Upon hearing these words, Meng Qi instinctively straightened his back, though it had already been upright.
After becoming an official member, there was an annual gathering at the Biyou Palace to strengthen bonds and foster a sense of belonging to the organization. At these gatherings, members’ identities were not kept secret. However, since Meng Qi had only recently become an official member, he had not yet attended such an event. He only knew the true identities of a few members, such as “Doumu Yuanyun” Ye Yuqi, “Bixia Yuanyun” Qu Jiuniang, and “Guangcheng Tianzun” Yuan Lihuo. The rest were unfamiliar to him—either he didn’t know their real identities, or he knew their identities but not their corresponding titles, such as Xie Jiugui and Ren Pingsheng. As a result, he felt a mix of excitement and curiosity, secretly speculating about who “Lingbao Tianzun” might be.
The Tianbang list wasn’t that short, so who could it be?
Lingbao Tianzun was among the oldest surviving Revenants, and thus probably held a high status.
“Ignoring” Meng Qi’s thoughts, Lingbao Tianzun slowly removed his mask with his right hand, revealing a face with white eyebrows and beard, yet with skin as smooth as a baby’s.
His face was kind and gentle, his eyes concealing their inner light, like an ordinary old Taoist priest.
“I am an old Daoist, Chonghe,” Lingbao Tianzun said in a plain tone, as if his name carried no special significance.
It really was him… Though Meng Qi had anticipated this, he wasn’t as composed as he’d imagined. As the longest-living Fashen expert currently in existence, “Chuyang Zhenxian” Daoist Chonghe was a name known throughout the land. He had repeatedly stabilized critical situations—whether it was joining forces with Master Lu to resist invasions from the grasslands or repelling multiple assaults by demon kings. In the final battle, he and Master Lu defended the “Yunxiao Mountains” to the death, holding off three great demons, including the Kongque Yaowang, with their swords until reinforcements arrived.
Therefore, he was highly respected and revered by all.
Of course, the most important thing was that he was a genuine Fashen expert. After witnessing the overwhelming power of the mythic “Tian Di,” Meng Qi, who had been somewhat anxious, finally felt reassured.
Lingbao Tianzun’s aura subtly changed, exuding a warm and harmonious energy that was neither oppressive nor terrifying. However, judging from the subtle changes in the surrounding Daoist principles, his Fashen presence was unmistakable.
After Meng Qi nodded in greeting, Lingbao Tianzun put his mask back on and signaled the “Taiyi Zhenren” to introduce himself.
For some reason, Meng Qi suddenly recalled the words of his sworn “big brother,” Gao Lan: “Chonghe hasn’t broken through yet and is already old, nearing his end, just a pile of bones in a grave…”
With the help of the Six Paths and the encounter at Biyou Palace, Daoist Chonghe was collecting the “Divine Palm,” so his elder brother’s prediction might not be accurate.
The most important factor here was that the Six Paths had no shortage of longevity pills available for exchange. Although the effectiveness of these pills had diminished due to the current changes in the world—for example, the Dongji Changsheng Dan, which could previously extend life by a thousand years, now only extended life by sixty years—the Fashen-level immortal pills still required special tasks. However, the variety of such pills was vast. Even without exchanging for immortal pills, and even if the same pill became ineffective on the second use, by continuously rotating different pills, one could still accumulate an extension of two or three hundred years. Thus, a breakthrough was not impossible!
“Taiyi Zhenren” removed his mask, revealing a face with a faint metallic luster. His expression was emotionless, his chin beardless, his skin a mix of ashen gray and dark red. His eyes were spaced wider than normal, leaving a deep impression on Meng Qi. A name kept circling in his mind!
“Yan Wuwo.” “Taiyi Zhenren” spoke succinctly, without any emotional inflection.
Yan Wuwo? “Feitian Yecha” Yan Wuwo? The leader of the “Zombie Fist” sect from Jiangzuo, Yan Wuwo? A renowned figure ranked within the top thirty of the Dibang!
Although he wasn’t a Banbu Fashen, to rank within the top thirty among the Waijing peak experts of numerous major sects was no small feat!
However, what was circling in Meng Qi’s mind wasn’t this. He blurted out, with hidden doubt: “Senior, did you once engage in a fierce battle with Doumu?”
Yan Wuwo replied indifferently: “It was just an act. That mission required our cooperation, but we feared someone might detect it, so after completing it, we pretended to quarrel over the spoils and fought a battle. Otherwise, without a Fashen expert intervening, who could mediate?”
In his words, he displayed absolute confidence in his own strength.
This matched Meng Qi’s understanding of him—powerful, arrogant, and protective of his own.
“I wonder if his Fashen manifestation is the ‘Hanba Form,’ the ‘Shihou Form,’ or the ‘Jiulong Shenhuo Form,’ or like Doumu, primarily one form but incorporating others, surpassing previous limits…” Random thoughts spun in Meng Qi’s mind.
Yan Wuwo said no more and put the “Taiyi Zhenren” mask back on. Meng Qi suspected that within the Xianji, aside from Lingbao Tianzun and Doumu Yuanyun, Yan Wuwo was likely the strongest.
Next, “Lishan Laomu” removed her mask and the false hair, revealing a refined and elegant face but with a bald head.
A nun? Meng Qi first felt surprised, then found it amusing, but after recalling that even he, a half-hearted monk, had joined the Xianji, he couldn’t laugh anymore.
“Namo Guanzizai Bodhisattva, this humble nun is Mingfa of Shuiyue Nunnery,” Lishan Laomu said, joining her palms.
“Mingfa Master Nun”? Although Meng Qi wasn’t very familiar with the powerful figures of Bei Zhou, he recognized this one. She was the current Shuiyue Nunnery’s abbess’s aunt, the younger sister of the previous abbess who had failed to achieve Fashen and passed away. She was at the eighth level of Waijing and ranked eighty-ninth on the Dibang, with the nickname “Thousand-Handed Bodhisattva.”
” Nan Hua Tianzun” took off his mask, revealing a handsome and refined appearance. Though he seemed around forty, his smile was pure, like a child, giving off a carefree and unrestrained vibe, as he chuckled: “Cui Jia’s Cui Qingliu.”
Another Zongshi!
Cui Qingliu was a well-known figure among the Cui family’s Qing generation. In his generation, his strength ranked just below Cui Qinghe and Cui Qingyu. Nicknamed “Jiangbei Kuangshi,” he was at the seventh level of Waijing but ranked within the top 120 of the Dibang, surpassing many eighth-level experts.
“Changsheng Xianzun” also removed his mask. His demeanor was unusually cold and severe, almost making one overlook his appearance and age.
Looking closer, one could see his eyebrows were sword-like, his nose straight—neither particularly outstanding nor ugly. As for his age, it was impossible to determine.
“He Xiu of Donghai Sword Manor.” Changsheng Xianzun introduced himself briefly.
“The Cold-Faced Suosou Shi,” a senior of He Jiu, a seventh-level Zongshi, ranked 148th on the Dibang… Relevant information surfaced in Meng Qi’s mind.
He glanced at He Xiu, Cui Qingliu, Mingfa, Yan Wuwo, and Daoist Chonghe, and couldn’t help but think: Our comrades are scattered across the five lakes and four seas.
As they put their masks back on, restoring their profound and mysterious “immortal” images, Meng Qi removed his mask, revealing his true face: “Su Meng.”
His identity was well-known among the formal members of Xianji, so everyone nodded, indicating there was no need for further introduction.
Meng Qi put his mask back on and quickly said, “Tianzun, Xie Jiugui and Qu Jiuniang are in trouble!”
Lingbao Tianzun nodded: “This old Taoist is already aware. ‘Chunyangzi’ was ambushed by the mythical ‘Xi’ and suffered severe injuries. He barely escaped and is now hiding in a secret location within the Vast Sea. Due to the coincidental blockade by the Snow Mountain Sect, Golden Vajra Temple, and Asura Temple in the surrounding area, he was unable to return and could only send a covert message to this old Taoist via a talisman.”
“His identity seems to have long been suspected by the mythic side, but they have been biding their time without making a move.”
Meng Qi secretly felt smug about his decision not to attempt leaving hidden marks in the fish sea to contact Xie Jiugui or investigate Lao Cao’s tavern, as that might have drawn suspicion from the mythic side.
However, the fact that the drunken sot Xie Jiugui was actually “Chunyangzi” was quite ironic, as it seemed to betray the meaning of that title!
He deliberately tried not to think about the incident where “Yuanshi Tianzun” was chased through eight streets by a demon newly at the Waijing level.
“Speaking of real identities, junior has discovered that Zhou Qiushan of the Zhou family in Jiangdong is ‘Cifu Tianguan.’ He is very close to the silver-insignia constable Qian Kai, and seems to be trying to recruit ‘Yusheng Jushi’ Lu Jiang…” Meng Qi did not conceal this information.
Yan Wuwo and the others looked at his “Yuanshi Tianzun” mask and spoke in unison: “No need to call yourself junior.”
Lingbao Tianzun nodded with a chuckle: “This information is quite useful.”
He paused and continued: “As for Bixia Yuanyun, she has gone missing, but the person who attacked her doesn’t seem to be from the mythic side. We’ll need to use the soul lamp to locate her. Her soul lamp hasn’t gone out yet, so she must still be alive.”
Meng Qi quickly mentioned the ambush by the Shengsi Wuchang Sect in the underground of Liushaji.
“You really are much better informed than us,” Cui Qingliu of the Nan Hua Tianzun couldn’t help but laugh, quite moved.
I didn’t want to either; I just ran into it directly! Is this a sign of the fate marked as “the cause of all consequences”? Meng Qi thought randomly.
“It doesn’t seem like the Shengsi Wuchang Sect either,” Lingbao Tianzun obviously had some clues, then added with slight puzzlement, “What exactly is the Shengsi Wuchang Sect trying to do, even calling forth the bones of Huangquan…”
He didn’t dwell on the matter, turning to “Taiyi Zhenren” and others: “Do you have any news?”
“I headed straight to Biyou Tian and haven’t arrived at the Vast Sea yet,” said Yan Wuwo, the “Great Unity Immortal.” “However, the Wang family does appear somewhat unusual. They haven’t dispatched any Outer Realm experts to the Western Regions, yet they behave entirely normally, displaying no traces of concealment. Everything seems perfectly ordinary.”
Being in the same Jiangdong region, he was quite familiar with the Wang family’s affairs.
Nan Hua Tianzun’s Cui Qingliu smiled and said, “My elder brother has already arrived near the Yumen Pass, which is why I was able to come to the Vast Sea.”
Has Cui Qinghe, the fifth on the Tianbang list known as “Ziqi Haoran,” also arrived? This was big news! At this moment, Meng Qi deeply appreciated the benefits of having good information.
“My uncle is drinking tea at Xie Ling,” said He Xiu of the Changsheng Xianzun.
His uncle was naturally another Fashen expert, the “Sword Crazy” He Qi, who had achieved the Youwuxiang Sword Qi True Body and ranked eighth on the Tianbang.
With Chonghe, Meng Nan, Kong Wen, and possibly the mysterious “Tian Di” who might have already arrived, it was truly a gathering of Fashen experts! Meng Qi sighed inwardly.
Mingfa, the Lishan Laomu, hesitated before saying: “This humble nun encountered Daoist Shoujing near the Yunxiao Mountains. He seems to have intentions toward the mythic ‘Tian Di.'”
Shoujing, ranked second on the Dibang, a Banbu Fashen expert, and the leader of Xuantian Sect!
Lingbao Tianzun’s tone turned serious: “Daoist Shoujing? If he intends to target Tian Di, he will surely bring his ‘Guangyin Dao’… This might inadvertently lead him into a mythic trap. For Tian Di, what use is the Rulai Divine Palm compared to the Guangyin Dao?”
The Guangyin Dao was an unparalleled divine weapon, far surpassing ordinary divine weapons.
After a moment of silence, Lingbao Tianzun said: “The old Daoist must go meet Daoist Shoujing, persuade him not to act recklessly, and preferably cooperate secretly with us to avoid being exploited by the mythic side.”
This would naturally be done in the image of the venerable “Chonghe elder.”
“Poor nun will guide Tianzun,” Mingfa said, joining her palms.
Lingbao Tianzun then turned to Cui Qingliu of the Nan Hua Tianzun and He Xiu of the Changsheng Xianzun:
“I ask the two of you to deliver a message, saying that Chonghe wishes to cooperate with them to obtain the complete manual of the Divine Palm. After success, the old Daoist and the Xianji participants will each have one chance to comprehend it, and the inheritance of the Buddhist treasures will be decided between the two of you. If only limited chances are available, please negotiate with the old Daoist to compensate the participants accordingly…”
He detailed the specifics, which still required back-and-forth discussion.
Meng Qi listened in astonishment. Was Lingbao Tianzun planning to ally with “Jian Kuang” and “Ziqi Haoran”?
If the three Fashen experts secretly joined forces, who else could rival the Rulai Divine Palm!
It’s great to have members inside… Meng Qi sighed inwardly, then heard Cui Qingliu say with a smile: “Tianzun, rest assured.”
“To be honest, I’ve been struggling before. If Xianji and my family’s goals ever conflicted, I could only try my best to prioritize my family.”
Xianji didn’t impose strict constraints on its members, and those who could become Zongshi-level figures naturally had strong attachments to their families and sects, so they wouldn’t become spies.
He Xiu also nodded in agreement.
Lingbao Tianzun looked at Yan Wuwo and Meng Qi, sighed, and said: “This matter is dangerous. Various sects have restricted their Waijing experts, and the fish sea has been cleared, making it impossible to disguise oneself as ordinary people. We can only use our real identities, so many friends couldn’t come, and our manpower seems insufficient. I’m afraid the two of you will have to work hard.”
For example, “Doumu Yuanyun” Ye Yuqi couldn’t come either.
Meng Qi and Yan Wuwo bowed, indicating that Lingbao Tianzun could assign tasks.
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