A Tale of Encounters with Immortals: A Peach Blossom Temple in the Martial World

Zhang Zhengdao rode a white horse through Heyun Mountain.

Heyun Mountain is only about 300 li in circumference, which is not very large, and it is surrounded by the sea on all sides.

To be precise, it should be an island, but since the island is actually a mountain, it was named Crane Cloud Mountain.

Surrounded by mountains, towering into the clouds.

At the summit of the mountains, there is a vast temple complex.

In the center of the Guanyu cluster, an old Taoist priest riding a crane landed at the tallest and largest temple. After dismounting, the old Taoist priest waved his hand, and the crane flew away on its own.

Cranes occasionally take flight from these mountains.

They are clearly artificially raised. Some of them even like to go to the two huge incense burners in Guanyu Square, where they make cries and dance like cranes, looking like they are living in a fairyland.

In the very center of the main hall stands a huge statue.

The statue is of a deity with flowing robes, reclining on a lotus platform, his head resting on one arm, and his other hand holding a scroll as if he is engrossed in reading.

"Master!"

The white-haired old man entered the main hall, bowed to the equally white-haired and white-bearded old man in the middle of the hall, and said, "Master, I just went out to investigate, and it was just a group of martial arts practitioners on land who were seeking immortality. They encountered a huge wave and flood, but I don't know what kind of luck they had, as they are all safe and sound."

The white-haired cult leader turned around, looked at the old man, and said, "Elder Xing, are you sure there's nothing unusual?"

Elder Xing nodded: "I have surveyed the surrounding sea area for hundreds of miles and found nothing unusual."

The sect leader nodded sadly and said, "But that lightning that cleaves the sky... it hasn't appeared since the separation of the divine realm and the mortal realm. I didn't expect it to reappear today. I'm a little worried!"

Elder Xing said, "The sect leader has recalled all the disciples who were scattered around carrying out protection missions. Does he foresee something big about to happen?"

The cult leader waved his hand: "I don't know either, you may leave now."

Elder Xing bowed and then went out.

He couldn't interfere in the affairs of the cult leader. There were unusual celestial phenomena, which meant that something big was happening or that someone extraordinary was being born, but he didn't seem to have noticed anything.

After Elder Xing left, the sect leader was alone in the main hall, burning incense and praying to the patriarch once again.

However, after burning incense and praying, a crisp "crack" sound suddenly came from the base of the statue.

When the leader went to check, he was surprised to find that the lotus pedestal at the base of the statue had suddenly cracked.

Is this... old and dilapidated?

This statue is thousands of years old, so it's not unusual for it to crack.

"Master, the Divine Fire Sect is facing a serious problem," the sect leader said while burning incense. "One of the disciples we sent out has run into trouble at Prince Xiao's residence. This is the first time in thousands of years that such a problem has occurred. He may be dead."

He paused for a moment, then continued.

"In the mortal world, the disciples of the Divine Fire Sect are almost invincible. There are no martial arts that are truly beyond the reach of ordinary people and can compare with our Divine Fire Sect. Wasn't even Xiaoyaozi suppressed by the disciples of the Divine Fire Sect back then?"

"But... what exactly is the situation now? Please enlighten us, Master!"

As the leader spoke, he bowed several more times.

Suddenly, another crack appeared on the lotus platform.

Suddenly, all the eternal lamps on the statue fell down.

"Snapped!"

With a crisp sound, the lamp oil spilled onto the ground and burst into flames.

The cult leader was shocked and casually waved his hand, extinguishing the flames on the ground.

However, the lotus platform has two large cracks. What's going on?

If it's an earth-shattering event, why is there no tremor in other areas? If it's due to years of disrepair, why did it crack twice, specifically when I was praying? And both cracks are of uniform texture, showing no signs of disrepair.

Could this be a sign of something big?

The cult leader is panicking!

Suddenly, a flock of cranes took flight from the mountains and forests outside the main hall, forming a procession in the sky like chasing clouds, and constantly making cries.

It sounds like a light and cheerful chirping sound.

The white dragon horse looked up at the sky and couldn't help but complain.

"Master, these birds are too noisy. Should I give them a warning? Hehe, if I, the Golden Dragon, don't show my power, do you think I'm an earthworm?"

Zhang Zhengdao: "You just want to show off. You've been itching to show off for a long time, haven't you?"

The white dragon horse chuckled: "Nothing can escape the abbot's discerning eyes! Yes, that's exactly what I think. The abbot commands my utmost respect and admiration!"

Zhang Zhengdao said disdainfully, "If you can't take good photos, don't make them awkwardly."

The white dragon horse tentatively suggested, "Master, how about... I lead the vanguard?"

Zhang Zhengdao said, "We're here to pay our respects at the mountain, not to rob it. Do we need you to lead the way?"

Before the words were finished, the sound of bells came from the main hall.

Then, groups of people rode cranes and flew towards this direction.

The white dragon horse was overjoyed: "Master, they've come to provoke us. Let me handle this..." As it spoke, it rolled on the ground, preparing to transform into a golden dragon.

"be honest!"

Zhang Zhengdao rebuked him.

The white dragon horse forcefully suppressed its desire to transform into a golden dragon and snorted angrily.

"Endure, endure, endure! There's a knife above the word 'endure'!"

"Oh ho, you dare to talk back?" Zhang Zhengdao glanced at it sideways. "Believe it or not, I'll stab you with lightning."

The white dragon horse fell silent.

The cranes flew over their heads and then all of them ducked down at once.

As they approached the ground, the white-clad figures riding the cranes leaped down, drew their swords, and surrounded Zhang Zhengdao and the white dragon horse.

"Who goes there? Why do you trespass into the Divine Fire Sect's territory?"

One of the young men, tall and handsome, dressed in white, stepped forward and addressed Zhang Zhengdao with a serious expression. He even gripped his longsword tightly, raising it and pointing it at Zhang Zhengdao.

"Zhang Zhengdao, come to the Divine Fire Sect and meet your leader."

Zhang Zhengdao smiled, as if bathed in a spring breeze.

"Senior Brother, don't waste words with him. He trespassed into the Divine Fire Sect. Take him to the main hall and let the law enforcement elders deal with him." One of the young men in white said, brandishing the sword in his hand.

The senior disciple frowned, but still remained composed.

"Do you think you can just see our leader whenever you want?"

Zhang Zhengdao also frowned.

"I've finally made it across the ocean and found this place, why can't I even see the leader? I really have business with him; after all this, I'm a guest, aren't I?"

The eldest brother frowned, his expression grim.

"Take away!"

Finally, he blurted out this word.

His junior brother had already made this suggestion, yet he acted like the senior brother, spouting nonsense, all he wanted was to take the person away. Because for thousands of years, not a single outsider had ever set foot on the island with the Divine Fire Sect.

-"lay down……"

What did he put down? This Taoist priest had nothing on him except a horse.

Zhang Zhengdao did not take out his peach wood sword or whisk.

"Put down the gourd at your waist and come with us!"

The other one finally saw something and shouted loudly.

Zhang Zhengdao sighed at the white dragon horse: "I think sometimes, what you say really does have some use."

The white dragon horse became smug and nodded, saying, "Master, I told you, there are rules for how people talk to each other. Judging from their arrogant manner, you can tell they are people who think they are superior in martial arts and are invincible. How could they possibly reason with you?"

Everyone was surprised.

A horse actually spoke.

The eldest brother was very nervous.

The other white-clad swordsmen stared nervously at the man and his horse.

The swordplay began, the formation was complete, and all that remained was for the senior brother's command before they would launch a coordinated attack.

The white dragon horse looked at Zhang Zhengdao and said, "Master, give the order!"

Zhang Zhengdao nodded and said, "Be gentle, don't destroy the mountain."

The group of white-clad swordsmen were enraged. So what if a horse can talk? At most, it's just a beast that might have gotten some lotus seeds and become a monster.

"What a beast! He deserves to die!"

One of the white-clad swordsmen couldn't stand the arrogant way the man and horse were talking. He thought, "Look at what they're saying! They don't care about me or their dozens of fellow disciples."

Zhang Zhengdao hadn't even gotten angry yet, but the white dragon horse had.

The white dragon horse turned to look at Zhang Zhengdao: "Listen to that, he called me a beast."

Over the years, apart from the abbot occasionally calling him by the euphemism "beast," no one has ever dared to insult him to his face by calling him a beast.

"What the hell are you still yelling about? Just do it!"

Zhang Zhengdao looked down on it.

"I didn't mean to show off..."

Before the words had even finished, the white dragon horse leaped into the air, instantly changing the color of the sky and clouds, and a fierce wind arose. Then, a powerful dragon roar that resounded through the heavens and dominated the world was heard.

"hold head high--"

The sound was so loud that the tiles of the Divine Fire Sect's main hall kept falling down with a "whoosh," hitting the ground with a "pitter-patter" sound like rain.

"What is that sound!"

The sect leader was in the main hall, intending to discuss something with the elders. Then he heard this sound and was immediately terrified. After all, the long, mournful sound that seemed to change the very fabric of the heavens and earth sounded like…

At that moment, a disciple who was outside the main hall tumbled and crawled in.

"Master, Master, disaster is coming! Disaster is coming!"

"Tell me quickly, what's going on..."

Before he could finish speaking, the abbot looked up and saw rolling clouds in the sky, almost pressing down on the top of Crane Cloud Mountain. In the clouds, a huge golden dragon was circling, its body appearing and disappearing in the clouds. The huge dragon head popped out of the clouds.

Suddenly, golden light shot out from his eyes.