Chapter 60

As the mountain bowed down, only Tang Xiaojiu stood firm. Yue Zhongping looked at this strange young man, whose aura clearly indicated he was from Danci Mountain, likely a monster transformed into human form. However, Yue Zhongping found that he could not discern his original form at a glance. He keenly sensed a faint, familiar aura around the young man. Most notably, the young man's eyes were clear and pure, unlike those of any monster.

Yue Zhongping ignored the mountain's creatures bowing in worship and asked Tang Xiaojiu, "Young friend, have we met before?"

Tang Xiaojiu was surprised that this man in red would ask such a question. Seeing his friendly demeanor and apparent lack of malice, he was about to answer when a force from behind completely controlled his body, preventing him from even opening his mouth. At the same time, a bold and powerful laugh echoed from deep within Danci Mountain. The strange sound waves spread, startling the creatures on Danci Mountain. Grass and trees trembled, and leaves and flowers fell to the ground. The birds and beasts lay on the ground, shivering in fear.

With this bold laugh, a similarly bold voice said, "This is my new disciple. How does he look? Can he catch your eye?"

Tang Xiaojiu was startled by this voice from deep within Danci Mountain, which he had never heard before. Why did this person claim him as a disciple? It seemed that the owner of this voice was the one controlling his body and was clearly acquainted with the man in red.

Could the owner of this voice have been secretly observing him? Or did he know Liu Shi? Why did he prevent him from speaking to the man in red? Regardless of the possibility, from the conversation, it was clear that the man in red had indeed sensed something from him, and the owner of the voice was hiding something about him.

Yue Zhongping's face showed a look of realization, and he smiled, "No wonder he seems familiar. This child is full of your wine aroma."

The bold voice laughed heartily, "I have stored a hundred jars of this fruit wine! If you don't come, I can't enjoy it alone. Besides you, I don't know who else I can share it with!"

These words were straightforward and sincere, yet they couldn't hide a sense of long separation. Yue Zhongping, moved by this, reined in his smile and sighed, "To drink with a close friend until drunk is truly one of life's greatest joys!"

The voice laughed, "Then why are you hesitating? Are you enjoying these little creatures bowing to you? If you don't come, I'll start drinking first!"

Yue Zhongping laughed, "Ha, you dare!" With that, he flicked his sleeve and transformed into a stream of light, flying into Danci Mountain and disappearing in the blink of an eye. As he vanished, the birds and beasts scattered, and the plants and trees returned to their stillness.

Tang Xiaojiu stared at the place where the light had disappeared, speechless for a long time. Finally, Liu Shi in his Niwan Palace called out, "Tang Xiaojiu, wake up! What are you daydreaming about?"

Tang Xiaojiu was still lost in thought, muttering, "I never thought there were such divine beings in the world! Moving as fast as lightning, crossing mountains and seas, transforming into light, living as long as heaven and earth, and as eternal as the sun and moon... Liu Shi, you didn't lie to me!"

Liu Shi said, "You've seen monsters, and you've been in Danci Mountain for so many days, with some success in your body training. Do you still not believe that humans can achieve supernatural powers?"

Tang Xiaojiu, with a look of longing, said, "I can only jump a bit higher now. What's the big deal? That man in red, that's true supernatural power! By the way, tell me the truth, who is that man in red? Who is the one who controlled my body and called me his disciple? Is it the same person who spoke to the man in red?"

Liu Shi replied, "I've been with you all along. How would I know?"

Tang Xiaojiu, not believing him, huffed, "You didn't let me see the man in red, and you controlled my body to prevent me from speaking to him. How can I believe you don't know him? If you don't tell me, I'll bash my head against this rock!"

Liu Shi hurriedly said, "Hey, Tang Xiaojiu, that's really over the top. No one uses suicide to threaten others. How shameless!"

Tang Xiaojiu sneered and spat, "You have the nerve to say that. Every time you threaten me with my own life, using my left hand. When it comes to shamelessness, you're my ancestor!"

Seeing Tang Xiaojiu getting more and more agitated, Liu Shi calmly replied, "Since I'm your ancestor, why don't you listen to me?"

Caught off guard, Tang Xiaojiu was speechless. He pulled out the black knife stuck in the rock and roared, "Liu Shi, go to your grandmother's!" and swung it at his own head.

Using his right hand to swing at his head, Liu Shi immediately controlled his left hand to grab his right. Unexpectedly, Tang Xiaojiu suddenly changed the direction of his knife and swung it at his left hand, roaring, "Grandmother, I'll cut off my left hand, and see if you can still use it to bully me!"

Liu Shi quickly controlled his left hand to dodge, and Tang Xiaojiu lost his balance and fell to the ground. His left hand seized the black knife. Tang Xiaojiu, not willing to give up, grabbed his left hand with his right, and his body split into two halves, fighting on the ground.

Suddenly, a thunderclap shook the sky and the earth. Tang Xiaojiu and Liu Shi were startled and stopped fighting, standing up to look around. They saw a golden light shooting into the sky from a distance, followed by dark clouds gathering, as if the world was coming to an end.

Tang Xiaojiu said, "Isn't that the direction of the Two Worlds Mountain where you brought me? What's happening?"

Before Liu Shi could answer, Tang Xiaojiu felt a tremor behind him. The entire Danci Mountain shook, and from the place where the man in red had disappeared, a red light shot out, not flying into the sky but vanishing into the void, like a fish diving back into the water. As the red light disappeared, Danci Mountain returned to its calm.

Seeing this, Liu Shi in Tang Xiaojiu's Niwan Palace exclaimed, "Blood Escape!"

Tang Xiaojiu, puzzled, asked, "Blood Escape? What's that? Was that red light the man in red?"

At that moment, the bold voice sounded again, "Tang Xiaojiu, I want to see you!"

Tang Xiaojiu's face changed instantly!

The red light was Yue Zhongping. He had just finished drinking a jar of fruit wine with the man and had not yet revealed his purpose. Suddenly, he sensed a dramatic change at the Rizhuelu. He instantly teleported into the air to investigate.

Seeing the golden light shooting into the sky, Yue Zhongping was shocked and knew something was wrong. Without hesitation, he used the Blood Escape technique to return to the Rizhuelu as quickly as possible.

At the same time, thousands of miles away, there was a vast land, almost barren except for a boundless lake, known in the cultivation world as the Vast Wilderness, or the Place of Nothingness. This Vast Wilderness extended to an unknown distance, and the lake also stretched, with no one knowing its end.

On this vast lake, three mountains floated in the air, forming a triangular shape. The lake was called the Dao Sea, and the three mountains were known as Xuandu Mountain (upper), Qingdu Mountain (left), and Xiandu Mountain (right), the famous Three Mountains of Daoism. This was the heart of Daoism, the seat of the Xuan Sect.

From the Tianyuanfang Pavilion, a golden light shot into the sky, and the Dao Sea seemed to sense it, suddenly stirring up waves, as if a massive creature was thrashing in the water, disturbing the calm lake. The waves surged, forming thousands of feet high, approaching the three mountains, as if trying to push them into the lake.

"Little Kun, stop it!" A clear voice called out, and a young man appeared in the waves, rising and falling with the tide, but the water could not touch him.

No matter how the young man shouted, the lake continued to surge. Suddenly, a huge wave rose, growing taller and taller, heading towards the three mountains. As the wave grew, a tentacle emerged from the water, several dozen feet thick, so large that a dozen people could not encircle it. The wave was clearly caused by this tentacle, which continued to extend towards the three mountains, its length unknown. More astonishingly, what kind of creature could live in the lake, with a tentacle so terrifying, and what would its entire body look like?

The young man, seeing his shouts were ineffective, stomped his foot in anger, "I can't control you anymore. Let the old man teach you a lesson. What's wrong with you today!" He then disappeared into the waves.

As the young man disappeared, the three mountains began to rise into the air, seemingly trying to avoid the tentacle. However, the tentacle did not give up and continued to rise, faster than the mountains. The lake then erupted, and hundreds of tentacles shot out, heading towards the three mountains.

Just as the tentacles were about to reach the mountains, a sigh came from Xuandu Mountain, and a huge illusion of an old Taoist appeared, wearing a Taoist robe, with silver hair and a green hairpin, holding a silver silk duster on his right shoulder.

The illusion was so large that it covered the entire Xuandu Mountain, making it look like a chair. The old Taoist sat there, cross-legged.

As the old Taoist's illusion appeared, the hundreds of tentacles paused in the air, as if struck by thunder, and then continued to rush towards the three mountains. The old Taoist's huge illusion shook its head, showing a look of reluctance, and then moved its right hand. The silver silk duster on his shoulder transformed into a silver light, striking the Dao Sea.

A huge duster illusion swung, ignoring the hundreds of tentacles, and directly hit the Dao Sea. The silver light split the waves, and a deafening cry echoed from the lake as the tentacles retreated instantly.