Riding the Immortal Crane through clouds and mist, with the wind howling past his ears and the sea of clouds flashing by beneath him, he landed before a secluded cave abode in only a few moments.
The cave abode was hidden among ancient pines and emerald cypresses. On the cliff face were carved the three large ancient seal-script characters "Jade Spring Cave," their strokes sharp and fierce, wreathed in faint Chan Sect Immortal Light. The spiritual energy around it was quiet and still, wholly the atmosphere of seclusion and recuperation.
Yang Jian leaped down from the crane's back and bowed toward the cave abode. His clear voice carried a measure of respect, yet was neither servile nor overbearing, slowly echoing at the entrance.
"Junior Yang Jian requests an audience with Senior Yuding."
The moment his voice entered the cave, it shattered the silence within. True Man Yuding, who had been sitting cross-legged in meditation to regulate his breath, slowly opened his eyes. His brows drew tightly together, and a clear trace of anger flashed through his gaze.
The Immortal Essence around him had yet to settle. The wounds from having his Three Flowers Above the Crown and Five Qi Within the Chest cut away in the Nine Bends Yellow River Formation had not healed, and the spiritual energy around him was still faintly sluggish. Now that he had been abruptly disturbed, anger instantly flared in his heart.
The next moment, the stone door of the cave abode rumbled open. True Man Yuding stepped out in a plain Daoist robe, his expression cold and sunken, his gaze sharp as a sword as it landed straight on Yang Jian.
"Yang Jian! Instead of staying in Xiqi to assist Jiang Ziya in overseeing the war against Shang, you have come all the way