Chapter 488: Affinity Brings Deep-Rooted Love
The celestial secret realm through which Jiang Shangzhen was walking, though not called a cave heaven, surpassed one in essence.
Here, jade towers and jade buildings abounded, exotic flowers and rare herbs flourished, phoenixes and cranes sang long and clear, and spiritual energy was as thick as water vapor. Every step he took refreshed his mind and heart. Jiang Shangzhen clicked his tongue in wonder. He considered himself to have seen quite a bit of the world, holding in his grasp the renowned Yunku Blessed Land that enjoyed renown across the world. Back then, he had gone to Ouhua Blessed Land to waste sixty years in idle leisure, only to help his good friend Lu Fang untangle a heart knot, while taking the opportunity to relax and enjoy himself. There were not many wandering cultivators like Jiang Shangzhen who followed the clouds and wild cranes. Climbing the path of cultivation was fraught with numerous barriers. Fated fortune was certainly important, but the phrase "accumulate thickly and erupt thinly" had always been an eternal truth that cultivators had no choice but to acknowledge.
Back when Jiang Shangzhen traveled through Mural City, he had made those bold declarations, but ultimately failed to gain the favor of the Mural Goddess. Jiang Shangzhen didn't really mind. Still, out of curiosity, after returning to the Yugui Sect in Tongye Continent, he had consulted with Old Sect Leader Xun Yuan about some secrets of the Pima Sect and Mural City. This was asking the right person. As an immortal realm cultivator, Xun Yuan's familiarity with numerous goddesses and fairy maidens across the world, in Jiang Shangzhen's words, had reached an outrageous level. Back then, Xun Yuan had even made a special trip to the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven in the Central Continent, just to catch a glimpse of the Green Spirit Mountain Lady's immortal countenance. In the end, he lingered around Green Spirit Mountain, reluctant to leave, and never even got to see her. Moreover, he nearly missed the all-important matter of inheriting the sect leader position. It took the previous sect leader sending a flying sword message across continents to an old friend who was a flying ascension level great cultivator in the Central Continent, forcibly dragging Xun Yuan away from the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven. Rumor had it that when Xun Yuan returned to the sect's rear mountain, the old sect leader, whose body and mind were already withered like rotten wood and about to undergo earthly dissolution, still mustered a breath to curse Xun Yuan thoroughly and was so furious that he threw the sect leader's token onto the ground. Of course, these were just rumors passed along with exaggerations. After all, at that time, besides the previous old sect leader and Xun Yuan, only a few old ancestors of the Yugui Sect who had long since ceased to bother with worldly affairs were present. The old cultivators of the Yugui Sect all told this story to their own disciples as a fine tale.
But Jiang Shangzhen felt that, given the similarly eccentric temperaments of that master and disciple duo, the rumor should be true. Perhaps one reason the previous old sect leader was so angry was precisely that Xun Yuan never got to see the Green Spirit Mountain Lady.
Jiang Shangzhen put down his hands that he had been pretending to fold, clasping them behind his back as he walked. Thinking of some secrets that only circulated among the mountain peaks, he could not help but sigh with regret.
Then, looking at the beautiful scenery here, he felt a bit sorry for those fairy sisters.
Sect Leader Xun Yuan had once said that the Pima Sect's decision to set up their sect at Skeleton Beach, with the eight mural goddesses' opportunities as the top priority, might have meant that from the very beginning they were determined to establish their sect in the southernmost part of the continent. The so-called feud with the native sword immortals of Beiju Continent was all done to cover their tracks, "forced" to choose the southern end. Xun Yuan had spent his life perusing many secret archives passed down through generations by the top immortal families of the Central Continent, especially the records of the ancient ritualistic branch of the Confucian family. Xun Yuan speculated that those eight heavenly court female officials and goddesses were somewhat similar to the Censorate and the Six Offices of Scrutiny in the human dynasties today, patrolling the eight directions of heaven and earth, specifically responsible for supervising the Thunder Department deities, Wind Earls, Rain Masters, and the like of the ancient heavenly court, to prevent any divine bureau from overstepping its authority. Therefore, those eight heavenly official goddesses, sealed within the murals by some unknown ancient great cultivator, had once held positions of low rank but great power in the ancient heavenly court and should not be underestimated.
When the heavenly court shattered and the divine path collapsed, the ancient meritorious sages created a grand pattern separating heaven and earth. Those ancient deities who had fortunately not completely perished, with their vast innate divine abilities, were almost all exiled and confined to a few unknown "mountain peaks" to atone for their sins through merits, helping the human world have favorable weather and harmonious balance between water and fire.
It was said that the Martial Ancestor True Martial Mountain's main hall in Bottle Gourd Continent, as well as the ancestral hall of Snow Wind Temple, could communicate directly with some ancient deities. The Confucian Literary Temple did not even prohibit this. In contrast, the Divine Edict Sect, which held the leading position among the immortal families of Bottle Gourd Continent, and the Yunlin Jiang Clan, whose ancestors had produced several "Great Invocators," did not have this treatment.
Jiang Shangzhen flicked his sleeve, and the spiritual energy was so abundant and astonishing that he felt as if he were walking on a mountain trail after rain, with water droplets clinging to his clothes. Jiang Shangzhen thought to himself that probably everyone below the flying ascension level, including himself, could greatly benefit from building a hut and cultivating here. For flying ascension cultivators, the thickness of spiritual energy in a cultivation site was no longer the most important thing.
Jiang Shangzhen raised his arm and sniffed his sleeve. "Truly refreshing to the heart and lungs. It must be carrying the fragrance of those fairy sisters."
Jiang Shangzhen smiled and looked up. In the distance, there was a mansion with a gilded plaque whose characters were blurred. Spiritual energy was especially dense there, with immortal mist surging and receding around the waist of a goddess standing at the gate. The "Lightning Charm" inkstone hanging at her waist was faintly visible.
Another goddess sat on the roof ridge, spinning her fingers gently. A delicate and lovely auspicious cloud, like a white snow bird, fluttered around her. She looked down at Jiang Shangzhen with a half-smile.
The inkstone goddess sneered, "Quite bold. Relying on your Jade Perfection cultivation, you dare to travel this far just with your yin spirit?"
The seat on the roof, the Rain Wandering goddess, smiled lightly, "No wonder you could slip past unnoticed and quietly break through the Pima Sect's landscape formations and our immortal palace's restrictions."
Jiang Shangzhen made a bow, "Sister Inkstone, Sister Rain Wandering, after so many years, Jiang Shangzhen meets you again. Truly accumulated virtue from my ancestors, three lifetimes of luck."
The inkstone goddess had purple lightning crackling around both sleeves. It was obvious that this man's glib tongue, even if he only moved his lips while his heart was as still as water, still displeased her.
The Rain Wandering goddess asked, "Beyond Mural City, we once had an agreement with the Pima Sect, not to look too much. Did your true form go to find our elder sister?"
As they spoke, from a distance, a seven-colored deer leaped across the rooftops, light and nimble, wondrous and divine.
Jiang Shangzhen nodded, his gaze fixed on the seven-colored deer. Out of curiosity, he asked, "I heard early on that the Divine Edict Sect in Bottle Gourd Continent had a fairy maiden named He Xiaoliang, whose fortune was unsurpassed across the continent. Now she has even established her own sect in our Julu Continent, with a divine deer always accompanying her. Might there be a connection between that deer and this one?"
The inkstone goddess was growing impatient, "You vulgar fellow, quickly withdraw from this immortal palace."
Jiang Shangzhen's expression turned solemn, and he said with all seriousness, "If my two elder sisters find me annoying, you may scold or strike me as you wish. I will not fight back. But if it were the Pima Sect cultivators coming to drive me away, Jiang Shangzhen has no great ability, but I do have some spine. There is no way I would leave."
The inkstone goddess suddenly exploded with a burst of lightning, her ribbons flying and fluttering, as if draped in a purple immortal dress. It was clear that even without the Pima Sect's patriarch burning incense to knock and enter this place, as per the agreement not to allow outsiders to disturb their quiet cultivation, she was already planning to make a move herself.
But the tall and slender Rain Wandering goddess, with a high topknot cloud bun, slowly rose and drifted down beside the inkstone goddess. Her figure was graceful. "Wait until elder sister returns, then we'll talk."
The inkstone goddess was far less gentle in temperament than the Rain Wandering goddess beside her. She was reluctant, still wanting to teach this honey-tongued lecher a lesson. What did a Jade Perfection cultivator matter? His yin spirit came alone, and inside their immortal palace, at most he had Nascent Soul power. Even if there were only the two of them, let alone both present, she could expel him with certainty. But the Rain Wandering goddess gently tugged at the inkstone goddess's sleeve, and the latter held back. Her purple lightning slowly flowed into the ancient travel inkstone at her waist.
Outside the mural, three knocks sounded. Within the immortal secret realm, they landed like a divine being beating a drum at the edge of heaven, shaking the heavens and earth.
The Rain Wandering goddess looked up and said softly, "Guo Chi, Master, long time no see."
Jiang Shangzhen turned his head and looked up. In the sea of clouds, a pair of huge embroidered shoes stepped through the clouds one after another. When this master's true form descended to the ground, she had already returned to normal height.
She was an ordinary-looking woman, not tall, but with a domineering aura. At her waist hung a Dharma blade, the handle shaped like a dragon holding a pearl.
Even Jiang Shangzhen found her somewhat troublesome. This woman had an ugly demeanor and a truly foul temper. Back then, both of them were Golden Core earth immortals. This female cultivator, merely upon hearing some "rumors" about him, had crossed a thousand mountains and waters and chased him for a full half-year. They had clashed three times during that period. Jiang Shangzhen had not dared to fight to the death, after all, she was a woman. Moreover, she had a special identity as the only daughter of the Pima Sect's patriarch at the time. Jiang Shangzhen did not want his return journey to be blocked by a bunch of muddle-headed people. So it was rare for Jiang Shangzhen to suffer consecutive defeats in Beiju Continent.
Now, this Master Guo Chi had become the Pima Sect's leader, stumbling and barely making it into the Jade Perfection realm. Her prospects for the Great Path were not great, but there was no help for it. The Pima Sect's selection of a leader never placed much emphasis on cultivation level. They always chose whoever had the toughest temper and dared to sacrifice the most. That was why when Jiang Shangzhen followed Chen Ping'an to Skeleton Beach, he did not want to stay. The main reason was this Master Guo Chi, whom he had nicknamed "Short-legged Tigress" in his early years.
But somewhat unexpectedly, this female cultivator should have been fighting inside the Ghostly Mansion Valley. If it were the Jade Perfection cultivator from the ancestral hall who came, Jiang Shangzhen would not have been flustered at all. In terms of one-on-one combat skills, throughout the entire Haoran World, Jiang Shangzhen did not consider himself particularly outstanding. Even in Tongye Continent, which was no different from Beiju Continent, he had gained the sayings "a single willow leaf can slay an earth immortal" and "better to make an enemy of the Yugui Sect than to be remembered by Jiang Shangzhen." Actually, Jiang Shangzhen never took these seriously. But when it came to the skill of running away, Jiang Shangzhen truly was not boasting. He sincerely felt he had some talent and ability. Back then, in his own Yunku Blessed Land, when some ancestor of his sect joined forces with those rebel ants in the blessed land and set up a death trap, Jiang Shangzhen still managed to escape. After he left Yunku Blessed Land, inside the Yugui Sect and within Yunku Blessed Land, two major bloody purges quickly followed. Old man Xun Yuan stood idly by, and the Yunku Blessed Land controlled by the Jiang clan was even more miserable. All the earth immortals and those mid-level cultivators who had the potential to become land deities within the blessed land were directly "opening the heavenly gate" by Jiang Shangzhen with his people, slaughtering through the entire blessed land. Despite heavy losses to the Jiang clan, they resolutely wiped them all out in one fell swoop.
It should be known that Jiang Shangzhen had a catchphrase widely circulated in Tongye Continent: "Men and women's love must be long-lasting, but overnight grudges are like overnight food—unappetizing. I would rather eat hot shit than a cold meal."
Master Guo Chi reached out and pressed the handle of her blade, staring intently at the "honored guest" who had come from afar. With a smile, she said, "Walk right into the trap, and don't blame me for closing the door and beating the dog."
Jiang Shangzhen blinked, as if not recognizing this Master Guo Chi. After a moment, he suddenly understood and said, "But could it be Quan'er? How have you bloomed so gorgeously?! If you were to ascend to the immortal realm someday, and didn't make big changes, just slightly alter your appearance, then wouldn't you make my dog eyes pop out?"
The woman squinted her eyes, one hand pressing the blade, the other extending her palm. With a forced smile, she said, "Allow you a few more words of last testament."
Jiang Shangzhen "gazed" at the female cultivator as if infatuated, "Indeed, that is so. Quan'er is different from those vulgar beauties who only have a pretty face. To be honest, although Quan'er is not the most dazzling in appearance in the world, it was so back then, and it is even more so now. Once a man sees you, he can never forget."
The woman laughed heartily, "Mm, these words sound familiar. Remember Gao Liu of the Leize Sect? She was one of the top beauties in central Beiju Continent back then. Still without a Dao partner to this day. She once mentioned you to me in private, especially these exact words. She has kept them etched in her heart, and so many years later, she still can't let them go. Jiang Shangzhen, after so many years, your cultivation level has risen a fair bit, but your silver-tongued skills haven't improved at all. I'm very disappointed."
Jiang Shangzhen remained calm and smiled, "Indeed, it's my fault. All these years I've only focused on cultivation and somewhat neglected my main craft. Quan'er, you are still the one who treats me with sincerity. I will definitely work harder for your sake from now on."
The inkstone goddess sneered, "How has this kind of person managed to survive until today?"
The Rain Wandering goddess said, "Later, you can help Master Guo Chi make a move. I won't stop you."
Jiang Shangzhen looked around, "In this moment, under the peonies, truly..."
The Rain Wandering goddess suddenly became serious.
She concentrated, holding her breath, and fixed her gaze on one spot.
The inkstone goddess was on full alert, signaling Master Guo Chi of the Pima Sect to hold on for a moment.
In Mural City.
A young woman from Lion Peak stood beneath a mural of a goddess. Reaching out a hand, she spoke indifferently with her mind voice, "Are you coming out, or not?"
Almost at the same time, the inkstone goddess felt a disturbance in her heart and looked towards another direction. A man from outside, far-traveling in Beiju Continent, was looking up at "herself". His expression was weary, but his heart was connected. He smiled knowingly at the mural goddess, "My soul has been dreaming of you, night after night I see you but cannot meet you. Finally, I have found you."
Meanwhile, by the Shaking River Temple, the deer-riding goddess walked side by side with Jiang Shangzhen's true form. Then a drifting cloud boat plummeted down, and a female sect leader stepped out. When she saw her, the deer-riding goddess' state of mind felt as though a speck of dust had been wiped away. Though still not understanding the reason, she was utterly certain that this young female Daoist before her, with her grand aura, was the true master she should follow and serve.
By the Shaking River, the young female Daoist of stunning beauty looked at Jiang Shangzhen and frowned, "Are you his protector?"
This question was abrupt.
But Jiang Shangzhen immediately understood. Some results and truths, even if the process was twisted and unclear, actually didn't matter.
Jiang Shangzhen laughed heartily, "Far from it, far from it. Wouldn't dare, wouldn't dare."
But the deer-riding goddess said something that undercut him, full of deadly implication, "Just now, this man spoke in veiled terms, generally trying to persuade me to follow that young vagrant wanderer. His intentions were ulterior, and nearly ruined the Dao connection between my master and me."
Jiang Shangzhen rubbed his chin, looking pitiful, "It seems Beiju Continent is not welcoming to me. Time to hit the road."
The deer-riding goddess suddenly had a distant look in her eyes and said softly, "Master, it seems the fated opportunity for my two sisters has also arrived. I never expected that within a single day, we would all go our separate ways."
The young female Daoist, who was a sect leader, was not concerned about this. She had rushed here, dust-covered, and was frowning deeply. For the first time, she was somewhat hesitant.
It was only now that Jiang Shangzhen began to be surprised.
Because the female Daoist, whose identity he had already guessed, had murderous intent.
The love and hate among mountain men—beating is affection, scolding is love—Jiang Shangzhen was most familiar with that.
When someone was willing to feel murderous intent, that was truly affinity bringing deep-rooted love, and when the affinity was gone, they were still unable to extricate themselves.
The young female Daoist ignored Jiang Shangzhen and said with a smile to the deer-riding goddess, "Let's take a trip to the White Bone Watchtower City in Ghostly Mansion Valley."
The deer-riding goddess softly reminded her, "Master just barely managed to break into the Jade Perfection realm, and your foundation is not yet stable. It might be somewhat unsuitable."
The young female Daoist shook her head and said, "It doesn't matter. That's a small thing."
She had a big matter to settle.
First set a small goal, like remembering in 1 second: shukju.com