Daoist Competition

The cultivators from the Kuxin and Qingxuan sects traveled together, and after ten or so days, they were only a thousand miles away from the site of the celebratory banquet.

Upon reaching this place, everyone heard the sound of drums and music from below and looked down, only to see a vast sea of clouds that obscured their view.

Standing on the Four Seas Jade Plate, He Yizhu cast his gaze downward but to no avail, scoffing, "Feigning mystery and trickery."

With that, he waved his sleeve, sending a Gang Wind to disperse the cloud mist.

To his surprise, the clouds parted only to reform almost immediately.

He frowned slightly, such a phenomenon couldn’t be a display of Daoist Divine Power; either a Forbidden Array had been set up, or a strange treasure was used.

At this time, Mao Wuwei came to his side and, after a look, said, "I’ve heard that the Xuanyue Sect possesses the sect’s treasure ’Three Mountains Suppressing Qi Gu,’ which can alter atmospheric phenomena. It might be this object."

He Yizhu agreed, "Makes sense, with Xuanyue defeated, the treasure should have fallen into Zhongtai’s hands."

Perhaps the disturbance just now alerted those within, for the cloud mist suddenly parted, and a Flying Boat emerged from within.

Zhongtai’s Elder Bai stood at the bow of the vessel, saluted from afar with a smile, "Apologies to the two Sect Leaders; our Sect Leader should personally welcome both of you, but a distinguished guest has arrived, and he couldn’t free himself, so he asked me to come instead."

Upon hearing this, He Yizhu felt some displeasure. They were both respected elders of their sects, with statuses not inferior to that of Qiao Huanjuan, and now they’re greeted only by an elder, which was extremely rude.

He coldly asked, "I must inquire, who has such stature that Sect Leader Qiao attends to them personally?"

Elder Bai smiled, "Who else could it be but Sect Leader Chen from the Fengxiang Sword Sect."

He Yizhu sneered, "Brother Mao, it seems you guessed correctly after all."

Mao Wuwei appeared puzzled, "What did I guess?"

Seeing him feign ignorance, He Yizhu cursed him silently.

Elder Bai seemed unfazed by the displeasure and clasped his hands, "Please, both of you, follow me."

He Yizhu drove the Four Seas Jade Plate, following him into the sea of clouds.

After traveling several miles, the scene opened up; the sky was high, clouds low, below was a heavenly curtain swaying and covering the terrain, with layers of Spirit Light and Gang Wind whirling, seemingly spanning thousands of miles.

He Yizhu couldn’t hide his shock, muttering, "This, this is..."

Mao Wuwei, who had seemed listless, suddenly became attentive, pondering as he looked below.

Elder Bai smiled and pointed below, "This is known as the ’Triumph Banner.’ After we defeated Xuanyue, we seized forty-seven immortal cities and over ten thousand Array Flags, which were refined into this treasure. It can be divided or enlarged, cover the ground or fit in the palm as a kerchief. However, it lacked grandeur, so we used the ’Ten Directions Brocade Cloud Silk,’ ’Unison Jade Sea Flower,’ and ’Ten Thousand Golden Fortune Knot,’ and had a thousand female disciples work together weaving on the Moon-stepping loom for twenty years to create what you see now."

He Yizhu and Mao Wuwei glanced at each other. The materials Elder Bai mentioned were typically used for crafting cultivators’ Vestment robes and Dharma Robes, but now they were combined to forge this banner, a feat that shocked them both. They both thought to themselves, just how much did Zhongtai gain from the Xuanyue Sect this time?

When Rong Junzhong was reborn, he originally intended to hand over the sect’s treasury to True Master He, preventing Zhongtai from taking it.

But fate is unpredictable; after surrendering to Zhongtai, Yang Shuyong turned over the treasury intact as a condition to spare his life.

This treasury was incomparable to the one Zhang Yan took away; it contained Xuanyue’s accumulation of thousands of years, providing Zhongtai the confidence for such extravagant actions.

After a few glances downward, Mao Wuwei suddenly shook his head and said, "This treasure covers thousands of miles; it’s not that I underestimate Brother Qiao, but with his Daoist Cultivation, he couldn’t have refined this regardless, nor could any cultivator in Zhongtai; it must have been created with the aid of a higher power."

Elder Bai laughed heartily, "Brother Mao sees clearly, let me be frank then." He paused before continuing solemnly, "I won’t hide it from you, this treasure was refined with some guidance from Master Zheng."

Upon hearing this, the two had different reactions. Mao Wuwei lowered his head, appearing contemplative, while He Yizhu’s expression changed, thinking, "Could it be true as Master Hang said, that Zhongtai received some longevity Dharma technique passed down by the Da Mi Ancestor?"