Chapter 80

Yue Qing was very pleased to see Tao Jun's straightforwardness in becoming a disciple, and he took out a Heavenly Gang Sword to give to Tao Jun: "This is the sword used by the direct-line disciples of our Wutai Sect when they first enter the sect. You can use it for now. When you achieve some success in your Daoist arts in the future, we will find a better sword for you."

Tao Jun took the sword, which was three feet and three inches long, with a blade as clear and cool as water. When he gently shook it, the Heavenly Gang Qi would overflow from the blade, and with a casual swing, a rainbow of Heavenly Gang Sword Qi would extend for several feet. He had never seen such a divine weapon before and was overjoyed. He bowed again in gratitude.

Yang Li gave Tao Jun a white jade sword case to store the sword, and asked Yue Qing, "Master, should I send the junior brother back to the mountain first?"

Yue Qing replied, "Although we are entering a place surrounded by demons this time, we are not there to fight. There are also many conflicts among the Emei Sect, Ciyun Temple, and Qingshelu. Therefore, we don't need to be overly cautious. Since Jun has just entered the immortal path, it's a good opportunity for him to see the state of the immortal world and have a clear understanding in his heart."

Yang Li, being very intelligent, understood his master's intentions at once. He was worried that Zhao Xin Yuan's previous words might have left a knot in Tao Jun's heart, so he decided to take him to Sichuan to see for himself, to prevent any future misunderstandings between master and disciple. He was also happy to have a chance to wander down the mountain.

Yue Qing took out a bottle of pills and gave it to Tao Jun: "Your parents passed away early, and the family business has been managed by the old steward Tao Quan. Cultivation has no concept of time, and this time we enter the mountain for practice, the return date is uncertain. Go and bow to him, treating him as a father, and let his son inherit the family business. This way, you can truly leave the secular world without any worries. Give this bottle of pills to him, and let his family take one every three years to extend their lives."

Tao Jun, who had a very kind nature, went to bow and offer the pills to the old steward. Tao Quan was very reluctant and couldn't help but shed tears: "Young master, just go and cultivate to become an immortal. I will guard your property here. If I die, my son will take over, and if my son dies, my grandson will continue to protect your property."

Tao Jun was also very moved and consoled him with kind words. Tao Quan wanted to prepare his luggage, but Yue Qing stopped him: "We travel thousands of miles in an instant, from Kunlun in the morning to the East Sea in the evening. We don't need any luggage or travel funds."

Tao Jun took care of all the family matters and then told Zhao Xin Yuan, "I have already become a disciple of Immortal Yue and joined the Wutai Sect. Although Brother Zhao has never taken me as a disciple, I have already regarded you as my master. I know you are here to avoid trouble with the Eight Demons of Western Sichuan. I have already instructed my family to let you stay here after I leave..."

Zhao Xin Yuan waved his hands and sighed, "Brother, you are a righteous gentleman, easily deceived. A few years ago, you were deceived by those wine bags and food bags who pretended to be teachers here. Now you have been deceived by the demon again..."

Tao Jun frowned and interrupted him, "Brother Zhao! I have already become a disciple, please don't speak ill of my master. Whether my master is right or wrong, I will discern it myself."

Zhao Xin Yuan was not angry, "Brother, you may be deceived for a while, but you cannot be deceived forever. As you said, right or wrong, you will know in time. If there are any problems in the future, you can seek help from my master at the Three Tours Cave in Yichang."

Tao Jun knew he was doing it for his own good and softened his tone, "Thank you, Brother!"

With Tao Jun away, Zhao Xin Yuan naturally could not continue to stay here, so he left early to find another place. Yue Qing did not care and only took Tao Jun away from Nanchang. Since there was still plenty of time before the scheduled date, Yue Qing decided to teach his disciple. He bought a boat with silver and did not need anyone to row or sail it. The boat moved automatically on the water, fast and steady, traveling upstream along the Yangtze River toward Sichuan. Every day, Yue Qing taught Tao Jun about guiding and cultivating the Five Elements' primordial energy and practicing the Heavenly Gang Sword. Tao Jun had a natural talent for swordsmanship and could learn any technique at once. After nearly half a month of practice, he had mastered the Small Five Elements Sword Technique and began practicing the Great Five Elements Sword Technique. However, his true qi was still too shallow; otherwise, he could already control the sword from a distance.

One day, they disembarked and walked westward. It seemed like a leisurely stroll, but they covered hundreds of miles in half a day. Tao Jun initially couldn't keep up, but later, following his master's cultivation method, he silently practiced and gradually became faster.

As the sun was about to set, a low mountain blocked their path. Although the mountain was not very high, it was steep and extended for dozens of miles. There was no grass on the mountain, and in the sunset, a white mist rose, enveloping the entire mountain and slowly rising to merge with the clouds in the sky. It looked like boiling water, rolling and churning, reflecting a myriad of colors in the sunlight, forming a spectacular scene.

Yue Qing asked Tao Jun, "What do you think of that mist?"

Tao Jun replied, "This scene is magnificent, as if controlled by a deity. Is there a deity living on that mountain?"

Yang Li, however, said, "I sense a strong demonic aura there. Although the mist is beautiful, it is alluring but not elegant. There must be a demon cultivating there."

Yue Qing said, "Liyi is right. There is a thousand-year-old snake demon in that mountain. After avoiding the third heavenly tribulation ten years ago, her powers have grown even stronger. She mixes her venom with the poisonous plants in the mountain to form the mist, which she spits out at dawn and dusk. It rises into the sky, combines with the natural clouds, and is refined by the heavenly winds. In a few months, she will have completed it. This place is called Yunling Mountain for this reason."

Tao Jun was initially embarrassed for guessing wrong, but he was soon shocked. Seeing such a vast cloud of mist that could cover the entire mountain, he wondered how big the snake demon must be. If it came out to eat people, it could probably swallow an entire city. He asked Yue Qing, "Master, is there a way to eliminate the snake demon?"

Yue Qing replied, "There are many ways to eliminate her, but why should I do so?"

Tao Jun said, "But she is a thousand-year-old giant demon. If she harms people, she could swallow thousands in one bite."

"But she hasn't harmed anyone yet. For example, if you have the ability to kill a child, would the government eliminate you out of fear that you might kill someone?"

Tao Jun was speechless, "Isn't it the duty of cultivators to slay demons and eliminate evil?"

"First, we need to understand what is a demon and what is evil. Heaven is impartial, treating all things equally. Whether it's immortals, Buddhas, gods, ghosts, demons, or monsters, they are all equal under the great Dao. Do you know that the Buddhist concept of heavenly demons refers to the beings of the Desire Realm, specifically the Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Transformations? For example, this snake demon. She cultivates in the mountain and has never harmed anyone. If we kill her just because she is different, we would become the evil ones."

Tao Jun seemed to understand but was still confused, "So, should we just wait until the snake demon gains enough power and starts harming people?"

Yue Qing smiled, "Of course not. I brought you here today to prevent trouble before it happens. Since she has gained consciousness, we can approach her with courtesy first. If she listens to our advice, we can coexist peacefully and cultivate together. Liyi, her cave is in the valley behind the mountain. Go and invite her to meet us."

Yang Li flew to the top of the mountain with a blue-green light and looked down. He saw a huge crack in the valley, emitting a foul wind and a dense, evil aura. He called out loudly, "Greetings to the fellow cultivator below. I am Yang Li of the Wutai Sect, and my master is the Palace Master of Taibai Palace, Yue Qing. We invite you to come out and meet us!"

He repeated this three times, but there was no response from the cave. However, the colorful cloud in the sky began to descend silently, spreading across the sky and quickly pressing down on Yang Li, trying to envelop him.

Tao Jun, seeing this from below, could not hold back and shouted loudly, "Brother, be careful of the cloud above!"

Just as Yang Li looked up, the cloud pressed down on him. He quickly combined his twin hooks and merged with them, transforming into a blue-green light about ten feet long to break through the cloud. However, a strong wind suddenly rose from the valley, causing sand and stones to fly, and an extremely powerful suction force pulled Yang Li downward.

Yang Li was terrified. He had thought that even with a thousand years of cultivation, a demon would not be a match for a human immortal, let alone himself, who had already reached the level of a wandering immortal before entering the Purple Cloud Palace and later cultivated the orthodox Taibai Mystical Power of the Wutai Sect. He had planned to take action if the snake demon was disrespectful, to eliminate a great evil for the world. He never expected the snake demon to have such power!