When Ling Xian heard the one sentence that thrilled him, he hurriedly entered the painting.
The moment he arrived, an unfamiliar voice entered his ears from afar and echoed throughout the borderless land inside the painting.
"You are the apprentice Liao Cang Qiong chose?"
The volume of the voice was not loud, yet the sentence exploded in Ling Xian’s ears like a bomb. Each word that was spoken carried a mysterious wave of deterrence that penetrated the entire Painting of the Nine Immortals.
As if being jolted by lightning, Ling Xian became highly alert and uncontrollably nodded. Like a puppet under the manipulation of strings, he was willing to do everything the mysterious man says.
But very quickly, Ling Xian became clear-headed again. Frowning, he said, "You truly are an immortal. Without showing me your face, you have already displayed your power."
"I always thought that old man had pretty bad eyesight. I am glad to see that at crucial times, he chose such an outstanding apprentice."
A statement of high praise echoed through the air again. This time, however, these words did not carry the mysterious power it previously had. Instead, each word rumbled in Ling Xian’s ears and brought a frown to his face.
If merely one sentence from him can bring pressure to Ling Xian’s chest, it was easy to extrapolate just how capable this person was and how worthy he was of the Immortal title!
Despite the fact that only his soul was awakened, he was already able to compel others with his words. Even if the one standing here wasn’t Ling Xian, but a completion leveled cultivator, the Immortal still could’ve easily killed them with the spells he cast!
"I, Ling Xian, am a pilgrim who came with the purest intentions. Please, your highness, show yourself and stop teasing me." Ling Xian raised an eyebrow.
"Ah, our apprentice has turned angry from embarrassment. Alright, I shall stop making fun of you."
Words of teasing rippled through the air. This time, there was no feelings of shock or suppression. Instead, it felt like a spring breeze that made Ling Xian feel at ease. The discomfort he felt in his chest disappeared without a trace.
Phrases that are as shocking as the thunder can destroy all organisms!
Sentences that are as gentle as the spring wind can regenerate all beings!
He really is an Immortal with the right to look down on others!
In the next second, two silhouettes appeared out of nowhere. The first one was in the shade of white. Of course, that was the Keeper of Land and Sea, a woman of legendary wisdom, ferocious determination, unstoppable strength, and remarkable passion.
The other silhouette was an elderly dressed in green.
This person had white hair and a white beard. His visage was thin and clean, and he wore a green robe that had patterns sewn all over it. His steps were rhythmic and mysterious, as with each step he took, the space around him twirled and blurred as if the Earth and Heaven were converging into one under his influence. He appeared to be an out-of-this-world creature and a sentient being.
"I am Ling Xian, here to pay you, the third immortal, a formal visit."
Ling Xian had a good look at the Elder before he made a fist with one hand and cupped it with the other. He then bowed deeply to show his respect.
Though he felt a little uncomfortable over the fact that the Immortal played with him without even showing his face first, Ling Xian knew very well that this Immortal had no ill intentions. He simply wanted to test Ling Xian to see if he was worthy enough to be the owner of the Painting of the Nine Immortals and the apprentice of all nine immortals.
After all, the Painting of Nine Immortals can only have one owner. Since he was originally chosen by the Immortal of Alchemy himself, it was only natural that the other eight Immortals would want to test him.
"There is no need for such etiquette."
The third Immortal helped Ling Xian stand up straight with a wave of his hand, as he glanced at Ling Xian up and down. With a smile that wasn’t really a smile, he said, "What is it? You don’t like what I did just now?"
"I don’t dare. I understand that you have no bad intentions and simply wanted to test my abilities," Ling Xian responded.
"Then do you want to know how I feel about you?" The Elder continued to float in mid-air, and his green robe continued to swing in the air. He had an ambiance that stood out from everyone else.
"I don’t want to know." Ling Xian softly grinned.
"Why is that?" The third Immortal was curious.
"Because I already know," Ling Xian said sternly.
"You already know?"
The Immortal playfully laughed. "Though I did say that you aren’t bad, you should still know that I am an immortal. I have lived for a long time, and I have seen too many geniuses, talents, and devils in my lifetime. I may not be completely happy with your capabilities."
"No, I am certain that you are satisfied with me." Ling Xian gently grinned.
"You are that confident?" The Elder frowned slightly.
"Yes. I believe my natural talent alone is enough to startle everyone, including immortals, who have lived through centuries." the corner of Ling Xian’s lips curled up. Every word he spoke contained a strong sense of confidence.
It was not arrogance nor conceit, it was confidence in its purest form.
The attitude of being able to remain composed before an Immortal and the belief of being able to impress Immortals with his abilities brightened the universe and darkened the moonlight!
The Elder was startled but soon burst into a loud bellow. His voice was full of pride and joy.
"Haha, good, good. What a confident young man. It is no wonder the Untainted has said good things about you. Your temperament really is different from the others I’ve met. Your foundational level of training at your age and your ability to wake yourself up under my compulsion are enough to make me feel satisfied with you."
"Thank you for your praises."
Ling Xian displayed an ecstatic smile. Though he has experienced enough rain and wind to remain calm before an immortal, being complimented by a real immortal was still something he was proud and happy about.
This was an immortal who has defeated everyone who stood in his way and was named best of his generation!
In the entire world, the number of people he takes notice can be counted with ten fingers!
Even the older generations of original leveled cultivators, probably cannot earn a word of praise from a real immortal.
However, Ling Xian, who was only in the foundational level, has received endless praises that came from the bottom of the Immortal’s heart. What an honor this was!
If this news spread, countless amount of people would go crazy over jealousy.
Of course, even if everyone dies from jealousy, it remains useless. Because in this world, other than Ling Xian, nobody has the chance to even see real immortals!
"You deserve these praises."
The third immortal nodded. The more he looked at Ling Xian, the more he liked him. With a smile, he said, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Feng Qing Ming, have you heard of this name?"
"Feng Qing Ming, it sounds a little familiar…"
Ling Xian frowned and pondered deeply. Then his eyes widened in shock. "You are the legendary Feng Qing Ming! The only person in history to successfully place prohibition spells on immortals!"
The Taoism history is long and messy. There has been an endless amount of powerhouses who stood out from the rest as a result of their abilities. Many of them have left a deep and dark imprint in the history. However, since the history of time, legendary powerhouses who’s achievements changed the course of history was limited in number.
Liao Cang Qiong was one of them. The Untainted was another. Feng Qing Ming was also one of them.
Feng Qing Ming; the almighty master of arrays. His fame came later in life, where one fight changed his fate and helped him reach the top of the Taoism food chain. Others have given him the title of the Pioneer of Ancient Arrays!
His most famous fight was the battle right before he became an immortal. Being looked down on due to his mortality, he fought against three immortals who saw him as an ant and created an array named the Immortal Trap. This prohibition spell ended up trapping all three real Immortals in a heaven-defying manner!
Yes, it was the same the prohibition spell that suppressed Ling Xian’s ancient majestic blood.
This array trapped the three immortals for over eight centuries. When the three immortals finally escaped using all their strength, Feng Qing Xuan had long achieved the highlight of his Taoism journey. Using the spirits of Heaven and the soul of Hell, he created the second greatest array in history and killed the weakened three immortals with one hit!
That was his prominent fight and the beginning of his endless and bright journey as an immortal.
As a mortal cultivator, he first trapped immortals for 800 years, then killed them using a self-created array. Such heaven-defying abilities have only been achieved once in history.
This was the terror of the Pioneer of Ancient Arrays!