Chapter 972: Just in Time

The Xiezhi was so astonished because, according to the concept of the human body's microcosm, the Human Body God born within it is the well-deserved innate deity within this microcosm. It is also the only innate deity in Huang Xingye's inner world from its "creation" to its "destruction."

In the Xiezhi's eyes, this small Daoist Huang in Ji Yuan's palm held extraordinary significance. Of course, a human body's microcosm could not compare to a true grand cosmos, but the Xiezhi also believed Ji Yuan definitely had a way to turn decay into wonder.

Although this small Human Body God looked identical to Huang Xingye, its personality was clearly different. It was naturally intelligent, knew who Ji Yuan and Qin Zizhou were, yet faced them with neither humility nor arrogance.

Standing beside the Yin official, Huang Xingye stared blankly at the Human Body God in Ji Yuan's hand. Although he had a faint premonition, and sometimes even saw another version of himself appear in dreams, this was his first true face-to-face encounter with the Human Body God.

"Everyone, we shall take our leave now!"

Ji Yuan bowed to those who could see them.

"May the three immortal masters have a safe journey!"

The Underworld envoys dared not be negligent and bowed in return. The scholar surnamed Xu also returned the bow respectfully; he knew these three immortal cultivators were absolutely extraordinary. The Huang family members, who could only observe the scholar Xu's reactions, just stood by, at a loss. They didn't know whether to cry or not.

Ji Yuan kept his right hand open. The Human Body God on it smiled and nodded to Huang Xingye, then bowed deeply to him. It then remained in Ji Yuan's hand as they departed. As soon as they left the Huang residence, the three rose into the air on the wind and flew towards Cloud Mountain.

Inside the Huang residence, the Underworld envoy slowly departed with Huang Xingye. Only the scholar surnamed Xu remained, frowning with concern. He then looked around the room; the Huang family relatives were all watching him.

"Elder Huang has departed with the Underworld envoy."

The Huang family relatives paused for a moment, then someone finally reacted and began to wail in mourning.

"Father—!" "My Lord!"

In the sky, the Xiezhi's gaze remained fixed on the Human Body God. He finally understood that Huang Xingye's merit and virtue weren't solely due to his family being truly renowned for a hundred good deeds, or at least, that wasn't the entire reason. The main reason was the birth of the Human Body God. Thus, his merit and virtue were profound. His Yin lifespan would certainly not be short, and he might even get to be reborn later.

"Daoist friend, please temporarily reside and cultivate at Cloud Mountain Temple. You've only just left your human form, making you too easily susceptible to covetous eyes."

"Daoist Ji, rest assured, I understand completely!"

The Human Body God truly lived up to its innate intelligence. Over the years, Qin Zizhou had often communicated with the Human Body God through Huang Xingye's dreams. The Human Body God was also very clear about the cosmic changes it was facing.

Ji Yuan merely offered a necessary reminder. After all, theoretically speaking, the Human Body God at this moment was far more extraordinary than Tang Monk's flesh from *Journey to the West*.

Compared to Ji Yuan's last visit, Cloud Mountain Temple had undergone tremendous changes. However, despite all the transformations, Cloud Mountain Temple still revolved around the single peak of Misty Peak.

The original old Cloud Mountain Temple had been relocated by means of a shifting spell and protected by former enchantments, now standing at the very top of Misty Peak to easily receive starlight.

Of course, the greatest change was to Misty Peak itself. While Misty Peak had been one of the high peaks in the Cloud Mountain range, it was by no means the highest. But now, Misty Peak stood out uniquely, far surpassing the other peaks of Cloud Mountain. Ji Yuan roughly estimated that Misty Peak was at least two hundred *zhang* higher than before.

When Qin Zizhou departed, he didn't alarm anyone. When he returned with Ji Yuan, the Xiezhi, and the Human Body God, he also didn't alarm anyone. The three did not visit the Cloud Mountain Temple below, but went directly to the old temple on Cloud Mountain's golden summit.

Before even reaching Cloud Mountain, Ji Yuan and the others could see starlight descending from the sky, enveloping the entire Cloud Mountain area in a layer of hazy starlight. With their extraordinarily keen spiritual perception, they could even faintly discern a river of stars flowing within the Cloud Mountain range.

And in the courtyard of the old Cloud Mountain Temple on the golden summit, only one person was present. It was Bai Ruo, sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed on a meditation cushion in the courtyard. Bathed in starlight, her entire body was coated in a silvery glow. She was clearly still in a state of enlightenment.

The three landed outside the courtyard gate. Qin Zizhou looked into the courtyard and exclaimed admiringly.

"Madam Bai is truly worthy of being Mr. Ji's disciple; her outstanding comprehension is truly enviable."

When ordinary people spoke of Bai Ruo's cultivation, they would mostly say her natural talent was outstanding. But natural talent refers to innate abilities. However, Qin Zizhou instantly saw that what made Bai Ruo exceptional was her heart and comprehension after experiencing numerous events.

"Do not disturb her. Daoist Huang, Daoist Qin, Mr. Ji and Mr. Xiezhi still have matters to attend to, so we will take our leave first. I hope you will calm your mind and prepare well."

Ji Yuan had no intention of entering and bid farewell at that moment.

"Very well, Mr. Ji, take care." "May the two Daoist friends have a safe journey!"

Both parties exchanged bows. Ji Yuan and the Xiezhi then ascended into the sky and departed again.

In truth, Ji Yuan didn't necessarily need to be present to receive the Human Body God. After all, he had long ago made arrangements with Qin Zizhou: if Ji Yuan were not there, Qin Zizhou would go alone to receive it. The key was not to miss the opportune moment, to prevent malevolent entities from coveting it or the Human Body God from escaping into the cosmos on its own.

But the timing was perfect, and seeing it in person put Ji Yuan more at ease. The Human Body God was more sensible than he had imagined. Moreover, in the Human Body God's current state, if a true Mountain Conferment Talisman could be used, it would undoubtedly become an incredibly marvelous and powerful righteous deity.

That's right, Ji Yuan had long had his eye on Mount Yuhui's Mountain Conferment Talisman. He would not let Mount Yuhui suffer any loss, and he believed Mount Yuhui would be willing to entrust the Mountain Conferment Talisman to him for the sake of all living beings in the world.

This time, they ascended diagonally upwards, only pausing slightly once they flew above the high heavenly starwind.

Ji Yuan took a talisman from his sleeve. It looked ordinary, yet as soon as he released it, it wasn't torn or blown away by the cutting starwind. Instead, it hovered beside his hand, emitting faint rays of light.

Ji Yuan gently tapped the talisman with his hand. More rays of light then diffused from it.

"Show the way."

The entire talisman was quickly filled with and obscured by the light, its original shape and color no longer discernible. A few breaths later, the light flashed, and the talisman transformed into a stream of light, heading eastward. Following the talisman's rapid advance, though they had to match its speed, without a moment's delay, in less than two days, the two were already high above the vast ocean. After another ten days, they could see a patch of sea mist in the distance.

That was how Immortal Misty Island was: though extremely difficult to find, once found, its concealment method seemed remarkably simple and unadorned. It simply hid within the mist, its aura dissipated.

Ji Yuan and the Xiezhi followed the talisman deep into the mist. About half a day later, the talisman suddenly vanished. The two then stopped within the sea mist, waiting for the cultivators of Immortal Misty Island to greet them. However, after some consideration, the Xiezhi transformed back into a scroll and returned to Ji Yuan's sleeve.

They didn't have to wait long at all. The mist in front of Ji Yuan suddenly dispersed from both sides, revealing a wide and clear path. Immortal Misty Island, which had previously been invisible, now appeared in the distance as a shimmering, glowing outline.

A stream of light flew from the island, rapidly approaching Ji Yuan. Before the light even reached him, Zhu Tingtao's booming voice rang out.

"It's been many years, Mr. Ji, your demeanor is even more striking than before!"

"Daoist Zhu, it has been a long time!"

Zhu Tingtao stopped his flight beside Ji Yuan. After exchanging hand gestures, he gestured towards Immortal Misty Island.

"I have long invited Mr. Ji to be a guest on my Immortal Misty Island. I didn't expect it would be today. Please come in quickly, Mr. Ji!"

Ji Yuan nodded and took out three volumes of *The Yellow Springs* from his sleeve.

"Besides fulfilling our old agreement on this trip, I've also brought these three books."

"These are... *The Yellow Springs*?"

Zhu Tingtao took the books from Ji Yuan's hand. He looked at the covers and found they were volumes seven, eight, and nine. He couldn't help but look at Ji Yuan in surprise.

"*The Yellow Springs* actually has more than six volumes!"

"That's right. Besides delivering the books, Ji Yuan has also come to Immortal Misty Island to sound things out."

Ji Yuan trusted Zhu Tingtao. Zhu Tingtao, hearing the hidden meaning in Ji Yuan's words, frowned slightly and instinctively asked,

"Sound out what?"

"If Immortal Misty Island intends to seal itself off and seclude itself from the world, I hope the distinguished elders on the island will listen to a word from me before making their decision."

Zhu Tingtao looked into Ji Yuan's eyes. Those old eyes were just as they had been years ago, deep and calm, showing no ripples.

"Mr. Ji, what are you saying? Please come onto the island with me first. I am extremely delighted that you could come today. Perhaps you've come at precisely the right time!"

Just as Ji Yuan trusted Zhu Tingtao, how could Zhu Tingtao not trust Ji Yuan? That Ji Yuan could come to Immortal Misty Island today with a guiding talisman made Zhu Tingtao overjoyed.

"Oh? It seems I am quite fortunate!"

"Haha, it is I who am fortunate! Please!"

Ji Yuan also understood the unspoken meaning in Zhu Tingtao's words and could see that the other party was very pleased.