Indoors, a light flashed and the twenty white birds began to fly out as they cried. It went for five minutes before they returned to the ancient painting and resumed stillness.
“G-godly!” Hu Dezhi was shocked speechless.
The flying white birds, the chirping, they all came from the damaged painting.
In the eyes of a normal man like Hu Dezhi, it could be nothing short of a godly act.
Li Mo said, “Birds Gazing at the Phoenix painting. If the skill was higher, not only a hundred birds would fly out, but even the legendary phoenix, in all their splendor and color. That sight would be unmatched with this lesser item.”
“This godly painting is just a lesser item? Old sport, your view must be too high.” Hu Dezhi sighed.
Hu Dezhi copied Li Mo’s gestures he just used to activate the painting. Nothing happened even after five minutes.
“Old sport, what’s going on?”
“This ancient painting’s name is yang drawing. Only a pure yang body can stir it to life.”
Hu Dezhi was clueless, “Pure yang? What’s that?”
“The virgin kind.” Zhang Ding just woke up and said.
Zhang Ding moved fast to check his surroundings. Finding Li Mo, he ran behind Hu Dezhi on the spot as he chanted.
“Ancestor, help me subdue monsters and exorcise demons….” Zhang Ding stomped and muttered.
His spot was pitch perfect, right out of Li Mo’s range and safely tucked behind Hu Dezhi.
He could dodge none of the slaps even if he wanted to, so he got crafty in making Hu Dezhi a shield.
“Hi-hi-hi!” Zhang Ding stood on one foot, said a few words, then turned stupid.
Ancestor didn’t come and his qi drawing art failed.
‘What’s going on?’
“Celestial Master Zhang, what’s up with you?” Hu Dezhi looked at him confused.
Zhang Ding looked around perplexed, “I-I don’t know either. Am I dreaming, had we gone back?”
“We’re back. Grandmaster Xu carried you here.”
“Celestial Master Zhang, expert Li, you are all men of incredible skill. Can you please end this conflict here, for me?”
Zhang Ding snorted, “End? How can I? He slapped me thrice. I will only let it end if I slap him also!
“I may be but a humble disciple hailing from Longhu Mountain’s Celestial Master Abode and my face matters little, but master’s reputation cannot be tarnished!” Zhang Ding’s tone was unreproachable.
Li Mo said, “You got some connection with Celestial Master Abode? Can you use Five Thunders True Art? The Golden Armor Incantation? You show off here bragging about Celestial Master Abode with your puny Mt. Mao Art? What do you think will happen when they find out about this?”
Hu Dezhi asked, “Old sport, what’s Mt. Mao Art?”
“Invisibility, walking through walls, qi drawing… these are all under the Mt. Mao Art(T/N: Mt. Mao is a Daoist mountain). But no matter what age, it is an insignificant skill. It is nothing compared to the true magical arts of Celestial Master Abode.”
Zhang Ding barked, “Y-you dare insult my master? You’re dead!”
“”Ancestor, help me subdue monster and exorcise demons….””
Zhang Ding stomped his feet as his mouth chanted.
He then stomped with both feet but still silence.
Zhang Ding’s finger thrembled, “Sorcerer! What did you do to me? Why can’t I call my ancestor?”
“How is it my fault your Mt. Mao Art fizzled out?”
Zhang Ding came to a decision and chanted while taking the yellow seal before pointing at Li Mo.
Hu Dezhi cried, “Please, let’s talk this out!”
Li Mo beckoned and the yellow seal drifted in his palm.
Zhang Ding was stunned, Hu Dezhi was stunned.
“Give me back my seal!” Zhang Ding wanted to fight.
Li Mo said, “Brother Hu, do you know the biggest difference between Mt. Mao Art and a true celestial master’s magical art?”
Li Mo raised his hand as lightning flickered in his palm. With a thunderclap, lightning exploded, striking beneath Zhang Ding’s foot.
Five Thunders True Art – Lightning Palm!
A deep hole appeared and Zhang Ding froze stupefied in place.
He didn’t believe Li Mo missed, they were too close. It was simple to hit him dead center.
Zhang Ding wasn’t a true disciple of Celestial Master Abode, but he had a deep connection with them. He understood more than anyone the power of this lightning.
It was no less powerful than real thunder. If that hit him, he would’ve been torn to shreds.
Li Mo put down his hand, “Mt. Mao Art is miscellaneous, while the true celestial master magical art is lightning.”
Hu Dezhi was dumbfounded.
Zhang Ding was ashen, “A-are you the next Celestial Master successor?”
Only Celestial Master Abode’s legacy disciple could learn this art. Common disciples would not have been qualified no matter how much they wanted to.
Li Mo said, “If it weren’t for someone pleading your case, you wouldn’t be here to ask me questions.”
Zhang Ding was out of it for a long time before walking away.
Hu Dezhi cried, “Celestial Master Zhang, where are you going?”
Zhang Ding kept on walking.
“Old sport, I am in awe! So you are the successor of Celestial Master Abode! I have failed in giving you proper respect.”
Li Mo said, “I have some fate with Celestial Master Abode, but I am not their disciple. It is complicated and won’t mention it any longer.”
“I won’t either. Today has been an eye-opener.”
“Ancestors, protect…”
Zhang Ding didn’t go far. He went with the elevator three floors down then ran to the toilet to chant.
“Protect my ass! Don’t drag me into your coffin!”
A floating Daoist appeared in a blink and slapped Zhang Ding even before his body fully formed.
Zhang Ding cried, “Ancestor, you’re fine! I was so scared I couldn’t reach you! But why did you hit me?”
The figure was that of an old man with a long beard, striking the perfect picture of what a true immortal should look like.
“Why else when you’re the one wanting to die!”
“H-how could I seek death?”
“Who told you to mess with that guy?”
“He interfered in my matters. Ancestor, I finally found a vessel fit for Xiaolu but he got in the way.”
“That’s right, my Xiaolu is still in his hands. Ancestor, come into my body and teach him a lesson he won’t forget. Get Xiaolu back!”
“Fool, if I hadn’t pleaded for your life, you think you’d still be alive? Reckless idiot, if you didn’t have a talent for magical arts, I wouldn’t have saved you.” Zhang Ding was stunned.
‘No wonder my chants didn’t work. So ancestor was… scared.’
“He is not someone you can provoke, nor can I. If you want to live, get as far away as you can.”
“He has a natural mystic eye, ill-fated and doomed to die a gruesome death. What are we afraid of? “
“Mystic eye? Mystic your ass!”
The ancestor slapped him again.
“That is Celestial Eye. Only Celestial Master Abode’s orthodox Celestial Master can train it!”
“C-c-celestial Eye?” Zhang Ding’s eyes went wide as saucers.
