Xuan Ming looked the Taoist nun up and down for a long moment before he exclaimed in surprise, "You, aren't you Fairy Ying? Why are you dressed like that?" The nun bowed and said, "I severed my worldly roots five years ago and converted to Taoism." Xuan Ming chuckled, "I see." He then said to the man surnamed Lei, "Brother Lei, you're here early. You've sent quite a few disciples this time. Wow, they all seem quite good. It looks like you're going to have a great harvest this time."
The man surnamed Lei laughed and said, "With a figure like your clan's Ice Fairy here, there's no chance for us to get any advantage!" He said the word "we" and glanced at the Taoist nun, as if he wanted to bring Fairy Ying into the sect, but Fairy Ying turned a blind eye and didn't respond.
The man surnamed Lei just laughed and stopped talking.
Xuanming asked, "Has the people from Wanshou Villa and Xuqing Temple not arrived yet?" The man surnamed Lei said, "Not yet, but they should be here soon."
Three Jindan stage cultivators gathered together, looked up at the sky, and chatted casually.
But the disciples were divided into three sides, sitting cross-legged in meditation, looking at their mouths through their noses and their hearts through their mouths, and they did not dare to talk casually.
After waiting for another meal, a centipede several feet long suddenly appeared in the sky. It had eight wings on its back, and its claws and fangs were bared, giving it a terrifying aura. The man named Lei sneered, "Wanshou Villa still likes to show off like this. This eight-winged flying centipede is quite long-lived, probably three or four hundred years old."
Xuan Ming nodded and said, "Its lifespan had already come to an end decades ago. I don't know what secret method their sect used, but I heard that it allowed this demon insect to advance to a higher level. It seems that it still has some time to live."
The eight-winged centipede flew over the valley, then suddenly swirled and descended, a fishy wind piercing their nostrils. The disciples below felt a tightness in their chests, and panic spread. Taoist Xuanming waved his sleeves, and a gentle breeze enveloped the Taiji disciples.
The man surnamed Lei also hurriedly protected his disciples and shouted, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, why are you showing off?"
With a burst of loud laughter, a tall and thin man jumped down from the centipede and said, "Brother Lei, I, a spirit insect, will not hurt anyone at will. It's just that your disciples lack the concentration."
The man surnamed Lei was furious. "You, a demon insect, are already at the Fake Dan stage. How can a Qi Refining stage junior withstand your pressure?"
The tall and thin man's face darkened, "Brother Lei, what you said violated the taboo of our sect." Wanshou Villa is well-known in Dayan for raising monster beasts and monster insects. The disciples have always called them spirit beasts and monster insects, and they would never dare to mention the word "monster insect".
The man surnamed Lei sneered, "What? Do you want me to abide by the rules of your Wanshou Villa?" Seeing that the two of them had a disagreement and seemed to be about to fight, Xuanming Zhenren hurriedly persuaded them, "You two are both seniors of the sect. You are not here to bicker today. Don't make a fool of yourself by the younger generation." The man surnamed Lei and the tall and thin man both snorted heavily and turned their heads away.
The man surnamed Lei turned and whispered to Xuanming, "Brother Xuanming, the Myriad Beasts Villa has always been tyrannical, relying on its monsters. Our disciples have suffered greatly from it. How about we join forces this time?" Xuanming Zhenren said with a smile, "That's exactly what I was thinking. In that case, please ask Brother Lei's disciples to take good care of my Taiji Sect." The man surnamed Lei laughed and said, "Both sides."
The tall and thin man looked at Taoist Xuanming and the elders of Lei Family Castle whispering to each other, and just sneered. He took the centipede and went to talk to Fairy Ying from Lingxiao Pavilion.
Shi Feng didn't know what these Jindan stage masters were discussing, he just secretly looked at the people around him. You know, everyone is sitting here in harmony now, but once they enter the trial ground, they will be mortal enemies.
He had done his homework before and knew that Lingxiao Pavilion was famous for its formations and talismans, Leijiabao had the most diverse skills and sharp magic weapons, and Wanshou Villa was famous for raising monsters and insects. Their disciples were dressed in colorful clothes, but they all had several bulging spirit beast bags hanging around their waists, which must have contained spirit pets.
The Xuqing Temple, which has not yet been revealed, is the strongest of the five sects. It is also a sword-cultivating sect, similar to the Tai Chi Sect.
After another cup of tea, a giant sword flew from the sky and landed in the clearing in the valley. A middle-aged Taoist priest with a white face led a group of disciples and walked down from the sword and stood on the ground. Taoist Xuanming and the man surnamed Lei came over to greet them.
Shi Feng was shocked to see that all the disciples of Xuqing Temple were carrying long swords. He had been in the sect for a long time and knew that the rule of Taiji Sect was that disciples in the Qi Refining Stage were not allowed to practice sword. This was because although sword practice was beneficial, it was extremely difficult to cultivate. If one's skills were not strong enough, they would suffer from it. One had to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage before the sect could teach him the sword practice technique.
In Xuqing Temple, even the disciples in the Qi Refining Stage practice swordsmanship, and they don't even put their swords into storage bags, but carry them directly on their backs. It seems that they must be able to attack very quickly. Once the opponent uses a flying sword, I am afraid my life will be in danger.
The five Jindan cultivators discussed for a while, then sat down cross-legged and looked at the sky silently.
After a while, it was noon and the sun was shining directly into the valley. The white-faced middle-aged Taoist priest from Xuqing Temple stood up and said, "My fellow Taoists, the time has come. Let's open the seal." Taoist Xuanming stood up, whispered a few words to Wei Yunfei, turned around and strode behind the middle-aged Taoist priest.
The middle-aged Taoist priest produced a jade tablet and uttered a spell. A sudden, powerful wind blew through the tranquil valley, sending sand and rocks flying and leaves and shrubs flying. A patch of land, several feet in diameter, slowly rose, its covering dirt and gravel blown away by the wind, revealing a massive seal. Xuanming Zhenren and the other four then produced jade tablets from their pockets and channeled their magical powers. In a moment, five massive seals appeared on the ground, radiating a dazzling glow, with bands of light interweaving in the center to form a sphere several feet across.
The middle-aged Taoist nodded and said, "This year has been much smoother than in previous years. Fellow Taoists, please escort this disciple in now."
Taoist Xuanming walked back to the disciples and said, "The seal has been opened, you can enter the trial ground through the magic circle. After you enter, I will immediately build a teleportation magic circle here. If you are in danger, you can crush the jade talisman to be teleported out." He then whispered, "Remember, our Taiji Sect has formed an alliance with Lingxiao Pavilion. As far as I know, Leijiabao and Wanshou Villa have already joined forces. Humph, you are still acting in front of me. But you also remember, even if you are an alliance, don't trust too much, even your fellow disciples. The only person you can trust in there is yourself." After that, he waved his hand, walked to the side, took out the formation flag from his arms, and began to build a teleportation magic circle.
Wei Yunfei looked back at everyone and said, "The sect has already explained what we should pay attention to, so I won't go on anymore. Okay, let's go." He waved his hand and led the disciples slowly towards the ball of light in the middle of the seal.
The five major sects, led by Xuqingguan, all had solemn expressions on their faces as they approached the ball of light one by one and disappeared. It was Shi Feng's turn. He looked back at the world outside, took a deep breath, and slowly walked to the center of the ball of light. His figure blurred and disappeared.
………………
At the same time, in a cave thousands of miles from Jinan Mountain, three Taoists sat cross-legged. In the middle was a skinny old Taoist, his face wrinkled and his hair shrunken. The moment the seal was broken, he sighed, opened his eyes, and said, "This cave is finally open."
A fat Taoist priest nearby said, "Junior Brother has said what needs to be said. I followed Senior Brother's wishes and did not reveal that it was your idea. However, the other four sects are still determined to open the seal, and it is not easy for me to stop them by force."
The old Taoist priest was silent for a moment. "Perhaps I'm overly suspicious. We discovered that thing four hundred years ago, and there hasn't been any movement in the years since. It's just that the seal's power is growing weaker, which makes me uneasy." Another middle-aged Taoist priest said, "This seal has existed for at least a thousand years. It's been opened so many times that the loss of spiritual power is normal. The power of the seal is so immense, whatever is inside has probably been shattered long ago."
The old Taoist priest said, "I hope so. However, the seal is so mysterious that I'm afraid the creature suppressed within is not a good one. I've thought about opening the seal several times to take a look, but I'm always afraid of making things worse. In fact, if this seal lasts for another hundred years, the entire cave will collapse on its own, and everything inside will be thrown into the turbulent space, unable to do any harm. If our five sects don't open the seal from now on and let it fend for itself, that would be the best policy."
The fat Taoist sneered, "There are so many magical herbs and elixirs in the cave, how could the people from the other four sects be willing to give them away? They are all short-sighted. Why didn't you speak directly at that time, I believe they would not dare to disobey."
The old Taoist shook his head and said, "Why bother using force to pressure others? Since it has come to this, let him be. However, Jinan Mountain is close to Taiji Gate. I will send a message to fellow Taoist Huang Yan and tell him to be more cautious."
........
Shi Feng felt dizzy and staggered, almost losing his balance. He quickly supported himself on the ground with his hands to steady his body. When he stepped into the sealed door, he had already used all his strength to practice the nameless martial arts. After stabilizing his body, he hurriedly took out a fine iron dagger and looked around.
He had inquired about it long ago and knew that this sealed door was actually a teleportation array, and it randomly teleported to various places in Qianhu Cave Heaven. If one was lucky, he might stand directly next to a rare five-hundred-year-old spiritual herb. If one was unlucky, he might be teleported directly to the monster's lair.
Shi Feng's luck was neither good nor bad. He was standing next to a small lake, surrounded by weeds and shrubs taller than a person, and it was quiet all around.
Shi Feng looked up at the sky, which was a gray haze. Qianhu Cave Heaven was the treasure of Xumi, separated by a formation. Although it was noon outside and the sun was glaring, the light here was significantly darker, and the sun was nowhere to be seen.
Shi Feng took a deep breath and felt that the spiritual energy in the air was indeed much richer than outside. Unfortunately, he had no spiritual roots and could not absorb it. He first took out a magic disk from the tiger-head buckle. This magic disk was also distributed by the sect. All Taiji disciples had spiritual marks on their bodies. The magic disk could indicate whether there were any fellow disciples within a ten-mile radius, so that they could reunite.
Seeing that the magic disk had no reaction, Shi Feng knew that there were no fellow disciples nearby. He had come here to find the Sky-Rain Grass and had no intention of traveling with others. He immediately put away the magic disk, released his spiritual sense with all his strength, and scanned the surroundings.
Except for the chirping of some insects, the area was quiet.
Shi Feng slowly leaned forward and crawled out of the bushes, took out the map, and carefully compared the small lake in front of him with the mountains on both sides. He vaguely felt that he should be in the southwest corner of Qianhu Cave Heaven, and Tianyu Grass was in a very remote cave in the northwest corner of Qianhu Cave Heaven, and the two were far apart.
Shi Feng was looking at a map when he suddenly heard the sound of waves in the lake. He was startled and quickly shrank back to hide behind a slope.
The waves of the lake surged all the way to the shore, and the water level shifted, revealing two huge crocodiles. The upper bodies of these crocodiles were no different from ordinary crocodiles, but their tails were long and thin, like a python.