Chapter 64: The Legend of Chen Sifeng

The Daoist priest of Kongkong, whose Dharma name is Xuankun, is an ancient monster who has lived in seclusion on Mount Kongtong for several millennia. Judging merely by his age, one can easily deduce the profound depth of his cultivation realm. It must be understood that the Longevity Realm, though carrying the name of longevity, does not truly grant existence coeval with heaven and earth; rather, it is a collective term for a profound understanding of life and death. According to sparse historical records, beings in the Longevity Realm possess a maximum lifespan of roughly one thousand years.

Since this secluded elder has lived for several millennia, there is no other possibility than that he has reached the Human King Realm or an even higher realm.

The reason why Chenfeng, the sect master of Kongtong, revealed this trump card in advance was not only because the Spirit-Gathering Array is indeed crucial to a sect, but also out of the deep frustration of being overshadowed by Kunlun.

This great contention of the current era has already shattered the ancient rules set by powerful beings prohibiting cultivators from entering the mortal world. In Chenfeng's view, this is a monumental opportunity. If they can become the undisputed, hegemonic sect of the cultivation world at this moment, they will inevitably gather the fate and fortune of the entire world upon themselves. When that time comes, launching campaigns against other worlds or consolidating resources within their own realm will be considered a great and meritorious achievement, securing a profound and enduring legacy within this vast cultivation community.

Chenfeng and his junior brother Qinghua arrived at the welcoming grand hall. Glancing at the plaque broken into four pieces and the shattered sculptures, Chenfeng furrowed his brows slightly and spoke with a natural, unforced majesty: "What kind of system is this? What manner of behavior?"

"What manner of behavior... What manner of behavior..."

Although Chenfeng spoke in a calm and gentle voice, his words resounded like rolling thunder, with echoes rumbling endlessly in the air.

"The Sect Master Uncle has arrived."
"Indeed, that is the voice of the Sect Master Grandmaster."

The flustered Daoists outside the grand hall seemed to have suddenly found their pillar of support. As they regained their composure, their eyes burned with fanatical devotion.

One must know that Daoist Chenfeng is a legendary figure within Kongtong. Many disciples chose to enter the sect precisely after hearing tales of Chenfeng's remarkable deeds.

Back in that year, Chenfeng strongly advocated for opening the mountain gates wide and mobilizing the entire sect's strength to step out into the world and resist foreign invaders. However, at that time, Chenfeng was merely a candidate for the sect mastership, and his words lacked sufficient weight.

After his proposal was rejected by his master and mocked by numerous disciples coveting the position of sect master, Chenfeng, in a fit of righteous indignation, rode his sword straight up to Kunlun. He articulated his reasoning and resorted to force. Although nothing was ultimately accomplished—and he was even hunted across the realms by the ancient immortals of Kunlun who had been in deep seclusion—his visionary insistence won the support of countless people. While major sects were bound by myriad rules and unable to act, minor sects with genuine ancient inheritances all voiced their agreement and support. In an instant, Chenfeng's prestige in the cultivation world reached its zenith.

It was precisely by leveraging this external momentum that he successfully seized the position of the Kongtong sect master in one fell swoop.

"It seems my Kongtong has grown too accustomed to a life of comfort and seclusion, that even such a trivial disturbance could throw everyone into a panic like this?" Seeing the crowd gradually calm down, Chenfeng let out a cold hum and commanded, "Have half of the fifth-generation disciples split off and escort the sixth-generation disciples to the residential quarters."

The sixth-generation disciples were mostly pampered youths from wealthy families who had just been recruited. Having never witnessed such grand and terrifying spectacles, their minds were understandably unsettled.

The Daoists wearing three white stripes on their sleeves bowed in acknowledgment. Immediately afterward, the group bent down to lift those pampered youths who were still sprawled on the ground, sniffling and weeping with snot and tears streaming down their faces, and led them away toward the backyard quarters.

With these eyesores out of the way, Chenfeng's expression improved noticeably. He looked at the disciples, who were gazing at him with reverence, nodded inwardly, and expressed great satisfaction: "Who was in charge of this entrance examination? Step forward and explain the situation."

Two men and a woman stepped out from the crowd—they were the very same three Daoists who had appeared at the foot of the mountain. With similarly fanatical expressions and respectful, lowered heads, they recounted the events of the entrance examination in meticulous detail. They reported every single detail truthfully, regardless of its importance, and even confessed without reservation to having accepted bribes from certain individuals to lend them a helping hand at critical moments.

"If that is the case, it is indeed possible that a scuffle among these people inadvertently triggered our Kongtong's Grand Spirit-Gathering Array," Chenfeng mused thoughtfully after listening. "Our Spirit-Gathering Array has been set up for at least several thousand years. With the slight shifting of the terrain over time, some arrays have become exposed, making it entirely possible for outsiders to inadvertently breach it. While ignorance of the law excuses no one, we must teach them a small lesson so they understand that once they ascend Mount Kongtong, they must behave according to the rules.

Although the three of you showed slight flaws in handling this matter, overall you performed well. The task of teaching those unappreciative wretches a lesson will be entrusted to the three of you. Once the task is completed, each of you may select one scripture from the Scripture Pavilion, and I will personally instruct you for a day," Chenfeng said kindly.

"Thank you, Sect Master!" The three of them beamed with joy, bowing even deeper.

"Go!" Chenfeng waved his hand dismissively and said in a calm tone.

"Understood. We shall not fail our mission." The three of them dared not even straighten their backs as they slowly retreated to the entrance, then spun around and soared into the air.

...

Halfway up the mountain, Chen Hongxu and his companions did not rush to continue their journey after disrupting the Spirit-Gathering Array. Disguising themselves with panicked expressions, they mingled with the crowd of latecomers, letting out continuous, feigned cries of terror as if they had been frightened out of their wits.

Donglian naturally blended into this crowd as well. From the fact that she needed to resort to such covert behavior, it was not hard to deduce that her ascension to Mount Kongtong harbored less than pure intentions.

Donglian furrowed her delicate brows and twitched her refined nose, seemingly quite displeased with the heavy smell of sweat emanating from the people around her. Yet she knew this was not the time to throw a tantrum; after all, everyone climbing the mountain had worked up a sweat, and any other spot would likely be no different.

Donglian glanced sideways at the boisterous, bouncing Fan the Coward with a faint smile, then began searching the crowd for Chen Hongxu's figure.

Suddenly, her eyebrows twitched, and an indescribable sourness welled up in her heart. She saw Chen Hongxu holding Xue Xi by the hand, standing amidst the crowd in a space where no one dared approach within a foot of them. Donglian even spotted faint, spiral-shaped wisps of qi continuously revolving around the couple.

"Sooner or later, I will make you go to such great lengths for me as well," Donglian thought to herself, forcing herself to look away from the sweet scene of the young couple. Yet the more she tried not to look, the more her heart itched with curiosity.

Because Chen Hongxu and his group had broken the Spirit-Gathering Array, all the checkpoints set up by Kongtong instantly lost their efficacy. Aside from those unfortunate souls who had already lost their lives, even those who had been stuck on the first tier felt the spiritual pressure vanish in an instant. Though they did not understand the reason, no one was willing to let go of such a rare opportunity. Consequently, large throngs of people resumed their climb up the mountain.

As the vanguard group, Chen Hongxu and his companions had walked for only about ten minutes when they saw three Daoists standing with folded arms across the path, blocking their way with gloomy expressions.

The female Daoist among them narrowed her eyes, sweeping her gaze across the crowd like a venomous snake. Originally, they had assumed the task assigned by the sect master would be effortlessly completed. However, after questioning a few panicked, shell-shocked wealthy youths, they managed to parse an unusual undertone from the incoherent rambling.

The male Daoist to the female Daoist's left stepped forward, his face dark and sinister as he demanded, "Who was fighting recklessly on Mount Kongtong? Step forward on your own, or else once we investigate and drag out your souls to refine them, we will make you beg for death in vain."

A great commotion instantly erupted among the mountain climbers... The immortals had cast aside their dignity, and compared to the ferocious visage of malevolent ghosts, this was far more terrifying...