Chapter 18 A Visit to Maoshan

With rolling thunder, the Sect Leader, accompanied by the young Daoist acolyte, left the boundary and arrived at the mortal realm's Daoist temple. He glanced at the mountain gate and, without a word, raised his hand for a palm strike.

The palm was unparalleled in power. A full-force strike from a Yellow Court realm Great Cultivator could shake mountains and overturn peaks. The entire mortal Daoist temple seemed about to be lifted into the sky. Nanyang Zi and the Unsuccessful Immortal were greatly alarmed, and they stepped forward together. However, neither of them had a physical body at this time—one was a clay sculpture, and the other a wooden carving. How could they withstand the Sect Leader? A surge of energy struck, sending them flying far away.

"A Quanzhen cultivator in the Yellow Court realm cultivates both nature and life, but once they lose their physical body, they are nothing more than this!"

"It seems the Southern Quanzhen is only so-so."

The Sect Leader glared. "I didn't want to hit you two. Since you two have suffered damage from my palm strike, leave later and don't call your other cultivators here to cause trouble. This is all your own fault."

Nanyang Zi looked closely. "The Mountain-Protecting Sect Leader of Shangqing Maoshan! Eighth Sect Leader...why the attack upon meeting?"

The Unsuccessful Immortal complained, "Why is it you, the baleful ghost?!"

The Maoshan Eighth Sect Leader snorted, uninterested in the two of them, and instead looked at Ji Xiang. "You have good composure. If that palm had hit your head, your physical body would have shattered instantly!"

Ji Xiang said, "You didn't have any intention to kill with that palm just now, so why should I dodge?"

"True, you haven't entered the Daoist temple, so I really can't touch you. I thought you would try to force your way in, so I could teach you a lesson. Now that you haven't entered, then leave!"

The Eighth Sect Leader began to drive them away. "Maoshan has important matters right now and can't receive guests. The thirty-six Sect Leaders are all sealing the mountain, so no one is welcome. Go back!"

Ji Xiang said, "Isn't the Azure Dragon Crimson Blood Formation from your Maoshan? A big thing happened in Gusu City—the people of the entire city were refined into form and spirit by ghosts. You..."

"What does that have to do with us? Just because there's an Azure Dragon Crimson Blood Formation, does that mean it must have been set up by a Maoshan disciple? What kind of logic is that! Are you saying that if someone steals the technique in the future...oh, right, didn't a fiend steal spells from the Quanzhen Dao before, killing people everywhere? Does that karma still count on the Quanzhen Dao's head?"

The Eighth Sect Leader sneered. Ji Xiang then said, "No, I'm not here to demand an explanation from you. I'm here to learn from Maoshan."

"To learn the many Maoshan formations, and to learn the way to break them."

The Eighth Sect Leader looked as if Ji Xiang was joking with him.

*You think I'm an idiot, don't you?*

*You come to my mountain gate and immediately ask to learn a series of my sect's prized secret arts. Should I just let you become the mountain lord?*

Eighth Sect Leader: "What kind of thug are you?"

Ji Xiang: "I am the Chief of the Great Ming Dao Record Bureau. There really are some rather serious matters, and I must come to learn the Maoshan formations."

"By the way, I also want to ask about a few names. For example... Wu Baoyi, do you know him?"

The Eighth Sect Leader laughed loudly, and then immediately attacked!

"Get out of here!"

With a press of his palm, the earth shook, thunder roared, and light illuminated the universe!

When the smoke cleared, the people around them had disappeared.

Nanyang Zi used a遁术 (dùnshù, escape technique) to take everyone away. The Unsuccessful Immortal grabbed Hou Niangzi, Hou Niangzi grabbed the little fox, and the little fox grabbed Feng Menglong. At this time, Feng Menglong looked at Ji Xiang:

"Daoist Ji, don't be so direct. Who asks for other people's secret arts right away?"

"Do you know that this is a big taboo in the martial world, especially since you're a government hound."

Ji Xiang rolled his eyes. "I'm just telling the truth. I don't like beating around the bush when I speak. Maoshan is sealing the mountain and won't let us in. If I keep arguing with them, they definitely still won't let us in. There's going to be a fight anyway."

"I'll state my conditions and questions first. When he loses the fight and goes back to call for reinforcements, and the first wave of reinforcements loses again, their mountain lord will naturally come out and talk to us."

For Ji Xiang, having a fight was normal. Where were there quests without prerequisites?

The others all gaped.

This logic... seemed to make sense.

Nanyang Zi said, "The Eighth Sect Leader used the Mountain-Seizing Five Thunders, which is an extremely powerful type of thunder magic in the Shangqing sect. It can seize mountains and overturn seas. It was passed down from the '青山无影道人 (Qīngshān Wúyǐng Dàorén, Shadowless Daoist of Green Mountain)' of the Song Dynasty. The more excited a person's mental state, the more powerful this thunder magic becomes. He can even wield the earth's energy and summon thunder dragons to fight!"

"And a commonality of many Shangqing thunder magics is 'sincerity'! The more proficient you are in one type of thunder magic, the greater the power of that thunder magic will be."

Ji Xiang: "I understand. One trick to eat the whole world. In other words, they only delve into one type of thunder magic. Mountain-Seizing Five Thunders. It sounds like the type that gets stronger the more you fight. The thunder magic stimulates the mind, so he's so irritable."

As soon as he finished speaking, a huge thunder light rose from the Maoshan Daoist temple. Instantly, the mountains seemed to be slowly moving, and the Eighth Sect Leader's voice came:

"You came to Upper Maoshan to have fun, didn't you! Running away after saying nonsense, it's not that easy! If I don't give you people a lesson today, everyone will think my Maoshan is a place you can come and go as you please!"

"The escape technique can dodge lightning, but can it dodge this?"

The Eighth Sect Leader saw that Nanyang Zi's escape technique was annoying. That disappearance just now was so imperceptible that he didn't even notice it. He had escaped in an instant, which made him furious. So, he decided to make the opponent's escape technique unusable and then properly deal with them!

He took out a magical treasure from his sleeve, like an oil lamp with a lotus flower on top!

Ji Xiang looked closely, surprised. "The Lotus Lantern?!"

The Inner Vision Divine Tablet gave the description:

[Lotus Lantern (Mount Hua Divine Lantern): The Lotus Lantern illuminates a thousand-year-old room, jade trees grow in a hundred-foot tower!]

[A Treasure! Wherever this lamp shines, it seals the heavens and confines the earth, making most escape techniques ineffective. The lamp contains heaven and earth. Those with evil energy, killing intent, baleful aura, or demonic energy will have their bodies burned by divine light and their cultivation damaged upon being illuminated by this lamp!]

[The name of this artifact originated in the Han Dynasty, changed in the Tang Dynasty, rose again in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and was heard again in the Ming Dynasty. It was originally a treasure held by the Erlang God of Mount Hua, used to suppress the Hua Mountain Goddess who violated the heavenly rules, preventing her from leaving the Black Cloud Cave of Mount Hua!]

[The Shangqing Sect's Mountain-Seizing Five Thunders Dharma Lord will be Liu Yanchang, whose true body was originally the Han Dynasty immortal minister Liu Xiang, but his name was changed due to popular error! As for the Lotus Lantern, it had a predecessor in the Han Dynasty, called the "Glass Lamp", which is the so-called "琉璃盏 (Liúlí Zhǎn, Glazed Lamp)" in mythology!]

This Lotus Lantern was not the divine artifact that Ji Xiang thought it was.

It was just a treasure, but the name was indeed the same.

The Third Holy Mother was not Erlang Shen's younger sister. In this era, she was the Hua Mountain Erlang's younger sister, the Hua Mountain Goddess.

The evolution of the Lotus Lantern was a long one, originating from the story of the Hua Mountain Goddess getting married. It was included in the *Guang Yi Ji* during the Tang Dynasty, but at this time there was no "Lotus Lantern" artifact, but the name of the Glazed Lamp was already known to the world.

The lotus divine light shone, immediately sealing the heavens and earth here. Then, the divine light shone on everyone. The others were not affected at all, but a faint flame appeared on Ji Xiang's body.

"Hmm? A demon!"

The Eighth Sect Leader was stunned at first when he saw this scene, and then his spirits lifted. "I thought the divine light wouldn't reveal anything, but I didn't expect there to actually be an outer-path demon!"

He sealed the heavens and earth, clapped his hands, and struck down with the Five Thunders. Ji Xiang did not want to entangle with him too much. At this time, he raised his hand and pointed!

The Five Thunders fell, unable to get close at all!

"Miro Precious Light."

Circles of light enveloped Ji Xiang. Ji Xiang pointed again at the Lotus Lantern!

Great Void Precious Light!

With a turn of the light, the Eighth Sect Leader felt his hand lighten. He looked closely and saw that the Lotus Lantern had disappeared without a trace!

"This, what's going on? Give me back my lamp!"

The Eighth Sect Leader was shocked and did not know what spell Ji Xiang had used. At this time, anger surged in his heart. He struck with all his might, and nine illusory thunder talismans appeared between heaven and earth. This move shook the heavens and earth, moving mountains. Its power had surpassed the Yellow Court and surpassed the Primordial!

The Eighth Sect Leader chanted words, burned talismans, and operated the Shangqing Sky:

"Mountain-Seizing Forbidden Technique! I invite the Profound Capital Thunderbolt Mountain-Seizing Fire Thunder Great General Commander Liu Yanchang!"

Mountain-Seizing Great Five Thunders Nine Talismans!

Nine dragons appeared in the nine illusory thunder talismans, followed by a human face covering the thunder light, appearing in the very center of heaven and earth. Instantly, the mountains collapsed and the rumbling sound never ceased. The earth's energy rose into the sky and was seized by the thunder dragons. The nine thunderbolt dragons flew towards Ji Xiang and the others.

The reason it was a forbidden technique was because this spell was too powerful. It could kill people across a great realm, split open mountains, and collapse river valleys. The Eighth Sect Leader's sincere heart triggered a grand formation. Seeing this situation, Ji Xiang did not say a word. If the Great Void Precious Light could solve it, he would not consider anything else!

Ji Xiang turned his finger in a circle.

The Great Void Precious Light revolved once around the sky!

The clouds dispersed and the rain stopped. The thunder went away and the lightning disappeared. The rivers and seas froze in clear light, and the breeze swayed in the mountains!

The thunder around the Eighth Sect Leader disappeared. He stared blankly at the person in front of him. Ji Xiang withdrew the Great Void Precious Light. This light was exquisite, floating in his fingers, forming a moving sphere, and did not seem dangerous at all!

Ji Xiang's tone was calm, holding up his finger, standing in front of the Eighth Sect Leader, casting a shadow that covered him:

"Great Void Precious Light. An inch of this light can melt all things in the world. Nothing below the highest four heavens can escape."

"The earth shook and the sky trembled. What a grand formation. But now, your lamp is gone, and your thunder is gone. Next, let me see what you're going to give me?"

Ji Xiang smiled slightly.

The Eighth Sect Leader's eyes were bloodshot, and he cursed, "Demonic outer path!"

He raised his hand and burned a talisman. As the talisman burned, two more gusts of wind and thunder rolled in the sky!

Classic Daoist move—call for backup!

Seeing the appearance of the two gusts of wind and thunder, Nanyang Zi immediately explained:

"The Sect Leader of the Chongwei Sect, Tenth Sect Leader, cultivates the Shangqing Five Elements Chongwei Divine Thunder."

"The Sect Leader of the Arctic Sect, Fifteenth Sect Leader, cultivates the Arctic Heavenly Heart Righteous Method."

Ji Xiang's gaze moved, looking at one of the white-robed figures. "Arctic Heavenly Heart Righteous Method? People from the Heavenly Heart Sect?"

The composition of Maoshan and Wudang Mountain was similar. Many of the thirty-six sects within were people from other sects. However, the difference from Wudang was that Maoshan had one dominant power, and the largest group was the Shangqing sect. Then there was the Qingwei sect, followed by the Heavenly Heart sect and the Ruyi Gate. These four sects all specialized in talismans, slaying evil, and thunder magic.

Of course, the most important thing about Maoshan was still its formations.

"Old Eight, you're actually asking us for help?"

"Eighth Sect Leader, it seems you're not his opponent. There was such a big commotion just now, but why is there no sign of anything now?"

The Tenth and Fifteenth Sect Leaders also had the aura of the Yellow Court realm.

Ji Xiang sighed. "Maoshan is indeed worthy of being one of the Three Mountains. As one of the three great leaders of the Daoist sect, just pulling a few people and there are three Yellow Court cultivators. If all thirty-six Sect Leaders are Yellow Court figures, then this counts as one of the most powerful forces in the world. And the Quanzhen Dao, as one of the two great Daoist sects, the Southern Mysterious View only has one Yellow Court..."

Hearing this, the Tenth Sect Leader smiled. "There aren't that many Yellow Court cultivators, and what's the use of so many Yellow Court? Refining the Spirit and Pure Yang are the factors that determine the rise and fall of a sect. Since you know that we are the leaders of the Daoist sect, as Maoshan, one of the Three Mountains, it's not very good to barge in so boldly, is it?"

"Let me give you a word of advice. The Mountain Lord is in a fit of anger. Among the thirty-six Sect Leaders, we three aren't considered strong. Even if you defeat us, there are Primordial and Spirit Refinement figures waiting for you later. Don't force the Pure Yang realm to come forward, then it won't be a pretty sight."

"We just want to seal the mountain and haven't offended anyone at all. If Old Eight's actions just now were offensive, I apologize to you on his behalf."

Ji Xiang also said, "I also have no intention of fighting with you. I just have important matters to discuss in detail."

The Eighth Sect Leader immediately became angry and said to the other two, "This government hound wants our Maoshan formations! He's also a demon. The Lotus Lantern reacted to him! Quickly join me to form a great formation and destroy him together!"

The Tenth Sect Leader's gaze flickered and patted the Eighth Sect Leader. "Don't get excited. These formations can actually be taught. It's just about keeping the peace. We can talk about the Lotus Lantern later. This Daoist is also a capable person. I don't know what kind of formations you want. Let's make friends."

Ji Xiang: "All of them."

As soon as these words came out, the Tenth Sect Leader was also silenced. The Fifteenth Sect Leader laughed. "Daoist friend, you can't say that."

"How can you ask for all of someone else's secret arts? Besides, my Maoshan formations are as vast as the sea. How can you learn them all? Don't joke around."

Nanyang Zi stepped forward at this time. "This poor Daoist is the Abbot of Gusu Mysterious View, Nanyang Zi."

"Nanyang Zi? I've heard of you. Under your leadership, Quanzhen Dao has recently gathered a lot of incense in Gusu and is showing some signs of revival. Why is your body made of clay now? What misfortune did you encounter?"

The Tenth Sect Leader spoke, and hearing that Quanzhen Dao had come, he had a high and mighty arrogance. After all, Maoshan was one of the Three Mountains, while Quanzhen had long since declined, and although the Mysterious View was an old temple, it was not the ancestral temple of Quanzhen, so he naturally looked down on them a little.

Nanyang Zi was miserable and told what happened in Gusu. The two Sect Leaders were a little surprised, and looking at the two scattered immortals, one with a clay body and the other with a wooden frame, they were indeed very miserable.

"Wu Baoyi...are you saying that the Yin spirit attached to your ancestor's body claims to be Wu Baoyi?"

"Utterly absurd. Wu Baoyi ascended to immortality long ago in the mountains and rivers. How could he be mixed up with those Yin spirits? He was a person from the time of Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty. It is said that he met a 至人 (zhìrén, perfected being) from the Upper True Three Realms...but he is indeed my Maoshan ancestor."

"And how could my Maoshan ancestor be a mere Yellow Court? You wouldn't want to say that it's your ancestor's corpse that's hindering his cultivation?"

"So, your final meaning is that my Maoshan ancestor became an Yin spirit, dug up your ancestor's grave, destroyed your sect, and killed the people of Gusu? Haha...hahaha! Quanzhen Dao! You wouldn't want to use this kind of despicable slander to attack our incense, would you?"

The expressions of the two Sect Leaders were not good either and turned into ridicule and disgust.

Nanyang Zi was extremely painful. "My Mysterious View has been destroyed. Only my senior and junior brothers escaped. I don't know if this matter is related to Maoshan, but the Azure Dragon Crimson Blood Formation and the Profound Yin Crimson Furnace Great Formation are indeed great formations unique to Maoshan. Wu Baoyi also claims to be a Maoshan person. I have no intention of being an enemy to you. I just want to verify some of this person's deeds..."

"Stop."

The Tenth Sect Leader said coldly, "What does the destruction of Quanzhen have to do with my Shangqing? You can go to the other sects of Quanzhen Dao to help you avenge this hatred!"

"I can tell you that this matter has nothing to do with my Upper Maoshan Thirty-Six Sects. If it really has anything to do with my Maoshan, then it's probably the evil deeds done by the Lower Maoshan Seventy-Two Gates. You yourselves have insufficient cultivation and your sect was destroyed. Who can you blame? Is it that heaven and earth are unfair, or that the demons and monsters are too strong?"

Nanyang Zi said eagerly, "This poor Daoist's skills are inferior to those of demons and monsters, so naturally I have nothing to say. It's a pity that my entire sect died cleanly, and my ancestor's corpse was even stolen by demons and monsters. This poor Daoist is only, this poor Daoist is only..."

"Eh, this poor Daoist has nothing to say. The two Sect Leaders are right."

Nanyang Zi did not know how to respond. He only felt a pang of sourness in his heart. A declining sect was not qualified to demand that a strong sect open its doors wide to provide convenience. The two Maoshan Sect Leaders also said:

"Nanyang Zi, you should think about it carefully. We have neither kindness nor hatred with you. Even if we take a step back ten thousand times, this Wu Baoyi really fell from the Celestial Immortal realm into the ghost path and destroyed your entire sect, he is still my ancestor, but he was a person from hundreds of years ago, and it wasn't done by any current disciples of my Maoshan."

"Okay, we know about this matter. If we really encounter this person, we will bring him back. The people of Maoshan can only be dealt with by Maoshan. As for your so-called Yin Palace releasing ghosts to refine forms and committing murder and destruction, it's simply nonsense. Since ancient times, the underworld has only been a realm of the Dharma."

"It must be some evil sect that's doing things to you."

Among the three Sect Leaders, the Eighth Sect Leader was still unhappy. "The matter here is over, you can leave too, right! You guy, give me back my divine lamp!"

Thinking of something, he threw Ji Xiang's token over and then demanded the divine lamp.

Ji Xiang took the token, but he did not intend to leave.

"It's understandable that Nanyang Zi isn't qualified to investigate this matter."

"If I represent the Great Ming Dynasty to investigate this matter, I wonder if Maoshan will show face?"

The faces of the three Sect Leaders turned gloomy.

Ji Xiang also sighed.

"I didn't want to do this to you."

"Please, the three of you, take a trip and trouble yourselves to call out that Pure Yang expert for a chat."

The Fifteenth Sect Leader finally could not help but sneer. "That's enough! Who do you think you are? We don't want to entangle with you. This Chief of the Dao Record Bureau, even if you're the real one, it's not going to work in Maoshan..."

One, two, three.

Buzz buzz buzz!

Three divine swords appeared in the air, and the physical bodies of the three Sect Leaders instantly dissolved into nothing!

Boom! Only to see three nascent souls rushing out of their bodies. At this time, they were truly horrified. Just as they were about to say something, they saw Ji Xiang stretch out his palm, slowly making a gesture as if to grasp. This action made them feel great danger, and they immediately turned around and escaped into the territory of Maoshan!

Nanyang Zi and the Unsuccessful Immortal were both stunned. Nanyang Zi asked in confusion, "Just now, what just happened?"

The Unsuccessful Immortal was shocked. "It's this, this is the spell that destroyed my physical body in an instant! What exactly is this?"

Ji Xiang's tone was calm.

"It's nothing."

"I forgot to tell you, I'm not rebuilding from the Primordial."

"I descended from the ascended realm."