Plundering the Dao of the Immortal Journey

"Get in there!" Shi Mu Zhong commanded.

"Kill!" The rest of the black robed warriors waved their blades and sliced their way through the wet blankets that had been draped over the makeshift wall, made up of many different items.

"Pu" The sound of a blade connecting with flesh could be heard as Shen Zhen plucked his dagger from the chest of his victim. Blood oozed out from his wound as the warrior fell to the ground. Although Shen Zhen had been poisoned as well, his battle skills were still considered elite.

For a time, no other black robed warrior dared to enter.

"Blinding Light Technique!" Song Zhi pointed ahead and the entire basement lit up in a flash of blinding light. Shen Zhen had long understood this technique and the consequences of being exposed to such a bright light. He shut his eyes in time, for it to be ineffective against him. When he opened his eyes, the gleam of his blade could be seen once again.

"Zhng!" A pair of blades connected, causing sparks to emit off the blades. By the next stroke, a warrior’s arm had been severed and was flying in the air. The warrior screamed out in agony, clutching his stump. In the next second, he was making a gurgling sound, and couldn’t even scream out. He had been stabbed in the throat, and fell over immediately after.

"Damn it. The basement is too small. Only one person can go through at a time." Qin Gao raged.

With such a narrow place, no matter how skilled a person was, it would be hard for him to emerge victorious without space to move around. At this point, there was a loud "boom". A gust of wind started blowing from down under the basement.

"No!" Song Zhi and Shi Mu Zhong screamed out in fear.

Within the room he was in, Pei Zi Yun opened his eyes and noticed that everything was dark. In the next instant, the entire world was glowing in a bright, white light. A celestial door appeared before him.

The entire atmosphere was filled with aura of immortals. There were celestial officials, celestial troops and celestial generals, all standing at attention, and looking extremely awe inspiring.

Pei Zi Yun was standing atop a cloud, a beautiful immortal lady descended from above, and he could hear the tunes of joyous celestial music. He then sighed, "This is all an illusion."

The original owner had experienced all these once before, and so had the senior grand-uncle.

Following the sigh, the scene before his eyes shifted and transformed. Pei Zi Yun appeared in a busy city, where tall buildings and skyscrapers surrounded him. He was within one of the buildings using a computer.

All these illusions and feelings seemed extremely real and lifelike. When he saw the new scene before his eyes, he sighed once again. Everything started to disintegrate once more, and it transformed to the real world, the basement where he was.

However it was somewhat different. This was not heaven, neither was it earth. He knew there were people in front of him, and yet they didn’t look like people at all. When he stretched his hands out to touch, he could feel something tangible. He then pulled it wide. This was opening the gates to heaven.

This was the most dangerous step along the way. At this point, Pei Zi Yun was looking through the eyes of a Yin Master, which had been created by the vitality and energy from heaven and earth, and took on an ethereal form. Since Pei Zi Yun had experience in this aspect, he controlled the floating ethereal spirit and directed it down into his body, which was still seated cross legged on the mat.

The minute the Yin Master entered his body, a burst of sparks flew out from within, and the firewood which had been extinguished came back to life again, and burst into flames. Winds started howling around him loudly as they blew in all directions under the basement.

"The gates of heaven have been opened by me, I have become a Yin Master!" Pei Zi Yun felt a new sense of comfort and strength within his bones.

When Shi Mu Zhong saw such a scene unfolding before him, he started shouting in panic, "Let’s go quick. He’s already broken through the gates to heaven!"

As he spoke, he turned around to run. Almost at the same time, Qin Gao and Song Zhi too turned around to flee.

Pei Zi Yun could feel a renewed sense of limitless strength and power. So this was what true power felt like. Soon after, a white Plum Blossom floated into his vision and gradually became bigger until it was a semi transparent information interface.

The "Level Ten" of the Free Cloud Sect Dao Manual had been changed to "Yin Master, Level One".

Shi Mu Zhong, Song Zhi and Qin Gao had already retreated some distance away. Pei Zi Yun stood up slowly and stretched. When he moved, his shadow flickered and he next appeared in the middle of the secret basement.

Snail Village

Two groups of people bumped into each other along the way. The young woman frowned and said, "So it’s my fellow brothers from Free Cloud Sect."

The Sect Leader was on horseback and was about to reply when he stopped. He then turned around and saw the changes to the sky, "The sound of dragons and tigers roaring. Who has opened the gates of heaven?"

\'Could it really be Song Zhi?\' Yu Yun Jun thought to herself. At this point she seemed extremely anxious, "Hurry, let’s go in and look for them."

As she spoke, she spurred her horse onward and dashed in.

Pei Zi Yun appeared just behind Shi Mu Zhong, Song Zhi and Qin Gao. When they saw him, they were shocked.

"Block him off!" Shi Mu Zhong ordered.

Following the command, several black robed warriors rushed towards Pei Zi Yun, whose face fell. He then sighed, "You’re just looking for death, who else can you blame for your demise?"

As he spoke, he moved his sword effortlessly and the nearest warrior had his head decapitated cleanly from his neck. After seeing the proficiency and ease to which Pei Zi Yun wielded his sword and fought, the rest of the black robed warriors were extremely demoralized and fearful. At this point they remained standing and refused to charge forward anymore.

"Damn it!" Shi Mu Zhong started waving his hands in a strange incantation, and a strange aura started emanating from him. Instantly, the black robed warriors in front of him stood up straight, and raised their swords, all at the same time, almost mechanically.

"Devil’s Puppet?" Pei Zi Yun then charged right at them. He felt a certain comfortable warmth across his body. The inner strength within his body has been dispelling the poison continuously.

"Do not fight with him. Let’s run. He’s already opened the gates of heaven, and his strength has improved many folds. We are not a match for him." Shi Mu Zhong saw his warriors blocking the way and hurriedly moved along.

Song Zhi followed and leapt out. The warriors then started dashing towards Pei Zi Yun one by one in a bid to stop him.

"All of you can die." Pei Zi Yun pointed his finger, "Restricting Technique!"

All the warriors paused in their tracks, unable to move forward. In the past, this technique could only be used to restraint one person. At this point it had been effective against an entire group of people. Following that, the blinding light from the gleam of his sword could be seen weaving in and out as the warriors fell to the ground helplessly. All of them took a single lethal slash to the forehead, a vertical red line of blood appeared, just above their eyebrows. As they fell over and didn’t draw breath any longer.

"The Yin Master has shown up, and his energy and strength are flourishing. It’s indeed terrifying." Shi Mu Zhong turned around and spoke softly.

Song Zhi’s eyes turned red as he continued running, he was muttering under his breath, "No, I’m supposed to be the person who open the gates to heaven."

At this point, all the warriors had been killed. Pei Zi Yun carried his killing aura and dashed in pursuit of of the three men. When he looked up, he saw that they had already reached the yard and was trying to run out of Pei Mansion.

"Restricting Technique!" Pei Zi Yun pointed forward. The three of them froze in their tracks.

Qin Gao drew his sword and tried to hack away at the vines and roots that appeared at his feet.

"Release!" Shi Mu Zhong and Song Zhi immediately pointed at their own feet, as the traps immediately disintegrated.

Qin Gao took slightly longer to break through the snares. When he finally did, Pei Zi Yun had already caught up with him.

"Die!" Qin Gao shouted out as he waved his sword at Pei Zi Yun. The gleam of his blade reflected light in all directions. Wind and thunder growled at this point. Pei Zi Yun’s sword met with his strike and neutralize his strike instantly. Immediately, there was a small crack on his blade. Pei Zi Yun moved deftly, and with another strike, plunged his sword into Qin Gao’s stomach, as fresh blood spurted out of the cavity.

With the next stroke, Qin Gao’s head fell up into the air, as blood gushed out like a waterfall from the stump on his neck.

"Damn it, Pei Zi Yun has just broken through to the gates of heaven moments ago and yet shows such aptitude and familiarity with the skills and prowess of being a Yun Master, it’s really scary!" Shi Mu Zhong glanced back as cold sweat formed.

"We can’t escape. I’ve seen how effective Pei Zi Yun is with Dao arts. He managed to absorb an entire book of Dao manuals within a single night and understood it effortlessly."

"We have to work together and attack him if we want a chance of escaping. Whatever last resort you have, now’s time to use it." Song Zhi spoke as the both of them looked at each other. They had looks of fear and determination etched across their faces.

"Let’s do it!" Pei Zi Yun was fast approaching them. Song Zhi gritted his teeth, but was calm deep down. He then revealed a look of heartache and pity before retrieving a talisman from his robes. He pressed a point on the talisman, as he spat out a copious amount of blood onto it. Immediately, the talisman erupted in flames.

Instantly the tiles beneath Pei Zi Yun’s feet turned soft and he sank deep into the ground. Immediately a transparent vine started wrapping itself around Pei Zi Yun, trapping him.

Pei Zi Yun struggled but was unable to break free from the vines. Song Zhi revealed a look of joy.

"Hm, these techniques were handed down to me by the Sect Leader. It seems like even as a Yin Master you’re helpless against these techniques. Go to hell!" Song Zhi’s eyes were bloodshot as he charged towards Pei Zi Yun. At this point, Shi Mu Zhong gritted his teeth and tossed out a black pearl into the air.

"Lightning Pearl!" Pei Zi Yun eye twitched as he let out a huge shout. Song Zhi had already raised his sword and was charging towards him in apparent confidence. His face was full of joy at the prospect of finally killing Pei Zi Yun. In that instant however, an extremely sharp pain could be felt in Song Zhi’s heart. Immediately, the vines that were restraining Pei Zi Yun and the sinking sand beneath his feet had disappeared.

Pei Zi Yun rolled nimbly on the ground, away from the strike. A dash of lightning flashed in the sky and struck where Pei Zi Yun was trapped moments ago.

"Shi Mu Zhong, do you wish to kill me too?" Song Zhi shouted out in anger. He had been affected by Shi Mu Zhong’s skills as well, and the hair on his body stood up.

\'I originally wished to draw my enemies out into fighting me, but didn’t expect Shi Mu Zhong to own such a weapon such as the Lightning Pearl.\' Pei Zi Yun thought to himself. His heart was in shock as well. Had he reacted just slightly slower, he would’ve been hit by that lightning bolt.

"That’s not possible, why didn’t the talisman given to me by Sect Leader restrain you? Even if you were to neutralize the power of my talisman, it would take you a month before you were successful. How could you do it so quickly and get rid of my spells?" Song Zhi was trembling as he breathed raggedly. He no longer had the will to fight as he turned around to leave.

"Have you forgotten that Dao arts do not affect nobility?" When the dust had settled, Pei Zi Yun emerged from the cloud of debris and dust from the lightning bolt’s near miss. Pei Zi Yun had a cut across his chest caused by Song Zhi, but it wasn’t very deep. Pei Zi Yun was smiling.

"How does a mere High Scholar count as nobility?"

"You are right, just a mere High Scholar cannot be counted as nobility. But don’t forget, I have won over the admiration, praise and affections of tens of thousands of people. If I didn’t at least have a Scholar status, all that admiration and affection wouldn\'t matter one bit. But with my Scholar status, it fused together to form a strong and impenetrable aura, not allowing spells to weigh me down for extended periods."

Several leaves and flowers fell to the ground, as Pei Zi Yun was surrounded by a whirl of dust and dirt. He then spoke coldly, "Although I’ve used summoned that energy once, it has already depleted half of my energy, and yet it managed to break through the Sect Leader’s techniques."

"Do you really think there are any Daoists stupid enough to attack soldiers of the Imperial Court? If it weren’t for all the different types of Dao arts and techniques, Confoundment Spells, Control Spells and Manipulation spells, the Imperial Court wouldn’t have developed their own protection as well. If not, don’t you think that any official within the Imperial Court can be manipulated by Dao arts?"

"You are all not considered nobility, and thus don’t have the same protection that I do. Furthermore you haven’t opened the gates of heavens, be good and willingly accept your fate." Pei Zi Yun pointed, "Now’s my turn to use the restraining technique!"

Song Zhi’s eyes showed palpable fear, and was in utter disbelief. A thick vine materialized and started encircling Song Zhi before finally binding him.

Pei Zi Yun raised his sword and hacked down on him, with the thunder and wind echoing in the background. Song Zhi struggled with all his might under the bondage of the vines. When he saw the flash of Pei Zi Yun’s blade he moved to deflect the blow, and had his arm severed. He shouted out agonizingly.

Shi Mu Zhong disregarded everything and started running for his life. He could hear something in his ear before feeling a strange cold sensation on his neck. In the next instant, warm blood was flowing down his neck.

So it seemed like Pei Zi Yun had moved in a blur and caught up with him, closing down the distance of several hundred meters in just a flash. He pointed his sword at Shi Mu Zhong’s neck and spoke, "If you had struck way earlier, you might have killed me. Or if you had decided to flee earlier, you might still have a way out. However, at this point you’re going to die as a result of your own intelligence and cunning."

Shi Mu Zhong opened his mouth and spoke, "Don’t kill me. I’m just someone following orders. I know many secrets of Xie Cheng Dong, I can tell you everything. Don’t kill me."

Pei Zi Yun paused and started laughing out loudly. In the original owner’s memories, the advisers to Xie Cheng Dong were extremely scary. They were lofty and confident, and the original owner didn’t even get the chance to spill a single drop of any adviser\'s blood due to the cunningness of their plans. All the way up to his death, he had no choice but to bend the knee and surrender.

Recalling these thoughts made Pei Zi Yun laugh until tears rolled down his cheeks. All of a sudden, he thought of something else, ‘All those people who had been living in riches and glory had never been placed in a situation where they might lose their life. In such a situation, they would always turn desperate. Could it be that once they’re put to the test, most of them would surrender immediately instead of risking their lives?’

\'No, that’s not possible. According to the history of my own world, the Yuan dynasty killed the Song dynasty, and the Ming dynasty wiped out the Yuan dynasty. Especially when the Qing annihilated the Ming dynasty, all of the officials hurriedly came out to surrender in the rain. The entire square was filled with surrendering officials, and was an entire field of black. It was a sight to behold!\'

\'Not that it’s impossible. But when a battle turns to a losing one, most soldiers would gladly give up their life without fear, and yet the high born people would always surrender, in the hopes of saving their own lives.\'

\'The original owner held on for ten years without surrendering. Should Xie Cheng Dong be here in this situation, would he surrender or not?\' Pei Zi Yun thought about this before saying, "Speak, what secrets does he have?"