The moment East King Duke finished speaking, a meaningful smile curled at the corner of Daoist Jieyin's mouth.
The next instant, Jieyin swept his sleeve again.
Brilliant golden light burst from beneath his sleeve.
The enormous golden ring Jieyin had conjured earlier began to expand rapidly.
In just a few breaths, the ring had grown vast above Zifu Prefecture, transforming into a golden circle that blotted out the sky and sun.
"Rumble!"
Then the enormous ring descended straight toward the Thirteen Prefectures of Zifu.
The commotion immediately drew the attention of every living being in the Thirteen Prefectures of Zifu. They all raised their eyes to the sky.
On closer inspection, they saw the golden ring bearing down with immense pressure, slowly descending as if the heavens themselves were falling.
Mountains trembled, and rivers surged.
The countless living beings who saw this were overcome with fear, and a chorus of panicked voices rose:
"What?"
"What's happening?"
"Has Heaven's punishment come?"
"That pressure is terrifying!"
"What's going on?"
"..."
The creatures were at a loss, their faces filled with alarm.
Meanwhile, at the Immortal Court,
"Hmm?"
Seeing Jieyin's actions, East King Duke's eyes flashed almost imperceptibly with a cold glint.
"Jieyin certainly has an extraordinary appetite!"
Earlier, when Jieyin had brought down his power, the golden ring had covered no more than one or two prefectures.
Now, however, he had infused it with even greater power, expanding its reach to cover all thirteen prefectures of Zifu.
East King Duke very much wanted Jieyin and Zhunti to join the Immortal Court.
He was even willing to pay a steep price for it.
But Jieyin wanted to make all thirteen prefectures of Zifu a place where he could spread his teachings. That was going too far.
"I've spent all these years building up Zifu Prefecture."
"If I hand over all thirteen prefectures to those two from the Western Lands, won't all my efforts end up benefiting someone else?"
With that thought, East King Duke did not hesitate. He swept his wide sleeve, and a streak of blue light shot from within it into the sky.
"Whoosh!"
In the blink of an eye, a dragon-headed crutch appeared within the blue radiance.
This treasure had been bestowed upon East King Duke by Dao Ancestor Hongjun after his second lecture, when he appointed the leaders of the male and female immortals of the Primordial Wilderness. It served as a token of his status as Head of Male Immortals.
Roar! Roar!
As the Dragon Head Crutch appeared, dragon roars rang through the heavens and earth. Auspicious energy spread out, instantly covering the Thirteen Prefectures of Zifu as it collided with Daoist Jieyin's golden ring.
"Boom..."
The powers of two Quasi-Saints clashed.
In an instant, space shattered inch by inch. The countless creatures caught in the middle felt as though the end of the world had arrived.
Some cultivators summoned magic treasures to protect themselves, only to have them shattered by the shockwaves.
Many cities crumbled under the crushing pressure.
The East Sea surged into ten-thousand-zhang waves, while the western mountains collapsed into an abyss.
Fortunately, the violent shaking did not last long.
In the end, the two forces intertwined and merged. The enormous ring of light that had covered the Thirteen Prefectures of Zifu rapidly shrank, finally settling over just three prefectures.
Seeing this, Jieyin and Zhunti narrowed their eyes slightly.
They both understood that East King Duke's willingness to yield three prefectures was the greatest concession he could make.
After a brief silence, Daoist Jieyin clasped his hands and said:
"Emperor, then these three prefectures will be under the Western Lands' jurisdiction from now on!"
East King Duke gave a slight nod and casually beckoned. The Dragon Head Crutch floating high in the heavens turned into a streak of blue light and returned to him.
"Let it be as Daoist Jieyin suggests."
Jieyin nodded and glanced at Zhunti.
Then, without delay, the two rode their auspicious clouds down toward the three prefectures.
Golden lotuses bloomed across the land, while Buddhist chants filled the sky.
At that moment, at Buzhou Mountain,
Two figures descended from the clouds.
They were Qin Mu and Daoist Duobao.
In fact, the area where Qin Mu and Duobao had searched for treasures before this was also part of Buzhou Mountain, though it lay on the outskirts.
Now, however, the two had reached the mountain's heart.
Looking up, they saw a Divine Mountain not far away, rising to support the heavens. Its peak pierced the sky, and its brilliant light was shrouded in treasure radiance.
Chaos energy swirled around the entire mountainside.
Clouds and mist curled around its middle slopes, while its peak reached into the heavenly palace. Just looking at it filled one with reverence.
"Is this Buzhou Mountain, formed from Great God Pangu's spine?"
Qin Mu marveled to himself, his eyes filled with awe.
Duobao gazed straight at Buzhou Mountain, his face alight with excitement.
"Daoist Qin Mu,"
"Buzhou Mountain must be full of opportunities. There may even be great treasures hidden inside."
"Don't worry. With me by your side, we'll surely come away with plenty!"
Duobao spoke with firm conviction.
For the past thousand years, he had traveled with Qin Mu, and together they had found quite a few treasures.
After consuming and refining the Yellow Central Plum, Duobao's cultivation had risen directly from the Mystic Immortal realm to the Golden Immortal level.
Hearing him, Qin Mu smiled faintly.
He had long witnessed Duobao's unique talent for finding treasures.
"Let's go in!"
With that, Qin Mu and Duobao headed straight for the entrance to Buzhou Mountain.
Before long, they arrived at the entrance at the mountain's foot.
Looking around, they saw crowds of figures at the foot of the mountain.
Countless living beings had formed a long queue, each craning their necks in anticipation.
"Seriously?"
"What's going on?"
"Why is there a line?"
Qin Mu muttered to himself, caught completely off guard.
Duobao was just as astonished. He asked in confusion,
"Daoist Qin Mu, what's going on?"
"Do we have to line up to enter Buzhou Mountain?"
As the two stood there, hesitating in confusion, a figure walked over to them.
The newcomer wore a moon-white Daoist robe. He had refined features, a simple sword case at his waist, and an aura of pure energy about him. He seemed quite the immortal.
When he reached them, the Daoist bowed to Qin Mu and Duobao in greeting.
"Greetings, fellow Daoists."
"I am Yu Ding. You look unfamiliar, so I assume this is your first time at Buzhou Mountain?"
Hearing this, Qin Mu's heart jolted.
"True Man Yu Ding?"
Qin Mu knew this man's identity better than most.
True Man Yu Ding was one of Yuanshi's disciples, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect in the future, and Yang Jian's master.
At that moment, Duobao returned True Man Yu Ding's greeting.
"You have a keen eye, Daoist."
"It really is our first time here."
"I'm Duobao, and this is Daoist Qin Mu, a disciple of the Three Pure Ones of Kunlun."
At Duobao's introduction, True Man Yu Ding's eyes lit up. He could not help taking a few more looks at Qin Mu before smiling and saying,
"So you're a distinguished disciple of the Three Pure Ones! No wonder you have such an impressive bearing."
After a brief pause, Yu Ding glanced at the many living beings waiting in line and explained,
"Lately, traces of spiritual treasures have appeared within Buzhou Mountain. These fellow Daoists have all come seeking their fortunes."
Qin Mu and Duobao nodded slightly. They had come here to search for treasures as well.
They simply hadn't expected that entering Buzhou Mountain would require lining up.
Before you continue