Standstill Peak
The Hall of Spiritual Cultivation was located in the center of the clouds and had numerous spiritual peaks surrounding it. Immortal cranes flew by and occasionally released several sounds of soft cries. This entire scene was picturesque like a typical heavenly realm where immortals dwelled.
The Emperor"s Heaven Sect was nestled in a spiritual mountain range which was divided into seven main peaks and three main halls.
The seven peaks included: Infinite Heaven Peak, Heavenly Stream Peak, Heavenly Clouds Peak, Heavenly Sun Peak, Heavenly Stars Peak, Heavenly Scales Peak, and lastly, the one where Ye Yuanxue"s elder sister resided, Heavenly Maiden Peak. The peaks were in the formation of the Big Dipper, thus safely guarding the Emperor"s Heaven Sect in the middle.
The three main halls were the Hall of Spiritual Cultivation, the Hall of Elders, and the Hall of the Heavenly Emperor.
The Hall of Spiritual Cultivation was in charge of the management and punishment of all of the sect"s disciples. The Hall of Elders served as a facility where sect elders could cultivate. Lastly, the Hall of the Heavenly Emperor was the most special of all because it was the Emperor"s Heaven Sect"s most important building. Only the sect leader possessed the qualifications to enter. Rumor had it that an immortal-ranked weapon guarded the hall.
With these three main halls as the center, large and small buildings surrounded them. Some of them included: the Pavilion of Stored Scriptures, the Pill Cultivation Pavilion, a martial arena, and the Xuanyang Pavilion.
When Ye Yuanxue and Jiang Xiaofan stepped foot into the Hall of Spiritual Cultivation, the other five chosen ones had already arrived. They noticed Chen Yifeng right away, and likewise, he saw them as well. Chen Yifeng smiled and nodded his head at them.
The seven of them did not speak, but carefully scanned their surroundings. The Hall of Spiritual Cultivation was magnificently grand. In the center were numerous paintings. The most obvious one was an aged painting because it emanated a profound impression of immorality, which intrigued all seven of them.
An elder with tall stature and donning a grey Daoist robe, sewn with a golden eight trigrams symbol on it, suddenly appeared in front of them. His face was slightly wrinkled, and his expression was icy as if he was made of stone.
"Chen Yifeng, Heavenly Clouds Peak, one Yunyang Pill."
The grey-robed elder swept a glance over them and got straight to the point. After announcing the first result, he still wore the same cold, indifferent expression on his face. For a moment, Jiang Xiaofan inwardly joked that someone might have owed this old man money and hadn"t returned it yet.
A ray of light shot forth from the pavilion behind the elder"s back. Carried on a small pillow of cloud, the pill appeared in Chen Yifeng"s hand, exuding a soothing fragrance. It was clear that this pill was of great value.
"Thank you, Elder!" Chen Yifeng bowed and put away his Yunyang Pill.
"Lei Hu, Heavenly Sun Peak, one Luo"e Pill.
"Ye Yuanxue, Heavenly Maiden Peak, one Ice Spirit Pill."
Not long after, six of the seven had already been a.s.signed a peak. The only one remaining was Jiang Xiaofan, and the only peak left was the Infinite Heaven Peak.
"d.a.m.n it! I can"t be this unlucky, right?"
He inwardly cursed. The only peak left is the Infinite Heaven Peak. Isn"t that where Zhu Xidao resides in? Will I be a.s.signed there?! G.o.ds! Are you doing this to me on purpose?!
The six of them also seemed to be aware of this problem. Their expressions looked odd.
Just then, to everyone"s surprise, the elder spoke and the result was vastly different than what they had a.s.sumed it to be. "Jiang Xiaofan, Standstill Peak, one Soul Growth Pill.
Jiang Xiaofan breathed a big sigh of relief. Immediately though, he grew suspicious. Aren"t there only seven main peaks in the Emperor"s Heaven Sect? Why is there an extra one called Standstill Peak? It can"t be that Infinite Heaven Peak has changed its name, yeah?
"This is your a.s.signed jade scroll. Present it to the guide outside the gate of your respective peak, and they"ll lead you forward. I wish you all the best from now on. Work hard on your cultivation."
After the grey-robed elder had spoken, seven rays of light fell on them. With a wave of the elder"s hand, their vision blurred. Before they knew it, the seven of them had already left the Hall of Spiritual Cultivation.
They were taken aback by the elder"s sudden move, which was befitting of someone with his status in the Emperor"s Heaven Sect.
The seven of them chatted a bit before heading to their respective peaks with their guides.
"Xiaofan, when you have free time, find me at the Heavenly Maiden Peak. I"ll come for you too!" Ye Yuanxue waved goodbye to Jiang Xiaofan as she followed her guide.
Jiang Xiaofan reluctantly waved back at her. They had already been together for several months. A deep bond had been forged between them. It was not an exaggeration to say that she was his first true friend. Now that they had to separate, his heart felt torn. Still, since they were in the same sect, there would always be a chance to see her again. However, I would no longer be able to live with her under one roof.
Jiang Xiaofan"s guide was a middle-aged man. He looked at the jade scroll handed to him and became momentarily stunned. He curiously eyed Jiang Xiaofan but didn"t say anything. He then turned around and walked towards a speicifc direction.
As a guide, the middle-aged man was very familiar with the Emperor"s Heaven Sect. He mechanically directed Jiang Xiaofan to his a.s.signed peak before finally stopping at the base of a green mountain.
"This is Standstill Peak?" asked Jiang Xiaofan with uncertainty.
"This is it! Go up by yourself!" impatiently replied the middle-aged man. He turned to leave.
Dumbfounded, he stared at the place before him, thinking that it was just his hallucination. He forcefully rubbed his eyes before finally accepting the truth.
"f.u.c.k! Is this a trap?!"
He bulged his eyes in disbelief. Could this even be considered a main peak?! Even calling it a mountain was giving it more credit than it deserved! The only eloquent description that he could think of for Standstill Peak was "ordinary". It was extremely ordinary.
Feeling moody, he glared at the mountain and began to climb its stone steps. Around this time, two men jumped out and hollered, "Welcome, Cultivator Jiang the Vicious One!"
s.h.i.t! Jiang Xiaofan almost fell head first to the ground after hearing them speak.
The two of them seemed too welcoming. With one to his left and one to his right, they carried Jiang Xiaofan and rushed up to the mountaintop. Clearly, they had already received news from the elder that Jiang Xiaofan would be coming here.
The seven main peaks were all majestic in view. Misty clouds floated, rays of light sparkled, and the air was filled with life. The cranes danced above the sky, and the sky temples hovered in midair. All was peaceful and free from stain.
Compared to the others, Standstill Peak was just a mound of dirt. It was covered by a lush forest with towering trees. Thick vines coiled around the ancient trunks. This place was very remote. It didn"t even have an entrance gate. This mountain was no better than the ones on Planet Earth.
"Can"t you let me walk by myself?!" complained Jiang Xiaofan. He felt helpless. These two were just too pa.s.sionate.
What lay ahead of him was silence. There was nothing except for wild gra.s.s and shrubs. Although there was a large complex in front of him, it appeared to be dilapidated and covered with moss. Jiang Xiaofan a.s.sumed that it would be difficult to shelter from the rain.
"Cough…."
At this time, a weak cough sound resonated from within the building. A hunchbacked, white-haired old man slowly walked out.
The two men hurried over to a.s.sist the old person. It was apparent that they were being cautious with him.
"Young man, you came."
The old man wore a tranquil smile and the corners of his eyes were etched with many wrinkles. In contrast to the elders of the Emperor"s Heaven Sect, this old man was timeworn because of age and frailty.
Editor: Vis