Chapter 897: Immortal (3)

"Haha! The divine might of our Imperial Preceptor leaves me utterly awed and full of admiration!" Emperor Zhao Kuangren approached Li Xiaofei, beaming with delight. "To think that the famed An Wanshan, renowned across the realm, couldn’t withstand a single move from the Imperial Preceptor. Your strength is unmatched even at such a young age!"

No one had been more anxious than him. He had felt like a gambler awaiting the verdict of fate, terrified that Li Xiaofei might be defeated. If that had happened, both he and the entire royal house of Great Song would have been doomed.

But Li Xiaofei had won, and effortlessly at that. Zhao Kuangren was ecstatic. He saw a glorious future ahead. Li Xiaofei merely smiled, saying nothing more.

The caravan continued onward at a calm, unhurried pace. The carriage wheels creaked softly as the horses’ hooves beat gently against the earth.

Li Xiaofei rode atop a shaggy old horse, speaking as he traveled, expounding on the principles of cultivation. His voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it reached every ear with perfect clarity. The people around him wore expressions of devout reverence, like fanatical pilgrims on a sacred journey silently listening and striving to comprehend his teachings.

Soon after, word began to spread. No one knew exactly how, but rumors flew like wildfire across the martial world of Great Song. A mysterious powerhouse had defeated an immortal sect expert and was now preaching the Dao along his journey, freely passing on immortal techniques.

“Teacher, we’ve entered Wei State,” said Li Yiyun as he approached with a grin. “I’ve got a few close friends here in Wei State. They’re brave and righteous heroes, full of passion and loyalty. They’d love to come and hear your teachings. Would that be alright?”

Li Xiaofei had always held great hope for this boisterous yet affectionate disciple.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” He replied with a nod. “My Dao is the Dao of humanity. If it can spread throughout the world, it will strengthen the human race. That has always been my wish. If they are willing to come and listen, they are welcome.”

“Thank you, Teacher!” Delighted, Li Yiyun turned and rushed off to spread the news.

As the word spread, it wasn’t just Li Yiyun’s friends who came. Other disciples in the convoy began reaching out to their own relatives and allies. Martial experts, wandering swordsmen, and even regional officials and cultivators began arriving one after another, bringing their own horses and riding alongside the procession.

The crowd grew rapidly. What began as a few hundred followers multiplied exponentially. Over four to five thousand people had joined them by the next day, stretching in all directions. The road was bustling yet surprisingly orderly, as everyone quietly kept pace with the central group.

This included renowned figures from the martial world. Even clever commoners, upon hearing the news, dropped everything to catch up. Some came barefoot and panting, but determined to follow nonetheless.

Fortunately, Li Xiaofei’s horse was old and slow. Chicken Bro, still entangled in romantic revelry with the two stunning courtesan disciples, seemed in no hurry either, as if he wished the road would never end.

As a result, the entire procession moved at a relaxed, leisurely pace. Even those on foot could keep up. Li Xiaofei’s voice, always steady and resonant, continued to reach every ear with unwavering clarity, untouched by wind, distance, or noise.

Bursts of ecstatic laughter erupted from time to time from within the procession. Some people fell into trance-like states, laughing madly or dancing with wild joy. Others were so overwhelmed that they wept openly.

Many renowned martial experts and seasoned masters, after just an hour or two of listening, suddenly experienced enlightenment. Bottlenecks that had plagued them for decades shattered in an instant. Overjoyed beyond control, they laughed, cried, and trembled as their cultivation advanced to new heights.

Even some among the common folk were so moved by a single insight that they reacted like apes hearing the Dao. They were laughing, weeping, and transcending into a new stage of life in an instant.

Time flowed on. More and more people joined the procession with each passing day. The local authorities and military forces soon took notice. Some officials, alarmed by the gathering crowds, feared an uprising of vagrants or a seditious movement. They quickly sent carrier pigeons to report back while personally leading troops to investigate.

But an imperial edict arrived before they could even approach. It declared that the Grand Preceptor of Great Song was preaching the Dao and spreading immortal teachings. This event was a grand and auspicious blessing upon the nation, and under no circumstances was it to be disrupted or interfered with.

As a result, the strange and wondrous procession moved forward without obstruction. Some officials, eager to curry favor with the Emperor and the legendary Grand Preceptor, even arranged food stalls and porridge stations along the route, ensuring the poor among the followers would not go hungry or fall behind.

At first, their acts of kindness were driven by pragmatism and politics. But what they did not realize was that, as the saying goes, you reap what you sow. There were some individuals among the ranks of the poor traveling with the procession who were blessed with extraordinary talent for cultivation. The food and compassion they received during this journey left a lasting impression.

Years later, some among them would ascend to the heights of immortality. They returned in glory, seeking out those very officials and their descendants, to repay them with lavish gifts and unimaginable blessings, returning a hundredfold the kindness once shown. But that is a tale for another time. For now, the Grand Preceptor continued to preach the Dao and pass on the immortal arts.

The news sent shockwaves across the entire realm of Great Song’s provinces. Even foreign powers such as the Liao and Jin kingdoms caught wind of the phenomenon. Some martial artists and experts from those distant lands disguised themselves and made the journey, eager to uncover the truth behind the rumors. But once they arrived, they found themselves unable to leave.

Li Xiaofei was like a magnet of immeasurable pull. All others, no matter how strong-willed or skeptical, became like iron filings. Once drawn in, they could no longer pull away.

The procession continued steadily northward, heading toward the sacred spirit-rich land of Mount Myriad Saints, the ancestral stronghold of the Myriad Saints Immortal Sect.

The journey there would take at least a full month. On the fifth day, Liu Shaji, accompanied by his two courtesan disciples, picked up speed and quietly slipped away, vanishing over the horizon.

Other than those like Kou Zhengyang and Lu Jiansheng, who had already witnessed Liu Shaji’s unfathomable strength, most later arrivals knew little of the wine- and beauty-loving eccentric. His departure barely caused a ripple. As long as Master Li remained, no one cared who came or went.

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed. The number of people following Li Xiaofei had grown to over ten thousand. There was a sea of heads wherever the eye looked. But with large crowds came inevitable chaos. Some shady figures tried to sneak in, hoping to exploit the situation for personal gain. But these troublemakers were swiftly rooted out by Li Yiyun and his circle of friends, who dealt with them decisively and without mercy.

Conflicts also arose between old martial enemies. Seeing each other in the crowd rekindled hatred, and heated words would often escalate into violent fights. Li Xiaofei paid them no attention, but Lu Jiansheng and the others did not remain idle. Anyone who disturbed the peace or initiated private duels was swiftly reprimanded by the senior disciples of the Myriad Saints Immortal Sect.

Lu Jiansheng led the disciplinary efforts himself, issuing stern warnings before driving the offenders out of the procession. Perhaps because they had spent so much time at Li Xiaofei’s side, Lu Jiansheng and the others no longer viewed mortals as mere ants or livestock. Their attitudes had softened significantly, and they now carried themselves with a calm, approachable demeanor.

Time continued to pass, and with it, the news spread further and further. Over a dozen foreign nations were soon stirred into action. Martial arts masters from distant lands braved treacherous mountains and crossed vast rivers, all to witness the phenomenon for themselves.

Even powerful cultivators from immortal sects in other countries caught wind of the event and hurried to investigate. Without exception, once they came, they could not leave. One such arrival was a Grand Elder from the foreign Breaking Realm Immortal Gate.

A three-hundred-year-old monster of a man, his cultivation stood above even that of An Wanshan, the Head of the Disciplinary Hall of the Myriad Saints Immortal Sect. Confident in his unmatched strength, he publicly challenged Li Xiaofei.