Chapter 511: Chapter 501 Confucius Spring and Autumn Annals

Yi Zheng immediately shivered and said, “Uh… thanks a lot.”

Star Lord Taibai shook his head and said, “You’re welcome.”

Seeing that Star Lord Taibai had a good temper, Yi Zheng then asked, “Star Lord, can I ask a question? Does that Kong Ni have any other names? Like Confucius or Kong Qiu or something?”

Star Lord Taibai shook his head and said, “No, he is called Kong Ni. However, the names you mentioned might be used by his clone in the All Heavens Ten Million Realms, or they might have nothing to do with him at all.”

Yi Zheng slightly relaxed but still couldn’t let it go and asked another question, “Does he have any works?”

Gold Star Taibai said, “He does, the most famous of which is the ‘Confucius Spring and Autumn Annals’.”

This time, Yi Zheng completely reassured himself; the name and the works were different, evidently not the Confucius he knew.

During their conversation, Yi Zheng noticed that Gold Star Taibai had suddenly taken him through the South Heavenly Gate and then tore through the void, plunging downward.

Yi Zheng immediately panicked, “Old Bai, where are you taking me?”

Gold Star Taibai smiled and said, “Kong Ni doesn’t like the way of the Heavenly Court; his headquarters is in the Underground Immortal Realm, at Ganding Mountain.”

Yi Zheng was stunned. Headquarters? Ganding Mountain?

Yi Zheng felt the place they were heading to was somewhat unconventional.

During their conversation, a door opened in the void, and then a vast ocean appeared ahead, sending waves hundreds of meters high, majestically pressing down on Yi Zheng and Gold Star Taibai who had just stepped through the portal.

Yi Zheng wasn’t worried at all since he was accompanied by an immortal, naturally considering mere waves as nothing significant.

But the next moment, Gold Star Taibai yelled,

“The waves are coming, hold onto the cloud head!”

Before Yi Zheng could react, a giant wave hit him, and he was knocked head over heels. Luckily, he reacted quickly at the crucial moment and bit onto a cloud cluster, preventing himself from being swept away by the giant wave.

Looking at Gold Star Taibai, the darn fellow was also desperately holding onto a cloud cluster.

Fortunately, the cloud cluster was strong enough and fast enough that they soon burst through the giant wave, carrying the two skyward.

After climbing back onto the cloud cluster, Yi Zheng shouted, “Old Bai, aren’t you an immortal? Can’t you even withstand a wave?”

Star Lord Taibai, while wringing out his Dust from water, shook his head and said, “It’s true I’m an immortal, but immortals also vary in strength. As for me, I’m one of the lowest…”

Yi Zheng didn’t believe a word of it.

No matter how one became a god, and how weak his strength was, he didn’t believe the other couldn’t withstand a wave.

Seeing his disbelief, Star Lord Taibai gave a wry smile and said, “You might not believe it, but I cultivate the Dao of Natural Peace; this path doesn’t reach fruition until fully mastered. I have a realm, but no cultivation. The reason I have a position in the Heavenly Court is all thanks to this mouth of mine.”

Hearing Star Lord Taibai say this, Yi Zheng believed him and gave a thumbs up, saying, “What great oral skills!”

Star Lord Taibai always felt something was slightly off with what Rabbit said but couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

Star Lord Taibai pointed to the cloud cluster underfoot and said, “This is a magic artifact I’ve crafted; it’s not very useful except for being sturdy and fast. Rabbit, once we get there, you need to study hard, got it? Seven years, and it’s easy to blend in.”

Yi Zheng oh, then suddenly looked up, “What now? Wasn’t it supposed to be seven days? How did it turn into seven years?”

Star Lord Taibai pointed to the sky and explained, “A day in the heavens is a year on earth, a day in the Heavenly Court is a year in the Underground Immortal Realm, so the seven days the Queen Mother mentioned are seven years… Rabbit, Rabbit? Rabbit?”

Star Lord Taibai hadn’t even finished speaking when he saw that Rabbit’s eyes had glazed over, standing there in a daze, and he had to raise his voice to remind him.

But the next moment, like being startled, Rabbit suddenly sprang up, pointing at the sky and yelled, “Queen Mother, you…”

The clear sky instantly became covered with dark clouds, with lightning flashing and thunder rumbling…

Strong winds roared, and monstrous waves surged!

Yi Zheng, seeing the lightning flitting by, quickly changed his tune and sang, “You are so beautiful! Chick you are so beautiful…”

The winds around them grew even more furious, and Gold Star Taibai shouted, “What do you mean by ‘Chick you are so beautiful’?”

Yi Zheng said, “It means very, very beautiful!”

As soon as the words were out, the dark clouds dissipated, the sun shone high, and a gentle breeze blew.

Yi Zheng was stunned; for the first time, he directly felt what it meant to have divine beings above one’s head, experiencing the terror of top-level divinities.

“Damn, in the future, if I must curse someone, I better do it silently in my heart. Otherwise, it’s too dangerous,” Yi Zheng muttered to himself.

Just then, a large hand patted Rabbit’s head, and Gold Star Taibai said, “Alright, don’t be angry. We’re here.”

Looking in the direction pointed by Gold Star Taibai, Yi Zheng saw a pitch-black mountain towering among a cluster of peaks, its body piercing the clouds and emitting a faint black gas…

Yi Zheng swallowed nervously and grabbed the hem of Gold Star Taibai’s pants, saying, “Old White, tell me honestly, what exactly lives in this mountain? I feel like there are demons dwelling inside. Come on, tell the truth and don’t you dare lie, or I’ll yank off your pants!”

Gold Star Taibai, having lived for so many years, had never been threatened this way before, and he chuckled wryly, “Rabbit, rest assured, this is indeed the residence of Confucius. Above us is the famous Confucius Academy known across all the realms of the All Heavens. Don’t be fooled by the mountain’s ghostly, yin energy and demon-infested appearance; that’s mainly because this mountain range sits on a land of malicious spirits.

Only the vast righteous Qi of Confucius could suppress such a place.

Honestly, his choosing this location was also for the sake of all living beings under the heavens, a truly noble act!”

Yi Zheng felt Gold Star Taibai made sense, so he thought no more of it.

As they drew closer, Yi Zheng found that the black mountain wasn’t teeming with dead energy as he had expected. There were immortal cranes flying in the sky and the sounds of monkeys shrieking in the forests–somewhat giving off a celestial vibe.

Gold Star Taibai descended from the clouds to the foot of the black mountain, looked at the giant archway ahead, took something resembling a horn from his Sumeru Bag and threw it into his mouth, then bellowed, “The decrepit Gold Star Taibai, on the Queen Mother’s orders, pays a visit to Confucius.”

The horn amplified Gold Star Taibai’s voice immensely, as it resonated all the way to the mountain summit…

Yi Zheng was amazed, “What kind of treasure is this?”

Gold Star Taibai whispered, “Divine Sound Horn, want one?”

Yi Zheng nodded, wondering if he gave one to the Rabbit army, whether he could just berate his opponents to death in future battles.

As they were speaking, a voice echoed from the summit, “Since it’s the Queen Mother’s decree, come on up.”

Gold Star Taibai immediately flew up the mountain with Yi Zheng, the clouds parting automatically around them, and upon breaking through the mist, Yi Zheng saw an entirely different scene!

“Huff, huff, hahahaha!”

The black mountain on the cloud peak was not black at all, but rather golden! It wasn’t actually Golden Mountain, just reflecting a golden hue in the sunlight, and it looked quite beautiful.

At the summit, countless disciples were vigorously practicing punches, some were lifting stones doing squats, and Yi Zheng even saw someone swinging a two-meter-wide log, creating a whirl of wind…

These people were not donned in robes, instead, they just wore large shorts and were bare-chested–even the female disciples wore only big shorts, with their upper bodies simply not bare…

“What a pity,” Yi Zheng muttered unconsciously only to hear an echo nearby!

He looked up to see Gold Star Taibai’s face turn red and he coughed, “Ahem… Rabbit, watch your words.”

Yi Zheng looked at him suspiciously, and Gold Star Taibai gently turned Rabbit’s head to another side, “Better enjoy the scenery.”

Rabbit chuckled and asked, “Old White, a question for you. Are you sure this place teaches etiquette? Look at that guy over there… his etiquette…”

Rabbit pointed, and they saw a man with his back to them, hands supporting his lower body, shivering as the wind blew.

Yi Zheng then pointed in another direction, where another man was boldly sitting and eating.

While Yi Zheng didn’t know what celestial etiquette was supposed to be, he had seen the Seven-Colored Fairy, with her walking posture and smiles all being particular, a natural beauty that was graceful but also approachable rather than aloof.

Looking at these folks…

Even the foolish Yi Zheng felt something was off.

Gold Star Taibai cleared his throat and said, “Rabbit, they indeed teach etiquette here. However, this place has its own rules. Etiquette doesn’t climb the mountain; it’s about following the natural Dao up here, freeing the inner spirit, going with the heart. As long as no evil deeds are done, anything goes.”

Hearing this, Yi Zheng immediately warmed to the place, fearing nothing but restrictions…

Upon reaching the Golden Summit, Yi Zheng saw magnificent jeweled halls, especially the tallest grand hall that looked like a small mountain, very grand and imposing.

Gold Star Taibai led Yi Zheng in front of the grand hall and bowed, “Confucius, I apologize for the disturbance.”

With a loud rumble, the grand hall doors opened, and then a skinny old man walked out.

Seeing the old man’s appearance, Yi Zheng breathed a sigh of relief again, certain that this place was not some old lair of Confucius.

The old man looked friendly and welcoming as he bowed, “Star Lord, it’s been a long time. Such a rare visitor, and you even brought a gift?”

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Rabbit.

Yi Zheng’s face darkened, about to snap back, when Gold Star Taibai quickly intervened, “Elder Zi Daoist Fellow, please don’t misunderstand, this isn’t a gift. This is a student whom the Queen Mother asked me to bring to the Academy to learn etiquette.”

Elder Zi paused, then awkwardly patted Yi Zheng’s head, “Sorry about that. Since you’re here to learn, welcome, welcome.”

With two pats, Yi Zheng felt as if the old man’s hands were as hard as iron plates, leaving him seeing stars and thinking, “My goodness, is this old man made of iron? He looks so skinny, yet his strength is enormous!”

After some formalities between Gold Star Taibai and Elder Zi, Elder Zi said, “Confucius is currently at the rear mountain explaining reasoning to a Little Demon. Do you want to go over there and listen to the Dao, or wait here?”

Gold Star Taibai’s eyes lit up, “Confucius is explaining the Dao? I haven’t had the chance to listen yet. Since it’s such a fortuitous moment, we can’t miss it. Let’s go listen together.”