Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 881: Yin-Yang, Canglan, and Douniu

"I still have some confidence in Daoist Qi. Senior Brother Fang praised him highly, saying Daoist Qi was among those on Landou Island most likely to form a Spiritual Infant..."

Daoist Huayang let his gaze sweep across the new disciples, then looked at Senior Uncle Chen and cleared his throat. "Since Daoist Qi is not here, I can only discuss the matter with you."

"Did Senior Lu leave any instructions before his departure?" Senior Uncle Chen asked with solemnity.

The Senior Lu he mentioned was Lu Xiaoyun, the current sect leader of Landou Sect. After the beast uprising in the Demonic Sea, he had gone to garrison Desolate Island and had yet to return.

If it was an order from Lu Xiaoyun, no matter how proud Senior Uncle Chen was, he would not dare defy it.

"Though the sect leader did not state it outright, he tacitly permitted it," Daoist Huayang said. "You should know our Yin-Yang Branch has never been as prosperous as the Five-Elemental Branch. In recent years it has declined further and further. In this round of recruitment ceremony, the disciples we accepted were again less than ideal and far inferior to those of the Five-Elemental Branch. Thus we have no choice but to take an expedient path, widely admitting disciples to replenish our ranks. That said, it is not easy to find disciples with excellent talent suited to cultivate our teachings, especially since we already selected a batch earlier this year. Upon hearing that Yanmiao Pavilion was recruiting today, I thought to try my luck..."

The people in the hall showed varied expressions at the Daoist’s words. The new disciples stared blankly, thinking they had misheard. Do we truly have a chance to enter Landou Sect, the strongest sect on Landou Island?

Clutching Yanmiao Pavilion’s command tokens, they had been delighted a moment ago, but now their imaginations ran wild.

Even Zhao Songqiao, who had shed tears moments earlier, trembled slightly. His fingers tightened around his token until his knuckles turned white.

At the same time, they gained a new understanding of Landou Sect’s overbearing ways, daring to storm into another sect and seize disciples.

The incarnation was secretly astonished as well. He had indeed heard before that Landou Sect was broadly divided into the Five-Elemental Branch and the Yin-Yang Branch.

Two of the three great handed-down teachings, the Water Breathing Art and the Wood Reclining Scripture, belonged to the Five-Elemental Branch. It also had other weaker five-elemental arts. That branch possessed many disciples and was the most flourishing.

The current sect leader, Lu Xiaoyun, had also come from the Five-Elemental Branch. By contrast, the Yin-Yang Branch seemed much more withered, almost in name only.

It was said the requirements of its handed-down teachings were too stringent. Not only were suitable disciples hard to find, the cultivation difficulty surpassed that of the other handed-down teachings.

Everything happens for a reason. The Yin-Yang Branch had declined to the point of coming to Yanmiao Pavilion to poach disciples.

The Yin-Yang Tiandou Secret Technique certainly had its strengths, otherwise it would not rank among the three great handed-down teachings, yet even it could not solve the present predicament.

The incarnation realized this was a rare opportunity. Senior Uncle Chen clearly bore him a grudge. If he remained here, he would be constrained at every turn, perhaps even swept out eventually.

This was the light at the end of the tunnel. If he could seize this chance, he would not need to move in circles. He could become a disciple of Landou Sect directly.

The only question was what requirements the Yin-Yang Branch placed on recruits, and whether he could meet them. He fell into thought, his eyes flickering.

In the hall, only one person grew angrier the more he listened. Senior Uncle Chen's face was extremely dark..

Daoist Huayang acted unaware, still speaking at length. "This time I brought the Yin-Yang Disk. Whether one qualifies can be known with a single test. It will not delay your pavilion’s affairs. I ask that you allow this small inconvenience."

As he spoke, Daoist Huayang repeatedly glanced at Fang Ting behind Chen, showing far greater interest in her than in the others.

Cunning and seasoned, he had already seen that Fang Ting’s status was special and that she was likely the most gifted among the disciples, which naturally moved his heart.

"Enough! You old bastard, you have gone too far!" Senior Uncle Chen jabbed a finger almost into Daoist Huayang’s face and cursed, livid.

It seemed he and Huayang had old grudges. He had borne it until now, but could no longer, and simply tore away all pretense.

"No need to be so angry, Brother." Daoist Huayang flicked his whisk, assuming an immortal-like manner, his expression calm as he tried to soothe him. "The sect leader once said Yanmiao Pavilion and Landou Sect were one and the same. It is the same wherever the disciples cultivate..."

Senior Uncle Chen grew even angrier and shouted, "Nonsense. If Senior Lu were sitting in the sect today, there is no way he would let you run rampant like this."

Daoist Huayang’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you truly think so? Do you not know that our Yin-Yang Branch is not only the foundation of Landou Sect, but also once rendered great service for the sect? Because of that, two senior brothers upon whom great hopes had been placed fell in succession, the effects stretching to the present. Our decline today is not unrelated to that. Though the sect leader hails from Canglan Peak, would he sit by and watch us continue to wither until we end up like Douniu Peak?"

Douniu Peak? The incarnation’s heart jolted.

Despite all his inquiries, he had never heard anyone mention that Landou Sect had a Douniu Peak.

Landou Sect’s main peaks consisted of five peaks known as the Three Canglan Peaks and the Two Yin-Yang Peaks.

As the names implied, the Two Yin-Yang Peaks were the dojo of the Yin-Yang Branch.

The Three Canglan Peaks served the disciples of the Five-Elemental Branch. The two great handed-down teachings each occupied a peak, with the remaining disciples on the third. The sect leader’s hall was also on one of the Canglan Peaks. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

None of this was secret. People outside Landou Sect knew it well. Only Douniu Peak was unknown.

Judging from Daoist Huayang’s tone, Douniu Peak had once been a branch of Landou Sect whose status was not much inferior to the Yin-Yang and Five-Elemental Branches, yet its fate had been poor. It had likely already perished.

Was Qiyunzi a disciple of that branch? Perhaps the reason no information can be found is that, after Douniu Peak’s decline, no one cultivates that art any longer. The incarnation thought.

However, one thing puzzled him. Four hundred years ago, Qiyunzi, a Core Formation expert, was still active. Even if Douniu Peak had truly declined, it should not have vanished so quickly and completely. The reasons behind this were likely known only to the higher ups of Landou Sect.

Of course, these were merely the incarnation’s conjectures and judgments, hardly reliable. He would need a thorough investigation into the ins and outs to learn what had truly happened within Landou Sect.

His thoughts raced, and his intuition told him that Douniu Peak was closely connected to the thing he sought.

This infiltration of Yanmiao Pavilion had already proven worthwhile. Without the least effort, he had overheard a secret and finally gained a direction, even if it was only a collection of vague clues.

Daoist Huayang and Senior Uncle Chen were still arguing. The others, seeing Core Formation experts quarrel for the first time, feared being dragged into disaster and hardly dared breathe.

"Absolutely impossible!" Senior Uncle Chen swept his arm decisively. "See the guests out."

"Are you truly so obstinate, Brother?" Daoist Huayang’s face sank, and he snorted. "You want a written order from Sect Leader Lu? I will write you one right now."

"You..." Senior Uncle Chen looked like he was about to explode.