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The Legend of the Immortals Prequel: Wilderness Journey
Azure Cloud Mountain Tongfeng, at Yuqing Palace.
This grand and imposing palace, located atop the majestic peak, is the residence of the successive Qingyun Sect Master Chengzi. The largest hall, Yuqing Hall, is where Zhangmen Zhenren handles the daily affairs of the sect.
After the Righteous and Demonic War, Azure Cloud Mountain was in disarray, with countless matters awaiting resolution. Zhangmen Zhenren Chengzi was severely injured and unable to manage affairs. Many esteemed elders of the Qingyun Sect, such as Zhen Wu and Zheng Tong, had either died or were injured and could not attend to the sect's trivial matters. All responsibilities now rested on the shoulders of the man sitting in Yuqing Hall.
At this moment in Yuqing Hall, a long line had formed. Dozens of disciples from the Azure Cloud Sect were waiting to approach Dao Xuan, who sat in the center of the hall, to report, seek guidance, and discuss matters. After receiving instructions from Dao Xuan, they would turn and stride out of the hall.
Dao Xuan sat upright in his chair, his expression solemn and unsmiling, exuding an air of authority even from a distance. Although most people in the hall were of similar rank, none dared to treat him lightly; they all lined up obediently to approach him.
Clearly, Dao Xuan was very adept at handling these sect affairs. What seemed like complicated issues were often resolved with just a few moments of contemplation on his part.
This quiet yet highly efficient manner quickly reduced the number of Azure Cloud Disciples in the hall. Before long, he reached the end of the line. Just as Dao Xuan was about to call over the last person, he suddenly saw someone hurriedly entering through the main door—it was Shuiyue, a disciple of Zhu Feng. She quickly walked up to him and called out, “Daoxuan Shixiong.”
Dao Xuan looked up at Shuiyue and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Shuiyue replied, “There are two groups of people arriving from below the mountain; they should be from Yinsi Temple and Fenxiang Valley.”
Dao Xuan was taken aback but quickly stood up and said, “It must be that these two major sects have come to support us at Azure Cloud Sect. This is quite significant; their leaders might even come in person. I will immediately report to Master for instructions. Shuiyue, please entertain them for now with Master Zhenwu.”
Shuiyue nodded and said, “Understood.”
Dao Xuan acknowledged her with a nod and turned to swiftly walk into the back hall of Yuqing Hall. He navigated through the corridor and arrived outside the Quiet Room, where Chengzi rested. However, as he approached within ten feet, he suddenly noticed that the door to the Quiet Room was wide open, revealing a figure moving back and forth inside that was not Chengzi.
Dao Xuan was taken aback and quickly walked to the door of the Quiet Room. Looking inside, he saw that only one Dao Child was tidying up the room, while the Quiet Room itself was in disarray. The bedding on the bed where Chengzi had been lying was thrown aside, and many items were scattered on the floor, as if someone had thrown a tantrum.
The young Dao Child appeared dejected, silently squatting on the ground to clean up, with red and swollen eyes, as if he had just been crying.
Dao Xuan recognized this person; it was Baishi, the Dao Child who usually served Master Chengzi. Seeing the situation, he couldn't help but ask Baishi in surprise, "Baishi, what happened?"
Baishi turned around upon seeing Dao Xuan and quickly stood up straight, respectfully placing his hands at his sides, clearly showing great respect for this senior brother.
Dao Xuan entered the room, glanced around with a furrowed brow, and asked Baishi, "What exactly happened? Also, where has Master gone?"
Baishi pouted and after a moment whispered, "I... I came in to clean as usual, but when Zhangmen Zhenren saw me, he suddenly flew into a rage and scolded me. I disturbed his meditation; it was a grave offense. He... he..."
Dao Xuan quietly asked, "What did Master say?"
Baishi seemed unable to hold back any longer and burst into tears, choking out, "Daoxuan Shixiong, Zhangmen Zhenren said... said he wants to drive me down the mountain and expel me from Azure Cloud Sect."
Dao Xuan's body shook as he stared at Baishi in disbelief. It seemed hard for him to accept what he had just heard. However, Baishi's expression clearly showed no signs of deceit; he looked at Dao Xuan with tear-filled eyes and sobbed, "Shixiong, what should I do? I really didn't mean to anger Zhangmen Zhenren."
After a moment of silence, Dao Xuan replied, "Don't worry. I will plead your case with Master."
Baishi quickly knelt down and said, "Thank you, Shixiong. Thank you so much."
Dao Xuan sighed and gently pulled him up. After pondering for a moment, he continued, "How about this? You should not work in Yuqing Palace for the next few days. Go stay at The Eight Desolations and Six Harmonies for a while before coming back. I think Master is just angry right now; I will help you out. If you avoid him for these few days, it should be fine."
Baishi nodded eagerly in agreement and said, "Yes, yes, I understand."
Dao Xuan sighed, glanced at the messy bedding on the bed, frowned, and said, "By the way, do you know where Master has gone?"
Baishi thought for a moment and replied, "Just now I was so scared that I knelt on the ground and didn't dare to breathe. I didn't see where Master went. However, I did hear him say something in between; it was too noisy and disturbed his cultivation, so he went to Qiu Wangyu to rest properly."
Dao Xuan was taken aback and frowned, "He went to Qiu Wangyu?"
Baishi looked at him and whispered, "That's what I heard."
Dao Xuan slowly nodded, then gently waved his hand. Baishi quickly bowed and left the Quiet Room.
With only Dao Xuan remaining in the Quiet Room, it seemed to fall silent all at once. There was no sound around, quiet enough that one could hear a pin drop. Standing alone in the Quiet Room, he looked around, his expression gradually becoming serious, with a hint of anxiety in his eyes.
***
Tian Buyi and Zeng Shuchang flew back to Grass Shoe Village, where they met up with Ten Thousand Swords in One and others who were waiting in the village. They also discovered that during this time, Ten Thousand Swords in One, along with Azure Pine and Shang Zhengliang, had worked together to recover the bodies of the villagers who had unfortunately perished in this calamity. They found a bright and open area outside the village, dug some simple graves, and buried them one by one.
When Tian and Zeng returned, Ten Thousand Swords in One and the others were still finishing up their last task. Tian Buyi and Zeng Shuchang quickly stepped forward to help. With the combined efforts of five Azure Cloud Sect disciples, they finally completed the burial of all the unfortunate villagers.
After everything was done, the five stood by the newly raised mounds of earth, their expressions heavy and solemn.
Ten Thousand Swords in One gazed at the mounds for a moment before sighing softly and saying, "May our fellow villagers rest in peace; let us leave."
With that, he turned and walked away. Azure Pine, Tian Buyi, and others silently followed suit, paying their respects to the graves before following Ten Thousand Swords in One.
Leaving Grass Shoe Village behind, they headed northwest. Along the way, they encountered several other villages that had been plundered by Demonic Cult Monsters like Grass Shoe Village. The scenes were similarly tragic; however, in the days that followed, they did not encounter any villagers as fortunate as Zhang's family. Perhaps those who originally lived in those villages either met an unfortunate end under the blades of the cult or had fled far away to escape disaster.
During this time, the five of them also saw many remnants of the demonic cult wandering around. However, in order to delve deeper into the wilderness and avoid trouble, Ten Thousand Swords in One and the others mostly chose to avoid these Demons, silently heading northwest.
After three days of travel, they began to notice changes in their surroundings. The once fertile and pleasant plains gradually disappeared, replaced by vast stretches of yellow earth. The moist and gentle air also changed, becoming dry. By the fourth day, the original plain scenery was hardly visible; Between the Earth was desolate, with piles of rocks and cracked yellow soil. Occasionally, strong winds blew through, stirring up large clouds of yellow sand.
In this barren land, it was hard to find anything green. Although there were some plants, most were withered and yellow. Under the blazing sun, the sunlight fell down, somehow making those walking in this desert feel a chill in their hearts.
Ten Thousand Swords in One and the five disciples of Azure Cloud Sect were all skilled practitioners and naturally did not fear this harsh climate. However, upon reaching this place and looking at the scenery, they roughly understood that they were nearing the wild border that had never been penetrated by anyone from the Middle-earth Righteous Path.
At this point, Ten Thousand Swords in One and his companions became increasingly cautious in their actions, sometimes even not walking together.
Under Ten Thousand Swords in One's arrangement, the five either formed pairs or scattered individually while maintaining a certain distance from each other, closely observing their surroundings as they continued toward the wild border.
On one particular day at noon, after half a day's journey, Ten Thousand Swords in One called over a few junior brothers. The five found a place to rest among a stone forest filled with strange towering rocks. This way, they could avoid prying eyes from outsiders and these abrupt stones could also block some of the scorching sunlight, making it feel a bit more comfortable.
After sitting down to rest, Zeng Shuchang took out a gourd filled with clear water and took a big sip before passing it to Tian Buyi beside him while complaining, "This desert is already so harsh; I heard Wilderness is ten times more desolate. How on earth can those Demonic Cult Monsters survive in such a place?"
Azure Pine, standing nearby, glanced coldly at the complaining Zeng Shuchang, shook his head, and turned to look at Ten Thousand Swords in One sitting on a large rock not far away. He said, "Wan Shixiong, something feels off about this journey. Especially since entering this desert; we haven't encountered any remnants of the demonic cult."
Ten Thousand Swords in One slowly nodded, frowning slightly as if he too was puzzled by this. Just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed. He stood up abruptly and whispered, "Silence!"
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