121 The Buddha Preaching to the Deaf

Hei Bai Zhang’s expression shifted rapidly. He had many offspring, and the emergence of these two degenerate sons was a true misfortune. He was particularly troubled by why the Law Enforcement Hall would escalate this matter so drastically. Could it be that the Valley Master was considering replacing him?

The more he pondered, the more wrong it felt. In front of Wu Yun, he confronted the Great Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall.

A plain-looking old man in grey robes stood between them, projecting a phantom image. He coughed repeatedly, seemingly deaf to Hei Bai Zhang’s words. Opening his clouded eyes, he stated, "Elders Ya Guang and Ya Bang have been bewitched by demons and are currently trapped within the main hall of the Law Enforcement Hall."

Wu Yun smiled and shook his head. The grey-clad old man continued, "Not only that, but the entire Law Enforcement Hall, save for this deaf old fool, has fallen into the hands of demons. Who exactly are you, daring to stir up trouble in Hundred Flower Valley!"

Hei Bai Zhang grew increasingly alarmed. As he began to speak, the Great Elder waved a hand, and he vanished into the horizon.

Wu Yun remarked expressionlessly, "I find those who are deaf and mute yet insist on acting arrogant to be the most annoying. You barely escaped with your life, and yet, you still want to trouble me?"

Reading the meaning from Wu Yun's lip movements, the Deaf Elder replied coldly, "To catch the bandits, one must first catch the king; strike the snake seven inches down. I want to see what this so-called Elegant Immortal Sect has..."

Before he could finish, the hanging gardens where the Law Enforcement Hall resided in the distance shook violently. More than twenty Law Enforcement elders surged out, occupying positions in the air and surrounding him with immortal artifacts.

The tremor was clearly intentional, manipulating the hidden ten-day array within the space to destroy everything nearby. The previously rock-solid defensive array of the Law Enforcement Hall was thoroughly demolished.

The Deaf Elder raised a finger to the sky, and countless shadows of himself appeared in the air, each in a different pose. As his immortal arts intensified, the shadows below vanished, and a youthful version of the Deaf Elder emerged.

"Trace the Source, Sculpt the Foundation!"

In the center of the encirclement, Ya Guang shone with golden light, and behind him, Elder Ya Bang glittered with silver. Once Ya Guang revealed the nature of his art, the youthful Deaf Elder laughed heartily!

"A pack of clowns! As the Great Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, how could I tolerate demons like you stirring up chaos!"

As the Deaf Elder spoke, Wu Yun shouted to Ya Guang, "Do you see? Your Great Elder has been possessed by inner demons while attempting to pass the Immortal King Tribulation. He intends to assassinate the Valley Master during meditation! Quickly, bind him and wait for the Valley Master to emerge from seclusion to pass judgment!"

Wu Yun turned black into white and white into black. The distant Hei Bai Zhang, who hadn't managed to escape, was ambushed by two solicitous Law Enforcement elders and trapped within an immortal artifact, struggling in vain.

One can guard against fire and theft, but one cannot guard against one's own kin!

The next moment, the Deaf Elder moved. From the ground where he stood, a phantom emerged—a projection that spanned heaven and earth—but it was quickly hemmed in by the array led by Ya Bang and the other elders.

Two hands are no match for four fists; many blows can kill a master. The Deaf Elder's immortal arts were formidable, each move carrying a trace of the laws of heaven and earth, allowing him to hold his own against twenty-three elders.

As a peak Profound Immortal, he dealt with the early and mid-stage peers with ease.

He even managed to dodge an incoming immortal artifact and reached out to grab at the empty space toward Wu Yun. A white-boned five-clawed cage manifested in the sky, grasping at Wu Yun and his two companions.

He aimed to capture Wu Yun and end it all, but the claws materialized into a high-grade fourth-tier immortal artifact. Just as it trapped Wu Yun, the unassuming short-legged black horse kicked out with its hind hooves. A gap was torn in the claw-shaped artifact, and it deflated like a punctured ball, returning to the Elder’s hand in a damaged state.

The Deaf Elder did not falter. The artifact merged with his right hand, and subsequently, his left hand fused with another. The two claws reflected each other; as they swung, the twenty-three elders' artifacts could not get close.

He even caught a fifth-tier immortal artifact and crushed it with a single squeeze!

The Deaf Elder's combat prowess was terrifying, surpassing the peak Profound Immortals encountered in the Seven Seas Castle. Even in simulated duels against the likes of Feng Qianyu or Lan Chulian, he would not fall behind.

Because he was highly experienced and his spirit was also deaf, the loss of one sense had sharpened his other perceptions. Below the Immortal King realm, to gain an advantage against him, one had to rely on the power of immortal artifacts!

However, the Deaf Elder’s momentum continued to build. After the two combat claws resonated, they formed a circular vortex, breaking through the high-grade fourth-tier and entering the third-tier rank.

Every third-tier immortal artifact is a symbol of an Immortal King. The Deaf Elder wielded them with miraculous skill; he was a powerhouse who had accumulated strength over time, steadily charging toward the realm of an Immortal King!

Perhaps he was the next Valley Master groomed by Hundred Flower Valley.

The twenty-three besieging elders were reeling and in grave danger. Wu Yun hummed, transmitting a message to Ya Bang. The crumbling formation slowly expanded, and countless arrays poured down from the sky.

Then, the twenty-four elders, including Ya Bang, merged into one, transforming into a towering golden figure. To the Deaf Elder, it looked like a Buddha standing on the horizon.

The giant Buddha communicated with heaven and earth and began to chant sutras!

If others had seen this scene, they would have burst into laughter. To chant sutras for a deaf man—what a waste of breath!

But the Deaf Elder’s expression shifted repeatedly—from youth to adolescence, to childhood, and finally, he snapped back to his original form as a grey-clad old man. Clutching his ears in agony, he roared incessantly, "I cannot hear! I simply cannot hear!"

The Buddha's chanting remained steady and unhurried. The Deaf Elder was in such pain he nearly gouged out his own ears. Only when he joined his five claws, turning the ten digits into towering pillars, did he barely manage to block the true words of the sutra.

He looked toward Wu Yun from within, puzzled: "How did you know the flaw in my cultivation?"

Wu Yun explained calmly, "You deliberately pretend to be deaf, thinking you are truly deaf, but in your spirit, you can still perceive every sound in the world. This sutra actually teaches all living things that every human, demon, and immortal is equal and whole; there is no such thing as being deaf, mute, blind, or disabled. Even if the body is truly impaired, the soul and the mind transcend the flesh. Do you understand?"

The Deaf Elder seemed to understand, yet not. He slowly sat cross-legged, but instead of calming down, it sparked a greater resistance within him. He actually triggered his own Heavenly Tribulation, intending to use the Immortal King Tribulation to counteract the flaw in his technique.

"A child who cannot be taught!" Wu Yun shook his head. Seeing the Deaf Elder trapped and unable to determine a winner in the short term, he led the black horse and Jia Youke away.

Originally, Hundred Flower Valley was divided into a hundred valleys, one flower per valley. Later, as the immortal herbs grew more abundant, the valleys became agricultural zones, places for immortals to toil.

Wu Yun walked through four valleys—the Green Red Silver Flower, the White Striped Flower, the Great Joy Flower, and the Butterfly Ghost Flower. He eschewed flying, swaying along the path, showing off with extreme ostentation.

Sometimes, he would crouch down to stroke a blooming immortal flower, walking away amidst the shouts of the caretakers or servant immortals.

Sometimes, he would gather some inconspicuous immortal herbs, leaving behind spirit stones as payment.

After wasting most of the day, he finally made his departure on a flying stone steed, followed by the others.

Wu Yun looked at the bewildered Jia Youke and said earnestly, "Having reached this point, I cannot implicate your friends and family."

Jia Youke nodded, half-understanding, and followed Wu Yun once again to the trading hub he had once dreamed of. This time, Wu Yun climbed the stairs, heading straight for the very top—the highest level, a palace accessible only to peak Great Immortals and Profound Immortals.

Seeing the massive immortal entrance, Jia Youke couldn't help but feel uneasy. He remembered his last visit to the 'Tong Tong Tong Tong Shou' shop, where even the errand boys had higher cultivation than him.

"Senior, what are we buying?"

Wu Yun ignored him and strode forward. As they entered the immortal gate, the scenery shifted, and a bright, hundred-story hall appeared, each floor managed by complex administrative and defensive arrays.

Just as he was about to step onto the first floor to look at the materials displayed in thousands of stalls, a blue-headed, sharp-beaked puppet appeared before him, blocking his path with a hand and saying bluntly, "Those below the mid-to-late stages of Great Immortal cannot enter. If purchasing on behalf of others, you must hold a buyer's pass!"

The three were met with the sound of muffled laughter; the Great Immortals inside were doing it on purpose.

Looking across the trading floor, mid-to-late stage Great Immortals were the majority, and aside from those presiding over the area, there were only a few dozen Profound Immortals scattered about.

Wu Yun remained silent, releasing his aura—he was at the peak of the Great Immortal realm! The blue-headed puppet immediately backed away. Just as he was about to continue, a red-faced luminous beast appeared, blocking the black horse and shaking its head: "Aside from Profound Immortals, no mounts or pets are allowed inside. These are the rules, not specifically targeting you!"

Looking at the short-horned black horse, he was about to argue when a voice, somewhat familiar, drifted down from the ninety-ninth floor.

"Throw those bumpkins out!"

Jia Youke looked up but couldn't see the source. Wu Yun chuckled, "What a coincidence, your Dao partner, Dao Yuan, is up there!"

"Whoosh!"

The bustling first three floors fell silent, all ears straining to hear Wu Yun’s words. In any place, as long as there is life, there is a society. And where there is society, there is gossip. Who wouldn't want to listen?

"Ask her for a few million immortal stones; it'll be just enough to get you a new set of clothes."

Wu Yun rubbed the black horse, which shook its head in comfort in his hands, and unexpectedly spoke in horse-tongue: "That veterinarian who whipped my mother is there too. Hurry and avenge me. You took their treasure jar and heartlessly destroyed it; they are investigating our origins! Also, the person behind them has a very foul smell—well, they are covered in floral perfume; it's disgusting!"

Looking toward the highest floor, Wu Yun said with disdain, "We must meet those we are destined to meet. You—you've been awake for quite a long time this time, haven't you?"

The black horse rolled its eyes and began to play dumb.

Once Wu Yun revealed his early-stage Profound Immortal cultivation, the red-faced luminous beast retreated, muttering, "A Profound Immortal is just a Profound Immortal; acting low-key here, not even looking at what kind of place this is!"

With no one left to block them, they walked amidst strange gazes into the first floor’s material section. The first ten floors were for materials, the next ten for herbs, the twenty to thirtieth for weapon ingredients, and so on, with every ten floors dedicated to different things: arrays and talismans, immortal techniques, battle armor, flying artifacts, immortal pills, small components, and miscellaneous goods.

The final ten floors were for demand halls, auction houses, appraisal, forging, and intelligence gathering.

The ninety-ninth floor, in particular, was a place where they sipped Enlightenment Tea, negotiated business, and listened to handsome male and female immortals singing songs of exotic styles—a place of boundless joy.

But Jia Youke was not happy. He knew Master Wu Yun had no money.

Since he had no money, why was he letting this black horse chew on the materials displayed at the floating stalls?

It took a bite of almost everything, spit it out, and picked through the materials as if they were immortal herbs!

Finally, Wu Yun pointed and shouted heartily: "Dao Yuan's future partner, Jia Youke, will pay for this. Settle the bill together at the top floor!"

Thud! As Jia Youke fell to the ground, the Gan Camel’s tail wrapped around his neck, dragging him firmly behind.