"Oh dear, senior brother, this is truly a disaster!"
Inside the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, the Taoist priest Zhang Zhen, who was on duty, looked anxious, while the person in charge, Feng Bingwen, remained calm and composed, displaying the demeanor of a direct descendant of the Taoist sect.
"Fellow Daoist Zhang, why are you so alarmed?"
The middle-aged Taoist priest addressed him as "senior brother" according to custom, but Feng Bingwen was embarrassed to call him "junior brother," since the other party's cultivation level was clearly higher than his.
"Senior brother, the cave that Daozi chose for you is located in the Zhanmeng Islands. This place is truly not a good place!"
Zhang Zhen pointed to the cave dwelling that Zhao Junxian had chosen for Feng Bingwen. Although he was a great cultivator at the Core Formation stage, he looked worried and distressed.
It was a cluster of islands scattered in the vast ocean. The cave dwelling that Zhao Junxian chose was not on any one of the islands, but rather the entire cluster of islands. This was the cave dwelling of the Supreme Daoist.
Moreover, after making his selection, this top Taoist disciple left immediately, giving the on-duty Taoist Zhang Zhen no room to bargain or for Feng Bingwen to change his mind.
"Please explain this to me, fellow Daoist!"
Feng Bingwen's gaze swept across the map, which was divided equally between land and ocean. The main part of the map was naturally a vast continent, but in the magnificent and endless ocean, there were still many islands scattered like stars, under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Dao.
The archipelago chosen for him by his master Zhao Junxian was one of them. On this map, it was not small, but only about ten feet in diameter, with only a few hundred scattered islands. The largest one was only the size of a palm and was not conspicuous at all.
The only thing that can be discerned is the location of these archipelagos. They are quite far from the continent occupied by the Supreme Dao. The archipelagos extend further into a vast ocean with no other islands. It looks like a checkpoint or gateway that outsiders must pass through to visit the Supreme Dao.
"This matter must be told from ancient times!"
Feng Bingwen's question immediately sparked Zhang Zhen's talkative nature. Moreover, the Daoist who had put pressure on him had already left, leaving only this senior disciple who was more respected than him but weaker in strength.
"Ancient times?"
Feng Bingwen also showed interest, adopting an attitude of listening attentively. He was also interested in these ancient secrets unknown to ordinary cultivators. If someone was willing to talk about them, he was happy to listen. This was an excellent opportunity to broaden his horizons.
"Don't be fooled by the fact that my Supreme Dao Sect is now full of spiritual energy and covered with dragon veins. In ancient times, this place was a desolate wasteland. The dragon veins were shattered, the spiritual energy vanished, and all living beings disappeared. It was truly a tragic place!"
"How did it come to be such a magnificent sight today?"
Feng Bingwen acted as a suitable supporter, allowing his fellow disciple on duty to speak more smoothly.
"That's because at the most critical moment of the rise of our human race, the Supreme Daoist Venerable appeared, standing on a twelfth-grade Creation Lotus, holding a Taiyi whisk, with the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Exquisite Pagoda above his head, and captured thirteen innate gods and demons alive!"
Zhang Zhen excitedly recounted the great achievements of the founder of the Supreme Dao to Feng Bingwen, looking as if he were proud of it. Such things were known to almost every disciple in the sect, and he could only boast about them in front of a true disciple like Feng Bingwen who had only recently joined the sect.
"Senior brother, do you know what happens to those innate gods and demons after they are captured?"
"I think I have a guess!"
Feng Bingwen looked down at the map beneath his feet, which had shrunk many times over, but still appeared vast and majestic.
"The patriarch probably filled the desolate land with those gods and demons, which is how this celestial land within the mountain gate was created!"
"Senior brother is truly exceptionally intelligent; no wonder he caught the eye of the Daoist!"
Zhang Zhen was taken aback upon hearing this, then exclaimed in admiration, but quickly added,
"However, senior brother, you must not spread such ancient stories outside. This is just a widely circulated anecdote about our ancestor within the sect. It has not been verified and there are other versions as well."
Some say that the second-generation patriarch used his great supernatural powers, such as plucking stars and the moon, moving mountains and filling seas, and changing the world, to create the scene we see before us.
Some people even said... In short, senior brother, you mustn't say too much outside, otherwise you'll be harming your junior brother!
"I know."
Feng Bingwen was taken aback, then smiled and replied, "So this is still unconfirmed news. This fellow disciple who stayed behind even had to tell me this. He must have been lonely for too long in this Butian Pavilion."
"In short, since the arrival of our ancestors, this place has become the mountain gate of our Supreme Dao, possessing divine beauty, unique creation, abundant dragon veins, and an immortal sacred mountain."
For example, the cave that Daozi chose for you, Senior Brother, contains ten great dragons, but most of them are underwater and not clearly visible from the surface.
It is indeed a rare place for cultivation, ranking among the top three in terms of the cave dwellings that true disciples can be allocated, but it is extremely dangerous.
"May I ask, brother, what dangers lie within?"
When the conversation turned to serious matters, Feng Bingwen's expression immediately became serious.
“What danger could there be? A place teeming with spiritual energy will naturally breed all sorts of demons and spirits if left unmanaged. And your cave, Senior Brother, hasn’t been visited by any true disciple for hundreds of years.”
"No, fellow Daoist, didn't you just say that this cave dwelling is among the top three cave dwellings that true disciples can choose? How come it has been neglected for so long?"
Feng Bingwen felt this was very unreasonable.
“Senior brother, could you please take a look at where this cave is located? It is indeed full of spiritual energy, but it doesn’t quite suit the tastes of many true disciples because it is often disturbed by outsiders, so it’s not very popular.”
Zhang Zhen explained helplessly, "The Supreme Dao is good in every way, except that from top to bottom, everyone is focused on pursuing the Great Dao and doesn't care about worldly affairs."
"I see."
Upon hearing this, Feng Bingwen understood that the Supreme Dao was essentially a gathering place for lazy bums, with few people willing to do anything from top to bottom.
"Senior brother, you must not be careless. That cave is full of spiritual energy and has a vast area. It has been empty for so long, who knows how many great demons have been born there."
"I know, didn't you just say that a demon has already become king there and established a demon kingdom!"
"But this news is from sixty years ago. We don't know how far the demon kingdom has developed now. I'm afraid the situation is not good."
Zhang Zhen seemed a little embarrassed as well.
"..."
Feng Bingwen fell silent. Today, he had truly broadened his horizons, and the Supreme Dao had repeatedly refreshed his understanding.
"Sixty years, such a long time, has no one taken care of it?"
Moreover, the delay in information is ridiculously outrageous. This is within the jurisdiction of the Supreme Dao sect, yet the latest news is from sixty years ago. It's truly absurd beyond belief.
"It's not that no one cares. This news was brought back by an elder who was traveling. He happened to see the demon king raising his flag and establishing a demon kingdom when he passed over the Zhanmeng Islands."
"That elder did nothing? He didn't intervene?"
"Well, that elder invited his friends and family to a banquet held in the sky above the Zhanmeng Islands. He and his friends watched as the demon king established his kingdom and conquered all directions."
Oh, right, I remember that the demon king who claimed to be king was actually a golden-haired, purple-faced monkey. The elder who returned from his travels praised it as clever, intelligent, and adorable!
"Understood."
Feng Bingwen nodded slightly. He now understood that the Supreme Dao did not ignore the matter, but rather did not care. In the eyes of an elder who had returned from his travels, the great demon raising a banner to declare himself king and establish a kingdom was nothing more than a monkey show with great entertainment value.
Who would interrupt a performance? That would just take away a lot of their enjoyment.
His master probably had a similar mindset when choosing this residence for him, completely disregarding the powerful demon who claimed to be king.
He knew the intricacies of the matter, so without asking his opinion, he directly chose this location for his cave dwelling, probably believing that he could deal with the rampaging demons within.
"Back then, that elder could have easily suppressed that demon king, but he left with a smile. Now it's just that you're suffering, senior brother. However, the Daoist Master didn't specify how long it would take you to master the cave."
"You're just beginning your cultivation journey, so you can visit the Daoist Canon Hall and other places more often. Once your cultivation has progressed, you can reclaim this cave dwelling. There's no rush."
Master Zhang spoke words of comfort to Feng Bingwen.
The reason he was so worried was that Feng Bingwen's strength was too weak. What realm was he at? Judging from his aura, he was only at the initial stage of the Transcendent Realm. Although his foundation was exceptionally solid, it was nothing special. This was the standard for the Supreme Dao.
When the elder returned from his travels, he saw the great demon who reigned supreme on the Zhanmeng Islands calling his friends and watching the spectacle like a spectator, even offering a few words of praise. But this senior brother had no such strength or foundation.
Although he possesses extraordinary strength and can easily fight across borders, he is a native demon from the Supreme Dao sect. How could he be mediocre? He is a demon king praised by the elders!
Leaving aside other places, just in his Butian Pavilion, which of the many spirit birds on the eaves, windows and doors, for his enjoyment, is not a phoenix?
"I'm afraid I don't have much time to waste!"
Hearing Zhang Zhen's words of comfort, Feng Bingwen didn't relax either.
“My master is about to transcend tribulation and become an immortal. At that time, I will take over as the Dao Child. Before that, I am afraid I will have to take control of the cave. Otherwise, if word gets out that a Dao Child has a cave but cannot return, it will be a joke.”
"What you say makes sense, Senior Brother!"
Zhang Zhen nodded in agreement, and then began to offer suggestions to Feng Bingwen.
"Otherwise, I, your junior brother, will contact a few senior brothers and sisters who are true disciples for you and ask them for help."
"Thank you for your kindness, fellow Daoist. Since this matter was arranged by my master, I will handle it myself!"
Feng Bingwen thanked his kind fellow disciple. Although the other party was very worried, after understanding the situation, he felt that the problem was not too serious.
He's just a demon king. Even if his bloodline is revered, as long as he's not a Void Realm cultivator who can be called a human immortal, suppressing him with the Mountain-Moving Cauldron and the power to control the mountain gods and land is a piece of cake.
"Alas! Senior brother, please don't act impulsively!"
Zhang Zhen sighed, but didn't dare to offer any further advice.
"You stay here and wait a moment while I go and fetch the jade seal that controls the Zhanmeng Islands for you!"
"good!"
The Taoist priest hurriedly went to another tower, then took out a small jade seal, about three inches square, and handed it to Feng Bingwen.
Feng Bingwen held it in his hand and examined it closely. It was a jade seal engraved with dragon and phoenix patterns, exuding a pure aura, with a majestic and powerful unicorn lying on it.
This jade seal is clearly a magic weapon of considerable quality, with the characters "Zhanmeng" engraved on its bottom.
It was a script that Feng Bingwen did not recognize. But upon seeing it, Feng Bingwen immediately understood its meaning, finding it remarkably similar to the ancient seal script on the Heavenly Book.
"Senior brother, with this jade seal, you can take charge of the Taiyi Qingwei Demon-Suppressing and Evil-Exterminating Formation set up on the Zhanmeng Islands. However, if you want this formation to work, you must enter the core of the formation once with this jade seal!"
"I see!"
Feng Bingwen played with the jade seal in his hand, quite fond of it.
"Oh, right, there's one more thing. Senior brother, your cultivation level isn't high enough right now. It's a distance of 36,000 li to reach the Zhanmeng Islands. Relying solely on your flying shield would be a waste of time. Junior brother, you can go to the Flying Immortal Pavilion and choose a flying magic weapon for your transportation!"
"When I first entered the mountain gate, I was penniless and had nothing to defend myself with!"
"No need, this is a benefit that a true disciple should enjoy!"
"I see. May I ask, Brother Wen, how do I get to the Flying Immortal Pavilion?"
"Haha, Senior Brother has come to the right person. I have a magic array here that leads to the Flying Immortal Pavilion. You can use this array to get there in no time."
"Brother Zhang, we shall take our leave now!"
Feng Bingwen didn't delay and followed Zhang Zhen to the teleportation array set up in the Butian Pavilion. Amidst the flashing light, the void cracked open, and a gentle power enveloped him, instantly teleporting him thousands of miles away.
"Could it be Junior Brother Feng Bingwen?"
As the heavens and earth shifted and the earth trembled, Feng Bingwen had just regained his footing and hadn't even had time to look around when he saw a young man who gave him a strange sense of familiarity standing not far away, looking at him with a smile.
"Indeed, may I ask who you are, senior brother?"
“My name is Jiang Wuji, and my Daoist name is Zhenxuan. I can be considered a true disciple. I am in charge of the Flying Immortal Palace. According to seniority, you should be my junior nephew. Unfortunately, your master has already put you into the Taiqing Palace.”
"Greetings, Martial Uncle!"
"Hey, you don't need to be like that. Just call me whatever you want. You're a true disciple now. Although your cultivation is a bit lacking, you'll catch up sooner or later. There's no need to be so polite."
The young man's figure and demeanor reminded Feng Bingwen of a Daoist who had once been defeated by him, but the difference in their auras was like heaven and earth.
"Is Senior Brother truly a true disciple of the sect?"
Upon closer inspection, Feng Bingwen's brows furrowed, and his body emanated a murderous aura, poised to strike.
But to everyone's surprise, this gesture brought a look of delight to the face of the Daoist Zhenxuan before him.
"Junior brother noticed it, you have a good eye!"
"..."
While Feng Bingwen remained silent, he saw this true disciple begin to speak eloquently,
"This is a new Dharma image I have created. It is based on the Taiyi Gengjin Sword Scripture and is made by condensing Western refined gold, Taibai True Fiend, and Yuangang Heavenly Sand."
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