Li Yundong spotted Meiduo on the eastern slope of the Karis Mountain and froze, a thought flashing through his mind: Why was Meiduo here?

But at that moment, the two Daoists surrounding Meiduo on the slope were pressing their fierce and brutal attack. Li Yundong had no time to dwell on the question; his form flashed like lightning as he shot toward the hillside.

With a burst of exertion, Li Yundong covered the distance to the middle of the slope in just a few leaps. Focusing his gaze, he saw that one of the Daoists was tall and thin, sporting a slight handlebar mustache beneath his nose, with wolfish eyes and an aquiline nose, his face etched with malevolence, an aura of brutal savagery radiating from his brow. The other Daoist was short and fat, with the rat-like eyes and snub nose of a peasant, his appearance comically repulsive, yet the light in his small eyes was like that of a jackal—insidious and vicious.

The tall, thin Daoist wielded a whisk and a long black sword, while the short, fat one kept both hands tucked within his sleeves, concealing whatever magical implement he employed.

The tall Daoist’s handling of the black sword was exquisite; it would vanish from his grasp only to reappear suddenly behind Meiduo and the others, striking with ferocious thrusts that were impossible to defend against. His whisk, however, was even more formidable; with every sweep, it seemed as though countless sharp gusts of wind tore through the air, each one sharp as a deadly throwing knife, ensuring that any struck would either die or be grievously wounded.

The short, fat Daoist mostly circled Meiduo and the others, seemingly guarding against any escape. As he moved, he sneered with a sharp, grating voice, "Hand over the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus quickly, or this Daoist will take your life!"

Meiduo was currently encircled by four Guardian Vajras, and among the Lamas who lay fallen in the snow, their white coverings stained crimson by blood—clearly dead—was a figure among the remaining four Guardian Vajras: Dorje Denzeng.

Seeing this scene shocked Li Yundong even more. He knew that Dorje Denzeng’s power had greatly increased after receiving the empowerment from the five departments of the Living Buddha’s Fetal Body Mandala, putting him at least on par with an expert of the Yin Spirit realm. Yet, to see so many Guardian Vajras utterly unable to fight back against these two Daoists, with one doing all the attacking while the other merely observed from the side!

In his alarm, seeing that Dorje Denzeng and the others could not hold out much longer, Li Yundong immediately lunged forward, his movement as swift as lightning. He rapidly formed hand seals with his hands, defaulting to the one he knew best from his past practice: the Immovable Root Seal!

With a loud shout, he unleashed a dazzling golden Great Hand Seal toward the tall, thin Daoist.

The thin Daoist felt a blast of powerful air rush toward his face, like a high-speed train slamming into him, raising every hair on his body.

Startled, he instantly retreated several dozen meters. The short, fat Daoist appeared beside him almost simultaneously; their speed was so great it seemed like instantaneous movement, which made Li Yundong’s heart clench!

As the saying goes, in the hands of an expert, their skill is immediately apparent!

Li Yundong knew that his move was almost a sneak attack—fast, powerful, and sudden—yet the opponent had easily dodged it, clearly possessing formidable cultivation!

Li Yundong’s Great Hand Seal met empty air, striking the mountain with a booming crash that sent snow cascading down the slope, causing the peak above to tremble slightly.

Meiduo and Dorje Denzeng spotted Li Yundong and were overjoyed, crying out, "Brother Han!" "True Master Li!"

Li Yundong nodded slightly toward them, then turned, his gaze sharp and unfriendly as he assessed the two grey-robed Daoists, asking coldly, "Who are you? And why are you trying to kill them?"

The tall, thin Daoist and the short, fat one scrutinized Li Yundong with equal intensity. The thin one snorted dismissively, saying nothing, while the fat one asked shrilly, "And who are you? Are you also from Esoteric Buddhism? Why the unusual attire?"

Li Yundong countered the question, "Who I am is unimportant; what matters is why you are surrounding and slaughtering my friends?"

"Your friends?" The fat Daoist’s small, rat-like eyes flickered over Meiduo and Dorje Denzeng behind him, and he burst into a high-pitched laugh. "My junior brother and I are searching for the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus here. Who knew these people would show up, obstructing our search, and claim the Snow Lotus belongs to their Esoteric Sect! Hah! All things under heaven are ownerless; by what right do they claim it belongs only to the Esoteric Sect? Ridiculous, truly ridiculous! Moreover, does it require their permission for this Daoist to take what I desire!"

As he spoke, the fat Daoist laughed wantonly, "If you are wise, have your friends hand over the Snow Lotus quickly, and perhaps this Daoist, in a good mood, might spare your lives, otherwise... Hmph!"

The fat Daoist let out a heavy snort through his nose, causing the surrounding air to vibrate, and the deep snow on the slope seemed ready to leap.

Li Yundong’s heart tightened again. He saw that though the Daoist was arrogant, his cultivation was no joke; he was certainly no weaker than Li Yundong himself.

If it was one, it might be manageable, but facing two simultaneously—what chance did he have for a guaranteed victory? Li Yundong’s expression was cold as water as he rapidly calculated his strategy.

At that moment, the tall, thin Daoist on the opposite side suddenly lowered his head and whispered something to his senior brother. The fat Daoist paused, narrowed his eyes, and studied Li Yundong closely before speaking, "Hey, little brat, did you perhaps shatter the Li Tian Pan Huang Bell previously?"

Li Yundong froze momentarily. "Yes, you..."

The fat Daoist roared with laughter. "So it was you, little brat, who let us out! I was wondering why you looked a bit familiar!"

The fat Daoist put his hands on his hips and bellowed, "Hey, little brat, do you know who we are?"

Li Yundong disliked the man's flippant and arrogant tone but managed not to show offense, merely frowning slightly. "I haven't had the pleasure?"

The fat Daoist pointed to himself. "My name is Xu Lingzi..." He then pointed to his junior brother, "This is my junior brother, Xu Kongzi! You can call us Xu Ling and Xu Kong. Hmph, in the early years of the Republic, we were the renowned Dual Daoists of Ling Kong. Haven't you heard of us?"

Li Yundong said gravely, "No."

Xu Ling jumped up, his anger blazing. "What? You haven't even heard of us! You have incredible gall! This Daoist demands..."

Before he could finish, Xu Kong leaned down and murmured a few words in his ear.

Xu Ling swallowed his rage, huffed, and said, "Never mind. Considering you coincidentally saved both of us, I shall overlook it this time! You're lucky, little brat, you escaped a catastrophe! Hey, little brat, I offer you a heavenly opportunity—do you want it?"

Li Yundong responded calmly, "What opportunity?"

Xu Ling pointed at the ground beneath his feet. "I see your bone structure is decent, and your cultivation is barely tolerable. Although you were taught by others, since you saved us, this Daoist won't press the matter. Kneel down and kowtow three times, and I will accept you as my disciple and pass on all my skills. How about that?"

Before Li Yundong could speak, Dorje Denzeng and Meiduo behind him gasped in shock. The other three Guardian Monks regarded Li Yundong with hostility, clearly ready to attempt a sneak attack.

Meiduo exclaimed loudly in Tibetan, "Don't attack! Brother Han won't hurt us; he certainly isn't allied with these two Daoists!"

Dorje Denzeng quickly commanded in Mandarin, "Stop! True Master Li is not that kind of person!"

Li Yundong glanced back at them, gave Meiduo a reassuring smile and nod, then turned back, his eyes holding an expression of mocking ridicule as he looked at Xu Ling. "You want me to become your disciple?"

Xu Ling stood proudly, hands on hips. "Of course! Do you know how many people have begged to be accepted by me whom I have refused?"

Li Yundong smiled faintly and asked, "If you want me as a disciple, you must at least tell me what sect you belong to?"

Xu Ling snorted. "Then listen well: this Daoist is the Left Protector of the True Void Sect, and my junior brother, Xu Kong, is the Right Protector of the True Void Sect. How about that? Impressive credentials, right?"

"True Void Sect?" Li Yundong frowned slightly. He asked, "The sect founded by Liao Diyu on Huangshe Mountain in Jiangxi during the first year of Emperor Tongzhi’s reign in the Qing Dynasty?"

Xu Ling stared at Li Yundong with open astonishment. "You actually know? Hey, little brat, you’re not being honest! Then why did you just say you’d never heard of the two of us?"

Li Yundong replied with noticeable sarcasm, "I truly hadn't, but I know the True Void Sect has gradually withered away. Its followers and members only maintain some presence in Fujian; elsewhere, they are almost extinct."

Xu Ling stood frozen, looking lost and wistful. "Ah? Is that so? How many years have I actually been imprisoned? Back when our True Void Sect was at its peak, in the fifteenth year of the Republic, over ten thousand Chinese and foreign disciples gathered at Huangshe Mountain in Jiangxi. That was truly a time when the world was one family and China was one people—what majesty! All other sects bowed to our True Void Sect; even the Zhengyi Sect was beneath us! I never imagined that now..."

Xu Ling sighed for a moment, then suddenly galvanized, his eyes shining sharply as he looked at Li Yundong. "But it doesn't matter now. With this Daoist’s cultivation and skill, if I just call out from a high place, our True Void Sect will surely rise again. Then I will be the Patriarch, my junior brother the Deputy Patriarch, and I will make you the Left Protector! I guarantee your lower body will be invincible, roaming the world. How about it!"

Li Yundong finally couldn't contain himself and burst into laughter.

Xu Ling found Li Yundong's laughter gratingly sharp and became displeased. "Hey, what are you laughing at!"

Li Yundong chuckled at Xu Ling. "You paint a beautiful picture with your words, but weren't you sealed inside the Li Tian Pan Huang Bell? If I hadn't shattered the bell to release you, you’d still be locked up obediently! You want me to take you as a master? What if you get sealed up again? Since I possess the ability to release you, it means my ability is greater than yours..."

Saying this, Li Yundong pointed to the ground near his feet. "Why don't you kowtow three times to me, and I will take you as a servant under my command, fetching tea and water all day. I promise you a life free of worry and illness for the rest of your days. How about that?"

Li Yundong then turned to look at the Lamas bleeding out behind him. "Of course, you’ll have to ask them first, see how they want to settle accounts with you, and then we can discuss discipleship, what do you say?"

Xu Ling trembled with rage, his face turning a deep purplish-red. He ground his teeth so hard they clicked, spitting out each word from between them: "This Daoist offered you good intentions, and you, you actually mocked me! You are courting death!!"

As he spoke, the tall, thin Daoist, Xu Kong, watched Li Yundong with eyes like a hawk, slowly moving to his flank, forming a pincer attack with his senior brother Xu Ling.

Dorje Denzeng immediately shouted, "True Master Li, we will help you!"

Li Yundong merely raised an arm and held up his palm to them, saying, "No need!"

Li Yundong stared sharply at Xu Ling, the smile fading from his face, replaced by an expression of chilling, ruthless coldness. He said slowly, "You surround my friends and attempt to murder them. I think it is you who are courting death!"

The moment his voice fell, Xu Ling and Xu Kong roared in unison with furious yells, lunging madly toward Li Yundong from two directions!

Li Yundong snorted coldly. His five fingers danced, rapidly forming Great Hand Seals while chanting true mantras. He struck out with one palm—it was the true Mantra Great Hand Seal he had just learned in the Bronze Hall!

===================================================== This is yesterday's second update... Today's two updates proceed as usual.