The Nine Cauldrons

Currently, the Power of Teng Qingshan’s World looked just like the Power of Qin Shiqi’s World. It became grey, black, and white. However, the essence of Teng Qingshan’s power is different from that of Qin Shiqi’s power. The shades of black and white in Teng Qingshan’s power represented life and death, while the shades of black and white in Qin Shiqi’s power represented Yin and Yang.

As Teng Qingshan continued ruminating, the ratio of grey particles gradually increased while the ratio of black and white particles decreased.

“Little San, stay with your uncles. It is now winter and the wolves in the forest are very hungry and fierce.” A tough guy, wearing animal skin clothes and carrying a bow and a long spear, could be seen leading over twenty guys. The group advanced in the mountain forest carefully. This mountain was called the Wild Wolf Mountain by the locals. It was named so because a great number of wolves lived here!

“Don’t worry, Uncle.” The boy held his iron spear excitedly. He looked around, seeming to wish that a starving wolf could appear before him so that he could get the chance to kill it and prove his strength.

With much difficulty, the group of hunters advanced in the mountain forest.

Half a day later.

The hunters had caught and killed quite a number of animals and they were very happy. As they moved down the mountain through another route, they caught and killed some animals as well.

“Eh? Uncle, that area is covered with mist!” The boy shouted out when he saw the swirls of mist.

“Everyone, be careful.” The tough-looking guy, wearing animal skin clothes, was shocked and quickly warned the others.

“That area is very foggy.” A few hunters also noticed. In the remote forest where there aren’t many people, the hunters had to be very careful, especially if something unusual happened. A strange sight is something unusual and it might be the sign of something very dangerous.

The tough-looking guy, wearing the animal skin clothes, whispered and said, “Stay here. Let me go closer. If it’s something dangerous, we will split into three groups and escape.”

“Alright.”

“Big brother, don’t worry.” The other hunters hastily responded.

“Mhm.”

The tough-looking guys, wearing animal skin clothing, held his long spear and stooped low as he approached that area carefully. After he had moved 15 or 16 Zhang, he reclined beside a rotting tree root and finally saw what was ahead.

“Heavens!”

The guy, wearing the animal skin clothing, looked dumbfounded. He blinked a few times, attempting to process what he had just seen.

“A miracle?” The guy wearing the animal skin clothing was stunned. While he was in a daze, the other hunters became very worried. Immediately, three muscular hunters stealthily rushed over. One of them whispered, “Big Brother, what happ-” Before he could finish his words, he saw what was ahead and froze.

The four hunters were dumbfounded. As a result, more and more confused hunters came. All the hunters were stunned when they saw what was beyond the mist.

“Is that god?”

“Miracle!”

“It must be a god.”

The hunters muttered to themselves in a daze.

They saw a human figure encircled by grey, black, and white swirls of mist. Because the mysterious figure was clouded by the swirls of mist, the hunters could not see the figure clearly. In addition, the spiraling mist also enveloped the cassia tree behind the human figure.

As the swirls of mist spiraled around the cassia tree, the tree started growing slowly. The tree grew new branches, leaves, and even flowers at a visible rate. One could even smell the fragrance of the cassia flowers.

However, moments later, the leaves would wither and fall. The tree would lose all its leaves.

Growth!

Wither!

Within a short while, the cassia tree experienced one cycle of growth and decline.

“God! That is god…” The hunters were shocked. They watched new branches grew out of the cassia tree trunk and new leaves and flowers sprouting. The growth happened within a few seconds. Then, within a few seconds, the branches wilted and the leaves withered and fell.

“God.”

To show respect, the hunters immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed towards the mysterious figure encircled by swirls of mist.

…

After the squad of hunters discovered the existence of God on the Wild Wolf Mountain, they went back to their village and told the people in their village what they had seen. And so, the news spread from their village to other villages. Within ten days, most of the villages in the surrounding area knew and many people started visiting the Wild Wolf Mountain to pay their respect to the god sitting by the cassia tree.

Within a few moments, the cassia tree experienced a cycle of growth and decline. This scene led many people to believe that they were truly seeing God and they became even more excited. Naturally, the news spread further and further away.

In the beginning, the news spread slowly. However, as time went on, the news about this god beside the cassia tree started spreading faster and more widely.

In the beginning, it took ten days for this news to reach the villages around the area.

However, during the last three days, the news spread so furiously that even the members of the Xing Yi Sect in Yangzhou heard about it.

In the East Flower Garden in the Xing Yi Sect on the Great Yan Mountain in the region of Yangzhou:

“Qingshan has already traveled the world for over a year. We have three months left before the 18th of December. Yet, Qingshan is still not back.” Li Jun stood outside the training field. She thought to herself as she strolled around the field, holding onto Xiuxiu’s tiny hand at the same time. She has not seen Teng Qingshan for almost two years.

She would be lying if she said that she didn’t miss him. In fact, she missed him almost every single day.

However, even though she missed Teng Qingshan, she knew that Teng Qingshan was cultivating arduously and preparing himself for the 18th of December, the day of the duel.

“Mother! Mother!” A voice sounded outside.

Honglin, who looked very happy, and the Substitute Sovereign Yang Dong dashed into the East Flower Garden.

“What’s going on?” Li Jun hastily asked as many thoughts crossed her mind.

“Miss Teng, we have received news.” Yang Dong quickly answered, “In the forest on the Wild Wolf Mountain in the region of Chu County, locals discovered something strange and marvelous. They saw a mysterious figure, encircled by swirls of mist, sitting cross-legged under a cassia tree. When the tree was encircled by the mist, new branches and new leaves and new flowers would grow. All these things happened within a few seconds. And then, the cassia tree would wither and all the leaves would fall off.”

“Eh” Li Jun was very shocked.

“We sent our men to investigate and they noticed that the mist that spiraled around the mysterious person is grey, black, and white.” Yang Dong said.

Honglin, who stood beside Yang Dong, was very excited. She hastily said, “Mother, father and Pei San are the only people who can do this. Father said that Pei San’s power has streaks of lightning. The Power of father’s World is black and white. Maybe father….” Before Honglin could finish her words, Li Jun interrupted excitedly, “You two! Come with me! Let’s go to the Wild Wolf Mountain.”

Li Jun handed over the little girl Xiuxiu to the maid and hastily left. She did not even tell her son Hongwu and the others.

Immediately, she emitted a bird cry and summoned the Undying Phoenix.

Li Jun, Honglin, and Yang Dong immediately rode the Undying Phoenix and flew towards the Chu County.

…

On the Wild Wolf Mountain in the Chu County:

Since the news about the miracle spread out from the areas around the Wild Wolf Mountain, many curious people who lived nearby visited the Wild Wolf Mountain. Because the Gui Yuan Sect, the Xing Yi Sect, and the Wan Xiang Sect, which had always been interested in these bizarre things, were geographically near to the Wild Wolf Mountain, they were the first three sects to send their men over to the Wild Wolf Mountain.

“All of you! Stay back! Back off!”

The members of the Gui Yuan Sect and the Xing Yi Sect were the earlier ones to arrive. Spontaneously, the members of the two sects started working together and stopped the ordinary people from going near the foggy area.

“We came to pay our respect to the god. Who gives you the right to stop us?” Many cultivators were very unhappy, but they didn’t dare to provoke the members of the Gui Yuan Sect and the Xing Yi Sect.

“Look! A flying beam of light!”

Many people looked up at the sky and saw a beam of light fall on the ground. Within the blink of an eye, a gigantic godly bird enveloped by flames descended about ten Zhang away from the cassia tree. It was the Undying Phoenix. Immediately, Li Jun, Honglin, and Yang Dong jumped off the Undying Phoenix and looked over at the swirls of mist.

“It’s the Undying Phoenix.

“It’s the Xing Yi Sect. If the Undying Phoenix is here, Teng Qingshan must be here.”

“Is that young man Teng Qingshan?”

“He might be Teng Qingshan.”

Immediately, noises of excitement and agitation could be heard in the surrounding. Obviously, the names—Undying Phoenix and Teng Qingshan—were influential. Unfortunately, only a few people had seen Teng Qingshan’s appearance. Therefore, many people thought Yang Dong was Teng Qingshan.

“Ignorant people. That is the Substitute Sovereign. He’s not Teng Qingshan.”

“Right. Teng Qingshan is taller.”

Some cultivators, who were knowledgeable, immediately refuted. At this moment, Li Jun, Teng Honglin, and Yang Dong were trying to look beyond the mist around the cassia tree. They were observing the power and the figure covered by the mist, trying to determine if the person hidden by the mist was Teng Qingshan.

“Yu~~” The Undying Phoenix emitted a loud cry.

“That is Qingshan! That is Qingshan!” Li Jun was very excited. She had seen Teng Qingshan’s aura and the Power of his World too many times. In addition, the Undying Phoenix had told her that the figure called god by the locals was Teng Qingshan!

“Dong.” Li Jun hastily said, “Command the members to seal off this area. Forbade anyone from approaching.”

“Yes.” Yang Dong hastily said

Immediately, Yang Dong gave the order, and the members of Xing Yi Sect, who had been appearing very relaxed, became very serious. They sealed off an area of 100 Zhang around the place where Teng Qingshan was cultivating… No one was allowed to go near… Anyone who broke this rule would be killed!

In a quiet attic in the Heavenly God Palace in Qingzhou:

Dressed in plain clothing, Meng Dujuan could be seen playing guqin and the melody sounded very calming. Pei San closed his eyes. He held a teacup with one hand and patted his thigh with the other hand, following the beat of the melody.

“Teacher! Teacher!” A beam of light flew into the attic. It was the King of Beasts Wu Hou.

“What is it?” With his eyes still closed, Pei San asked in a casual manner.

“Teacher, someone discovered a mysterious person sitting under a cassia tree on the Wild Wolf Mountain in the region of Chu County, Yangzhou. The mysterious person is enveloped by swirls of mist. In addition, the cassia tree would grow new branches, new leaves, and new flowers within a few seconds. But then, within the next few seconds, the new branches, new leaves, and new flowers would wilt and fall off. The members of the Xing Yi Sect and the Undying Phoenix had arrived on that mountain. They have sealed off that area and prohibited anyone from getting close to that area.” Wu Hou answered hurriedly.

Pei San sat there. He did not move at all.

Crash!

Suddenly, the teacup in his hand dropped on the table and tumbled down on the ground, breaking into pieces. The tea spilled and splashed on the ground.

“Good…” Pei San’s eyes lit up. His eyes were so bright that they shone like the sun in the darkness. “Good!”

Pei San smacked the table and stood up.

“Interchange of life and death… Interchange of life and death… Teng Qingshan! Teng Qingshan! I knew I did not misjudge you! I knew it! Haha…” Pei San guffawed loudly. The sound of his vigorous laughter rang throughout the entire palace.