Chapter 42
Unlike Zhou Xuanzhi, who was a disciple of Tianyu Mountain, Shi Yunzhou participated as the young master of Huanhai, along with Xiang Yi, the high priest of Huanhai. Xiang Yi had already arrived before Shi Yunzhou entered the city and even attended some meetings.
The Immortal Alliance Conference has been held hundreds of times, but this is the first time someone from the Illusionary Sea Sect has participated. It's also the first time all the immortal sects have attended. This has put a lot of pressure on the Exorcism Division, as this sect is located in the capital city. With so many people coming, the Exorcism Division can't accommodate them all, and they've all been housed in newly built buildings outside the city.
Xiao Mu sighed as he looked at the busy Exorcist Division disciples and said, "They really have it tough. This is their first time participating in this event, their first time hosting it, and the first time so many people have come."
Zhou Xuanzhi had only heard that all the sects, whether he knew them or not, had come this time. He hadn't felt anything when he was in the inn, but now that he saw cultivators in various school uniforms, he suddenly panicked. "The people from Huanhai have all come. This means something really big is about to happen."
Zhou Xuanzhi's pale face made Xiao Mu uneasy. Fang Xiashen and Huanmo of Yunzhou City were indeed a major threat to the various immortal sects. The Ten Directions Barrier had not been broken, so how did they get out of the Boundless Realm? It was impossible in Guancheng. Someone had already checked and found nothing unusual.
Thinking of this, Xiao Mu shook his head and comforted himself, saying, "This kind of thing is not for us to worry about; it's something for their sect leader and elders to think about. My father once said that the fact that our generation is standing up to save the world means that this world is really about to end."
Xiao Mu's words made sense; the elders had their own ways of dealing with the demon race, and it wasn't their place to worry about it. He nodded and said, "You're right, let's think about Miss Gu's matter now!"
Who would have thought? Gu Qingci was placed in their Tianyu Mountain camp. Logically, this should have been the responsibility of their Exorcism Division, but it also brought them convenience.
When the two returned to their room, they saw Lin Jichen waiting outside their door. Upon seeing them, she went over and handed them two invitations. "Someone has invited us to listen to a story this afternoon."
Zhou Xuanzhi took the invitation and glanced at it. The address was an inn in Shi Yunzhou. He looked up at Lin Jichen, holding up the invitation. "It's..." Before he could ask his question, Lin Jichen interrupted him, "That's right, it was given by him."
"How did it end up in your hands?" Xiao Mu asked curiously. Everyone in Tianyu Mountain knew that Shi Yunzhou and Lin Jichen were at odds, so how could someone dare to deliver an invitation to her?
Lin Jichen was also puzzled. "How would I know? I was thinking you just couldn't find me and thought I was familiar with you." After she finished speaking, she waved her hand and was about to leave.
"Aren't you going?" Although they don't get along, they will still cooperate on important matters.
"I need to protect Miss Gu. If anything happens, come back and tell me!"
"Aren't you really not curious at all?" Xiao Mu waved the invitation in his hand.
But Lin Jichen turned and left, saying, "If you beg me, I'll go listen." He then raised his hand and waved it.
Hearing Lin Jichen say this, Xiao Mu was also quite helpless, "It's been so long, why are they still like this?"
Zhou Xuanzhi checked the time on the invitation; it was indeed set for the afternoon. Xiao Mu had received some news as soon as he arrived in the capital, and Shi Yunzhou had invited him out the very next day. It seemed he had received the news on his end as well.
Xiao Mu looked at Zhou Xuanzhi with some difficulty, "I...you know I haven't seen my family in a long time. My parents came this time, I..."
Zhou Xuanzhi smiled and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "I know, take this time to spend more time with your family." Given the current situation, everyone will be busy in the future.
There were indeed quite a few people in the lobby of Shi Yunzhou's inn, all waiting for the storyteller to come on stage.
As soon as Zhou Xuanzhi entered the inn, the waiter guarding the door led him to a private room on the second floor, where Shi Yunzhou was already seated.
Zhou Xuanzhi looked at the hall full of people, shook his head and asked, "Do you really want to hear a story?"
Shi Yunzhou, fanning himself with a fan he'd somehow acquired, said, "I'm the young master of the Illusionary Sea Sect, here in the capital to join in the fun. I'm not one of you disciples of a celestial sect being ordered around. Naturally, I'll be wherever there's excitement."
Zhou Xuanzhi played along, cupping his hands in greeting and asking with a smile, "Young Master, have you seen anything interesting lately?"
"Today, the inn has invited a gentleman who says he is very good at telling stories, and I am very interested in him." He said while waving a folding fan in his hand. He looked like a typical rich young man from the capital.
An elderly man, probably in his fifties, appeared on the stage. He sat in a chair, looked at the crowd below, and the gavel struck, silencing the entire inn.
"Today I will tell you about the turmoil that occurred in the capital seven hundred years ago."
The two of them were naturally aware of this matter. Seven hundred years ago, a demon race suddenly appeared in the capital, turning the entire city upside down. Even the imperial city was occupied, and most of the royal family members died tragically. It was only after various factions sent people to subdue these demons that peace was restored to the capital.
The Exorcism Bureau was established after this incident. Over the years, demons and monsters have come to the capital, but they have all been killed by the Exorcism Bureau. Not a single one has been spared, not even those monsters who have committed no evil deeds.
During this period, the capital city became a nightmare for demons. In recent years, the immortal sects have relaxed their views on demons and monsters, and the demons near the capital city have had a slightly better time.
"Seven hundred years ago, a female immortal descended from Tianyu Mountain to gain experience. The first city she arrived in was Songzhou, where a family happened to have provoked a demon. Nearly a hundred people in the family were cursed, unable to sleep or eat. At first, they were fine, but after a while, they all became emaciated. They invited many experts, but none of them could come up with a solution."
Upon hearing the words "Tianyu Mountain," the two exchanged glances. Zhou Xuanzhi shook his head. Every year, disciples from Tianyu Mountain would descend the mountain for training, and this was seven hundred years ago. Even if they heard the story, they wouldn't know who this person was.
"Just when this family was about to be tortured to death, the female immortal appeared. She took their pulses, looked over the courtyard, checked their food and drink, and after confirming everything, gave the family a small bottle of medicine. The medicine was poured into water, and everyone drank a bowl of it. Before long, the family was able to sleep soundly. They slept for a whole day and night..."
"Is this a dream-eating tapir?" Shi Yunzhou whispered to Zhou Xuanzhi beside him.
Although the Dream Eater is classified as a magical beast, it is quite small, about the size of a domestic cat. It poses no threat to humans, generally only causing nightmares and surviving by consuming the fear in people's dreams. Despite being a nightmare, a single meal can sustain it for a year, and because it is timid, it won't stay in one household for long. Generally, immortal sects won't bother it, and some even keep it as a pet.
"...After sleeping and eating well, the female fairy stayed at this family's house and nothing happened for several days. The family began to suspect that they were just sick and there was nothing wrong with their house, so it should have nothing to do with demons. They started to subtly tell the female fairy to leave."
"That's inhuman."
"Is this a case of discarding a useful tool after it's been used? Didn't we call a doctor before?"
The crowd's voices gradually grew louder than the master's, but he wasn't angry. He stopped and let everyone rant. After they had finished ranting, he continued, "The female immortal naturally didn't care. Since everything was alright, she left. During this time, she did many good deeds, such as slaying a fox spirit that was causing havoc in the human world. That fox spirit had really killed many young and strong men; half the young men in that city had died at its hands..."
"The death of half the city's young men must be a sensational case, one that will be recorded in history." It's a pity that Tianyu Mountain has never mentioned it, and not only Tianyu Mountain, but other immortal sects have never talked about such a thing either.
"I don't know if it's true or not, or it could be an exaggeration." Zhou Xuanzhi's state of mind was the opposite of Shi Yunzhou's at this moment; he was now the one listening attentively to the story.
Shi Yunzhou looked at his senior brother beside him, who was listening attentively to the story, and popped a piece of pastry into his mouth. He couldn't help it; coming to listen to the story was his own decision, and now he couldn't stop listening.
However, this story felt strangely familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before. With this question in mind, Shi Yunzhou obediently sat there and continued listening.
"The female immortal has her sights set on a man, a wealthy young master. Disguised as a maid, she protects him closely, even when he is being intimate with his mistress, she hides on the rooftop, let alone when he goes to the outhouse for meals..."
Everyone laughed at this point, mostly men in the room. Imagine a female immortal protecting you every step of the way; at first, you might feel embarrassed, but when she's there for you in every situation, it's undeniably romantic.
"The rich young master was initially yelling at the fairy, 'Can't you get lost?' But the fairy had a good temper and didn't care what he said at all, instead standing further away. Of course, she wasn't going to let it go, saying, 'Of course, no one wants to die with you.' At first glance, there seemed to be nothing wrong with that. But the key point was that the young master was currently surrounded by a beautiful woman; he wasn't afraid, but the beautiful woman was. She was scared away by the fairy's words."
Even at this time, the young master was still causing trouble, hiring actors to perform at his home. The fox spirit seized this opportunity to infiltrate his household. The fox spirit intended to cause trouble right under the fairy's nose, hoping to ruin her reputation. But the fairy had also laid a trap, waiting for the fox spirit to fall into it.
As soon as the play began, the world changed color. In the blink of an eye, countless fox cubs rushed down from the stage, pouncing on the audience, biting their necks and sucking their life force. The female immortal intervened just then. A burst of golden light enveloped everyone, and the demons within were shrouded in the immortal energy, soon vanishing into nothingness.
The fox spirit on the stage was no pushover either. With a wave of her hand, black smoke appeared out of thin air, covering the entire courtyard. It was pitch black, and people panicked, running in all directions. Anyone who strayed out of the golden light was grabbed by the fox spirit's claw, and the fairy pulled them back with a flick of her sleeve. But such good fortune was rare; the arm where the fox spirit had touched bore deep, bone-revealing claw marks—a truly gruesome sight.
Besides the storyteller's voice, people were whispering among themselves. A considerable number of people had gathered in the hall, all listening intently. Even Zhou Xuanzhi and Shi Yunzhou were completely absorbed in watching the storyteller on stage.
"The female immortal summoned her sword and casually swung it, dispelling the black smoke. Then she launched an attack, thrusting her sword straight at the fox spirit. The fox spirit dodged backward, causing the immortal to miss, but she quickly retaliated with her sword. The fox spirit had already turned to attack the immortal's back, but the immortal hastily withdrew her attack. In the blink of an eye, the immortal and the demon had exchanged over a hundred blows. The fight was so fierce that the sky darkened and there was no end in sight..."
This is done under the name of Tianyu Mountain, but the disciples of Tianyu Mountain don't know who it refers to.
If there truly were a female immortal capable of fighting such a powerful fox demon to a standstill, she should at least have been heard of on Nanyu Peak. The women of Nanyu Peak are intimately familiar with all the formidable female elders. Shi Yunzhou and Zhou Xuanzhi's knowledge of the renowned female elders of Tianyu Mountain stemmed from discussions among their female disciples.
Indeed, I have never heard of any senior fighting with a fox spirit. Generally, a demon with cultivation at this level would not easily come to the human world. How could there be such a reckless fox spirit? Could it be that the rules were different seven hundred years ago?
"When the fox spirit saw that the female immortal was injured, she attacked her from behind. The female immortal naturally wouldn't let such a good opportunity pass by. Just as the fox spirit's palm was about to strike the female immortal's back, the female immortal took two steps back and took the blow solidly. However, now the immortal and the demon were very close, and the female immortal's back was pressed against the fox spirit's chest."
A flash of cold light appeared, and the fox spirit knew something was wrong, but it was too late to dodge; the sword pierced through it. It turned out that the female immortal had pierced herself with her sword and then pierced the fox spirit in return.
This is a celestial sword; demons struck by such a sword have no chance of survival. The female immortal, however, was also severely injured and remained unconscious for seven or eight days before waking. This wealthy young master, at least, had a conscience. Seeing the tragedy, he realized his mistake—knowing a fox spirit was wreaking havoc on the mortal realm, yet still engaging in promiscuous behavior. He and his family voluntarily covered the medical expenses of everyone present and hired a renowned doctor to care for the unconscious female immortal. During the seven or eight days the female immortal was unconscious, this wealthy young master also put aside his playful nature and focused on his studies.
This story seems to have nothing to do with Tianyu Mountain, but this fighting style is quite similar to that of the female disciples of Tianyu Mountain. Shi Yunzhou recalled the time he competed with the female disciples before, and how they fought like they didn't care about their lives, which still frightened him to this day.
"She then killed the fox demon, but the female immortal was also seriously injured. The female immortal had just woken up from her coma when she was dragged away by the cursed family. They had indeed seen a demon in their home, and some people had died there. What was extremely strange was that the family who went out to escape the disaster died even more tragically. The demon even told them to go home. Otherwise, no matter where they went, they would be hunted down and die without a burial place."
The man took a sip of tea and continued, "The female immortal dragged her heavily injured body to their house. Two or three days passed, and she found nothing. During these two or three days, the female immortal couldn't rest. Just when the female immortal was at her weakest, that demon appeared," he lowered his voice, as if afraid, and said, "It was a yew tree, a tree spirit!"
"One minute she's a thousand-year-old fox demon, the next she's a thousand-year-old tree spirit. This female immortal is quite capable." Shi Yunzhou's words were full of sarcasm.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuanzhi lowered his voice and said, "Don't you think this senior might actually come from Tianyu Mountain?"
“Indeed,” this reckless attitude really does resemble that of a female disciple from Tianyu Mountain, “Have you heard of it?”
Zhou Xuanzhi shook his head and said, "I haven't heard of it, but how many people or events from seven hundred years ago can be remembered clearly? Not to mention the catastrophe that happened back then."
Six hundred years ago, the Ten Directions Barrier shattered, and the Demon Race invaded. In this war, the Immortal Sect lost almost half of its elite forces. Perhaps this person simply vanished without a trace in that catastrophe?
...
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