The second mountain is a huge barrier that stands between heaven and earth. It is hundreds of thousands of feet high, and the top of it disappears into the sky!
On the mountainside, there is a villa that is famous all over the world, and its name is Hongying Villa!
Hongying Villa is a permanent institution of Jiudaoting and is responsible for the daily operation of the Taoting.
As for Hongying Villa on the Second Mountain specifically, it is responsible for many affairs under Tianpu Taoting to the west of the Second Mountain.
To ordinary people, Hongying Villa is extremely mysterious. The villa is located in the forbidden area of the Second Mountain. No outsiders are allowed to approach it on weekdays. The monks of the villa never get close to outsiders.
However, recently, things have become lively below Hongying Villa and at the foot of the Second Mountain.
The once-in-a-millennium joint meeting of Tianpu Taoist Court is about to be held, and the thirty-seven participating forces are arriving one after another!
The villa will only be open during the conference, so before the conference day begins, representatives of all participating forces will temporarily stay at the Honghu Inn at the foot of the mountain.
"After many years, our Chen clan finally has the qualification to participate in the Taoist meeting again! And I am the leader of the clan who leads our Chen clan to rise again!"
Outside the Honghu Inn, Chen Qinghe was dressed in rich clothes, looking like a clan leader, high-spirited and full of emotion.
Beside him were the First Elder Chen Shanming and the Second Elder.
Regarding what he said, the second elder smiled and nodded in agreement, while Chen Shanming looked indifferent and showed no reaction.
Chen Qinghe noticed Chen Shanming's subtle attitude and felt a little unhappy, but he didn't say it out loud.
In his heart, Chen Shanming has never looked down upon him as the clan leader, and he knows it very well.
Especially after the news that Chen Yunfei went deep into the Taichu Demon Mine alone to search for the whereabouts of his ancestors spread back to his clan five months ago, his disgust for himself became more and more obvious.
If possible, he didn't want to bring Chen Shanming to this meeting, he could just pick an obedient person.
However, this is the first meeting since the Chen clan returned to the Tianpu Taoist Court. If the representatives attending the meeting are too weak, they will inevitably be looked down upon, and he will feel a little guilty.
Therefore, the most powerful elder who has been at the peak of the Seven Vehicles for many years is naturally the best candidate to follow him to the meeting.
Even though Chen Shanming looked down on him, he was absolutely loyal to the Chen clan. In front of outsiders, he would maintain the majesty of his clan leader no matter what.
"There are still seven days until the first day of the meeting. What are we doing here so early?"
Chen Shanming looked at the endless mountain scenery and asked in a neutral tone.
For some reasons, he didn't want to come here so early. He was still waiting for news.
"This is the first time that I, the Chen clan, have attended a Taoist meeting since I was born. I have to be cautious. It is best for representatives from all factions to visit and get to know each other."
Chen Qinghe expressed his thoughts. This was an opportunity to make good friends with the major forces and should not be missed.
"Huh, why don't you want them to visit us?" Chen Shanming said disdainfully.
Chen Qinghe and the second elder looked helpless when they heard this, and Chen Qinghe shook his head.
"Great Elder, you have always been proud and arrogant, but you have to see the reality clearly."
"Among the thirty-seven forces present, our Chen clan is absolutely third-rate. With our strength, how can anyone take the initiative to visit us?"
Reality is always difficult to accept, but if you don't accept it, you will easily fall down.
The thirty-seven forces present at the Tianpu Taoist Court are undoubtedly considered to be the princes of the second mountain and sea, and they rule a large area of land and population under their banners.
But there is also a big difference in strength between princes and princes.
Like Taiqi Palace, as a member of the Hongmeng Group, there is no doubt that there is only one top force in the Second Mountain and Sea.
The ones that can be called first-rate forces are undoubtedly those with Dao Ancestors at their command!
Among the Thirteen Dynasties, the first-class forces were the Sword Dynasty and the Mu Dynasty, and the Chen clan now relied on the Mu Dynasty.
Among the twelve clans, there are also two first-rate forces, the Dawn God Clan and the Canghai Clan.
Among the five Dao Sects, excluding Taiqi Palace, the other four also have Dao ancestors in charge, ranking first in class.
There are eight first-class forces in total. The forces behind them are far different in strength from those in front, but they are also divided into levels.
The second-rate forces have holy realms to take charge of them, such as the Seven Holy Lands, while the third-rate forces, like the Chen Clan, do not have strong men from the holy realm to take charge, which is extremely embarrassing.
The second-rate forces still have a certain say in the Taoist court, while the third-rate forces are generally affiliated with a certain big force. To put it simply, they just make up the numbers!
With such a status, other representatives of third-rate forces would naturally not bother to take the initiative to get to know him, so they had to get in touch with him on their own.
"We, the Chen clan, could have escaped from our third-rate status! You know very well why we have been reduced to this!"
Chen Shanming said coldly, what Chen Yunfei did in Binhai City greatly enhanced the prestige of his Chen clan, but as soon as the world knew that he had entered the Holy Realm, he was inexplicably unable to imagine that he had entered the Taichu Demon Mine!
Others don’t know the truth about this matter, but he knows it clearly!
"What do you mean, Great Elder? Do I want Yunfei to have an accident?"
Chen Qinghe's face darkened. Chen Shanming hit his pain point, which was something he could never admit.
Chen Shanming knew that Chen Qinghe would not admit that he was the one who secretly plotted against Chen Yunfei, so he snorted heavily and simply stopped talking.
"Okay, the meeting in front of us is the most important thing. Based on the current situation of our Chen clan, we really need to make good friends with various forces, so we should seize the time."
"The gifts have been prepared. Which forces should we visit first?"
The second elder acted as the peacemaker, and the atmosphere finally calmed down.
"People from Taiqi Palace will definitely not stay at the Honghu Inn. Of course, they must visit various first-rate forces first."
"Of course the nobles of the Mu tribe come first. The Sword Dynasty and the Mu Dynasty have been in conflict for many years. Since we are dependent on the Mu tribe, it is not easy to make friends with them."
"The Canghai Clan is a force under the sea. They will be visited last, while the Dawn God Clan will visit first. I heard that their young clan leader has a good relationship with Yunfei."
"Besides that, there are the four great sects of Xinghai Sect, Dragon Taming Sect, Hua Xiang Sect, and Feng Sect. Yun Fei, the Dragon Taming Sect, has offended them, so it's better to avoid them as much as possible."
Chen Qinghe analyzed each one one by one and was very knowledgeable about each force. He was really very scheming.
Chen Shanming felt regretful in his heart when he heard this. It would be great if this little cleverness could be used on the right path. If Chen Qinghe had not taken the wrong path, how could he not be the pillar of his Chen family?
"If you want to visit, you go. I will just follow you and won't say anything."
Chen Shanming said bluntly that he must keep a low profile in front of others to avoid others seeing his true strength.
Chen Qinghe didn't care either and sneered.
All he wants is for Chen Shanming to give him a grand spectacle. It would be better not to say anything, so as not to overwhelm him!
The three of them quickly checked into the Honghu Inn, and then carrying gifts, they visited the major forces one by one according to the plan.
The first people to visit were the herdsmen, and one of the representatives of the herdsmen happened to be the Holy King Litian.
Chen Qinghe was full of confidence and thought that since he had served Holy King Litian for many years, he should treat him favorably.
Who would have thought that Holy King Litian was an alcoholic, and after staying at the Honghu Inn, he drank with his friends every day. When he heard about his visit, he was so drunk that he didn't even bother to pay attention to him, and just asked him to leave the gift.
As for introducing important people to him, don't even think about it.
Chen Qinghe was angry in his heart, but he didn't dare to show any dissatisfaction on the surface and stepped back respectfully.
After that, he visited the Dawn Divine Clan, Huaxiang Sect, Fengzong, Xinghai Sect one by one...
