their departure, the sun reappeared, its warm rays shining down on the earth once again.

  The seven Taoist priests all showed a respectful attitude, and one of them muttered: "What the senior used should be the Great Shift technique recorded in the ancestral scriptures."

  He shook his head and said, "No, this is the Small Shift Technique. The previous Stellar Transposition was the Great Shift. I'm afraid that even if we reach the realm of the Dipper's transformation, we won't be able to do it as freely as our predecessor did. It's our good fortune to have met such a master; perhaps for us, meeting him on August 15th next year will be an elusive and long-awaited celestial fate."

  Tian Shi Dao Zun smiled with some pride: "It seems that Hai Long is indeed a good kid, able to gain the favor of his seniors, and will surely bring glory to our Tian Shi Peak in the future."

  "I really don't know what kind of luck you're relying on, old man. But don't forget, back at the Heavenly Peak, you were going to send this kid to his death. In the future, he might not even acknowledge you as his master. Heh heh."

  Tian Shi Dao Zun stroked the Tian Shi he had finally managed to repair, saying: "That's not necessarily true, after all, the Ancestor is the Ancestor. Just wait and see." He had already made up his mind that from now on, he would be kinder to Hai Long. Since this lineage could produce such an excellent disciple, it was very likely that the position of the next generation's Sect Master would fall to...

  "Alright! We should head back too. Recently, all of you junior brothers and sisters shouldn't be in closed-door training, we'll just wait until next year's Mid-Autumn Festival then. Hmm, since Hailong is already back, where are those two junior sisters? Didn't they come together?"

  Yun Dao Zun smiled and said, "Master, don't you understand the personalities of those two girls yet? They must have sent Hai Long back first and then went out to play on their own. Ah, but it's not surprising, after all, our place is a bit dull, sometimes even I have the urge to go out for a walk. I think they will be back soon, in less than two months it will be time for the five-yearly disciple recruitment again. We should also prepare, hoping to get disciples like Hai Long this time."

  Jie Tian Dao Zun smiled faintly and said, "Everything is destined by the law of causality, it's not up to humans! Let's go." With a turn of his body, he swung his large sleeves, and the seven people were simultaneously enveloped in a blue-green light, transforming into shooting stars that disappeared into nothingness. As they departed, Jie Tian Dao Zun deliberately laid down a powerful seal around the small village using his unparalleled magical powers to prevent any further invasion by demonic cultivators.

  Uncle Zhang and Auntie Zhang slowly walked out of the room, having witnessed everything that had happened outside. Until this moment, it all seemed like a dream to them, too unbelievable to be true. Auntie Zhang pulled Uncle Zhang down to his knees in the courtyard, crying out: "All you gods and goddesses! Please, please save Zhang Hua!" In reality, she was just too timid; if she had come out to plead with Tian Dao Zun earlier, he might have agreed to her request due to his status. Although Mo Sect was powerful, it would be easy for Yun Sect's seven Dao Zuns to rescue a few people. But once an opportunity is missed, it will never come again. Uncle Zhang and Auntie Zhang spent the rest of their lives without ever seeing their beloved son again.

  Behind the mountain of Moyunping, in the midst of a forest of apes. Wrapped in white light, a strange man appeared out of thin air beside the water pool with Hailong and Hongzhi. Hongzhi's injuries were not light either, as soon as he set foot on solid ground, he began to breathe violently.

  The strange man waved his hand, and Hongzhi only felt a warm energy entering his body. He suddenly felt much more comfortable. His spirits lifted, he joined his hands together in gratitude: "Thank you, senior."

  A strange person suddenly appeared out of nowhere and handed a gourd to Hong Zhi, saying: "You don't need to thank me. If it weren't for Hai Long, I wouldn't have been able to leave here to save you. Drink everything in the gourd, then just meditate quietly here. Your injuries are not light, and your primordial spirit has been invaded by demonic energy. To fully recover, it will take at least a year or more. Hai Long's injuries are even heavier than yours, but his physical body has undergone my long-term improvement, so he will recover faster than you. You can rest assured to cultivate here, I am here, and no one can disturb you."

  Hongzhi bowed again and walked to the side of the pool, sat down with his legs crossed, opened the gourd cover, and poured two mouthfuls into his mouth. A pungent gas rushed straight to his brain, and he couldn't help but say: "Good wine."

  "The strange man laughed and said: 'No wonder you're a Zen disciple, indeed born from a drunkard.'"

  A massive surge of heat rose from his dantian, and Hong Zhi's face suddenly turned a deep red. Not daring to be slow, he immediately urged the operation of his Buddha power, guiding the heat to flow throughout his body.

  The strange man let out a soft sigh, gazing at the sea dragon in his arms. He muttered to himself, "It's truly fate! Young one, I've disobeyed my master's orders to save you, and it's uncertain if I can return..." A brilliant white light suddenly burst forth, pouring into the sea dragon's body. The sea dragon's meridians were completely severed, but the strange man didn't directly repair them. Instead, he guided his own blood energy to converge within the sea dragon's internal organs. Suddenly, the strange man seemed to discover something and stopped moving his hands. He ripped open the sea dragon's robes, revealing a silver Inverse Heaven Mirror underneath. "Good young one, your luck is indeed extraordinary! You've obtained a divine artifact. Wait, this seems to be... Ah! It can't be! This is the Inverse Heaven Mirror of Li Tianjun. Impossible! How could Li Tianjun's treasured artifact end up in the mortal realm? This was personally bestowed upon him by the Heavenly Emperor as a reward for his merits. No, this mirror appears to be sealed, and within this realm, it can only exhibit abilities equivalent to those of an ordinary divine artifact." The strange man gazed deeply at the sea dragon, then burst into loud laughter. "Good, good, good! With the Inverse Heaven Mirror added... His future prospects are indeed boundless! Good young one, I truly didn't misjudge you. However, all of this depends on your own self-awareness; no one can help you."

  Time flies, days and months are like arrows, in the blink of an eye, more than a year has passed.

  The dragon slowly opened his eyes, and his consciousness gradually recovered. The surrounding insect chirps and bird calls continuously stimulated his senses. "I, I'm in... where am I? Is this the underworld? The underworld is so beautiful after all. No, no, it's not right, this place seems familiar." He shook his head forcefully, and the dragon slowly sat up, but before he could see the surrounding scenery clearly, a grayish-black figure flashed over like lightning. A familiar scent came, and the dragon instinctively didn't reject the other party. The gray shadow entered his arms, and a strong force knocked him back to the ground. "Squeak, squeak." In the midst of the other's excited cries, the dragon saw his face clearly and exclaimed in surprise: "Little Jingling, it's you! Am I... am I dreaming?"

  Little Spirit's enormous paws gently stroked the Sea Dragon's hair, affectionately rubbing against him. The Sea Dragon was astonished to discover that Little Spirit had grown even larger, with a pair of big eyes shining brightly and his entire body radiating a golden glow. Suddenly understanding, the Sea Dragon murmured: "It must have been Monster Senior who saved me... Little Spirit, it was Monster Senior who saved me, wasn't it?"

  The little guy's big eyes blinked rapidly and nodded vigorously.

  Hailong sat up, his body seemingly filled with power. He closed his eyes and looked inward, only to see that the three energies within him had become exceptionally pure, and their volume had increased significantly. His realm had unknowingly been enhanced once again. Overjoyed, he quickly used the Inspection Technique to examine his realm. The Inspection Technique primarily relied on recognizing colors to determine one's realm. Fow Tiger was light orchid, Tengyun was deep blue, Dao Gu was light yellow, Taicheng was deep yellow, Lieran was pale pink, Guantong was deep pink, Dengfeng was pale silver, Wusuo was bright silver, Fudan was pale red, Daolong was dark red, Tuotai was pale cyan, Xianju was bright cyan, Bukui was pale gold, Dadao was deep gold, Mocede was pale green, Douzhuan was dark green. As for the last three realms, even Ling Yu Zi, who taught him this technique, was unclear about their colors. Since each realm consisted of three stages - initial, middle, and late - when one reached the initial stage of a realm, they would see a hint of the previous realm's color using the Inspection Technique. Hailong currently saw deep blue wrapped around a hint of light blue, indicating that he had reached the initial stage of the Tengyun realm. Although Hailong didn't know how long he had slept, from Fow Tiger to Tengyun, he had advanced an entire realm. For him, this was indeed an extremely exciting matter.

  "You're awake." The old and distant voice came, instantly startling the sea dragon out of its excitement. The sea dragon respectfully said: "Senior, thank you again for saving me."

  A strange person suddenly appeared in front of the Sea Dragon, calmly saying: "This is all your destined fate. In times of crisis, you can use your own body to die for your friends, which is something that ordinary people cannot do. I am more and more satisfied with you now. This time, you slept for 400 days, during which I helped you transform your body again. The meridians of the human body are very complex and sometimes have a great impact on cultivation. You being shocked by that girl from the Demon Sect, causing all the meridians in your body to break, may not be a bad thing after all. As they say, 'destroy before rebuilding'. This transformation, I removed all the small meridians inside your body, and the main meridians became even stronger. With your future cultivation, perhaps your physical body will be able to reach the state of being impervious to knives and guns, water and fire."

  Hailong bowed respectfully to the stranger, knocking his head three times and said with a choked voice: "Thank you for your kindness. Senior, please accept me as your apprentice. Since I was born, you are one of the best people to me."

  The strange man smiled slightly, feeling the sincerity in Hailong's heart, and said: "You don't have to be like this, I'll help you, it can also be said that I'm doing it as a favor to someone. I won't be your master, in the distant future, when your abilities reach the point where you can see him, you will understand who your true master is. Get up, my time is limited, there are many things I need to entrust to you."