I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 1039 Reunion with Wu Changming

Wu Changming, that old bastard, was a complete scumbag and a loser in political struggles. He had painstakingly managed the northern region for decades, only to have Gu Mingyue steal all the credit. He was a total sucker.

"Ever since we heard that you were about to arrive at Qingcheng Mountain, all the elders and esteemed guests have invited Elder Wu Changming back. Now, Elder Wu Changming is waiting for you on the mountain," Bai He said to Zhang Chen with humility and utmost respect.

Zhang Chen seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this. The fact that the other party had invited Wu Changming back was both unexpected and yet perfectly reasonable.

Everyone knew that their arrival at Huangtiandao was not a friendly move, and the other party would naturally make thorough preparations to give them a satisfactory explanation.

As for why the other party didn't run away?

Knowing that Zhang Chen possessed extraordinary abilities, how could he be willing to wait to die in the mountains?
The other party simply couldn't bear to give up the foundation they had painstakingly built. Huang Tiandao's eternal foundation, with its endless riches and glory, who could give it up?

Besides, even if they abandoned everything and fled down the mountain, could they escape Zhang Chen's pursuit?

The area below the mountain is now in chaos, a scene of utter devastation. If they were to escape down the mountain and lose Huang Tiandao's support, they would surely meet a terrible end.

“It’s been many years since I last saw my master.” A hint of reminiscence appeared in Zhang Chen’s eyes. Ever since Wu Changming taught him the subsequent Qi cultivation methods in the spiritual world, the other party’s whereabouts had been unknown. Zhang Chen had been busy with his own plans and had not searched for him.

The carriage traveled along the dirt road, Zhang Chen's thoughts drifting. The old Taoist priest Baihe, sitting beside him, remained silent, not daring to disturb Zhang Chen's contemplation. For a moment, the carriage fell into a deathly silence of thought.

Just as Zhang Chen's thoughts were racing, he arrived at the foot of Mount Qingcheng. There, he saw two rows of Taoist priests of all ages standing in a procession that stretched for miles, respectfully welcoming him with flags and banners.

"Zhang Gaozhen, we've arrived at Qingcheng Mountain." Bai He's voice rang in Zhang Chen's ears, waking him from his reverie. He looked out the carriage curtain at the Taoist priests with yellow headscarves, then at the majestic Qingcheng Mountain half-hidden in the clouds in the distance, a look of bewilderment in his eyes.

The outline of Qingcheng Mountain today seems no different from when he dreamed of returning to ancient times. Even the archway and stone tablet in front of the gate stand there quietly as they did back then. Even the familiar mountain paths are just as familiar to Zhang Chen. He seems to see the little bean's desperate cries, watching himself carry the little bean into the mountain, and the little bean urinating on him.

Scenes from the past flashed before his eyes like a fleeting glimpse, and a hint of nostalgia appeared in Zhang Chen's eyes. But the next moment, a thought flashed through his mind: "The Yellow Heaven Path was built in Qingcheng Mountain. I wonder if it has any connection with the Changsheng Temple of the past. Otherwise, why would Zou Wenlong want to join the Yellow Heaven Path? Why didn't he join the imperial court or the White Lotus Sect, but instead travel thousands of miles to join the Yellow Heaven Path?"

Just as Zhang Chen was pondering, a slightly anxious voice called out from afar: "Where is that kid Zhang Chen?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Zhang Chen peeked out and saw the old Taoist priest Wu Changming walking towards them from a distance, surrounded by a group of young Taoist priests.

Seeing Wu Changming walking towards him from afar, Zhang Chen was taken aback. Compared to back then, Wu Changming looked much older. His hair was gray, and he could be described as old and frail. His face was covered with wrinkles, and he even needed a young Taoist priest to help him walk. It was hard to associate him with the spirited patriarch of Huangli Temple back then.

Upon seeing Wu Changming, Zhang Chen quickly lifted the curtain, jumped off the carriage, and walked towards Wu Changming. He knelt down and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Master."

"You've got quite the nerve, kid, making me, your master, come down the mountain to greet you. Mount Qingcheng is towering and steep, thousands of feet high. I'm just an old man with no energy left to climb it." Wu Changming complained from afar, then reached out to help Zhang Chen up: "Don't bother with the formalities. Why be so polite between master and disciple? It's too much of a formality."

Upon hearing Wu Changming's words and feeling the withered old hands supporting him, Zhang Chen smiled and said, "How was I supposed to know that Master would actually come down the mountain to welcome me? Master isn't wronging me!"

Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, Wu Changming sighed softly, "Your power is too great, kid. Those old guys in the mountains are terrified and insist that I come down the mountain to try and establish a relationship with you, to test your words."

Zhang Chen helped Wu Changming up: "Master, if you want to probe what's going on, just ask me. I will answer everything I know."

Wu Changming said irritably, "I didn't cheat you or harm you, why would I need to test your intentions?"

"However, there is one thing I need to ask you. What is the purpose of your trip south to Qingcheng Mountain? Is it simply to avenge your murder? Or do you want the foundation of Huangtiandao?" Wu Changming asked.

"Can't I just come to see my master?" Zhang Chen replied, helping Wu Changming walk into the mountains.

"You're probably trying to fool someone," Wu Changming said irritably.

"If I get what I want here, that's fine. If not, I will use swift and decisive measures to massacre the Yellow Heaven Dao headquarters and rout all Yellow Heaven Dao forces in the world." Zhang Chen spoke lightly, but the murderous intent in his words made the group of Taoist priests who had come with him tremble. "You have great skill, such a bloodthirsty nature!" Wu Changming glanced at Zhang Chen, his eyes filled with caution: "What do you want?"

"Having arrived at Mount Qingcheng, I naturally must see the Great Teacher of Virtue," Zhang Chen said solemnly, raising his head to look at the mist-shrouded Mount Qingcheng: "Now! Immediately!"

"You've come from afar, why don't you take a rest?" Wu Changming asked.

Zhang Chen shook his head: "I am a cultivator, how could I be as tired as an ordinary mortal?"

"The Great Teacher has been waiting for you in the mountains for a long time. Come with me for a walk in the mountains." Wu Changming let Zhang Chen support him, his words filled with sighs:
"Originally, according to those cowardly rats, they wanted to keep you at the foot of the mountain for one night so that I could find out what they wanted to say. But now that you want to see the Great Teacher, no one dares to stop you."

He lowered his voice and said, "Be careful after you climb the mountain. It seems that there is a feng shui formation in the mountain, and it still has some mysterious power."

"It's alright!" Zhang Chen reassured Wu Changming, supporting his thin body, and asked with a puzzled look, "Master, why do you look so old? Logically speaking, even if your extraordinary power has dissipated, you used to be a cultivator and knew how to maintain your health. You shouldn't have aged so much."

"I experimented with some forbidden techniques in an attempt to defy the calamities of heaven and earth, but I failed and ended up like this..." Wu Changming's words were devoid of joy or sorrow.

Zhang Chen was taken aback upon hearing this, and felt even more moved by the cruelty of the Great Calamity of the End of Dharma.

Seeing that Wu Changming was having difficulty moving, Zhang Chen turned to look at the strong and burly Taoist Huang Tiandao beside him, and said coldly with a fierce look in his eyes, "A bunch of blind dogs, didn't you see that my master was having a hard time climbing the mountain? Why don't you hurry up and find a stretcher to carry my master into the mountain?"

Upon hearing Zhang Chen's cold reprimand, everyone panicked and hurriedly searched for a stretcher, then carried Wu Changming into the mountains.

There, Taoist priests lined up on both sides of the mountain, bowing their heads and bowing respectfully and reverently to Zhang Chen. Zhang Chen did not even look at the Taoist priests, but his gaze swept across the road of Qingcheng Mountain, his eyes full of reminiscence. Even after hundreds of thousands of years, Qingcheng Mountain today seemed no different from Qingcheng Mountain back then. Qingcheng Mountain was still the same Qingcheng Mountain, and even the stones from back then had not changed much.

However, Zhang Chen thought about it and felt there was no need to be surprised. Although the world changes and time changes, Qingcheng Mountain was a Taoist temple built by the Ancestor of Longevity by personally harmonizing the dragon veins. Naturally, it was blessed by the power of the earth veins. It was reasonable that it could persist until the end of the Dharma-ending Age without changing its course.

The scene of him and Xu Erniu climbing Mount Qingcheng seemed to be right before his eyes; Zhang Chen remembered it clearly.

After walking along the familiar mountain path and reaching the summit, he was stunned. Although nothing had changed at the foot of the mountain, the mountains and rivers shrouded in mist had changed. The familiar buildings of yesteryear had completely disappeared, and the entire peak of Qingcheng Mountain had been sheared off.

"Who has such means to cut off the peak of a famous mountain like Qingcheng Mountain, which is attached to a dragon vein?" Zhang Chen looked at the unfamiliar building with a surprised expression, and his steps couldn't help but stop.

In front of the gate of the Taoist temple on Qingcheng Mountain, a group of elderly Taoist priests with white hair and beards stood respectfully, their faces showing fear or sorrow, their bodies hunched over.

Zhang Chen looked at the crowd with a touch of emotion in his eyes. Those who could stand here were once the greatest supernatural beings in the world, but now they were like lambs to the slaughter, quietly waiting for their fate to be decided.

Zhang Chen's gaze swept across the crowd, and he saw many familiar faces. He asked, "Where is Gu Mingyue?"

"That fellow's physical body was destroyed, and he entered the path of the gods. With the end of the Dharma, he also vanished, his soul scattered." Bai He chimed in from the side, his voice full of melancholy.

Zhang Chen was stunned upon hearing this, clearly taken aback. It was as if an invisible string in his heart had snapped. With the death of a former rival, all the grudges and grievances of the past naturally vanished.

Upon hearing that his former rival had died in a calamity, Zhang Chen couldn't quite describe his feelings. He simply nodded and continued walking into the back of the mountain.

The palace built by Huang Tiandao was very grand in scale. However, after looking at the architectural style, Zhang Chen was stunned and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes. The style of the palace in front of him was very different from that of the present era. It was clearly the style of the Changsheng Temple in the past.

"After Changsheng Temple was wiped out by Xu Erniu and Peacock Ancestor, did Xu Erniu rebuild the palace? Or did the remnants of Changsheng Temple build a Taoist temple?" Zhang Chen kept his curiosity in mind and walked into the distance. Finally, after passing through the magnificent palace, he arrived at a solitary peak in the back mountain.

"The Great Teacher lives in seclusion on that solitary peak and has not descended the mountain for over thirty years. He also forbids his disciples from going up there. If you wish to see the Great Teacher, please climb the mountain," Bai He said to Zhang Chen.

(End of this chapter)