Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 341 Hu Yun Visits the Immortal Alliance

Yes, relying on the so-called "Five Great Immortals" to slowly cultivate the spiritual energy of Liaodi can certainly drive the revival of the spiritual energy of the entire world, and will definitely be of great benefit to Baishi Mountain and Baishi Immortal Sect. However, Zhang Chengdao's real purpose is to establish a stable connection with this cultivation system that originated in Liaodi.

After all, although the Five Immortals had low magical power, they had been passed down for nearly a thousand years and had their own unique characteristics.

"Our generation of five immortals is a bit stronger than the previous generations,"

Hu Yun narrowed her eyes slightly, and her tail kept sweeping back and forth on the ground, making it impossible to guess what she was thinking.

"I am the only one in my generation who can speak. For over three hundred years, none of the previous generations could cultivate themselves to speak!"

At this point, Hu Yun actually squinted and smiled, like a proud child showing off her "achievements".

“I believe you that the high concentration of spiritual energy in our area will benefit your White Stone Mountain, but I don’t understand what you mean by ‘mutually beneficial’ treaty.”

As it spoke, it scratched the ground with its paws. "You're far more capable than the Five Great Immortals. What do you want from us? At least let us die knowing why!"

Zhang Chengdao was somewhat helpless.

He genuinely only wanted to express the literal meaning, but this naive fox always acted like "you can't fool me," as if he really had ulterior motives.

"How about this,"

Zhang Chengdao pondered for a moment, then finally decided to learn how to be a ruthless capitalist. He proposed, "I will provide you with five kinds of trees. You five immortals will each be responsible for taking care of them. Then, each batch of produce will be sold to the White Stone Immortal Sect at a price slightly lower than the market price. How about that?"

"The Five Immortals are not only cultivated by ourselves, but also worshipped by the people of Liaodi. I have been fed incense for hundreds of years and have seen too many poor people who only have a broken hoe at home, but are always worried that someone will be jealous of their broken hoe and harm them."

As Hu Yun spoke, she gave a self-deprecating laugh: "But now, I'm starting to understand people like that a little. Compared to someone as powerful as you, we country cultivators are like farmers with only a few broken hoes. We always suspect that powerful cultivators like you are trying to steal our hoes, but in reality, these few broken hoes are worthless."

"Even if it's worthless, it's still the only broken hoe we have."

Zhang Chengdao understood what Hu Yun meant.

The conditions they offered were too tempting, and the price they paid seemed disproportionate to those attractive conditions. It's like someone suddenly telling you that you, who earns 3,000 a month, have a new job that can earn 30,000 a month. Your first thought wouldn't just be to download an anti-fraud app, but you'd probably also check if you've been scammed because your performance in northern Myanmar recently fell short of expectations.

"Would you be interested in accompanying me to the White Stone Immortal Sect?"

No matter how Zhang Chengdao thought about it, he felt that it was really difficult to describe it with words alone, so he could only invite, "The newly established Immortal Alliance is also there, fellow Daoist, you can also go and have some exchanges."

"The Immortal Alliance is the current power of all cultivators, and there are already nearly ten sects and forces. The White Stone Immortal Sect is just one of them."

"Just as the spiritual energy of Liaodi is being slowly nurtured, earth-shaking changes are also taking place outside. Fellow Daoist, you might as well go out and take a look. Perhaps you will make some new discoveries."

Unexpectedly, Hu Yun agreed very readily: "That's great, I've never left Liaodong before!"

It licked its paws again, then looked up at the rippling lake water "hanging" above it and asked, "You can swim, right?"

Zhang Chengdao nodded slightly: "Not really, but I know a little about water-avoidance techniques and can breathe underwater, so I'm not afraid of water."

"Alright, I can't get you up here either, let's go outside first and talk about it then!"

As Hu Yun spoke, she truly stopped paying attention to Zhang Chengdao. Instead, she bent down, raised her head towards the lake water above her, adopted a hunting posture, and then "splashed" out, plunging straight into the lake.

Zhang Chengdao only had time to catch a glimpse of the gray fox's last few doggy-paddle strokes before it vanished in the blink of an eye.

Seeing that Hu Yun had left, Zhang Chengdao did not linger. He quickly rode the wind and entered the lake. While performing a water-avoidance incantation, he determined the direction and slowly used his spiritual power to "swim" towards the real lake surface.

If Hu Yun were to travel from Liaodong to Baishi Mountain, it would take at least one or two days, given her cultivation level. However, with Zhang Chengdao by her side, it would be different.

Just as Hu Yun was about to ask Zhang Chengdao for directions, a fluffy white cloud suddenly appeared in front of them.

"This is the art of cloud soaring, also known as the 'somersault cloud,' which allows one to ride on clouds and make traveling more convenient."

As Zhang Chengdao spoke, he took the lead and stepped onto the cloud.

His feet were completely hidden in the soft clouds, making him appear to float in the air.

Hu Yun paused for a moment, then boldly jumped up as well, and curiously stomped around on the cloud with her paws.

It feels like stepping on snow in winter; it's very soft and light.

Seeing that Hu Yun had adapted to the clouds, Zhang Chengdao took to the clouds and cast a spell to isolate the two, preventing them from being uncomfortable due to the low temperature and fierce wind in the sky.

"Is this how all cultivators travel?"

Hu Yun leaned down slightly, seemingly a little afraid of such a height, but still took the initiative to ask.

Zhang Chengdao replied, "The Cloud Soaring Technique is indeed a type of escape technique, used for traveling. However, its mastery depends on one's cultivation level and is not easy. Besides the Cloud Soaring Technique, there are many other escape techniques, such as the Five Elements Escape Technique and Shrinking the Earth to an Inch, which can also be used for traveling at a considerable speed."

Hu Yun nodded and asked, "I see you have a full head of white hair, but you look very young. How old are you?"

This question left Zhang Chengdao somewhat at a loss for words.

He claims to be only in his twenties?
That would be so embarrassing!

But if you fabricate an age that's hundreds of years old, it doesn't seem to make any sense.

So he simply smiled and didn't answer.

“Alright, I was thinking that back then, Grandma Black and the others clearly traveled south, but they didn’t see a god like you… or a cultivator like you,”

Hu Yun, being perceptive, noticed that Zhang Chengdao didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't press him for details, but instead voiced her own doubts.

It remembered the names Zhang Chengdao had used when he was telling a story, and readily accepted these completely unfamiliar names.

"You didn't just suddenly appear out of nowhere, did you?" It turned its head to look at Zhang Chengdao, its cloudy eyes full of inquiry.

“Actually, it can be said that it appeared out of nowhere.” Zhang Chengdao smiled again and explained, “As far as I know, I, another cultivator, and the cultivator who guided you five immortals to design this formation back then—well, his name is not He Yu, if I am not mistaken, it should be Tang Yu.

"None of the three of us are from this world, and therefore the paths we know and practice have never appeared in this world."

Hu Yun asked again, "People from outer space?"

"Yes, beings from outer space."

"Was that 'moon' really from outer space?"

"Well... I guess so. If I had the chance to take a look, I should be able to tell."

No matter what it is, just throw it into the backpack and you'll be able to tell what it is, and naturally you'll know whether it's He Yu's remains after he was killed in battle.

"Are there cultivators like us 'Five Great Immortals' in your outer realms?"

"That depends on where it is. There are many worlds beyond the heavens. In the world where Fellow Daoist He Yu and Fellow Daoist Tang Yu originally lived, there should be such worlds. But in my original world, I'm afraid there aren't any."

During the several hours of travel, Hu Yun, like a curious child, asked a hundred thousand questions.

From the origins of Zhang Chengdao to the question of what exactly the "Five Great Immortals" are, Zhang Chengdao was asked so many questions that he eventually couldn't answer them anymore. He could only sigh and say, "Fellow Daoist Hu, it's not that I intentionally withheld information, but it's just that I know very little about some of your doubts and find it difficult to answer them."

"Okay, okay, then I won't ask anymore."

Hu Yun lay back down on the clouds, looking down with a sense of contentment, admiring the earth as she had never seen it before from the sky.

This peaceful atmosphere didn't last long. Hu Yun suddenly shuddered, her ears flattening back in fright.

"What! What is that!?"

It stared in terror at the distant, faintly visible giant tree, its voice trembling.

“That is Xunmu, a kind of divine wood that can nurture the spiritual energy of heaven and earth,” Zhang Chengdao reassured. “Fellow Daoist Hu might as well try breathing it in. The concentration of spiritual energy here is quite different from other places.”

Hearing Zhang Chengdao's seemingly ordinary tone, Hu Yun calmed down a bit, but still looked warily at the enormous tree in the distance, which was far beyond her imagination.

However, it did indeed find that as they got closer to the tree, the "immortal energy" in the world, that is, the spiritual energy, seemed to have increased significantly, just like when the cultivator in front of them conjured up a pond full of spiritual energy in the Firestone Hall not long ago!
"When you told us to plant trees in Liaodong, was this the kind of tree you were referring to?"

Hu Yun frowned as she looked at the giant tree, feeling genuinely worried.

This tree is so big, how can we plant it!

Zhang Chengdao laughed and said, "Haha, finding good trees is not easy. I'm afraid we can't plant them. We can only plant peach trees, pine trees, camphor trees and the like. Those trees are no different from ordinary trees. They just contain spiritual energy."

Once you see Xunmu, you're not far from Baishi Mountain.

The man and the fox flew for a short while before arriving above the Seeking Tree.

Zhang Chengdao nimbly used the "Somersault Cloud" to carry them to the newly built square in front of the Immortal Alliance. As the white cloud disappeared with a whoosh, Hu Yun found herself standing on the ground.

No, not on the ground, but on the trunk of a tree!

However, this tree was ridiculously large, and its trunk was naturally also ridiculously large. It looked as if it had been trimmed, with only a slight curve, and most of the trunk was flat and smooth, even paved with stone bricks.

However, what surprised it even more was that there were many buildings scattered on the tree trunk, which had been pruned and paved with stone bricks. The closest one was a very majestic hall, which looked even more magnificent than the main hall of the former Xiao Kingdom's old palace in Liao territory!

"Your White Stone Immortal Sect...is it built on trees?"

Hu Yun was so surprised she could hardly close her mouth.

"This is the Immortal Alliance. And look, that's the Immortal Alliance Hall."

Zhang Chengdao pointed to the plaque hanging in the main hall and said, "There are many representatives of cultivators, sects and forces in the Immortal Alliance. I thought I would like to act as a bridge for Fellow Daoist Hu, so that Fellow Daoist Hu can understand the current state of the Immortal Path and make more friends. Please forgive my intrusion, Fellow Daoist Hu."

"No offense, you're right, we should definitely check out the other sects!"

Hu Yun straightened her chest, and the gray fur on her chest trembled in the wind, fluffy like the "somersault cloud" that had just dissipated.

"And as for sects! I know! There are plenty of sects around here! But what kind of martial arts do they practice? Hey! They're somewhat useful, but they're not the same as our 'Five Great Immortals'!"

Zhang Chengdao nodded and sighed, "Yes, the martial path and the immortal path are very different. If a martial artist wants to switch to cultivating the immortal path, he must first refine the true qi of the martial path before he can cultivate immortality. This alone has stumped many cultivators who want to seek immortality!"

To be honest, given the unique cultivation path of the White Stone Immortal Sect in the entire world, coupled with its reputation built up time and again, and the endorsement and courtesy shown to it by the Emperor of Xiao Kingdom, the number of martial artists who came to the two Immortal Fate Conferences was pitifully small.

Don't forget, not to mention the Southern Chu Kingdom for now, the Northern Xiao Kingdom alone has hundreds of martial arts sects and forces of all sizes.

Of all those martial arts sects and forces, only a portion actually came to White Stone Mountain before and after the Immortal Destiny Conference, and only a fraction of those participated in the conference. One of the main reasons for this was the saying that one had to give up martial arts before practicing immortality.

Because of Murong Zhen's seemingly intentional or unintentional promotion, this matter spread even more widely than the news of the Immortal Fate Conference, and even three-year-old children on the street knew that the Immortal Path and the Martial Path were incompatible!

“We’ve discovered that too,” Hu Yun said, shaking her head. “In any family in Liaodong that worships the ‘Five Great Immortals,’ the head of the family who cultivates with the ‘Five Great Immortals’ cannot practice martial arts. Therefore, the ‘Five Great Immortals’ can never leave Liaodong, and most people outside don’t really believe in them.”

The Five Immortals followed a path of half cultivation and half incense offerings; otherwise, given the low concentration of spiritual energy back then, the lineage of the Five Immortals would have long since ceased to exist.

The offerings to the gods of incense have a certain auxiliary effect on the cultivation of the five immortals. It is likely that this is inseparable from the guidance of the cultivator who claims to be He Yu but is actually suspected to be Tang Yu.

Of course, the drawbacks of this method are also very obvious. Once you are bound to the person who worships the Five Great Immortals for joint cultivation, you will share the same fate. If the person is of good character, it will be fine. But if the person is of poor character and acts improperly, the Five Great Immortals will also be affected. They may even be punished by heaven and their souls will be scattered for doing something they should not do.

(End of this chapter)