The Daoists of Mount Longhu had always been arrogant, but this man in front of me was very courteous. Furthermore, he looked somewhat familiar. He must have been present when the Mountain and Sea Realm had opened, which was why I recognized him.
"I took the liberty of coming here today to discuss an important matter with the Heavenly Master. Please, Daoist Sir, tell me about it."
Seeing his amiable attitude, I humbled myself and clasped my hands in greeting.
When the Daoist saw me salute him, his expression flickered with fear. "The Heavenly Master isn't in the sect right now. However, since you're here, Mr. Zhou, you might as well discuss matters with us Fellow Brothers and Sisters."
I had long since guessed that Celestial Master Zhang wasn't in Mount Longhu. After all, after the Mountain and Sea Realm opened, the matter of Ascension to Immortal Ascension would become even more important.
However, the Daoist priest's next words surprised me.
In the past, when I had interacted with Mount Longhu, they had never been so easy to talk to. Most of the time, they were arrogant and didn't care about anyone else. But now, not only was this Daoist priest very polite to me, he even agreed to my requests. It was strange.
Although I was curious, I didn't say anything. The Daoist priest thought that I didn't understand, so he smiled and explained that although Celestial Master Zhang was the leader of Mount Longhu, he was always elusive. Because of that, the various miscellaneous matters of Mount Longhu were handled by the Elders, and there was no need to report them to the Heavenly Master.
The Heavenly Master had left Mount Longhu, and specifically told me that he wouldn't be back for a while. Therefore, I didn't need to worry. No matter what happened, the Elders would be able to make decisions.
After listening to his explanation, I nodded. From his polite and respectful attitude, I could vaguely understand why Mount Longhu's attitude toward me had changed.
First of all, I have a Cultivation base in the Ascension Realm. Other than the eccentrics who are half a step into the Sunset Realm, there are very few people in the world who have a Cultivation base similar to mine. Second of all, when the Mountain and Sea Realm was opened, I assumed a similar role as Heavenly Master Nangong and Celestial Master Zhang. After witnessing all that, the Daoists from Mount Longhu came to view me as someone of a similar status.
In fact, in the past, there had been many conflicts with Mount Longhu because of their arrogance. For example, there had been Chen Yangting, and then there had been the Daoists.
Ultimately, there is no conflict of interest between us.
With these thoughts in my mind, I followed the Daoist priest to the mountain gate. Liu Ruxu flew back to Xiang Liu's pouch. According to him, besides the Daoist priest who led the way, most people in Mount Longhu regarded him as their enemy. It would be better if he didn't show himself to avoid spoiling my plans.
After entering the mountain gate, he walked all the way to the Grand Purity Palace.
Now, outside the mountain, it was hell on earth. However, within the mountain, the Daoists were teaching and cultivating. Everything was the same.
The contrast between the inside and outside of the mountain was huge.
I sighed with emotion. Mount Longhu was the leader of the Daoist sects in this world. It was impossible for them not to have any feelings for their country. I asked Daoist Priest Xie if he knew anything about the outside world.
Hearing my question, the man's expression didn't change in the slightest. He only muttered, "Although Mount Longhu is established in the mortal world, it has never cared about worldly affairs.
I really don't know much about the matters outside the mountain. "
His words were obviously an act of ignorance. Just as I was about to ask again, he stopped in his tracks and pointed, saying, "Mister Zhou, we've arrived at the Shangqing Palace. Allow me to report to Senior Brother first. Please wait a moment."
With that, he saluted me again and quickly walked toward the palace gate. I had no choice but to give up and wait in place.
After a short while, a Daoist child ran out of the palace and bowed in front of me. "Mister Zhou, the Grand Elder invites you."
After entering the Grand Purity Palace, I saw several Daoist priests in plain robes sitting in the front hall. They were all elderly people.
These Daoists looked familiar. When the Mountain and Sea Realm had opened, they had all been present. I had met them once.
When I entered, the Daoists all stood up and saluted me with cupped hands.
It was clear that, like Daoist Priest Xie, their attitude toward me had changed greatly.
In any case, their goodwill would definitely be of great help to my trip. I also saluted them with cupped hands and politely greeted them for a while before sitting down.
After sitting down, I didn't bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point. I asked them if they knew about the great changes that had occurred in the world.
"Great changes in the world?"
The Grand Elder, who was sitting at the front, had a puzzled look on his face. After a moment of silence, he said, "Mister Zhou, what do you mean by great changes in the world?
Could it be the calamity that happened when the Longevity Gate opened? "
When I saw their puzzled expressions, I thought they were playing dumb. But when he mentioned the 'calamity', I was puzzled. Could it be that they really didn't know about the terrible situation that the world was in?
Seeing my frown, the Grand Elder seemed to understand something. He explained, "Mister Zhou, you may not know this, but after the matter with the Immortal Realm, we obeyed the Heavenly Master's decree and returned to Mount Longhu. We stayed in seclusion and saw the calamity on our way back.
Although the calamity had something to do with our Mount Longhu, disaster relief was not our specialty. Furthermore, the Heavenly Master had decreed that we didn't participate in the disaster relief, nor did we leave the sect afterward.
Mister Zhou, what exactly are the great changes that have occurred in the world? Please explain. "
After hearing his words, my eyes went wide.
It turned out that the people of Mount Longhu still thought that the opening of the Mountain and Sea Realm had only brought about some calamity, and they still wanted to talk about disaster relief.
Dumbfounded, I explained in detail the true effects of the opening of the Mountain and Sea Realm to everyone.
After listening to my story, all the Daoist Elders were dumbstruck. The Grand Elder, who was sitting closest to me, dropped his horsetail whisk to the ground. "How could this be?
How could this be? "
When I first found out about this, I was even more shocked than they were, so I could understand what they were thinking. That was why I didn't rush them, and just quietly waited for them to digest the news.
After a full quarter of an hour, the Grand Elder seemed to regain his composure. His face grew solemn, and he asked me cautiously, "Mister Zhou, are you telling the truth?
I'm not questioning you, but you must know that this is a serious matter, and there is no room for falsehood. "
I sighed. "I saw all of this with my own eyes during my travels. Besides, if it weren't for this great change, I wouldn't have come to Mount Longhu."
The Grand Elder nodded, as if accepting my words. He then asked, "Mister Zhou, did you come here for this matter?"
I nodded. "That's right. I came here today to represent the Shaman Tribe, as well as many others in the cultivation world who are willing to take responsibility. I would like to ask Mount Longhu to join us in exterminating the demonic beasts and saving the world."
When I mentioned the Shaman Tribe, the Daoists of Mount Longhu all had strange expressions on their faces. Clearly, they hadn't considered joining forces.
However, what I had just said had a huge impact on them, so no one immediately objected.
After a long moment of silence, the Grand Elder spoke. He said that this was a serious matter, and that they needed to consider it.
Seeing that his tone was wavering, I wanted to strike the iron while it was hot. I wanted to settle this matter while they were still immersed in the shock of the great change in the human world.
No matter what, even if Mount Longhu didn't put in any effort, as long as they showed their golden signboard, they would be able to attract many people to join in.
As I thought about this, I earnestly tried to persuade them. I said that the human race had already reached the point of life and death, and that the battle of the Shaman Tribe was no longer important. I hoped that they would look at the big picture and not care about the previous grudges.
Perhaps it was because of my urging, the Grand Elder hesitated and didn't say anything. On the contrary, a slightly younger black-robed elder behind him grew impatient. He raised his hand and slammed the table. "Our Mount Longhu is the leader of the Daoist sects. The Grand Elder has his own way of doing things. Don't try to bewitch or force us!"
I frowned when I heard this. This person was ranked at the bottom of the group of elders. With my current status, even the Great Elder of Mount Longhu had to greet me courteously. This person didn't know any better and still acted as if he didn't care about anyone.
Without waiting for me to speak, the Grand Elder stopped him with a stern voice. He looked slightly embarrassed. "My Junior Brother's temper has always been like this. I hope Mister Zhou can be magnanimous."
Naturally, I didn't care about this person. However, hearing that the Grand Elder had condescended to apologize to me, the person became angry again. His Daoist aura faintly appeared on his body, and he looked as if he didn't mind fighting me.
This person only had a Yang Spirit cultivation base, so I naturally didn't care about him. However, before he actually attacked, the Grand Elder swung his horsetail whisk, and it turned into a cage that directly trapped the person inside. Immediately after, he coldly shouted, "Fifth Brother, don't be too presumptuous!
Mister Zhou is our Mount Longhu's distinguished guest, and he has a high cultivation base. Don't embarrass yourself in front of Mister Zhou with your cheap tricks. Go and reflect on yourself. "
After saying that, he didn't care about the person's struggle and swung his hand again. The horsetail whisk turned into a cage, and the Daoist directly left the front hall, disappearing without a trace.
I raised my head and glanced at the other Daoists present. At this moment, their expressions were quite puzzled. Obviously, they didn't agree with the Grand Elder's way of handling things. Fortunately, the Grand Elder was quite understanding. Otherwise, this conversation would have been impossible to continue.
For a moment, the hall was quiet. After a moment of silence, the Grand Elder made the final decision. He said to me, "At present, the living beings in the human world are in misery and suffering. As cultivators, we are naturally duty-bound.
However, this matter, after all, involves more than a thousand people of Mount Longhu, so I can't make a decision on my own. Mister Zhou, please wait for a moment. Allow me to report this matter to the Celestial Master, and then make a decision. "
Although Celestial Master Zhang wasn't on the mountain, they naturally had a way to contact him. At this time, it was normal for them to make such a decision.
I thought about it for a moment. This time, I could only do my best and leave it to fate. The current situation, to be honest, was already very good.
Therefore, I nodded and left everything to Celestial Master Zhang to make the decision.
After confirming, the Grand Elder led everyone into the inner hall and asked me to wait here.