Chapter 145: Joining Golden Lion Mountain
"Oh? How did you know my identity?"
Li Changsheng was somewhat surprised.
He hadn't expected the deer demon shopkeeper to guess his identity as soon as he handed over the items. He had taken precautions to disguise himself, and even a True Immortal wouldn't be able to detect his changes. Yet, a shopkeeper at the Human Immortal level had figured it out.
The deer demon, upon hearing this, showed a look of delight.
He bowed slightly to Li Changsheng and said with a smile:
"I didn't expect it to really be the Great Strength Ox Demon King!"
"My cultivation is not high, so naturally, I couldn't see through your identity. However, there are many standard items from Moyan Mountain and Ruoshui Palace in these storage bags. When they crafted these items, they left hidden marks on them. If you had taken these to another shop to sell, the news of your arrival in Golden Lion City would have spread beyond the Golden Lion Star Domain by now."
"Our Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion is a subsidiary of Golden Lion Mountain, and I am also a disciple of Golden Lion Mountain. It's just that my cultivation talent is average, so I was assigned to manage some of the sect's businesses."
"The relationship between Golden Lion Mountain and Moyan Mountain, as you know, is like fire and water. Many of our young disciples now see you as an idol. Moreover, the higher-ups have instructed that if you come to the Golden Lion Star Domain, we must invite you to visit the mountain."
"As for the items you wish to sell, I will tally them up and give you a price. Is that acceptable?"
Li Changsheng nodded and asked, "Can these items be settled with immortal jade?"
The deer demon shopkeeper was slightly taken aback and said in a low voice, "To be honest, Great Ox Demon King, we don't have much immortal jade in our Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. For others, it would be impossible, but since you've just eliminated two Celestial Immortals from Moyan Mountain, I can make a request. It shouldn't be a problem."
"Alright!"
The deer demon shopkeeper left and soon returned to the private room.
"We are willing to purchase these items for 490,000 immortal jade. Does that satisfy you, Great Ox Demon King?"
"Agreed!"
Li Changsheng smoothly received 490,000 immortal jade. He was very satisfied with the price. After all, immortal jade is highly beneficial for the cultivation of those who have stepped into the Immortal Realm. Most major forces in the lower realms have only enough immortal jade for their own experts to cultivate, and it's rare to use immortal jade for transactions.
In the lower realms, it's almost impossible to exchange spirit stones for immortal jade.
It seems that the relationship between Golden Lion Mountain and Moyan Mountain is even worse than he had imagined. Now that he has killed two Celestial Immortals from Moyan Mountain, Golden Lion Mountain's attitude toward him has changed significantly.
"Great One, I've just sent a message to the mountain. They would like to invite you to visit. What do you think...?"
The deer demon asked cautiously.
Although they were in Golden Lion City, the person before him was a great demon who had killed three Celestial Immortals without hesitation. If he were displeased, the deer demon would be in trouble.
"Lead the way!"
Li Changsheng nodded.
His purpose in coming here was to join Golden Lion Mountain.
He had originally planned to reveal his identity in Golden Lion City, let the people of Golden Lion Mountain find out, and then join the sect. He hadn't expected that simply selling some items would achieve the desired effect!
...
Golden Lion Mountain.
Although it is named a mountain, it is actually a vast mountain range.
Stretching for hundreds of thousands of miles, countless powerful figures from Golden Lion Mountain reside within. As one of the strongest forces in the Chaotic Star Domain, the exact number of experts in Golden Lion Mountain is unknown to the outside world. However, it is known that there are at least two Mystic Immortals overseeing the sect.
Li Changsheng traveled with the deer demon named Lu Jiu. Along the way, many people and demons greeted Lu Jiu warmly, indicating that Lu Jiu was not as ordinary as he had claimed to be—merely a disciple of Golden Lion Mountain with average talent.
The two of them rode a flying boat to the mountain gate.
Descending from the clouds, they arrived before an enormous gate, thousands of meters high.
Just standing before this massive gate, Li Changsheng felt a sense of unease, as if he were being watched by an ancient beast. Despite his strength, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Great One, this is the Gate of Insight, a top-tier immortal artifact forged by a Golden Immortal. It can discern whether someone has malicious intent."
Seeing Li Changsheng's reaction, the deer demon showed a look of surprise and said, "This is one of the most famous places in Golden Lion Mountain. Have you not heard of it?"
Li Changsheng was slightly taken aback and replied:
"Ah, I see. I've always been following my master in the mountains, cultivating. This is my first time venturing out."
"Great One, please!" Lu Jiu didn't press further.
He led Li Changsheng through the gate.
Li Changsheng followed Lu Jiu with some trepidation. He was nervous, unsure if this top-tier immortal artifact forged by a Golden Immortal could see through his human identity. After all, he was currently posing as the Great Strength Ox Demon King. If his human identity were exposed, who knew what might happen?
Fortunately, a white light swept over Li Changsheng from the Gate of Insight, and then there was no further movement.
It seemed that the Gate of Insight's function was only to detect whether those entering had malicious intent toward Golden Lion Mountain. It didn't probe into the secrets of individuals.
Li Changsheng followed Lu Jiu as they hurried along, finally arriving at a mountain peak shrouded in immortal energy.
The surroundings were filled with swirling immortal energy, with countless cranes dancing in the air. Spirit birds chirped along the path, and even a few small foxes, with human-like expressions, curiously observed Li Changsheng.
Arriving at a small courtyard at the mountain's peak, similar to a mortal farmhouse, Lu Jiu bowed and called out:
"Lu Jiu requests an audience with the Ancestor."
"Enter!"
"Great One, please!" Lu Jiu said to Li Changsheng, then led him into the courtyard. Inside, they saw a white-haired old man with antlers, whose strength was unfathomable, playing a game of chess with another old man who had wings.
During the year Li Changsheng established the Tianxia Society in the mortal world, he often played chess with Bai Qing'er when he had nothing else to do. Seeing the way these two played, he almost laughed out loud.
He had expected two elders, who had lived for who knows how many years, to be skilled at chess. Instead, they were both terrible players, their skills no better than his own. Yet, they were evenly matched, battling back and forth on the board.
When Li Changsheng and Lu Jiu entered, the winged elder, who was at a disadvantage, pushed the chessboard, disrupting the game, and said:
"No more, no more! Let's call this game a draw!"
"Hmph!"
The antlered elder glanced at Li Changsheng but didn't argue with the winged elder. Instead, he stood up, took a step, and appeared beside Li Changsheng. He patted Li Changsheng a few times.
A look of satisfaction appeared on his face as he smiled and said:
"Indeed, you are the young demon genius who killed three Celestial Immortals! Your foundation is solid, comparable to that of a young deity or demon in ancient times. Moreover, your lineage must practice the Great Strength Ox Demon Art!"
"Golden Lion Mountain also has records of the Great Strength Ox Demon Art, but unfortunately, we only have up to the fourth level."
The antlered elder shook his head and then said directly to Li Changsheng:
"Let me introduce myself. I am the Second Elder of Golden Lion Mountain, Lu San."
He then pointed to the winged elder and said, "This is the Third Elder, Jin Yu."
"We had Lu Jiu bring you here to ask if you would be willing to join Golden Lion Mountain."
"Don't worry, as fellow demons, I won't force you to join. If you do, you'll have a spot to compete for opportunities in the Broken Dragon Secret Realm."
"If you choose not to join, given your merit in killing two Celestial Immortals from Moyan Mountain, Golden Lion Mountain can offer you either a precious immortal treasure or a chance to observe the remains of the Great Sage Ox Demon."
"Although the Great Sage Ox Demon wasn't the creator of the Great Strength Ox Demon Art, he cultivated it to the eighth level. Observing his remains would greatly benefit your cultivation of the art."
"But how much you can comprehend will depend on yourself."