Free Web NovelChapter 69: Chapter 42: Desire to Return to the Divine Continent
SPLASH!
A flood dragon thrashed about playfully in the water. With a flick of its tail, it snapped off the peak of a small mountain, sending it tumbling into the pool.
Lieyun’s body stiffened. He poked his head out of the water, glanced left and right, and quickly snuck out of the Scenic Water Pool. Noticing the large puddles he had splashed onto the ground, he took a deep breath and drew all the water back in, instantly leaving the ground clean and dry.
Having "cleaned up" the scene, Lieyun lingered no longer. His body slithered through the air as he silently flew away from the Central Courtyard.
After that day, once Xu Zhuang had recovered some of his Magical Power, he no longer lingered in the uninhabited regions of the distant sea. Instead, he returned to the Pengxuan Pavilion on Zhao Yue Island, intending to rent a cultivation abode to continue his practice.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Ji adamantly refused, insisting that the Jiazi Immortal Guest Tower had been vacant since the Pengxuan Treasure Assembly and that Xu Zhuang must stay there. And so, Xu Zhuang finally moved into the Jiazi Immortal Guest Tower, where he had now been living for six years.
Thanks to the Jade Dew Life Pill from Xu Zhuang, as well as some other Spirit Pills beneficial for demon beasts that Xu Zhuang purchased after arriving at Pengxuan Pavilion, it only took Lieyun two or three years to fully recover from his injuries. Now bursting with energy, he would often sneak out to play in the water whenever he grew bored with his cultivation.
Having just caused a bit of trouble, Lieyun was feeling guilty and about to slip back to his cultivation when he suddenly heard Xu Zhuang’s voice call from the top floor, "Lieyun."
Lieyun jolted. He raised his head and hesitated for a few moments before obediently flying up to the top floor. He poked his head out from the stairwell and peeked around, seeing that Xu Zhuang had emerged from his meditation and was now standing by the window.
Lieyun flew before Xu Zhuang, his flood-dragon head sporting a sycophantic, all-too-human grin. "Master, you’ve come out of seclusion."
"During my meditation, I had a sudden premonition. It seems I must return to Dongsheng at once." Xu Zhuang gazed into the distance, a rare, unidentifiable emotion in his voice.
"Dongsheng Continent..." Lieyun gazed in the direction of Dongsheng, thinking, ’I wonder what the lands there are like?’
As if sensing his thoughts, Xu Zhuang rapped his knuckles on the flood dragon’s head and chuckled. "The Tai Su Orthodox Sect is located in the Yunmeng Marsh, a Grotto Heaven Blessed Land where all the water veins of the Divine Continent converge. It’s immeasurably vast. Not only is it beneficial for cultivation, but unlike here, you won’t have to guard against outsiders. Once we get back, you’ll have more than enough space to kick up storms."
"Yes, Master," Lieyun replied, nodding obediently.
Suddenly, Xu Zhuang’s gaze shifted. He reached out and pinched something from between the scales on the back of Lieyun’s neck. He pulled out a transparent, colorless, and limp object. He snorted softly. "So, it was this thing."
"Huh? What is that?" Lieyun asked, puzzled.
Xu Zhuang explained, "This is created by refining a Formless Celestial Demon with a Secret Technique. It’s invisible to the naked eye and can block Spiritual Sense. With this, someone can easily sense your location. No wonder that Demoness was able to track our movements."
Six years ago, he had transcribed the *Primordial Venerable Dao Transmission and Demon Refining Scripture* onto a black jade slip.
The way this scripture was written was vastly different from ordinary Daoist Scriptures. It appeared to be a record left by someone who had attended a lecture given by a mysterious, powerful being known as the ’Primordial Venerable’.
At first, the principles it contained seemed quite normal, no different from any other orthodox Daoist scripture. Xu Zhuang initially read it with great interest, feeling it was broadening his understanding. It was only when he reached the later sections, which discussed the scripture’s fundamental true magic and its methods for refining demons, that he understood how the book got its name.
Even setting aside its fundamental techniques, the methods for demon-refining alone were worthy of the title *Demon Refining Scripture*. To give a few examples, it described slaughter-refining methods, Celestial Demon refining, confining demons for Alchemy, and refining demons into artifacts... It even detailed consuming certain types of demons to increase one’s Magical Power and supplement primordial essence, or allowing a demon to possess one’s body to engage in a battle of souls, thereby tempering one’s spirit...
Although Xu Zhuang had not practiced the scripture, reading it had greatly increased his understanding of Celestial Demons and other demonic entities. That was how he was able to instantly spot the oddity on Lieyun.
"What?" Lieyun cried out. "Does that mean six years ago, that Demoness knew I was in the forest?"
Xu Zhuang snorted, then pinched the object between two fingers, grinding it into fine powder.
Just then, two Flying Books suddenly flew in through the window. Xu Zhuang reached out, caught them, and opened one to glance at its contents.
After his premonition had driven him from seclusion, he had sent a message to Zhang Ji, informing him that he intended to return to the Divine Continent and wished to bid him farewell. This was Zhang Ji’s reply. He wrote that he was busy with affairs today and hoped Xu Zhuang might stay one more day so he could host a farewell banquet for him in the evening.
Xu Zhuang mulled it over for a moment before opening the second Flying Book, a wry smile appearing on his face.
The second Flying Book was also a reply from Zhang Ji. He wrote that if the matter was truly urgent, he wouldn’t be so shameless as to delay Xu Zhuang; there would be plenty of opportunities to meet again in the future.
The letter went on to say that Xu Zhuang was now ’infamous’ in the East Sea. While he was perfectly safe cultivating in Pengxuan Pavilion, leaving Zhao Yue Island would inevitably attract the attention of certain interested parties.
Therefore, Zhang Ji had enclosed a Talisman in the letter. It would allow Xu Zhuang to ignore the prohibitions of Pengxuan Pavilion, conceal his presence, and escape high into the clouds before departing, which would be far more convenient.
Xu Zhuang folded the letter, gazed into the distance pensively for a moment, and ultimately decided to depart at once.
Six years was, in truth, a very short time. In that period, Xu Zhuang had recovered his Magical Power and studied the two treasures he had obtained. His refinement of the Bright Venerable’s Image Treasure Prohibition had only progressed slightly, just enough to shield his mind from the influence of the ’Great Freedom Profound Monarch Six Marvelous Jade Muddy Heavenly Son’. As for his pill-derived power, he had only managed to cultivate back thirty to forty percent of it.
Xu Zhuang had originally planned to cultivate on Zhao Yue Island for another ten years or so. After all, he was likely now a wanted man by the Dragon Palace, with a bounty that had probably been announced to every Marquis Hai. He had wanted to recover his full strength before even considering a return to the Divine Continent.
But this sudden premonition had shattered his plans.
For a Daoist of Xu Zhuang’s cultivation level, any feeling born from his Spiritual Sense communing with the heavens and earth was highly credible, unless he was being influenced by some external force. That was why Xu Zhuang decided to end his seclusion and hurry back to the Divine Continent.
Having made his decision, Xu Zhuang didn’t delay. With nothing to pack, he simply stored Lieyun in his sleeve and walked straight out of the Immortal Guest Tower. However, he didn’t immediately fly away. Instead, he sought out an attendant.
Xu Zhuang had been a guest at Pengxuan Pavilion for six years, and everyone from top to bottom knew he was a close friend of the Pavilion Master. The attendant wouldn’t dare show any disrespect and quickly stepped forward into a listening posture.
Xu Zhuang took out a small pouch and placed it in the attendant’s hand. "This is payment for my six-year stay at the Jiazi Immortal Guest Tower."
"This?" the attendant said in surprise. "I absolutely cannot accept this! The Pavilion Master has given orders..."
"Ah!" Xu Zhuang let out a hearty laugh, waved his hand dismissively, and suddenly formed a Magic Formula, vanishing from sight.
After taking his leave of the attendant, Xu Zhuang found a quiet spot nearby and activated the Talisman. It flashed with spiritual light, but there was no other strange phenomenon. Xu Zhuang slapped the Talisman onto his body and leaped dozens of yards into the air. Sure enough, he met no resistance from the prohibition formation. He then rode the wind, soaring up into the clouds. After getting his bearings, he sped off in the direction of the Divine Continent.
---
Although he felt a sense of urgency, Xu Zhuang’s Five Elements Escape Technique had become far more profound. While it was slightly slower, it consumed considerably less Magical Power than Sword Escape, making it much more suitable for the long, several-hundred-thousand-li journey across the sea back to the Eastern Divine Continent.
He had flown less than a hundred li, however, when he suddenly had the faint feeling of being watched.
Xu Zhuang’s brow twitched. He unfurled his Spiritual Sense, sweeping it above, below, and all around. Yet, aside from the endless white clouds, he discovered nothing.
At his current level of cultivation, Xu Zhuang would never assume such a feeling was a mere delusion. To think he’d been tailed even after leaving from high above the clouds... He snorted softly and urged his escape light to go faster, covering dozens of li in an instant. His speed continued to increase, and in less than an hour, he had reached a completely desolate area.
Just as Xu Zhuang expected, a figure soon appeared within the range of his Spiritual Sense.
However, contrary to his suspicions, the person who appeared was not some Sea Marquis Demon General.
A high-crowned Daoist with well-defined features stood waiting in Xu Zhuang’s path, his hands clasped behind his back. He had a full head of thick, black hair combed neatly back and wore a wide-sleeved, open-fronted robe that left his chest bare to the wind.
