Mortal: Reborn in Yellow Maple Valley, Awakening the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts

On the western horizon, at the edge of the mountains, a small black dot is approaching from afar, its outline gradually becoming clearer.

The black dot flew by rapidly; it turned out to be a huge, two-headed eagle, the unique two-headed duck of the Yan family.

A young man stood on the back of an eagle. When it flew close, the young man lightly touched the ground with his toes and gracefully landed on the ground.

"I am truly sorry to have kept you waiting, fellow Daoist. My name is Yan Fei, and I have come here specifically to guide you to Yanling Fortress." The young man bowed apologetically as soon as his feet touched the ground.

"It's alright. I am Zhongwu, and I have only just arrived. I will have to trouble you to lead the way for the rest of the journey."

At this moment, Chu Zifei transformed into Zhong Wu, a disciple of the Spirit Beast Mountain. He deliberately acted very smoothly, afraid of revealing any flaws and exposing his identity.

His original plan was that if he couldn't find a spot, he would intercept and kill a Yan family disciple on the spot, seize his identity, and infiltrate the fortress.

The Yan family belonged to the demonic path, so he had no qualms about using such methods.

With Zhong Wu's identity and the invitation from Spirit Beast Mountain in hand, there are no longer any obstacles to securing a spot.

"In that case, please come with me, Senior Brother Zhong. Most of the guests have already arrived at the fortress and are gathered together to exchange their insights on cultivation. Senior Brother, you can join them."

Yan Fei paused slightly, her tone still polite, but her eyes held a hint of wariness.

"However, there are still rules for entering the fortress. We need to check the invitation as usual. I hope you won't mind, Brother Zhong."

It seems that something has happened at Yanling Fort recently, which is why the Yan family is on high alert.

Chu Zifei understood immediately and took out the invitation from the Spirit Beast Mountain from his bosom and handed it over.

After Yan Fei read through the post, he immediately returned it, his attitude instantly becoming much warmer: "So you're a senior brother from Spirit Beast Mountain. There's nothing wrong with the post, let's set off right away."

Ling Beast Mountain and the Yan family were secretly on the same side, and because of this relationship, the other party naturally treated them with more courtesy.

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Fei leaped back onto the back of the double-headed duck, and the two of them rode the giant eagle one after the other, speeding towards the depths of Yanliang Mountain.

  

After flying for dozens of miles, the two-headed geese landed between the narrow pass between two mountain peaks, and the protective barriers of Yanling Fortress were set up in this airspace.

Yan Fei stood on the eagle's back, took out a token, gripped it tightly with both hands, and continuously poured his spiritual power into it. The token instantly burst forth with a hazy yellow light, shooting straight into the void ahead.

The previously empty sky was touched by the yellow light, and suddenly layers of five-colored spiritual light appeared.

The light slowly dissipated, and a majestic ancient castle suddenly appeared between the mountain beams.

"This is Yanling Fortress, a vital stronghold of the Yan family. Senior Brother Zhong, please come in as a guest." Yan Fei's expression turned serious as he spoke.

The two landed and slowly walked into the castle, their eyes quickly drawn to the center of the area.

On one side of the castle, there was a high platform resembling a martial arts arena, where two cultivators dressed in very different clothes were facing off.

A giant, faintly visible white light shield enveloped them, firmly defining the area where they were fighting.

Guests gathered around the light cover, with two groups of people standing out.

One group consisted of cultivators from the Yan family's main branch. They were in neat formation and completely silent, clearly demonstrating years of rigorous training and strict discipline.

The other group was dressed in uniform green robes, mostly with gray eyes and blond hair, but there were also a few ordinary faces mixed in, dressed exactly like the curly-bearded monster confronting them in mid-air.

Chu Zifei's gaze swept across the crowd and quickly spotted two familiar figures: Han Li and Dong Xuan'er, who were among the onlookers.

He observed the standoff on the arena with great interest, while Yan Fei explained the origins of each side. However, Chu Zifei paid no attention, as he was merely observing the situation with a detached, indifferent attitude.

Just then, a scene of "jealousy and rivalry" suddenly unfolded on Han Li's side, with Yan Yu and Senior Brother Na Feng facing off.

Under the pretext of watching the competition, Chu Zifei and Yan Fei moved to the vicinity of the arena. Although his gaze seemed to be fixed on the battle on the stage, most of his mind was on Han Li.

When he heard Dong Xuan'er use just a few words to directly shift the jealousy of Senior Brother Feng and Yan Yu onto Han Li, he couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. Han Li was always cautious and suspicious, but he was dull and slow to understand matters of the heart, which was why he had suffered a hidden loss for no reason.

The battle on the arena quickly came to an end. The green-robed cultivator waved his hand and summoned several skulls. Several jet-black beams of light shot out from the skulls, instantly knocking the Yan family cultivators opposite him unconscious.

The Yan family cultivators suffered a defeat, and the green-robed group, led by a mysterious figure wearing a silver ghost mask, calmly and gracefully withdrew from the scene.

As the spectacle came to an end, the onlookers gradually dispersed.

Chu Zifei thought the storm was over, but a sarcastic voice suddenly rang out behind him.

"Zhong Mazi! He escaped the Blood Forbidden Trial looking utterly defeated, and now he actually dares to show up at the Yan Family Treasure Hunt?"

Chu Zifei turned around and saw a short cultivator limping towards him. This man clearly had a deep grudge against Zhong Wu and had come here specifically to mock him in public.

Trouble is brewing.

Chu Zifei did not recognize this person and was unsure of his name and how to conduct himself. He was slightly troubled and quickly thought about what tone to use to deal with Zhong Wu in a way that would suit his personality.

Seeing his silence, the short monk pressed on, "What? Did I hit a nerve? Now you have nothing to say?"

Seeing that the other party was pressing closer and closer, Chu Zifei knew that he could no longer keep avoiding them, otherwise he would inevitably reveal a flaw and expose his identity.

A sudden inspiration struck Chu Zifei, and following Zhong Wu's personality, he retorted:

"You short, lame man, what nonsense are you spouting? Whether I come to the treasure hunt or not is none of your business!"

Upon hearing this, the short cultivator instantly flew into a rage, pointing a finger at Chu Zifei and shouting, "Zhong the Pockmarked, try uttering another word like that, and I'll teach you a lesson today!"

Seeing that the other party was completely enraged, Chu Zifei secretly breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that his previous response had not given him away.

Although he didn't know Zhongwu well, after several encounters, he had figured out that Zhongwu was a vengeful person who refused to swallow his anger.

"Look at how angry you are. Is it wrong to call you a short, lame man?" Chu Zifei continued to retort.

The short monk suppressed his anger, unwilling to engage in further verbal sparring, and spoke in a deep voice:

"Enough with the nonsense, let's settle this with a fight! Let's have a proper spar right here and now, I want to see if your cultivation has actually improved since you reached the Foundation Establishment stage!"

Clearly, the short cultivator, unable to gain any advantage through words, wanted to regain face through sparring.

In his view, both of them were at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and even if they were to compete, the outcome was still uncertain.