Xu Bai turned to look at the silent Liu San and suddenly asked, “Elder Liu, will you be coming with us? You are knowledgeable and well-experienced, which makes you the perfect person to assess the situation. We need to determine whether surrendering to the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance is truly reliable and whether the Taiyan Sect might be colluding with them to deceive us.”
Xu Bai’s sincerity was evident.
However, Liu San remained silent for a moment before shaking his head and declining. “Young Master, you and Old Fang should go. In terms of insight, he is no less capable than I am. Given the turbulent times, someone must stay behind to look after the disciples in Longevity Valley. Although the entrance is concealed by the Endstone Disc, there is still the possibility that an unsuspecting cultivator might stumble upon it.”
“You finally said something reasonable, Old Liu.” Fang Zaiji appeared somewhat pleased with Liu San’s affirmation.
But soon, he scrutinized Liu San suspiciously. “You’re not just using this as an excuse to spend time alone with Yushan, are you?”
“Nonsense!” Liu San snapped angrily.
After some playful banter, Xu Bai and Fang Zaiji departed from Longevity Valley and headed straight for the Taiyan Sect.
The entrance to the small world was located in Taihua Prefecture. Along the way, they saw numerous cultivators who had caught wind of the event and were also rushing to witness the spectacle.
Surprisingly, members of the Immortal Alliance’s internal system were stationed along the route to guide visitors, a rare occurrence.
Taihua Prefecture lay in the eastern region of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, not far from the Congyun Sea.
A vast mountain range spanned its territory, with a thousand towering peaks.
Among them, nine peaks were the most prominent, collectively known as the Nine Veins of Taihua.
Once, there had been ten peaks, known as the Ten Veins of Taihua.
However, one of them, Mount Taixu, suddenly collapsed and disappeared from people’s memory, leaving only the nine remaining peaks.
In a previous life, He Zhenghao had once considered going to Taihua Prefecture for advanced training, but under Li Fan’s influence, he ultimately chose Tianyun Prefecture instead.
Following the guides, Xu Bai and Fang Zaiji arrived at Mount Taixuan.
“This entrance is well-hidden—it’s actually inside the mountain itself? Completely natural! If the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance hadn’t opened this passage, getting in would have been quite the challenge,” Fang Zaiji remarked in astonishment.
They followed the winding tunnel inside the mountain, reaching the end of the passage.
The spatial gateway had already been stabilized and permanently opened.
At the entrance, several Taiyan Sect cultivators stood in formation, seemingly welcoming visitors. However, their gazes kept sweeping over the arriving cultivators, as if searching for something.
“They wouldn’t still be looking for those little brats from back then, would they?” Fang Zaiji secretly wondered.
Noticing the hesitation on Fang Zaiji’s face, Xu Bai immediately understood his concerns.
Clearing his throat lightly, Xu Bai took the lead and stepped forward.
Seeing this, Fang Zaiji had no choice but to follow closely.
As soon as the Taiyan Sect cultivators saw Xu Bai approaching, their eyes lit up, and they surrounded him.
“Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment!”
“Would you be interested in joining the Taiyan Sect?”
“If you enter our sect, you’ll never have to worry about cultivation techniques again, and you’ll even receive a mid-grade Dao Deviation Stone for free!”
They spoke enthusiastically, voices overlapping.
Their excitement quickly drew the attention of other cultivators.
“Hey! Taiyan Sect cultivators, what about me?!”
“I want to join the Taiyan Sect too!”
“Why are you only focused on him? Just because he looks good?”
The other cultivators voiced their dissatisfaction, but the Taiyan Sect members paid them no heed.
Their attention was fixed solely on Xu Bai.
Xu Bai neither agreed nor outright refused.
Instead, he probed for information about the current relationship between the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance and the Taiyan Sect.
The Taiyan Sect cultivators were quite forthcoming.
“We’re just using the name of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, and every year, we send a Dao Integration elder to the alliance headquarters as a representative. Other than that, nothing has really changed.”
“Within the Taixuan Realm, the Taiyan Sect still has full authority. The alliance doesn’t interfere.”
“Think about it—there are countless hidden realms and small worlds under the jurisdiction of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance. One more or less makes no difference to them.”
“On the contrary, with the alliance’s Tianxuan Treasure Record and Tianxuan Mirror, our daily cultivation has become much more convenient.”
They saw that Xu Bai seemed somewhat interested, so they intensified their persuasion.
They even took the initiative to lead the way, guiding him on a tour of the Taixuan Small World’s scenery.
Vast fertile lands stretched for thousands of miles, where countless mortals resided.
In the distant clouds, a floating city hovered above the sky.
Faintly, one could see numerous cultivators moving about within the city.
“The spiritual energy in this small world is already comparable to the ordinary regions of the Xuanhuang Realm.”
Fang Zaiji said with a hint of envy, “I can’t believe you all managed to find such a great place to take refuge back then…”
The cultivators of the Taiyan Sect were momentarily stunned.
Only then did they realize that when Fang Zaiji mentioned “back then,” he was referring to the time when the Great Calamity of ‘Incompatible Cultivation’ descended.
“Of course. We excel in the art of divination. Naturally, we were able to find a sliver of hope amidst the crisis of destruction.”
In truth, judging by the ages of these younger disciples, they likely didn’t know much about what had happened back then.
They were simply exaggerating in an attempt to persuade Xu Bai to join their sect.
“Logically speaking, with such favorable recruitment conditions, your Taiyan Sect shouldn’t be lacking in disciples, right? Then why did you all become so eager the moment you saw me…”
Xu Bai deliberately asked, “Could it be… that it’s really because of my good looks?”
The Taiyan Sect cultivators exchanged glances before an elder among them finally spoke up to answer Xu Bai’s question.
“Our Taiyan Sect does not accept just anyone. The most important criterion is that one must match one of the Dao Deviation Stone Mother’s chosen appearances.”
After briefly explaining the Dao Deviation Stone Mother, he continued, “According to the Stone Mother’s divination, those who match the designated appearances will either become the core pillars of our sect’s future, the key figures in its revival, or the unparalleled leader who will lead the Taiyan Sect out of its crisis…”
“In short, it is an opportunity with countless benefits and no drawbacks. The divination never makes mistakes!”
They spoke with absolute certainty, showing their firm belief in the Dao Deviation Stone Mother’s predictions.
“Oh? This so-called Stone Mother sounds quite extraordinary. I wonder if I can see it with my own eyes?” Xu Bai followed along with their words and asked.
“As long as you join the Taiyan Sect, you will have the opportunity to meet the Stone Mother in person. Moreover, you might even receive a chance to undergo a simulation!” The middle-aged cultivator pounded his chest in assurance.
“Simulation?” Xu Bai narrowed his eyes.
Even Fang Zaiji was momentarily captivated.
“We’ve mentioned before that within the Dao Deviation Stone Mother, there exists another world—a near-realistic divination realm. If one gains its approval, they can harness its power to create a personal virtual world.”
“In this virtual world, you will experience everything you are about to face in the future.”
“Although it cannot guarantee absolute accuracy, possessing foresight and preparation allows those who undergo the simulation to avoid countless pitfalls.”
The middle-aged cultivator’s tone was filled with admiration.
“Unfortunately, I failed the trial last time and lost a once-in-a-century opportunity.”
“You mean to say that this Dao Deviation Stone Mother has actually developed sentience?” Fang Zaiji asked in shock.