As the Second Senior Sister heard they were going to the cave in the back mountains, she seemed extremely excited. With a series of swooshes, she dashed towards the back mountains.
Lu Fan slowly followed. Though he seemed to be walking leisurely, the Second Senior Sister ahead of him was never more than three to five steps behind. Wang Laowai, who had been approaching Lu Fan from afar, was stunned. He stared blankly as Lu Fan and the Second Senior Sister disappeared into the depths of the mountains.
Passing by the Second Senior Sister's territory, Lu Fan saw nearly a hundred wild boars lazily lying on the mountainside. It seemed these creatures lived more comfortably than humans.
Standing before the cave entrance of the Luoyan Sect, Lu Fan felt a pang of emotion. The surrounding mugwort seemed to have grown much taller, indicating no one had visited in the past three years. The disheveled old Daoist was also nowhere to be found!
It was as if the disheveled old Daoist had vanished from the world! Lu Fan hadn't seen him since his disappearance from Penglai Immortal Island, nor had he figured out who this old fellow was or why he had appeared by his side. He had helped him a lot; could it be that he owed him a debt from a past life?
"Hmph, hmph..." The Second Senior Sister suddenly hummed and arrived at the stone tablet of the Luoyan Sect, nudging the soil with her snout twice. Lu Fan's eyes lit up as he saw a small, square box appear beneath the stone tablet.
He hurried over and picked up the small box. Upon opening it, he found a set of bamboo slips. "Lianxi Jue!" It was the Lianxi Jue!
Lu Fan was slightly taken aback. The Lianxi Jue was the Yan family's ancestral cultivation method; how could it be here?
Upon opening the Lianxi Jue, Lu Fan was stunned. This version was completely different from the Yan family's Lianxi Jue, or rather, it was an enhanced version. When cultivated to a certain level, this Lianxi Jue could not only conceal one's aura but also alter one's appearance and presence, allowing one to completely transform into another person.
The ability to change one's appearance was not uncommon; the so-called immortals in the heavens could all perform transformations. However, altering one's aura to become a completely different person was unheard of. Imagine someone you know suddenly becoming another person... it was even somewhat terrifying.
After reading through the contents of the bamboo slips, Lu Fan took a deep breath. "Could this have been left for me by the disheveled old Daoist?"
He took out some food and a few small pills for the Second Senior Sister, then sat down to cultivate this upgraded Lianxi Jue. Before long, the Second Senior Sister, who was eating nearby, suddenly raised her head and looked around, searching. It was as if she had suddenly lost Lu Fan's presence.
"So this is the true Lianxi Jue, so elusive that even when you are right before your eyes, you can hardly detect me." Lu Fan couldn't help but marvel inwardly. This was truly wondrous. He wondered if it would still be effective against the powerful beings in the heavens.
...
Mount Putuo, Luojia Cave. Guanyin Bodhisattva's closed eyes suddenly opened. She glanced outside the cave, her expression slightly displeased.
"Golden-maned Hou! Since you're back, why aren't you coming in?" Guanyin Bodhisattva said calmly.
The Golden-maned Hou entered with a dejected look. However, it stopped far from Guanyin and prostrated itself on the ground, not daring to move forward.
"Golden-maned Hou, you found the item, but why didn't you bring the person back?" Guanyin Bodhisattva's eyes flashed with a hint of confusion as she suddenly asked.
"Master! I didn't find that person!" the Golden-maned Hou said urgently.
"Hmph! You dare to lie to me?" Guanyin Bodhisattva's face darkened as she spoke.
"I wouldn't dare! I wouldn't dare! It was... it was my carelessness, I was ambushed. That fellow used a divine talisman to lock my neck." the Golden-maned Hou said hastily.
"A divine talisman?" Guanyin Bodhisattva's fingers moved slightly, and the purple-gold bell that had been worn on the Golden-maned Hou's neck flew into Guanyin Bodhisattva's hand.
Glancing at the divine talisman placed on the purple-gold bell, Guanyin Bodhisattva sneered coldly, then glared at the Golden-maned Hou: "You can't even deal with such a petty trick? And you were once the Golden Light Immortal!"
*Pa...* Guanyin Bodhisattva flicked her finger, and the talisman shattered and dissipated. She then looked at the Golden-maned Hou and asked, "What kind of person was it? Where do they cultivate?"
"A young man, riding a Nine-Colored Golden Phoenix! On a peak in Qingcheng Mountain," the Golden-maned Hou replied quickly.
"A young man? A Nine-Colored Golden Phoenix?" Guanyin Bodhisattva was so angry she wanted to kick the Golden-maned Hou out. A young man was one thing, but there was no such thing as a Nine-Colored Golden Phoenix in this world. The few surviving Nine Phoenixes in the Phoenix Clan's Xi Feng Valley only had seven colors.
Hmph! This Golden-maned Hou was greedy and lazy, and its cultivation was deteriorating. It must be that this fellow, after suffering defeat, was trying to save face and deliberately exaggerated the opponent's strength.
"You may leave!" Guanyin Bodhisattva cursed angrily.
The Golden-maned Hou trembled in fear and retreated hastily without daring to lift its head.
"I wonder why the Buddha is interested in mortal affairs! It seems I must send someone else to investigate," Guanyin Bodhisattva muttered to herself.
...
At this time, in the Heavenly Court, the Ziwei Palace, within the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, the Jade Emperor Haotian was seated. Beside him, King Li Jing of the Heavenly Kings stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Reporting to Your Majesty! The Heavenly Venerable has been battling the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Demons on Penglai Immortal Island for several days with no clear victor. I request Your Majesty's assistance!"
"Oh? Is there such a thing!? Heavenly King! You quickly lead an army of one hundred thousand and a thousand generals... Hmm? My dear minister, isn't Penglai Immortal Island the territory of the Master of the Heavens? How did the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Demons appear there?" The Jade Emperor Haotian stopped halfway through his sentence and then asked with a serious expression.
"Uh... Penglai Immortal Island is the territory of the Master of the Heavens. The Heavenly Venerable originally went to find the Master of the Heavens. However, for some reason, the Master of the Heavens invited the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Demons and twenty great demons to assist him," King Li Jing shrugged, also unsure of the reason.
"Since it is the Primordial Heavenly Venerable and the Master of the Heavens, this concerns the family affairs of the Three Pure Ones. It might not be appropriate for our Heavenly Court to send troops!" Haotian said suddenly.
"Uh..." Li Jing was momentarily speechless. The Jade Emperor was right in saying it was the family affairs of the Three Pure Ones, as the Master of the Heavens and the Primordial Heavenly Venerable were fellow disciples.
"Your Majesty! The words of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable... how should we reply?" Li Jing was somewhat troubled. If the Jade Emperor didn't send troops, how could he explain it to the Primordial Heavenly Venerable?
"How about this: you lead the generals of your Li family to provide aid. Of course, you should do so in your personal capacity. Additionally, you could invite Taishang Laojun and the Tathagata Buddha... as it seems others may not be able to help much!" Haotian said suddenly.
"Yes...!" Li Jing nodded helplessly and retreated.
"The tide is receding..." The Jade Emperor stood up and walked away. As he turned, a sly smile suddenly appeared on his face.