The headquarters of the Yu Xu Sect was a place Shui Miao had never visited before.
When he arrived at the Yu Xu Sect’s headquarters with the supervisor, Shui Miao was immediately awestruck by the sight of the majestic mountains before him.
As far as the eye could see, the mountains stretched endlessly, grand and magnificent. Between them, countless peaks rose sharply like blades piercing the sky, disappearing into the clouds. The mountains were steep, towering, and exuded an overwhelming aura of majesty and dominance.
“What an impressive headquarters for the Yu Xu Sect! Isn’t this a bit too ostentatious?”
Shui Miao had a deep understanding of feng shui, and he noticed that although these mountains radiated a powerful and dominant aura, they also exerted an oppressive pressure that made people feel overwhelmed. Such feng shui would undoubtedly influence the cultivators residing here, making them arrogant, self-righteous, and conceited. No wonder the Hua family father and son were so insufferable—they must have been affected by the influence of these mountains.
“Great Immortal, we’ve arrived. Let’s go directly to see the reception elder.”
With a smiling reminder, the supervisor led Shui Miao slowly flying into the sacred mountains.
As soon as they entered the mountains, Shui Miao distinctly sensed a pressure. Many towering peaks extended their spiritual senses to probe him.
Internally, Shui Miao sneered. Having cultivated the Tian Mo Heart Method and the Meng Mo Heart Method, how could these people possibly detect him? He had originally intended to counter-probe these powerful beings, but since revenge was his priority, he restrained himself and remained calm and composed.
Along the way, Shui Miao observed the scenery and found that the Yu Xu Sect’s sacred mountains were indeed awe-inspiring.
Among the endless ranges and swirling clouds, strange rocks and unusual ridges were hidden, along with countless exotic flowers and rare herbs. Numerous silver-white waterfalls cascaded down the peaks like descending jade dragons. Cranes, divine birds, and other rare and wondrous creatures roamed the lush forests, creating breathtaking scenes.
“This Yu Xu Sect sure knows how to put on a show.”
As Shui Miao pondered, he suddenly sensed an extremely powerful spiritual presence enveloping him.
“Hmm?”
This spiritual presence was unfriendly. Furrowing his brows, Shui Miao immediately extended his own spiritual sense to counter-probe.
The source of this spiritual force was inside the welcoming hall ahead, and its power was formidable—at least at the Immortal Sage level.
Shui Miao swept his spiritual sense outward and quickly withdrew. He couldn’t probe too deeply, or it would be impolite and make things awkward later.
“Hehe, honored guest from afar, I, Tai Xuan, offer my humble greetings.”
Suddenly, an old Daoist figure appeared before Shui Miao—his hair white as crane feathers, his face youthful, dressed in a purple robe. He clasped his fists together and greeted Shui Miao with a respectful smile.
“Senior Daoist, you are too kind! I am Zhao Tianyi, and I have specially come here to join the Yu Xu Sect and offer my humble service!”
Shui Miao quickly clasped his fists in return, imitating a refined tone.
Seeing this, the supervisor felt his job here was done.
Master Tai Xuan waved his hand toward the supervisor, “Go find Xuan Zhen to collect your reward.”
After saying this, Tai Xuan gestured for Shui Miao to proceed, and the two began walking and chatting together.
“Brother Zhao, I’ve long heard about your Tianyi Sect gathering tens of thousands of wandering immortals. But may I ask why you suddenly abandoned your status as the master of your sect to come to our Yu Xu Sect? Oh, not that I’m not welcoming you—I’m just curious, purely curious.”
“Senior Daoist Tai Xuan, it’s a long story. Originally, I was a free-spirited person who enjoyed a carefree and unrestrained life, wandering with a large group of disciples in the wild frontiers, living quite comfortably. However, unexpectedly, the beast clan produced a Heaven Emperor named Ao Hong, who claimed that the heavenly court had granted the wilderness as his territory. He then launched a massacre, killing all my disciples. After I emerged from cultivation, I sought revenge by slaying beasts and absorbing their essence, eventually advancing to the Immortal Sage level. Knowing that I’m not yet a match for Ao Hong and that my day of vengeance is still far off, I decided to join the Yu Xu Sect to cultivate diligently here. When the time comes that I become a Heaven Emperor, I will return to eliminate Ao Hong then.”
“Hehe, Brother Zhao, your straightforwardness is admirable. I quite like that. I’ve heard something about Ao Hong too—he’s just a lowly beast dragon, barely half a Heaven Emperor, not even worth mentioning. Since you’re willing to join our Yu Xu Sect, we naturally welcome you with open arms!”
“Haha, with those words from Senior Brother, I’m already satisfied. From now on, I’ll follow your lead.”
Shui Miao intentionally spoke in a rough and direct manner, exuding a gangster-like aura. This served two purposes: first, to appear simple and easy to manipulate, and second, to build rapport for future information gathering.
Indeed, Tai Xuan was very pleased with Zhao Tianyi’s personality. He smiled and said, “Privately, we can speak freely, but in front of outsiders, you mustn’t say you’re following me. If someone with ill intentions hears that, it could cause trouble.”
Upon hearing this, Shui Miao widened his eyes and shouted, “What’s there to fear? Since I get along well with Senior Brother, why not even become sworn brothers? Who cares what others say?”
“Hehe, alright, alright, Brother, Brother. Let’s not rush. This is still the Yu Xu Sect after all. If you truly consider me your senior brother, then listen to me and be patient. Wait until the higher-ups grant you an official title before we discuss anything else.” Master Tai Xuan grew even fonder of Zhao Tianyi. In the immortal realm, having a few powerful friends was extremely important.
Shui Miao nodded quickly, “Alright! Senior Brother, you arrange everything for me!”
Calling each other brothers, building connections—these were things Shui Miao was very familiar with.
The reason Tai Xuan valued Shui Miao was closely tied to his strength.
The Yu Xu Sect was enormous, with many disciples.
With so many people, factions naturally formed, leading to multiple competing sects within the sect.
Though Tai Xuan appeared to be a kind-hearted old man on the surface, he too had his own faction.
Naturally, he wanted to recruit a powerful cultivator like Shui Miao.
Moreover, Shui Miao’s personality was exactly what they liked—honest, straightforward, and obedient, a typical enforcer and vanguard.
After chatting privately for a while, Tai Xuan led Shui Miao toward the ninth heavenly realm, where the sect leader of Yu Xu Sect resided.
Following Tai Xuan, Shui Miao arrived at a terrace outside the sect leader’s palace, Chi Xiao Treasure Hall. Tai Xuan asked Shui Miao to wait outside and reminded him to restrain his temper. “When the sect leader probes your spiritual power, do not resist under any circumstances.” Shui Miao nodded repeatedly, appearing very obedient. He wasn’t worried at all—the sect leader was only at the Immortal Sage level, and wouldn’t be able to see through his true strength.
Bored, Shui Miao looked up at the sky. The sky was a deep blue, like a sapphire crystal.
The sky outside the main hall of the headquarters was different from other places. Not a single cloud was visible here, and the gentle, warm sunlight bathed everything in a comfortable glow.
Looking around from this vantage point, ancient pines twisted their roots into the mountains, their branches gnarled and sprawling, exuding an aura of ancient times. Suddenly, Shui Miao noticed, deep within the mountains, amidst the drifting clouds, a beautiful melody floated through the air. Faintly, a pavilion-like structure hovered like a mirage, but when he extended his spiritual sense to detect it, nothing could be sensed at all.
This puzzled Shui Miao. What kind of pavilion was it?
Could it be that a celestial maiden resided within?
A sense of mystery arose in Shui Miao’s heart.
“Hmm?”
Just as Shui Miao was looking around, he suddenly felt a powerful spiritual presence emanating from within the palace instantly envelop him.
This spiritual force was incredibly strong. Shui Miao’s heart jolted—he could barely withstand it.
“What should I do?”
He hadn’t expected the Yu Xu Sect to have such a formidable expert. Instantly, Shui Miao tensed up.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage