Immortality begins with raising apprentices

Chapter 209 The Journey to the Grotto-Heaven: Fame Spreads Far and Wide!
Lingyin Sect, North Mountain Gate.

The huge square in front of the mountain gate was already crowded with people, various spirit boats and magical artifacts floated in the air, banners fluttered, and the atmosphere was solemn.

The Lingyin Sect's team heading to Songyang Cave Heaven gathered here.

Chen Ye, Zhiwei, and Bu Feifan blended in with the dozens of convicted cultivators who had been recruited, and were completely inconspicuous.

Even the smallest details can attract a lot of attention.
After all, such a pretty young girl like her is always eye-catching, especially in the Dongtian group on this trip.

unfortunately,

The little girl was completely covered by her master's black robe, so to outsiders, she would just appear to be a short, dwarf cultivator.

Chen Ye quietly slipped his hand inside his black robe and took his disciple's small hand.

The disciple was slightly taken aback, but quickly grasped his master's large hand in return, and quietly moved closer to him.

Chen Ye looked around.

At the mountain gate square,
Besides the Lingyin Sect, there were also teams from various families under its jurisdiction. Most of the spectators looked like cultivators, all eager to fight and full of fighting spirit.

The cave may be dangerous, but it is still a cave!

Cultivators have always striven against Heaven to attain the Dao, so why should they fear life and death?

To be honest, Chen Ye was different from normal cultivators. He was always law-abiding and only wanted to continue his cultivation steadily.

This is because he has a cheat-like ability, so he doesn't need to compete with other cultivators.

Moreover, there are two disciples, who are both a source of comfort and a weakness...

Seeing this scene,

Chen Ye had a slight idea of ​​what was going on.

It is evident that the Lingyin Sect attached great importance to the second exploration of Songyang Cave.

He first looked at the Lingyin Sect's group.

Leading the group was Wei Shu, a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Behind him were seven disciples from the sect, all of whom were inner disciples in the late Qi Refining stage.

Wei Shu was talking to others, stroking his beard and smiling, gentle and refined, showing no trace of his former sinister appearance.

Seeing Chen Ye looking at him, he smiled amicably and whispered something to the cultivator beside him, pointing at Chen Ye in the process.

The cultivator looked over, sized up Chen Ye, and memorized his appearance before turning back to continue his conversation with Wei Shu.

"Ah……"

Chen Ye twitched the corner of his mouth and looked at the disciple behind Wei Shu.

These disciples were all inner disciples!
From this detail, Chen Ye deduced a key piece of information.

Why would the Lingyin Sect prefer to send its more talented and fewer inner disciples to take risks, rather than send its many outer disciples?

thus,

Chen Ye deduced that the Songyang Cave was extremely dangerous, and cultivators below the late stage of Qi Refining would likely die if they entered!

Therefore, sending outer disciples would only make them cannon fodder, so it's better not to send any at all.

Just grab some random cultivators and use them as cannon fodder.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, look over there."

Bu Feifan lowered his voice and gestured with his lip in another direction.
"That is the legendary Xu Henshan. His lifespan should be almost over. He wants to go to the cave heaven to find an opportunity to form his core."

Chen Ye followed his gaze and saw Xu Henshan leaning on a cane, resting with his eyes closed on an extremely luxurious azure flying boat.

Behind him stood several young cultivators.

But Qingjun was nowhere to be seen.

"A chance to form the Golden Core?" Chen Ye's gaze swept through the crowd, but he still couldn't see Qing Jun, who was most likely inside the boat.

This little girl has always been timid; she probably wouldn't dare to see so many strangers.

Bu Feifan nodded solemnly:

"Of course! I've heard that the head of the Xu family has already entered Songyang Grotto-heaven. Everyone suspects that the Xu family knows the secrets of Songyang Grotto-heaven, which is why they dared to let their head enter. Now, even the patriarch is about to enter Songyang Grotto-heaven!"

Chen Ye listened with slight doubt.

Two months ago, he learned from Mao Qingzhu that Xu Buhui had indeed gone to Songyang Cave. Therefore, Mao Qingzhu took the opportunity to bring Qingjun back to the Xu family.

Now, Xu Henshan has entered the cave again.

Judging from the Xu family's actions, it's as if they truly know some secret.

"Suspicion? The Xu family certainly knows!"

Another person sneered; this person was none other than Tie Hu!

He casually moved closer to Chen Ye, as if nothing had happened two months ago:
“The Longmian Mountain where the Xu family is located was the mountain gate of the Songyang Sect a thousand years ago! The Songyang Sect, Songyang Cave Heaven... who would believe that the two are not related?”

Seeing Tie Hu approach,
Bu Feifan shrank back, his expression revealing a hint of fear.

Chen Ye nodded slightly to him before looking at Tie Hu: "What is the meaning of this, fellow Daoist?"

Tie Hu chuckled and raised an eyebrow, saying, "What could I possibly mean? I'm not here to cause you any trouble! We're all cannon fodder, why make things difficult for each other?"

Seeing that Chen Ye was watching over him, Bu Feifan suddenly felt emboldened and spoke sarcastically:

"Two months ago, when you were causing trouble for Fellow Daoist Chen, you didn't have this attitude at all! You were just currying favor with the powerful!"

Tie Hu's expression was somewhat unpleasant, but he didn't say anything and retreated.

"It's alright... I'm too lazy to argue with him. That day, he was probably just following orders from others."

Chen Ye understood that Tie Hu had been instructed by someone to give him a hard time.

However, understanding is one thing.

If I hadn't been able to defeat Tie Hu back then, I'm afraid I would have been tortured by this man.

"Hmph! Fellow Daoist Chen, it's best to avoid associating with such vicious people. Who knows, they might betray you for personal gain within the cave."

Bu Feifan's words were full of disdain, and his expression was indignant.

"Master..."

Zhiwei was intelligent and, after listening to the conversation, she vaguely guessed that her master had been targeted recently.

She couldn't help but grip her master's hand slightly tighter, raising her head slightly, a glimpse of her gaze falling on Tie Hu.

Is this the person who intends to harm Master...?

"Who am I, your teacher? How could I be easily wronged?"

Chen Ye found it amusing; this girl was far too worried about her master.

Now, it seems like she's still rubbing against him with her arm?
and many more……

Chen Ye was startled. He reached into the black robe and touched a furry little thing.

He quietly lifted a corner of his black robe and saw that the little white fox, which should have stayed in Linsong Valley, was now curled up in a ball, sleeping soundly and peacefully in Zhiwei's arms.

"Zhiwei, what's going on?" Chen Ye asked, both amused and exasperated. "How did Xiaobai end up here?"

The little girl with black hair blinked:
“Master, Little White… often falls into a deep sleep, sometimes for days at a time. And when it sleeps, its aura becomes as concealed as that of an ordinary beast, making it extremely easy to hide, so…”

"So you secretly brought it here?" Chen Ye felt completely overwhelmed. "Nonsense! We're going to a dangerous place where we're almost guaranteed to die, not for sightseeing! Why did you bring a pet?"

He already knew that Xiaobai was very sleepy and spent most of his time sleeping.

But to his surprise, it slept in the Pear Garden for two months!
Besides, he didn't see the little fox when he picked Zhiwei up from the wooden box...

Zhiwei explained in a timely manner: "When we came to Luoli Courtyard, the journey was too long. Xiaobai woke up once along the way and then ran out to play. It didn't come back until I settled in Luoli Courtyard. I don't know how it found me."

"I didn't ask that. I asked why you brought it here!" Chen Ye glared at his eldest disciple.

"It's clearly what Master wants to know..."

The little girl with black hair weakly protested, then her voice suddenly became serious.

“Master, don’t you think that Xiaobai’s origins are extraordinary? Its speed far surpasses that of ordinary demon beasts, and its intelligence is exceptional. Moreover, it inexplicably appeared in Linsong Valley right after the appearance of the grotto-heaven. Zhiwei believes that it has some connection with the grotto-heaven and can help Master at crucial moments!”

These words left Chen Ye speechless. Upon reflection, they indeed made perfect sense.

But this little fox is such an ingrate! I've raised it for so long, and it still breathes on me all the time!

It would be good enough if they didn't make things worse...

Despite his thoughts, Chen Ye pondered for a while and finally agreed to his eldest disciple's request.

……

The crowd was noisy, and soon a clear, melodious sword cry resounded through the sky.

Wei Shu soared into the air on his sword, his voice booming like a bell, echoing throughout the entire plaza:
"The time has come! All those participating in Songyang Cave Heaven, depart immediately!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several huge spirit boats slowly started up, carrying disciples from various families, and flew towards the Three Thousand Mountains.

In an instant, the dazzling light and the crisscrossing sword energy caused the mighty procession to disappear into the horizon.

On the flying boat, Xu Henshan slowly walked into the cabin, glanced at the little girl who was staring blankly at the sky, and said indifferently, "What are you thinking about?"

"nothing."

The little girl was exquisitely beautiful, dressed in a light purple dress, with silver hair flowing like a waterfall. She was resting her chin on her hand, her eyes vacant.

Xu Henshan knew perfectly well that the little girl had something on her mind.

His smile was enigmatic: "Little girl, now that you're in the Xu family, you'll have no more worries..."

Qingjun pouted.

She has no desire to marry into the Xu family!
She is Chen Ye's apprentice, not Xu's!

Ok……

Speaking of which, she felt like she had sensed her master's presence just now.

But Master was clearly in Linsong Valley, so how did he end up here?

She shook her head vigorously to shake off the unrealistic thought, and her heart longed even more for her master who always liked to tease her but also doted on her immensely.

Master, Qingjun will be back soon... very soon.

When the time comes, you must make lots and lots of delicious food for Qingjun!

The little girl is very confident now.

If her master disobeyed, she would threaten him! She would say... that she wanted to stay in the Xu family, and then her master would surely surrender obediently, right?
As for the master that the little girl longed for...

His face looked rather pale at that moment.

strangeness……

Didn't they say that I was going to Songyang Cave Heaven with the Xu family's group?

Wei Shu flew back on his sword, looking down at the remaining cultivators from his high vantage point:
"Why aren't you all boarding the spirit boat yet?"

After saying that, he gave a wink to the inner disciple beside him.

The inner disciples understood immediately. One of them took out a black token, muttered some incantations, and pointed it at the crowd!
"what--!"

"Uh……"

In an instant, screams rose and fell!
All the conscripted, guilty cultivators felt the Soul-Locking Nail in their dantian tighten suddenly, and excruciating pain instantly spread throughout their bodies!
"What are you dawdling for! Get up here!" an inner disciple shouted sternly, as if driving livestock.

Driven by excruciating pain, the cultivators dared not hesitate for a moment and scrambled toward the last spirit boat at the edge of the plaza.

Only Chen Ye and the others remained.

"Deacon Chen, you must have some doubts, right?"

Wei Shu smiled and looked at Chen Ye, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"Did you think that Protector Bai would arrange for you to be placed on the Xu family's spirit boat?"

His smile vanished abruptly, replaced by a chilling tone:

"What a pity, Protector Bai has repeatedly disobeyed the Second Elder's orders, and now he's been locked up again... Hmm? This must be the little girl Mao Songli brought with him. Not bad, not bad, with a little girl by our side, we won't be lonely on the journey, will we?"

Chen Ye's face turned cold. How could he not know the ill intentions behind Wei Shu's words?

Fortunately.

Although his Qinglan Sword Control Technique has broken through its limits and his spiritual power is restricted, he still possesses the power of sword energy, so he is not without any trump cards!

Chen Ye shielded Zhiwei's petite figure behind him and smiled:
"What does Protector Wei mean by this? I am the supervisor of Linsong, and I entered Songyang Cave Heaven today to seek out the true disciple Bai. The Second Elder believes that I have a karmic connection with the true disciple Bai... Could it be that Protector Wei intends to oppose the Second Elder?"

The inner disciples behind Wei Shu looked slightly surprised upon hearing this:

"Hmm? This... is that Supervisor Lin Song? Why is he also going to Songyang Cave Heaven?"

These inner disciples were not from the Wei family, nor even from Wei Shu.

They were all disciples from the sect who had voluntarily participated in this trip to the grotto-heaven.

They only obeyed Wei Cheng's orders because Wei Shu was the leader and protector.

"It is indeed me, gentlemen. You actually recognize me, Chen Ye?" Chen Ye looked at these inner disciples.

One of the younger disciples had an excited look on his face:
"Deacon Chen, we have long heard about how you overpowered Zhao Qing. That Zhao Qing only managed to enter the inner sect because he had a protector aunt, and he is arrogant and domineering, which has long annoyed people!"

This immediately sparked a lively discussion among the other disciples.

"Zhao Qing? I don't know anything about that. However, as a disciple from the Herbal Peak, I have long admired Deacon Chen's skills in cultivating spiritual plants! That Lin Song Valley once left a group of Herbal Peak disciples helpless!"

Another disciple's eyes lit up; if the occasion hadn't been inappropriate, he would have already pulled Chen Ye aside to discuss the art of spiritual plants.

Furthermore, some disciples had ambiguous smiles:
"Hmph, what's all this? Have you forgotten how protective Bai Zhenchuan was of Steward Chen back then... Tsk tsk tsk, who is Bai Zhenchuan? All the disciples feared her, yet she only showed favor to Steward Chen. And the Second Elder actually said that Steward Chen and Bai Susu have a karmic connection??"

"No, no, no, please don't talk nonsense."

Chen Ye coughed lightly.

However... without realizing it, he seems to have actually accomplished quite a few great things?
The attitude of these disciples left Chen Ye both amused and exasperated.

To be honest, he thought these young disciples would follow Wei Shu's wishes and suppress him at will.

Just now, when these disciples were driving away those rogue cultivators, they were ferocious and their faces were contemptuous. They were clearly villains who liked to suppress people...

But at this moment, he acts like a devoted fan.

But it’s natural to think about it.

These inner disciples are not like the group of lazy, good-for-nothing outer disciples of Lin Song Valley in the past.

They are all exceptionally talented and ambitious, and now they dare to venture into this hidden realm to seek opportunities. How could they be petty people who curry favor with the powerful?
However... Wei Shu's expression was much more unpleasant.

His face was ashen, and the immense pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator swept over the inner disciples who were still discussing amongst themselves!

"Shut up, everyone!"

"A bunch of ignorant brats! This trip is to a dangerous and unpredictable secret realm, not for you to sit here and chat idly! If you dare to say another word, don't blame this protector for being ruthless!"

The inner disciples were so intimidated by his aura that they immediately fell silent, their faces turning pale, and they dared not utter another word.

Although they would not flatter Wei Shu, they were only at the Qi Refining stage after all. How could they possibly contend with a Foundation Establishment Protector who was truly enraged?

Seeing this, Wei Shu let out a satisfied snort. His sinister eyes fell on Chen Ye once more.

"Chen Ye, it seems you're quite adept at winning people's hearts. It's just a pity... in the cultivation world, ultimately, strength is what matters."

Chen Ye knew that even if Wei Shu had the guts of a bear and the courage of a leopard, he wouldn't dare to attack him outside the cave.

Ultimately, his trip was at the behest of the Second Elder... albeit under duress.

With that in mind, he wouldn't give Wei Shu any face, and said in a low voice, "But I think that although Protector Wei is at the Foundation Establishment stage, he may not be stronger than me..."

"You! You truly don't know the heights of heaven and the depths of earth..."

Wei Shu was so angry that he laughed instead.

How ridiculous! A Qi Refining cultivator dares to mock a Foundation Establishment cultivator?
He gave Chen Ye no further chance to speak, abruptly flicking his sleeves and shouting sharply:

"Everyone, board the ship!"

(End of this chapter)