Great Emperor Gouchen
"Holy Son, you look weak and listless. You couldn't find anything to eat anywhere, could you?"
"Don't even mention it, Mount Ling is a place of ascetic cultivation!"
After eating nineteen bowls of spiritual rice from Mount Ling, Zhang Xuezhou's symptoms of hunger and weakness disappeared, but he felt that his body needed replenishment to achieve better development.
This made Zhang Xuezhou willing to follow his body's instincts and eat as much and as well as possible.
He wandered around Mount Ling, but didn't manage to get any food. However, he did give away more than a dozen pills.
Of course, Zhang Xuezhou cannot say that he gained nothing, after all, he had seen five different versions of the Heart Sutra.
As for the rest, he would need to participate in the Immortal Court Gathering and then pass through the Western Heavenly Gate and Mount Ling again before he could possibly receive any reward.
Zhang Xuezhou wasn't in a hurry. With some matters temporarily settled, he reunited with Xuan Nu and the others, and they would see when everyone would set off for the Immortal Court Immortal Court, and whether he could find some food and drink there to replenish his body.
"Even the most family-oriented dog in Ling Mountain would look down on it because it's so poor," Xuan Nu complained.
"I see a lot of people raising lions, elephants, and tigers," Cai Ma said, puzzled. "They must at least feed and water the Demon Beast they raise, right?"
"These Demon Beast go hungry for three days and six nights. They only receive offerings to fill their stomachs after descending to the Mahabodhi Temple in the mortal realm," the Mystic Maiden said. "Once they have something to eat, the Demon Beast must find their own food and even hunt for their masters!"
"Won't the Demon Beast run away if I raise it like this?"
"Western Sect have a spell called the Soul-Capturing Spell to control beasts; those Demon Beast can't go far!"
The Mystic Maiden shook her head.
While the environment for cultivation in secret places may be excellent, not all secret places are suitable for living, and making them suitable for the survival of most people is an even more difficult task.
If it weren't for the fact that Mount Ling is suitable for growing spiritual rice, even with the best cultivation environment, one could only come here occasionally for secluded cultivation.
Ultimately, monks also need to eat; they cannot fill their stomachs by eating air.
"I have a few lotus seeds here, would you like to chew some, Holy Son?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
The Mystic Maiden took a few Myriad Dharma Lotus, and Zhang Xuezhou put one in his mouth, chewed it twice, and swallowed it.
"Let's go to the Immortal Court. Even if the Immortal Court isn't doing well, it still grows some fruits and vegetables and raises some edible spiritual creatures. They frequently go down to the mortal realm to exchange for ingredients, so getting some food shouldn't be difficult!"
Zhang Xuezhou's behavior was somewhat degrading, but the physical and mental strain of enduring twelve days in the wind cave is understandable.
Xuan Nu originally intended to wait for Zhang Xuezhou to recover at Mount Ling, but judging from Zhang Xuezhou appearance, it was impossible for him to regain his full strength through the environment alone.
She had no choice but to get up and lead the group to Lingxiao, where the Immortal Court was located.
The Western Sect's location, Mount Ling, is only one gate away from the Lingxiao Secret Realm. As long as cultivators pass through the gate erected on Mount Ling, they can step into the Immortal Court.
In the past, the Immortal Court and the Western Sect dominated the grand event for a hundred years. When the two forces hosted the event, it was simple and easy, and sometimes they only needed to hold one event to complete the event. But now, in order to be fair, three events have been hosted.
Xuan Nu casually remarked a few words, then couldn't help but ask Zhang Xuezhou how he managed to be so dominant at the beginning and end of the second event, and what relatively safe area he had hidden in between.
Don't even mention it!
Zhang Xuezhou felt sad whenever he thought about his body shrinking to that of a twelve or thirteen-year-old.
But whenever he thought of his newly grown Heaven and Earth Bridges, he couldn't help but feel joy. After all, he had been troubled by the damage to the Heaven and Earth Bridges for too long and had received an unimaginable treatment.
Of course, Zhang Xuezhou cherishes the resurgence of his physical potential. He hopes to lay a solid physical foundation for his future development and avoid the setbacks and illnesses he suffered in his early years.
"Anyway, I never want to participate in the grand competition at the Wind Cave again," Zhang Xuezhou said.
"I don't want to either!"
Cai Ma muttered something under her breath.
Only after the Goddess of Mystery reprimanded Cai Ma for having no right to be picky did he quickly stop talking.
"Enter the Immortal Court!"
Standing confidently at the Western Heavenly Gate, Zhang Xuezhou stopped talking and looked towards the halo-like white light in the depths of the sky.
With the Spirit Mountain Secret Realm as a transit point, the journey from the Western Heavenly Gate to the Immortal Court is not very long.
In just a short moment, the familiar brothels of the Heavenly Court came into view.
Compared to other factions who left early to make adjustments, Zhang Xuezhou and his group arrived at the Immortal Court later, only slightly earlier than the Buddhist disciples of the Western Sect.
Where is Gouchen, the commander of the armed forces?
There were only two Daoist boys dressed in Daoist robes at the entrance archway of Xitianmen.
The Mystic Maiden glanced at the two Daoist boys' aged faces, her expression showing a hint of surprise.
Being a Daoist novices is a status that can be discerned from one's clothing. These two novices remained Daoist novices from childhood to old age, clearly indicating they had little future.
However, the goddess was not arrogant; on the contrary, she was very polite when she asked questions.
Xuan Nu was in charge of military affairs during the Heavenly Court era, and Gouchen's status was equal to hers. The two were old enemies when the Heavenly Court and the Immortal Court were at odds, but they also developed a mutual respect after their sparring and competition.
"The Emperor is unwell and unable to come to the Western Heavenly Gate to greet the Empress," the old Daoist boy bowed and said. "The Emperor specifically instructed us that if the Empress still remembers him, she can visit Gouchen Palace!"
"He's actually feeling unwell?"
The Mystic Maiden exclaimed in surprise.
But whenever she thought of how weak she was when training Zhang Xuezhou, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly, feeling that even the once brilliant Emperor Gouchen had fallen into his twilight years.
Only a minority of people can live forever and remain young; many people do indeed grow old.
Even the most superior cultivation environment and the art of immortality cannot withstand the erosion of time; some, like Laojun, even sought rebirth.
"Then I shall go to Gouchen Palace and ask for a cup of wine!"
The Mystic Maiden nodded to the two young Daoist boys. The older boy who spoke up had a rosy complexion and bowed before leading the way to a palace not far from the entrance to the Western Heavenly Gate.
"Is Gouchen 1200 years old?"
"Your Majesty, we short-lived children are unaware of Master's lifespan!"
The Mystic Maiden followed the young Daoist boy, and after casually asking a few questions, she stopped talking.
Even those at the top of the hierarchy struggle to protect themselves; these young abbots are like the Silver-Roofed Abbot of the Mahabodhi Temple, constantly being replaced one after another.
Some cultivators who have achieved longevity like to use demons as gatekeepers, simply because demons have a longer lifespan, so they don't have to replace them every few decades.
The two old Daoist boys were human cultivators who had followed Gouchen for less than a hundred years, so their understanding was obviously limited and insufficient to know the whole picture.
The goddess remained silent after asking her question. They followed the old Daoist boy for a mile before finally seeing a Daoist palace with vermilion walls.
Golden glazed tiles adorn the roof, giving the Daoist palace a touch of luxury amidst its grandeur.
The creaking door was pulled open, and the scenery of trees and flowers planted inside the palace immediately came into view.
In Chang'an City, officials and wealthy people all have artificially planted trees and flowers in their residences, which seems commonplace. However, in these secret places, it is a rare and wonderful sight. After all, these high-altitude secret realms are shrouded in various mists, and the climate is cold, which is not suitable for the survival of ordinary plants.
An old Daoist priest, thin and with a sallow and dark complexion, lay quietly on a rattan chair in the center of the courtyard.
If it weren't for the fact that the other person was twirling a blade of grass in their right hand, everyone would have almost suspected that they were already dead.
"Fellow Daoist Gouchen!"
Xuan Nu let out a shout, and the magic sword on her back flew out with a 'whoosh' and landed in front of the old Daoist.
Just as the magic sword was about to strike, everyone saw the old Daoist throw away the foxtail grass, pick up a whisk, and sweep it onto the magic sword. His body flew several feet away with the rattan chair.
"No fighting!"
The old Daoist priest shouted, shook his legs, and propped himself up from the rattan chair.
He looked at the still stunningly beautiful Xuan Nu, his envy evident on his face.
"It's been many years, and the Mystic Maiden still looks the same. I truly envy your Mystic Birds' racial advantage in longevity!"
Emperor Gouchen revealed the true form of Xuan Nu in one sentence, which was impolite, but the envy in his eyes did not anger Xuan Nu at all.
As the once decisive and ruthless Emperor Gouchen grew old and frail, Xuan Nu felt that the grudges and grievances of the past had faded away like the passage of time.