Chapter 1007: Customs

Lu Yang had intended to visit Tao Yao Ye with Yun Mengmeng. Before they even ascended the mountain, they saw the disciples of Wuchen Peak gathered at the foot of the mountain, creating a lively scene with their cheerful chatter. Tao Yao Ye was among them.

"Junior Sister Tao, what are you all doing down here?" Lu Yang asked, puzzled.

"Senior Brother Lu, Happy New Year! And Senior Sister Yun, Happy New Year to you too! It's almost the New Year, so we're doing a big clean-up."

"You're doing a big clean-up, and you're all standing at the foot of the mountain?"

"Of course, it's because Master is here," Tao Yao Ye explained with a giggle.

Suddenly, a powerful aura erupted from the mountaintop. This aura continuously expanded outwards, stirring up countless particles of dust.

"Look, Master is using her Immaculate Immortal Body for the big clean-up. Normally, she suppresses her Immaculate Domain, but now that it's New Year's and we're cleaning, once the Immaculate Domain expands, all the dust gets cleaned away instantly. The mountain is spotless now."

This was Lu Yang's first time seeing the Immaculate Immortal Body used in such a way; it seemed incredibly extravagant.

"Convenient, isn't it?"

"It certainly is."

"My senior sisters say that Wuchen Peak is always the cleanest during the New Year's clean-up."

Lu Yang thought to himself, 'Of course it is. No other peak could be cleaned as thoroughly as by the Sixth Elder.'

"Speaking of which, it seems like no one is cleaning Tianmen Peak," Lu Yang suddenly remembered, realizing that New Year's preparations should indeed be meticulous.

"Someone's already working," the Immortal Fairy said, assuring Lu Yang not to worry and just enjoy himself. "When we left Tianmen Peak, the Fourth Leader took the Sect Master and Master Liu, the skewer chef, to do the cleaning. I don't know if they volunteered or if Yun Er told them to."

The Immortal Sect Master, along with Master Liu, Master Gao, and others, were all spirits refined by the Senior Sister, completely obedient to her.

"That's good then," Lu Yang chuckled, relieved that one less thing was on his mind, allowing him to properly celebrate the New Year.

*Crackling, popping, crackling, popping...* How could New Year's be complete without the sound of firecrackers? As New Year's Eve descended, the festive atmosphere in Wen Dao Sect grew even thicker.

One senior sister was twirling around with two strings of firecrackers, confident they wouldn't harm her, and didn't let go even after they had all exploded.

Lu Yang hadn't set off firecrackers in a long time either, and seeing this, his hands began to itch with the urge to try.

*Whoosh—* A firecracker rocketed past Lu Yang's head and exploded not far away. Then came a series of *whooshes*, as countless rockets flew by, some from his left, some from his right, creating a barrage of explosions.

Only then did Lu Yang notice that, at some point, many senior and junior brothers had lined up on both sides. They were pulling out large cannons from their storage rings and firing them at each other, the explosions deafening.

These firecrackers were of ordinary power, only capable of harming cultivators in the Qi Refining stage. They could be set off freely in Wen Dao Sect without even damaging clothes.

Some senior brothers, finding the cannons too slow to fire, simply swung their arms and threw the firecrackers directly at the opposite side. The other side, unwilling to be outdone, retaliated in the same manner.

Another senior sister sat on a stool with countless firecrackers piled beneath it. A single spark fell, ignited the pile, and blasted her straight into the sky. *Crackling, popping.* The stool exploded in the air, resembling spectacular fireworks.

"...How is this different from the firecrackers I remember?" Lu Yang's mouth twitched. This wasn't just setting off firecrackers; Wen Dao Sect was practically becoming an armory.

"I think it's fine," Yun Mengmeng chuckled, her eyes reflecting the fiery glow. "It's much less powerful than my self-detonation."

"Wouldn't it be a big problem if it was as powerful as your self-detonation?" Lu Yang muttered under his breath.

"No, it wouldn't," the Immortal Fairy materialized and explained. "Back then, during New Year's, I'd often self-detonate a few times to liven up the atmosphere, and it eventually became a tradition."

"Mortals worship me greatly. They wanted to imitate my grand gestures and create some excitement during the New Year, but since they couldn't replicate the scale of my self-detonations, they settled for setting off firecrackers instead."

"So, self-detonating is the most authentic way to celebrate New Year's?!"

"Of course it is! Just look at my influence," the Immortal Fairy said, hands on her hips, beaming proudly.

"I don't think this New Year's is lively enough. How about I just self-detonate once to show you a real tradition?"

"No, no, that's not necessary!" Lu Yang was startled. If the fairy self-detonated, wouldn't the entire Wen Dao Sect be blown sky-high?

*Rumble—* A dull roar echoed from the sky, accompanied by the roars of dragons and lions. Lu Yang looked up and realized that his senior brothers and sisters had used transformation techniques to turn themselves into dragons and lions, fighting fiercely in the air. With fireworks as a backdrop, the scene was grand and beautiful, more than sufficient even for the climactic battle between protagonist and antagonist at the end of "Dreamy Illusion."

"Is this what New Year's dragon and lion dances are like?" Lu Yang increasingly felt that this was completely different from the New Year's he remembered.

"Hey, is that one a lion too?" Lu Yang noticed that among the group of dragons and lions, there was one lion that looked remarkably different. It was eight or nine zhang long, terrifying in appearance, with round eyes and fiery red fur like a burning cloud. A single horn grew from its head, and it was exceptionally lively during the dragon and lion dance. More accurately, it was frolicking, wagging its head and sticking out its tongue.

The lion-like beast sensed Lu Yang's gaze, suddenly flew down, scrutinized Lu Yang, and spoke in human tongue: "You can see me?"

"Who are you?!" Lu Yang was instantly startled. Was he not supposed to be able to see it?

"Hmm, isn't that a Nian Beast?" The Immortal Fairy recognized the beast's origin at a glance.

"A Nian Beast? The beast nurtured by the Immortal of Time using the Dao Fruit of Time?" Lu Yang recalled. The Immortal Fairy had briefly introduced Nian Beasts before, and Senior Sister had also mentioned wanting to catch one but hadn't succeeded.

"Yes, it's a beast created by the Immortal of Time, quite magical."

"They are beasts that live within time, only appearing on New Year's Eve each year, then leaping through time to the next New Year's Eve, and so on. That's why we have the saying 'passing the Nian' (过年). They love red and enjoy lively scenes. Every year, during the New Year's celebrations in the mortal world, they hide among the festivities to play. This time, it's probably because our sect's New Year's celebrations are grander than those in the mortal world, which attracted one. Because their birth is related to the Dao Fruit, only immortals can see them."

"So, you're a Nian Beast?" Lu Yang understood the origin of the beast in front of him and no longer felt nervous.

"You're an immortal... No, you're only at the Soul Transformation stage!" The Nian Beast was greatly astonished. Only immortals could see them, so how could this mortal, only at the Soul Transformation stage, see it and even know about Nian Beasts? What was the Second Leader doing?

Yun Mengmeng seemed to sense something and turned to look at Lu Yang, who appeared to be talking to something invisible, acting very convincingly. "Is the Second Leader really that childish? I stopped doing this when I was sixteen."