parentshiftbook Chapter 72 Dongyang Sect, Lingbi Blessed Land, Heavenly Palace on Earth
Chapter 72 Dongyang Sect, Lingbi Blessed Land, Heavenly Palace on Earth
With three late-stage Body Refinement martial artists leading the way, the journey was naturally very safe.
However, due to the presence of female relatives and several heavy rains, it took Lu Cheng and his party a full month to reach Dongyang County.
Amidst the rumbling of the carriage, Lu Cheng gazed at the blurry city walls in the distance and sighed in admiration.
We've walked for almost half an hour since we first saw the city wall, but it's still not out of sight.
The Dongyang Sect's headquarters are located on Lingbi Mountain, forty miles north of the city.
Therefore, the caravan did not enter the city, but continued to travel around the city along the official road outside the city.
"The walls must stretch for over a hundred miles!" A disciple from Cuiyun Temple exclaimed in admiration beside Lu Cheng.
Lu Cheng shook his head:
"Based on our itinerary, the total length of the four city walls should be around thirty li."
The other two also exclaimed in amazement:
"Wow, thirty li, that's not a small place. Yangcheng County is less than ten li."
"The city wall alone is thirty li long, so how big must it be inside? Hehehe, I must come and take a look when I have time."
The three disciples of Cuiyun Temple consisted of two boys and one girl, all around fifteen years old.
The two male disciples were named Pang Ju and Zhang Lin.
The female disciple's name was Xiao Yue.
Zhang Lin is the lay nephew of the Taoist Master Xuan Yuan.
Pang Ju and Xiao Yue are both in the late stage of the Refining Strength realm.
Zhang Lin was only at the mid-stage of the Qi Refining realm, and he was able to get this spot entirely because of his strong connections.
All three of them had also watched the fight that took place a month ago.
He was completely convinced of Lu Cheng's talent and respect.
In addition, the three old Taoists, Xuanming and his companion, intentionally or unintentionally encouraged their disciples to get closer to Lu Cheng along the way.
The four of them are now very close.
He always refers to him as "Senior Brother Lu".
Lu Cheng was naturally willing to get closer to them.
The relationship between Cuiyun Temple and Dongyang Sect was already complicated, and with these three "fellow villagers" around, it was better than him figuring things out on his own.
As the convoy moved forward, the city of Dongyang gradually disappeared behind them.
A vast expanse of shadow appeared in the sky ahead.
The crowd cheered, and even the women in the carriage couldn't resist lifting the curtain and peeking out.
After traveling for a month, even the three old Taoists, including Xuanming, were exhausted and wished they could arrive at Dongyang Sect as soon as possible.
The convoy began to accelerate, and the terrain beneath their feet gradually rose.
The soil and rocks along the roadside began to change from gravel to stones, and then to mountain rocks.
The greenery around me grew lusher and lusher, and the birdsong became more frequent.
But as the saying goes, "Looking at the mountain makes the horse run itself to death."
The convoy drove for another 15 minutes before finally setting foot on the mountain road.
After winding through countless mountain bends, Lu Cheng and his companions were stunned by the sight before them.
In Lu Cheng's opinion, the archway of Liujia Village was already quite impressive.
But compared to the archway in front of them, it was like the difference between a thatched hut and a palace.
On a cleared and restored flat area, four memorial archways stand in a row along a wide mountain path, each one taller than the last.
The first one was rather ordinary, just a simple, one-story stone archway.
The archway was small, just wide enough for one horse-drawn carriage to pass through.
The two stone pillars are pitted and uneven, and the archway is also full of traces of time.
Only the three large characters "Dongyang Sect" engraved on it remain clear and distinct, exuding a sharp and imposing aura at first glance.
The second workshop suddenly became magnificent.
It has four pillars, three rooms, and five floors, with white marble as the base and bluestone as the pillars.
Four unidentified beasts with two horns on their heads and four teeth in their mouths crouched at the base of the foundation.
The pillars are carved with cloud patterns from bottom to top, and the roof is covered with blue glazed tiles.
The central archway bears the inscription "Lingbi Blessed Land" in large characters, written in silver hooks and iron strokes.
The pen was written under the pseudonym "Jingxuzi".
The three courtyards behind are in the style of five rooms, six pillars, and seven stories.
The Sumeru pedestal at the base of the pillar is carved with a three-headed, four-winged mythical beast.
The pillar is surrounded by flying dragons, whose claws climb the archway layer by layer, while the dragon heads alone form the seventh layer of the archway.
In the center is a single piece of green jade plaque, inlaid with the four characters "Human Paradise" in gold thread.
Lu Cheng looked him over and was greatly surprised.
This archway was actually carved from a single piece of white marble, as big as a mountain!
The later workshops were even more exaggerated.
Although it is only a three-room layout, it consists of two sides, front and back.
There are sixteen pillars in total, each inlaid with jade and agate to form a five-clawed golden dragon coiling around it.
The roof has as many as 11 layers, the main body is covered with gold, and the brackets between the tiles are built with jade.
The buildings, arranged at varying heights, are magnificent and extremely luxurious.
Above the central archway is the inscription "Martial Arts Reaching Divinity," and on the back is engraved "A Spirit That Swallows Mountains and Rivers."
The carved panels are intricate, with turtle heads resting at both ends of the doorway, exuding nobility amidst their rustic simplicity.
The entire building, bathed in sunlight, exudes a magical aura, appearing majestic and imposing, like the gate to a celestial palace.
Before Lu Cheng could finish reading, he heard a voice coming from the mountain path behind the archway:
"Are you friends from Cuiyun Temple in Yangcheng County at the mountain gate?"
As soon as he finished speaking, four or five young figures appeared from a bend in the mountain.
Before the group even reached him, Xuanming bowed respectfully.
"Xuanming, Xuanyuan, and Xuanyun from Cuiyun Temple have come to pay their respects at the mountain."
The young men were taken aback, quickened their pace, rushed forward, and hurriedly bowed.
"So it is the three senior uncles who have come in person. This disciple has failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me."
After exchanging greetings, the group turned to Du Ruo's parents beside the carriage and asked Xuanming and the other two:
"Three senior uncles, are those the family members of Junior Uncle Du Ruo over there?"
After receiving an affirmative answer, the group was overjoyed:
"We were instructed by the sect to wait here, and now a month has passed, and we have finally waited for the two elders to arrive."
Junior Uncle Du Ruo?
Although he knew that the seniority was indeed as described, Lu Cheng still felt a sense of unease when he heard the others address him in that way.
Du Ruo is only fourteen years old, and the youngest of these people is older than Du Ruo.
He just called out "Junior Uncle" so naturally.
At the same time, he also sensed the importance that the entire Dongyang Sect placed on Du Ruo.
After they finished speaking, they ran directly to Du Ruo's parents.
One asked if the journey was tiring, and the other asked if they were hungry.
After all the greetings were completed, he personally led the way toward the mountain gate.
After passing through four memorial archways, the disciples eagerly invited Du Ruo's parents to get into the carriage.
Along the way, one person led the horse and two people supported the carriage, leaving Lu Cheng, Zhang Lin, and the other two dumbfounded.
After passing several bends in the mountain, there is a winding stone staircase leading upwards.
Once you get here, not even a horse can go up the mountain, let alone a carriage.
The group tied the carriages and horses to the hitching posts on the side, and then the men brought out two carrying chairs from somewhere and used them to lift Du Ruo's parents up!
Fortunately, these people were all highly skilled in internal energy cultivation.
They carried Du Ruo's parents to a grand hall halfway up the mountain.
Before they even entered the hall, the group started shouting.
In an instant, more than a dozen figures surged out of the main hall.
Among them were people of all ages, all carrying luggage and serving tea and water, creating a lively atmosphere.
On the contrary, Lu Cheng and his seven companions were left unattended at this moment.
After being left waiting for a while, the scene finally quieted down when a middle-aged man arrived.
The middle-aged man glanced at Xuanming and the other two for a few moments before hesitantly greeting them.
After exchanging greetings, the man instructed his disciple to take Du Ruo's parents, siblings, and other relatives to settle them in and to inform Du Ruo.
He then personally led Lu Cheng and the other seven to another mountain peak.
As they walked, they exchanged pleasantries with Xuanming and the other two.
After a long pause, he spoke to Lu Cheng and the other three:
"Uncle-Master Yunhui has already given instructions that although the four of you are not formally accepted into the Dongyang Sect, you will still be trained as formal disciples."
As he spoke, he pointed to the mountain peak above everyone's heads:
"This is Juyun Peak, one of the nine peaks of the Dongyang Sect, where most of the third-generation disciples reside."
"You will also be practicing here for the next three years."