Daoist Competition

"It was only later that he borrowed a powerful Dharma Treasure from somewhere unknown and had a spectacular duel with the Gui Ling Sect Leader over Beimo Sea. In the end, both were severely injured. When he recovered, he found out that the Gui Ling Sect Leader had died. To protect themselves, his disciples followed his last wish, hiding beneath the Dragon Pillar and surrendered the whole East Victory Continent."

Ancestor Hui Xuan glanced around and pointedly said, "Look at these people here, they are all skin and bones, their eyes sunken and cheeks hollow, surely they died from the exhaustion of their Essence."

Daoist Ji chuckled, "Fellow Daoist has seen correctly. Gui Ling Sect thought they could avoid annihilation by hiding underground, but they were mistaken. Da Mi would not let it rest. Upon hearing the news, he spent a century to lay a sealing Prohibition around the Dragon Pillar and used his Mana to sever the Earth Vein Spirit Mechanisms for thousands of miles, trapping tens of thousands of Gui Ling Disciples and elders underground, ultimately burying them alive here."

Ancestor Hui Xuan unwittingly nodded, "Indeed, if you cut weeds, you must remove the roots. If Da Mi Ancestor did not act so, after his Ascension, the Gui Ling Sect’s Primordial Qi would recover and surely avenge his future disciples."

Daoist Ji just snorted.

Ancestor Hui Xuan knew his Sect was also wiped out by the joint forces of Zhongtai, Xuanyue, and other sects, and reckoned his words had touched a hidden pain. With a faint smile, he asked, "Though Da Mi Ancestor destroyed the Gui Ling Sect, such battles and slaughter among cultivators are commonplace. Why would he need to cover it up afterwards?"

Daoist Ji sneered, "Da Mi Ancestor was originally from Gui Ling Sect. Destroying his former sect, no matter the justification, spread poorly; why would he willingly let future generations know?"

Ancestor Hui Xuan suddenly understood and nodded.

Once Daoist Ji finished speaking, he paid him no heed and continued to examine the Bright Pearl.

From the earlier conversation, Ancestor Hui Xuan already roughly guessed Daoist Ji’s intent to search for something. Watching the latter moving back and forth, he stood quietly on one side, deep in thought, with a distant look in his eyes.

An hour later, Daoist Ji had searched nearly the entire hall, leaving only the southwest corner unexplored.

Upon arriving at this spot, he glanced upward, his steps halting as he seemed to notice something. His toes tapped the ground, releasing clouds of white smoke, and ascended. At a height of five or six zhang, he found a recess revealed no human tracks, only a tall Stone Gate, with two ancient copper rings, rusted and worn. On either side were several Lotus Stone Platforms, upon which sat seven white-haired Daoists with varied expressions.

Ignoring the corpses, his gaze was fixed on the Stone Gate, his expression slightly excited as he murmured, "This must be the place."

With a flick of his sleeve, he cast a gust of Gang Wind towards it. The Prohibition on the Stone Gate dissipated, and with a thunderous crash, it collapsed backward, shaking the Lotus Platforms and reducing the white-haired Daoists to scattered ashes.

A narrow alchemy room appeared behind the gate. Carefully sensing the area, Daoist Ji detected no Spiritual Mechanism, allowing himself to confidently step inside.

Inside, he glanced around, finding the space simply arranged, most decor decayed, and the floor covered in thick dust, with only a Copper Furnace in the center and a cushion behind it, nothing else.

He walked in circles, finding no other exits, puzzled within, thinking, "Could I have searched the wrong place?"

Just as he intended to leave, a thought flashed through his mind, and with a gleam in his eye, he whisked his sleeve to push aside the Copper Furnace.

Once the furnace moved, it revealed a square well passage constructed entirely out of white jade. Inside, there was a pile of strange stones, built from hundreds of slick and smooth pebbles, each stone bore a small hole from which fine rainbow smoke emitted, light reflecting and mist curling gently. At the very top was a Jade Bowl containing a green bead the size of a goose egg, smooth and bright, inscribed with Silver Talisman Fine Text, occasionally releasing thin lines of needle-like colorful radiance.

Seeing this, Daoist Ji’s face glowed with excitement. He was about to grab it but seemingly recalled something, carefully pulling out a Brocade Handkerchief from his sleeve, wrapping his hand before grasping the bead.

In his immense excitement, he infused Spiritual Energy into the bead to probe it, confirming it was genuine. He couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

He had heard his sect elders mention this item, intending to attempt retrieving it while the Dragon Pillar’s Prohibition dissipated. However, those were mere words and may not have been true, so he was prepared to leave empty-handed. Yet, unexpectedly, he acquired this legendary Supreme Treasure so smoothly, his joy was beyond words.

Still watching intently for a while, he heard footsteps behind him. He did not put the bead away but continued to examine it in the palm of his hand.

Ancestor Hui Xuan had searched the pit while Daoist Ji was absent, finding no trace of Da Mi’s Handwriting, feeling disappointed. Suddenly spotting this strange treasure, his eyes lit up briefly but quickly calmed down, asking in a steady voice, "Is this the Nine Yellow Star Bead?"

Daoist Ji replied, "It is but one of them."

Ancestor Hui Xuan couldn’t help but ask, "Where are the other eight?"

Daoist Ji glanced back at him, smiling faintly, "Beneath the Dragon Pillar, there are eight Ruined Palaces, each separated and stored elsewhere. However, I don’t desire much; obtaining even one is already a stroke of luck. Even if all were in hand, I might not be able to benefit from them."

Upon hearing this, Ancestor Hui Xuan felt subtly moved but said, "With this item in hand, dealing with Daoist Zhang should be easy, no?"

Daoist Ji turned his wrist, putting the Treasure Bead away, "It needs to be refined with rituals before use, unfit for immediate deployment."

Ancestor Hui Xuan nodded, "We have been here long enough, delayed for too long. Leaving seems prudent."

...

...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we welcome you to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)