Lian Baiping's words allowed Ji Yuan to confirm the location of Tianji Pavilion. To be honest, although this area of mountains is sparsely populated, it is far from the location of Tianji Cave in Ji Yuan's imagination. It is neither as majestic as Jiufeng Mountain nor as beautiful as Yuhuai Mountain. In a place like Nanhuangzhou where there are many mountains, it can be said to be a bit ordinary.
"Mr. Ji, this is one of the entrances to the Tianji Cave Heaven. I dare not say that our Tianji Pavilion is the best in cultivation, but in terms of the control of the cave heaven, it can be regarded as one of the best in the current cultivation world. Our treasure, the Tianji Wheel, can turn the cave heaven around. In a considerable area where the cave heaven world extends, it is possible to change the entrance to the cave heaven, but sometimes it is a bit troublesome."
Ji Yuan was also a little surprised. Although the entrance to the cave heaven could not be changed absolutely, it was also an extremely critical place and the core of the cave heaven formation. It was fortunate that the Tianji Pavilion could change it frequently.
"If it's so troublesome, why bother with this? In the past, your Tianji Pavilion only had three entrances to the outside world, and the opening and closing were controlled by the Tianji Wheel. I didn't expect that you would lie. Mr. Ji must have a lot of face."
Jiang Xueling said this from the side, and Lian Baiping just stroked his beard and smiled.
"The so-called secrets of heaven cannot be revealed. If you want to reveal them, you should do it in front of the gods!"
Lian Baiping is the long-bearded elder of Tianji Pavilion, so his flattery is extraordinary. Ji Yuan just grinned, as he did not appreciate this kind of flattery. The former calculated for a moment before speaking again.
"Alright everyone, the cave is ready, let's go in."
As soon as he finished speaking, the clouds and mist that originally covered the mountain began to spread outward. Although the clouds and mist looked thin, the area they covered was getting larger and larger, and it began to thicken from the center. Soon, a considerable area outside the mountain was also shrouded in white fog, directly covering the Sky-Devouring Beast inside.
At this time, a light appeared from somewhere in the mountain. The light was in the shape of a ring, a huge Bagua that was rotating slightly. Moreover, the Bagua was still getting bigger and bigger, gradually reaching a width that could accommodate the Sky-Devouring Beast to pass through.
Without Lian Baiping's reminder, Jiang Xueling had already signaled the Sky-Swallowing Beast to swim forward.
This time was different from the last time he went to Jiufeng Mountain. Ji Yuan did not have a strong feeling of passing through a mountain protection formation. It was as if he was really sitting on the Heaven-Devouring Beast and passing through a door, and then directly arrived at the other end. That side was also shrouded in fog, and it even felt like it was one with the outside.
The Bagua Gate disappeared behind him, and the fog also dissipated quickly at the same time. The environment in front of him was completely different from the mountains before. What appeared before him was a vast expanse of water, and then he saw a flying boat flying in front of him.
The flying boat was flat, without oars or sails, and appeared to be made of green bamboo. Dozens of people stood on it, most of them looked quite old, with the youngest one looking to be in his 50s or 60s. They all had long beards, some with white hair and beards, and some with gray hair and beards.
Lian Baiping had already flown from the Sky-Swallowing Beast to the side of the flat boat and landed next to the long-bearded old man in the front. He whispered something in his ear. The long-bearded old man was surprised and happy when he heard it, and then he turned solemnly to Ji Yuan.
"Xuanjizi of Tianji Pavilion, the leader of the Seven Daos and Thirteen Islands of Tianji Pavilion, greets Mr. Ji!"
"Meet Mr. Ji!"
The long-bearded old man had an extremely loud voice, even a little deafening. He led everyone in speaking while bowing to Ji Yuan.
The so-called "Greetings, Mr. Ji" was not just lip service, all the Tianji Pavilion monks on the small boat bowed deeply and knelt down, which shocked Ji Yuan, Ju Yuanzi, Jiang Xueling and some disciples of Weimei Sect.
The same was true for Lian Baiping. Even though he had become very familiar with Ji Yuan along the way, he still followed his fellow monks in paying homage.
Ji Yuan felt a little embarrassed and quickly returned the greeting solemnly.
"Ji Yuan greets all the Taoist friends in Tianji Pavilion. It is an honor for me to come to Tianji Pavilion. You don't have to be polite."
Xuanjizi led the monks of Tianji Pavilion to stand up, and then took a step forward on the flying boat.
"Mr. Ji, fellow Taoists, please move to the boat. The Heaven Devouring Beast is seriously injured and exhausted. It should rest in the water. We have already set up a spirit gathering formation in the nearby waters to help it heal. There are no evil demons in the cave, so it can concentrate on its enlightenment and harvest. As for the Taoists from the Weimei Sect who will come to the Southern Wasteland Continent later, we will also meet them so that they don't have to go to the Southern Wasteland Mountains to cause trouble."
Tianji Pavilion arranged everything properly, and everyone certainly had no objections. After leaving a large number of Weimei Sect disciples to take care of the Heaven-Devouring Beast, Ji Yuan and others boarded the Tianji Pavilion monks' small boat, while the wounded Heaven-Devouring Beast Xiao San slowly fell down and sank into the water amidst the green waves.
Soon, the boat flew towards the distant place where the water met the sky. The situation in Tianji Cave was still a little beyond Ji Yuan's expectations. No land could be seen in any direction of the water. The boat was moving very fast. It took a long time to see a group of buildings, but it still appeared alone on the calm water.
Although these buildings have carved railings and jade bricks, and seem to be water town buildings built one foot above the water surface, it is normal along the banks of small rivers, but in such endless waters, such buildings seem a bit abrupt. It can only be said that there are probably really no big waves in this water area.
Of course, although I only saw this place that looked like a water pavilion, I had heard about the Thirteen Islands before, so there must be islands in the distance. I just didn’t know whether there was land in this Tianji Cave.
The Water Pavilion complex is very magnificent and of course not small in scale, but the monks from the Tianji Pavilion had no intention of taking everyone for a stroll. They only arranged a place for practice and living for Ji Yuan, Ju Yuanzi, Jiang Xueling and others. Then, a group of Tianji Pavilion monks led Ji Yuan to the Tianji Hall, leaving Ju Yuanzi and the monks from the Weimei Sect alone on the rooftop of an attic drinking tea and tasting fruit.
Ju Yuanzi and Jiang Xueling sat opposite each other at the table, while the other Weimei Sect disciples sat at a few other tables. They both saw the group of Tianji Pavilion monks and Ji Yuan going away. Several long-bearded old men were accompanying Ji Yuan, and behind them were two rows of Tianji Pavilion monks of high seniority following in an orderly manner.
"Fellow Daoist Ju, how come this fellow Daoist from the Tianji Pavilion treated Mr. Ji like a junior meeting an ancestor when he met him? I heard that Mr. Ji has lived at the foot of Niukui Mountain in Dazhen Jizhou for a long time, and he has a deep friendship with you, Yu Huaishan. Can fellow Daoist help Xue Ling solve this puzzle?"
Ju Yuanzi knew more about Ji Yuan, but he was still confused.
"Although I, Yu Huaishan, have a close relationship with Mr. Ji, my understanding of him is far from thorough. Mr. Ji has profound magical powers and a mysterious origin. He has lived in Ning'an County before we knew of his existence, and perhaps he has lived in Niukui Mountain for an unknown period of time... Perhaps it is not impossible that Mr. Ji really has some connection with Tianji Pavilion."
Jiang Xueling seemed to be thinking about something and didn't say anything more.
On the other side, accompanied and led by the monks of Tianji Pavilion, Ji Yuan soon saw the so-called Tianji Hall. However, at this moment, Ji Yuan and others were no longer on the water pavilion, but at the foot of a flat-topped mountain on a single mountain.
According to Ji Yuan's perception, he had passed through at least six or seven formations to get here. The last one even allowed him to move from one realm to another, leaving the seemingly boundless waters and arriving at land somewhere unknown. Looking back now, he could no longer see the water pavilion behind him.
The mountain is not high, with only a thousand steps. The Tianji Hall is a large hall with white walls and black tiles. It is very empty outside the door and there are no guards. A group of Tianji Pavilion monks stopped outside the platform stone steps of the hall. Xuanjizi faced the hall and shouted loudly.
"Disciples of Tianji Pavilion bow their heads!"
As the loud voice rang out, all the monks of Tianji Pavilion bowed towards Tianji Hall as if they were making pilgrimages. Regardless of their seniority, their movements were the same. They first bowed deeply and then prostrated themselves on the ground.
"Two kowtows, one more kowtow..."
Ji Yuan on the side felt a little embarrassed. He wanted to join in the greeting, but they didn't call him and he was not used to kneeling. So he decided not to do it. Everyone was bowing or even prostrating themselves, but he was the only one standing.
Fortunately, this awkward moment did not last long. After Xuanjizi stood up, he stretched out his hand and said to Ji Yuandao.
"Mr. Ji, please open the door."
Ji Yuan frowned and looked around. All the monks from the Tianji Pavilion, including Lian Baiping, were bowing and looking at him in awe. None of them wanted to move.
"Shall I open the door?"
Ji Yuan pointed at himself and asked for confirmation. Xuanjizi nodded slowly.
"Please go open the door, sir!"
"Please open the door, sir!"
A group of disciples from the Tianji Pavilion also invited him in unison. Although their voices did not contain any coercion, such a serious attitude made Ji Yuan feel a little pressured. He looked up at the gate of the Tianji Hall, thinking about some possibilities in his mind.
During this process, there was no monk from the Tianji Pavilion urging him. They just stood respectfully aside. Ji Yuan gradually relaxed his brows. Why should he worry? The answer would be clear after opening the door. Even if Ji Yuan could not open the door, what loss would he suffer
"good."
After responding lightly, Ji Yuan walked up the last staircase of the hall. Unlike the monks of Tianji Pavilion who bowed in awe, Ji Yuan walked up the stairs with his head held high and his chest puffed out, just keeping a bit of respect in his heart.
When he arrived in front of the vermilion gate of the Tianji Hall, Ji Yuan still didn't think there was anything special about it. Although it was two meters high, there was no divine light or mysterious magic. But just as he was thinking this, he found that a painting suddenly appeared on each of the two gates, or to be exact, a portrait of a person.
On the left is a man wearing a golden helmet and golden armor with a ribbon tied around his body, standing solemnly at the same height as the door. On the right is a man also wearing armor, holding a talisman in his left hand and a jade sceptre in his right hand, with a black-armored turtle under his feet.
When Ji Yuan was looking at the two portraits with a frown on his face, the "people" in the two paintings saw him, but took a step back slightly and bowed.
"Door gods? This is the first time I've seen door gods in my life..."
Ji Yuan thought so and looked back at the monks from the Tianji Pavilion below the stage. He found that they were all looking at him with awe, some were surprised, some were happy, and some even opened their mouths slightly.
"What the hell? Is it that serious? Is there something wrong with this door, making it hard to get in? Or are these two door gods not letting anyone in easily?"
Ji Yuan had a lot of random thoughts in his mind, but he knew that the people from Tianji Pavilion could not harm him, so he put all the thoughts aside, bowed to the two door gods on the door, and then gently pushed the door with both hands.
"Crunch, squeak, squeak..."
The door hinge creaked, and as Ji Yuan turned it with force, he simply pushed open a tiny gap, and then the two doors slowly opened backwards by themselves. Streams of black and white aura flowed out from the door and continued to surround them.
"Open, open..."
Lian Baiping said something stutteringly, and although Xuanjizi on the side was mentally prepared, he still couldn't say a word.