Chapter 18 Mysterious Old Man, Guiding Medicine Skills (1)
Jiang Tang suddenly stood up and turned around, seeing a group of people dressed in white robes, panting heavily as they ran up, wielding longswords, their eyes ominously fixed on him.
Noticing the ill intent of the newcomers, Jiang Tang carefully edged backward while flashing an awkward smile, "Fellow seniors, we have never met before. What do you want with me?"
The moment they appeared, Jiang Tang noticed the patterns of the Auspicious Cloud Immortal Crane on their clothes.
This was the symbol of the Immortal Sect; they were disciples of the Immortal Sect.
Could it be, they were here seeking revenge again?
In fact, Jiang Tang had guessed right.
"You little brat, we've been chasing you for over a month, and finally caught up with you," the leading disciple sneered coldly, "Go!"
With that, the group of people simultaneously drew out their magic artifacts, their faces cruelly set as they charged towards Jiang Tang.
"Bullying with numbers, where's the martial honor in that, hey!" Jiang Tang shuddered in fear and immediately turned to run.
However tough he was, he couldn't withstand a beating from over a dozen people.
At this moment, Eryao in the sky had seen Jiang Tang being chased by a dozen people with knives and was momentarily stunned.
Was Daddy... encountering villains?
It squinted its eyes and swooped down, landing steadily behind Jiang Tang.
"Where did this little brat come from, scram!" The leading disciple glared at Eryao impatiently, and when he saw it didn't leave, he swung his sword directly at it.
Eryao dodged to the side, and its pupils instantly turned golden.
It was brewing a ball of fire in its throat. Before it could spit it out, it felt itself being embraced in a pair of arms.
"Forget your life, run!" Jiang Tang held Eryao tightly and sped away.
Eryao, nearly choked to death by a mouthful of molten lava, thought: "..." Daddy really loves him.
The group behind was about to catch up when they suddenly heard rustling noises from the side bushes, causing them to stop in their tracks and look over with caution.
With a flurry of movement, another group of people emerged.
This group, dressed in plain clothes and wielding weapons, started cursing as they saw the retreating figure of Jiang Tang and attempted to follow.
The disciples recognized one of them as a disciple of the Immortal Sect. Thinking they were there to steal the credit, their eyes hardened, and without another word, they attacked with their weapons.
The other group wouldn't just stand there and be beaten; they turned around to fight back.
After both groups were battered and bruised from the fight and stopped from exhaustion, they each announced their affiliations.
Realizing they were all disciples of the Immortal Sect, and all were after Jiang Tang's life: "…"
If only they had talked first, they wouldn't have ended up like this, and Jiang Tang would not have slipped away; they were sure to be scolded when they got back.
So the more they thought about it, the angrier they got, arguing and bickering until they started fighting again. In the end, they returned to the Sect with heads bleeding and bodies staggering, a truly sorry sight.
As for Jiang Tang, after running until he was out of breath and confirming that the group had not caught up, he released Eryao and collapsed to the ground.
"Daddy, Eryao can help Daddy drive away those bad people," Eryao flitted around Jiang Tang before landing on his shoulder, its mouth puffed up in clear dissatisfaction.
"I was afraid those people had the Spirit Sect's Beast Control Talismans with them, and they could capture you and make a stew out of you," Jiang Tang poked Eryao's fluffy head, "Get inside."
If those people were to come back and see Eryao, they would surely try to capture it—Eryao clearly wasn't an ordinary demonic beast, they would definitely take it to sell for money, or eat it to boost their cultivation.
After sending Eryao into the Spirit Field Space, Jiang Tang was about to cultivate when he suddenly felt a burning sensation in his chest.
He looked down and saw that the jade was emitting a wondrous light.
At the same time, a feeling of dizziness suddenly overtook him.
Jiang Tang crashed to the ground, and in his daze, he spotted a pair of mud-covered cloth shoes that had appeared before him at some unknown time.
"Young man, this jade stone of yours, I find it very familiar," the owner of the shoes slowly squatted down, reaching towards the jade around his neck.
"Don't... move..." Jiang Tang weakly spat out these words before completely losing consciousness.
When Jiang Tang awoke again, the night sky was already aglow with stars.
He slowly opened his eyes and saw a campfire and a white-clothed old man leisurely roasting a fish. Upon seeing Jiang Tang wake up, the old man couldn't help raising an eyebrow, "I thought you were going to sleep until the sun was three poles high."
The old man's voice was extremely amiable, resembling that of a kind elder.
Yet to Jiang Tang, it sounded eerily familiar.
Could it be... it was... the voice of the owner of the cloth shoes he had glimpsed before passing out?
Jiang Tang instinctively touched his chest.
Thankfully, the jade stone was still there.
"Young friend, this treasure of yours has quite a history. If used appropriately in the future, you will surely become a powerful figure," the old man glanced at Jiang Tang and, seeing his stunned expression, couldn't help but laugh,
"Be at ease, I have no intention of taking your treasure. The Immeasurable Ancient Jade is fated to be with you and has formed a pact; it acknowledges you as its master, so even if I took it, it would be of no use to me."
Immeasurable Ancient Jade?
"Senior, you recognize the origin of this jade stone?" Jiang Tang quickly got up and gave the old man a bow in greeting.
"Immeasurable Ancient Jade, one of the ancient Spiritual Treasures, was once possessed by the Immortal Emperor. After the Immortal Emperor descended into the cycle of reincarnation, the whereabouts of the ancient jade became unknown. Having traveled far and wide, naturally, I recognize it," the white-clothed old man nodded and slowly revealed the history of the jade stone.
The Immortal Emperor, wasn't he the ruler of this world, a distinguished powerhouse said to have lived for a very, very long time?
However, how did he know that this was the so-called Immeasurable Ancient Jade?
Seeing Jiang Tang with his mouth open, appearing somewhat skeptical, the old man couldn't help but chuckle, "Young friend, lower your head and take a closer look at this jade stone."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Tang immediately looked down and scrutinized the jade stone closely.
Somehow, the jade stone had transformed into the shape of a Jade Pendant, within the auspicious clouds an intricate Bagua symbol was concealed, looking very classy and upscale.
Upon closer observation, the Jade Pendant emitted a faint mist, and this mist was exactly what he had encountered in the Spirit Field Space.
Jiang Tang released his Divine Sense to inspect the Spirit Field Space and discovered that beside the Spirit Field, an ancient stele had been added, tilting slightly among them.
On the stele, a line of characters was neatly inscribed.
Heaven and Earth, Immeasurable Spirit Field.
What the venerable elder said was true!
"Senior, I was disrespectful earlier," Jiang Tang quickly exited the space and bowed to the old man again, "May I inquire about the senior's esteemed surname?"
"This old man has neither name nor surname, knowing only that I awoke at the peak of Heaven Mountain," the white-clothed old man shook his head.
Heaven Mountain, described in ancient books as a place connecting the Mortal Realm with the Immortal Realm above.
Those with destiny who climb to the mountaintop and traverse the boundless lands would see a Sky City enveloped by dense fog.
Beyond Sky City, a waterfall cascades from the heavens. Going against the waterfall's flow leads to the realm of Immortals.
There lies the home of the gods and deities.
Heaven Mountain is a mysterious place, its location still undiscovered; no one knows which territory it occupies.
"Senior, did you truly come from Heaven Mountain? Is it really, as written in the books, the unparalleled place beyond the Immortal Realm?" Jiang Tang suddenly became excited.
Intuition told him the venerable elder wouldn't lie, but he still wanted to confirm it.
"There, every flower, every blade of grass, every wisp of fog is unmatched in the Mortal Realm," the white-clothed old man stroked his long beard and smiled faintly.