Dark Altar Mountain, Grotto-Heaven
Although it was winter in the Yang World, when one looked at the Grotto-Heaven from afar, it was filled with beautiful mountains and beautiful sceneries. There was a waterfall hanging above and the water flowed like waves. There were even peach blossoms growing on one side of the slope, red and white intersecting.
Only the sky seemed to have dimmed a little.
In a pavilion, two people sat facing each other, playing chess. There were dishes and wine on the side of the chess table. They held a chess piece in their hands and drank from time to time. One of them was Xie Cheng Dong.
"Now that the Grotto-Heaven is closed, it would be difficult for external tribulations to enter. It's just that the sky is dimming." Xie Cheng Dong looked up and sighed.
"There's nothing we can do about it. The Yang World Daoist Temple lacks people to manage it, it's natural that our incense will be affected." The Daoist opposite him looked young and naturally had a dignified aura. He was the first generation Patriarch. He then said, "Don't worry. Even if it's those deities who rely on incense, once their incense is cut off, they can still last for tens of years. The older ones can even last for hundreds of years. Furthermore, we have the Qi of the Grotto-Heaven."
"Cheng Yuan Zi's lifespan is only a few decades. No matter what he does, it won't affect our foundation."
Xie Chengdong smiled and was about to say something when suddenly, a bell tolled.
"It's the Death Knell!" The first generation Patriarch looked up into the sky. The other Patriarchs were alarmed. After a short while, several rays of light flew over.
"Eh, what happened? The Death Knell is something that only happens when our Dark Altar Mountain Sect Leader dies." These Patriarchs appeared and asked curiously. Upon hearing this, the first generation Patriarch sighed, "Cheng Yuan Zi is dead!"
"What? Impossible, Cheng Yuan Zi is an Earth Immortal. Who could kill him before his lifespan is up? Is it a trap? " These patriarchs didn't dare to believe it. The first patriarch let out a sigh. "Only when one's soul is extinguished will the death knell only ring once. There's no way this could be a trick, unless Cheng Yuanzi's soul had changed as well. But this is something only a True Immortal can do. If not a Daolord, who would be able to do it?"
"When we became Earth Immortals and were promoted to Sect Masters, we all left behind a strand of our souls. Although Cheng Yuanzi was eliminated by us, the remaining strand of his soul still exists. Perhaps one day, he could change his mind. I didn't expect that he would already be dead and his soul extinguished.
"What should we do now?" One of the Patriarchs didn't lament over the fact that Cheng Yuan Zi's body had been destroyed. He looked to his left and right, only to see the first generation Patriarch pacing back and forth before saying, "Since that's the case, recall your disciple immediately."
"Cheng Yuanzi has been killed. He should be summoned back." When the Patriarchs heard this, they all agreed, "In that case, let's open the Paradise now and inform the various Elders. We'll have to trouble you and me to expend our energy."
Although this was what they said, the Patriarchs all nodded their heads. They formed a formation and activated their authority. Gradually, the layer of membrane that was originally shielding the Paradise began to dissipate.
Streams of information instantly spread out in the Grotto-Heaven and penetrated into the void.
County seat
Not far away was the pier. Heavy snowflakes fell from the sky with the wind, piling up white on the pier. In the distance, fishermen paddled their boats on the river.
The people on the streets were hurrying, their hands stuffed into the sleeves of their cotton-padded jackets, their faces red from the cold. Seven or eight Daoists left the pier, hurrying along in the cold wind.
"Elder Cao, it's getting late. Let's find an inn to rest." A young lady with her hair combed into two buns spoke. Her face was red and there were tears in the corners of her eyes, as though she had just been crying.
The Elder in the middle had high cheekbones and his face was green. He looked stiff as he looked at the disciples who had followed him. All of them had their heads hung low, as though they were dogs that had lost their family.
"Ai." Elder Cao Gongshi looked at his disciples and let out a long sigh. Dark Altar Sect used to be the number one Daoist sect under the heavens. Cheng Yuanzi had joined the evil spirits, causing the sect to weaken. Now that things had turned out like this, it was like a dream.
"Let's go to this one."
Cao Gongshi pointed to a particular inn as he spoke. Not far away, a lantern was lit. When he got closer, he saw the words' Riverfront Inn 'written on it. A freckled face waiter came out to welcome them, "Esteemed guests, please enter!"
The snowflakes fell onto his eyes and melted instantly. Cao Gongshi waved his sleeves and led them in. The first floor looked like a restaurant. There were eight tables, but there were only seven or eight customers. There was a stove in the middle of the room. From time to time, people would warm themselves.
"Fellow Daoists, would you like to stay here or have a meal?" The waiter asked the Daoists as they entered the inn.
"We would like to stay here and have a meal too. How many rooms do you have available?"
"It's almost the new year. To be honest, we have six empty rooms."
"That's enough. Get someone to clean up the place. I'll take care of everything. Bring up more of your specialties and wine." Cao Gongshi said as he took out a piece of silver and threw it over.
The waiter caught it and looked at it. It was official silver. It was five taels worth of silver ingots. The waiter smiled and bowed, "Yes, Daoist Master, please wait a moment."
It was almost the new year and most of the commoners had returned home. Hence, the dishes were served very quickly. The waiter brought over a platter of roasted chicken, a huge plate of beef, and even half a roasted pig. There was also some mushroom stir-fried diced meat, and a plate of peanuts, "Please help yourself!"
The dishes were sumptuous, but the few disciples didn't utter a single word. The female disciples were dejected. This was normal. Dark Altar Sect was a Daoist sect, and they didn't want to fall to such a state.
"Elder, can we still return to Dark Altar Sect?" A female disciple looked at Cao Gongshi with bloodshot eyes. Cao Gongshi wanted to say something, but when the words came out of his mouth, they turned into helplessness, "Ai …"
Just as he was feeling helpless, there was a 'pa' sound as a talisman lit up in his robes.
"What?" Cao Gongshi took the talisman and his expression changed. He stared at it for a long time, as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The disciples were all shocked. The young girl who asked the question earlier swallowed her saliva and was trembling in fear, "Elder, what's the matter now?"
She was like a frightened bird. Cao Gongshi mumbled, "Sect Leader … no, Cheng Yuan Zi is dead?"
"What?" The red-eyed young girl who was eating with her chopsticks covered her mouth and exclaimed in shock. Amidst the exclamation, Cao Gongshi suddenly came to his senses and stood up. "Patriarch has ordered that Cheng Yuanzi is dead. The sect orders us to return quickly."
As he spoke up to this point, Cao Gongshi's face turned red. He knew that whoever returned first would be blessed by the Patriarch. He then ordered, "We're not eating anymore. Let's return immediately."
"Yes!" The disciples were all excited. Even the young girl was in high spirits as they packed up and left.
Although Ji Bei Hou and King Lu had caused trouble at the southern pier, there was still a lot of foreign trade going on. Not far from the pier, there were rows upon rows of shops, and it was extremely lively.
In front of a boat, a group of Daoists were about to board the boat to head to the overseas base. A young man dressed in a white robe with a red sash around his waist was about to board the boat when he stopped in his tracks.
Looking around, a junior brother approached him and asked softly, "Senior Brother, what's wrong?"
The senior brother's eyes lit up, "Quick, let's go back quickly."
The senior brother was halfway to the boat. He turned around and leaped off the boat. Seeing that someone had a horse, he tossed a piece of gold over, "I want the horse."
As he spoke, he leaped onto the horse and left.
A few of the junior brothers hurriedly followed after him. As they chased after him, they asked, "Senior Brother, Senior Brother, why are you suddenly going back?"
"Cheng Yuan Zi is dead. The Patriarch has ordered us to return immediately."
"What?" A few of the junior brothers understood immediately. The senior brother was a talent that the sect had nurtured and nurtured. However, he wasn't an Earth Immortal and had only just broken through the gates of heaven. The only thing they could do now was to return as soon as possible.
Huang Zhen County, Miao He Inn
The houses in the old inn were rather short, and there were only a few of them. It was almost the new year and there were very few guests. There was only one family that was gambling and shouting loudly.
In one of the houses, the waiter was around twenty years old. He had delicate features and was extremely intelligent. He served food and wine and a small stove. He then poured away the water that had been used. He seemed to be a little cold, and his hands were red. He then said, "Miss, if there's anything you need, feel free to tell me. Although Miao He Inn isn't a century-old inn, we've been here for twenty years. We will definitely satisfy you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he left.
Ji Ai Guo carried the fox in her arms and looked out of the window. Snow continued to fall from the sky, staining the ground white. The streets and the mountains in the distance were all covered in snow. After a long time, she heaved a sigh of relief.
"Hu 'er, do you know that when father drank in the past, he loved to call many uncles along. It was very lively, and I could even drink a few mouthfuls!"
"That day, father and uncles went to take revenge. It was a snowy day like this, and they all died on the riverbank."
"Now, I'm the only one left."
Ji Ai Guo stretched out her hands and stroked the fox's fur. The fox seemed to be enjoying it, and would look at Ji Ai Guo from time to time. It would squeak in response.
"Boo hoo, father, mother, uncles, I miss all of you. I really, really miss all of you." Ji Ai Guo picked up the wine jug on the table and gulped it down. She didn't know how much wine she had drunk, but she was drunk. She swayed as she lay down on the bed, tears rolling down her cheeks.
The fox jumped onto the bed as well, and curled up. Ji Ai Guo was still dreaming, and felt a little cold. She hugged the fox tightly in her arms, and as night fell, she fell into a deep sleep.
One of the candles was about to reach its end. At this point, a shard appeared out of thin air, as though it had a mind of its own. It circled around her and the fox several times before disappearing into her forehead.
Ji Ai Guo's body flipped over as she frowned, as though she was dreaming of something. She then smiled.
East End of the County, Small Garden
At this point, the blind Daoist was deep in thought. The tightly shut door to the secret chamber opened as a scribe walked in. He held a letter in his hands and reported, "Your majesty, King Lu has indeed made his move against Li Cheng and his family."
"Cough cough" When the blind Daoist heard the news, he covered his mouth and coughed violently. It took some time before he recovered.
The execution of the entire family was within his expectations. He laughed coldly and didn't bother about it. He then spoke, "This kind of news is obviously meant to lure us into a trap. But we are of the demon race, why would we care about such things?"
Although he said this, the blind Daoist's face was extremely gloomy. He looked at the snowflakes and spoke after some time, "What I'm worried about is that King Lu's Imperial Qi has caused the reincarnation platform to collapse. When I tried to move the reincarnation platform away, I was sucked in by the Imperial Qi, and couldn't escape."
"If we are united, we hate each other. If we are separated, we will be harmed. Since we can't leave, and can't absorb the Imperial Qi, the future of the demon race will be difficult!"
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