Chapter 497 - 357: 3 Silent Years
Take this time, for instance. The Master of White Mountain had suddenly fallen, and yet he, a Sect Leader who had been knocking around the White Mountain Territory for decades, still didn’t know the name or title of this fallen Divinity Transformation Cultivator.
When Fang Qingyuan asked Lechuan about it, Lechuan was also completely clueless. He had never considered these questions before.
In the current circumstances, the two of them realized there was a problem. White Mountain’s situation was unique in this world: the highest combat power in the land was only at the Golden Core realm, while all the Nascent Soul Cultivators were confined to the mountain, forbidden to descend. Now, people weren’t even sure how many Nascent Soul Cultivators there were on the mountain.
When this question, which no one ever thought about, suddenly surfaced, it was like the elephant in the room. An elephant in a room is obviously a strange sight, but for a long time and for some specific reason, everyone had turned a blind eye to something so conspicuous.
As for that specific reason, Fang Qingyuan and Lechuan exchanged a look, as if they had both realized the same thing.
"This must be the Divine Technique of the fallen Master of White Mountain. He didn’t want people to know or mention him, so no one in the entire White Mountain Territory could even conceive of the thought to investigate him. It wasn’t until his death that the Divine Technique blanketing all of White Mountain was finally broken."
Fang Qingyuan was alarmed even as he said this. A Divine Technique that could cover the tens of thousands of square miles that made up the White Mountain Territory... he truly couldn’t imagine how it was possible.
’Is this the might of Divinity Transformation?’
No wonder there was a saying in this world: without reaching Divinity Transformation, everything is for naught.
After sighing with Lechuan for a while, Fang Qingyuan asked him about his plans.
"What other plans could there be? Our logistics are insufficient. We’ll continue to push forward, but it’s just for show—something to report back to Zongshan. Yue’e Ancestor has yet to issue a decree. She’s probably very wary of that Old Lion, so don’t count on Her Ladyship."
"In the end, we have to rely on ourselves. Also, your Martial Aunt Yuan Duo is leaving. She severely wounded the Cloud-Clawed Lizard, so her mission is complete. It seems Yuan Duo was quite stimulated by the experience this time; she says she’s going back into seclusion."
"If you want, you could go see her. After all, you have this experience of fighting alongside her. It would be very beneficial for you. Isn’t this how relationships and connections are built?"
Listening to Lechuan ramble on, Fang Qingyuan thought it over and decided against mentioning Yu Ran. Lechuan already had enough on his plate. ’This is my own karma,’ he thought, ’there’s no need to drag the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect into it.’
As for Yuan Duo, Fang Qingyuan felt there was no need to see her. The gap in their status was too great. After this single interaction, they might not meet again for many years. Why invite unnecessary complications?
Lechuan saw Fang Qingyuan’s expression and knew what he was thinking. He simply smiled and said:
"Ah, to be young."
.....
「Half a month later, five days after Yuan Duo’s departure」, a decree was finally handed down from White Mountain. It ordered all sect Cultivators within the lands of White Mountain to wear mourning clothes and observe a three-year mourning period for the Divinity Transformation Ancestor.
The ten Nascent Soul Sects responded immediately. The various Golden Core Clans and other factions naturally had no objections either, promptly donning their mourning attire and canceling all banquets and musical performances.
The position of the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect, however, was more delicate. Although the sect was located in White Mountain, it was nominally a Beast Taming Main Mountain Flying Land. Whether they should mourn the deceased Divinity Transformation Ancestor was a more complicated question.
This question fell to Lechuan, and his attitude was decisive. ’Wear them. Why shouldn’t we? Since we’re making a living in their territory, this is no time to talk about the Beast Taming Sect’s pride.’
Lechuan had always been a pragmatist and didn’t place much importance on matters of face. Wearing the mourning clothes would be giving face to the ten Nascent Soul Sects; refusing to do so would be a slap in the face.
Besides, by doing this, even if he couldn’t expect the Nascent Soul Sects to treat the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect as one of their own in the future, it would still bring benefits with no drawbacks.
’As for becoming a laughingstock to the other Sub-Sect Leaders in the Beast Taming Sect? Who cared?’
During the mourning period, it was considered improper to wage war. While small-scale skirmishes were permissible, large-scale campaigns were out of the question.
Consequently, the other Sub-Sect Leaders who had come to lend their support all withdrew with their disciples, intending to return in three years.
With that, Fang Qingyuan finally had time to properly plan out the Spirit Fields in his Immortal Mansion. Moreover, with Ji Yulang’s hands tied by the affair concerning Chu Hongshang, Ji Yuanjian was also being run ragged, leaving him with no time or energy to cause trouble for Fang Qingyuan.
Furthermore, news arrived that Huo Hu had apparently reappeared deep within the Southern Border’s Barbaric Wilderness. With that, Ji Yuanjian could no longer afford to keep his attention on Fang Qingyuan.
The only thing Lechuan regretted was that Fang Qingyuan’s Core Formation Ceremony still could not be held. This left a sour taste in his mouth.
Fang Qingyuan, however, said it didn’t matter. He wasn’t particularly interested in something like a Core Formation Ceremony anyway.
What he was truly preoccupied with was how to best cultivate his land. And so, for the next three years, Fang Qingyuan dove headfirst into researching Spirit Field Puppets.