Although troublesome, we can still accept these conditions.
After all, this is a battle concerning good versus evil, and the fate of all living beings.
Caution ensures a thousand years of peace; if a demonic Taoist were to infiltrate and cause sabotage within our ranks, the consequences would be dire.
Therefore, our group waited in a makeshift shed erected right by the mountain gate.
This unfamiliar middle-aged Taoist was an elder of the Kongtong Sect, known as Taoist Nian Hua.
His cultivation should not be low.
Within the same shed, besides us, were other rogue cultivators and fellow disciples from various sects.
None were familiar, nor did they have familiar faces.
Yet, while we didn't recognize them, they recognized some of us.
As soon as we entered the shed, one of the rogue cultivators excitedly stood up:
"Damn, isn't that fellow Daoist Qin Ze?"
"Yes, yes, it's fellow Daoist Qin Ze! Fellow Daoist Qin Ze, you've also come for the assembly?"
Two young Taoists in their twenties spoke, accompanied by a little loli.
Seeing that I didn't recognize them, I still nodded slightly to show friendliness:
"Yes, I've come for the assembly."
After speaking, I clasped my hands.
"Fellow Daoist Qin, the previous alliance challenge match was incredibly entertaining. Beating up Onmyoji, defeating masters from the Western regions, and stepping on the major sects, truly formidable!"
"Indeed, indeed, fellow Daoist Qin, my brother and I are both your fans."
"..."
Hearing this, I felt a hint of awkwardness.
Only the little loli beside them widened her eyes:
"Big Brother, Second Brother, is he really that powerful?"
This little loli was about 1.5 meters tall, wearing a small dress, and appeared to be underage...
"Little sister, this is the number one amongst the younger generation in our Dao Alliance. How could he not be powerful?"
"Yes, fellow Daoist Qin previously displayed incredible might on the stage, dominating everything. You, in his hands, probably wouldn't last fifty moves."
"..."
Thirty moves?
That statement made me curious about this little loli.
After all, back on the stage, very few masters could last fifty moves against me.
These two had witnessed my prowess and still said that.
Conversely, doesn't that imply this little loli is also quite extraordinary?
Her cultivation is at least at the Xuan Dan realm, possibly even mid-stage.
The little loli looked at me:
"Hello! My name is Gu Qian Yue."
"Hello, little sister!"
I replied with a smile.
The two men also clasped their hands and introduced themselves:
"Brother Qin, I am Meng You."
"I am Meng Fang."
So they were brothers.
"It's an honor to meet you..."
I spoke politely.
These two brothers were somewhat similar to Yun Long and Yun Hu, both being friendly and outgoing.
As soon as they introduced themselves, the floodgates of conversation opened.
They then chattered incessantly beside me.
I managed to grasp the gist of their conversation.
These three were fellow disciples, and like us, they belonged to a continuous lineage.
They operated in the Inner Mongolia region.
Upon receiving the Dao Alliance's Level B summons, they traveled south to gather at Jian Dao Peak in Western Sichuan.
Their purpose was no different from ours:
To uphold justice and eradicate these evil forces.
Among these three, besides Meng You and Meng Fang who were quite talkative, their junior sister was the little loli.
Others did not leave much of an impression on me.
Our identity verification was completed within half an hour.
After all, Uncle-Master had some influence within the Dao Alliance circles.
Thus, half an hour later.
Our group was able to leave the foothills and ascend the mountain. As for Meng Fang and the others, their movement techniques couldn't be definitively confirmed yet, so they had to wait longer.
Bidding farewell to the trio, our group began our ascent.
Once on the mountain, we could see a brightly lit small temple in the distance.
That was our base of operations for this mission, the assembly point.
Even though it was late at night, upon arriving at Ku Mu Temple, we found people still practicing by absorbing moon essence under the moonlight.
There were also small groups of people standing on either side outside the temple.
Some were smoking, others chatting casually.
Disciples from various sects were present: Qingcheng, Wudang, Emei, Shaolin...
It seemed that most of the major sects had already arrived.
Our group was considered to have arrived quite late.
The architectural style of Ku Mu Temple was largely similar to those in Tibet.
We arrived at the main entrance to report.
There was a reception there.
It was a Grand Lama from Ku Mu Mountain, addressed as Abbot Zhabu.
He briefly introduced Ku Mu Temple and arranged temporary sleeping quarters for us.
What he called sleeping quarters were actually just a few small, makeshift tents.
At a glance, dense rows of these connected tents covered the entire back mountain.
An uninformed observer might mistake this place for an outdoor camping site.
The conditions were a bit harsh.
But it didn't matter; we weren't here for a vacation.
Checking the time, it was already past midnight.
After a day of travel, everyone was quite weary.
Also, having been hungry all day, we ate some vegetarian noodles in the 24-hour canteen.
Uncle-Master then instructed everyone to get some good rest and reconvene tomorrow to make plans.
At the same time, we were to see if there were any further arrangements from the Dao Alliance.
Because everyone who came here would have a mission.
However, since we arrived late, there was nothing for us today.
Old Mo and I were assigned to the same tent by Uncle-Master.
There was no shyness at this point; we lay down and slept.
But less than half an hour after we fell asleep.
The sound of "dong dong dong" from the mountain bell outside the mountain suddenly rang out, jolting us all awake from our dreams...