The First Demon of the Chan Sect

Under the night sky, Chen Xiran was youthful and beautiful, her hair fluttering and her bright eyes shimmering like autumn waters.

Li Qingming glanced at Chen Xiran and shrugged helplessly, saying, "This time it's not me, but my two brothers!"

"Giggle..." Chen Xiran smiled cunningly, saying, "Anyway, you're all in it together, and you will still become famous across All Heavens and Myriads of Worlds!"

"Big brother, why don't we go to He Ji Tavern and have a few drinks? I remember there's a secluded small courtyard at the back," Li Qingquan suggested as people continued to gather around.

Li Qingming and Chen Xiran exchanged a smile and strode towards the tavern.

Indeed, the backyard of He Ji Tavern was very serene. The courtyard was not too big nor too small, resembling a small quadrangle on Earth, perfectly square with several ancient trees and a delicate small flower garden.

The flower garden was small, but the brightly colored flowers could be seen from far away. The fragrance of the flowers wafted gently, giving a leisurely and refreshing feeling.

Beside the flower garden, two long jade stones were joined together, forming a table nearly two meters long and one meter high. The table was laid with a variety of delicate dishes, fruits, and of course, the aged fine wines from the tavern's cellar.

A group of about a dozen people sat on both sides of the long table, each with a small cup in front, filled with slightly yellow, viscous Jade Liquid, exuding a charming fragrance.

Sitting at the head of the table, Li Qingming lifted his cup gently and said, "It's said that with a bosom friend even a thousand cups of wine are too few. Now, as we are about to travel afar, it's indeed time for us to drink freely!"

Ye Jun cracked a nut, tossed it into his mouth, and said, "Fellow Daoist Li, I never had a chance to ask you earlier, which Central Heaven World do you come from? It's hard to imagine that your world has nurtured so many strong cultivators. It's truly sensational!"

Li Qingming smiled, put down his cup, and said, "Honestly, we are not from Central Heaven World but from Pangu's Great Thousand World!"

"What? Pangu's Great Thousand World?" Ye Jun and the siblings Chen Haoran were taken aback, their faces showing an unmistakable surprise and shock.

"Why?" Li Qingming furrowed his brows slightly, saying, "Could it be forbidden for people from the Great Thousand World to enter Cold Origin Ancient City?"

"No, no, no..." Ye Jun hastily waved his hand, saying, "The information is just too sudden, so we couldn't help but be shocked!"

Chen Xiran chuckled airily, her watery eyes filled with curiosity, asking, "Fellow Daoist Li, over these years, we have never heard of anyone from the Great Thousand World coming to Central Heaven World. Only vaguely did our ancestor mention that two epochs ago, an Old Tao riding a Green Bull had once visited our Star Origin World! Moreover, our ancestor held him in high esteem!"

"The Old Tao riding the Green Bull?" Li Qingming was taken aback, glanced at Xuan Tian beside him, and said, "Did he leave any legacy in your Star Origin World?"

Chen Xiran was about to answer when Ye Jun, smoothing his hand over the long table, intercepted, saying, "At that time, the Realm Master intended to persuade the Old Tao to leave a legacy. Unfortunately, the Old Tao merely sighed incessantly saying: 'Born at the wrong time, leaving would be pointless.' Then he left the Star Origin World, his whereabouts unknown!"

"Born at the wrong time, leaving would be pointless!" Li Qingming stroked his chin, saying, "That does sound like him!"

"Do you know who that Old Tao was?" Chen Haoran, intrigued, eagerly asked.

Li Qingming did not answer directly but dipped his finger in the wine and started sketching in the void.

The drink traced beautiful silken lines in the void, a faint spatial fluctuation gathered over the liquid, making those lines move like little snakes, leaving behind wonderful trails in the void.

After a moment, the brilliance of the stars sprinkled into the void, and the power of the myriad stars converged towards the silken lines in the half-air of the courtyard, creating a mysterious scene in the quiet courtyard.

This was an ancient, rustic carving: Beneath the Cangqiong, purple qi came from the east, spanning thirty thousand miles, spreading over boundless mountains and lands, a solemn and stately ancient city stood under the purple qi. The city gate was wide open, an elderly man with a white beard riding a Green Bull walked out from inside, and a refined middle-aged man greeted him respectfully.

Ye Jun and the other two were dumbfounded, their clan also possessed such a long scroll, which was said to be left by the ox-riding elder, the Realm Master of the Star Origin World, who treasured and stored it in the treasury.

If it wasn't for their high status within their clan, they would not have known of the existence of this carving.

"Li Fellow Daoist, where did you see this scroll?" Chen Haoran's eyes widened, his expression subtly excited.

Li Qingming shrugged and said, "This scroll is a mural painted by the elder Yin Xi on the walls of his dwelling, naturally, I saw it at Elder Yin Xi's place!"

Yin Xi gave a wry smile and said, "It's just that I can't let go of my Master, thus I often reminisce!"

Suddenly, Chen Xiran slightly opened her lips, her white teeth lightly parted as she said: "Oh! If you don't look carefully, you really wouldn't notice, it turns out that Elder Yin Xi is the middle-aged cultivator in this scroll!"

Yin Xi nodded slightly and said, "That year, Master left through Wanling Pass, taking the Path to Heaven. I was stationed at the pass, and Master bestowed upon me a scroll of the 'Tao Te Ching!'"

Chen Xiran and Chen Haoran looked at each other, suddenly stood up, and came to Yin Xi, bowing deeply, saying, "Disciples Chen Xiran and Chen Haoran pay respects to Master Uncle Yin Xi!"

"Ha?" Yin Xi saw this scene and his jaw nearly dropped, utterly puzzled by their actions.

"What's this about?" Li Qingming asked in confusion.

Chen Haoran, without standing up, flashed an embarrassed look and said, "Previously, we concealed something from the Fellow Daoists. Indeed, the ancestral master once left the Star Origin World, but our Master stayed behind. Thus, although my sister and I do not practice the Taiqing Great Method, we are still truly from the Mysterious Sect!"

"Your Master?"

This made everyone even more perplexed. Laozi had left through Wanling Pass alone that year, how could there be any disciple with him? Could it be a disciple accepted on the Path to Heaven?

"Who is your Master?" Long Xuhu was full of doubt, as if a thousand little cats were scratching at his heart.

Chen Haoran's expression became solemn, and he said: "Our Master is none other than the ancestral master's mount, the Green Bull, Niu Qingtian!"

"It's him!" A flicker of realization crossed Li Qingming's eyes.

Hearing this, Yin Xi's expression lit up with excitement, helping the two stand up, he said: "Is Brother Qingtian still around?"

Chen Haoran and his sister stood up, smiling, "Master Uncle, rest assured, our Master is fine, and during the second Great Destruction, he had already cultivated to the level of Half-step Heavenly Dao, not conceding even to the ancestral master!"

"Really?" Yin Xi looked very excited, "It seems I'll need to make a trip to the Star Origin World!" (To be continued. If you like this work, we invite you to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)