Mysterious Heaven

At Qingnuo Mountain, the mountain wind rustles through the forest, rippling the verdant green of the entire mountain like waves.

Yang Xiu and Xu Mo should have been resting in the Water Palace Secret Realm.

But now they stand side by side in front of Qingnuo Mountain.

The two had returned from the foot of Golden Ao Mountain to this spot in silence until their feet touched the rocks. Only then did Yang Xiu turn around, a look of confusion on his face, and speak:

"Senior brother, what can't we say in the Water Palace? Why do you have to call me Green Nuo to say it?"

His tone wasn't harsh, but it carried a stubbornness unique to young people.

He never beat around the bush with his senior brother, who was like a brother and a father to him.

Xu Mo did not respond immediately.

He glanced at Yang Xiu, then looked at the churning clouds on the northern horizon, and gave a bitter smile:

"Junior brother, I never refuse your requests; I always grant them. But this time, it's not about what I want to say to you, but rather a divine decree has arrived. The decree says..."

He stopped abruptly, lowered his head, and looked at his palm.

There was a dark gray talisman, its surface Cloud Seal Script resembling Tortoise and Serpent Coil it, with a faint gray-white aura emanating from it.

Upon seeing this, Yang Xiu immediately recognized which organization the talisman came from, and his expression changed several times as he sensed something was wrong.

He unconsciously took a step forward and lowered his voice:

"Senior brother, what did the imperial edict say?"

Xu Mo raised his head and looked at Yang Xiu. His gaze held a complex mix of emotions: worry, unease, and, most notably, a hint of fear.

After a long pause, he sighed deeply and said in a low voice:

"The imperial decree states that you have rendered meritorious service in Nanzhao. The Xuantian Palace of Zhenwu Mountain hereby bestows upon you..."

He paused, seemingly unwilling to believe the words on it even himself, but in the end he read them aloud, word by word:

"I hereby bestow upon you the method of cultivating the True Qi Dharma Body, and a True Qi spiritual object."

Yang Xiu's previously tense heartstrings fluttered slightly when he heard the words "True Qi Dharma Body".

He paused for a moment before speaking:

"Zhenwu Mountain Xuantian Palace? Not Yuxu?"

Xu Mo nodded, his bitter smile deepening.

Seeing this, Yang Xiu asked again:

"I wonder if what you bestowed is the method of ancient Immortal Truth, or the method practiced by modern Divine Truth?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Mo's expression froze for a moment, then he slowly shook his head:

"If it were left behind by ancient Immortal Truth, why would I be in such a difficult position, and why would I have summoned you to Green Nuo to plead your case..."

After saying that, he stepped forward and handed the talisman in his hand to Yang Xiu.

Above the talisman, Cloud Seal Script flowed, and grayish-white energy intertwined like a tortoise and snake, condensing and not dissipating.

Yang Xiu did not reach out to take it, but instead kept his gaze fixed on the talisman, remaining silent for a long time.

After a long while, Xu Mo finally spoke, his voice low and deep:

"It is a direct lineage of the True Martial Mountain sect, named ' Mysterious Heaven True Martial Divine Sha Dharma Body '."

"Upon successful cultivation, one can condense the True Martial Divine Body, suppressing evil and vanquishing demons, impervious to all malevolent forces. This method complements your profound Qi; the profound Qi draws in calamities and brings down tribulations, while the divine body suppresses calamities and protects against disasters. One draws, the other suppresses, combining strength and gentleness. If cultivated to its fullest potential, it will be three times more ferocious than most other magical bodies in the Xuanmen."

He paused, then added:

"Along with the Dharma, a spiritual object of True Qi was also bestowed, named ' Tortoise-Snake United True Essence.' This object was formed over ten thousand years by the True Martial Mountain lineage of Zhenwu Mountain, nourished by the Mysterious Heaven True Water. It contains the True Intention of the union of a turtle and a snake, and shares the same origin and root as the ' Mysterious Heaven True Martial Divine Sha Dharma Body,' making it the most Higher Vehicle spiritual object for cultivating this Dharma body."

After Xu Mo finished speaking, he gently pushed the talisman in front of Yang Xiu.

Yang Xiu stared at the talisman but did not immediately take it.

A mountain breeze swept across his golden robes, causing the golden bells at his waist to jingle softly. The Profound Qi mark between his brows unconsciously appeared and slowly rotated.

His gaze shifted from Fu Ling to Xu Mo, his voice extremely low:

"True Martial Mountain... why did you bestow these upon me?"

Xu Mo did not answer.

He simply turned his head and gazed at the gradually dispersing clouds in the northern sky. After a long while, he softly uttered:

That's why I said, this time, it's not about what I want to say to you.

As soon as they finished speaking, the mountain wind picked up, making their robes flutter loudly.

After a long silence, Yang Xiu spoke again:

Is it absolutely necessary to accept?

After he finished speaking, Xu Mo.

Seeing this, Yang Xiu couldn't help but sigh.

True Martial Mountain... Back then, that emperor sought the Eight Sceneries, and then went to Jade Void with sincerity, and received the reply that He would give him both the Killing Qi Fruit and the "Residual True Qi". This matter was originally a joyous event for both Jade Void and the Eight Sceneries, witnessed by the Three Palaces, and celebrated by Heaven and Earth.

But later... the Han dynasty moved south, and the world fell into chaos.

The True Lord of the Jade Casket Dao Lineage, who had True Qi Fruition, has fallen. His body is not yet cold, and his True Qi Fruition remains uncertain.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, that emperor arbitrarily jumped from "Evil Qi Fruit, True Qi Residual" to "True Qi Fruit, Controlling and Shooting Evil Qi Fruit", seizing the Fruition Position, and even... changed "Immortal Truth" to "Divine Truth" to complete his own cultivation and become Heavenly Venerable in one fell swoop.

From then on, everyone in the Mysterious Gate), especially those under the Jade Void sect, regarded him as a traitor.

From that time onward, Golden Court and True Martial Mountain ceased all contact and communication.

Now, they're actually telling us that the Golden Court Dao Lineage, which belongs to the Jade Void Sect and is based on the Dao of Immortal Dao, is to cultivate the Divine Truth Method of True Martial Mountain...

Just as Yang Xiu was pondering, Xu Mo finally spoke again. Yang

Xiu looked up and saw him pointing towards Longchuan, his voice heavy as if pressing down on a massive boulder:

"Junior brother, back then you killed the people from True Martial Mountain there and even spoke rudely to them."

He paused, then continued:

"It is said that the Heavenly Venerable did not say much about the killing of his disciple, only saying 'his skills were inferior.' However, at that time, Abbot Su said he wanted to demolish the True Martial Mountain. The Heavenly Venerable was very dissatisfied with this and originally wanted to personally subdue him and bring him to the Mysterious Heaven Palace for thorough interrogation. It was only through the intervention of the Thunder Bureau Heavenly Venerable that he was stopped."

After saying this, Xu Mo turned his head, his gaze falling on Yang Xiu's face, and continued:

"You can stop them for a while, but not forever. The Heavenly Venerable's anger hasn't subsided, so he used this divine decree as a pretext to send the Dharma and spiritual objects to the Golden Court. I heard that the Second Master of the Sect originally intended to handle this matter personally, but before he even left Jade Void, he was stopped halfway by the Lord of the Yuanfu."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiu's pupils contracted sharply.

The sect leader was stopped, but the imperial decree had already arrived at the Golden Court.

Whether he accepted this gift or not, he was now in a precarious situation.

If accepted, True Martial Mountain could then openly proclaim to the world: the Golden Court Daoist and the Jade Void Sect have cultivated the laws of True Martial Mountain and received the favor of the Mysterious Heaven Palace.

In the future, not only Yang Xiu himself, but also the Golden Court lineage, and even the entire Jade Void, will be talked about behind their backs.

How could Yang Xiu possibly have the face to see Su Yao, Zilin, or those fellow Daoists who shared the Jade Void Dao lineage with him?

But what if I don't answer?

Yang Xiu closed his eyes, feeling as if a piece of red-hot iron was pressing on his chest.

This time, True Martial Mountain didn't bestow any divine teachings; it was clearly issuing a decree.

The Heavenly Venerable uses "reward" as a pretext, but his true intention is to use it as a calculated move. If you accept it, you fall into his trap; if you don't, you are publicly disrespecting the Heavenly Venerable.