Volume V: Emerging Brilliance - Chapter Twenty-Two: The Jade Rabbit Clan

When Li Chengzhu had first imagined the dwelling place of the Jade Rabbit clan, he pictured something resembling a cavern, but upon arriving at the scene, he realized just how wrong he had been. Driven by an incomprehensible well of energy, these rabbits had literally hollowed out an entire small mountain, creating a labyrinthine maze of winding tunnels and hidden pockets. The Jade Rabbit clan had lived within these mountain caves for nearly five thousand years.

Upon stepping into the cavern, Li Chengzhu immediately noticed countless luminous stones embedded into the rock walls, casting a brightness that rivaled the light of day. Along the way, every single spirit beast they encountered bowed deeply, standing sideways along the paths while calling out in unison, "Welcome, Immortals!" It seemed the intelligence network of the Jade Rabbit clan was exceptionally efficient, as news of their arrival had preceded them even before the two guests had stepped foot inside.

This extraordinary display of etiquette left Boss Li and Yuan Mu with their jaws wide open in delight. In the Immortal Realm, their cultivation levels were considered the very lowest tier, yet here, every single spirit beast treated them with utmost reverence and addressed them as Immortals. How could this fail to stroke their vanity?

However, no matter how one looked at it, the downcast gazes of those spirit beasts carried a subtle hint of disdain. Meanwhile, Shui Ruyan forced a stiff smile as she led the way, nodding silently to each spirit beast without uttering a word.

Li Chengzhu glanced back at Yuan Mu; there was definitely something fishy going on here.

After navigating what felt like countless turns, their field of vision suddenly opened up. Li Chengzhu found himself standing in an immensely spacious grand cavern. Overhead, countless luminous stones emitted a brilliance akin to broad daylight, and both sides of the hall were adorned with innumerable night-shining pearls. It was the first time Boss Li had ever laid eyes on pearls the size of fists, and his gaze was immediately captivated.

Damn it, if this were back on Earth, he would be filthy rich. Yet in the Immortal Realm, these material trinkets likely served no other purpose than illumination.

Right at the front and center of the grand cavern's ceiling, a graceful and opulent elderly woman sat enthroned upon a lavishly crafted rattan armchair. She wore a phoenix hairpin and a ceremonial robe embroidered with a nine-headed serpent, holding an immortal artifact brimming with spiritual energy. Her gaze fell upon Shui Ruyan with benevolent warmth. Standing beside her were a dozen aged spirit beasts with weathered expressions.

"The eighty-third generation Saintess, Shui Ruyan, pays her respects to the Holy Mother and esteemed elders." Shui Ruyan knelt gracefully upon the ground. Beside her, Li Chengzhu secretly tugged at her sleeve, wishing to pull her back up. The girl had already knelt countless times today; her poor little knees were probably bruised red. With an imperceptible twist of her body, Shui Ruyan gently pulled her sleeve back.

Seeing Shui Ruyan lead the two men inside, the surrounding spirit beasts hurriedly bowed, while even the elderly woman rose from her seat, composed her expression, and called out in unison, "Welcome, esteemed Immortals, to our humble abode." Their posture and demeanor oozed flattery, completely ignoring Li Chengzhu's small gesture.

With a brazen air, Li Chengzhu accepted their bow, casting a cold, appraising gaze over the elders in the hall, as if determined to reclaim a shred of dignity for the little woman beside him.

Since arriving in the Immortal Realm, apart from his master who had transformed into the likeness of an old man, and Uncle Cai who also appeared somewhat advanced in years, most cultivators who reached a certain realm maintained eternal youth. Every one of them was remarkably handsome or breath-takingly beautiful, or at the very least, appeared as average attractive youths. How could one possibly encounter so many elderly men and grandmothers all at once?

There were generally two reasons for a cultivator to bear the appearance of old age: either they used illusion techniques like his master did, or their cultivation had stalled at a certain stage for far too long, bringing them close to the threshold of their natural lifespan, causing their vital energy to slowly wither away.

Judging by the fact that these old men and women possessed cultivation levels no lower than the Fusion Realm, it had to be the latter reason. It seemed their cultivation paths had encountered significant trouble.

Although Yuan Mu understood the principle that those with profound cultivation were revered in the Immortal Realm, these individuals were monsters who had lived for thousands of years. How could he possibly accept a bow from them? He hastily cupped his fists, bowed, and said, "Pardon the intrusion."

"No intrusion at all, no intrusion." The old grandmother holding the immortal artifact smiled benevolently. Though her voice was drawn out, it still retained a distinct trace of authority; she was undoubtedly the Holy Mother of the Jade Rabbit clan.

"That the two of you were able to set aside past grievances and come here as guests is already the utmost honor for our clan." As soon as the Holy Mother spoke, the others nodded in agreement, their gazes fixed intently upon the two men, their smiles so broad they seemed ready to devour them alive.

"Past grievances?" Yuan Mu asked with a trace of confusion, recalling that they had never fought with the Jade Rabbit clan.

"Before coming here, did the two of you engage in a battle with our holy beast?" If the Holy Mother were a man, she would look remarkably like Maitreya Buddha. The smile upon her wrinkled face never faded; though her visage was mapped with deep lines, it still managed to radiate a sense of cordiality.

"We did," Li Chengzhu nodded, speaking with simmering indignation. "That nine-headed serpent—we'll finish it off sooner or later."

The Holy Mother smiled faintly, offering no immediate comment, though several individuals nearby shifted slightly, flashing a fleeting look of pleasant surprise before quickly masking it. Two others glared fiercely at Li Chengzhu, but mindful that he was the Holy Mother's invited guest, they swallowed back the words on the tip of their tongues.

However, these instantaneous shifts in expression did not escape Li Chengzhu's watchful eyes. The very reason Boss Li had jumped forward to interject was to probe the attitude of the Jade Rabbit clan and the aquatic serpent. If they were dead-set on protecting that beast, there would be no point in negotiating with them; he would simply fight his way out, track down the nine-headed serpent, and settle the score. Though perilous, with adequate preparation, victory was not entirely beyond hope.

Yet, despite Boss Li having trampled over the holy beast and casually referring to it as a "beast"—stopping just short of defecating on the Jade Rabbit clan's heads—aside from two individuals, the remaining power-holders displayed no trace of anger whatsoever, and even looked somewhat gratified. It seemed the Jade Rabbit clan had suffered quite bitterly at the hands of the nine-headed serpent.

Who would tolerate a snoring beast slumbering beside their bed? If the Jade Rabbit clan had possessed the strength, they likely would have eradicated the serpent long ago.

"The holy beast has always protected our Jade Rabbit clan. For the two immortals to battle it is equivalent to battling the Jade Rabbit clan itself. This old woman offers her apologies to the two immortals on its behalf." The Holy Mother looked at Li Chengzhu with a beaming smile.

"We weren't hurt, but you lot should go check on your holy beast instead. Dozens of massive holes were blasted right through its belly—you'd better hope it doesn't bleed to death," Li Chengzhu retorted unyieldingly, locking his gaze directly onto the Holy Mother.

Shui Ruyan had remained kneeling on the ground with her head bowed. Hearing Li Chengzhu's exaggerated claims, her shoulders twitched slightly, as if suppressing a laugh.

True to expectation, as soon as those words left his mouth, the Holy Mother and the grand elders could not conceal their shock.

Dozens of massive holes blasted through the holy beast's belly? This revelation exploded among the clan's leadership like a scandal in a temple of purity.

For the past five thousand years, neither person nor object capable of harming the holy beast had ever appeared. For these two abruptly arrived cultivators to inflict such severe injuries upon it meant their strength was terrifyingly formidable and utterly beyond expectation.

Although the Holy Mother possessed the ability to communicate with the holy beast over a certain distance, first, the beast had fled far too far away this time, and second, it had fallen into a violent frenzy, completely ignoring the Holy Mother's entreaties in consciousness. Consequently, the Jade Rabbit clan knew very little about the details of the battle.

Boss Li was immensely satisfied with their reaction. Only by elevating his own standing and diminishing theirs could he extract the maximum benefit.

That wretched nine-headed serpent had lived in high-handed luxury for thousands of years, devouring countless Jade Rabbit saintesses while these leaders lacked the courage to even let out a fart.

Yet, judging by their expressions, why were they so reverent toward Yuan Mu while treating him, the primary contributor, as if he were nothing?

Turning his head to look at Yuan Mu, the elder offered an awkward smile, pointed at Li Chengzhu, and echoed his words: "He was the one who heavily injured the nine-headed serpent, not me."

The gazes of the crowd stalled once more. Stiffly, they turned their heads toward Li Chengzhu, staring at him with dropped jaws. If it were that overwhelmingly powerful immortal who had wounded the beast, it would be understandable, since his strength surpassed their own by several tiers. But this person before them—whose cultivation was even lower than that of their junior-ranking elders—how could he possibly have severely wounded the holy beast?

The grand elders silently wondered whether they should seize an opportunity to go pick a fight with the holy beast. Could its strength truly have fallen this low?

"Ahem—" The Holy Mother gave a dry cough, breaking the collective stupor. She turned her gaze to Shui Ruyan, who had remained kneeling the entire time, and with a solemn, severe expression, she questioned, "Ruyan, your transgression will be dealt with later. Tell me, by whose hand was the holy beast injured?"

Shui Ruyan's petite frame trembled. Not only had she failed in her mission as Saintess, but she had also met with a male from outside the clan and even shared intimacy with him, forfeiting her qualifications to serve as Saintess. She had long known the fate awaiting her. Hearing the Holy Mother speak thusly, terror gripped her heart. With a quivering voice, she answered, "The holy beast... was wounded by him."

Li Chengzhu curled his lip. The magnitude of the shock must have caused them to lose their composure, leading them to ask such questions right in front of him. However, this worked to his advantage; the more unsettled they were, the greater the gains he could secure.

Entertaining these crafty little schemes, Boss Li reached out and tugged at Shui Ruyan, attempting to pull the young woman to her feet. To his surprise, Shui Ruyan seemed to have roots planted in the ground; she knelt steadfastly without moving, not even daring to raise her head, merely giving a slight shake of it.

Damn it, the Holy Mother's tyrannical influence ran deep indeed.

"Now look, Granny, can you let her stand up and talk? My neck is getting terribly sore looking down at her like this," Boss Li decided it was time to chip away at the authority of these ruling figures.

The Holy Mother glanced at Li Chengzhu, ignoring his disrespectful form of address as if she hadn't heard it, before finally speaking to Shui Ruyan after a long pause: "Since the immortal has spoken on your behalf, you may rise."

"Ruyan bears a sin upon her person; I dare not stand before the Holy Mother," Shui Ruyan replied in a soft voice.

Damn it all, Li Chengzhu felt an urge to vomit blood. Are you so used to being abused or something? She won't even stand up when told to. If not for the fact that she was a strikingly beautiful and tender young maiden, he would have already sent her flying with a kick.