The Mist Moon Mountain Range lay west of the Feathering Sect, stretching for tens of thousands of miles. Its countless steep, rugged peaks were like carp crossing a river or stars scattered across the sky, too many to count.
Its tallest peak pierced the clouds, rising tens of thousands of feet into the sky. Even halfway up the mountainside, drifting white clouds and thick snow blanketed everything.
This should have been a place rarely visited by people. Yet atop the mountain was a vast open space, filled with countless pavilions and towers. Palaces as magnificent as jeweled abodes stood clustered together.
The Mist Moon Immortal Palace was one of the great immortal sects in this world.
It was also far beyond the Feathering Sect's reach.
Though the Feathering Sect claimed to have inherited the legacy of the Three Purities, it had fallen into decline. It had no True Immortals, nor even a Mahayana patriarch. Though it still commanded awe across the region, its influence extended for only ten thousand miles.
The Mist Moon Immortal Palace was different. Its lineage might not be as ancient as the Feathering Sect's, but it currently had two Mahayana-level old monsters within its ranks.
One was the Mist Moon Palace Master, and the other was the sect's Grand Elder.
It also had numerous Mystic Profound Realm experts.
Its power was renowned across a hundred thousand miles.
Its influence and reach far surpassed anything the Feathering Sect could hope to match.
At that moment,
two people were in one of the most splendid chambers of the Mist Moon Immortal Palace. One sat while the other stood.
One was a woman around forty, dressed in an ornate palace gown, yet still beautiful enough to make the mountains and rivers pale.
She was none other than the Mist Moon Palace Master!
She was also a renowned Mahayana patriarch who commanded respect throughout the region.
The other was a young man with a tall, straight figure, dressed in brocade robes and a jade belt. His expression was cold and stern.
He was a Spirit Transformation cultivator, yet he seemed entirely at ease in the presence of a Mahayana patriarch.
That was because he was the only disciple of the palace-gowned woman before him.
He was also the young master of the Mist Moon Immortal Palace.
His name was Xu Chen!
For a Mahayana patriarch to take him as a disciple, Xu Chen was naturally no ordinary person.
He was a peerless genius.
Counting from the day he began cultivating immortality, he had reached the Golden Core Realm in twenty years and the Nascent Soul stage in fifty. Now, at barely over a hundred and fifty years old, he had already reached Spirit Transformation.
He was truly blessed with unparalleled talent, a heaven's favorite praised by all.
"Master, what did you summon me here for today?"
Xu Chen clasped his hands and bowed.
"I've heard that a female disciple of the Feathering Sect formed her Golden Core in just ten years, and that her strength far surpasses that of cultivators at the same level."
"What? Ten years to form a Golden Core? That's impossible!"
Xu Chen was shocked, his face full of disbelief.
Then anger crept into his expression. As someone who had always thought so highly of himself, how could he allow anyone in this world to be more talented than him?
"This news came from disciples who were traveling abroad. By now, it's been all but confirmed. I want you to visit the Feathering Sect." The palace-gowned woman's voice remained calm, but a trace of malice lurked beneath it.
"What do you want me to do there, Master?"
Xu Chen was confused, and somewhat angry.
From childhood onward, he had been the greatest genius. No cultivator had ever matched him—not even his master, who had fallen short of him back then.
The sudden news was hard to accept. He couldn't help but feel a growing hatred for the Feathering Sect woman he had never even met.
He had always been a petty, narrow-minded person.
The Mist Moon Palace Master knew her disciple well. At his words, she smiled and said, "Ask for her hand in marriage!"
"What? Ask for her hand?"
Xu Chen was overcome with fury.
He'd heard that someone had formed her Golden Core in only ten years, even faster than he had. He already hated the woman he had never met. How could he possibly let her become his Dao companion?
If they lived together, with his petty and jealous nature, wouldn't she drive him mad?
Seeing her disciple frown, resentment filling his heart, the Mist Moon Palace Master giggled. "Silly boy, you can't stand that woman. Do you think I can? You should know that the Mist Moon Immortal Palace and the Feathering Sect have long been at odds. We may not have a deep-seated feud, but we're all smiles on the surface and at each other's throats underneath."
"It's only because the Feathering Sect has fallen into decline that I haven't bothered to cause them trouble. But now that their sect has produced a Seed of Immortality..."
As she spoke, a trace of malice appeared on the palace-gowned woman's face. "Hmph. Any danger must be snuffed out while it's still in the bud."
"Then why are you asking me to seek her hand in marriage?" Xu Chen relaxed, but remained confused.
"Simple. They won't agree, and that will give us an excuse."
"An excuse?"
Though she had only hinted at it, Xu Chen wasn't stupid. He understood, then asked, "And what if they give in and agree?"
"Hmph, the Feathering Sect shouldn't be that spineless." The Mist Moon Palace Master still wore a smile, but in the candlelight, it looked somewhat sinister.
Then she smiled again. "If they really do agree, that's fine too. If the woman marries into our sect, whether she lives or dies will be up to us. As for the Feathering Sect..."
"This will make them wary and resentful anyway. We can just find an excuse to destroy them later. If you want to accuse someone, you'll never lack a pretext."
That was the reality of the cultivation world: the strong ruled, and possessing a treasure was itself a crime, all too easy to use against someone.
"Yes, Master. I'll do as you say."
Having learned his master's true intentions, Xu Chen's face lit up with delight.
Though he was highly talented, he was narrow-minded and would never allow anyone with a better spiritual root than his own to exist in this world.
A cold, smug smile appeared on his face. He knew that no matter what answer the Feathering Sect gave, the woman would die.
No—not just the woman.
His master had taught him: if you're going to do something, either don't do it at all or see it through to the end. Since he was going there to pick a fight, the entire Feathering Sect would be uprooted.
"By the way, bring enough people to prevent them from turning into cornered dogs and fighting back."
"Yes, Master."
Time passed.
Before long, more than half a month had gone by.
Lin Xiaoyao went about his usual routine: checking in each day, cleaning the Founder's Shrine, and, when bored, connecting to Wi-Fi... no, connecting to the statues, to listen to the prayers of the worshippers and common folk.
It was a way to secretly peek in and pass the time. When he was in a good mood, he would even show his divine power and grant some lucky person's wish.
Though in this world, there was no shortage of worshippers for either wild mountain spirits and monsters or the City Gods and local gods appointed by Heaven,
they only occasionally answered prayers.
For one thing, incense and merit could only serve as supplements on the path to immortality. To achieve anything, one still had to rely mainly on cultivation.
So the mountain gods and local gods didn't have much time to listen to their worshippers' prayers.
For another, even if they had the time, worshippers' wishes were often all over the place. Even when a wish was reasonable, they might not have the power to grant it.
Take people praying for rain, for example.
There was no Dragon King in this region. Though some water monsters occupied its lakes and rivers, did these untutored River Lords and water gods actually have the power to make it rain?
Perhaps they did.
But even if they could manage it, it would be extremely troublesome, requiring all sorts of preliminary conditions to be met.
Lin Xiaoyao was different. With Word of Law, even the will of Heaven had to bend around him. What wish couldn't he grant?
Of course, under normal circumstances, he didn't show his divine power.
After all, an immortal lord still had to maintain an air of dignity and mystery.
If you seemed too approachable and granted every request, it could have the opposite effect.
As the saying went in his previous life, when something came too easily, people didn't know how to cherish it.
The same principle applied here.
So in practice, Lin Xiaoyao spent most of his time peeking in, and only occasionally answered prayers when he was in the mood.
Before you continue