To be honest, the young lad, Qin Yundi, really sparked Shen Tian’s interest, especially since he had that blurry fortuitous opportunity’s projection above his golden-rimmed red providence halo. Shen Tian believed that it must be something worth investigating.
As of now, his own halo was only reflecting pale green light, and he had to take up the position of the Saint, which made him really insecure.
Thus, Shen Tian was overeager to freeload as many lucky encounters as possible to make his halo turn into darker shades of green. This was his first priority now!
That’s why seeing Qin Yundi made him feel extremely relieved!
While Shen Tian was deep in thought, the Divine Firmament Flying Vessel had entered the sacred ground’s Small World.
Refreshing vibes of Divinity rose up to their faces, and this feeling made everyone feel much welcomed.
Although it was called a ‘small world’, this place was actually vast beyond imagination.
Various Spirit Mountains sprung high up into the skies with small rivulets running in between the mountains. Green lotus platforms rose up above the small streams, while fishes frequently broke through the water surface, jumping across the air in a playful manner.
These spirit fishes were reared by the Divine Firmament Sacred Ground’s residents. Many of them had revered bloodlines from the most exotic ornamental fish traced in Eastern Wilderness, the Dragonfish species.
Just when one of the fishes leaped out of the water in a joyful manner, it suddenly caught sight of a dreadful figure on the flying vessel. That fish violently quivered in the air and immediately buried itself deep into the water, refusing to come near to the water surface.
When the flying vessel flew past all the mountains, sudden strikes of golden light would appear. Cranes would scurry out of sight on some mountains, while strong blade auras would be emitted abruptly.
What’s common among them, though, was that all of these mountains were rich in Spirit Qi and filled with all sorts of exotic plants.
Yet when the flying vessel approached them, all of them would suddenly activate their protection array formations.
All sorts of lightning currents would be crawling over the surface of the array formations, which looked extremely majestic. Meanwhile, the cranes flying casually above the mountaintops previously would suddenly dive down and scramble to enter the array formations.
Zhang Yunxi stood at the vessel’s bow and started introducing each mountain to the rest.
“Within the Divine Firmament Small World, there are a total of 36 Spirit Mountains, and all of them contain Spirit Mines.
“And within these 36 Spirit Mountains, there are three mountains which are the most renowned—the Sacred Leader Mountain, the Saint Mountain, and the Saintess Mountain.
“Other than that, you also need to take note of the eight Peak Leader Mountains. Each of these mountains is owned by respective experts who are at the Soul Formation stage. These mountains are the places where they pass their signature skills to their handpicked disciples.
“Only inner-sect disciples are allowed to visit all the above-mentioned 11 mountains. But there are still 24 other Spirit Mountains that—”
Xiong Meng blinked his eyes and interrupted Zhang Yunxi. “Hey, did you count wrongly? With my rough calculations, 36 minus 11—shouldn’t there be 25 more Spirit Mountains? Why did you say 24?”
Zhang Yunxi couldn’t hide her resignation at that. “Well, one of the Spirit Mountains’ mines had been depleted too excessively… We had to seal the mountain so it could recover from its loss.
“Let me continue. The remaining 24 Spirit Mountains are home to our sect’s ancient Heavenly Venerables. Even inner-sect disciples are disallowed from going to these mountains to avoid disturbing their peace. Or else, they will be punished severely.
“Are we all clear on that?”
All of them nodded their heads obediently. At the same time, the Divine Firmament Flying Vessel finally touched down on a patch of empty ground, landing right on top of a straight-lined track.
Several disciples donning the Divine Firmament Sacred Ground’s uniforms were already lining up beside the track, and they greeted them with forced, polite smiles.
The old Taoist priest spoke coldly. “Well, this time round, I did let the ship come back, didn’t I? Go ahead and check!”
With that, he jumped off from the vessel, turned back, and beckoned to Shen Tian. “Shen Tian, let Martial Uncle bring you to greet the Sacred Leader.”
Shen Tian turned to see what Zhang Yunxi might say, but she also nodded her head. As such, he followed behind the old Taoist priest quietly.
A few moments after both the old Taoist priest and Shen Tian walked out of sight, shocked gasps escaped from the group of disciples waiting to greet them.
Zhang Yunxi sighed, took a look at the flying vessel’s Spirit Stones tank, and confirmed her suspicions—that tank, which had previously been filled to the brim, had turned empty ‘mysteriously’ once again!
“Saintess, we really did a thorough check before we let the flying vessel set sail!”
Looking at their depressed expressions, Zhang Yunxi sighed and commented, “Don’t worry, I understand. Junior Brothers, please help to fill the Spirit Stones tank full again. I will report what happened to the Sacred Leader on your behalf, so don’t worry.”
After that, Zhang Yunxi transformed into a flash of lightning and headed toward the Sacred Leader Mountain, just like what Shen Tian and the old Taoist priest had done previously.
Shopkeeper Song and the rest were at a loss of what they should do when they saw Zhang Yunxi leave.
So… Where should we go?
At that moment, a fellow wearing green robes, and carrying a longsword behind his back walked up to them. He greeted them politely. “Welcome! I assume all of you are the Spirit seedlings?”
He then introduced himself. “I am the Haoran Mountain’s Prime Disciple, Li Yunfeng. My Taoist monastic name is Sword Venerable Longevity. My father is Li Qinghe.
“Just now, Senior Sister used a voice transmission to inform me to come and bring you all to your respective future residences. Please, follow me!” said the youth with a wide smile.
As they walked toward the residences where the inner-sect disciples would be staying, Li Yunfeng explained enthusiastically about the various Spirit Mountains’ ins and outs.
“Everyone, look up at that red-colored Spirit Mountain which is planted with Spirit Maple Trees in the north. That is where Heavenly Venerable Crimson Lotus stays at. It’s called the Crimson Lotus Mountain.
“Look up again—that mountain peak which seems to emit golden rays of light. That is where Heavenly Venerable Golden Lotus resides. It’s also known as the Golden Lotus Mountain.
“Meanwhile, that southern mountain, which is covered by ice and snow throughout the year, is the residence of Heavenly Venerable White Lotus. That mountain is named White Lotus Mountain.
“Among the nine Heavenly Venerables we have, Uncle-Master White Lotus has the best temper, and he will often offer free lectures for the disciples.
“Uncle-Master Crimson Lotus has a fiery temper. Beware to not offend her, or else you will suffer her punishment!
1
“This is especially so for the case of Uncle-Master Golden Lotus. She is also an advanced master in the Seduction Art. Please never look into her eyes. Or else, I can’t guarantee what you may do in public if you get seduced by her!
“I can only provide so much advice as your Senior Brother!”
To be honest, although Li Yunfeng was a prime disciple of one of the mountains, he did not put on any airs and seemed extremely easy-going.
All the rest felt rather warm at his gestures, and they were reminded of the old Taoist priest’s words—”The Divine Firmament Sacred Ground is a big harmonious family.”
Indeed, Senior Brother is so warm towards newcomers!
They soon reached the inner-sect disciples’ residences and settled into their new homes.
Meanwhile, Li Yunfeng watched them with a bright smile on his face all the time.
“In essence, if any of you feel confused by any affairs, don’t hesitate to come to the Haoran Mountain and seek my help. While I don’t dare to promise much help in terms of cultivation, there’s something I am capable of. I know everything about the Divine Firmament Sacred Ground!”
Xiong Meng held back hot tears of gratitude as he commented, “Senior Brother, you are really too kind. Should you need my help next time, please come and find me!”
Li Yunfeng smiled. “Oh, I can do that?”
Xiong Meng thumped his chest. “I don’t say lies!”
Li Yunfeng let out a small cough and replied, “Well, in that case, I really do need your help… now.”
Li Yunfeng’s eyes gleamed as he fixed his gaze upon all of them.
“I have heard that we have a Saint from outside of the sacred ground?
“According to my father, this fellow called Shen Aotian had helped our sacred ground in recovering the Divine Firmament Drager Pendant, and we are indebted to him.
“So, according to the ancestors’ rules, this person not only will be able to take up the position of the Saint, he will even have to take Senior Sister Yunxi as his cultivation partner…”
Eunuch Gui’s expression turned cautious as he started to see where this might end up.
“Senior Brother, I wonder why you are asking about such matters?”
Li Yunfeng broke into a wide grin and mentioned, “Oh, please don’t be alarmed. I have no ill intentions. I am just purely curious about what happened.
“For example, how did Senior Brother Aotian get hold of the Divine Firmament Drager Pendant?
“How old is he?
“How is his progress with Senior Sister Yunxi so far?
“Well, in case I forgot to introduce my other name, I am also famed as the Divine Firmament Know-It-All. But be rest assured, my lips are sealed.
1
“Really, don’t be worried! I am never going to let a third-party know what has passed here.”
Li Yunfeng’s eyes were brimming with excitement as he concluded, “So Junior Brother, what had happened, pray tell!?”
To be honest, the young lad, Qin Yundi, really sparked Shen Tian’s interest, especially since he had that blurry fortuitous opportunity’s projection above his golden-rimmed red providence halo. Shen Tian believed that it must be something worth investigating.
As of now, his own halo was only reflecting pale green light, and he had to take up the position of the Saint, which made him really insecure.
Thus, Shen Tian was overeager to freeload as many lucky encounters as possible to make his halo turn into darker shades of green. This was his first priority now!
That’s why seeing Qin Yundi made him feel extremely relieved!
While Shen Tian was deep in thought, the Divine Firmament Flying Vessel had entered the sacred ground’s Small World.
Refreshing vibes of Divinity rose up to their faces, and this feeling made everyone feel much welcomed.
Although it was called a ‘small world’, this place was actually vast beyond imagination.
Various Spirit Mountains sprung high up into the skies with small rivulets running in between the mountains. Green lotus platforms rose up above the small streams, while fishes frequently broke through the water surface, jumping across the air in a playful manner.
These spirit fishes were reared by the Divine Firmament Sacred Ground’s residents. Many of them had revered bloodlines from the most exotic ornamental fish traced in Eastern Wilderness, the Dragonfish species.
Just when one of the fishes leaped out of the water in a joyful manner, it suddenly caught sight of a dreadful figure on the flying vessel. That fish violently quivered in the air and immediately buried itself deep into the water, refusing to come near to the water surface.
When the flying vessel flew past all the mountains, sudden strikes of golden light would appear. Cranes would scurry out of sight on some mountains, while strong blade auras would be emitted abruptly.
What’s common among them, though, was that all of these mountains were rich in Spirit Qi and filled with all sorts of exotic plants.
Yet when the flying vessel approached them, all of them would suddenly activate their protection array formations.
All sorts of lightning currents would be crawling over the surface of the array formations, which looked extremely majestic. Meanwhile, the cranes flying casually above the mountaintops previously would suddenly dive down and scramble to enter the array formations.
Zhang Yunxi stood at the vessel’s bow and started introducing each mountain to the rest.
“Within the Divine Firmament Small World, there are a total of 36 Spirit Mountains, and all of them contain Spirit Mines.
“And within these 36 Spirit Mountains, there are three mountains which are the most renowned—the Sacred Leader Mountain, the Saint Mountain, and the Saintess Mountain.
“Other than that, you also need to take note of the eight Peak Leader Mountains. Each of these mountains is owned by respective experts who are at the Soul Formation stage. These mountains are the places where they pass their signature skills to their handpicked disciples.
“Only inner-sect disciples are allowed to visit all the above-mentioned 11 mountains. But there are still 24 other Spirit Mountains that—”
Xiong Meng blinked his eyes and interrupted Zhang Yunxi. “Hey, did you count wrongly? With my rough calculations, 36 minus 11—shouldn’t there be 25 more Spirit Mountains? Why did you say 24?”
Zhang Yunxi couldn’t hide her resignation at that. “Well, one of the Spirit Mountains’ mines had been depleted too excessively… We had to seal the mountain so it could recover from its loss.
“Let me continue. The remaining 24 Spirit Mountains are home to our sect’s ancient Heavenly Venerables. Even inner-sect disciples are disallowed from going to these mountains to avoid disturbing their peace. Or else, they will be punished severely.
“Are we all clear on that?”
All of them nodded their heads obediently. At the same time, the Divine Firmament Flying Vessel finally touched down on a patch of empty ground, landing right on top of a straight-lined track.
Several disciples donning the Divine Firmament Sacred Ground’s uniforms were already lining up beside the track, and they greeted them with forced, polite smiles.
The old Taoist priest spoke coldly. “Well, this time round, I did let the ship come back, didn’t I? Go ahead and check!”
With that, he jumped off from the vessel, turned back, and beckoned to Shen Tian. “Shen Tian, let Martial Uncle bring you to greet the Sacred Leader.”
Shen Tian turned to see what Zhang Yunxi might say, but she also nodded her head. As such, he followed behind the old Taoist priest quietly.
A few moments after both the old Taoist priest and Shen Tian walked out of sight, shocked gasps escaped from the group of disciples waiting to greet them.
Zhang Yunxi sighed, took a look at the flying vessel’s Spirit Stones tank, and confirmed her suspicions—that tank, which had previously been filled to the brim, had turned empty ‘mysteriously’ once again!
“Saintess, we really did a thorough check before we let the flying vessel set sail!”
Looking at their depressed expressions, Zhang Yunxi sighed and commented, “Don’t worry, I understand. Junior Brothers, please help to fill the Spirit Stones tank full again. I will report what happened to the Sacred Leader on your behalf, so don’t worry.”
After that, Zhang Yunxi transformed into a flash of lightning and headed toward the Sacred Leader Mountain, just like what Shen Tian and the old Taoist priest had done previously.
Shopkeeper Song and the rest were at a loss of what they should do when they saw Zhang Yunxi leave.
So… Where should we go?
At that moment, a fellow wearing green robes, and carrying a longsword behind his back walked up to them. He greeted them politely. “Welcome! I assume all of you are the Spirit seedlings?”
He then introduced himself. “I am the Haoran Mountain’s Prime Disciple, Li Yunfeng. My Taoist monastic name is Sword Venerable Longevity. My father is Li Qinghe.
“Just now, Senior Sister used a voice transmission to inform me to come and bring you all to your respective future residences. Please, follow me!” said the youth with a wide smile.
As they walked toward the residences where the inner-sect disciples would be staying, Li Yunfeng explained enthusiastically about the various Spirit Mountains’ ins and outs.
“Everyone, look up at that red-colored Spirit Mountain which is planted with Spirit Maple Trees in the north. That is where Heavenly Venerable Crimson Lotus stays at. It’s called the Crimson Lotus Mountain.
“Look up again—that mountain peak which seems to emit golden rays of light. That is where Heavenly Venerable Golden Lotus resides. It’s also known as the Golden Lotus Mountain.
“Meanwhile, that southern mountain, which is covered by ice and snow throughout the year, is the residence of Heavenly Venerable White Lotus. That mountain is named White Lotus Mountain.
“Among the nine Heavenly Venerables we have, Uncle-Master White Lotus has the best temper, and he will often offer free lectures for the disciples.
“Uncle-Master Crimson Lotus has a fiery temper. Beware to not offend her, or else you will suffer her punishment!
1
“This is especially so for the case of Uncle-Master Golden Lotus. She is also an advanced master in the Seduction Art. Please never look into her eyes. Or else, I can’t guarantee what you may do in public if you get seduced by her!
“I can only provide so much advice as your Senior Brother!”
To be honest, although Li Yunfeng was a prime disciple of one of the mountains, he did not put on any airs and seemed extremely easy-going.
All the rest felt rather warm at his gestures, and they were reminded of the old Taoist priest’s words—”The Divine Firmament Sacred Ground is a big harmonious family.”
Indeed, Senior Brother is so warm towards newcomers!
They soon reached the inner-sect disciples’ residences and settled into their new homes.
Meanwhile, Li Yunfeng watched them with a bright smile on his face all the time.
“In essence, if any of you feel confused by any affairs, don’t hesitate to come to the Haoran Mountain and seek my help. While I don’t dare to promise much help in terms of cultivation, there’s something I am capable of. I know everything about the Divine Firmament Sacred Ground!”
Xiong Meng held back hot tears of gratitude as he commented, “Senior Brother, you are really too kind. Should you need my help next time, please come and find me!”
Li Yunfeng smiled. “Oh, I can do that?”
Xiong Meng thumped his chest. “I don’t say lies!”
Li Yunfeng let out a small cough and replied, “Well, in that case, I really do need your help… now.”
Li Yunfeng’s eyes gleamed as he fixed his gaze upon all of them.
“I have heard that we have a Saint from outside of the sacred ground?
“According to my father, this fellow called Shen Aotian had helped our sacred ground in recovering the Divine Firmament Drager Pendant, and we are indebted to him.
“So, according to the ancestors’ rules, this person not only will be able to take up the position of the Saint, he will even have to take Senior Sister Yunxi as his cultivation partner…”
Eunuch Gui’s expression turned cautious as he started to see where this might end up.
“Senior Brother, I wonder why you are asking about such matters?”
Li Yunfeng broke into a wide grin and mentioned, “Oh, please don’t be alarmed. I have no ill intentions. I am just purely curious about what happened.
“For example, how did Senior Brother Aotian get hold of the Divine Firmament Drager Pendant?
“How old is he?
“How is his progress with Senior Sister Yunxi so far?
“Well, in case I forgot to introduce my other name, I am also famed as the Divine Firmament Know-It-All. But be rest assured, my lips are sealed.
1
“Really, don’t be worried! I am never going to let a third-party know what has passed here.”
Li Yunfeng’s eyes were brimming with excitement as he concluded, “So Junior Brother, what had happened, pray tell!?”
