Wet viviparity

Chapter 995 Please Move, Golden Feather Immortal
Above the vast forest, two streaks of light flew one after the other.

The streak of light trailing slightly behind was Jiang Shiliu. Several days had passed since he left the True Spirit Sect's mountain gate with Zhao Jiayi. Beneath him lay a continuous range of miasma-ridden forests, and the outline of the Nine True Lands in the distance was already faintly visible in the clouds.

Although he and Zhao Jiayi flew through the air together, the atmosphere between them was unusually heavy.

Jiang Shiliu's face was still pale from the injury, and his eyes revealed an undisguised weariness and panic.

He pursed his lips, thinking that he and his fellow disciples had escaped from the Dragon Gate and returned to the True Spirit Sect. Logically, they should have been investigated within the sect to clear their names of suspicions. But why were they suddenly assigned to follow Zhao, a highly regarded member of the collateral branch of the Zhao family, to carry out such an important mission?

Where were Senior Brother Min and Junior Brother Yang transferred to?

All of this made him feel a suffocating sense of helplessness, as if an invisible net was tightening around him.

"Perhaps the sect trusts me and is using this opportunity to test me."

He tried to comfort himself, thinking to himself, "It must be so. I have already reported my contact with the righteous god, and Lord Dog Guardian can also testify that I was forced. If I can persuade Golden Feather Immortal to lift the siege of Dragon Gate, it will be a great achievement and enough to clear my name of all suspicions."

In contrast to the anxious Jiang Shiliu, Zhao Jiayi, who was ahead, was calm and collected in his escape.

Zhao Jiayi's escape technique is called "Five Ghosts Form Concealment Escape," which is a wonderful application of the Five Ghosts Transport Technique. It allows one to store the five ghosts he has cultivated within his body, enabling him to fly through the air like a phantom, pass through walls, enter the ground, enter water, and travel to the underworld, achieving whatever he desires.

"Junior Brother Jiang, are you feeling unwell?"
"I heard you were quite frightened at Longmen, and even suffered from Fourth Sister's sword aura." Zhao Jiayi's tone was concerned, as if she were genuinely sincere. "Fourth Sister is indeed a bit impulsive, but the situation was critical at the time, and she was doing it to protect the overall situation. Don't take it to heart."

Jiang Shiliu forced a smile, his voice hoarse: "Uncle Zhao, you flatter me. I know Miss Fourth had no choice."

"Good that you understand. Although I often practice in Fulin and do not walk within the sect, I still know you. You are never confused in important matters and have always been someone people can trust."

As Zhao Jiayi spoke, he nodded, his gaze drifting to the distant, precipitous mountains. He seemed to sigh unintentionally, "These are turbulent times for the sect. The Dragon Gate has fallen, our Third Uncle has perished, and the Dog Guardian... Alas, it is all the more heartbreaking."

Unexpectedly, after holding the position of Xu Gou Yuan Fu for hundreds of years, he was unable to uphold his integrity in his old age.

Why can't a person remain faithful to their spouse until death? Is dying for one's principles really that difficult?!

Jiang Shiliu's heart tightened. Although he and Quan Shougong did not often interact, they usually looked after each other. Hearing such a comment, he felt a tightness in his chest, but he could not refute it.

Zhao Jiayi changed the subject, saying, "You don't need to worry about your safety. In recent years, thanks to the efforts of the patriarch and several elders, the Zhao family has been correcting its ways and will no longer arbitrarily assign blame to people as before. In fact, many people in the family resent this."

Moreover, your willingness to accept the Zhao family's command and accompany me on my arduous journeys to the Nine True Screen Cliff Abode to persuade the Golden Feather Immortal—doesn't this act itself prove many things and demonstrate your innocence?

"Yes!"

Jiang Shiliu replied absentmindedly.

"Although the Holy Ancestor was stationed in the Central Plains and could not spare the time, many talented people emerged under his command."

The Immortal Master Zhaobao is skilled at appraising treasures and accumulating wealth. He often resides by the Holy Ancestor's side, coordinating the communication and exchanges among the various forces under the Holy Ancestor's command.

Na Zhenxian is the grandson of the Holy Ancestor, with pure blood. She resides in the blessed land of Luogen and has been in charge of coordinating the overall situation of the Zhao family during this crisis, allocating resources to support our operation.

Furthermore, the presence of a powerful figure like Zen Master Caihu on our side, while making it inconvenient to act rashly, still serves as a deterrent. As for the Dragon Palace, the Dragon Maiden Chongchi serves as the Immortal Official of Prosperity and cooperates seamlessly with my Zhao family; the channels for spiritual resources and treasures have not been severed due to the Dragon Gate incident.

Although those righteous gods are revered in the mortal realm, they are merely a minor threat; rather, they serve as a test for us.

"Senior brother's teachings are correct." Jiang Shiliu lowered his head, concealing the turmoil in his eyes. "Shiliu will certainly abide by the sect rules and prioritize the interests of the sect."

Hearing Jiang Shiliu's emotionless reply, Zhao Jiayi tried his best to hide his dissatisfaction, and his tone remained gentle: "The journey to Jiuzhen is fraught with danger, and we will need your strong assistance. Once we persuade Jin Yuxian to come down from the mountain and quell the rebellion, you will have made the greatest contribution."

"There will certainly be a generous reward from the sect at that time; even the Dog Yuanfu might be among the winners."

"Is Dog Guardian already deemed doomed?!" Jiang Shiliu's heart sank. He hoped to finish this matter as soon as possible so he could return to contact Hong Yuan, the other patriarch in charge of the Noon Horse Talisman. As long as that patriarch intervened, all problems would be solved. Even the Ji and Jiang families would have to give face to Hong Yuan—no, they would have to give face to Ma Huozu, the Great Spirit Official of Tonghua Palace behind Hong Yuan.

As they flew along, they saw that the ground was gradually becoming deserted, as if it were an ancient and untouched wilderness. Everywhere there were deep forests and old trees, like a green carpet of shade.

Suddenly, a rainbow of light appeared in the sky, landing on a vast sea of ​​clouds in the distance. There, a solitary cliff rose up, shaped like a bluebird protruding its beak, suspended above the sea of ​​clouds.

"Thank you, Zen Master, for your divine guidance!" Zhao Jiayi stopped his escape light, clasped his hands in a bow towards the rainbow light, and then led Jiang Shiliu towards the solitary cliff amidst the sea of ​​clouds. The cliff top was barren, with only blocks of silver-gray rock.

The two arrived at the depths of a crevice in the cliff.

The entrance here consists of two towering, dark stone screens, each a hundred feet high, naturally forming an embracing shape. The stone surfaces are covered with spiral patterns, carved by the fierce winds blowing across the more than 30,000-mile-long sea of ​​clouds.

Beyond the screen, they gradually saw a high and wide dome, like the top of an inverted urn, inside which was a nest made of thousands of colorful feathers stacked together—the bottom layer was bluish-gray like iron, the middle layer was as bright as gilded gold, and the top layer was as transparent as ice silk. When sunlight passed through, it rippled with light, making Zhao Jiang and his companion feel as if they were in a dream.

"Immortal Master Jin Yu!"

Zhao Jiayi suppressed his arrogance and bowed in the empty nest.

After calling out several times without receiving a response from the immortal, Zhao Jiayi's face darkened. He wanted to provoke the immortal with words to make him understand, but he also knew that the Golden Feather Immortal was proud and stubborn, never influenced by the outside world, and could not tolerate anyone deliberately provoking him. If anyone violated this rule, the immortal would surely kill him without mercy.

"Uncle-Master, come look here."

In the flat area at the center of the nest, there was a jade table. Jiang Shiliu stood beside the table and spoke.

When Zhao Jiayi arrived, he saw a palm-leaf scripture on the table, a red copper water clock standing at the corner, and an eighteen-cornered gold dish with a four-winged divine bird engraved on it and vine patterns around the outside.

Jiang Shiliu picked up the golden plate on the table and turned it over. There were words on the bottom of the plate: "Carry the plate and go, subdue gods and demons; old feelings are gone, never to return."

Looking at this line of words, Zhao Jiayi's body tensed up. He hadn't expected that the Holy Ancestor had shown favor to this immortal several times, only to receive one chance to help in return. Could it be that even this Golden Feather Immortal from beyond the mortal realm felt that the Holy Ancestor was facing a calamity and was unable to save himself, and wanted to sever ties with him out of human kindness?

"Alright, let's subdue the righteous thieves first," Zhao Jiayi said through gritted teeth.

"Uncle-Master, we can't subdue it, what should we do?"

Jiang Shiliu held the gold plate and remained motionless as he spoke.

"what for?"

"If it really comes to that, I am willing to go and persuade them to surrender, only asking that my uncle can protect Min and Yang."

Zhao Jiayi's face showed impatience, and a hint of anger and embarrassment. "Didn't I say, those two..."

"Uncle-Master!" Jiang Shiliu interrupted sharply, "If your Zhao family truly believed in us, they wouldn't have come to appease me time and time again. Now, Brothers Min and Yang are probably already imprisoned, and we're preparing to torture their primordial spirits!"

Zhao Jiayi snapped back to reality in an instant, realizing that Jiang Shiliu was worried about the safety of Min and Yang. He had deliberately provoked Zhao Jiayi while he was distracted, observing his expression to determine the situation of Min and Yang. This showed considerable courage.

"As expected of Jiang Shiliu, who dared to cross the South China Sea when he was only at the second realm. If it really comes to that, I will definitely give you the opportunity to go and persuade him to surrender."

"Your primordial spirit is not in your body. You can subdue that earth deity by relying only on the eighteen-cornered golden disc and emerald stamen array diagram, and the true form of the Lanpeng demon god in that array diagram?"

“Mother, I know what you mean. I have not underestimated that righteous god. However, with my array diagram of the ultimate transformation of metal and wood, and my true body sitting in it, both power and magic are complete. If we still cannot defeat him, it can only mean one thing.”

"What's the matter?"

“That earth deity is one of us, and he is worthy of my true intervention.”

(End of this chapter)