Chapter 129: The Monk Arrives, An Urgent Capture

At the foot of Zirong Peak, a monk made a pilgrimage, taking three steps before kneeling and nine steps before prostrating. He chanted the hymns of the Southern Nanhua Fire Virtue, his face weathered by the elements, his devotion absolute.

In the mid-air, the manifestation of the Zirong Peak Mountain Spirit watched the pilgrim in silence. Beside the Mountain Spirit stood the Mountain Ghosts of the various peaks. They asked, "This man comes from afar; why permit him entry to the peak?"

On the other side stood the crowd of Yin officials from the local earth temple below the mountain. They replied, "He is a disciple of the Taiping Mountain Daoist sect, one of the four Yin officials of the mountain's central region. He is entitled to enter the peak."

The Mountain Ghosts were displeased, and just as they were about to retort, the Mountain Spirit spoke, "I have already received the decree from the ghost deity Zhongcheng. You shall all withdraw."

"Understood!"

Upon hearing the name of Zhongcheng, a renowned ghost deity of the southern heavens, the Mountain Ghosts suppressed their grievances, while the Yin officials of the Jixie Mountain area looked as if they had won a great victory.

The Mountain Spirit stood in the void, watching until the monk disappeared into the depths of the mountain, arriving before a pavilion built against the cliffside.

"Feibai Pavilion!"

Seeing the precious halls and towers, a landscape of immortal beauty, the monk prostrated several times more.

"Where do you come from?" asked a young acolyte who was welcoming guests at the pavilion.

The monk saw the acolyte’s unfriendly tone but did not take offense; it was said that even a minor official at a Prime Minister’s gate carried weight, and this boy, having long dwelled in the pavilion, had likely seen many immortal travelers.

He had come on a mission of investigation, methodically tracing the network of the old Daoist Feihu, determined to unearth the hiding place of the Celestial Being. He had been investigating for years, traveling across the vast southern lands, and he had to admit that the connections the old Daoist had accumulated in his youth were staggering. Had the old man’s future not been exhausted, these connections alone would have made his own master wary.

Zirong Peak was one of the places he was least willing to investigate; a single misstep could offend a powerful figure. Yet, having found no clues regarding the Celestial Being in recent years, the monk realized his cautious approach was merely a waste of time.

He said to the acolyte, "My dharma name is Huijin."

"Who asked for your dharma name? Do you have a Daoist title?"

Huijin’s face darkened as he shook his head. Only after one reached the three realms of Foundation Establishment and was bestowed a talisman could one receive a Daoist title; it was not as easily obtained as a Buddhist dharma name. Seeing the monk lacked a Daoist title, the acolyte’s face showed clear impatience.

"I have come to inquire about something," Huijin said. He took out a pearl and slipped it into the acolyte’s sleeve, asking, "Is there an acolyte here who came from the Crane Temple? No, he should be a youth with hair bound in a knot now."

The acolyte weighed the pearl in his sleeve and shook his head lightly. Huijin knew this didn't mean the youth wasn't there, but that the gift was insufficient. After slipping a dozen more pearls into the sleeve, Huijin realized this was a wolf cub that could never be satiated. Just as his anger began to flare, he saw a familiar figure.

He was about to call out, but he stopped.

From the fire-lit Huoxu Cave, a young Daoist stepped out. His bearing was imposing and his spirit high; he looked nothing like the person he once knew. Huijin found himself unconsciously scrutinizing him.

The youth wore a brilliant Ruyi golden crown, a deep black Daoist robe, small shoes with cloud patterns, and a bright red pure-yang silk sash. His hand, tucked into his sleeve, swayed a horsetail whisk. Behind him followed two acolytes, one holding a small pouch and the other a dharma sword. Even before he approached, he emanated a majestic aura, like a true seed of the Dao or a holy son of the heterodox sects.

"Senior Brother Jintong!" The acolytes in Feibai Pavilion rushed to greet the young Daoist, calling out to him repeatedly.

Huijin bit the bullet and stepped forward. As he came within a yard of the young Daoist, he felt a clear pressure, along with a piercing gaze.

"It has been several years since we parted at the Lingyou of the Yin Heaven Palace. I did not expect you to look even more refined than before."

When Ji Ming first saw Huijin, his expression was quite remarkable; he nearly spat out the internal energy he had been cultivating, ready to suppress this bald monk on the spot. Only when he saw that Huijin did not seem to have come specifically for him did Ji Ming manage to calm his heart. He lightly swayed the whisk in his hand and formed a Daoist gesture, his mind racing as he prepared the nine Void Warriors entrusted to his meridians.

"Why have you come to visit the master, Daoist friend?" Ji Ming asked, feigning an air of indifference.

Just then, the acolyte who had received Huijin ran over and excitedly said to Ji Ming, "Senior Brother Jintong, he is here to find you."

Huijin’s body shuddered, his pupils constricted. Looking at the young Daoist before him, scenes of their gambling at Lingyou flashed through his mind, and he felt a chilling sensation of being trapped.

"Hea—"

Before he could finish, the whisk was swung downward. A massive, overwhelming force descended, pressing him flat against the ground, sinking him into the stone tiles.

"You—"

On Huijin’s body, dark golden phantoms struggled to break free, but under Ji Ming’s Great Grasping Hand, they were all suppressed back into Huijin’s body.

"What immense strength." Ji Ming’s six-fingered hand, hidden in his sleeve, trembled; he felt that even his Great Grasping Hand could not fully suppress him.

*Creak.*

With the sound of teeth grinding, all one hundred and eighty-one Vajra Warriors within Huijin exerted their strength, lifting the Great Grasping Hand half a yard. With a *thud*, the whisk fell to the ground; the six fingers in Ji Ming’s sleeve were forced open, and the Great Grasping Hand could no longer hold him.

"One hundred and eighty-one Vajra Warriors." To refine one warrior required one strand of true energy. One hundred and eighty-one meant one hundred and eighty-one strands of true energy, and it was unknown how much spiritual essence was required to refine them. Ji Ming’s master, Feihuzi, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator known as the "Dragon-Tiger Master," had only refined two hundred, filling the acupuncture points of his meridians.

Ji Ming took a half step back, raised his hand in his sleeve, and the fallen whisk flew back into his grasp. He flicked it again and swallowed a pill.

"Wind-Repelling Pill!" Huijin was shocked. This pill enhanced techniques related to wind and energy control; he had played a part in helping the other party obtain this pill at Lingyou. He had assumed the strength of the Great Grasping Hand earlier was due to this pill.

"Go!" Huijin shouted, waving his wide sleeve, and a sword light flew out.

"Evil monk, how dare you be insolent before our cave!" Behind Ji Ming, the Painted-Eyebrow acolyte scolded him, raising the sword he held. The dharma sword unsheathed, clashing with Huijin’s.

The Skylark acolyte nervously gripped the poison bag. Jintong had warned him that the Thousand-Hand creature in the bag relied on its uniqueness, not its strength, and that the timing of its release was crucial.

"Let me take you." Ji Ming knew this was a life-or-death struggle with Huijin, but he had not expected to fight here, before Huoxu Cave. He had to finish this quickly and then go to his master to confess and explain the truth. Otherwise, if the master discovered the situation and realized his identity as a Celestial Being, the situation would become passive.

"You brat, you—" Huijin started to curse, but his body sank, and he was forced to his knees, his bald head pressed firmly into the earth.

"This is... Void Warriors." The one hundred and eighty-one Vajra Warriors he had released did not come to his aid; instead, they all rushed toward Ji Ming.

In an instant, Ji Ming seemed to be trapped in layers of phantoms. He narrowed his eyes, steadied his stance, and swung the whisk again. A *thud* echoed as a massive energy handprint descended where Ji Ming stood. The one hundred and thirteen overlapping Vajra Warriors were shattered into true energy, returning to Huijin’s body.

Ji Ming flicked the whisk again, and the energy hand transformed into a cord of air, weaving through the sky with such speed that it caused the air to whistle. The remaining Vajra Warriors were pierced by the cord.

Huijin’s face changed, and he struggled fiercely. The sound of grinding echoed from his body as the nine Void Warriors could no longer hold him. Just as his old strength faded and the new had yet to arise, the Skylark acolyte pulled the mouth of the bag. A faint stream of light shot out, striking Huijin’s body. A Thousand-Hand creature latched onto the skin behind his ear, its hundred legs gripping tight, its poison hook piercing his skin. There was some resistance, but it could not stop the hook.

"You think you can harm me with such underhanded tricks?" Huijin raised a hand to crush the small poison insect, but the energy cord instantly bound his hands, preventing him from breaking free.

Seeing Huijin bound, Ji Ming felt a sense of relief. Taking down Huijin without resorting to the Bone-Gathering Heart Bead proved that his cultivation had greatly improved.

"Thief, evil scoundrel, do not be arrogant!" Huijin’s body was already poisoned, but his powerful constitution allowed his voice to boom like a bell. Suddenly, a palm struck, shattering his teeth and tearing away half his tongue.

Ji Ming bowed slightly to the Elder Ape who had helped, saying, "Elder Ape, please keep watch over this man for me. I must go to seek the master’s judgment."