“So… everything was out of Senior Brother’s painstaking efforts… Qiankun thanks you! I will remember it in my heart!” Zhang Rongfang’s heart bled as he solemnly saluted Ding Rui.

“Why are you doing this, Junior Brother?” Ding Rui shook his head and stepped forward to support Zhang Rongfang, preventing him from bowing down.

“You are the hope for the future succession of the Celestial Treasure Palace of our Great Dao Teaching, so it’s only right to be concerned regardless of the circumstances.”

“Besides.” He paused, “Additionally, this time coming to Ze Province is also a return to my hometown. Speaking of which, I am from here. I grew up in this area, and many years ago, when the Sect Leader took me away, I was only in my teens. Now, many years have passed, and if not for you, Junior Brother, I might still not be able to return home.”

“I see…” Zhang Rongfang understood.

“Right, Junior Brother, your mission this time is formidable. Regarding the Jade Void Palace, although the Palace Master was initially persuaded by the Sect Leader to unite, the Palace Master’s faith is in the Sect Leader and no one else.

Although the Celestial Treasure Palace and the Jade Void Palace are two sides of the same entity, your identity as Daoist primarily inherits everything from the Celestial Treasure Palace.

The Jade Void Palace is considered a secret force, always passed down independently. So…..”

“So, if I can persuade the Jade Void Palace Master, only then will my identity be fully recognized?” Zhang Rongfang knowingly nodded.

“Precisely, but the Jade Void Palace Master…. Her elder has some rather peculiar little quirks. If you meet her, don’t be surprised or afraid. You will get used to it over time.” Ding Rui seemed to be pondering his words….

This caused Zhang Rongfang, who had previously had some suspicions, to feel another chill in his heart.

It seems that this journey to the Jade Void Palace is not just about seeking refuge, but also about Old Yue’s hope that he can meet with the other faction of the Great Dao Teaching to unify their thoughts.

“Well, Junior Brother, it’s time to hit the road. Don’t blame the Sect Leader for this. All of this was to provide an opportunity to thoroughly clean out any potential hidden dangers and malefactors around you.

So this was the last resort, but now it seems that apart from some affiliated forces of the Western Sect, nothing else was baited out.” Ding Rui sighed.

“Thank you, Master, and Senior Brother, for your hard work. Qiankun is ashamed…” Zhang Rongfang also sighed.

Immediately, Ding Rui and several others escorted him across Lichun Lake.

This time there were no accidents.

Zhang Rongfang also understood that the initial deliberate portrayal of him traveling alone was part of the plan.

Now that they were approaching his hometown, there was naturally no need for those preparations.

Those that were supposed to show up had already shown up.

So the group headed straight into Ze Province.

Instead of taking office first, they went ahead to the Ancestral Court of the Great Dao Teaching in Ze Province – the Jade Void Palace.

*

*

*

Ze Province · Tianhe Mountain Range.

In the center of Ze Province, there’s a massive mountain range that spans the region, shaped like a river, winding and flowing, with snow-capped peaks. It is also locally known as Tianhe.

The true Jade Void Palace is hidden at the highest point of the Tianhe Mountain Range – Spirit Void Peak.

Spirit Void Peak is like a gigantic hand, with five fingers pointing to the sky, palm facing upwards, as if supporting some invisible object.

The architectural complex of the Jade Void Palace is built in the center of the palm.

To enter, one must first pass through Tianmen.

“Is this Tianmen?”

Zhang Rongfang and others were standing on the mountain path of Spirit Void Peak at this moment.

Ahead was a broad avenue leading into an icy gorge.

In the gorge stood a large, towering pass that guarded it.

This pass was black and white and covered in snow.

From a distance, it looked like a giant circular lock, with the keyhole being the only way to enter or exit through the main gate.

The pass seemed to be predominantly made of stone and metal, with complex feather patterns, cloud patterns, and Daoist inscriptions carved all over.

Zhang Rongfang looked around at the height of the cliffs on either side of the pass, which were at least several hundred meters high.

“Is this pass what Jade Void Palace set up as Tianmen?” he asked in a deep voice.

“That’s right.” Ding Rui revealed a slight look of pride.

“Tianmen is more than a hundred meters tall, a critical defense line against any intruding enemies. Due to its lock-like appearance, many fellow sect members like to call it Heavenly Lock.”

He led the way forward.

“Let’s go, people have come to welcome us.”

Zhang Rongfang hurriedly followed. Behind him were the three of the Hundred Flowers Fairy and others, who were the previous external hidden sentinels established by the Jade Void Palace. They were also returning this time to rest and recuperate.

The group pushed forward, entering the gorge.

The cliffs on both sides were steep, covered with moss and mountain grass, and the withered vines could not conceal the faint erosion patterns on the stone walls.

Groups of white, unknown birds kept flying back and forth over the gorge, seemingly playing a game of circling.

At this moment, on the mountain staircase path ahead, more than a dozen tall figures in white clothes, draped in heavy cloaks, quickly approached.

Among them were both men and women, all wearing thick white fur hats, and cloaks with warm fur-lined collars for warmth.

On their backs were various exotic weapons, including long spears, tridents, wolf fang clubs, long-handled broadswords, and even someone carrying a pair of large, thick, black flails.

The leader was a middle-aged man with bright eyes and reddish skin.

This man had a small mustache, carrying a prayer wheel, standing about two meters thirty-four centimeters tall, clearly holding a high position among the group.

The others dared not step out of line even in their steps.

“Yunshan Daoist, First-class Steward of the Jade Void Palace, greets the Daoist. Greetings to Senior Brother Ding.” As the middle-aged man approached, he saluted Ding Rui and Zhang Rongfang solemnly.

The two hurriedly returned the salute.

“I trouble you, Brother Yunshan, to guide us.” Ding Rui followed along. “Years away, I don’t know how the situation has changed here.” He sighed slightly.

“Is Brother Ding concerned about family matters? Over the years, Ding Mansion remains safe and orderly without any issues….” Yunshan quickly started conversing with Ding Rui.

Zhang Rongfang, behind them, spoke quietly with one of the people accompanying Yunshan.

“Are you the Daoist Zhang Ying from the Celestial Treasure Palace? Known as Qiankun? Such an impressive Daoist name!” A beautiful young woman in a pure white fox fur cloak and a full chest curiously approached Zhang Rongfang to ask.

“Yes, the Dao name was given by my master, I had no choice. Don’t be fooled by the grand name, in reality, as you know, the Celestial Treasure Palace doesn’t focus much on martial arts.

My real name is Zhang Ying, Ying as in shadow, may I ask this junior sister’s Daoist name?” Zhang Rongfang asked softly, showing a hint of helplessness.

“My name is Shangguan Yi, Daoist name Han Zhen, you can just call me Han Zhen.” The young girl seemed relatively young but was quite outgoing, not shy at all.

Moreover, with her pretty and cute appearance, her face full of collagen, whenever she smiled, two deep dimples appeared.

A person like this, even if they start a conversation suddenly or make a slip while speaking, wouldn’t provoke displeasure.

Everyone tends to be more lenient towards such individuals.

“I heard you came here to meet with the Palace Master, is that correct?” Han Zhen asked softly.

“Yes, my main objective here is to meet with the Palace Master; after all, she is my martial uncle grandmother, and I must come out of both sense and reason,” Zhang Rongfang nodded.

“Then you should be cautious.” Han Zhen suddenly had a peculiar expression, “The Palace Master has a bad temper. You must go along with her in your words and actions; otherwise, it could be very troublesome!”

“What do you mean?” Zhang Rongfang had long been curious about the Jade Void Palace’s Palace Master.

Upon hearing this, his interest was piqued, and he wondered if he could glean some information from Han Zhen.

“I can’t say,” Han Zhen shook her head. “You’ll know once you see her.”

“Can’t say?” Zhang Rongfang was taken aback, what sort of reason is this?

He wanted to ask more.

Suddenly, Ding Rui spoke from the front.

“We’ve arrived.”

Zhang Rongfang lifted his head to look ahead.

At this moment, they had arrived beneath the enormous heavenly gate, standing before a city gate that was slowly rising, gradually opening.

The city gate was rectangular, with sharp metal spikes densely packed on the side walls, clearly not just for show.

The group walked inside, soon passing through the heavenly gate.

Beyond the gate was a vast escarpment, and below was an expansive stone forest.

However, in this stone forest, each stone pillar was a towering mountain peak.

The peak tops had been flattened, and atop them were faintly visible Taoist buildings primarily in pure white and gold tones.

Between each mountain peak lay vast swathes of dense, dark green woodland.

A multitude of colorful birds flew and circled between the mountain peaks.

Trees were lush and vibrant, occasionally seen were pink and white flowers releasing petals into the wind.

“The Palace Master is in Lingxiao Hall, Han Zhen, since you and the Daoist get along well, you can lead the way and escort him there,” instructed Yunshan Daoist, who was leading the group.

“Okay, dad,” Han Zhen stuck out her tongue.

“Senior brothers, I’m heading off ahead,” Zhang Rongfang cupped his hands towards Ding Rui and the others.

“We’ll meet at Bishui Pool later,” Ding Rui added. “That’s where we’ll be dining.”

“Alright!”

Though Zhang Rongfang didn’t know where Bishui Pool was, asking someone for directions would quickly clarify.

Instantly, Han Zhen guided Zhang Rongfang, turning along the way, after walking several hundred meters, they halted before a cliff and boarded a cable directly linked to the remaining peaks.

A cable car-like object hung on the rope.

The two sat inside, where Han Zhen tapped the rope ten times in succession, seemingly transmitting some information.

Soon, the rope started moving, carrying the cable car steadily forward.

“To traverse between the Twelve Sect Mansions of Jade Void Palace, each time we must pass through different aerial wires to reach our destination. Mastering the aerial wire codes here is essential,” Han Zhen eagerly explained to Zhang Rongfang.

“Aerial wires…..” Zhang Rongfang involuntarily recalled a term from his past life.

But he was quickly drawn in by the other information the other spoke.

“The Twelve Sect Mansions? What are those?”

“They are the twelve major clan factions forming Jade Void Palace. Each mansion was established by a Grandmaster. Of course, the Grandmaster status is the minimum requirement to establish a mansion, but the Twelve Sect Mansions gather the essence of the entire Great Dao Teaching, and more than that. You will understand once you experience it.” Han Zhen puffed her chest slightly, proudly stated.

“Twelve Grandmasters, huh?” Zhang Rongfang gasped. He unwittingly thought of the Sensing Sect.

“If the Sensing Sect were complete, wouldn’t that mean….”

“The Sensing Sect was utterly defeated by us in the past. Though it was during their internal strife, that battle secured our Great Dao Teaching’s position as the second in the Daoist sects!” Han Zhen proudly laughed.

“Alright…. that really….” Zhang Rongfang was at a loss for words…

The cable car kept advancing, climbing from lower to higher elevations.

After well over ten minutes.

The two finally arrived at the highest palace among the many stone pillar Taoist palaces.

It was a pure white palace with a massive gold orb at its zenith.

The palace’s exterior was akin to a giant character for ‘sky,’ with Taiji Square on all sides.

The spot where Zhang Rongfang and his companion disembarked was one of these squares.

“Alright, you have arrived, you should get off.” Han Zhen patted Zhang Rongfang, but she remained seated, motionless.

“Are you not getting off?” Zhang Rongfang felt something was amiss.

“Can the Palace Master be casually seen by others?” Han Zhen solemnly stated, “So go ahead, someone else will escort you out, don’t worry about me.”

“…..” Zhang Rongfang felt something was off.

Whether it was Han Zhen’s current expression or the surrounding environment….

Indeed.

This Taoist palace, at a glance, was as tall as a nine-story building, surrounding it were only bird calls, with no human voices.

The ground was paved with exceedingly smooth white tiles, very clean.

But as it was the highest place around, having no trees might be odd if it weren’t clean….

“Alright, I’m leaving.” Not waiting for Zhang Rongfang to reply, Han Zhen again patted the rope, and the cable car swiftly slid downward, quickly distancing itself from here.

Such posture, it really seemed like an escape.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep