Chapter 185: Chapter 153: The Xuan Drum Descends the Mountain to Seek Shao Yang, Grandpa Angrily Becomes the Bridegroom

"Me? No way, I’m not going! The new Shao Yang True Monarch carries immense karma. How could I possibly go looking for that kind of trouble!"

The white-haired, white-bearded old man jumped three feet in the air at the words, shouting furiously,

"The Sect Leader must find me too noisy and is looking for an excuse to send me to my death!"

The True Monarch Lu made a Daoist salute, her tone faint.

"You jest, Lord Drum. You are an object that suppresses the sect’s karmic fortune—of the utmost importance. We cannot afford to lose you."

"Even if I were to be sacrificed, we would never abandon you, Lord Drum."

Hearing this, the old man’s expression softened slightly, but he still sounded reluctant.

"Welcoming a Daoist is such a momentous occasion. Isn’t it a bit of a farce to send a Magical Treasure to do the job?"

"Are you sure there isn’t a trap in this? Could True Monarch Lu be in cahoots with Qin Baiyu to trick me?!"

Watery clouds and mist swirled around True Monarch Lu. The many Foundation Establishment True Masters immersed within it trembled, not daring to speak.

"You’ve always known me, my lord. I never deceive people with words."

The old man studied True Monarch Lu for a moment, then muttered under his breath,

"I do trust True Monarch Lu’s character. Back when the Ancestral Master questioned her, asking if she had a private affair with that person... OUCH!"

DONG!

The eight-foot-tall bronze drum was struck.

The instrument was entirely cyan, its drumhead painted with a strange, hornless, ox-like beast stomping on the ground with one foot.

A single raindrop fell, and the bronze drum instantly began to vibrate violently!

A vast, divine sound kicked up a huge disturbance. Layer upon layer of intense ripples formed terrifying undulations as heavy as mountains.

The entire Zhen Peak Main Hall began to shake. The many Foundation Establishment True Masters felt like small boats in a raging storm, tossed about so violently that their very Life Essences began to waver!

A middle-aged Daoist with a gaunt face had fire erupting from his seven orifices, as if his body were being consumed by flames.

A handsome Daoist in a feathered robe found his body turning to rotten wood, even sprouting branches and buds.

An elegant Female Cultivator dispersed like flowing clouds, her form gradually blurring.

As for a stern-faced young man, it was as if he were being pierced by ten thousand swords, riddled with holes, blood gushing forth like a spring.

This eight-foot bronze drum was actually a Magical Treasure capable of destroying lives, damaging Life Essences, and throwing the Five Elements into disarray!

"True Monarch Lu, please calm your anger!"

The old man tumbled off the drumhead, landing on the ground covered in dust. Seemingly aware that he had misspoken, he shrank back and said,

"I will accept the order and descend the mountain now!"

The woman standing amidst the watery clouds remained silent.

"Does True Monarch Lu have any message for the new Shao Yang True Monarch?"

The old man hoisted the bronze drum onto his shoulders, its weight making him stoop.

"It won’t be too late to talk once he truly becomes the master of ’Changming Tianchi’."

True Monarch Lu replied faintly and said no more.

The old man, carrying the bronze drum as if it were a mountain, asked breathlessly,

"Oh, right, I almost forgot! How am I supposed to find the new Shao Yang True Monarch? Is he tall or short, fat or thin? I know nothing about him!"

But True Monarch Lu said,

"The Sect Leader has said that the Ancestral Master left a prophecy: ’Shao Yang enters the Innate Sect.’ When you see that person, Lord Drum, the Xuanyin Dharma Drum will naturally sound seven times."

The old man grumbled,

"Qin Baiyu always loves to be needlessly mysterious!"

Only after the old man and the bronze drum had vanished from Zhen Peak Main Hall did the many Foundation Establishment True Masters finally let out a great sigh of relief, hurrying to stabilize the foundations of their Life Essences.

"The matter of the Daoist is settled. Do not discuss it again."

True Monarch Lu occupied the main seat, her tone as placid as a windless, waveless river.

"You are all pillars of our sect. Whether you worry for the fate of our Dharma Lineage, or harbor ambitions to rise and contend for the position, it is all understandable."

"But the Ancestral Master’s decision and the Sect Leader’s choice are not for you to question.

"Changming Tianchi has hung empty for several hundred years. If any of you wish to become its master, then simply go and prove yourselves worthy of the position—the Innate Daoist only welcomes a True Monarch!"

Once these words fell, Zhen Peak Main Hall was utterly silent.

The many Foundation Establishment cultivators bowed their heads and responded in unison,

"We shall obey the Sect Leader’s command! We shall obey the True Monarch’s command!"

...

...

「Fengdu, the Bottomless Abyss.」

Wanshou Country, under the jurisdiction of Shangcao Prefecture.

In the ghost city, Jiang Yi stopped only after raising his Merit to sixty-six percent. Dense Yin Qi transformed into a roaring current and surged into his body.

He exhaled through his mouth and inhaled through his nose, releasing his internal breath. The resulting blast of air made the empty street hum and caused the houses on both sides to tremble and shake.

This trip down into the Bottomless Abyss had brought significant improvement to his Dao Embryo.

In terms of physical physique alone, he could now clash head-on with a Qi Cultivation Eighth or Ninth Layer cultivator.

’It’s a pity I don’t have a Magical Artifact like a Flying Needle or Flying Sword on hand, or I could test my mettle... What am I thinking? I can just ask the Celestial Book!’

Belatedly, Jiang Yi lowered his gaze in thought and summoned the page of golden paper.

With a flash of thought, tadpole-like characters leaped forth one after another.

[I beg the Celestial Book, show me what level of Qi Cultivation Cultivator my current physique can withstand.]

The Celestial Book’s reply was extremely fast, listing a long and detailed analysis that covered all sorts of situations.

It gave clear judgments regarding Ancestral Sect Qi Cultivation Cultivators, considering whether they had Magical Artifacts, the level of their Dao Inheritance, and whether their Techniques countered his.

As for cultivators from the Inner Sect or Branch Sects, they weren’t even considered. The Celestial Book directly concluded that he was "invincible among those of the same level."

’So, my Dao Embryo physique can take a direct hit from a Qi Cultivation Fourth-Grade Magical Artifact. And by using True Qi to activate a Technique, I can kill a Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer cultivator from an Ancestral Sect...’

The more Jiang Yi calculated, the clearer things became. With his current strength, he could easily kill twenty Xiao Tongquans, and five or six Han Lis wouldn’t be a problem either.

He hadn’t witnessed Xu Yan’s or Zhou Fu’s abilities, but he figured they wouldn’t be able to withstand more than a few slaps from him either.

The senior brother and senior sister from the Qianji Sect, once so lofty and unreachable, had now been left far behind.

’As expected, wasting time in an Inner Sect not only makes the hope of Foundation Establishment slim, but you’re also not even ranked for Magical Combat. You’re simply not qualified to be included in the measurement.’

Jiang Yi couldn’t help but sigh. If he hadn’t accepted this Dao Inheritance from True Master Xuanmiao, he feared he’d still be struggling in the mud at the bottom, unable to even climb out.

"Young Daoist Master!"

Just as Jiang Yi was lost in thought, a changui with a fox’s head scrambled and fell before him, wailing,

"Something terrible has happened! The Old Daoist Master has been snatched by a ghost!"

The "Old Daoist Master" he referred to was Yang Xun.

"Speak clearly."

Jiang Yi remained calm and unhurried.

Within a hundred-li radius, there shouldn’t be any powerful Fierce Fiends that could endanger his grandpa’s life.

Besides, Yang Xun had gone to find a Ghost Market to purchase Yin Ganoderma and Yin Ginseng for him, so he could report back to the Sect Leader.

He had also begged the Celestial Book about this matter, and the reply was "no mortal danger."

The changui was terrified, afraid that Jiang Yi would vent his anger by eating it alive. It stammered,

"The Old Daoist Master went to the Ghost Market, bought the Yin Ganoderma and Yin Ginseng, and was heading back. But who knew that on the way, he ran into someone recruiting a groom and was taken away!"

Jiang Yi’s brow furrowed. The Ghost King of Shangcao Prefecture was marrying off his daughter?

News of this had already spread throughout the Bottomless Abyss.

Recently, various ghosts had been capturing living humans for this very reason.

It was said that you could receive a reward for delivering a living person to the Ghost King’s mansion. If the person was chosen as the son-in-law, the reward would be even more generous.

Jiang Yi asked calmly,

"Which ghost was it? What did it look like? How did it take Grandpa? Explain everything, one thing at a time."

The changui swallowed hard, composing itself before daring to answer,

"More than five hundred li to the south, there’s a place called Jiyun Cave. The cave was originally home to a Demon, but somehow it entered the Ghost Dao and claimed the place as its lair. Ordinary Fierce Fiends don’t dare provoke her; they just call her ’Lao Lao’."

"This humble one only saw a gust of Yin wind blow past, and a black fog enveloped the Old Daoist Master. He was just whisked away! I didn’t get a clear look at what it was at all!"

’So powerful? Could it have reached Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer and condensed Innate Qi?’

’Lao Lao? Recruiting a groom?’

Jiang Yi muttered to himself. ’At Grandpa’s age, is he going to suffer such a calamity and lose his chastity in his old age?’

’The "fateful bond of marriage" the Celestial Book showed before?’

’Could it have been talking about Grandpa?’

’And not me?’

A cluster of doubts swirled in his mind, forcing Jiang Yi to summon the Celestial Book once more.

...

...

「Several hundred li to the south, Jiyun Cave was bustling with activity.」

The sprawling courtyards were decorated with lanterns and colored banners, and large red lanterns hung everywhere, suffusing the place with a festive atmosphere.

Seven or eight flying-head ghosts chanted,

"A joyous occasion! A joyous occasion!"

「In a room in the rear courtyard.」

Yang Xun was pinned to the bed by several burly old hag ghosts. They forcibly dressed him in a crimson wedding robe, put a black hat on his head, and shoved black boots onto his feet, giving him no room to struggle.

An old nanny-ghost with a long, lolling tongue leaned in and cackled strangely,

"Old fellow, don’t be so stubborn! Jiyun Cave hasn’t had a living person in years. Be a good boy and complete the wedding ceremony with Lao Lao! Once you’re in the bridal chamber, I guarantee you’ll be as happy as an Immortal!"

Yang Xun had lived for more than half his life; when had he ever suffered such humiliation?

How could he let some ancient old ghost defile his body!

He immediately struggled with all his might, but he was no match for the ghosts’ strength. In an instant, he was trussed up like a pig for slaughter and carried off toward the front hall for the ceremony.

"When my grandson gets here, he’ll definitely slaughter every last one of you wicked ghosts!"

Yang Xun gritted his teeth and roared, his bald eyebrows and long face radiating killing intent.

"Now that you’re the groom, we’re all family."

But the long-tongued old nanny-ghost giggled and tried to smooth things over,

"Lao Lao will naturally dote on your grandson as well."

Yang Xun’s heart went cold, and he was utterly horrified.

He suddenly recalled the stories of this Lao Lao’s methods, and hesitation filled his heart.

’Should I... endure the humiliation for now and play along?’

’Otherwise, what if Ah Yi comes to the rescue and gets captured too...’

’Losing my own integrity is a small matter; I absolutely cannot let Ah Yi fall into their evil clutches!’