Starting Cultivation During a Trip

The flood rose to his knees, and a man rowing a small boat invited him onboard. He refused, firmly believing that an Immortal would come to save him.

The flood rose to his waist, and a man sailing a ship invited him onboard. He refused, firmly believing that an Immortal would come to save him.

The flood rose to his chest, and a man piloting a steamboat invited him onboard. He still refused, firmly believing that an Immortal would come to save him.

In the end, he died in the flood. After death, he met the Immortal and asked why the Immortal did not save him.

The Immortal replied, "I saved you three times."

"Immortals are beings beyond common understanding. The way they connect with the mundane world is naturally beyond reason," Meng Qiwu looked at Zhang Fan and murmured softly.

"You can't guarantee that everyone you meet in this life... is human."

"Those who make us face tribulations, those who form connections with us, those who lead us to sudden revelations..."

"Could all possibly be Immortals!" Zhang Fan mumbled softly, a hint of fascination rising in his eyes.

"You believe it?" Meng Qiwu looked at Zhang Fan's expression and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Immortals!? The credibility of reclusive masters is somewhat greater," Zhang Fan shook his head.

Speaking of reclusive masters, he suddenly remembered the Thousand-Year-Old Demon. Ever since he canceled his 'Little Yellow Book' account, there have been no traces of him.

He perfectly fit Zhang Fan's image of a reclusive master.

"Your purpose for having me take you into the mountains isn't just to find the Living Dead Tomb, is it?"

At that moment, Meng Qiwu suddenly changed the topic and spoke.

Zhang Fan was silent. He wasn't just looking for the Living Dead Tomb; the anomaly surrounding Qin Ergou wasn't a normal one. The manifestation of Xu Dog was a call from Human Xiao.

Li Yishan's condition was extremely unstable, otherwise he wouldn't have traveled thousands of miles to come here, presumably to enter the Living Dead Tomb and cross the Jia Sheng Gui Si tribulation.

Neither living nor dead, neither flower nor dream...

This kind of tribulation is detached from the reality of life and death, too torn and divided. In terms of danger, it's no less than the Great Night.

Precisely because of this, Zhang Fan must find him quickly.

"Are you looking for that mysterious expert from that night?" Meng Qiwu suddenly asked.

"Hmm!?"

Zhang Fan's gaze sharpened to a line, looking at Meng Qiwu coldly.

"Life and death are void; Jia Sheng Gui Si. In this world, only this generation's Human Xiao practices this technique."

"You know quite a lot," Zhang Fan said in a deep voice.

"Is that person really Human Xiao?" Meng Qiwu furrowed her brows slightly.

"How do you know?" Zhang Fan asked.

"This matter has already been reported to the Shangjing Daoist Alliance Headquarters. The people from the Wang Family couldn't see it, but there are quite a few capable individuals in the Daoist Alliance Headquarters, and most of the elites from Daoist sects are gathered here..."

At this point, Meng Qiwu paused her words: "And don't forget, the penetration between the Daoist sect and Wuwei Sect is quite severe. Among their upper echelons, there might not be any secrets at all."

"Don't think you're hiding well. You might have already entered the sight of those big figures."

Although Meng Qiwu's warning was reasonable, Zhang Fan had no time to focus on these thoughts now.

"What else do you know?" Zhang Fan pursued the matter.

"How did you connect with Human Xiao?" Meng Qiwu asked in return.

"I'm the one questioning you now."

After a slight pause, Meng Qiwu replied: "I heard the White Crane Temple has already sent people to handle this matter."

"They've sent people again?" Zhang Fan furrowed his brows.

"Again? Why do you say 'again'?" Meng Qiwu asked, puzzled.

"Do you know who they sent?" Zhang Fan asked in a serious tone.

If the White Crane Temple sent a person at the Celestial Master level again, it would be extremely problematic.

But last time, Huo Dharma King was cornered by Jiang Yunxian and Zhang Sheng in Yujing City. Even if he didn't die, he should be severely injured.

Yuan Tiandu died in Qin Ancient Town; both Celestial Masters were lost in Jiangnan Province. Could the White Crane Temple still send another Celestial Master level figure?

Do they have that many Celestial Masters!?

"I've heard they didn't mobilize too many forces. It's suspected that there's an expert in Chang'an who might be able to restrain Human Xiao," Meng Qiwu said in a low voice.

"Chang'an? Restrain Human Xiao?" Zhang Fan raised his eyebrows, instantly alert.

"Are they borrowing someone from Zhongnan Mountain?"

"Doesn't seem like it," Meng Qiwu shook her head: "If Zhongnan Mountain intervened, the White Crane Temple wouldn't have sent people here."

"Besides, I've heard from elders in the sect that the mountain doesn't seem to want to get involved this time."

"Why? Do you have people from Wuwei Sect in Zhongnan Mountain too?" Zhang Fan blurted out.

"What nonsense are you talking?"

Meng Qiwu gave him a side glance and said sternly: "The various Daoist sects aren't a monolith. Concerning the Daoist Alliance, at best they would follow orders only during crucial times..."

Sects always have hierarchies; since ancient times, they couldn't be a monolith either.

Even to this day, when they close doors to hold meetings, drink tea, and eat meals, everyone enjoys it together, that's fine. But when it comes to conflicts, inheritance, and doctrines...

That's a different matter altogether.

"What kind of expert in Chang'an can restrain Human Xiao? That's Jia Sheng Gui Si," Zhang Fan asked in a serious tone.

"I don't know, but it probably has something to do with the Wang Family," Meng Qiwu speculated.

The Wang Family is a Pure Yang Family, Chongyang Zhenren practiced Jia Sheng Gui Si as a foundation and created the Life and Death Ming Chapter, leaving behind the Living Dead Tomb.

If anyone in this world knows the Supreme Inner Elixir Method best, it would likely be the Wang Family.

"The Wang Family also has Celestial Masters," Zhang Fan tightened his brow.

If the White Crane Temple merely called on a Celestial Master from the Wang Family, that would be extremely dangerous. They are the ones who can find the location of the Living Dead Tomb.

At that time, it would be incredibly perilous.

"Time is not on our side."

Zhang Fan felt the urgency and instinctively clenched the black iron plate in his hand, and reached into his pocket with his right hand, taking out a mobile phone.

"Nokia? Why do you have an old phone?" Meng Qiwu glanced at it.

Zhang Fan looked at the old phone in his hand and remained silent.

This was the backdoor left for him by Zhang Lingzong, saying that if one day he couldn't make it in Yujing City, he should call the number on this phone.

"Can't make it in Chang'an too, can I call?" Zhang Fan pondered.

"This place is called the Preaching Platform. It's said that Chongyang Zhenren once opened an altar here to preach,"

At that moment, the guide's voice reached them, pulling Zhang Fan's thoughts away.

Under a stone pillar, a female guide waved a small red flag in her hand as a group of elderly wearing small red hats gathered, like attentive students.

"Is she making it up or is it true?" Zhang Fan turned and asked Meng Qiwu.

"True," Meng Qiwu looked at the stone pillar and nodded.

This is one of the few tourist spots in Seeking Immortal Valley, where many pious believers burn incense and light candles around the stone pillar, worshipping and praying for Chongyang Zhenren's blessing.

"Little one, don't carve on it..."

Suddenly, the female guide screamed.

Under the stone pillar, a chubby boy of about six or seven was holding a rock, ready to carve. He was startled by the cry, hurriedly jumping into the arms of a nearby lady, seemingly aggrieved, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Why are you shouting, you scared my grandson," the lady scolded sharply.

"This is a historical site; you can't scribble on it," the female guide explained.

"What historical site!? It's just an old stone pillar," the lady comforted the chubby boy, soothingly saying, "Haven't others scribbled on it before?"

Zhang Fan instinctively followed the lady's pointing and looked over. The stone pillar was about three meters high, and near the top, there were indeed two lines of big characters. They were hard to see at first but were quite conspicuous upon closer inspection.

"Punch Chongyang Temple, kick Zhongnan Mountain!?"

Zhang Fan looked at those two lines of characters, curvy like a child's doodle. The key was these words were boldly carved here without care.

"Which brat climbed so high and wrote such things, so audacious," Zhang Fan muttered, sidelong glance noticing there was a smaller inscription below those two lines, barely discernible but recognizable...

"Chu... Chaoran!?"

"Hmm!?" Zhang Fan read it out, his expression turning strange.