Patrol Captain

"You are not qualified to go in. Get out!"

The voice was loose and casual, carrying a condescending sarcasm and a touch of childishness.

To the left of the entrance gate to the Cloud Cave Heaven, a boy dressed in a deep blue Taoist robe leaned against a jade pillar. The boy was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with rosy lips and white teeth, full of spirit, but he looked at Pei Yanhu and his companion with his eyebrows raised high.

"Why are we two not qualified? This grotto-heaven is originally the territory of my Fu Si!" Pei Yanhu looked at the young Taoist boy, his expression changing and becoming somewhat ugly.

But then, the blue-robed young Taoist boy straightened up, his relaxed expression turned sharp, his eyes turned an eerie purple, and an extremely powerful aura suddenly erupted from his body, pressing down on the two of them.

Pei Yanhu and Gao Yu felt an immense force pressing down on them, like a mountain bearing down on them. The sudden pressure caused them to groan, their joints cracking and popping. They seemed unable to bear the weight, their bodies trembling, their backs almost bent, and they let out muffled roars as they resisted the immense force.

A mocking smile curled at the corner of the young Taoist's lips:

"The fact that my Heavenly Lord has taken a liking to this place is a stroke of good fortune for you."

"However, if you can't even withstand this little bit of energy, how dare you try to climb the ladder of destiny?"

"The people in the lower realm are really just country bumpkins."

"Go back."

The young Taoist priest crossed his arms, then tilted his head to one side, raised his sleeves, and waved his hand as if shooing away some stray cats and dogs, not even giving them a second glance.

As the young Taoist boy waved his sleeves, a gust of wind arose, causing Pei Yanhu and his companion to stumble backward, threatening to fall from the clouds.

Just then, several palanquins arrived, creating a gust of wind that helped the two men catch their breath.

A familiar face alighted from the first cyan-gold carriage. It was none other than Fang La, the Imperial Censor from before.

This man, dressed in ordinary clothes, came down, glanced sideways at Pei Yanhu and the other man, frowned, and immediately began to reprimand them.

"A person from Daofusi?"

"You didn't cause a scene last time, but now you've brought it all the way here. Today's matter is of utmost importance. If you anger the immortals, can you bear the consequences?"

"It seems I must instruct General Qi to properly discipline his subordinates!"

With that, he snorted coldly and flicked his sleeves.

Then, he turned around, rolled up his sleeves, and quickly changed his expression, giving the gatekeeper a proper bow with a polite smile.
“Immortal Child, we have come to see the Immortal on the Emperor’s orders. This is the seal of authority. I suppose the Grand Preceptor has already informed us.”

As he spoke, he took out his identity token.

The young Taoist seemed quite satisfied, a faint smile playing on his lips. He nodded, glanced at the palanquin behind him, which contained several people, and looked toward Fang La.

"These are some of my nephews and nieces. They heard that Jin Guan had come to the immortal realm and were filled with admiration and longing, so they..." The Imperial Censor chuckled as he spoke.

The blue-robed Taoist boy snorted and waved his hand, "This is the last time. Go in."

Fang La was overjoyed, behaving completely unlike a high-ranking official of the second rank in the imperial court, and hurriedly expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you, fairy boy!"

Just as the palanquin passed through the gate, another palanquin tried to follow, but was stopped by the young Taoist priest.

"What's going on? Are the people behind you yours too?"

The young Taoist looked at Fang La, his attitude immediately changing, becoming somewhat impatient.

Soon, an elderly man with an extraordinary bearing stepped down from the carriage. He was not tall, but he stood as upright as a pine tree.

"I was introduced by Lord Fang to come and see the beauty of this celestial being. I hope the celestial child can show me the way," the old man said politely.

Fang La, who had not yet left, was a shrewd man. He said, “The fairy boy who can serve under the immortal must be a kind-hearted person. My old friend also wants to see the immortal. He has come to me for help. Please, for my sake, make an exception for him.”

The old man then raised his hand, and with a flick of his wrist, a beautiful wooden box appeared in his hand. The box opened automatically, revealing a crystal bottle suspended inside. A bluish-green liquid flowed within the crystal bottle, shimmering with a hazy glow, and instantly released a captivating fragrance. His words were neither disrespectful nor obsequious: "This is a rare and precious spiritual jade marrow. I offer it to the celestial beings in the hope of gaining a share of immortal destiny."

Just then, a streak of light and fire flew over, heading straight for the crystal bottle, quickly wrapping around it and pulling it away.

The old man reacted quickly, grabbing backhand, but the crystal bottle flashed in mid-air, allowing him to dodge it.

When it reappeared, it was in the hands of a little girl who suddenly appeared behind the gate.

The little girl had bright eyes and white teeth, her hair was styled in two buns, she was clever and mischievous, and she had a pretty little face.

Its unpredictable appearance startled everyone present.

The other person tilted their head and looked at the crystal bottle in their hand. Then, out of curiosity, they opened the bottle, smelled it, and then their pretty little face contorted. They threw the bottle to the ground and said in a shrill voice, "I thought it was something special. You're trying to climb the social ladder with such inferior stuff? My master drinks the finest nectar from heaven."

As he spoke, he kicked the crystal bottle open, spilling the spiritual liquid inside onto the ground. The eyes, now with double pupils, stared at the old man, becoming strange and fierce. "Why don't you take a piss and look at your own skin? You mortal, mud-legged creature, dare to dream of seeing the face of the heavens? Dream on."

After the girl finished speaking, she looked at the Taoist boy beside her, her expression changed, and she covered her mouth and laughed, the beads on her hair jingling with her movements: "Brother Taoist, these people are really daydreaming."

Despite her childlike appearance, she is vicious, sharp, and capricious, like a wicked old woman.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people present all changed, becoming extremely ugly.

"My spiritual essence, you."

The old man's eyes widened as he stared intently at the scattered spiritual essence on the ground. Instantly, his anger flared, and a powerful aura belonging to dragons and tigers seemed about to erupt from him.

This spiritual essence was a treasure he had kept for many years, yet it was treated so lightly by someone.

"What, you want to make a move?" The young Taoist priest, who had been watching from the sidelines with a condescending air, suddenly unleashed an aura no weaker than that of a dragon or tiger.

It's unbelievable that a mere novice Taoist possesses such astonishing strength.

"Fairy, please calm your anger."

Fang La quickly called for a halt, then turned to the old man, took his hand, and whispered a plea for help, "Brother Yuan, don't be foolish. Don't anger him, or I won't be able to help you."

He had no intention of standing up for the old man he had brought; rather, he was afraid that the old man would cause him trouble, so he subtly warned him and only thought about not causing any trouble.

After being told this, the old man with the dragon and tiger seemed to become wary, and his furious aura actually subsided.

"Humph!"

The old man's face darkened. He glanced at Fang La, snorted coldly, and forcefully flung Fang La's hand away. Then he turned and climbed into the palanquin, leaving. Fang La, seeing this, looked embarrassed.

He turned his head to the side and saw that Pei Yanhu and the other man were still standing there, laughing at him. His face turned cold.

"You two, get out of here!"

Pei Yanhu's tiger-like eyes showed no fear. With a forced smile, he clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Lord Fang's initial arrogance followed by his subsequent obsequiousness is exemplary."

"I'd like to ask you, sir, how do you feel about being called a mere commoner and peasant by these people, yet still shamelessly fawning over them? Is the dignity of the court still intact?"

"Or rather, with bones piled up outside and a hole torn in the sky, do you people, along with these so-called celestial beings, really think you can resolve this situation by sitting here?"

These words struck the Censor-in-Chief like a steel knife, piercing his heart and causing his face to flush red.

The young boy and girl looked at Pei Yanhu and Gao Yu with their eyes flashing with an eerie, cold light.

The young Taoist priest always wore a mocking smile.

"Wow, a tough guy has emerged from among the peasants!"

The little girl's pretty face twisted into a smile. "I'll see if I can break their bones."

As soon as he finished speaking, his small figure transformed into a ghost, and with a swift movement, he charged directly towards Pei Yanhu and his companion.

"Get away!"

Pei Yanhu's eyes narrowed, and he separated from Gao Yu and retreated rapidly.

As he retreated, Pei Yanhu did not see the strange girl and searched around, but the next second, a silvery, mischievous laugh suddenly rang out behind him.

"Not good!" Pei Yanhu's expression changed as he felt a piercing chill rush from his back to his scalp.

But the next second, Pei Yanhu did not feel any excruciating pain.

He heard a loud bang, followed by a violent shockwave that threw him off balance.

Once he regained his footing, he turned to look at where he had been standing, and there he saw a majestic figure standing above the clouds.

He was dressed in purple and gold armor, his eyes shone like cold stars, his eyebrows were as dark as if painted with lacquer, and his chest was broad, giving him an imposing presence that seemed invincible.

On the other side, above the leaden-gray clouds, golden light shone, making the celestial palace appear like a jade palace floating in the sky, with golden rays of light hanging from the eaves, a breathtaking sight.

A magnificent gate, a vast plaza, and deep within the plaza, a jade bridge spans the air, beneath which white mist surges, and colorful fish swim within. Crossing the jade bridge, one finds floating islands amidst the clouds, where peach blossoms bloom like a sky full of rosy clouds. Falling petals transform into fluttering butterflies, dancing around the carved railings and jade steps. Mountains and rivers flow within, yet upon closer inspection, they transform into ethereal clouds and mist, making it impossible to distinguish whether it is a real place or a world formed by the spirit of heaven and earth.

In the depths of this celestial realm, amidst swirling white clouds, a sacred tree rises from the ground, its trunk as if cast in silver water, piercing the heavens. The silver light flowing across its bark is more dazzling than the purest moonlight, even tinging the surrounding clouds with a faint silver glow.

The millions of leaves resemble willow leaves, but are entirely silvery-white, with tiny specks of light shimmering between their veins, as if the entire starry sky has been crushed and embedded within them. When the wind blows, the leaves do not rustle like ordinary trees, but instead emit a clear and melodious sound like jade striking jade, each leaf carrying a powerful essence.

At this moment, countless silver leaves danced among the clouds and mist, as if drawn by an invisible force. They spun and collided, their silver light blazing, condensing into two enormous vortexes.

The silver leaves at the edge of the vortex spun rapidly, forming two silver-white halos. The center of the halos was a deep white, so pure that it contained no impurities, like two bright moons hanging in the sky, illuminating the entire cave as if it were daytime.

Within that "bright moon," two figures as large as mountains vaguely appeared, but their specific appearances were unclear. All that was known was that they were shrouded in a halo even brighter than the silver leaves, with stars flickering within the halo, exuding an unfathomable pressure.

Two figures stood silently in the center of the vortex. Though separated by a thousand feet of silver light, it seemed as if two pairs of eyes were piercing through the void and looking down upon them. Wherever their gaze fell, even the flowing clouds seemed to solidify. Occasionally, a few silver leaves would break free of the vortex and drift away, only to be gently touched by the aura surrounding the figures, instantly turning into a shower of silver dust, which was then absorbed into the vortex. The massive amount of essence nourished these two enormous figures, who resembled gods and demons.

This tree was originally the sacred tree of Yinshan, which served as a protective array. Now, many of its lush leaves had withered, indicating a significant loss of its vital energy.

On the same horizontal plane as those two "bright moons," there was a stone table, a few feet square, suspended in mid-air, appearing tiny beneath the enormous moon.

An old man was sitting at the stone table.

His hair was like withered grass, loosely tied with a red rope. Wrinkles carved deep grooves into his face, deep enough to trap falling snow. His eyes were downcast, the whites of his eyes cloudy like old tea. His fingers were stiff and calloused, like an old farmer who had held a hoe all his life. But his back was straight and tall, and he wore a black robe.

He was pouring tea and drinking it by himself, his face as calm as a still lake as he faced the two enormous figures in the bright moon.

"I have agreed to your conditions and will help you collect rare and precious materials as soon as possible to cleanse yourselves of worldly defilements."

"Now that I have brought the Emperor's decree, it is time for the two of you to emerge from seclusion and answer our questions, since things are in complete chaos outside."

Helian Shan put down his teacup and spoke, his eyes half-closed as he looked at the illusory figures of gods and demons in the two bright moons.

Those two illusory figures are celestial beings, unattainable to mortals, beings at the level of shattering the void, existing in ancient legends, like immortals and demons, living as long as the heavens.

But this imperial advisor didn't seem afraid.

"We have come down to the mortal realm for a great purpose. Since the Emperor has invited us, we will do our best!"

"However, if you want our help, you should manage your own people and show some sincerity."

"Don't break the rules."

From within the bright moon came a vast and majestic voice, almost devoid of emotion.

Helian Shan frowned, and his cloudy eyes suddenly flashed with a bluish light before his brows furrowed again.

In his blue eyes, his gaze pierced through the clouds and mist, arriving at the entrance to the cave. There, the heavens and earth trembled, and a figure in purple-gold armor displayed great divine power, fighting against two enormous alien dharma figures, showing no sign of being at a disadvantage.

Those two alien dharma forms were the mounts of two celestial beings, the same girl at the entrance. They possessed great supernatural powers, but were gradually showing signs of decline.

In the brief moment that Helian Shan frowned, the Taoist soldier in purple-gold armor directly smashed down one of the Taoist boys.

"If you do not make a move, then don't blame me for taking action." The voice in the bright moon was still devoid of any emotion, but a terrifying aura, as vast as the ocean, gathered within it, like the might of heaven.

Helian Shan's expression darkened slightly.

Just then, the sacred tree of Yinshan suddenly began to hum loudly.

A beam of silver light shot down from the sky in a flash.

A figure stepped out from inside!
They landed directly atop the sacred tree, looking down from a superior position! (End of Chapter)