The area around Taishou Mountain is no longer the same as it used to be. It is located in a wild region with no human habitation within a thousand miles. As the Pan Kingdom continues to annex and expand, the human race's territory is expanding, and this place has long become a place within the Great Wall.
Thousands of miles of wilderness had long since turned into thousands of miles of fertile fields. Surrounding them were fiefdoms, cities, and large villages rising from the ground. As Fang Xiu passed by, he saw the wheat ears that were about to be harvested shining with golden light. The farmers were sweating profusely, but their faces were filled with joy at the harvest. Two or three people who were tired took a rest under a big tree beside the ridge of the field.
On the road, one can see caravans and peddlers carrying loads on their shoulders rushing to a big city in the distance.
The Taishou Mountain range is deep and long, shrouded in fog all year round. People in the surrounding villages say that there are immortals living in the mountains, but no one has ever gone into the mountains to hunt and seen the immortals' residence.
Fang Xiu's carriage traveled along the mountain road, and finally passed through a canyon illusion, where he saw a mountain gate covered by a large formation.
A dozen disciples hurried down from above and arrived at the mountain gate to greet Fang Xiu. Leading the group was none other than Zhang Ping, whom Fang Xiu had saved casually in the North Sea. He looked middle-aged now, with a few more wrinkles on his face, but his cultivation had reached the late second stage.
Zhang Ping, wearing the Sun and Moon Taoist robe, led all the disciples to bow and said, "Greetings, Uncle Master Fengdu! The master is already waiting for you inside!"
When Fang Xiu got off the carriage, he saw that the yellow-turbaned warrior had shrunk along with the carriage, turning into a toy like a straw doll, which Fang Xiu stuffed into his wide sleeves.
This god-like method stunned Zhang Ping and everyone else.
Fang Xiu stretched lazily as if he was half awake, shook the wine pot, and looked at the scenery on Taishou Mountain. Qingyang likes elegance and does not like bustle. In the mountains, one can see palaces and pavilions standing between cliffs, small buildings in the woods accompanied by gurgling water, pavilions and mountains completely integrated, and there are shadows of spiritual plant gardens and spiritual beasts and cranes.
Each of these disciples also looked like sages, some were meditating by the stream, some were playing the musical instrument in the pavilion. There were both male and female disciples, and it was no longer like the last time I came, when all the disciples seemed to be male.
As Fang Xiu walked down, the disciples of Taishou Mountain became more restrained. For cultivators, they did not believe in gods, and these great cultivators were like gods and immortals.
"Yes, it's a fairyland atmosphere, it's quite different from hundreds of years ago. Zhang Ping, take me around. I'm not in a hurry to see Qingyang. Let him wait, hurry up!"
The hundreds of years that Fang Xiu had been speaking had made the many disciples of Taishou Mountain feel dry-mouthed. They could not imagine what kind of existence these great monks were.
Zhang Ping led Fang Xiu all the way up the mountain: "When the master knew you were here, he was so happy!"
"Who is coming? The headmaster came to greet us personally, and even went to... Is he going to see the founder?" On the way up the mountain, a cute female disciple who must have just entered the sect saw headmaster Zhang Ping bringing someone up the mountain, and other disciples standing respectfully on both sides.
"Don't talk nonsense, this is our great uncle from Fengdu, a great cultivator of the same generation as the founder." Someone at the side immediately reminded her that this new disciple had no idea how powerful they were and didn't understand how terrifying these great cultivators were.
When Fang Xiu passed by them, he glanced at them. Even though it was just an unintentional glance, it made the two of them feel a chill down their spines and their feet go weak, and they almost fell to the ground.
Only after the group went up the mountain did people start to talk about it.
"I heard that Grandmaster Fengdu and Grandmaster Qingyang are both great monks who have existed for thousands of years? Is it true? Isn't this Grandmaster Fengdu too young?" After the pretty and lovely female disciple and the others left, they couldn't help but start talking again.
"Even if you trace back dozens of generations, your ancestors may not be as old as your uncle master from Fengdu!"
An older disciple snorted immediately, and everyone immediately quieted down. They bowed and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother Feng Ling!"
The disciple, who seemed to have been a disciple for a long time, slowly said, "What do you know? Legend has it that before the Great Huan was established, Master Uncle Fengdu and Master Qingyang had already walked in this land of mountains and seas."
"At that time, the Dragon Palace in the East China Sea did not exist yet, the human race was still in the age of ignorance, and the Mermaid Nation had not yet occupied the South China Sea. However, at that time, the Grandmaster and the Grandmaster Fengdu and his uncle had already begun to practice in this world and passed on the methods of practice to us, the later practitioners."
Everyone was very excited. This disciple of Taishou Mountain, the Natural Dao, had heard some miraculous rumors about ancient times: "I also heard that the former East Sea Dragon Mother once met the ancestor and the Fengdu master uncle in the South China Sea, and the Fengdu master uncle took away her Jiaozhu. If the Fengdu master uncle had not shown mercy, I am afraid that there would be no East Sea Dragon Palace now. This is what I heard from my master."
"I also heard that..."
The words of each disciple were filled with curiosity about the mythical story and their admiration for these great monks who were like immortals.
Fang Xiu walked step by step through Taishou Mountain, which looked like an immortal cave. Even though there was a mountain between them, he could still hear what the disciples were talking about. He never expected that he would become a figure in ancient mythology.
There was actually a lake in the back mountain, and the lake was full of lotus flowers. The lotus leaves and flowers were as tall as trees. Fang Xiu walked through the lotus pond that exuded a faint spiritual light and precious aura, and saw a pavilion on the lake appearing before his eyes between the lotus leaves.
When Fang Xiu walked through the corridor, he saw an old man in a simple Taoist robe and with his hair in a bun standing next to a golden lotus. He turned his head and looked at Fang Xiu.
Fang Xiudai only saw an old Taoist with a head full of white hair, eyebrows and beard all dyed white, looking back at him with a happy smile on his face, just like an old immortal who walked out of an ancient scroll.
Qingyang did not feel strange that the appearance of the other cultivator had not changed. Someone in the ruins had found the method of refining the Dingyan Pill, and many female cultivators in Dongzhou had taken it, but it was extremely labor-intensive, and most people might not be willing to pay for it. Most of the great cultivators did not care about these changes in appearance.
Fang Xiu looked him up and down, and saw Qingyang spread out his hands. A large white jade cauldron appeared above his head, with clouds breathing out of the cauldron, covering the entire lake.
Qingyang was showing Fang Xiu his own cultivation, and Fang Xiu kept nodding. He was following the way of instruments and practicing the Lingbao Ruyi Zhen Jue. Fang Xiu knew how advanced he was at one glance: "Your spirit, energy and soul are completely in harmony with this life instrument. You only need one step, Qingyang, to achieve immortality!"
Qingyang let out a long sigh. Only he himself knew how difficult it was to get to this point. He was stuck at the critical juncture, and he finally reached this point at the end of his life.
However, even so, it only has the possibility of pursuing immortality, and it is still unknown whether it will succeed or not.
Thinking of this, Qingyang couldn't help but sigh: "Eternal life! Eternal life!"
No one understood the bitterness and pain in his long sigh. Fang Xiu looked at the white hair and the vaguely familiar face, stood there for a long time, and then he also sighed.
Fang Xiu walked forward and stood shoulder to shoulder in the middle of the lake, looking at the endless spiritual lotus: "In the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the Longevity Pool was born. I heard that the ruins are a corner of the heavenly palace that fell from the ancient heaven. Qingyang, you should have known about it, right?"
Qingyang immediately said, "Of course, someone sent me a letter on a crane that day. Jia Yi has already rushed to Shao State to look for Zhang Heming who is in seclusion, and I have been waiting for you!"
Fang Xiu nodded: "This time, it is probably an unprecedented grand occasion. Most of the great practitioners and great demons in Dongzhou will gather in the Hundred Thousand Mountains!"
“By then, I’m afraid it will be an unprecedented battle among monks!”
Qingyang chuckled and said nonchalantly, "Isn't it immortality that we cultivators are fighting for?"
Qingyang: "I heard that there is also a Heavenly Demon Pool in the Netherworld Fairy Island. Although only with the permission of the Lord of Netherworld can one be granted entry, as the chief officer of the Maritime Customs, there is no need for you to compete with us for this opportunity, right?"
Fang Xiu laughed: "I love to join in the fun, how can such a grand event be without me?"
"Moreover, the Heavenly Demon Pond belongs to the Lord of Nether City. No one dares to touch it. This is an ownerless spiritual pond. It is also very likely a corner of a palace that fell from heaven. Even if it is not for the Longevity Pond, I have to go and take a look."