The immortal is beside me

Chapter 44 Looking for an Old Friend of Mine
Old friend?

This word made Luo Mingxian stunned.

Due to the longevity properties of Yishu, Yuan Tiangang could be considered one of the longest-lived cultivators in China today. If we exclude those who used improper means to prolong their lives, even the "one of" could be removed.

Who is the person who can be called an "old friend" by such a person?

Luo Mingxian bowed slightly and said, "I'd like to hear the details."

There was a moment of silence. Yuan Tiangang stroked the chess piece in his hand, with a look of reminiscence in his eyes.

"True. Come to think of it, it's been hundreds of years since he left."

He suddenly laughed and sighed, "Hundreds of years have passed, and now his deeds have to be told by me for people to remember them. Time really is merciless."

"Was your old friend very famous back then?" Luo Mingxian asked tentatively.

"To describe him as famous would be an understatement."

Yuan Tiangang lowered his eyes and said, "There are many words that can be used to describe him. But since I'm telling you now, you can remember it this way."

"I have seen many strong men like stars, and he must be the brightest among them."

Luo Mingxian was shocked. He had been practicing with Yuan Tiangang for more than ten years, and this was the first time he heard such high evaluation from the Taoist priest.

Why would such a person completely disappear from the world of immortal cultivation? As the head of the Tianji Academy, he was in charge of over 80% of the extraordinary intelligence in China, yet he had never heard of anyone who deserved Yuan Tiangang's evaluation.

Under the half-doubted and half-expectant gazes of his disciples in front of him, Yuan Tiangang slowly placed the chess piece on the chessboard and spoke in a calm tone.

"I met him more than 1,300 years ago."

"Shortly after Li Chunfeng's death, I pretended to be dead in a mortal tomb. From then on, I cast off all the identities I had acquired while walking in the mortal world and returned to the world of immortal cultivation."

"After that, I spent two years compiling everything Li Chunfeng had deduced into the Tui Bei Tu (Tui Bei Tu) and distributing it throughout the world of immortal cultivation. It soon attracted the attention of countless forces, including the largest force at the time - the Jiuli Immortal Alliance."

"The Immortal Alliance's fate is linked to the Tang Dynasty's. Seeing the changes taking place in the Tang Dynasty, they will not sit idly by. Soon, I received a message from the Immortal Alliance asking me for a way out."

"Based on Li Chunfeng's posthumous work and my own calculations, I have made several suggestions. One of them is to cut off the dragon veins within the Tang Dynasty to protect the dynasty's fortune."

"I submitted this series of techniques to the Immortal Alliance, and soon received a response. They said they would invite a powerful person who specialized in spiritual power to accompany me to slay the dragon."

"That person's name is Zhou Wuqing."

November 671 AD, Yongzhou, in the Tang Dynasty.

In a pavilion in the mountains, Yuan Tiangang stood beside the pavilion, flipping through the pages of the "Tui Bei Tu" in his hand, seemingly thinking.

After a while, the movement of flipping through the pages suddenly stopped. He raised his head and saw a figure before him.

"Are you Yuan Tiangang?" the man asked.

Yuan Tiangang turned his gaze and looked the person up and down.

The man had the appearance of a young man in his twenties, wearing a red and white Taoist robe, with his long hair casually tied behind his head. At first glance, he looked full of heroism and was worthy of the description of being high-spirited and vigorous.

But for monks, appearance is just a useless appearance. What really determines the impression of a person is the invisible aura.

As soon as this person appeared, he was unflinching, like a sword unsheathed, without a trace of concealment.

Yuan Tiangang put down the book in his hand and responded, "Looking at the karma of Daoist Fellow, there are many people involved, and most of them are connected. I think it must be Mr. Zhou Wuqing of the Jiuli Immortal Alliance?"

Zhou Wuqing raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he was interested in what he said.

"I've heard before that those who practice Yishu have sharp eyes. Looking at it this way, it's indeed quite interesting."

He casually greeted her, then got down to business: "I've heard from those in the alliance that you intend to protect the Tang Dynasty's destiny and need help severing the dragon vein—how do you do it?"

"Cutting the dragon vein is no easy task. It would be exhausting and tiring to do it alone. Didn't you bring anyone else with you?"

"No need." Zhou Wuqing shook his head, "More people will only get in my way."

Yuan Tiangang was slightly stunned. He had been walking around in the world for many years and had seen many polite greetings, but he hadn't seen anyone with such a big tone in years.

"Since you say so, I won't say any more. Let's get started now."

As Yuan Tiangang spoke, he put away the book in his hand and summoned a folding fan.

"The place where you and I stand is where the first dragon vein is."

He closed his eyes slightly, letting his mind sense the world, and silently chanted a spell, as if he was talking to the heavens and the earth. After a while, he suddenly opened his eyes, opened the folding fan in his hand, and gently fanned it through the air.

The wind blew silently, and only he could hear the faint dragon roar sounding in his ears.

Invisible luck surged out from all parts of the mountain, and in a moment it gathered and took shape, transforming into a gaseous golden dragon that coiled on the top of the mountain, as if it had merged into one with the surrounding rocks.

The manifestation of luck and destiny is a mysterious technique of Yi Shu, which can only be performed by those with profound cultivation.

"This is where the luck is gathered." Yuan Tiangang put away his folding fan and pointed at the golden dragon. "This dragon is transformed by the energy of heaven and earth, and is protected by the feng shui of all directions. It is difficult for ordinary magic to cut off its roots. If you want to take action, you must be careful.
Before he could finish his words, he felt a flash of light beside him, and a sword energy carrying fire suddenly swung out and hit the golden dragon's body.

A silent wail echoed out, and amidst the sounds of cracking earth and rocks, the mountain in front of them cracked. The golden dragon was cut in two in mid-air, and fell to the ground, turning into smoke and dust and dissipating.

The whole process took only a few breaths, and even Yuan Tiangang was a little slow to react. After a while, he slowly turned his head and looked at Zhou Wuqing who was standing beside him.

Although the dragon vein was just in its infancy and far from being strong enough to form a dynasty, it was, after all, the product of natural luck and could not be easily broken.

Yet, this person had actually killed him with a single blow, which was almost equivalent to wiping out a small county. He had seen no fewer than ten thousand spiritual cultivators before, but there were probably fewer than a handful who could compare to the man before him.

No wonder he dared to take on the heavy responsibility of cutting the dragon vein alone. There is such a powerful person in the Immortal Alliance.

"Your Excellency is truly a man of skill. It really opens my eyes." Yuan Tiangang said.

Zhou Wuqing responded casually, and it seemed that he was used to such praise. He didn't take it seriously. He just made a sword flower and put the sword behind him.

"Where's the next vein?"

He is really a straightforward person.

Yuan Tiangang sighed in his heart, and at the same time looked up at the sky. He used the Yi technique, and the myriad celestial phenomena turned into a starry chessboard in his eyes. After a moment of calculation, he found the chess piece he was looking for.

"Eight hundred miles to the south, within the territory of Jingzhou."

(End of this chapter)