Xuantian Immortal Cultivation Record

White Cloud Mountain was not far from the Great Qian Kingdom, located about three thousand miles to its southwest. This mountain was over three hundred yards high, covering an area of only a few dozen miles, but its shape was unique, resembling a gourd. It was round at the top, narrow in the middle, and wide at the bottom. The narrowest part of the mountain waist was only half the width of the top, and it was unknown how it had formed.

This mountain was located a hundred miles from the northern bank of the Dragon River, so Zhang Yuanjing and the others did not go directly into the mountain, but instead went to take a look at the Blackwater River first.

The water was very calm, with neither the black particles found in the Dragon River nor the Crimson-finned Fire-scaled Fish. However, there were still many ordinary fish, and the water flow was no different from normal.

Zhang Yuanjing couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, which meant that the secret of White Cloud Mountain was likely unrelated to the birth of the Crimson-finned Fire-scaled Fish.

Perhaps, from the beginning, they had been looking in the wrong direction. The place where the Crimson-finned Fire-scaled Fish originated was not upstream, but downstream, in the underground river beneath Crimson Creek Lake?

If that were the case, Crimson Cloud Palace or Crimson Blood Valley should have discovered it long ago, and it wouldn't have remained unknown until today.

He pondered for a moment on the riverbank, then asked Yuan Zhilin to contact Fire Crow Daoist, telling him that if they didn't find any clues, they should return to this place and meet at White Cloud Mountain.

Then, the group took off on their flying swords and headed towards White Cloud Mountain.

The information obtained by Yuan Zhilin and Mei Zhenyi was similar, and basically the same as what Zhao Xuming had said.

The White Cloud Mountain Master was indeed the "Feather God" who had descended on the capital of the Great Qian Kingdom a hundred years ago. He had scattered those black particles into the Dragon River, causing panic, and then appeared as an immortal who could save people from disaster, gaining trust. Since then, he had sent his disciples every year to cause trouble in a certain section of the river, forcing the local people to offer tributes, relying on extracting the blood and sweat of ordinary people to obtain cultivation resources.

The reason why Zhao Xuming had investigated these people in the first place was because he was indignant at their exploitation of the local people.

In fact, in Zhang Yuanjing's view, this was nothing. Although the White Cloud Mountain Master's methods were despicable, he at least put on a pretense of justice to cover his tracks.

Some cultivators were much more excessive, directly using violence to force people to collect herbs, mine, and search for rare objects for them, and there were even those who used living people to practice evil arts.

There was no way around it, the world was too big, and there were some remote places that no one cared about at all. Even if there were human tragedies, they would not be known to the cultivation world.

"Master, this White Cloud Mountain should be called Gourd Mountain!" Zhang Yu pointed to the increasingly close mountain in front of her and said with a smile, "What White Cloud? What is White Cloud!"

Yuan Zhilin chimed in, "That's right, what does it have to do with White Cloud? Could it be that the White Cloud Mountain Master occupied this mountain and renamed it?"

"That's not the case," Zhao Xuming explained from the side, "Senior Yuan, White Cloud Mountain is the name given by the Great Qian Kingdom. White Cloud, in the Great Qian Kingdom, actually refers to spitting fire, meaning that this mountain can spit fire, so it is called White Cloud Mountain."

Yuan Zhilin was stunned and said in confusion, "What is the deep meaning of the two words 'White Cloud'? How is it related to spitting fire?"

Zhao Xuming said, "In the Great Qian Kingdom, 'Cloud' means fire, and 'White Cloud' refers to the flame turning white, which represents a very powerful fire."

Zhang Yu nodded repeatedly, her beautiful eyes filled with excitement: "I cultivate fire techniques, so I want to see how powerful this White Cloud is!"

Yuan Zhilin cried out strangely, "Little Yu'er, I, Old Yuan, also practice fire techniques, let me try it first!"

The two of them immediately started arguing, refusing to give in to each other, which left Zhao Xuming dumbfounded.

Zhang Yuanjing ignored them and asked Zhao Xuming, "So, this White Cloud Mountain Master also cultivates fire-based techniques?"

Zhao Xuming said, "Yes."

Before long, the group arrived at a stone platform on the mountainside of White Cloud Mountain. A flight of stone steps, along with the stone platform, disappeared into the dense forest above. Through the dense leaves, they could see a corner of a black roof or a red eave.

The group walked up the stone steps, and soon saw more than a dozen palaces and pavilions built against the mountain in the tall green trees, some large and some small, surrounded by flowers and plants. A stream was also drawn in, converging into a ten-acre pond in front of the foremost pavilion. Red light flickered in the pond, and fish heads surged. It was full of Crimson-finned Fire-scaled Fish!

Zhang Yuanjing's eyes narrowed, and he knew that his previous guess was wrong. The secret of the Crimson-finned Fire-scaled Fish was here!

His mind raced, and he quickly thought of some questions. He said in a low voice to Yuan Zhilin, "Send a message to Senior Fire Crow, and ask him to bring Brother Ape and Junior Brother Liu here as soon as possible!"

Yuan Zhilin's expression straightened: "Senior Brother Zhang, is there any danger?"

Zhang Yuanjing shook his head: "Not necessarily. It's just a suspicion. We'll discuss it after Senior Fire Crow arrives."

While the two were talking, Zhang Yu said from the side, "Someone's coming!"

Zhao Xuming said, "They are disciples of the White Cloud Mountain Master. He has taken in more than twenty disciples, but their cultivation is not high. Lu Siyuan is the strongest."

Coming were two female disciples, one in her thirties, with a beautiful appearance and a graceful figure, exuding charm with every step she took. The other was only seventeen or eighteen years old, with delicate features and a slightly cold expression. Both of them only had the third level of Qi Refining cultivation.

The charming woman gave Zhang Yuanjing an enchanting smile and bowed slightly, saying, "Senior has graced us with your presence, bringing honor to our humble abode. Our Mountain Master said that he should have welcomed you personally, but he is unable to move freely, so he asked this junior and her junior sister to do it on his behalf. Please don't blame him, Senior!"

Zhang Yuanjing had previously heard from Zhao Xuming that the White Cloud Mountain Master only stayed in a large hall and did not go out, which was very strange.

He had originally wanted to wait here for Fire Crow Daoist to arrive, but now that the White Cloud Mountain Master had taken the initiative to invite him, he couldn't help but hesitate. If he were alone, he would naturally have nothing to fear. But he was also carrying four Qi Refining juniors, and if there were any dangerous restrictions here, he would inevitably be unable to protect them all.

Moreover, the White Cloud Mountain Master must be able to see that he was a Core Formation cultivator, and he still dared to take the initiative to invite him in, which obviously meant that he had something to rely on.

A Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator was nothing more than an ant to him. However, if there was really a big secret hidden in this mountain, as Zhao Xuming had said, then this person's confidence might lie in that secret.

Zhang Yuanjing smiled: "I apologize for the intrusion. If the Mountain Master is inconvenienced, this poor Daoist will not go in."

He pointed to the Crimson-finned Fire-scaled Fish in the pond and asked, "This poor Daoist came here to ask if this fish was cultivated by your esteemed mountain?"

The charming woman was about to answer when she suddenly paused, as if listening to something.

After a few breaths, she apologized and said, "Junior is negligent. Just now, our Mountain Master sent a message, saying that over the years, several people have come to inquire about this matter, and he has explained it in detail, satisfying the visitors. Therefore, he still invites Senior to come in for a chat, and also to allow our mountain to fulfill its duty as a host."

As soon as these words came out, they confirmed Zhang Yuanjing's previous guess, and he couldn't help but feel even more apprehensive. He pondered the White Cloud Mountain Master's words, not knowing whether he was deliberately trying to make him feel apprehensive and leave on his own, or whether he had other plans and really wanted to invite him in.

For a moment, this dignified Core Formation cultivator was somewhat at a loss for what to do.