The first thing they saw were giant trees, all appearing to be as green as jade. These colossal trees were incredibly tall, some twenty to thirty zhang [a unit of length, roughly 3.3 meters] or more, even larger than the trees outside.
Furthermore, the arrangement of these colossal trees hinted at a profound secret.
Wu Tao and Xue Shuangjiao, guided by the Azure Dragon's separated soul, hurried towards the depths of the mountain.
There stood a grand hall, constructed from massive logs. It was not small, spanning a hundred zhang in area.
Outside the hall's entrance, more than a dozen members of the Spirit Race, clad in green armor, stood guard. They held various magical artifacts in their hands.
The Azure Dragon's separated soul, carrying Wu Tao and Xue Shuangjiao, landed directly at the entrance of the great hall.
After the dozen or so armored Spirit Race members bowed to the Azure Dragon's separated soul, they stood motionless, their faces expressionless, like automatons.
... [Fan Fiction Novel] ...
Seeing this, Wu Tao curled his lips slightly, a hint of curiosity stirring within him.
Although these dozen or so green-armored Spirit Race members only possessed cultivation levels comparable to the Foundation Establishment stage of the human race, the spiritual energy radiating from them was far beyond that of ordinary cultivators of the same level.
...
Moreover, when they stood together, their auras seemed to connect, as if they were all one entity.
...
As if sensing Wu Tao's surprise, Xue Shuangjiao chuckled and explained, "These are the armored guards specially trained by Old Man Yang. They are most adept at combined attacks."
"Even though their cultivation realms aren't high, when they work together, their combined might can definitely withstand a cultivator in the early stage of Core Formation. There's no problem at all."
"Oh, is that so? That does sound interesting. I'd like to test them out."
Wu Tao said, stroking his chin.
Seeing Wu Tao's demeanor, Xue Shuangjiao twisted his ear with her right hand and said, word by word, "Behave... behave yourself. If you don't feel embarrassed, I do."
"A cultivator in the late stage of Core Formation trying to pick on youngsters, you're truly shameless."
...
"Ouch, ouch, I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong, let go quickly."
Wu Tao, with his ear held tightly, cried out in pain and repeatedly begged for mercy.
...
After severely disciplining Wu Tao, Xue Shuangjiao finally released his ear, which had turned purplish-red.
Upon entering the great hall, the Azure Dragon's separated soul vanished, leaving only Wu Tao and Xue Shuangjiao sitting inside, waiting.
...
After approximately a quarter of an hour, an elderly man, hunched over, his face etched with wrinkles, his hair as white as snow, appeared in the hall.
Upon seeing him, Xue Shuangjiao's expression changed drastically. She pulled Wu Tao to perform a courtesy, then said with a smile, "Elder Yang, how have you come out so quickly?"
Yang Mùdào heard this, his face filled with a benevolent smile. He coughed and said, "A new visitor has arrived, and I must come and test them, mustn't I?"
"You are Yang Mùdào?"
Wu Tao stared at him and asked directly, without any politeness.
...
"Indeed, this old man is Yang Mùdào!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Mùdào's eyes narrowed, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.
Thinking of something, Yang Mùdào did not lash out at Wu Tao and Xue Shuangjiao. He seemed to suppress his anger forcefully.
...
After a moment, a benevolent smile reappeared on Yang Mùdào's face.
Yang Mùdào sat in the main seat and said to Wu Tao and Xue Shuangjiao, "Heh heh, esteemed guests, please first try my unique Tranquil Heart Tea, and then we shall discuss other matters!"
Following this, with a few "snap, snap, snap..." sounds of applause, several young and beautiful female cultivators entered the hall, carrying tea trays with their delicate hands.
These young and beautiful female cultivators respectfully poured a pot of pale green spiritual tea for each of the three, and then quietly withdrew from the hall.
...
"Tranquil Heart Tea, this tea has quite a reputation in the Myriad Minerals Mountain Range. However, I have only heard of its name and never tasted its flavor..."
"Today, I have the fortune to partake, so I must drink several cups. Elder Yang, please don't be stingy."
Xue Shuangjiao looked at the spiritual tea on the table, sensed the abundant wood-element spiritual energy within the tea, and cupped her fists in gratitude.
...
"The little girl's words are indeed sweet. But you shouldn't drink too much. If you drink too much, I will indeed feel a little heartbroken."
"This Tranquil Heart Tea uses ten-thousand-year-old mulberry leaves as tea leaves, and Pure Bright Holy Water as the brewing water. It is then heated in a Purple Star Sacred Bronze furnace. After brewing and drinking, it not only has the effect of calming the mind and spirit, but also possesses a certain degree of healing effect."
"I can't speak for other places, but in this three-part region of the Myriad Minerals Mountain Range, there is no other tea more precious than Tranquil Heart Tea."
Yang Mùdào stroked his beard upon hearing this and chuckled proudly.
...
After a slight smile, Xue Shuangjiao first used a special method to carefully scan the spiritual tea in the cup, confirming that there were no issues, and then unceremoniously picked up the teacup and drank it in one gulp.
...
The taste of Tranquil Heart Tea was not too bitter. After drinking it, a cool sensation began to rise from her lower abdomen and spread silently throughout her body. It was indeed as renowned as its name suggested.
"Does this human Daoist friend not like this tea?"
Wu Tao sat on his chair, his face expressionless, not moving at all, and not even glancing at the spiritual tea on the table.
Suppressing his displeasure, Yang Mùdào, with a somber expression, asked.
"I never consume anything outside of my own cave dwelling. I do not trust you. Who do you think you are? Why should I show you respect?"
Wu Tao said coldly, showing no regard for Yang Mùdào, the host.
...
"I see. It seems I was a bit hasty. In that case, please leave. You are not welcome here."
With these words, Yang Mùdào could no longer tolerate it and was about to turn hostile towards Wu Tao and Xue Shuangjiao.
Xue Shuangjiao quickly smoothed things over and, after some considerable effort to appease him, Yang Mùdào changed his tone.
However, he proposed a duel with Wu Tao to see if Wu Tao was truly qualified to accompany him on their treasure hunt.
...
Yang Mùdào stood up from his chair.
Wu Tao and Xue Shuangjiao also stood up.
Moments later, three beams of light appeared on a nearby mountaintop.
"Attack!"
Wu Tao shouted, and more than a thousand cold, shimmering immortal swords shot out from his Myriad Swords Breaking Immortal Diagram.
As soon as these immortal swords appeared, they all attacked Yang Mùdào.
Upon witnessing this, the originally calm expression on Yang Mùdào's face faltered.
"A sword formation! This human brat is so arrogant, yet he truly possesses something extraordinary." Yang Mùdào muttered to himself.
"Heh heh, Wu Tao's Myriad Swords Breaking Immortal Diagram is not that simple. This way, it should expose some of Yang Mùdào's true capabilities."
Xue Shuangjiao, who had been observing from the side, showed excitement on her face.
A thousand immortal swords flew towards him, forming a river of swords. The chilling radiance was blinding and dazzling, exuding boundless killing intent.
Seeing the dense river of swords approaching, Yang Mùdào did not underestimate it. He directly unleashed his most skilled divine ability.
An aged hand shot out, and with a wave, he struck.
"Rank One Divine Ability—Myriad Spirits Startling Heaven Palm!"
A towering, verdant giant palm, imbued with terrifying aura, appeared out of nowhere.
In almost the blink of an eye, it struck towards the dense river of incoming swords!
...
With a "boom" of explosion, sword light and palm shadows intertwined, flickering unstably. The giant palm, like an insurmountable chasm, blocked all these immortal swords without budging.
The surrounding trees were instantly shattered by the aftershocks, and the mountain peak where the three stood trembled violently as if the heavens and earth were shaking, threatening to collapse.
Judging by the situation, Yang Mùdào still seemed to have considerable power in reserve.
Wu Tao's expression suddenly changed, and a flicker of surprise crossed Xue Shuangjiao's face as she observed from the side.
"It seems this old fellow's strength is beyond my expectations. Although Wu Tao has lost his memory, under my month of tutelage, he can still exert over ninety percent of his previous combat strength."
After Wu Tao used several more variations from the Myriad Swords Breaking Immortal Diagram and still couldn't force out Yang Mùdào's true strength, he gritted his teeth and used the final sword release.
...
Following this, a sky-piercing sword energy erupted from the Myriad Swords Breaking Immortal Diagram without any concealment, spreading out in all directions in an instant.
A fierce wind arose, waves surged, golden lotuses bloomed in fire, and ice crystal immortal swords were cold.
It was as if something terrifying had awakened in that instant. The previously calm sky suddenly transformed.
...
Above the sky, sword light was dense, some spinning, some flowing like a river, some cascading like a waterfall. The feeling of heaven and earth being overturned with a single sword strike was truly breathtaking...
A scroll slowly floated in mid-air. Ten thousand immortal swords converged into one point, and ten thousand swords became one, forming three thousand zhang of five-colored sword energy, all generated in that instant.
"Slash!"
A magnificent sword momentum ascended. The three thousand zhang of five-colored sword energy, shining with astonishingly brilliant sword light, instantly slashed down towards Yang Mùdào!
The three thousand zhang of five-colored sword energy tore through space itself wherever it passed.
...
At this moment, feeling the crisis of death, Yang Mùdào's first, second, and third souls moved with full force. He clenched his fists and struck out fiercely.
"Rank One Divine Ability—Spirit Emperor Overlord Heaven Fist!"
As this fist struck out, spiritual energy surged and power gathered, expanding outwards, as if the Spirit Emperor had returned to life and delivered a full-power punch against a formidable foe.
The collision of sword and fist resulted in no clear victor.
However, both Wu Tao and Yang Mùdào sustained internal injuries, one more severe than the other.
'The aftershock this time was even stronger than before. The mountain peak where the two were standing directly collapsed under the force of the aftershock.
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