Chapter Seventy-Two
For over sixty thousand years in the Post-Ancient Realm, whenever Great Marsh Mountain was mentioned, whether by immortals or demons, it was universally regarded as a place of fairness and justice.
Even during the most brutal and bloody battles between immortals and demons, no war had ever descended upon this mountain.
It must be said that Dong Hua’s benevolence and virtue over sixty thousand years had forged this isolated sanctuary within the Three Realms.
The last time immortals gathered at Great Marsh Mountain was when Dong Hua ascended to godhood.
The enormous lantern shadow above Great Marsh Mountain enveloped the entire mountain gate. From a distance, eight of the nine stars were already lit.
The appearance of a group of High Lords and tens of thousands of Immortal Generals above Great Marsh Mountain was a truly magnificent spectacle.
Yan Shuang, who was guarding the mountain, was the first to notice this strange sight. Coincidentally, several newly admitted young mountain disciples were by her side. The young boys were stunned by the scene, pointing at the dark mass of Immortal Clouds in the sky and exclaiming in shock, "Princess, Princess! Isn’t it said that the Heavenly Palace is preparing for High Lord Lan Feng’s wedding? Why have all the Immortal Generals come to our Great Marsh Mountain?"
Yan Shuang looked up at the sky. Though she couldn’t clearly see exactly how many had arrived, she could still sense the terrifying Immortal Power outside the mountain gate.
The Qing-generation disciples guarding outside the Hall of Eternal Life filed out one after another, gathering around Yan Shuang and curiously gazing at the sky.
Yan Shuang glanced at the disciples, feeling puzzled, and couldn’t help but ask, "Where’s A Jiu?"
Logically, with such a commotion, A Jiu, with his troublemaking nature, would have rushed out long ago to see the excitement. As the Nine Star Lantern was about to be lit, Yan Shuang had been patrolling the mountain gate day and night without rest and hadn’t returned to the Hall of Eternal Life for several days, so naturally, she hadn’t seen A Jiu during this time either.
Qing Yun, the chief disciple of Xian Shan, replied, "Princess, a few days ago, Lord A Jiu said he felt he was about to ascend in rank. He has been in seclusion in the small hall behind the hall these past few days."
A Jiu was young but possessed profound Demonic Power, yet his name had never appeared among the Demon Monarchs on the Pillar of Heaven. Yan Shuang had once curiously asked him how, as merely a Lower Lord among demons, he could possess such mysterious and profound demonic techniques. However, A Jiu had always enjoyed bickering with Yan Shuang and couldn’t be bothered to tell her about his identity as a prince of the Fox race, only mocking her for being ignorant and inexperienced. Thus, Yan Shuang had never known that A Jiu was the heir of the Fox race, let alone a rare Nine-Tailed Fox Demon.
Unexpectedly, A Jiu was ascending in rank at this time. Yan Shuang felt somewhat speechless. When immortals or demon monarchs ascend in rank, it attracts Thunder Tribulations. If A Jiu attracted demonic thunder to undergo his tribulation in front of all these immortals, the stigma of Great Marsh Mountain harboring the Demon Tribe would be impossible to wash away. But she couldn’t very well stop A Jiu from undergoing his tribulation. Fortunately, when immortals or demons generally ascend in rank, they usually need to be in seclusion for over a month before attracting Thunder Tribulations. A Jiu had only been in seclusion for three or four days, far from the time.
To prevent any accidents, Yan Shuang still said to Qing Yun, "Send a young disciple to check behind the hall. If A Jiu is about to undergo his tribulation, go and invite Venerable Xian Zhu out of the hall to protect him and conceal the demonic thunder. I’ll go meet those Immortal Lords in a moment to see why they’ve come to Great Marsh Mountain."
"Yes, Princess," Qing Yun hurried off to the Hall of Eternal Life.
Yan Shuang looked solemnly toward the outside of the mountain, a trace of unease flickering in her heart.
Inside the Forbidden Valley, Ayin, who was lying in bed recovering from her injuries, heard the war drums sounding outside the mountain. Curious, she walked out of the bamboo house and was startled by the dark mass of Immortal Generals filling the sky. She glanced at the cave where Gu Jin was in seclusion, bit her lip, and, still worried about the safety of the mountain gate, forcibly gathered her Immortal Power and flew toward the outside of the valley.Outside Great Marsh Mountain, Lian Xi, holding the Mirror of the World, wore an expression of astonishment. He had looked into the mirror several times, clearly seeing the shadow of the demon fox enter the mountain gate of Great Marsh Mountain.
Even he couldn’t help but mutter in disbelief, “High Lord Yu Feng? How could that demon fox have entered Great Marsh Mountain?”
Great Marsh Mountain was protected by its Mountain Protection Array. Although the Nine Star Lantern had not yet reached its full power, its Divine Power was still formidable. Yet the demon fox had entered without any hindrance, leaving only one possibility.
It knew how to unravel Great Marsh Mountain’s Mountain Protection Array.
The Immortals who had followed thought of this and exchanged glances, each wearing expressions of incredulity.
“Yu Feng, the demon fox has entered Great Marsh Mountain. Why are we still standing here instead of going in to capture the culprit?” Jing Lei High Lord pointed toward the mountain.
Qing Yi was among the Immortals. Remembering A Jiu inside the mountain gate, his face instantly paled. But upon second thought, it seemed impossible. A Jiu was not a Nine-Tailed Fox Demon, and with his Demonic Power, how could he easily kill Lanfeng Supreme Lord, who was at the peak of High Lord cultivation?
Moreover, that fellow was all bark and no bite—he couldn’t even bring himself to eat the rabbits behind the mountain, let alone kill innocents!
Thinking this, Qing Yi gritted his teeth and flew three feet away from the other Immortals, positioning himself with his back to the mountain gate. Alone, he blocked the restless High Lords.
He bowed in greeting. Though his youthful face showed equal shock, the pride and dignity of a disciple from a major Immortal Sect remained undiminished.
“Fellow Immortals, though I do not know how this demon fox entered the gates of our Great Marsh Mountain, I assure you that our mountain would never harbor the demon fox who assassinated Lanfeng Supreme Lord.”
Meanwhile, inside the mountain gate, Ayin emerged from the Forbidden Valley and appeared before Yan Shuang.
Seeing her complexion, Yan Shuang’s expression changed dramatically, and she exclaimed in alarm, “Ayin, what happened to you?”
A month ago, Ayin had been full of vitality, but now she was pale and lifeless, looking as though a gust of wind could topple her. Yan Shuang hurried forward to support her, but Ayin shook her head and gently pushed her away.
“What’s going on? Why are there so many Immortal Lords and soldiers here?”
Yan Shuang shook her head. “I don’t know either. They suddenly appeared outside the mountain gate. Judging by their demeanor, they’re likely enemies, not friends!” She glanced at Ayin’s pale face and said urgently, “How can your body withstand this? Those Immortal Lords could probably blow you away with a single breath. Leave this to me. Go back to the Forbidden Valley and rest.”
Ayin shook her head. “No, my two senior brothers are in the midst of lighting the Nine Star Lantern and cannot leave seclusion. A Jin is also deep in cultivation. With so many Immortals gathered at our gates, something major must have happened in the Immortal Realm, and it likely involves Great Marsh Mountain. You are the princess of the Eagle Clan. It wouldn’t be appropriate for you to represent Great Marsh Mountain in dealing with them.”
Yan Shuang knew Ayin was right but still worried, “Can your body handle it?”
“It’s fine.” She forced herself to gather a breath of Immortal Qi, making herself appear more spirited. “After all, this is Great Marsh Mountain. No matter what has happened, they would never dare cause trouble here.”
Outside the mountain gate, Qing Yi’s clear and resolute voice carried absolute confidence and faith in Great Marsh Mountain. His unwavering expression eased the doubts in the hearts of many Immortal Lords.
Yu Feng was also moved and nodded to Qing Yi. “Young Lord, do not worry. The righteous reputation of Great Marsh Mountain is known throughout the Immortal Realm. We would never dare force our way through the mountain gate.”He waved a hand at Jing Lei. "Jing Lei, this is Donghua Divine Lord's Great Marsh Mountain. We cannot act recklessly here." Seeing Hua Shu's displeased expression beside him, he added soothingly, "Your Highness, from my understanding of High Venerables Xianshan and Xianzhu, it is absolutely impossible that they would send members of the Demon Tribe into the Heavenly Palace to assassinate High Lord Lanfeng. There must be some misunderstanding in this matter. I ask that Your Highness remain calm for now. It would be better to wait until we have investigated the truth before entering the mountain."
As soon as his words fell, before Hua Shu could speak again, he raised his voice toward the Hall of Eternal Life directly beneath the Nine Star Lantern.
"Yu Feng of the Heavenly Palace, leading the assembled immortals, requests an audience with Elder Xianshan! We ask the Sect Leader to spare a moment to meet with us!"
Yu Feng's call to the mountain, accompanied by his profound Immortal Power, echoed through the skies above Great Marsh Mountain, reaching even the depths of the Forbidden Valley at the mountain's rear. Gu Jin, who had been meditating with closed eyes while refining the Divine Transformation Pill, frowned and opened his eyes.
As Yu Feng's three calls concluded, the Mountain Protection Array over Great Marsh Mountain was opened. Ayin, dressed in a plain white immortal robe, with Yan Shuang half a step behind her, led the Qing-generation disciples in Sword Flight.
The assembled immortals were taken aback to see a lady in white standing at the forefront of Great Marsh Mountain's disciples. Suddenly, they recalled rumors in the Immortal Realm that before his Ascension, Donghua Divine Lord had taken a female disciple. It seemed now that this delicate Young Mistress was likely the one.
Seeing Ayin and Yan Shuang appear, Qing Yi let out a long sigh of relief.
Ayin led the Great Marsh Mountain disciples to land before the assembled immortals. Her gaze swept briefly over Hua Shu's bright red wedding dress, revealing a flicker of surprise before she turned her eyes to Yu Feng at the front.
Ayin slightly raised her delicate hand, her voice reserved and pleasant, extremely polite and humble. "Ayin, the young disciple of Donghua, pays her respects to High Venerable Yu Feng. May I ask what matter has occurred that would cause Your Highness and the sect leaders of the Three Mountains and Six Prefectures to come knocking at the gates of our Great Marsh Mountain together?"
Although Ayin was young and her Immortal Power low, she was Donghua's disciple, placing her in the same generation as Yu Feng. Strictly speaking, even Hua Shu was of a lower generation than her.
The assembled Immortal Lords found it absurd that Great Marsh Mountain, a mountain gate full of venerable elders, would send a delicate young girl to lead the greeting party this time. However, given Ayin's status and seniority, they could not very well accuse Great Marsh Mountain of being disrespectful by having a young girl receive them.
"Lady Ayin," Yu Feng restrained the other immortals and replied gently, "Might I ask where Sect Leader Xianshan and High Venerable Xianzhu are?"
Ayin replied with slight apology, "Your Highness knows that our Great Marsh Mountain was attacked by the Demon Tribe several months ago. My two senior brothers are currently in seclusion, lighting the Nine Star Lantern, and are unable to come out to greet Your Highness and the various sect leaders."
Yu Feng pressed further, "Then what about High Lord Gu Jin? While it is understandable that the Sect Leader and High Venerable Xianzhu are activating the Nine Star Lantern, this venerable one has heard that the old High Venerable had another disciple named Gu Jin. Where is he now?"
Ayin appeared far too young—a teenage girl. How could the Immortal Lords, who had come with anger and battle intent, discuss such important matters with her? Naturally, they needed someone from Great Marsh Mountain who could make decisions to come out.
Ayin, stubborn by nature, did not retreat an inch. She said solemnly, "What does Your Highness mean by this? As my master's disciple, I am certainly capable of making decisions for our mountain gate. Why not state clearly why Your Highness has come knocking at our gates? Ayin will certainly mobilize the full strength of our mountain gate on behalf of my senior brothers to assist without any hesitation!"
Unexpectedly, this Young Mistress was so stubborn and forceful. Yu Feng frowned slightly and was about to speak when Hua Shu's cold voice sounded beside him.
"You can make decisions?"
Hua Shu took a step forward, looking coldly at Ayin. Her bright red wedding dress fluttered in the wind, outlining a sky-rending hatred."Water Condensation Beast! If I say your Great Marsh Mountain harbors the Demon Tribe that killed Lan Feng, can you truly decide?"
"If you truly have the authority, then open the gates of your Great Marsh Mountain for this princess, and let the immortals enter to capture that nine-tailed fox demon who killed Lan Feng!"
Not far away, Gu Jin, who had just arrived by sword flight, happened to hear Hua Shu's grief-stricken shouts and accusations. His figure froze, disbelief flickering in his eyes.
OpenNovel