Becoming a fox fairy from Liaozhai

Chapter 865 The Red Gate in the Sleeve

Chapter 865 The Red Gate in the Sleeve

Prince Lu was known for his respect for scholars and his willingness to invest heavily. While delicacies were commonplace, rare herbs, precious stones, and other valuables were highly tempting to cultivators. Even real gold and silver had unique uses in setting up formations, refining artifacts, and creating elixirs and talismans. And what about fame, fortune, and wealth – these are all things that people desire?

Prince Lu personally came down to offer a toast, making a grand gesture, and repeatedly praising him for his important position, courtesy, and kindness. For a time, both host and guests were delighted, and laughter filled the Jixian Pavilion.

When it came to Gong Mengbi, the Prince of Lu's eyes lit up: "Immortal Gong truly has the bearing of an immortal, comparable to the Great Immortal Jin Ting."

Jin Ting, the immortal in the banquet hall, turned his gaze over, but Gong Mengbi ignored him.

Gong Mengbi raised his cup and went straight to the point: "Your Highness knows how to recognize and use talent; how could you not win the hearts of the people and return to your side?"

"While the wealth is desirable, the Altar of Wind, Cloud, Thunder and Rain is far more important to me. Offering sacrifices to the gods of heaven and earth is related to cultivation, and even more so to destiny. I wonder if Your Highness has already made a decision?"

King Lu raised an eyebrow slightly, looked around, and saw that all the cultivators at the table had focused their attention on him. He then laughed heartily: "So you were all waiting here."

He slowly walked up to the throne, sat down next to Lady Hui, and said, "The old altar in the southern suburbs is no longer usable. I intend to build a new altar for wind, clouds, thunder and rain to pray for favorable weather and national peace. Building an altar is no small matter, and we should select virtuous and capable people to use it."

"Today's banquet is not only to invite you all to stay in the mansion, but also to select the chief priest."

King Lu looked at Master Guiyuan, who then stood up and said, “Fellow Daoists, presiding over a sacrifice is not about showing off one’s courage and fighting, but about prioritizing those with high Dao and virtuous conduct. In addition to having profound Daoist cultivation and deep magical power, one must also understand the nature of wind, clouds, thunder, and rain, or perhaps possess the ability to communicate with the gods and manifest saints. A lamp will not shine if it is not adjusted, and a principle will not be understood if it is not explained. If one cannot win the hearts of the people, how can one preside over the sacrifice?”

This is only natural; ultimately, a cultivator's actions should be judged by their spiritual attainments. Everyone agreed without objection.

Master Guiyuan nodded and said, “My Mingxia Temple is supported by the Prince’s Palace and is responsible for gathering talents and selecting capable people for the Prince. In order to select the chief priest, in addition to selecting the most capable people, they must also pass the test of my Mingxia Temple. Originally, my master Mingxiazi should be in charge of the test, but since my master is not in the temple, I will be in the temple to hold the test in his place by holding the water and fire array.”

Master Guiyuan looked around and, seeing no one objecting, waved his whisk and said, "Fellow Daoists, please move inside the temple."

The group then escorted Prince Lu and Lady Hui toward Mingxia Cave. Upon arriving at Mingxia Cave, also known as Mingxia Temple, they learned the extent of Prince Lu's favor.

Mingxia Temple is confined within the palace grounds, making it somewhat lacking in spaciousness, but it is exquisite and luxurious, and its construction cost is visibly considerable.

Now that the imperial decree is to build an altar for wind, clouds, thunder and rain, it has attracted these practitioners to come and seek refuge, but the Mingxia Temple already has an altar for the sun and moon.

Such great favor truly made these spiritual practitioners, whose hearts had been stirred by worldly desires, want to curry favor with them.

Master Guiyuan activated the Water and Fire Refining Array. This array used the Sun and Moon Altar as its eye, the Sun God and Moon God Temples as its centerpieces, and the Bright Cloud Temple as its body. In an instant, golden patterns appeared on the ground, connecting the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams architectural complex. Nine glass lamps hung in the air, yet remained hidden, only faintly emitting a strange light.

Master Guiyuan invited King Lu to take the seat of honor, while Lady Hui and he presided over the Sun and Moon Altar. He and Immortal Jinting stood on either side of King Lu to protect him from any unforeseen events.

The cultivators, who were in the formation, felt as if they were being pricked by thorns, and their minds pounded as they looked at the strange light that appeared and disappeared.

Master Guiyuan looked at the somewhat uneasy cultivators lined up in the training ground, feeling pleased with himself, but still maintaining a humble and dignified demeanor, and said, "You are all welcome to demonstrate your skills here, without worrying about damaging the buildings in the mansion."

While others were still hesitant, Master Gong was unwilling to wait any longer. By his very nature, he had no desire to get involved in such matters. If it weren't for repaying a debt of gratitude for the medicine he had received, he would never have wade into this mess.

Of all those present, he was the most detached and ascetic, even surpassing Gong Mengbi.

Master Gong bowed respectfully and said, "Fellow Daoists, please."

Before he finished speaking, Master Gong suddenly unfurled his sleeves!

In an instant, the world turned upside down.

Ten thousand vermilion gates rose from the void, winding corridors and secluded paths leading to hidden realms. Behind each gate seemed to lie celestial palaces and immortal abodes, where celestial maidens and wandering deities, some smiling, some silent, could be heard, their voices ringing out: "Greetings, fellow Daoist!"

Gong Mengbi stood still, and the vermilion gate in front of him trembled, as if someone was about to open the gate from the other side and invite him to drink and have a banquet.

Gong Mengbi stared at the door, and upon hearing a sound, he stood with his fingers together in front of him and cast the Shadow Technique.

The portal was wide open, revealing only emptiness. It was clear that there were supernatural powers and techniques hidden within the portal, but at the moment the portal opened, no spiritual energy of Gong Mengbi could be detected, so nothing was revealed.

But others were not so lucky. The spiritual energy of the cultivators reflected in the vermilion gates manifested magnificent scenes such as goddesses, celestial consorts, and patriarchs, drawing them into the gates.

On each blank doorway, a scene appeared, such as a goddess feasting or a deity bestowing a teaching. Those cultivators had become the subject of a grand mansion.

In the blink of an eye, apart from Gong Mengbi, all the cultivators fell into the Zhu family's trap, becoming deeply entangled in the illusion and unable to extricate themselves.

Gong Daoren and Gong Mengbi faced each other across thousands of vermilion doors and winding corridors. Gong Daoren extended his hand and gestured for Gong to enter.

Gong Mengbi laughed loudly, released the Shadow Technique, and slipped into the vermilion gate.

The vermilion gate suddenly slammed shut, revealing the strange sight of a group of foxes offering sacrifices to the moon. But before one could get a closer look, the vermilion gate suddenly shattered, and Gong Mengbi passed through it, moving from the first vermilion gate to the second.

The scene of immortals saving people that appeared within the vermilion gate vanished in a flash and turned to ashes.

Gong Mengbi stepped through the third vermilion door, and the vermilion door, which had turned slightly purple, crumbled into dust.

Gong Daoren knew perfectly well that he and Gong Mengbi had exchanged Taoist arts, and that illusions could not possibly subdue him. So he turned the vermilion gate around and threw Gong Mengbi out of it.

Before Gong Mengbi had broken through all the vermilion gates, he returned to the corridor. Suddenly, all the other vermilion gates, except those that had trapped the other cultivators, burst open, and one after another, immortals clad in feathered robes flew out of them.

The feathered robes unfurled, stirring up a fierce wind that made the iron horses on the eaves of the Bright Cloud Pavilion clang. The wind also revealed the true form of the nine-paneled glass lamps within the Water and Fire Refining Array, drawing the wind into the void so that the Prince of Lu could not open his eyes.

The winged man rode the wind and charged towards Gong Mengbi.

Gong Mengbi refused to back down and imitated Gong Daoren by shaking his sleeves. Wind blew out from his sleeves, and the golden wind was like sharp blades, transforming into thousands of flying cranes that entangled with the feathered man.

The winged man is the wind, and so is the flying crane. The winged man is an illusion, and so is the flying crane.

The two winds intertwined and transformed into a tornado, shooting straight into the sky. Even the Water and Fire Refining Array could not stop it. It surged through the void, parting the already thin clouds and revealing a vast expanse of moonlight.

Master Gong withdrew his gaze from the sky and then spread his sleeves again!

He swept away the winding corridors and ten thousand vermilion doors with a single sleeve, and even Gong Mengbi, who was standing on the covered bridge, was taken into his sleeve.

In an instant, the martial arts arena was completely clean, with only the simply dressed Taoist Gong remaining.

"Excellent!" King Lu clasped his hands in praise.

But Master Gong sighed and said, "I lost."

Before he could finish speaking, a "rip" sound was heard as the sleeve of the Taoist priest burst open, and a long wind surged through the sleeve like a blue torrent.

Gong Mengbi sat calmly in the wind, as if he had arrived on a dragon, and then lightly landed on the ground.

Those practitioners who had been caught in the sleeves were enveloped in the wind and only regained consciousness after falling to the ground one by one.

Gong Mengbi looked at Gong Daoren and bowed to him, saying, "You flatter me."

Gong Daoren was missing a sleeve, leaving his arm bare. Although he had lost, there was a sense of relief and composure on his face.