Chapter 59: Borrowing the Star Platform

A few days later, in a cave garden halfway up Mount Chuyun.

A palace-dressed young woman with skin as white as snow and a beautiful face was following half a step behind a tall, white-robed beautiful woman, walking slowly.

They were none other than Yu Menghan and her master Gu Yunyue.

"Now that I think back on what you said earlier, this Elder Han's identity and background are truly a mystery. When we traveled together back then, I observed his every move and word, and had already made the highest estimate, but I never expected to have greatly underestimated him," Gu Yunyue said with a bitter smile.

"I wonder when I will ever reach his level," Yu Menghan sighed softly, a look of longing in her eyes.

"The path of humanity is vast, the path of immortality is boundless; seeking immortality with a finite life is itself an act against heaven. It depends not only on aptitude but more on fate and opportunity. That is why even the step of Foundation Establishment is something many spend their entire lives unable to achieve, let alone the subsequent formation of a Golden Core. I have been cultivating for over five hundred years, stuck at the mid-Nascent Soul stage for over a century. There may still be a glimmer of hope for advancing to the Deity Transformation stage in the future, but the next level, Void Refinement, is extremely remote. As for the Great Vehicle stage, which is but a step away from immortality, I naturally dare not even think about it." Gu Yunyue stopped walking, looked up at the sky, and seemed slightly lost in thought.

Hearing this, Yu Menghan's mind stirred, and a trace of gloom appeared in her eyes.

The beautiful woman withdrew her gaze, looked at the palace-dressed woman, shook her head, and smiled:

"Your master is limited by aptitude; without special opportunities, my achievements will likely be limited. But you, Menghan, possess a spiritual physique and extremely high comprehension. In just two years since joining the sect, you have already succeeded in Foundation Establishment. Barring accidents, your future achievements will surely surpass mine, and you may even reach the Void Refinement stage or above."

"I am deeply grateful for my master's meticulous guidance and for generously bestowing many precious elixirs. I am truly thankful," Yu Menghan said sincerely.

"Thanks to Elder Han, you won't have to worry about elixir resources for a long time to come," Gu Yunyue waved her hand and continued.

Hearing this, Yu Menghan's beautiful eyes lit up.

"Speaking of which, in the past two years, your master once visited Elder Han, but now his cave area has been designated as a forbidden zone within the sect. I'm afraid it will be impossible to visit him again in the future." Gu Yunyue sighed, a hint of regret in her expression.

...

Not long after, Cold Flame Sect's Mount Chuyun suddenly accepted a rogue cultivator as an outer disciple. His aptitude was mediocre, he was no longer young, and he was only at the Core Formation stage, which did not meet the recruitment conditions at all. Thus, it caused quite a stir among the disciples for a time.

It was not until later that people learned this man, named Bai Shi, had some old ties with that Elder Han, and the matter gradually subsided. Then, people—even elders from other peaks with cultivation far surpassing his—began to curry favor with him.

But that was a story for later.

Another month or so passed in a hurry.

Behind Jingtian Peak, the main peak of Jingyuan Temple, there was an oval-shaped pool of water as green as jade. The pool was rich in spiritual energy, giving rise to a layer of white mist floating on the surface. From time to time, golden, plump carp leaped out of the water.

On the rocks and grass by the pool, a dozen or so spirited red-crowned cranes were playing, rubbing their necks together, pecking at the scattered spirit herbs on the ground, and occasionally raising their heads to chirp happily.

With a "whoosh"!

A streak of purple light suddenly flashed down from the high sky and landed by the pool.

As the light faded, a tall man appeared, wearing a golden crown and a purple robe with golden patterns. He looked to be in his forties or fifties, with three strands of long black beard on his face, giving him an immortal air.

As soon as he landed, he glanced briefly at the crane flock beside him, then shifted his gaze to the other side of the pool, where a bluish-black stone wall covered with moss stood.

With a flip of his hand inside his sleeve, a sound transmission talisman shot out from his sleeve with a "whoosh" and flew into the stone wall, vanishing from sight.

A moment later, a faint golden light curtain emerged on the stone wall, revealing a man-sized opening.

The purple-robed Daoist did not hesitate; with a flicker of his form, he flew into the opening.

Inside the stone wall was a very spacious stone chamber.

In the center of the chamber stood a three-tiered platform, each tier engraved with mysterious patterns and densely covered with rows of strangely shaped yellow lamps, forming a peculiar grand array that emitted waves of astonishing spiritual power fluctuations.

At the center of the highest tier, a fat man in a loose golden robe, his chest exposed, sat cross-legged on a cushion, looking from afar like a small mountain of flesh.

"Supreme Grand Elder, Cold Flame Sect sent word today that Elder Han wishes to borrow our temple's Star Gathering Platform for cultivation, promising generous compensation in return. Should we..." The purple-robed Daoist bowed respectfully to the "mountain of flesh" and said deferentially.

The golden-robed man, shaped like a mountain of flesh, trembled his fat face but did not answer. Instead, he spoke slowly: "What about the investigation into this person's identity and background that I asked you to arrange earlier? How is it going?"

His voice was exceptionally loud, echoing "buzzingly" in the stone chamber.

"We only know that this man suddenly appeared in Feng Country two years ago and soon after joined Cold Flame Sect as an outer elder. However, he has been quite low-key during this period, with no unusual reports. Even our planted agents in Cold Flame Sect only learned of his existence after the incident with Heavenly Ghost Sect," the purple-robed Daoist replied after a moment's thought.

"Forget it. If I were Sima Jingming, that old fox, I would also strictly seal off information about this man. What is the recent movement of Heavenly Ghost Sect?" the golden-robed man asked again.

"After that incident, the entire Heavenly Ghost Sect's disciples have been acting very low-key, showing no signs of dissatisfaction or desire for revenge," the purple-robed Daoist said after thinking.

"Don't I know the temperaments of those two old ghosts? They are both vengeful and will never swallow their pride. Let's just wait and see," the golden-robed man sneered, clearly unconvinced.

"Then about borrowing the Star Gathering Platform..." the purple-robed Daoist asked hesitantly.

"Since the other party has Great Vehicle-level strength, it's naturally not good to offend them. For now, let's agree," the golden-robed man said after a moment of silence.

The purple-robed Daoist frowned, hesitated for a moment, and said:

"To be honest, Grand Elder, several Supreme Elders in the temple are worried that if this man cultivates on the Star Gathering Platform, his strength might increase further, and then Jingyuan Temple will be overshadowed by Cold Flame Sect. Moreover, activating the Star Gathering Platform consumes a considerable amount of Star-Washing Stones, which we have to use sparingly to train our temple's elite disciples. It would be a pity to waste them on an outsider..."

"Nonsense. At the Great Vehicle level, improving strength is not that easy. However, since he wants to use it, the consumption naturally should not be borne by us. Let Cold Flame Sect compensate double," the golden-robed man said with a faint smile, unconcerned.

"Yes!" the purple-robed Daoist replied respectfully.

...

Two months later, Jingyuan Temple.

Amid a stretch of lush green mountains, thousands of peaks vied in beauty, drifting clouds wreathed the peaks, and immortal cranes and spirit birds flew across the sky, presenting the aura of a blessed immortal land.

At the center of the peaks stood a towering giant peak that pierced the clouds, far surpassing the surrounding mountains.

At the summit, huge rocks were piled up, spiritual energy permeated the air, but there was not much vegetation. In the very center stood a nine-tiered platform, shaped like a round tower, entirely white as if carved from fine jade.

Around the platform, four old men in brown robes sat cross-legged with their eyes closed, motionless.

As evening approached, the slanting rays of the setting sun cast a soft orange glow on the rocks at the summit, reflecting off the white jade platform and creating a dazzling, enchanting iridescence.

At that moment, two streaks of rainbow light flew swiftly from the distant sky, landing together at the base of the white jade platform, revealing two figures—one fat, one thin.

The brown-robed old men who had been sitting motionless around the platform all rose and came to the two, respectfully bowing to the fat, mountain-like man in golden robes, calling out in unison:

"Greetings, Supreme Grand Elder."

After speaking, they shifted their gazes slightly and looked up and down at the unfamiliar young man beside the golden-robed man.

This man was tall and ordinary-looking; naturally, it was Han Li, who had come to borrow the Star Gathering Platform.

The golden-robed man waved his large, fan-like hand without speaking.

The four men immediately understood and withdrew without a word, returning to their original positions.

"Fellow Daoist Han, these four are the guardians of the Star Gathering Platform. Although only one is a Body Integration cultivator and the other three are Void Refinement, they have worked together for many years and are in sync. With them protecting you, everything will be safe," the golden-robed man said in a loud voice, smiling.

Han Li naturally did not want Jingyuan Temple's people to protect him, but he knew this was unavoidable. His smile did not fade as he said, "Then I thank Fellow Daoist Heshan."

"Night is about to fall, so I won't delay Fellow Daoist Han's cultivation. If you need anything else, feel free to ask these men," the golden-robed man said, looking up at the sky.

With that, he clasped his hands slightly to Han Li, turned into a flying rainbow, and vanished in an instant.

Han Li watched him leave, then swept his gaze around before turning to the steps of the Star Gathering Platform. He did not rush to ascend.

The four men around the platform had already begun rapidly forming hand seals, and chanting sounds came from their mouths.

As circles of hidden runes lit up beneath them, a golden light curtain covering the entire Star Gathering Platform materialized out of thin air.

At the same time, a narrow entrance, just tall enough for a person, appeared before Han Li.

A blue light flashed in his eyes and vanished. He sensed that the light curtain before him, though not weak in spiritual power fluctuations, was only a protective formation. He took a big step and walked in.

As soon as Han Li entered, the light curtain entrance closed and then merged into the air, disappearing.

Stepping onto the steps, a peculiar spiritual power fluctuation immediately emanated from all directions.

Han Li felt slightly surprised and looked around.

He saw that the stone steps and the surrounding ground were densely covered with tiny pits and hollows, which would go unnoticed without careful observation.

Gazing with his spiritual eyes for a moment, he noticed faint silver light flickering at the bottoms of those pits—traces left by years of bathing in the power of the stars.

On the ground of the Star Gathering Platform, there were also many patterns composed of circles and lines connected together. Some were extremely simple, with three or five linked together; others were complex, with a dozen or more linked; still others formed a "well" shape...

Han Li walked upward, looking at each engraved pattern, and gradually understood that these patterns were all star charts corresponding to the constellations in the sky.