There stood a colossal stone gate.
The magnificent stone gate was a full thousand zhang tall, exuding an ancient and grand aura.
At the moment this stone gate appeared, Zhang Jian felt his own divine thought being involuntarily drawn towards it, yet he did not panic.
There were already records in the "Nine Chapters of Pure Tongshan."
Once the Fate Testing Dao Foundation is established, a fortuitous encounter would naturally occur, drawing one towards the Divine Mountain Dao Lineage, seeking out the mountain gate of the Divine Mountain Dao Lineage, and thus entering to obtain the Path of Longevity.
As soon as his divine thought entered the stone gate, he saw a list being pulled in mid-air, and his figure was involuntarily absorbed into it.
He vaguely sensed a grand divine mountain within the earth realm.
With just one glance, he felt as if he had entered a mythical world of mountains and seas, a divine mountain suppressing the azure seas, endless great daoist dao rhyme rushing towards him, impacting his divine thought and soul.
Loosely, he saw a silhouette extend a slender jade hand, suddenly grabbing the list, and simultaneously circling his name with a pen, saying,
"I shall take this disciple. He happens to be like me, with a path that does not lie within the sect, so he must enter my lineage!"
At this moment, another voice was heard coming from afar.
"Senior Sister, isn't that unfair? Don't you already have several competent disciples? This prominent disciple shown on the main list ought to be given to us; a few senior brothers and I still have no disciples…"
Upon hearing this, only a gentle laugh was heard from that voice: "Then you all should pay more attention. There are countless talents outside, so you shouldn't compete with your Senior Sister!"
"Senior Sister Zhanmo, your hands are too fast. This disciple hasn't even gone through the sect's Three Tribulations trial, and you've already seized him. How are we supposed to compete? No, we must take this up with the Founder…"
"Then take it up with the Founder! Let's see whether it's me, your Senior Sister, taking more disciples that's wrong, or not taking any disciples at all!"
Subsequently, Zhang Jian faintly heard several figures starting a dispute, unable to contend with that slender figure after a moment.
In the haze, he heard that figure speak.
"Zhang Jian, fourteen and a half years old, from Daqian Fengyang County Fengxi. Entered the Dao at fourteen, established Foundation in half a year, excellent aptitude, life plate with hidden dragons and tigers, the eight characters… verified body… now voluntarily apprenticing under Tongshan Dao Lineage, subject to the three hardships of Tongshan, resolving them, and you shall acquire the Great Dao of the Divine Mountain Daolineage, entering the Zhanmo Lineage…"
This passage was like a Qing Ci.
Zhang Jian's thoughts slightly shifted, and he immediately followed, murmuring the words.
Although he didn't fully understand every situation inside the Divine Mountain, he gleaned a few pieces of information from the words spoken by these figures in dispute.
Firstly, he was on the so-called main list.
Secondly, being contested by several teachers meant his aptitude was likely not too shabby.
Additionally, the one who selected him bore a significant status, being very formidable.
This involuntarily gave Zhang Jian some peace of mind.
Actually, many things didn't concern him much; what mattered to him was whether this Divine Mountain Dao Lineage could allow him to continue his cultivation, to walk further on the Path of Longevity.
As the words fell, a radiance was suddenly emitted from the main list, falling swiftly into the depths of Zhang Jian's brow.
He looked towards the figure amidst the clouds, faintly seeing the person smile gently, with a wave of the hand sending him into the stone gate within a stream of light.
Within Zhang Jian's family shrine, Zhang Jian opened his eyes, digesting the last message transmitted to his mind, revealing a hint of helplessness in his eyes after a moment.
"Resolve the three hardships to gain the opportunity to choose a Dao Lineage!"
This meant that to enter the Tongshan Dao Lineage and acquire the Longevity Technique, he must unravel the three hardships, contributing a strand of destiny to the sect to gain recognition from the Dao Lineage and receive the imparting of immortal techniques.
Resolving the three hardships didn't necessarily have to be his own hardships; it could also solve the difficulties of others.
As long as he could confer a strand of destiny to the sect as an offering for apprenticeship, that would suffice.
Moreover, the thicker the rite, the more the sect would be pleased, and the wider his choices upon entry.
If it were so, it actually seemed simple.
But the problem was that his three hardships were already predetermined.
He had to overcome the Feng Ling Ghost King and resolve the hardship of Fengyang County.
Only then could he enter the Zhanmo Lineage.
Of course, this choice was mutual, as the True Monarch Zhanmo also offered him another option, which was to follow the orthodox inheritance of the sect, resolving another set of three hardships without following the predetermined path, thus allowing him to choose to fall under other ancestral figures of the Dao Lineage.
But in Zhang Jian's view, this was hardly a choice.
If he were to show weakness, the powerful figures of the Tongshan Dao Lineage might not look favorably upon him.
It might negatively impact his future cultivation!
"However, it is not without opportunity!"
Though the True Monarch Zhanmo posed him a conundrum, there was also assistance offered, allowing him to borrow the power of True Monarch Zhanmo thrice at critical moments.
Zhang Jian's gaze fluctuated, seeing this already as having considerable maneuverability.
...
On the other side.
The Feng Ling Ghost King was pierced by golden light, suffering unimaginable injuries.
Her body, almost turned into a golden sieve, struggled back rapidly toward Phoenix Nest Mountain.
Deep within Phoenix Nest Mountain, a black light swiftly penetrated through the brilliance of the "Jade Saint Scroll," directly entering the mountain body.
White mist trailed swiftly behind.
It flapped its wings, reaching the mountain's interior moments later.
Inside the mountain, a gastric tract covered by a gigantic stalactite was present.
There was a gap inside the gastric tract, into which the black light dove directly, soon emanating an unbearably painful wailing sound from within.
"Master!"
Bai Niao'Er looked upon this scene, immediately feeling worried yet dared not venture into the mountain's interior easily.
It knew that within the gastric tract was the Fengling forbidden ground, not to be entered.
That place was also a breeding ground for the omnipresent resentment in the world, and entering would easily result in being consumed by resentment, turning into a puppet.
Bai Niao'Er's heart filled with concern, flying anxiously back and forth in the cave, sometimes perched on the stalactites, sometimes landing on a peculiar phoenix tree nearby.
This was an old phoenix tree, though merely its bark, the verdant underlayer was green as ink, vibrant with life.
This was also the foundational source of Bai Niao'Er.
It was formed from the essence spewed by the old tree!
Were it not for this, it couldn't have continuously stayed by the Feng Ling Ghost King's side without being devoured by her.
"Screech!"
In an instant, an earth-shattering phoenix cry erupted from the gastric tract within the mountain.
With this phoenix cry, a force omnipresent across heaven and earth seemed summoned, gathering from above the Shuangfeng Mountain Range, transforming into a long river penetrating towards the gastric tract.
"It begins again!"
Meanwhile, in Fengyang County, several divine beings witnessed the sky-piercing resentment exploding from Phoenix Nest Mountain.
Such a thing landing within Fengyang County City was like a bomb ready to explode at any moment, and once it did, the whole of Fengyang County, inside and out, would be ravaged.
"The Feng Ling Ghost King, a naturally born ghost god, undeniably a formidable entity!"
Deep within Bai Shui, Bai Nu watching this scene also frowned heavily.
The phoenix itself was a fundamental existence not inferior to a True Dragon.
He was aware of the general origin of the Phoenix Spirit within Phoenix Nest Mountain, being a phoenix egg left there, incubated by the essence of the mountains and rivers to form.
Being both a phoenix and a mountain god.
However, her luck was unfavorable.
Just before she could be born, she fell victim to Prince Mian's treachery.
Deceived, her origin was split out.
"Prince Mian, you truly are a plague!"
Bai Nu's expression was sullen, as he trusted Prince Mian, bringing about calamity, while the present Feng Ling could only be said to have poor luck, found by Prince Mian's subordinates, turned into a sacrificial lamb.
The Feng Ling Ghost King, harboring resentment towards heaven and earth, now unified with the mysterious grievance between heaven and earth, became the source of resentful energy, coupled with a part of the Phoenix Divine Beast's essence, making her exceptionally difficult to deal with.
Once she casts off her shackles, she must inevitably become a premier formidable ghost god in the world.
In the City God Divine Department, Commandery City God Chen Qingyuan also held a troubled expression.
Yet these two deities didn't know, at this moment, the Feng Ling Ghost King was struggling on the edge of life and death.
The golden light from the Stone Mirror was too terrifying, piercing directly through her primordial spirit, possessing a layer of indelible power constantly erasing her origin.