Chapter 162
"About eight thousand miles a day." Seeing Zheng Fa's expression, as if he feared that Zheng Fa might underestimate his treasure, Uncle Pang added, "We could go faster, but with the demonic sect lurking in the shadows, it's better to be cautious."
Zheng Fa nodded.
He thought for a moment and said, "So, we should reach Taiyang County in about three days?"
The Xuanwei Realm was much more expansive than the modern world. Although Taiyang County was under the jurisdiction of the Jiushan Sect, it was still thirty thousand miles away from it.
Of course, this was already considered the outskirts of Jiushan Sect's influence.
Thus, the Jiushan Sect had previously entrusted this territory to the Changchun Sect, as aside from someone like Uncle Pang, a Yuanying (Nascent Soul) master, other disciples of Jiushan Sect would take over a month to make the journey, which was quite inconvenient.
"Three days won't do."
"Huh?"
"We're taking a detour."
"A detour?" Zheng Fa pondered, "Then can we make it in five days?"
"At least half a month."
... Why are you taking such a long detour if you’re not even using a meter?
Seeing his puzzled expression, Uncle Pang seemed a bit embarrassed. "With the disciples of the demonic sect hiding in the dark, there might be some schemes afoot. If we go straight there, we might fall into an ambush."
"... So how are we detouring?"
Uncle Pang pulled out a rough map and drew a winding route for Zheng Fa—if Uncle Pang hadn't explained, Zheng Fa would have thought he was drawing talismans on the map.
"…"
"This route will take us past many sects of the Hundred Immortals Alliance. If anything happens, we can easily call for help."
Uncle Pang explained his reasoning.
"Also, if the demonic sect has ambushers, they definitely won't expect me to choose this route!"
"Not just the demonic sect...," Zheng Fa sighed as he looked at the map, "Normal people wouldn't expect it either."
"…"
Zheng Fa now understood why his master had summoned Uncle Huang back to Jiushan Sect and sent Uncle Pang to lead them to Taiyang County—
Uncle Pang was truly a steady person!
…
"… Ahem, I estimate that quite a few fellow practitioners will be heading there together."
Uncle Pang seemed to feel he had exaggerated a bit and clarified.
"Fellow practitioners?"
"The matter of the Tianbei (Heavenly Tablet) is so significant that which sect in the Hundred Immortals Alliance wouldn't be tempted? I chose this route to communicate with these fellow practitioners first, especially regarding the market matters."
Zheng Fa nodded.
That made sense.
Sure enough, along the way, many people joined them, but perhaps due to the overwhelming presence of the Wulong Tiangong (Five Dragon Heavenly Palace), none of them were Yuanying masters. They merely paid a visit to Uncle Pang and then rode their magical tools, following behind the Wulong Tiangong, seemingly seeking some stability.
It wasn't until the eighth day, when they were about halfway to Taiyang County, that Zheng Fa suddenly noticed Uncle Pang's expression had turned serious.
"Everyone, follow me."
Uncle Pang said to them, leading them to the entrance of the hall. With a wave of his hand, the five golden dragons came to a halt.
Zheng Fa stood beside him, looking out.
An oval black shadow appeared beneath the sea of clouds, gradually breaking through the clouds. Zheng Fa soon realized it was a Xuan Gui (mystical tortoise).
This Xuan Gui was astonishingly large; Zheng Fa estimated that the palace they were in would only occupy half of its back.
There were no buildings on the Xuan Gui, but it was densely packed with people.
"Is there a real master from the Yuling Sect here?"
Uncle Pang cupped his hands and addressed the figure across from him.
Zheng Fa was taken aback; the Yuling Sect was also a sect of the Hundred Immortals Alliance.
There were Yuanying masters stationed within, making it one of the top nine sects of the Hundred Immortals Alliance.
Most importantly, the Yuling Sect was famous for raising spirit beasts, and previously, Li Nuo had lost quite a few spirit stones to them.
"I am Ling Chengfeng. Is Master Pang here?"
The middle-aged man at the forefront spoke. He was robust, with a hint of yellow in his hair and beard.
"Is it really Master Ling of the Xuan Gui? I've long admired you!" Uncle Pang's tone was filled with warmth. "I've heard of your reputation for ages, but regrettably, I've never had the chance to meet you. It's truly a stroke of luck to encounter you today."
His words were delivered with such sincerity that the middle-aged man across seemed momentarily taken aback, as if he wasn't used to such enthusiasm.
Master Pang exchanged glances with a disciple beside him.
Before Zheng Fa could comprehend, the disciples of Master Pang's lineage all shouted in unison:
"We greet Master Ling of the Xuan Gui! May your path to enlightenment advance greatly and your lifespan match the heavens!"
Zheng Fa stood aside, feeling a sense of disconnection—
Wait, did you all go through collective training?
What about me?
With this display, Master Ling's face finally showed a hint of a smile.
He and his disciples returned the greeting to Master Pang.
They even agreed to come to the hall for a feast later.
As the Xuan Gui gradually moved away, Zheng Fa couldn't help but ask Uncle Pang beside him, "Is this person very powerful?"
"Powerful?" Uncle Pang frowned and shook his head. "Though he is a Yuanying, his strength relies entirely on that Xuan Gui. His foundation is unstable, so he isn't considered very powerful."
"What about his reputation?"
"Not much of a reputation. The Yuling Sect is still primarily led by its sect master; he doesn't have any notable achievements."
"Then what about you, Uncle?"
"You don't understand... In the cultivation world, it's all about personal connections and social etiquette."
"…"
"You don't hit a smiling face, do you?" Uncle Pang patiently explained. "If I support him today, he won't find it easy to make things difficult for our Jiushan Sect in the future, will he?"
"…"
Zheng Fa now understood why his master had sent Uncle Pang to handle the matters at the Thunder Pool.
This uncle was the Jiushan Sect's socialite!
…
Later, Master Ling of the Xuan Gui arrived with a few disciples for the banquet.
Master Pang also brought along his own disciples to receive them.
Thanks to Master Pang's occasional compliments, the atmosphere at the table grew increasingly pleasant.
Master Ling couldn't help but drink a bit more, seemingly getting tipsy.
"I heard that your Jiushan Sect's Zhang Wuyi has fallen into the Thunder Pool?"
He asked with a smile.
Master Pang paused with his cup, but his expression remained unchanged as he gently nodded.
"I also heard that she has been opposing you at every turn within the sect?"
"That's absolutely not true." Master Pang set down his cup and spoke, "Zhang Shizi merely has some differing opinions from me; how can you say she opposes me at every turn?"
Master Ling raised his cup, pointed at him, and wore a knowing expression.
"I've known for a long time that with Zhang Wuyi's temperament, something would inevitably happen." He continued.
"…"
"What's the use of her high talent? She has offended so many peers, even daring to bully my own disciples..." He fell silent, but Master Ling kept chattering on, "Now that something has happened to her, it must be fate."
"You've had too much to drink."
Master Pang's smile gradually faded, his fingers lightly gripping the cup as if he were restraining himself.
"Too much to drink?" Master Ling shook his head, seemingly unwilling to relent. "Zhang Wuyi's misfortune is a regret for me. A hundred years from now, my Yuling Sect will have disciples seeking revenge for this."
He pointed to a young man behind him and said, "This disciple of mine has only been cultivating for nine months since the Immortal Talent Conference, and he is already at the seventh level of Qi Refinement."
"…"
"Isn't that just as fast as Zhang Wuyi's so-called foundation-building? Moreover, I've heard that Zhang Wuyi's golden core has flaws." Master Ling chuckled lightly, "In the future, when my disciple catches up to her, I wonder what face she will have left as a so-called genius."
"…"
At that moment, a wave of spiritual energy fluctuations suddenly emanated from the side hall.
"Eh? Someone is breaking through to the eighth level of Qi Refinement?"
Master Ling, being a Yuanying, immediately reacted.
Master Pang took a sip from his cup and suddenly said, "This disciple is also one who entered the sect during the Immortal Talent Conference."
"…"
"It was precisely Zhang Shizi who personally guided him in."
Master Ling's smile gradually faded.
"Your disciple might have to catch up to him first."
(End of this chapter)
---
Chapter 162: The Map
"From now on, we need to keep an eye on the Yuling Sect."
The day after Master Ling left, Zheng Fa heard Uncle Pang say this.
He looked up to see Uncle Pang gazing at him.
"Uncle?"
"The Hundred Immortals Alliance... is far from a united front." Uncle Pang said lightly, "The nine major sects each have their own plans. I've always suspected that several sects have the shadows of other forces behind them."
"Understood."
Zheng Fa grasped Uncle Pang's unspoken meaning.
The structure of the Hundred Immortals Alliance inherently contained elements of disunity.
"That Master Ling's claim that Zhang Shizi bullied his disciples is merely a pretext." Uncle Pang continued, "Within the Hundred Immortals Alliance, many people do not wish to see another Zhang Shizi emerge."
"…"
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