Chapter 628: Yes, Teacher!
Surrounded on both sides.
The three were frozen in place.
From the south, a surging storm of Wind, Fire, Thunder, and Lightning revealed the figures of four people—it was Zhang Yang and the other Three Scattered Immortals.
From the north, a young Daoist approached with steady steps.
With an outstretched hand, a Green Light flickered from the south, emanating an odd aura, and landed in the young Daoist's hand—it was a green bamboo staff.
"'Wine Sword Immortal' Gongsun Xun?"
"We're in trouble now!"
Wind and Fire Daoist Wu Far and Li Nan, as well as Zhao Yan'er, bore grave looks in their eyes, not daring to act rashly.
"'White-haired Thunder God' Zhang Yang."
"'Seven Star Hand' Zhao Yan'er."
"'Wind and Fire Daoist' Wu Far, Li Nan."
Seeing the four opposite him, even Gongsun Xun felt apprehensive.
Yet in perfect unison, the gazes of the seven shifted and all landed on the young Daoist from the north.
Whether it was Gongsun Xun, the Great Victory Ancestor Master and Nangong Breaking Army, or Wind and Fire Daoist and Zhao Yan'er, all were wary.
Here stood a Nine Tribulations True Immortal at the pinnacle of the human realm!
Even though those present were among the top True Immortals, they lost their pride when facing such an extraordinary being.
"How tragic!"
"How tragic!"
Gongsun Xun, never away from liquor, always appeared drunken as if he were the only intoxicated soul among sober men.
Now, not even a hint of drunkenness remained.
Putting his plight aside, his mind raced with countless thoughts. Glancing at Zhang Yang and the others, a spark lit up in his eyes.
Quickly turning, he called out to the young Daoist, "Fellow Daoist, with your profound Dao ability, now that you've obtained that 'Ganoderma' with awakened spirit, why continue this relentless pursuit?"
"A 'Ganoderma' with awakened spirit?!"
Gongsun Xun's words caused everyone's breath to catch—a wondrous and rare magical medicine.
The Ganoderma, already full of spirit and containing a trace of Immortal Spirit Qi, was immensely beneficial to True Immortal Cultivation, whether used in alchemy or consumed directly.
And a Ganoderma with awakened spirit was of astronomical value.
Kept in the Sect's Medicine Garden to bleed periodically, the medicinal potency of this blood was even superior to that of an ordinary whole Ganoderma.
It was equivalent to having an inexhaustible Great Medicine Treasury.
For these True Immortals, the temptation was immense.
The Great Victory Ancestor Master and Nangong Breaking Army felt a surge of desire but were wise enough not to show it.
Even though Wind and Fire Daoist and Zhao Yan'er knew Gongsun Xun's intentions, they couldn't help but be moved—
"If the seven top-tier True Immortals joined forces, perhaps they might not be a match for the Daoist!"
In a moment, the atmosphere grew even tenser.
"Taoshan Disciples truly are a sly bunch."
Lu Qingfeng saw the disheveled Daoist in front of him making a desperate struggle, attempting to 'Drive Tigers and Drive Wolves,' and shook his head.
Holding the green bamboo staff, he ignored Gongsun Xun who was flushed with shame from the insult to his sect.
He merely said to the three behind Zhang Yang, "Advise your three friends that the path of immortality is full of temptations, it's best not to lead oneself astray."
Once he spoke,
The room fell silent!
The six great True Immortals all turned around, their gaze landing on the silent Zhang Yang.
They saw Zhang Yang step forward respectfully and bow, "Yes, Teacher."
"..."
Silence engulfed the place.
"Juniors dare not!"
Wind and Fire Daoist suppressed their greed while Zhao Yan'er's eyes flickered, covering up their burning desire with shock, both shaking their heads and standing aside.
As for Gongsun Xun and the others—
"Split up and run!"
The three had an excellent understanding and fled in different directions.
Gongsun Xun had intended to tempt and divide these seemingly 'strangers' with a Supreme Treasure to find a way to escape or even reap benefits like a Fisherman.
But he had never expected—
This invincible, domineering young Daoist to be Zhang Yang's teacher!
The situation took a dramatic turn for the worse.
They dared not linger and bolted away.
"Escape?"
"A Supreme Treasure is useless, where can you run?"
Lu Qingfeng wore a smile, noticing the disheveled Daoist not using his waist gourd any longer, he quickly deduced that the gourd could likely only be used once to take a hit or teleport.
Having exhausted two life-saving measures, it would be of no use in a short time.
With this in mind,
How could they escape from Lu Qingfeng's grasp?
Wind and Fire Daoist and Zhao Yan'er didn't dare make a move and just stood there, watching Lu Qingfeng make his.
Without any visible effort,
They saw the young Daoist's feet glow with Xuan Light, taking a step forward, he was then already behind 'Wine Sword Immortal' Gongsun Xun to the east.
"Such swift movement!"
The three were dazzled by what they saw.
Only Zhang Yang showed a trace of nostalgia in his eyes, "Cloud Summit Step."
Lu Qingfeng paid no mind to the details.
He merely tapped Gongsun Xun's back with the green bamboo staff—
Bang!
With a single strike, Gongsun Xun's Mana scattered, and not even the halo from his wine gourd could shield him.
He stiffened and plummeted through the void.
"One."
Lu Qingfeng waved his sleeve and moved to the east—
Bang!
"Two."
Bang!
"Three."
In the blink of an eye, two of the Taoshan Three Immortals, 'Thunder Sword Immortal' Great Victory Ancestor Master, 'Wine Sword Immortal' Gongsun Xun, and the leader of the Taoshan Twelve Swordsmen, 'Great Success Sword' Nangong Breaking Army, were all captured without resistance.
"Hisss!"
Wind and Fire Daoist and Zhao Yan'er inhaled sharply, stunned.
Had they not felt the Nine Tribulations aura from the young Daoist, had they not seen the mysteries of the green bamboo staff in his hand, they might have suspected this was a trap set by Taoshan and Zhang Yang's teacher and disciple!
Otherwise,
How could there be such an invincible being in the human world?
"Thank goodness!"
"Thank goodness!"
The three of them felt relieved in their hearts, grateful they had managed to suppress their greed and refrain from making a move earlier.
Otherwise, whether it was three True Immortals or six, it probably wouldn't have made any difference to the fierce figure before them.
"Inform the True Immortals of Lion Ridge, Three Travel Cave, and Jiang Song Ridge, as well as all the Loose Immortals in the surroundings."
"Set off immediately and must arrive at Taoshan within three months!"
Having captured the three, Lu Qingfeng did not linger. After instructing Zhang Yang and his three friends, his figure flashed and vanished from sight.
...
"Brother Zhang."
"The Dao ability of our respected teacher is so immense, he's probably far more formidable than Taixu Ancestor of Lion Ridge or the Three Elders of Taoshan."
Wind and Fire Daoist watched Lu Qingfeng leave, then turned to Zhang Yang with a sheepish grin.
Zhao Yan'er, standing nearby, also had an awkward expression on her face.
They couldn't hide their thoughts from others, and Zhang Yang next to them could see even clearer. Facing Zhang Yang now, all three felt somewhat embarrassed.
"Teacher's Divine Skills—"
Seeing his teacher depart, Zhang Yang was still in shock.
He had not expected his teacher to be so powerful.
He remembered meeting his teacher thirty years ago and worrying about him. The thought now was embarrassingly foolish.
But.
Zhang Yang couldn't understand—
"Thirty years ago, there was clearly no trace of Tribulation Qi on my teacher."
"How did he suddenly become a Nine Tribulations True Immortal?!"
Three Calamities.
Nine Tribulations.
Ten Tribulations.
From nothing to the level of Nine Tribulations, one must endure twenty-one layers of daunting trials.
A common True Immortal would need to cultivate for twenty thousand years!
Yet it had been a mere thirty years since he parted ways with his teacher.
"A great master trains a superior disciple."
"With Brother Zhang and his teacher both being amongst the finest of the current age, this will surely become a tale for the ages."
Seeing that Zhang Yang was silent, Zhao Yan'er hurriedly spoke again, offering flattery.
Zhang Yang finally came back to his senses, noticed his three friends were trying to please him, and didn't bring up the past incident. Remembering Lu Qingfeng's instructions, he said, "Our teacher has captured the Three True Immortals of Taoshan, giving us Loose Immortals a wonderful start. From here on, it's up to us."
"Of course!"
"With the teacher around, the fate of Taoshan's Four Sects is sealed!"
Wind and Fire Daoist and Zhao Yan'er, relieved that Zhang Yang wasn't dwelling on earlier matters, laughed heartily, thumping their chests and set about spreading the word far and wide about the developments and Lu Qingfeng's message.
And so, they prepared for the total assault on Taoshan.
Seeing Lu Qingfeng's power, Zhang Yang's heart steadied, and he saw hope for overturning the Four Sects.
"With the teacher here."
"The fate of the Four Sects is sealed!"
Reinvigorated, he turned and headed straight for Lion Ridge.
...
Above are the Immortals.
Below are the Mortals.
In this realm of humans, Central Earth stands out as exceptionally graceful with its heroes and Earth Spirits, and heroes emerging constantly.
To the south of Central Earth,
Lies a region of overlapping peaks, brimming with Immortal Energy, where peach blossoms cover the mountainsides. Come spring, the blossoms bloom in unison, truly making it a paradisiacal earth.
People call this place 'Taoshan.'
Legend has it that Taoshan houses immortals, a righteous place that leads the immortals of the mortal realm.
Mortals are unsure of the truth and find it difficult to verify.
On this day,
Deep within Taoshan, within the grand hall of the Immortal, gathered more than a dozen individuals. Were the Wind and Fire Daoist present, he'd recognize—
'Green Sun Sword' Chen Sigu.
'Jade Sword' Mo Junshan.
'Sunrise Sword' Fan Peng.
...
Seven people stood in a row, part of the 'Twelve Swordsmen of Taoshan.'
And above them—
Mountain Chasing Old Monster Zhuo Jiuyang.
Smiling Old Man Ji Deng.
Ganoderma Immortal Woman Tong Yu'er.
The three sat at the top, their status above the rest as the 'Three Elders of Taoshan.'
At the main seat sat one person—
'Miao Jianxian' Yu Zhenzi.
He was one of the 'Taoshan Three Immortals' and the Taoshan Sect Leader.
At this moment,
The renowned 'Three Immortals, Three Elders, and Twelve Swordsmen of Taoshan' were present, except for a few who were not in the sect, all were in attendance.
Chen Sigu, the third-ranked of the Twelve Swordsmen known as the 'Green Sun Sword,' stepped forward and began, "Lion Ridge is causing quite a stir this time. Not only have they united all the True Immortals and Loose Immortals of the Southern Border, but they've also roped in numerous Loose Immortals and large sects from North Desert, East Sea, Beihan, and even Central Earth."
Chen Sigu and the other Eleven Swordsmen were all illustrious, each a paragon in their own right.
Even the last-ranked 'Sunrise Sword' Fan Peng was an Eight Difficulties True Immortal, while the strongest, 'Great Success Sword' Nangong Pojun, had already reached the 'Ten Tribulations' level, a formidable figure who has overcome the Third Tribulation.
The 'Ling Kong Immortal Realm,' supposedly backing the Four Sects of Taoshan, looked down on Evil Cultivators and Loose Immortals of places like Lion Ridge, but seated within the Four Sects of Taoshan, they could not afford to be careless.
A great calamity.
They could lose a dozen or twenty True Immortals, or even thirty to fifty, and to the Outer Heaven Sect, it would still be like sifting sand in the surf, not shaking the foundation.
But for them, each of those lives was potentially a teacher, a senior or junior brother, a disciple, or at the very least, a sect member.
More so,
One might even perish in the calamity, watching millennia of hard cultivation go to waste.
As such, even with their profound heritage, they dared not take lightly the impending calamity.
Other people only knew that:
They of Taoshan, backed by 'Ling Kong Immortal Realm,' could look down upon the immortals of the mortal realm.
But they did not know that, being in the mortal realm, it was difficult to contact the Beihan Immortal Domain—
Nine times out of ten, there would be no response.
They dared not take it for granted.
Therefore, whether it was Taoshan or the other three sects, despite upholding the decrees of the 'Ling Kong Immortal Realm' and turning a blind eye to the Southern Border and other regions, they kept close watch in secret.
Especially in this sensitive period, they paid close attention without slack.
And responsible for this task, were the Twelve Swordsmen of Taoshan.