Chapter 268: Change of Target
Although what Celestial MeiHua said seemed weak and genteel, SongZhong did not dare to underestimate her words. He pulled a long face as he said, "I assume Senior would be the famous Celestial MeiHua, right?"
"Haha, I did not expect you to have such good eyesight!" Hearing such, Celestial MeiHua could not help but smile. "How did you guess?"
"Other than Senior, there are no other female YuanYing cultivators in the Mystical Sky Yard!" SongZhong laughed as he replied, before saying a little gloomily, "I have a good relationship with your disciple, ShuiJing, and would not want to cross blades with Senior!"
"What do you mean, cross blades?" Celestial MeiHua immediately interjected. "Did I say I was coming to fight it out with you?"
"What?" SongZhong could not help but feel elated at this piece of news. "Don't tell me Senior does not plan to obstruct me?"
"That goes without saying; from now on, I am wiping any and all relationships with those bastards below. On the contrary, I would be happier if that Daoist HuoLong was dead!" Celestial MeiHua hatefully spat out.
"EEHH?!" SongZhong never thought she would say so, and was caught totally by surprise.
Seeing him in a flabbergasted state, Celestial MeiHua only smiled lightly, saying, "I know this may seem suspicious, but every word I have spoken is only the truth. With my identity, it's definitely not worthwhile for me to lie to you!"
"Then Senior, please move aside and let me wipe Daoist HuoLong off the face of this earth before we reminisce about the old times!" SongZhong hurriedly spoke.
"Ai ya!" Celestial MeiHua shook her head in response, saying, "Look at you, you're so silly! Let me ask you, even if you blast the Mystical Sky Yard to smithereens, are you guaranteed to kill Daoist HuoLong?"
"This..." SongZhong was rendered speechless. Subconsciously, he was aware that every YuanYing cultivator would have their own set of Life-Saving Secret Arts. For him to rely on the Golden Dragon Boat to defeat them and chase them off would be possible, but it would be another matter to actually kill them. The other party only needed to put all their effort into running away, and compared to a YuanYing cultivator's speed, the Golden Dragon Boat might be able to catch up at all. Even if it could catch up, the consumption of spiritual stones was not something which SongZhong would be able to endure! As such, he could only destroy the entire Mystical Sky Yard today, but he could not do anything about Daoist HuoLong.
Seeing his expression, Celestial MeiHua immediately understood that SongZhong had understood all that she had said. She continued, "Child, while it is true that Daoist Huolong is your enemy, the Mystical Sky Yard isn't! Huo QianWu isn't here, even if you were to destroy the entire Sect, this would only result in the deaths of countless cultivators. Some of them are even your fellow apprentices, can you bear to watch them die?"
"This..." Another chord was struck in SongZhong. The familiar faces of Han LingFeng, Monkey, and Qing FengZi all flashed by in his mind, and the killing intent immediately bled out of him. While he hated Daoist HuoLong to the bones, he wasn't willing to blindly sacrifice all the people he was close to.
Seeing his expression of agony, Celestial MeiHua smiled gently. "Child, don't be disheartened! Let me tell you, your real enemy is actually the Jade Pearl Pavilion, that's where Huo QianWu is residing currently. Not only that, even the shameless Celestial QingYun is there too. The two of them were responsible for the death of your entire family, why aren't you going there to destroy their Sect instead?"
Hearing such, SongZhong's eyeballs turned bloodshot and a fresh wave of killing intent spilled out once again. He viciously spat out, "Senior is right. For every grievance there is someone responsible, for every debt there is a debtor. I should not have blindly attacked the Mystical Sky Yard; the Jade Pearl Pavilion should be my target! I shall now head towards them to take my revenge!" As he spoke, SongZhong's hands prepared to change the destination to the Jade Pearl Pavilion.
However, he was stopped by Celestial MeiHua, who called out, "Wait, wait!"
"Does Senior still have more instructions?" SongZhong immediately stopped where he was, turning around and saluting her respectfully.
"Silly child, at your strength now, how could you defeat the Jade Pearl Pavilion? Their Grand Defensive Formation isn't like the one here; furthermore, it has been properly maintained. Even though your Golden Dragon Boat is peerlessly overpowering, you might not even scratch the formation!" Celestial MeiHua poured a bucket of cold water on him.
"Ah! Is that so…" SongZhong took in a cold breath. He knew that Celestial MeiHua would not lie to him, so he could only reveal a face of anxiety.
Seeing his constipated face, Celestial MeiHua laughed as she continued, "Silly child, it is actually nothing difficult. While the Jade Pearl Pavilion's defensive formation may seem like a stronghold of steel to you, in front of me, it is full of holes. Come, take a look!" As she finished, she took out a piece of white jade, tossing it to SongZhong.
Upon catching it, SongZhong asked in doubt, "This is…?"
"This is the formation for the Grand Defensive Formation of the Jade Pearl Pavilion. I've already mapped out the leylines for you on it. As long as you aim at these crucial spots, with the strength of the Golden Dragon Boat, you can definitely destroy it!" Celestial MeiHua smiled darkly as she spoke.
"Ah?" SongZhong eyes brightened as he replied joyously, "Why would Senior give this to me?"
"Because I can't stand some people treating me as though I'm a fool and an idiot!" Celestial MeiHua replied hatefully.
"Eh?" SongZhong did not expect such an answer. He thought to himself, "Most likely, someone in the Jade Pearl Pavilion has angered her. This is her borrowing a knife to kill someone!"
Celestial MeiHua suddenly casually remarked, "You also have another problem. That Golden Dragon Boat of yours is fierce, but it mostly consumes high-grade spiritual stones, and the consumption is no trifling matter too, right?"
"That's the case!" SongZhong was first shocked, thinking that Celestial MeiHua was probing his weaknesses, before realising that she had made her calculations long in advance. He did not attempt to conceal it, instead pulling a long face, "This toy here is formidable, but in truth, it actually depends on burning money to maintain it. Today's battle has already left me in deficit. If I were to attack the Jade Pearl Pavilion, I'm afraid I would be less capable than I wish!"
Hearing this, Celestial MeiHua only clicked her teeth together before saying, "Child! Let me help you a little bit more!" As she spoke, she threw out an elaborate storage pouch without waiting for SongZhong to reply.
Receiving it and scanning through it with his spiritual sense, SongZhong received another great shock. As it turned out, the storage pouch actually contained millions of high-grade spiritual stones, already forming an actual mountain from the sheer numbers.
SongZhong did not expect Celestial MeiHua to be so generous and could only exclaim in shock, "Senior, this, how could I afford to take this?"
Celestial MeiHua merely dismissed his words with a wave of her hand. "If I say that you can have it, don't question me. You just have to promise me that you will flatten the Jade Pearl Pavilion into a pancake!"
"This Junior swears, if I don't flatten Jade Pearl, I'm not worthy to be a human!" SongZhong eyes flashed with killing intent as he spat out each word slowly.
"Good!" Celestial MeiHua jubilantly laughed. "With such words, I can rest assured!"
"But Senior!" SongZhong furrowed his brows, "Why would you want to do this? These millions of high-grade spiritual stones, they are no small sum!"
"Hahaha, silly child, though this amount of spiritual stones might not be present even in a FenShen cultivator's belongings, but to me, they're not even worth mentioning. Don't forget what I cultivate in!" Celestial MeiHua smiled.
SongZhong froze for a while before he understood. With Celestial MeiHua's abilities of calculation, the locations of heavenly treasures, as well as ancient cultivators' residences, could not escape her grasp. As such, with so many years under her belt, the wealth she possessed would definitely be far beyond everyone's imaginations. Though the sum of spiritual stones she gave to SongZhong might be frightening, they were not even enough to put a dent in her savings.
Following which, Celestial MeiHua continued, "As for the reason, I shall not hide it from you. There are two reasons, the first being revenge. The hussy in Jade Pearl Pavilion has been too insufferably arrogant, but due to my identity, I cannot deal with her, and thus can only use you as my intermediary. This can be considered my payment for your services!"
"But such payment seems to be too huge!" SongZhong bitterly laughed.
"I know, thus the second reason, which is to obtain a favor!" Celestial MeiHua continued solemnly. "I am placing my bets on you, and I feel that you are worth me investing my effort, do you understand?"
"I understand!" SongZhong knew that because Celestial MeiHua predicted that he had a bright future ahead of him, she decided to get on his good books beforehand by using spiritual stones which she had practically no need for to obtain a favor. SongZhong admired her candidness, and even though he knew he was being used, he still cupped his fists towards her. "Senior's kindness today, SongZhong will engrave it in his mind!"
"That's good!" Celestial MeiHua smiled in satisfaction, before interjecting, "I intend to give you another gift. Would you like to return my favour and give me some benefits?"
"What gift?" SongZhong perked up his ears.
"It's like this; my disciple has been out roaming the last few years and has become quite close with Han Bing'er of the Jade Pearl Pavilion. A few days ago, Han Bing'er sent a transmission inviting my disciple over, and seeing how your close friend Han LingFeng had a lot of bad luck surrounding her, my disciple suspected that something was going to happen, and thus took the chance to run there with her![a] In any case, she is now at the Jade Pearl Pavilion, so if you rush over there, guns blazing, if Celestial Qingyun finds out that she cannot deal with you, she will definitely use her as a bargaining chip!" Celestial MeiHua sneered. "I intend to go now to bring them back and allow you to reunite with Han LingFeng. How is that? Is it a good gift?"
"Definitely!" SongZhong immediately bowed in gratitude. "I really have to thank Senior for this!"
"No need for false pleasantries!" Celestial MeiHua waved it off, "If you really want to thank me, then take out some Five Elements Lotus Seeds. I am not greedy, three will do!"
This outspoken attitude of Celestial MeiHua was extremely pleasing to SongZhong; it let him feel her sincerity. SongZhong was never one to be petty, and since he still had a lot of Five Elements Lotuses, he immediately complied, throwing three of the seeds over to her. The way things looked, Celestial MeiHua was still at a loss. With the few millions of high-grade spiritual stones, let alone 3, she could buy a countless number of the Five Elements Lotuses! Thus, in terms of owing favours, despite having gifted 3 of the seeds to her, SongZhong was still indebted to her!
"Haha, you're really straightforward, you sure did not waste my effort spent in talking to you!" Celestial MeiHua received the seeds with a smile. "Since that's the case, then let me make a move first. You can follow behind me, and I'll pass Han LingFeng to you on the way before you sweep the entire Jade Pearl Pavilion! Hahaha, this is making me so excited!" The moment she finished speaking, she did not even wait for SongZhong to reply before disappearing into a gentle breeze.
Chapter 269: Jade Pearl Ridgeline
Seeing that Celestial MeiHua left, SongZhong would naturally not stay any longer. First, he roared downwards, "Darn old fogey Daoist HuoLong, wash your neck clean and wait for me. I will find you one day for smearing my parents!"
As he finished that, SongZhong did not wait for Daoist HuoLong to reply and disappeared with his Gold Dragon Boat.
As Mister First and Mister Second heard SongZhong's threat, they both began to sweat. This SongZhong already had the ability to contend with them now. By the time he became a YuanYing cultivator, wouldn't they all be dead for sure?
As for Daoist HuoLong, he was not worried about SongZhong's threat. He had already made the decision to resign from the position of sect master and enter into closed door cultivation in the Mystical Sky Branch. In there were LianXu and FenShen cultivators to protect him, making it impossible for SongZhong to create trouble.
But the problem is, Celestial MeiHua did not hide her words just now and everyone could hear them loud and clear. Knowing that Celestial MeiHua was going to find trouble with his sister, Daoist HuoLong was anxious to the point he almost caught on fire.
Even if the others did not know how powerful Celestial MeiHua was, how would he not be clear about that? This senior sister of his had quite an extreme personality. It wouldn't matter if she didn't take action, but the moment she did, she would definitely strike hard. With her giving SongZhong a few pointers, the protecting formation of the Jade Pearl Pavilion was as good as nonexistent. Together with the large amount of spiritual stones which she gave SongZhong, Daoist HuoLong could already imagine the scene of the Jade Pearl Pavilion getting destroyed in his mind. At that time, his sister would definitely have to bear the responsibility as the head of the Jade Pearl Pavilion and would definitely suffer many grievances!
Thinking about that, Daoist HuoLong was anxious to the point he broke out in cold sweat. He knew that he was unable to catch up with Celestial MeiHua. Thus, he used a flying sword to send his sister a message, hoping it would salvage the situation a little. As for the others, he could only leave it up to the heavens!
In the western region of the Vast Mountains, there was a mountain range which spanned thousands of kilometres called the Jade Pearl Ridgeline. The view here is spectacular with a dense amount of spiritual Qi, home to the thousand-year-old Jade Pearl Pavilion.
The main peak of the Jade Pearl Ridgeline was 100,000 feet high with the top half of it being filled with snow all year round. The headquarters of the Jade Pearl Pavilion was located there.
Everyone in the Jade Pearl Pavilion was female, and these meticulous female cultivators had built an extremely exquisite palace, making this the most beautiful place in the Vast Mountains. Everyone who came here would definitely be in awe over the wonderful scenery.
Today, following the flash of a greenish sword light, a lady dressed in white appeared in front of the Jade Pearl Hall, which was located at the very peak of the Jade Pearl Ridgeline. While this lady was extremely beautiful and elegant, the words she said were extremely rude. After she arrived here, she shouted out without restraint, "Huo QingYun, get out here!"
This lady's magical Qi was extremely profound. While she only spoke a single phrase, it shook the surrounding frost as her voice echoed out kilometers away.
Huo QingYun was the head of the Jade Pearl Pavilion, and Celestial QingYun was her secular name. In the Jade Pearl Pavilion, the one with the highest position was the head of the pavilion. For someone to shout out the name of the their pavilion head outside the Jade Pearl Hall, wasn't this a form of provocation? The people from the Jade Pearl Pavilion would naturally not endure such provocation and sword light flashed from all around.
In just a mere few breaths, there were over a hundred female JinDan cultivators who arrived. While they originally arrived aggressively to question the perpetrator, they immediately lost all morale the moment they saw the person who was talking. They then looked at each other without saying a second word.
The lady in front of them was just too famous. The famous Celestial MeiHua, number one expert of the Vast Mountains, capable of killing YuanYing cultivators with just a wave of her hands. It was said that this lady had an eccentric personality. It wouldn't matter if she didn't take action. But the moment she did, she would definitely injure someone. In the past, she had killed countless of people when she was exploring the world. She was just like a god of death.
Facing such a person, who would dare be disrespectful? Thus, despite there being YuanYing cultivators amongst them, they all decided to keep their mouths shut as they thought to themselves, "Since she isn't looking for me but the pavilion head, why should I involve myself in this matter?"
Right at this moment, the doors of the Jade Pearl Hall opened and three people walked out. The one in front was a green-dressed middle-aged female cultivator who looked extremely stunning. Her face carried a tinge of prestige; obviously she was a person with status. Without a doubt, this person was the head of the Jade Pearl Pavilion, Huo QingYun.
To the left of Huo QingYun was a red-dressed female cultivator at the late JinDan stage, disciple of the Mystical Sky Yard Huo QianWu.
To her right was a young lady who was dressed in white with a solemn expression. While she did not intentionally circulate her spiritual Qi, a wave of cold air could still be felt emanating from her. If SongZhong was here, he would definitely be able to recognize this girl who was already at the late foundational stage. She was Han Bing'er, who had once fought alongside him in the Jade Green Screen.
After the three of them appeared, they calmly moved in front of Celestial MeiHua.
Celestial QingYun then frowned. "Senior sister is here today with a body full of killing intent. You are obviously not here for tea, right?"
"Of course not." Celestial MeiHua replied coldly.
"Eh, then you are here to question me about my crimes?" Huo QingYun asked with a frown, "I wonder how I have offended you?"
"Huo QingYun, stop feigning ignorance," Celestial MeiHua said with disdain. "You can no longer hide what both of you, mother and child, did."
As Celestial MeiHua said that, the faces of everyone in their surroundings changed. You must know, Celestial QingYun is known to the world to be single. How was it possible for a single female cultivator to have a daughter?
As Huo QingYun heard that, her face changed as she said, "Celestial MeiHua, what nonsense are you spouting? I respect you as a senior sister, but why you are maligning me like that?"
"Maligning you? Hahaha!" Celestial MeiHua burst out into laughter, "I have been cultivating the Plum Blossom Divination for so many years, do you really think I can't calculate the truth that you and Huo QianWu are mother and daughter?"
"Ah!" As the female cultivators in the surrounding heard that, they all let out shocks of exclamation, staring at Celestial QingYun and Huo QianWu with questioning glares.
Huo QianWu's face immediately turned anxious. However, Huo QingYun was a sly old fox and immediately roared, "Bullshit! Who here doesn't know that Huo QianWu is my brother's daughter? Don't think that you can do whatever you wish just because you cultivate the Plum Blossom Divination!"
"That's right!" Huo QianWu also stood out, "Senior aunt, I don't know how I have offended you, but I hope that you will forgive me and watch your words. Do not spit out nonsense with no evidence!"
"Haha, you are indeed mother and daughter," Celestial MeiHua laughed, "equally shameless with your words."
Celestial QingYun was angered until her face turned green. If not for the fact that she could not win against Celestial MeiHua, she would have attacked her already. She first took in a deep breath and suppressed her anger. Then, she said, "Celestial MeiHua, if you are going to continue maligning me, don't blame me for not being polite."
As she said that, Huo QingYun sent out a signal with her eyes. All of the female cultivators understood what she meant and began to surround Celestial MeiHua, taking out their magical artifacts and flying swords. It was as though if Celestial MeiHua said another word, they would surround her with a flurry of attacks.
Celestial MeiHua snorted coldly and ignored all the cultivators around her. She said, "Huo QingYun, you can continue to deny it! SongZhong is already back, I would like to see how long you can continue to be arrogant!"
"What? SongZhong is back?" Huo QingYun and Huo QianWu exclaimed together as they heard that.
"Of course!" Celestial MeiHua hatefully said, "Thanks to you two sluts, that fool Daoist HuoLong had already forced SongZhong to sever ties with the Mystical Sky Yard. As such, he was surrounded in the Shifting Towers the moment he returned. Are you two happy now?"
Hearing what Celestial MeiHua said, everyone was naturally puzzled. However, Huo QingYun and Huo QianWu both heaved a sigh of relief in their hearts.
Huo QingYun then pretended to be puzzled, "If I recall correctly, SongZhong is a spy for the demonic beasts, isn't he? Isn't it only right for your Mystical Sky Yard to take care of him?"
"That's right, such a bastard should be executed. Even if he is executed, it is only considered cleaning up the sect!" Huo QianWu replied calmly.
Obviously, both mother and daughter thought that SongZhong was equivalent to a dead person if he was in the Shifting Towers. That was a place capable of trapping FenShen cultivators. Even a YuanYing cultivator like Old Devil Feng was captured alive in there. No matter how powerful SongZhong was, he would definitely be finished.
While the both of them were elated, Han Bing'er frowned when she heard that. A sense of depression rose from her heart.
After Celestial MeiHua heard that, she laughed out loud. "Haha, two idiots. You guys look down on that darn fatty too much! Let me tell you the truth, SongZhong was not killed in the Shifting Towers. On the contrary, he destroyed the Shifting Towers and escaped from peril. He had even destroyed half of the Mystical Sky Yard."
As Huo QingYun heard that, she exclaimed, "WHAT? Impossible! Just how old is that brat? How can he destroy the defenses of the Shifting Towers?"
"Haha, it doesn't matter whether or not you believe it. In any case, you will be seeing him soon!" Celestial MeiHua said cheerfully, "At that time, don't be too surprised!"
After Celestial QingYun heard that, she replied with shock, "What do you mean?"
"Simple, after SongZhong destroyed the Shifting Towers and made a scene in the Mystical Sky Yard, he decided to make his way here!" Celestial MeiHua said with a cold laughter, "He wants to settle some old scores with both of you."
After Huo QianWu heard that, her face turned white. However, Huo QingYun knew the gravity of the matter and remained unfazed. "Please forgive me for not knowing what you're talking about. SongZhong and I have no enmity, why would he be looking for me?"