Chapter 24: Taking You Back to the Celestial Destiny Palace

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Taking You Back to the Celestial Destiny Palace

The rear mountain of Dao Yi Mountain.

A forest of graves stood there. Beneath each earthen mound and tombstone lay the slumbering bodies of Dao Yi Mountain’s past ancestors.

Song Yu, along with a group of Dao Yi Mountain Elders and several junior martial brothers, led the party of nine—the Extraordinary Nine Monsters—to Chen Canxuan’s grave.

"Everyone, this is the resting place of my late master."

As Song Yu spoke, he arranged for the Daoists to come forward and set out all the necessary items, like candles and paper ingots. He then said:

"Today also happens to be the hundredth day since my master’s passing. It is fitting to pay our respects together with you all."

With that, he led the people of Dao Yi Mountain to offer incense and kowtow first.

A short while later, Song Yu stood to the side, his hands clasped before his stomach, and looked at the Extraordinary Nine Monsters.

"Everyone, please proceed."

The Child Emperor gave a slight smile and exchanged a look with the other eight monsters.

"Brothers, let’s go forward together and pay our respects to Elder Chen, the Sect Leader."

With that, the group of nine took up paper money and yellow wine and bowed three times before Chen Canxuan’s grave.

Song Yu and the other Elders watched them intently.

Their hearts were filled with caution.

Seeing these people performing the rites so convincingly, without a hint of any other intention, the people of Dao Yi Mountain grew even more perplexed.

After the Child Emperor and his eight companions finished paying their respects, Song Yu still had to return the courtesy. "Thank you all for coming from so far away to pay respects to my master. I am deeply grateful," he said.

He then led the group of Daoists in bowing back.

"Hero Song, you are too kind."

The Child Emperor smiled, his eyes narrowing. "Elder Chen, the Sect Leader, was respected by the whole world and showed us kindness. This is no more than what we should do."

Seeing that they had finished their respects, Song Yu couldn’t help but ask:

"Since you have all finished paying your respects, please join us for a simple meal. Afterward, we will see you down the mountain."

He had maintained a polite and courteous demeanor, but he finally had to say it.

’You came to pay your respects. Now that you have, you can stay for a meal, and then I assume you’ll be on your way.’

Unexpectedly, the Child Emperor said with a grin, "What’s this? From the sound of it, Hero Song, are you already trying to show us the door?"

The stout and greasy-faced Pig Craftsman chuckled darkly. "That’s hardly in keeping with the hospitality of the world’s number one Major Sect. After all, we came to mourn Elder Chen, the Sect Leader. That makes us your guests."

Mei Xiangu added with a seductive laugh, "Driving away guests is no way to treat them. If word of this gets out, aren’t you afraid of becoming a laughingstock?"

At that moment, the expressions on the faces of Song Yu and the Elders finally changed.

"Then what is it that you want?"

From among the nine, the Child Emperor stepped forward and said with a laugh, "I’ve long heard that the Dao Yi Sect is a famed mountain and Saint Realm among the world’s Daoist Sects, with beautiful scenery unparalleled in this world. We’d like to stay on your esteemed mountain for a few more days to properly appreciate the views. Would that be possible?"

’Stay a few more days?’

Song Yu’s expression was resolute. "Please forgive us, but Dao Yi Mountain cannot agree to your request. In consideration of the long journey you have made, please join us for a meal, and then descend the mountain."

"Hahaha!"

"Hee hee hee..."

Unexpectedly, the nine strange figures exchanged a look and burst into loud laughter right in front of Chen Canxuan’s grave.

The Child Emperor gave a slight smile, his small eyes narrowing to slits.

"And what if we insist on taking a longer look around Dao Yi Mountain?"

They were finally done pretending. As they had walked over, they had already clearly assessed the Power of the Elders Song Yu had brought with him. There were only six or seven Grandmasters.

So this was the true strength of Dao Yi Mountain. They had been cautious for nothing.

Since that was the case, there was no longer any need to hide.

"You... you truly came with ill intentions!"

Song Yu’s face turned ashen as he roared:

"What is it you truly want?!"

As he spoke, the Dao Yi Mountain Elders, who were already prepared, and the hundreds of Martial Daoists in the distance raised their swords and spears, ready for battle.

"Hahaha!"

In response to Song Yu’s furious question, the Child Emperor threw his head back and laughed at the sky.

"Hero Song, why be so stingy? We merely wish to stroll around and have a look at Dao Yi Mountain, yet you raise such a fuss. It’s quite disappointing!"

With a shrill screech, a piercing sound wave erupted from the Child Emperor’s mouth. It sounded like a child wailing in the dead of night, but it carried a surging True Qi Power that instantly swept across an area dozens of yards in every direction!

HUUUUM!

HUUUUM!

HUUUUM!

Before Chen Canxuan’s grave, the wind howled and the grass swayed. In the distance, the hundred or so Martial Daoists immediately clutched their ears and cried out, their faces contorted in pain.

"This is bad!"

Song Yu’s eardrums throbbed with pain, and he immediately shouted:

"It’s a True Qi Demon Sound! Everyone, cover your ears!"

He roared, "The fox’s tail is showing at last! Protect the mountain! Everyone, protect the mountain!"

However, the Extraordinary Nine Monsters were faster to act.

"Haha, the boss made his move!"

With the Child Emperor taking action, the other Extraordinary Eight Monsters also burst out laughing.

"I’ve been holding back for so long, I was getting impatient."

The Pig Craftsman snorted with manic laughter and said:

"I thought that since Dao Yi Mountain is a Major Sect, even with Chen Canxuan dead, it would be like a centipede that doesn’t collapse even in death. I never expected there would only be five or six Grandmasters, including you, Song Yu, and a handful of First-class Experts left."

He looked at the Child Emperor and shouted:

"I told you we should have just stormed the mountain, caused a huge scene, and captured their key figures! We could have interrogated them for the information we want."

Mei Xiangu scolded, "Enough with the nonsense! Now that we’ve probed them and confirmed there are no real experts on Dao Yi Mountain, aren’t we more certain of success by acting now?"

"Capture their leaders and find out if Ancient Transformation Dragon is dead or alive! The intel says he’s trapped somewhere on Dao Yi Mountain, and only a few of their top figures know the location."

Seeing the nine monsters charging at them, Song Yu shouted an order:

"Quickly, light the Daoist fire! Summon all the experts on the mountain to come here and annihilate this great enemy!"

...

SWOOSH~~

A plume of green smoke shot into the sky, rising straight up so that every Dao Yi Daoist, whether up the mountain or down, could see it.

"Sect Leader, the signal arrow! It’s an alarm!"

Elsewhere on the mountain, the Little Daoist who had just found Chen Sha paled and shouted:

"It’s coming from the direction of the ancestral graveyard on the rear mountain! The sect is under attack! Could it be that group of Martial Artists who came up the mountain?"

"Quick, go ring the Golden Bell."

Chen Sha immediately looked up and saw the signal arrow’s message. It was the sign that the sect was facing a great enemy.

"I’ll head over at once!"

In an instant, Chen Sha pushed off from his feet and leaped, soaring dozens of feet into the air like a bird.

Within two breaths, he had already appeared over a hundred meters away.

’Dao Yi Mountain is actually being invaded by a great enemy?’

Seeing the signal arrow’s alarm, Chen Sha’s heart was filled with both shock and worry. ’Who on earth are these invaders?’

He knew that after his father, Chen Canxuan, had died, some of the Jianghu grudges from his lifetime would inevitably be settled upon Dao Yi Mountain.

While his father was alive, no one dared to come.

No one dared to come during the funeral, either, as many friends from the Martial Arts world had also attended for the Dao Yi Sect.

But he knew they would come eventually.

He just never expected it to be so soon. It had only been a little over three months, and a great enemy was already at their door.

SWISH!

SWISH!

Chen Sha’s figure darted through the forest like a phantom. He pushed his True Qi to its limits to increase the speed of his Lightweight Skill.

But at that very moment, a woman’s smiling voice seemed to whisper in his ear.

"Sect Leader Chen, where are you off to in such a hurry?"

Then, Chen Sha immediately felt a powerful Palm Wind strike at him from the left.

BANG!

His combat experience was immense. With just a furrow of his brow, he spun and threw a palm strike of his own, hitting the Palm Wind head-on and dissipating the mysterious woman’s Palm Power.

He spun back around to look.

She was no mysterious woman; she was, in fact, very familiar.

It was Yao Qingru, the woman from Jiangnan Dao he had seen at the Daoist Temple on the mountain more than a month ago. Dressed in a white gown, she looked at Chen Sha with a charming smile.

"Has Sect Leader Chen already forgotten about me?"

Chen Sha’s heart jolted in surprise.

He glanced again toward the signal fire in the direction of the Dao Yi Mountain graveyard.

’The woman who came up the mountain over a month ago is actually with that group.’

’Today’s invasion was foreshadowed more than a month ago.’

"Yao Qingru!"

A cold light flashed in his eyes.

"What is your relationship with the invaders on the mountain? What is your purpose?"

Yao Qingru gave a faint smile. "My purpose?"

Her steps were as light as lotus flowers as she walked toward Chen Sha, seeming to pause in mid-air. A closer look revealed that each of her steps landed on a single leaf.

"It is, of course, to escort you back to the Celestial Destiny Palace."

As she spoke, her several elderly servants appeared not far behind her, moving to surround Chen Sha.