Black Myth: Starting from the Destined One
Chapter 235 - 188: The Threat of the Ghost Taoist!

Chapter 235: Chapter 188: The Threat of the Ghost Taoist!

All the cultivators turned to the Ghost Taoist and questioned him:

"Ghost Taoist, people don’t know you, what exactly do you mean?"

"You’re right, I indeed belong to no sect now; I was expelled from Mount Longhu long ago, but!"

The Ghost Taoist continued, explaining to Li Ping’an:

"Although I belong to no sect, I am fundamentally a disciple of Mount Longhu. I came here today for two reasons!"

"First, to watch the excitement; second, to boost the morale of the disciples of Mount Longhu. Don’t think I don’t know—you all claim that ’All Taoist Sects under Heaven are branches of the same tree, sharing weal and woe,’ but in private, you oppress and humiliate small sects like Mount Longhu. That’s why I’m here!"

"So that’s what it is..."

The cultivators from the smaller sects finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"What if we don’t agree?"

Sect Master Zhuge Junchen of the Flame Cloud Sect squinted his eyes and said contemptuously:

"I, Zhuge Junchen, have long wanted to test your skills. Today is a good opportunity!"

"Hahaha! Face given is not wanted!"

The Ghost Taoist grabbed the eighth senior brother from Zhishou Temple and threw him towards Li Ping’an, then said proudly:

"You all heard him! That’s what he said!"

"Move aside! Today, I, Zhuge Junchen, shall rid all Taoist Sects of this devil lord!"

Sect Master Zhuge Junchen of the Flame Cloud Sect commanded authoritatively, making the surrounding cultivators worry, but still, they cleared a path.

"Wait!"

Mu Qiang Baoshan, knowing that Sect Master Zhuge Junchen of the Flame Cloud Sect intended to lead all the Taoist sects and today was a good day to kill the Ghost Taoist and establish authority, interjected. However, since this was the Imperial Taoist Temple, any damage to the flowers and plants here would surely incite the emperor’s blame. Also, the Ghost Taoist wasn’t here to commit evil, Mu Qiang Baoshan immediately stepped forward to intervene:

"Uncle-master Zhuge, calm your anger. Today is the grand event of the Grand Ritual of the Heavenly Master, no killing should occur. If you two wish to fight to the death, please change locations!"

Sect Master Zhuge Junchen of the Flame Cloud Sect, undeterred, said:

"Ghost Taoist, do you dare?"

"Hahaha!"

The Ghost Taoist shook his head in disdain and said:

"You do have some skill, but you are too junior, and your strength is just so-so. You’re not qualified to compete with me. If you want a contest, I will seek you out later!"

Mu Qiang Baoshan, already burdened with three issues— the Fallen Dragon Pit, Buddha Bone Temple, and the capture of Li Ping’an—didn’t want to complicate matters further. Fearing that the Ghost Taoist would provoke Sect Master Zhuge Junchen of the Flame Cloud Sect, he quickly stepped in to mediate:

"Today, here, we only deal with official matters, not personal ones. Any issues of grudges or private conflicts can wait until after the Grand Ritual of the Heavenly Master has concluded!"

Mu Qiang Baoshan bowed respectfully to Sect Master Zhuge Junchen of the Flame Cloud Sect and the Ghost Taoist, then continued:

"The two elders need not consider my face, but you must respect the face of the Night Traveler’s Bureau and the Great Tang Dynasty!"

Observatory Master Immortal Fei He of Moyun Temple also hurriedly came forward to suggest:

"How about this, let the Ghost Taoist stand by as an observer? Since he isn’t participating anyway, Younger Brother Zhuge, let’s consider it a favor to an old Taoist!"

Li Ping’an had also figured out Sect Master Zhuge Junchen of the Flame Cloud Sect’s ulterior motives—essentially to coerce everyone present into being enemies with the Ghost Taoist. If they won, all the credit would go to Zhuge Junchen; if they lost, the Imperial Court would be behind them. With so many capable people in Chang’an City, how could they let the Ghost Taoist escape?

This scheme was wicked indeed, harming others while benefiting oneself, but Li Ping’an wasn’t one to indulge him. He bluntly retorted:

"You want to fight, right? Then go find some other place to fight; this has nothing to do with us, we’re just here to participate in the Grand Ritual of the Heavenly Master!"

"Mount Longhu’s trash, what did you say?"

The four senior brothers from Qingyun Sect immediately started threatening Li Ping’an.

"Fine! We can agree to let the Ghost Taoist observe here!"

Sect Master Zhuge Junchen of the Flame Cloud Sect glanced at Li Ping’an, then warned the Ghost Taoist:

"But you cannot intervene in the competition, regardless of whether Mount Longhu wins or loses, you must not seek personal revenge!"

"No problem!"

The Ghost Taoist looked at Li Ping’an and said:

"If the contest is lost, that means Mount Longhu was inferior, and no one else is to blame! Today, I will only watch and not participate!"

"..."

Sect Master Zhuge Junchen of the Flame Cloud Sect gritted his teeth, sat down first, and the rest of the cultivators also took their seats.

"You, my third disciple!"

Sect Master Zhuge Junchen of the Flame Cloud Sect turned to his third disciple behind him and ordered:

"If this Mount Longhu cultivator, Li Ping’an, by chance makes it to the top four, then you challenge him and make sure to cripple his cultivation! I’ll see what the Ghost Taoist can do then!"

"Master, rest assured, your disciple will show no mercy!"

After Mu Qiang Baoshan took his seat, he quickly gave Observatory Master Immortal Fei He of Moyun Temple a meaningful glance, signaling him to hurry the competitions along to avoid any further complications.

Observatory Master Immortal Fei He of Moyun Temple understood and immediately said to all the cultivators:

"Continue the competition!"

The interruption caused by the Ghost Taoist thus settled, and the Grand Ritual of the Heavenly Master competition proceeded smoothly. The Ghost Taoist walked over to Li Ping’an and eventually stood next to him, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

Li Ping’an thought the Ghost Taoist was trying to take his seat and immediately said discontentedly:

"What are you looking at? Don’t you know first come, first served? I cultivated all last night and now I really need to rest. If you want to sit down, find someone else."

The Ghost Taoist wasn’t offended but amicably asked:

"You just sit, I just wanted to ask, are you really a disciple of Mount Longhu? What’s your name? Who is your master?"

This caught Li Ping’an off guard. If he said he wasn’t a cultivator of Mount Longhu, he would surely be expelled immediately, thus losing any chance to meet Zixia. But to claim he was a disciple of Mount Longhu, he knew nothing about Mount Longhu.