Refining Void into Dao

Immortal Lord Yaohua was slightly speechless, but she understood that the Refiner of Void into Dao before her was the real deal.

She stepped forward and bowed solemnly, "I am Yaohua, Minister under Queen Mother of the West of the Jade Pool Immortal Realm. I have come to pay my respects to the Mountain God of Lingtai."

The Fire Spirit True Immortal beside her widened his eyes at the mention of the Queen Mother of the West! The Head of the Female Immortals of the Three Realms, the Fruit of Longevity she had always dreamed of, could be bestowed with just a word from the Queen Mother.

Upon hearing of her origins, Zhuang Yan returned the bow with a solemn expression, "I did not expect an Immortal Lord to visit. What guidance do you have?"

Immortal Lord Yaohua wasted no words and directly presented an Edict from Emperor Shaoyang of the Purple Mansion, "This is an Edict from the Emperor. Please have the Mountain God examine it."

Zhuang Yan received it with both hands and unfolded it to examine. Then, he glanced meaningfully at Lan Caihe.

"Does this matter not fall within my jurisdiction as Mountain God? Why was the Thunder Department not dispatched to carry it out?" Zhuang Yan questioned.

Immortal Lord Yaohua explained, "This matter requires utmost secrecy. Her Ladyship the Queen Mother merely wishes to bring back the Golden Maid of Jade Pool and does not wish to alert the various factions."

Zhuang Yan shook his head, "The wording of this Edict is vague. It only says for me to assist as I see fit and does not explicitly order an arrest..."

He handed the Edict back, "With such an ambiguous decree, I regret that I cannot comply."

Immortal Lord Yaohua lightly furrowed her delicate brows, "Mountain God, please understand, the Emperor issued this veiled decree precisely because of the secrecy of this matter."

"However, such an Edict violates Heavenly Rules. Even if I were to capture the Golden Maid of Jade Pool, where would I report my success?" Zhuang Yan's attitude was firm, "This cannot be done."

Just as Immortal Lord Yaohua was about to speak, Lan Caihe suddenly stepped forward and interrupted, "May I speak with you privately, Immortal Lord?"

Immortal Lord Yaohua looked at him with confusion. Lan Caihe then turned to Zhuang Yan with a smile, "Please excuse us for a moment, Mountain God." After Zhuang Yan nodded, he led Immortal Lord Yaohua outside the hall.

"What advice do you have for me, True Person Lan?" Immortal Lord Yaohua asked.

Lan Caihe lowered his voice, "The Mountain God's words hide a deeper meaning. 'No place to report the edict' actually means there is no reward to be gained. As the Mountain God of Lingtai, he is not obligated to interfere in the Golden Maid of Jade Pool's affairs. If there's no reward and he risks offending Dinguang Tathagata..."

Immortal Lord Yaohua's eyes flashed, and she then frowned, "But this matter is sensitive and cannot be made public. How can an Edict be issued openly?"

Lan Caihe smiled and hinted, "It doesn't necessarily have to be a reward. Something of equivalent value will suffice."

Immortal Lord Yaohua pondered for a moment, then her face brightened as she bowed, "Thank you for your guidance, True Person." Lan Caihe quickly returned the bow.

The two returned to the hall, and Immortal Lord Yaohua changed the subject, "Putting aside the matter of the Golden Maid of Jade Pool for now. Her Ladyship the Queen Mother is about to host the Peach Banquet, and there are still a few vacant seats. Do you have any recommendations, True Person Lan?"

Lan Caihe understood and pointed at Zhuang Yan, "Isn't this Mountain God of Lingtai, with his outstanding achievements, deserving of a seat at the grand event?"

Immortal Lord Yaohua followed up, "Would the Mountain God be willing to attend?"

Zhuang Yan laughed heartily, "The Golden Maid of Jade Pool has defied Heavenly Rules. This deity shall naturally lend his aid!" He then asked sternly about her whereabouts.

Lan Caihe and Immortal Lord Yaohua exchanged smiles, "She is in Dingyuan Prefecture. Seven True Persons have been waiting for a long time."

Zhuang Yan acted decisively, "Let's not delay!" Before leaving, he whispered to Immortal Lord Yaohua, "Regarding the Peach Banquet... I hope you will put it in writing as proof."

Immortal Lord Yaohua was silent for a moment before finally agreeing, "I will do as you command."

Thirty miles outside Chaoyang Cave in Dingyuan Prefecture, Han Xiangzi sat alone on a blue stone, the sound of his Jade Flute drifting through the forest and over the water.

"Take a break," Zhongli Quan said, his robes open, fanning himself vigorously as he shouted to Han Xiangzi, "If we mess this up, you can play your flute to your heart's content at our graves."

Han Xiangzi put away his Jade Flute and frowned, "It won't come to that, will it? If it weren't for that Kunlun Mirror causing trouble, we would have captured those two by now."

Zhongli Quan smacked his lips, "Which Peach Banquet have we ever missed? To fail at such a simple task now is truly embarrassing."

Lü Dongbin leaned against a rock and saw He Xiangu fiddling with a lotus leaf, he chuckled and asked, "What are you busy with, Immortal Aunt?"

"Carving an epitaph for Brother Zhongli," He Xiangu replied with a slight smile.

Zhongli Quan fanned himself, "Just write 'Zhongli Quan regrets failing the Peach Banquet'."

Lü Dongbin stroked his beard and burst out laughing, "Lan Caihe went to invite the Mountain God of Lingtai. He should be back by now, shouldn't he?"

Cao Guojiu leaned closer, "Immortal Aunt, make me a bowl of lotus leaf rice."

He Xiangu shot him a glance. Lü Dongbin chimed in, "What's a meal without meat? Immortal Aunt, I want dog meat."

He Xiangu's delicate fingers tapped, and an immortal lotus suddenly appeared on the ground, with seven buds blooming gracefully. She plucked one, which transformed into a Jade Cup and Nectar. The other six immortals each took a bud, getting what they desired. The lotus flowers withered immediately.

As they were enjoying themselves, they suddenly heard a shout, "I told you to subdue demons, and here you are eating and drinking! What kind of behavior is this!" They saw Lan Caihe arriving on a cloud.

Lü Dongbin held up his meat and beckoned, "Come and try some!"

Lan Caihe said sternly, "Don't drag me down with you."

Before his words fell, Immortal Lord Yaohua and Zhuang Yan arrived floating through the air. The seven immortals hastily tidied themselves and paid their respects.

Immortal Lord Yaohua flicked her whisk, "Is that demon still in Chaoyang Cave?"

Tieguai Li replied, "It has never left our sight."

He Xiangu asked Lan Caihe, "Have you invited the Mountain God?"

Lan Caihe introduced, "This is the Mountain God of Lingtai, Zhuang Yan."

The immortals bowed, and Zhuang Yan returned the bow, "This is Zhuang Yan, the Mountain God of Lingtai. Greetings, everyone."

Immortal Lord Yaohua said, "Since everyone is here, let us quickly go to Chaoyang Cave to capture the demon."

Immortal clouds surged, and the immortals rode them swiftly, heading straight for Chaoyang Cave.

Lü Dongbin turned his back, took out some dog meat, and began to devour it. As he was enthusiastically eating, he suddenly felt a gaze on his back. He turned his head and found Zhuang Yan, who had inexplicably appeared behind him, staring intently at him.

Lü Dongbin smiled, tearing off a hind leg of meat and handing it over. "Want to try?"

As Zhuang Yan took the piece of meat and thanked him, He Xiangu's voice called out from ahead, "Chaoyang Cave is here." The immortal clouds abruptly descended, and Zhuang Yan quickly moved to Immortal Lord Yaohua's side.

Immortal Lord Yaohua's nostrils twitched, and she caught sight of the dog leg meat in Zhuang Yan's hand. Zhuang Yan understood and held up the meat. "Immortal Lord, would you like to try?"

Seeing her shake her head, Zhuang Yan continued, "Then please trouble Immortal Lord to call the Golden Maid of Jade Pool out."

Lan Caihe volunteered and flew to the cave entrance. After calling out several times, there was no response. He returned, puzzled. "Could they have escaped?"

"Impossible," Tieguai Li stated with certainty. "Although the Kunlun Mirror is powerful, those two are no match for us."

Immortal Lord Yaohua, holding her whisk, ascended on the clouds. "I can sense her aura is still within the cave." She called out solemnly from outside the cave, "Golden Maid, I am here. Appear quickly."

After calling out three times, two streams of immortal light finally shot out from the cave. On the left stood Venerable Tianmiao, his white robe tied with a sash; on the right, the Golden Maid of Jade Pool, adorned in golden robes and a magnificent crown, shimmering with jewels.

The Golden Maid first scanned the Eight Immortals, then bowed to Immortal Lord Yaohua. "Greetings, Sister."

"Are you willing to return to Jade Pool with me?"

The Golden Maid immediately summoned the Eight Treasures White Jade Mirror. "I vow to stay with Tianmiao forever."

Immortal Lord Yaohua nodded. "Then there's no need to call each other sisters anymore." After the Golden Maid changed her address to "Immortal Lord," she said indifferently, "I have invited an expert here today. If you can defeat him, no one will disturb your peaceful cultivation again."

Venerable Tianmiao and the Golden Maid were first delighted, then worried. After a moment of looking at each other, Tianmiao clasped his beloved's soft hand and said firmly, "Life and death together."

The Golden Maid of Jade Pool, after hearing this, had a look of determination flash in her eyes. She said to Immortal Lord Yaohua, "I hope Immortal Lord will keep her word."

"Naturally," Immortal Lord Yaohua nodded and turned to leave.

Zhuang Yan behind her smiled wryly. Immortal Lord Yaohua's words had pushed him into a desperate situation. If he couldn't capture the Golden Maid of Jade Pool, the blame would fall solely on him.

"Immortal Lord is cutting off my retreat," Zhuang Yan looked at Immortal Lord Yaohua.

Immortal Lord Yaohua smiled faintly, took the unfinished dog meat from his hand, and said, "The taste of immortal peaches is far superior to dog meat. Mountain God, please help yourself. I will keep this for now."

"Makes sense," Zhuang Yan replied. He casually pulled over a piece of fragrant cloud gauze and wiped the oil from his lips. The Eight Immortals behind them all stared in disbelief.

Immortal Lord Yaohua's eyes widened too. Zhuang Yan noticed the strange look and looked down, only to realize he had used the Immortal Lord's sleeve. He quickly said, "My apologies... Since Immortal Lord took the meat, I thought you were handing me a handkerchief..."

With that, he quickly rode his cloud light to pursue Venerable Tianmiao and the Golden Maid of Jade Pool.

Zhuang Yan flew to the front of Chaoyang Cave. The Golden Maid of Jade Pool looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Who are you?"

Venerable Tianmiao scanned Zhuang Yan, seeing that he was only at the Refining Void into Dao cultivation level, and looked surprised.

Zhuang Yan cupped his hands. "The Mountain God of Lingtai is here under Edict to apprehend you."

The Golden Maid of Jade Pool was stunned. "Do you know my cultivation level?"

Zhuang Yan activated his Cave Heaven True Sight to observe her and replied, "You are a Profound Immortal, and he is a Celestial Immortal."

The Golden Maid of Jade Pool chuckled. "Since you know the difference, why don't you retreat quickly? A mere Mountain God shouldn't meddle in this matter."

Zhuang Yan smiled. "Thank you for your concern, but since this minor deity has come, I have my confidence."

At this moment, Venerable Tianmiao transmitted his voice. "Didn't Immortal Lord Yaohua say she came to help you just now?"

The Golden Maid of Jade Pool's thoughts raced. This Mountain God was invited by Immortal Lord Yaohua, and he said that if he defeated the intruder, he could remain in the mortal world—could Immortal Lord be secretly assisting him? She looked back and saw Immortal Lord Yaohua's calm expression as she held the piece of meat, further confirming her suspicion.

Do not harm him, just make a small show of force, the Golden Maid of Jade Pool thought to herself.

Seeing her lost in thought, Zhuang Yan cupped his hands. "Forgive me."

The Golden Maid of Jade Pool suddenly flew forward, formed a seal, and gently patted. A soft immortal light slowly pushed towards Zhuang Yan.

Strangely, Zhuang Yan did not dodge. The palm strike felt like a gentle breeze, merely pushing him back a few steps, leaving him unharmed.

The Golden Maid of Jade Pool gracefully returned, looking at Zhuang Yan with a smile. "The winner is decided, Mountain God."

Zhuang Yan stood frozen on the spot. Immortal Lord Yaohua and the Eight Immortals all showed expressions of shock.

"How could this be?" Zhang Guolao squinted his cloudy old eyes.

He Xiangu turned to Lan Caihe. "Is this Mountain God an old acquaintance of the Golden Maid?"

Zhongli Quan lightly fanned himself and muttered, "It's more like..."

Immortal Lord Yaohua was also bewildered, unable to guess the Golden Maid of Jade Pool's intentions.

Only Lü Dongbin pondered, "Could that palm strike just now have hidden secrets?"

Tieguai Li nodded. "It seemed gentle, but in reality... it was indeed very gentle."

Everyone fell silent.

Zhuang Yan looked down at himself, various hidden palm techniques like the Bone Dissolving Palm and Heart-Crushing Palm flashing through his mind, but he felt nothing unusual. It was clearly just a light, airy palm strike.

Zhuang Yan held his forehead and chuckled, then suddenly his expression turned cold. "Do you think this is a game? The killing intent erupted like frost."

Venerable Tianmiao quickly moved in front of the Golden Maid of Jade Pool and pushed out his Buddha palm, shaking the sky. The space within a thousand zhang suddenly froze. A golden palm print like a mountain crashed down, but Zhuang Yan's figure flickered and vanished. The spot where he had stood had already become a hundred-mile-long gully.

"Be careful!" Venerable Tianmiao gazed at Zhuang Yan, who had reappeared a thousand zhang away, and said in a deep voice, "This person can break my Dingguang Hand Seal; he is not to be trifled with."

The Golden Maid of Jade Pool suddenly realized. The Kunlun Mirror spun rapidly, its light directly aimed at Zhuang Yan. Before the Eight Immortals' cries of alarm had even died down, that figure had been annihilated in the shattered void. As chaotic energy surged, the space healed itself.

"Could it be..." Zhongli Quan worriedly murmured.

He Xiangu sighed. "We still need immortal pills to heal our injuries, how could he..."

"Look quickly!" Han Xiangzi pointed towards Chaoyang Cave. Zhuang Yan, his robes fluttering, stood on the cave heaven, as if nothing had happened.

Venerable Tianmiao and the Golden Maid of Jade Pool suddenly turned back. The moment they saw Zhuang Yan, the Golden Maid of Jade Pool's expression changed drastically. The Kunlun Mirror's first failure had thrown her into a panic—this supreme treasure was her and Tianmiao's reliance for their life in the mortal realm. If it failed, it meant their last barrier had collapsed.