Chapter 80

"Actually, I was just guessing. Please bear with me if I was wrong." Gui Bu Gui gave a smile and continued, "The message you left by the pond was just a decoy. If I’m not mistaken, this is where you ascended to heaven. Back then, the palace was built by the Great Zhou Dynasty for your ascension. You must have made some kind of vow, like protecting the Great Zhou Dynasty for a thousand years after your ascension."

"But after you ascended, you must have realized something. Just like that old man Xu Fu, you didn’t want to rely on your own abilities to change the situation. You also didn’t want the Zhou royal family to bother you, so you simply hid here and didn’t come out. And the immortal corpse in Liaoxi County was probably used to impersonate you, to prove that you didn’t return after ascending."

"Later, my two disciples’ predecessor heard about this underground palace from somewhere and wanted to steal the treasures. You then simply disguised yourself as Qiu Biao and hid by his side. You must have scared him a few times, and he never dared to come down until he died."

"As for the soul hair and the zombie worms, they were also used to scare people. Otherwise, you would have thrown that old master down to feed the worms long ago. As for why the grand hall has turned into a peach garden..."

At this point, the old man deliberately drew out his words, his face showing a sly smile, and then said, "If I’m not mistaken, this place was originally half grand hall and half peach garden. You just changed the direction."

Ji Ai looked at Gui Bu Gui and smiled slightly, saying, "It’s a pity that your good fortune is just a little bit lacking. Otherwise, I would have liked to see what the Daoist sect would be like if you became the Great Daoist Master. Alas... it’s a pity that you don’t have this destiny." As he spoke, the first Great Daoist Master shook his head slightly, seemingly disappointed. He might not have wanted the others to see his disappointed expression, so he turned his body to avoid their gazes.

However, Wu Mian noticed that as Ji Ai shook his head, his expression suddenly changed. His eyes narrowed, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, as if he had remembered something amusing. But this expression vanished in an instant, and Ji Ai quickly returned to normal. If Wu Mian hadn’t been in a position to see Yan Ai Hou’s face, no one would have noticed this expression.

Just as Wu Mian was puzzled by the sudden change in the first Great Daoist Master’s expression, a voice suddenly came from the air: "What a pity, Gui Bu Gui will never have the chance to become the Great Daoist Master in this life..." Hearing this voice, everyone except Ji Ai was stunned. They looked around but found no one speaking. No one had expected that there would be anyone else in the palace besides them.

Wu Mian and Gui Bu Gui’s expressions were even more astonished. The old and the young exchanged a glance, and Gui Bu Gui immediately turned his gaze to Ji Ai, saying, "Is there any other exit here?"

Yan Ai Hou shook his head and said, "Apart from the main gate you came in through, there are no other exits." He paused, then looked at the old and the young with a half-smile, and continued, "It seems the person speaking is someone you know?" He laughed self-deprecatingly, "What a day is this? Either no one comes down for hundreds of years, or several groups come down in one day. My humble place has become quite lively."

Gui Bu Gui smiled bitterly and said, "It’s not too far off. You are the first Great Daoist Master, and the one who just spoke is the current Great Daoist Master. It’s a pity the previous Great Daoist Master is at sea; otherwise, all the living Great Daoist Masters would be here." After saying this, the old man smiled a few times, but his mind was no longer here, and his laughter sounded like an owl’s cry.

Just as Gui Bu Gui finished speaking, a faint sound came from outside the grand hall. Hearing the sound, Gui Bu Gui first looked at Ji Ai. The old man’s eyes rolled a few times in his sockets, but he finally gave up on Yan Ai Hou and took a few steps to stand behind Wu Mian.

Almost at the same time Gui Bu Gui stood behind Wu Mian, dozens of people walked into the grand hall. They were old and young, all wearing the white robes unique to the Daoist sect. Among them, Wu Mian recognized only the red-haired Huoshan, the leader. The others he had never seen before, but the expression on Gui Bu Gui’s face behind him was extremely ugly, and sweat beads the size of soybeans were already rolling down his temples.

These Daoists, as if trained, entered the grand hall in a line and stood on both sides of the main gate, leaving the entrance open.

After everyone was in position, another person walked in from outside the grand hall. This time, four people entered side by side: three men and one woman, the four disciples of the previous Great Daoist Master Xu Fu—Ren, Yi, Xiao, and Xie.

After entering the grand hall, Guang Xiao spoke first, saying to Guang Ren, "Brother Guang Ren, didn’t I say that Brother Gui wouldn’t leave Liaoxi County? According to our senior brother’s temperament, he likes to hide right under people’s noses. This is called 'the lamp is darkest under its own stand.'"

Guang Ren nodded at Guang Xiao and then turned his gaze to Gui Bu Gui, smiling and saying, "Since we last met in Liaoxi County, Brother Gui and Brother Wu Mian, how have you been? Last time, Brother Gui showed me the power of breaking through the void, which I still remember vividly. Today, I’ve brought my fellow disciples and my own incompetent disciples to witness Brother Gui’s miraculous techniques again."

As he spoke, Guang Ren suddenly paused, his gaze moving from Gui Bu Gui to scan the faces of the people in front of him. When he saw Ren San, the current Great Daoist Master’s eyes were filled with surprise, but his gaze finally settled on Wu Mian. As he spoke, he suddenly felt an inexplicable fear, the first time he had felt this since taking over the mantle from the previous Great Daoist Master.

This feeling had nothing to do with the almost useless Gui Bu Gui, and the people in front of him didn’t seem capable of causing such fear. The only one who could give him this feeling was Wu Mian. Being chosen by the previous Great Daoist Master and inheriting the seed he had dreamed of, it was no wonder the current Great Daoist Master felt so uneasy.

As Guang Ren stared at Wu Mian, Wu Mian showed no restraint, coldly smiling back at the current Great Daoist Master. At this moment, the old man suddenly shouted into the air, "We are all of the Daoist sect. Are you just going to stand by and watch? Aren’t you going to come out and introduce yourself, to make these little brats think twice?"

Just as Gui Bu Gui finished speaking, he heard Ji Ai’s voice in his ear: "Don’t tell anyone about my affairs. If the news that someone from the Daoist sect can ascend and return to the mortal world spreads, our sect will face a catastrophic disaster. Resolve your own grudges yourselves..."

Seeing that no one else reacted, it seemed only Gui Bu Gui had heard Ji Ai’s words. The people in the crowd, except for the two Gui brothers who roughly knew what was happening, all looked at Guang Ren and his group with puzzled expressions.

While Wu Mian and Guang Ren were staring at each other, Huoshan seemed to suddenly remember something. He walked out from the next generation and whispered something in Guang Ren’s ear. After hearing Huoshan, Guang Ren was stunned for a moment and asked, "Are you sure?"

Huoshan didn’t speak but nodded firmly. At this point, Guang Ren had no more interest in Wu Mian. He looked up at the peach grove a few times, then turned to his three junior brothers and sisters, saying, "Do you remember Yan Ai Hou? It seems we accidentally entered the tomb of the first Great Daoist Master."

After he said this, the faces of Yi, Xiao, and Xie all changed. They looked around, and Guang Xie said first, "Didn’t they say the first Great Daoist Master had already ascended? Why is there a tomb here?"