My brother is so cunning

Chapter 1078 Celestial Mystery Changes
The Jade Void Palace atop Mount Kunlun was shrouded in auspicious clouds, yet when Yun Zhongzi stepped onto the white jade steps in front of the palace, he needed to hold onto the white jade railing to even stand still.

Although his physical body had fully recovered and no signs of injury were visible, his face was deathly pale and his soul lamp flickered. Every step he took aggravated the damage to his Dao foundation, and his coughing was particularly clear on the empty Cloud Palace path.

As soon as they arrived at the palace gate, two golden beams of light came towards them; they were Guang Chengzi and Huanglong Zhenren.

Guang Chengzi stood on the left, surrounded by faint golden auspicious clouds, clearly a veteran Golden Immortal with profound cultivation.

He wore an apricot-yellow Taoist robe embroidered with Tai Chi and Bagua patterns. Although the fabric was simple, it shone with a warm luster under the auspicious clouds. His face was square, and his long beard, as white as snow, was meticulously combed and hung down to his chest. When it moved slightly in the wind, it had a graceful feel to it.

Unlike Guang Chengzi's composure, Huanglong Zhenren on the right has a more impetuous, warrior-like air about him. He has a broad forehead, a prominent nose, golden hair, and a bushy beard. He wears a crimson Taoist robe with a yellow dragon pattern of soaring through the clouds embroidered on the hem. The dragon scales are outlined with gold thread, shimmering in the sunlight, as if they are about to take flight from the fabric at any moment.

"Junior Brother Yun, how did you get injured like this?"

Upon recognizing the newcomer, Huanglong Zhenren rushed forward, reaching out to support the swaying Yun Zhongzi. A slight glint of spiritual light flickered at his fingertips, detecting the disordered immortal power within Yun Zhongzi's body. His expression changed drastically. "Have you encountered a powerful enemy? How dare you injure an immortal of my Chan Sect?"

Guang Chengzi frowned and said, "To be able to injure Junior Brother Yun to such an extent, with his Dao foundation almost completely burned away, which Boundless Heavenly Demon or Ancient Demon God has invaded the Three Realms?"

Yun Zhongzi took a breath, his voice weak but clear: "Fellow Daoists, please take me to see Master immediately. I have important matters to report, which concern the lineage of our Chan Sect and the calamity of Heaven. There is no time to delay."

The two immortals of the Chan Sect exchanged a glance, their faces showing unease. Guang Chengzi said, "To be honest, our master is not in the main hall of the Jade Void Palace at the moment. Our master observed the celestial phenomena last night and noticed unusual changes in the heavenly secrets. The trajectories of the stars have become unusually disordered, as if a major change will affect the fortune of the Three Realms. Therefore, he decided to go into seclusion to comprehend the hidden dangers behind the heavenly secrets. He has not yet come out of seclusion, and no one is allowed to disturb him."

Upon hearing this, Yun Zhongzi's pupils contracted slightly, and the eagerness in his eyes was instantly replaced by shock and disappointment. His body swayed involuntarily, and if Huanglong Zhenren hadn't caught his arm in time, he probably would have already fallen onto the steps.

“The heavens are in turmoil…” he murmured, repeating those four words, when suddenly his heart skipped a beat.

"How could it be such a coincidence... The Creator's plan is already imminent. If we wait for Master to emerge from seclusion after his enlightenment, I'm afraid... I'm afraid things will have already changed in the mortal realm!"

His voice was somewhat hoarse, and his tone was full of anxiety.

"The Celestial Venerable of Creation?"

Upon hearing this, Guang Chengzi suddenly became alert and said, "Several months ago, the Lingshan envoy also ascended Kunlun, wanting to see Master. He also mentioned the Creation Heavenly Venerable, saying that he was an unparalleled evil god who was plotting a shocking conspiracy to overthrow the Three Realms."

Master Huanglong exclaimed in surprise, “When I heard the Western Sect envoy speak so frighteningly, saying that the Buddha used his great supernatural power of knowing past lives to glimpse countless future eons, I thought that the Creator Heavenly Venerable was some kind of extraordinary ancient demon god. But after inquiring carefully, I found out that the Creator Heavenly Venerable was just the rebellious son of Wen Zhong. A child who was only conferred the title of god two hundred years ago, yet he frightened the Western Sect to the point of losing their Buddhist heart. I just thought it was a joke.”

Guang Chengzi pondered and said, "Fellow Daoist, are these injuries from your battle with the Creation Celestial Venerable? That shows he has some skill. He entered the Dao and was enshrined as a god in just two hundred years, yet he could injure you like this. There's no other possibility than that he fell into the demonic path, made a deal with the extraterrestrial demon lord, and borrowed the power of the heavenly demon. It seems the Western Sect envoy was right; a great demon has indeed descended upon the Three Realms."

"My two fellow Daoists, I came down the mountain this time at the request of Yang Ren, a disciple of Qingxu Daode Tianzun, to investigate the conspiracy of Zaohua Tianzun, but unexpectedly..." Yun Zhongzi paused, then simplified his words, "The investigation did not go smoothly, and the process was extremely tortuous, but in the end, I was able to hear him recount the entire plan himself. Wen Rui's scheme is truly inconceivable, shocking, and subverts all understanding. I cannot fathom the cause and effect, fortune and misfortune involved, and I still need to report to the Sage for a decision."

At this point, Yun Zhongzi cupped his hands and pleaded, "In urgent situations, we must act expediently. I hope that you two fellow Daoists will make an exception and inform our master. Please listen to what your disciple has to say first, and then we can continue to comprehend the secrets of heaven."

"Fellow Daoist, do not be anxious. How could we disciples possibly break through the barrier set up by our master during his seclusion?"

Master Huanglong shook his head and laughed, "No matter what earth-shattering schemes that brat Wen Rui may have, all you need to do is accompany me and Senior Brother Guangchengzi to capture him, bring him to the foot of the Jade Void Palace, and bring Master out of seclusion to deal with him."

Seeing his arrogant and self-assured demeanor, Yun Zhongzi couldn't help but feel a sense of powerlessness.

Since the end of the Investiture of the Gods, apart from a few who switched allegiance to the Western Paradise, the other disciples of the Chan Sect have all strictly followed the orders of the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, keeping themselves in seclusion and cultivating quietly. Their cultivation has improved somewhat, but only for a few hundred years, so the improvement is quite limited.

Moreover, in the Nine Turns Yellow River Formation, a group of Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect suffered a great calamity, had their three flowers on their heads cut off, and almost lost all their cultivation. It took them hundreds of years of hard work to barely recover their previous fallen realm.

Huanglong Zhenren's current realm is only comparable to Yun Zhongzi's, having returned to the peak Golden Immortal realm.

For hundreds of years, he secluded himself in seclusion, oblivious to the affairs of the world below, and became greatly out of touch with the times. Little did he know that Wen Rui, who had been enshrined as a god less than two hundred years ago, was now a powerful figure with unfathomable combat strength.

During the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods, Huanglong Zhenren was the worst among the Twelve Golden Immortals. He never achieved any outstanding feats and always played a supporting role behind the powerful.

As a result, he had only just recovered his cultivation level when he began to underestimate the rising new generation of strong individuals, thinking that his long cultivation time and seniority would allow him to easily overpower the newcomers.

This can be considered a common problem and fixed mindset among old-school immortals.

In the eyes of Guang Chengzi and Huanglong Zhenren, Wen Zhong was a mere child who had attained enlightenment and been deified less than a thousand years ago. Wen Zhong's son was even younger than the younger generation, and had never been worthy of their attention or respect.

Back then, Yun Zhongzi was just as arrogant. He intercepted Wen Rui, who was still a mortal, but he didn't bother to casually hand him a sword to take his dog's life. Now, the situation has reversed, and he has been spared a way out by the other party.

“Brother Dao, my injuries are indeed from my battle with Wen Rui, but do you know how many moves he used to injure me?”

With patience, Yun Zhongzi shared his own experience, and said with a wry smile.

Guang Chengzi understood the implication in Yun Zhongzi's words, stroked his beard and pondered, "Although Fellow Daoist Yun Zhongzi is not among the Twelve Golden Immortals, he is still one of the best among the second-generation disciples of my Chan Sect. To be able to severely damage your Dao foundation, Wen Rui must have received his father's true teachings. Wen Zhong's Wind and Thunder Double Whip technique is indeed remarkable. If I hadn't used any magic weapons, I wouldn't have been able to stop him with just a flying sword."

(End of this chapter)