Daoist Competition

Shen Baishuang shook his head and said, "The Earth Vein Spirit Mechanism below has been deliberately destroyed. Even if the poison is dispelled, it remains a desolate land."

He conjured the spiritual mechanism and descended to investigate. After a round, he said, "There is nothing unusual in the sealing area. I will grant you a Protective Talisman so you may explore, but do not stay too long; you must return within an hour."

As he spoke, he flicked his finger, and a golden light entwined Zhang Yan.

Zhang Yan cupped his hands and activated the Earth Escape Technique, leaping downwards and quickly disappearing from sight. After traversing a thousand feet below, he arrived at a vast earth cave filled with broken stones piled high like a mountain. From their contours, he could vaguely discern that it was once a stele.

A thought came to his mind, and he silently cast a spell for deduction. Once he had a clear understanding, he waved his sleeve, causing countless fragments to fly up and gather piece by piece until the original appearance was restored shortly thereafter.

Upon closer inspection, he saw countless intricate Xuanli patterns mixed with many Erosion Texts. The entire image seemed chaotic yet highly structured, causing him not to understand it at first glance. So he decisively collected it with Water Element True Light.

After removing it, his view cleared. As he scanned the area, he unexpectedly discovered a circular jade in the corner, its color bright red like congealed blood, which he casually captured into his pouch.

Having toured the interior and found nothing else, he leapt back to the heavens. When he met Shen Baishuang, he candidly shared what he saw inside.

Shen Baishuang pondered briefly, then said, "The stele should have been used by the ancestor master to suppress the Heavenly Demon in the past. Since you have acquired it, take care to keep it safe and let no other take it, while the Blood Jade—bring it here for me to see."

Zhang Yan took out the item and spread his palm, noticing that the Blood Jade slightly quivered, even writhing under the blazing sun.

Shen Baishuang glanced at it and marveled, "If I’m not mistaken, this item should be the legendary ’Enclosed Bright Pearl.’

Zhang Yan asked, "What is its purpose?"

Shen Baishuang replied, "Like the Qiankun Pouch we use, it is meant for storing external items, but unlike ours, it can be swallowed into one’s stomach, traveling with one’s Essence Blood, making it unreachable by outsiders. Should one possess the demon’s Essence Blood, it can be opened for inspection, although since Primordial Monarch left it here, likely nothing of value remains inside."

Zhang Yan knew Shen Baishuang spoke correctly—if there had been anything precious, Primordial Monarch would not have abandoned it here. Yet, the fact this item retains spiritual nature after millennia means it is extraordinary. Even if it is empty, it’s worth retaining for possible future use.

Shen Baishuang showed no interest in either item, then suddenly looked up, saying, "They’re aware I’ve arrived."

Since his arrival, Shen Baishuang had not bothered to conceal his Qi Mechanism, naturally alarming the three Cave Heaven True Masters, yet they didn’t approach immediately. Instead, they gathered at another location first, clearly planning to unite before confronting him.

It’s no wonder these three acted this way; when Shen Baishuang first arrived on this continent, he shattered Zheng Weixing’s dharma form effortlessly, demonstrating formidable strength and reckless behavior, leaving them cautious in their response.

Shen Baishuang raised a brow and said, "I don’t wish to wait for them. Nephew Zhang, do you have any matters to attend to? Let’s take care of them now."

Zhang Yan thought for a moment and said, "An elder guest of mine is hiding nearby on the far sea. There are one or two Nascent Soul fellow Daoists intending to join our sect, but fearing interception by the Fengxiang Sword Sect, they’ve been hiding. We might as well bring them over now."

Shen Baishuang replied immediately, "Let’s go retrieve them then."

He flicked his sleeve, prompting a thunderous cloud wave to rise from the ground, stirring a mighty Qi Gang and rolling towards heaven.

In less than half a day, they arrived at the South Guanghai Realm, and shortly thereafter located the immortal city.

This immortal city was established by residual cultivators after the Three Great Evil Sects were eradicated, usually benefiting from the Kuxin Sect’s protection.

The Kuxin Sect was aware of their origins but tolerated them, as they respectfully offered numerous demon skins and treasures from the sea each year, and refrained from causing trouble. Therefore, the sect let them remain by tacit approval.

Over hundreds of years, this place remained serene. However, with Shen Baishuang’s arrival, winds and clouds stirred, unleashing endless waves engulfing the horizon. Cultivators below perceived the overwhelming spiritual tide, panicking into chaos. If not trapped by boundless Qi Mechanism all around, they would have fled long ago.

On a high pavilion within the city, Wu Suquan and Zhang Boyant were playing a game of chess. Feeling the tremendous pressure drawing near, Wu Suquan’s hand trembled, causing a chess piece to drop to the floor. His face turned pale as he gazed out of the city, saying, "This is bad; disaster approaches. It must be Fengxiang True Master Gan coming to capture us."

Zhang Boyant remained composed, secretly mocking Wu Suquan’s demeanor, thinking, "This Daoist Wu overestimates himself too much. It’s just us few people; why would a Cave Heaven True Master cause such a commotion over us? Were our presence known, sending an envoy to speak to the City Lord here would suffice. Why go to such lengths against us?"

He glanced aside, noticing a child servant beside him also remained calm, then asked, "Shen Dong, why are you not afraid?"

Wu Suquan sighed, shaking his head, saying, "He’s just a young child, what could he understand?"

Shen Dong bowed and said, "If the True Master is unafraid, then the child is also unafraid. If Master Zhang feels fear, fearing won’t help the child."

Zhang Boyant found his words interesting and said, "Would you like to be my disciple?"

Shen Dong contemplated momentarily, then shook his head.

Zhang Boyant’s eyes gleamed with green fire, flickering as he coldly asked, "Why not?"

Shen Dong earnestly replied, "If the True Master wished to have the child as a disciple, it would’ve happened earlier, not waiting until today. Therefore, it’s insincere and just for amusement."

At this moment, a clear laughter rang from outside the door, "Seems Daoist Zhang has no chance. I have a heritage method here; would you like to learn?"

...

...(To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, feel free to vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)