Chapter 1340: Chapter 57: The White Cauldron Suppresses Fate, Old Grievances Spawn Schemes
With the genealogy in hand, Zhang Yan and his companions crossed the vast sky without obstruction, arriving above Da Yang City in a moment.
On the lookout tower in the city, there was a duty-bound Ritual Officer who immediately became aware of them, and dispatched a red-robed Steward to ascend to the heaven. After inquiring about the purpose, he smiled and said, "So the honored guests are rushing to the Dragon Pillar Meeting. Our sect has already prepared the Yi Pavilion for your arrival, please follow me."
Zhang Yan and the others had no objections and allowed him to lead the way.
Da Yang City backed by Zhongtai Mountain Gate Xisheng Mountain, with three thousand towers and eight hundred refined pavilions within. At this time, it was the hour of You. The setting sun’s afterglow was still present, the color of the sunset radiating with brilliance. Under the shimmering light, the flying eaves and glazed tiles sparkled brilliantly, and the palaces and pools glistened magnificently, exuding splendor and grandeur.
The Steward pointed to the mountain peak and said, "Honored guests, please observe that place. It is our sect’s treasure, the ’Five Elephant White Incense Tripod’."
Zhang Yan looked in the direction and saw a giant cauldron pressed on the mountain top, shaped like a pair of crouching white elephants back-to-back. Previously it was concealed by a thick smoke prohibition, obscuring the view from inside the city, but it was now clear.
The Ritual Officer proudly said, "With this cauldron guarding the mountain gate, it ensures the sect’s fortune never diminishes."
The Limping Daoist beside said, "True Master, this is one of the twin treasures of energy and virtue left by the founding ancestor masters of Zhongtai and Xuanyue sects. The Zhongtai Sect obtained this White Cauldron, while the Xuanyue Sect got the ’Three Mountains Yang Suppressing Jade’. As the White Cauldron protects the sect’s fortune, the Jade Tablet, also known as the Heavenly Gavel, has other wonders. With this treasure, within ten thousand miles the climate is favorable and the seasons are like spring, capable of calling wind and rain, and summoning thunder."
Zhao Yang curiously asked, "The Three Mountains Suppressing Qi Gu is one thing, but can the Five Elephant White Incense Tripod truly protect a sect’s fortune?"
The Limping Daoist laughed and said, "The eternal prosperity’s fortune is not so easily sought. This cauldron requires sacrificing over a hundred exotic beasts daily during the Spring and Autumn festivals. Missing even one, the fortune decreases by a fraction."
Zhao Yang couldn’t help but take a few more glances, silently thinking, "If my father’s sect had this cauldron back then, Fu Yang Sect might not have declined."
The group followed the Ritual Officer for a while longer, only to find they were not heading into the city but instead turning toward a small mountain southeast of Xisheng Mountain.
Song Chuyuan, surprised, asked, "Isn’t the Yi Pavilion in the city?"
The Limping Daoist shook his head and said, "Those attending the Dragon Pillar Meeting all have some degree of Daoist cultivation. If I were the Zhongtai Sect Leader, I wouldn’t dare let these people stay in the city; placing them outside the city is the sensible approach."
On that mountain, there were also many palaces and tower residences arranged artfully along the terrain. As it was nearing night, lights were already lit in many temples, and the whole mountain was dotted with lights like stars in the sky. As they got closer, distant sounds of drum and music could be faintly heard.
Besides that, there was a considerable amount of spirit light emanating, with one or two beams soaring skyward. This indicated that a Nascent Soul True Master in that academy was deliberately displaying their cultivation. The Limping Daoist pointed out there were actually over twenty beams.
The Steward arranged for the five of them to reside in a Yi Pavilion at the mountain’s base—a serene courtyard spanning a hundred acres. It had over a hundred attendants at their beck and call, complete with pill furnaces and equipment rooms, and three to four dozen female performers skilled in music and dance for entertainment.
After Zhao Yang walked around, he suddenly asked, "I noticed the palaces on the mountain are even more unique and significantly more spacious than here. Why don’t you let us stay there?"
The Steward bowed and said, "Please pardon me, honored guest. The True Masters staying halfway up the mountain arrived months ago. As for the top of the mountain, those are Great Cultivators from the three sects of the south, none of whom are without fame. Even I dare not set foot there without cause."
Zhao Yang was dissatisfied and said, "But when I came, I clearly saw quite a few vacant courtyards. Why not take us there?"
The Steward replied, "Those have long been arranged for."
Zhang Yan was indifferent about the accommodations, feeling equally at ease even if facing Cold Moon Green Stone, he smiled and said, "This place is fine."
Only then did Zhao Yang fall silent.
The Steward breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "If honored guests need anything, just instruct the Manager in the courtyard. I shall take my leave."
After he left, Zhang Yan and the other four went to meditate.
An hour later, the Manager suddenly came to report that a Ritual Officer from the nation had arrived. Zhao Yang, being the junior, naturally had to handle such trivial matters. When he arrived at the hall, he saw four people waiting there. The leading one with fine whiskers, dressed in a vermillion robe and waist wrapped with a Green Python Belt, barely showing traces of Qi Cultivation on him, stood there with hands behind his back, exuding a haughty demeanor. Seeing Zhao Yang come out, he asked, "Where have you come from?"
This required no secrecy, Zhao Yang replied, "We come from the Divine House."
