Chapter 889: Dongming Island Dharma Assembly

Mortal Realm

Mortal Realm

Everyone fell silent, not daring to utter a word, and dispersed one after another.

The avatar walked out last.

"A forbidden zone? Has it become an openly recognized forbidden zone, or is it a place sealed away, unknown to others?" he wondered inwardly. He sensed that the mysteries surrounding Ox-Fight Peak were growing ever larger. The Lán Dǒu Sect's apparent dread of it only intensified his curiosity about the true inheritance of Ox-Fight Peak.

Returning to his stone chamber, he finished refining the spiritual materials for the day. He then left the stone palace alone and returned to his cave dwelling to continue condensing the Yin-Yang Armor. Early the next morning, he piloted his magical artifact and flew towards a peak within the Lán Dǒu Sect that resembled a pagoda.

Clusters of wooden halls dotted the mountain, serving as the repository for the sect's ancient texts.

Passing through areas where lower-level disciples were active, he merely exchanged greetings with acquaintances before flying continuously up the mountain.

Upon entering the mountain, he paid the spiritual stones and began perusing the ancient texts within.

For the next few days, he frequently visited this mountain.

Newly inducted disciples were only permitted to access the texts on the first floor of the pagoda. While these texts did reveal many secrets of the Canglang Sea he had been unaware of, he couldn't find what he was truly looking for.

Closing a book, the avatar's face revealed a thoughtful expression. "It seems I must quickly condense the Yin-Yang Armor and become a true disciple of Yin-Yang Peak," he mused. "Only true disciples are qualified to access the sect's forbidden zones. Fortunately, Yin-Yang Peak doesn't require Foundation Establishment for true discipleship; merely successfully condensing the Yin-Yang Armor and proving one's talent for cultivating the 'Yin-Yang Heavenly Combat Secret Art' is enough. Otherwise, even if I were confident in reaching the thirteenth level of Qi Refinement and establishing a Foundation within one or two years, such a cultivation speed would be too alarming. It would certainly draw unwanted attention..."

With this thought in mind, the avatar ceased his activities there, returned to his cave dwelling, and dedicated himself fully to condensing the Yin-Yang Armor.

His cultivation speed was no slower than that of the most talented new disciples. As time passed, more and more Yin-Yang energy condensed on his body, and the prototype of an armor gradually took shape.

On this very day, the avatar suddenly received a message from a senior disciple: someone was looking for him outside the sect gates.

After relaying the message, the senior disciple's face broke into a knowing smile.

"The avatar has had almost no contact with cultivators outside the sect gate," he thought. "Who would come looking for me? Could it be..."

A thought struck the avatar, and he flew out beyond the sect gate, only to see Fang Ting standing gracefully there.

"Big Brother Zhang!"

Upon seeing the avatar, Fang Ting's eyes lit up, and she waved enthusiastically. Once he landed in front of her, however, her expression became reserved, and she stammered shyly, "Senior Brother Zhang, I'm sorry, I didn't know Master would..."

The avatar waved his hand. "Junior Sister, there's no need to apologize. I know you meant well! Besides, Elder Chen might not have been targeting me; perhaps he was going to arrange a good position for me, but was interrupted by Patriarch Huayang's sudden arrival..."

Given the relationship between the Lán Dǒu Sect and the Yān Miǎo Pavilion, it wasn't inappropriate for them to address each other as senior and junior siblings.

"Senior Brother, you don't blame me! That's wonderful!"

A great weight lifted from Fang Ting's heart, and she let out a sudden sigh of relief, exclaiming joyfully, "I was just afraid you'd misunderstand me, Senior Brother, which is why I hesitated for so long. Otherwise, I would have visited you much earlier!"

"I'm not someone who doesn't appreciate kindness," the avatar said with a slight smile. "However, Junior Sister, did you seek Elder Chen's permission to come here?"

Fang Ting pouted. "Senior Brother, you still blame Master in your heart, but that's normal. You'll understand later; Master isn't a bad person!"

At this moment, Fang Ting suddenly lowered her voice, pointed towards the Lán Dǒu Sect, and whispered mysteriously, "After Master returned, he's been fuming. He's currently in seclusion, vowing to break through to the middle stage of Core Formation..."

Hearing this, the avatar understood. Anyone who had endured such humiliation in the Yān Miǎo Pavilion's Ancestral Hall would surely find it hard to calm their resentment.

The sect of the cultivator surnamed Chen couldn't possibly be stronger than Patriarch Huayang's, so he could only strive diligently, hoping to surpass him in cultivation to have a chance to return the humiliation.

Seeing that the avatar genuinely didn't mind the previous incident, Fang Ting reverted to her usual cheerful self.

The avatar took her into the sect and showed her around thoroughly. From her words, he also learned that Fang Ting had long been favored by the cultivator surnamed Chen and taken as a disciple.

However, she hadn't known the cultivator's true identity before; the truth only became clear after she joined the Yān Miǎo Pavilion.

Finally seeing off the reluctant Fang Ting, the avatar couldn't help but sigh with relief.

"This girl holds an exceptionally high status in the Yān Miǎo Pavilion, and Old Chen is so fiercely protective of his own," he mused. "I suppose few peers in the sect dare to approach her, which is why she's taken to treating the avatar as a friend. Playing this role is quite troublesome; every encounter requires careful handling. The right course of action is to quickly find the true inheritance of Ox-Fight Peak and leave as soon as possible. As long as the third challenge of the 'Heavenly Demon Refinement' is solved, my true body can find a safe cave dwelling to cultivate in seclusion for several decades, quietly awaiting the opening of the Seven Kills Palace..."

The avatar muttered to himself.

Although he was still some way from truly condensing the Yin-Yang Armor, the avatar, after some thought, decided to pay a visit to Uncle-Master Yang. He headed directly for Yin-Yang Peak and soon arrived at its base.

The spiritual energy here was several times denser than that of the outer Jade Finger Peak, indicating it was one of the best spiritual vein locations within the sect.

The avatar stopped at the foot of the mountain, took out a token, channeled spiritual energy into it, and activated its restriction.

Soon after, a streak of light appeared in the mountain, revealing the figure of a Daoist boy.

His expression was somewhat displeased, seemingly annoyed that the avatar had come to disturb him at that moment. He reprimanded, "You've only just joined the sect; why aren't you diligently cultivating? What are you wandering around for?"

The avatar showed a fearful expression and timidly said, "Reporting to Uncle-Master Yang, this disciple has just condensed the prototype of the Yin-Yang Armor and feels he's hit a bottleneck. There's been no progress for several days straight, and I have some questions I'd like to ask Uncle-Master..."

"What?"

Hearing the avatar's words, the Daoist boy's anger vanished, and he asked in surprise, "You've condensed the Yin-Yang Armor prototype so quickly? Let me see it!"

As instructed, the avatar performed a mental incantation, and gray qi churned on his body, barely condensing enough to reveal the faint outline of armor.

Under his deliberate control, his condensation speed within the Yin-Yang lineage wasn't the absolute fastest, but it was certainly among the top tier.

Seeing the armor prototype on the avatar's body, the Daoist boy's surprise deepened. "It seems I underestimated your talent," he remarked. "This achievement is even better than mine was back then! In that case... you might even make it to the Dongming Island Dharma Assembly."

The Daoist boy looked thoughtful, his final words barely audible, almost a mumble to himself.

However, the avatar still caught a few words.

This Dongming Island Dharma Assembly was something he was hearing about for the first time.

The Daoist boy lifted his eyelids and said solemnly, "Condensing the Yin-Yang Armor is meant to test one's talent. In truth, once the Yin-Yang Armor prototype is formed, one can begin cultivating the secret art. Your ability to condense the prototype so quickly clearly demonstrates exceptional talent; there's no need for further testing. Even passing on the true inheritance to you now would be justifiable. My master previously instructed us to act according to expediency in urgent matters, and at a time when we are short-handed, there's no need to rigidly adhere to all the rules..."