"Ancestor! Ancestor!"
Someone was shouting from below.
The voice came from the Drunken Dragon Bridge, near the northern side.
Hong Changbao looked down and saw a group of about a dozen Miao tribesmen, among whom were a few from the Hong Family Village.
The people from Hong Family Village were easy to recognize.
The village was named Hong Family Village because its inhabitants all bore the surname Hong, as they lived at the source of the Hong River.
It was a tradition for the villagers to tattoo dragons on their faces, symbolizing their control over floods.
Some even said this was the reason why the Red-Haired Ancestor favored Hong Changbao more than his eldest disciple, Yao Kaijiang.
However, Hong Changbao was now deeply alarmed.
Those fools, with the Red-Haired Ancestor right in front of them, why were they calling him "Ancestor"? Were they tired of the peaceful life the village had enjoyed in recent years?
With a wave of his hand, Hong Changbao lifted the Miao tribesmen from the bridge into the air and placed them on a red cloud.
The men tumbled onto the cloud, and Hong Changbao quickly asked, "You called out to the Ancestor just now. Did you see his divine presence? Do you have something to say?"
The men from Hong Family Village weren't completely foolish.
They immediately kowtowed to the Red-Haired Ancestor, shouting, "We greet the Ancestor! We pay our respects to the Ancestor!"
The Red-Haired Ancestor, just as the legends said, was quite indulgent with his disciples.
Even these lowly disciples were treated kindly.
He asked, "What is it that you called out for?"
One of the men, named Yue Shanhong, who had just been saved by the cloud, cried out, "Ancestor! Today, we were fighting with the little demons of the Hundred Barbarians Mountain over territory at the western valley of Rotten Peach Mountain.
But then, some rogue Daoists from Western Shu ambushed us from behind, slaughtering us and leaving most of us dead or wounded!" After escaping, we regrouped and returned to the valley to retrieve the bodies of our brothers.
A wandering Daoist named Cheng Qieqing, who was staying at the Green Dragon Cave, accompanied us into the valley to search for the bodies.
But in the valley, we encountered the Shu Daoists again.
They had a strange treasure—a flying sword.
We were no match for them.
"It was Daoist Cheng who saved us. He held off several of them alone so we could escape. Now, we've made it out alive, but that righteous Daoist is still trapped in the valley. We beg the Ancestor to use your divine powers to save him!"
After speaking, the man kowtowed repeatedly on the cloud, and the others followed suit.
The Red-Haired Ancestor looked surprised and turned to Liu Tianfang.
Liu Tianfang, a Daoist priest, flew closer, his expression grave.
He said in a low voice, "Elder, I was the one who vouched for this man when he stayed at the Green Dragon Cave. I came here to find him. He hails from the east and is a disciple of Mount Sanqing."
The Red-Haired Ancestor raised an eyebrow and suddenly declared, "Your request is justified. That righteous Daoist risked his life for my disciples and is a guest of the Green Dragon Cave. I will go to save him. Daoist Liu, will you join me?"
Liu Tianfang looked at the surging evil aura, which was fresh and potent.
With his abilities, he wasn't sure he could withstand it for long.
But since the Red-Haired Ancestor offered to take him along, he nodded in agreement.
"Enough of this act!"
The Green-Robed Ancestor sneered.
"It's impressive how quickly you came up with this story. But no matter how eloquently you speak, you won't be the first to enter this newly emerged evil aura!"
This was a newly formed evil aura, and no one knew what treasures might be hidden within.
Moreover, being the first to enter the evil aura and scout the area would provide significant advantages in future exploitation and territorial claims.
The Green-Robed Ancestor wasn't about to let this opportunity slip away.
"Shall we settle this with a fight?"
The Red-Haired Ancestor shouted.
"A fight it is! Let's see who's stronger!"
The two Ancestors had been rivals for years.
As they spoke, they rose into the clouds and vanished, leaving only the sound of their clashing powers, with wind and fire intertwining and roars echoing through the sky.
Meanwhile, Hong Changbao and Xin Chenzi faced off, each determined to prevent the other from entering the evil aura first.
At some point, Liu Tianfang shot a signal arrow toward the east.
Seeing this, Xin Chenzi sneered, "Even if you call for reinforcements, it won't matter until the two Ancestors settle their fight. Besides, when it comes to calling for help, the Hundred Barbarians Mountain isn't afraid of you!"
As the two sides stood off, another sword light streaked in from the northwest, cutting through the clouds like a bolt of lightning.
The sword light approached and transformed into a tall, burly man.
He wore a purple Daoist robe but had a rugged appearance, with a thick beard and short, spiky hair, as if he had just emerged from a thunderstorm.
On his back, he carried a large, dark golden gourd, half the height of a man.
As he stood in the air, he exuded the aura of a grandmaster.
"Li Yuanhua!"
Both Hong Changbao and Xin Chenzi recognized the newcomer.
In the southwest, their factions had frequent conflicts with the Emei Sect, so they immediately recognized the man as Li Yuanhua, the Bearded Immortal of Emei.
"Well, this place is lively!"
Li Yuanhua looked at the surging evil aura, his eyes gleaming with interest.
What he thought would be a mundane task had turned into an encounter with a newly emerged evil aura.
There was no way he would miss out on this opportunity.
Seeing the two men ready to attack, Li Yuanhua chuckled and said, "Fellow Daoists, don't misunderstand. Let me explain. My junior disciple somehow wandered into this newly formed evil aura and sent word for me to come and rescue him. I ask for your cooperation."
"So it was your Emei disciples who ambushed my people from behind!"
Hong Changbao already despised the Emei Sect, and now that he heard Li Yuanhua's disciple was in the Rotten Peach Mountain, he was certain it was the same rogue Daoist who had attacked the Red Wood Ridge disciples.
Enraged, he hurled a blood-red flying dagger straight at Li Yuanhua.
On the other side, Xin Chenzi, hearing Li Yuanhua's explanation, found some truth in the earlier claims of the Red Wood Ridge disciples.
But today, no matter who was trapped inside—whether righteous or rogue Daoists—no one would be allowed to enter under the guise of a rescue.
Seeing Hong Changbao strike first, Xin Chenzi was delighted.
If there was anyone in the world who hated the Emei Sect more than the Hundred Barbarians Mountain, it was hard to find.
With a sly grin, he shouted, "So it was your junior who ambushed my Hundred Barbarians Mountain disciples! Brother Changbao, I'll help you!"
With that, Xin Chenzi waved his empty sleeve, releasing a cloud of miasma directly at Li Yuanhua.
This miasma was a blend of Peach Mud Miasma and Yin Wind Miasma, known as the Clear Wind Peach Fragrance Miasma!
Seeing the two men attack, Li Yuanhua laughed heartily.
"As expected, the heretics and demons stick together. But even if both of you come at me, I, Li Yuanhua, am not afraid!"
With a slap on the gourd on his back, the lid opened, and a burst of sword light emerged.
At the core of the sword light was a gleaming silver flying sword, but the light was so intense that the sword's true form was hard to discern.
Once the sword left the gourd, the light intensified, especially as it sped through the air, leaving a trail of dazzling colors, like the tail of a comet.
As the sword danced and weaved, it resembled a white dragon soaring through the sky or a waterfall cascading in the wind, truly a mesmerizing sight.
The sword first struck the blood-red dagger, then shattered the miasma.
It split into countless beams, holding its own against both attackers without faltering.
Looking back at how the sword "Peach Capital" had appeared in the hands of Li Yingqiong and Cheng Yunqi, it was clear that this was on a completely different level.
This is the first chapter.
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(End of Chapter)