Xuantian Immortal Cultivation Record

Mengshan Town, nestled against the mountains and facing the water, spanned over ten miles, boasted a large population, and thrived in various industries. Dozens of villages dotted the surrounding landscape, scattered like stars amidst the mountains and rivers.

The Red Creek River, rushing down from the upper reaches, gradually slowed down here, its surface widening. Both banks of the river offered numerous suitable spots for mooring boats, resulting in a flourishing water transport industry, upon which most of the town's inhabitants depended for their livelihood.

Zhang Yuanjing strolled through the bustling streets, receiving respectful greetings from passersby.

In this world, where demonic beasts were abundant, mortal kingdoms relied on the protection of Daoist cultivators. Consequently, ordinary people held practitioners of the Dao in high esteem, treating them with warmth and respect regardless of whether they were true immortals or not.

Occasionally, patrolling officers, noticing Zhang Yuanjing's unfamiliar face and realizing he wasn't from a local Daoist temple, attempted to stop him to inspect his Taoist certificate. However, Zhang Yuanjing simply smiled, quickened his pace, and vanished in the blink of an eye. The officers, recognizing they had encountered an expert, dared not pursue him.

Leaving the bustling marketplace behind, he arrived at the wharves near the Red Creek River.

The docks were teeming with people. Dockworkers and laborers were loading and unloading goods, while merchants stood by, engaging in conversations, discussing market conditions, negotiating partnerships, or haggling over prices. The atmosphere was noisy and chaotic, yet it exuded a vibrant energy and bustling activity.

Disliking the clamor, Zhang Yuanjing moved to a viewing platform between two docks, leaning against the railing to gaze at the river.

Here, the river stretched over five hundred yards wide, its waters vast and magnificent.

Several docks also lined the opposite bank, behind which lay a vast expanse of flat land. Aside from a few clusters of small houses, farmers cultivated crops, creating a large expanse of green that extended to the hills dozens of miles away.

Observing this beautiful scenery, Zhang Yuanjing felt his heart expand and his mind clear. The pent-up emotions accumulated during years of seclusion vanished without a trace.

He stepped off the riverbank and walked along the eastward-flowing river, savoring the beauty of the world.

After walking for about ten miles, he saw a young woman standing ahead, facing the river, her eyes filled with confusion, lost in thought. The woman was strikingly beautiful, about twenty-one or twenty-two years old, with an almond-shaped face, rosy cheeks, and eyebrows like painted strokes. Her eyes were clear as water, and she wore a white and pink fitted suit, with a silver-sheathed long sword hanging at her waist.

Zhang Yuanjing, being in secluded cultivation, naturally wished to avoid entangling himself in karma, and instinctively wanted to pass by.

However, being born into an ordinary farming family before entering the Dao, he always felt a sense of compassion for ordinary people. As he passed, he glanced at the woman and noticed tears welling up in her eyes, her soft sobs, and her face filled with sorrow, suggesting she was contemplating ending her life.

He thought for a moment that since he had seen her, he couldn't harden his heart and ignore her. After taking a few steps, he turned back and asked, "Young lady, why are you weeping here?"

"Huh?" The young woman looked up blankly, turned her face, and asked with a sob, "Is the Daoist priest speaking to me?"

"Of course. There seems to be no one else here besides you and me," Zhang Yuanjing said with a smile, stroking his long beard.

The woman shook her head and said, biting her lip, "It's nothing. Thank you for your concern, Daoist priest."

She was about to turn her head and ignore the old Daoist when she suddenly felt something was wrong. She looked at Zhang Yuanjing again, only to find that the person before her was no longer an old Daoist, but had transformed into a middle-aged Daoist in his forties, with a ruddy complexion, bright eyes, and a lean face, exuding a powerful vitality, clearly not an ordinary Daoist.

Being a martial artist, she was most sensitive to the power of the human body. After sensing it slightly, she realized that the person before her seemed to possess extraordinary power within his body.

"Immortal Master, save me!" The woman suddenly knelt down and kowtowed three times on the ground.

Zhang Yuanjing had been worried that she would suddenly jump into the river to commit suicide, so he had made some preparations, slightly revealing some of his aura. He didn't expect the woman to be so sensitive and react so quickly, kneeling down and begging for help, which caught him off guard. He couldn't help but smile wryly and said, "Please get up and speak!"

The woman was also sensible and didn't resort to kneeling down to force him. Instead, she stood up obediently, lowering her head and standing aside, waiting for Zhang Yuanjing to ask questions.

At this point, Zhang Yuanjing knew that he had become entangled in this karma, and it would be impossible to completely shake it off. He asked, "Are you here to end your life?"

The woman's face turned sad, and she nodded.

"What is the matter that you must take this path?"

Although the woman didn't know the identity of the Daoist before her, her intuition told her that he was extraordinary. Considering that she had no way out and only death awaited her, she figured that since she wasn't afraid of death, why fear anything else?

Therefore, she didn't hesitate and told Zhang Yuanjing everything about her situation in detail.

This woman's name was Zhang Xuan, and she was a direct descendant of the Zhang family, a century-old family in Mengshan Town.

The Zhang family had always passed down martial arts. There was another martial arts family in Mengshan Town, the Zou family.

Both families made their living from fishing and were competitors. However, since they were both prominent families in the town, their relationships were intertwined and deeply rooted. Competition was competition, and discord was discord, but it was all hidden behind the scenes. There had never been a complete falling out, and the two sides were still friendly on the surface.

About twenty years ago, the Zou family somehow learned that the Immortal Masters of the Tongyun Palace loved to eat red-finned fire-patterned fish from the Red Creek River. They caught a lot of them and presented them to an elder of the Tongyun Palace, pleasing him. As a result, the Zou family's嫡子(dizi: son of the legal wife) Zou Biao虢 was accepted as an outer disciple.

From then on, the Zou family became prominent, and their arrogance gradually increased. They became a dominant force in Mengshan Town and suppressed the Zhang family at will. The Zhang family, fearing the immortal power of the Tongyun Palace, had to swallow their anger, work hard, and barely maintain their livelihood.

Who would have thought that a year ago, Zou Biao虢 would claim that he wanted to take Zhang Xuan as a concubine, so that the Zou and Zhang families could form a marital alliance. This was a sinister move, clearly intended to devour them without leaving any bones.

Zhang Xuan naturally opposed it, and Zhang Xuan's father and two uncles also strongly opposed it. Because Zhang Xuan's father was the current head of the Zhang family, the marriage between the two families naturally fell through.

The Zou family believed that the Zhang family's actions had disgraced their family, and proposed to hold a martial arts competition according to martial arts rules.

Although the Zhang family feared the Tongyun Palace, they were confident in their martial arts skills against the Zou family.

Zhang Xuan's father personally took part and defeated several members of the Zou family in a row. Later, Zou Biao虢's father took action and used some kind of sorcery. Suddenly, with a flick of his hand, a blue light shot out and knocked Zhang Xuan's father down. Before Zhang Xuan's father could admit defeat, the other party quickly attacked and killed him.

Zhang Xuan's two uncles had deep brotherly feelings and both went on stage to compete, but they were also knocked down by the sorcery and died tragically. The sacrifice of three lives forged a blood feud between the two sides.

However, the Zou family didn't let up and threatened that if Zhang Xuan didn't marry Zou Biao虢 as a concubine, they would fight the Zhang family to the end until the Zhang family was exterminated.

The other members of the Zhang family became fearful. In order to survive, they put pressure on Zhang Xuan, asking her to consider the family, her younger brothers and sisters, and submit to the Zou family.

Zhang Xuan was unwilling to marry the enemy who killed her father, and she didn't want the family to be implicated, especially her seven younger siblings. She felt extremely conflicted, felt that her life was miserable and her future was cut off, so she walked to the Red Creek River in a daze, intending to commit suicide and end it all.

Zhang Yuanjing sighed inwardly. Although this was Zhang Xuan's side of the story, he could infer from it that cultivators must have intervened in this matter, which was why a martial arts family with a century of inheritance was helpless.

Otherwise, even if the Zhang family's strength was insufficient, they could always use some connections. With several forces coming forward, the matter could be mediated, and at worst, they would suffer some losses in their industry, but it wouldn't be so difficult.

After pondering for a moment, he didn't want to easily accept this karma, so he asked, "Then, how do you want to solve this matter? Death certainly can't solve the problem. The Zou family certainly won't let the Zhang family go because of your death."

Zhang Xuan had originally lost all hope and only sought death. After meeting Zhang Yuanjing, she regarded him as a life-saving straw because she believed he was an extraordinary person, and begged for help regardless of the consequences.

Now, after recounting her story, her emotions had calmed down. On second thought, the biggest problem in her case wasn't the Zou family or Zou Biao虢, but the Tongyun Palace. If she wanted the Daoist before her to save her, she would have to ask him to fight against the Tongyun Palace.

Not to mention whether he could or dared to oppose the Tongyun Palace, even if he had the strength and courage, he could only take action temporarily. Could he possibly protect her and the Zhang family forever? Thinking of this, she understood the meaning of Zhang Yuanjing's question, and didn't know how to answer, her pretty face frozen in place.

Zhang Yuanjing didn't urge her, but stared at the mist on the river, looking calm and serene.

Zhang Xuan was in a dilemma, hesitating for a long time, before saying in a weak but firm voice, "Although, although... no matter what, this little girl is unwilling to marry that man as a concubine!"

"That's easy. I can take you away from here and start a new life in a place where no one knows you," Zhang Yuanjing interjected.

"But I can't leave behind my seven younger siblings!" Zhang Xuan said anxiously.

"That's also easy. I can take them seven with you and leave together."

"But, but if we leave, I'm afraid the Zhang family of Mengshan will be exterminated," Zhang Xuan cried sadly. Although she couldn't help but say these words, she also knew that this request was indeed excessive.

Zhang Yuanjing shook his head and said expressionlessly, "This poor Daoist happened to pass by here, and meeting you is also a karmic connection. Saving you and your seven younger siblings can be regarded as resolving a karma. However, protecting your Zhang family is far beyond this karma. Please forgive this poor Daoist for not being able to help you."

"Daoist priest, don't blame me. This little girl didn't intend to make this request. It's just that I couldn't help but say it! It's my fate! Wuwuwu..." Zhang Xuan wailed loudly, showing that she was extremely sad and unable to vent her emotions, so she was crying loudly.

Zhang Yuanjing was a little embarrassed and sympathetic, but he didn't soften his heart. If he gave in at this time, this karma would be too great, which would be against the principles of a cultivator.

After thinking about it, he said to Zhang Xuan, "This poor Daoist will still be staying on the Divine Sword Peak during this period. If you think clearly, you can come to me there, and I will help you get out of trouble!"

After saying that, he used his magic power and used the tall trees and deep grass under the riverbank to cover himself, and flashed away at an extremely fast speed, disappearing in an instant.

When Zhang Xuan heard this, she looked up and only saw a faint figure flickering in the forest and grass before disappearing.

Such methods far exceeded the qinggong of martial artists. This made her even more certain that this Daoist priest must be a cultivator.

After crying bitterly, the sadness in her heart diminished slightly. Immediately, a thought suddenly surged into her mind. She slapped her forehead and immediately made a decision, hurrying away.

Seven days later, Zhang Yuanjing, who was practicing in his cave, suddenly heard rustling sounds from the foot of the mountain, with the sound of gravel falling from time to time.

He stretched out his divine sense and saw two people, each carrying a closed wooden bucket, holding iron pestles, struggling to climb a dangerous cliff. The person in front was Zhang Xuan.

The person behind her was a boy of fifteen or sixteen years old, tall, strong, and powerful, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a dignified appearance. He had a red-tasseled spear inserted on his back and a long saber hanging on his waist.

Both of them had martial arts skills, and their movements were agile and powerful, but fine beads of sweat oozed from their heads, and they were constantly panting.

Zhang Yuanjing smiled softly, retracted his magic power, opened the door of the cave, walked out, and stood above the cliff, waiting for the two to come up.

The two of them were considered to have sharp ears and eyes, but they didn't notice Zhang Yuanjing, who was a hundred zhang above them.

This section of the cliff was more than one hundred and fifty zhang high, and it was the most difficult section to climb on the Divine Sword Peak. However, Zhang Xuan and the two of them had a good foundation in martial arts. Although the climb was slow, every step they took was very steady. Step by step, they finally climbed up.

As soon as Zhang Xuan came up, she saw Zhang Yuanjing standing on the cliff, looking like an immortal.

She shouted "Immortal Master" with a mixture of surprise and joy, and then knelt down on the ground and bowed deeply.

The boy behind him stared at Zhang Yuanjing with a stubborn expression, his eyes full of suspicion and vigilance.

After Zhang Xuan finished her salute, she turned her head and found that the boy was still standing still. She was immediately furious: "Zhang Cheng, why don't you hurry up and kneel down to kowtow to the Immortal Master!"

The boy seemed to be very afraid of Zhang Xuan. He shrank his head and wanted to submit, but out of the unique self-esteem of a teenager, he only took two steps back and did not kneel down to kowtow to Zhang Yuanjing as Zhang Xuan ordered.

Zhang Xuan was anxious and wanted to reprimand him, but Zhang Yuanjing had already waved his hand with a smile: "Okay, there's no need to be so polite. Zhang Xuan, you get up too. Have you thought clearly about coming here?"

Zhang Xuan didn't have time to dwell on the boy's rudeness. She turned her head, still kneeling on the ground, and said a little hastily:

"Reporting to the Immortal Master, this little girl considered it again and again yesterday, and felt that she couldn't accept the Immortal Master's kindness for nothing. She thought that the Immortal Master of Tongyun Palace likes to eat red-finned fire-patterned fish, which must be useful for the Immortal Master's cultivation, so she brought some fish caught by her family and sent them to the Immortal Master to taste."

After saying that, she took off the wooden bucket on her back and gently placed it in front of Zhang Yuanjing. She turned her head and asked the boy to put down the wooden bucket on his back.

"Oh!" Zhang Yuanjing was a little surprised. He really didn't expect that this young woman could think of this under such deep grief. At the same time, he was also a little curious about the fish that the Tongyun Palace cultivator was interested in.

He immediately walked to a bucket and looked inside. The bucket contained half a bucket of water, and three fish about a foot long with green skin and red patterns were swimming in it. The fins on the chest, abdomen, sides, back, and tail were all dark red.

He softly said "Eh" and reached out to grab a fish. After checking it with his spiritual power, his eyes lit up and he thought, "I didn't expect that there would be such a strange thing in the Red Creek River!"