A lucky cloud swept across half of the Southern Jambudvipa Continent and landed on Mount Wudang, in a paradise on earth.
Then a gentle breeze followed, revealing Xu Xiao's appearance.
The moment he landed, a rich Spiritual Energy rushed towards him, mixed with the powerful incense offerings, which startled Xu Xiao.
"Brother Dao, what a fine place you are! It seems you are not only a cultivator, but also a righteous deity of the Heavenly Dao!"
Xu Xiao's gaze swept around the mountain before settling on the middle-aged Daoist priest.
With just a fleeting glance, he could tell that this place was a first-class blessed land of immortals, and that the rich incense and prayers were constantly surging into this sacred site from all directions of the Southern Jambudvipa Continent.
Incense offerings and the power of faith are both forms of the will of living beings, and for God who can control this path, they are top-notch tonics.
Unfortunately, the dojo was heavily guarded, with several powerful deities protecting it. Xu Xiao dared not use his Divine Sense to investigate too much, so he still did not know who the deity in front of him was.
"No, not there!"
"It's nothing more than safeguarding a sliver of peace for all living beings. There are many demons and monsters in this world, and humanity is full of hardships. I can only offer a tiny bit of protection, so only a few people are grateful to me."
The Daoist priest smiled and said nothing more, instead leading Xu Xiao towards the main hall of the Daoist temple.
There are only a few buildings on this mountain, making it seem somewhat desolate, but the main hall stands majestically, exuding solemnity and grandeur.
Before even entering the main hall, a handsome young man and woman appeared from the side of the hall and bowed to the middle-aged Daoist priest.
"The master is back!"
Is this a new customer? He looks a bit unfamiliar.
The two teenagers, who looked to be around ten years old, possessed a refined and elegant air. They were also beautiful with rosy lips and white teeth, and they looked at Xu Xiao with a charming gaze.
"Please don't be rude. Quickly prepare tea and snacks. This is a fellow Daoist I met during my travels, whom I specially invited to have a chat."
After the middle-aged Daoist priest returned to the temple, his face became more serious. After he spoke, the two young men and women immediately disappeared.
Xu Xiao could tell that these two were also accomplished cultivators, though they looked like young boys and girls, their cultivation levels were higher than Xu Xiao's.
Of course, this only refers to cultivation level. Xu Xiao's current cultivation level is only above Nascent Soul stage, and he hasn't even condensed his own Dharma Body yet.
In this Journey to the West Great World, to put it bluntly, he's just an ordinary cultivator, so it's no wonder the two young men and women are curious about him.
"Fellow Daoist, please don't be offended. These two disciples of mine rarely see outsiders, and since I'm often away, they've been somewhat lax in their manners."
The middle-aged Daoist priest offered an explanation, then led Xu Xiao into the main hall.
Upon entering the hall, one can immediately feel a strong sense of solemnity and killing intent emanating from it. A majestic deity with disheveled hair and bare feet, clad in golden armor and jade belt, wielding a sword and glaring angrily, stands with his feet on a tortoise and snake, and is surrounded by a halo.
Seeing this, Xu Xiao knew perfectly well what kind of expert he had encountered!
The Great Emperor Zhenwu Zhenwu the North Pole!
'Just as I guessed, this Southern Jambudvipa Continent is the Heavenly Court's base of operations; anyone from there could be one of the Four Sages!'
'It seems that even with the World-Crossing Gate as a cover, my appearance is easily noticed by these shrewd and calculating gods.'
Xu Xiao blinked, then cupped his hands in a salute to the middle-aged Daoist priest:
"So it's the Great Emperor Zhenwu. I misjudged you and didn't recognize you."
Xu Xiao adopted a very humble attitude, displaying the fear and caution of a cultivator encountering a righteous god.
I'm not afraid of him; he can leave anytime anyway.
Although Sovereign Lord Zhenwu was a renowned and powerful God in the Northern Heaven, he was unable to keep him here.
He had only just arrived at the Journey to the Journey to the West when he encountered this renowned God. If the deity exposed his identity, he would have no choice but to slink away in disgrace.
The Journey to the West World may seem devoid of Sage, but its depths are far greater than those of the clearly established Wind and Cloud of Nüwa's appearance. Here, the Heavenly Court gods are all present, and the Buddhas of the West are fully revealed.
Although Sage do not appear, their traces are everywhere.
If anyone harbors ill intentions towards him, Xu Xiao has no choice but to slink away with his tail between his legs.
"Haha, fellow Daoist, there's no need to pretend to be so nervous. I have absolutely no ill intentions towards you, and you are not afraid of me at all. There's no need for such a show."
Please take a seat.
The Great Emperor Zhenwu, however, saw through Xu Xiao's act of panic and directly invited Xu Xiao to sit down with a smile.
Xu Xiao wasn't embarrassed at all after being called out. He calmly sat down and asked with some curiosity:
"I wonder why the Sovereign Lord Zhenwu has summoned me. We seem to have no connection whatsoever?"
This is also what puzzles Xu Xiao the most. To say that he was targeted by the Great Emperor Zhenwu so soon after entering the Journey to the West is already considered unlucky.
But he neither injured anyone, nor expressed any disrespect for the Heavenly Court, nor had he had any karmic connection with these Heavenly Court True God in other worlds. Why was he invited to this Zhenwu Daoist Sanctuary?
"Haha, fellow Daoist, don't panic! My encounter with you was purely by chance, not something I did intentionally."
Zhenwu stroked his beard and smiled, then began to explain.
"That day, Fellow Daoist passed through the Southern Jambudvipa Continent. I sensed a familiar aura, but I couldn't deduce your origins, so I took it upon myself to follow you."
"After meeting you, I realized that you do indeed possess the inheritance of my predecessor, so I specially invited you here for a chat."
"So that's how it is. Is the senior you mentioned, Your Majesty, Guangchengzi?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Xiao could only think of Guangchengzi.
His cultivation method benefited from the legacy of Guangchengzi's remains, and his method of forming the elixir was left behind by the other party— the Divine Charm Five Hearts Golden Core Art, which naturally carries the other party's aura.
Under this Immortal Dao, every cultivation technique has its own origin and background; one can roughly know its origin simply by knowing its aura.
"Indeed, Guangchengzi and my master are fellow disciples, but unfortunately, the ancient immortals have long since retreated to other dimensions to live freely and unrestrained, and have not shown their faces for many years."
"I sensed that your aura was closely connected to the Jade Void Palace, which is why I secretly followed you. Please forgive me, Junior Brother."
Guangchengzi, as the chief disciple of Jade Void, was also considered Grand Master Xuandu, the master of Great Emperor Zhenwu.
Although they are not from the same school, they are all disciples of the Three Pure Ones ' lineage, Great Emperor Zhenwu can naturally address Xu Xiao as his junior brother.
Of course, the most important question is: the ancient immortals had long since vanished into the infinite expanse of time and space, so what is the purpose of this sudden appearance of a cultivator from the Jade Void Sect?
Could it be for the Journey to the West Calamity?
As one of the bigwigs of the Southern Jambudvipa Continent, the Great Emperor Zhenwu has the responsibility to investigate everything that appears on his territory, and naturally he needs to find out Xu Xiao's background.