Watching the Mountain

The alliance of sects in Changqing County had a major operation planned against the Profound Pure Sect, but it was terminated because the Spirit Stream Peak Master took down the Profound Yin Sect in a suicidal act.

Furthermore, the revelation that the Profound Yin Sect’s Sect Leader and many of its members belonged to the Evil Demon and Phoenix Races also eased the public pressure on the Profound Pure Sect.

But this didn’t solve the Profound Pure Sect’s real problems. For those who wanted to attack the sect, public opinion was just an excuse; few actually cared.

Now that this excuse was gone, they would simply find another. Their true goal was to eliminate the Profound Pure Sect, and nothing more.

Many days had passed, but Xu Ran still found the Spirit Stream Peak Master’s actions somewhat incomprehensible.

The man had just broken through to the Nascent Soul Stage, a realm countless cultivators could never hope to reach, yet he had suddenly chosen to end his own life in such a manner.

’It’s such a waste. If he really didn’t want to harm the Sect and himself, couldn’t he have just reported it to the Sect?’

But the man was gone now. No matter how little sense it made, Xu Ran could only accept it.

After the incident with the Spirit Stream Peak Master, Xu Ran could clearly feel that the atmosphere within the Sect had changed.

In fact, it wasn’t just the Sect; the atmosphere of the entire Cultivation Realm seemed to have shifted.

Like a raging tempest, a deluge of news arrived daily. The air was thick with the stench of gunpowder and war.

During this time, he had already heard news of several sects, families, and other factions being wiped out.

As for his own sect, while the flames of war had yet to reach their home territory, news of disciples being killed in action arrived daily from the pioneering efforts in the New Domain.

The only silver lining was that, so far, there had been no news of a Nascent Soul True Monarch’s demise.

Moreover, the Evergreen Sword Saint, Zhang Zhentian, remained undefeated, with daily reports of how many powerful experts he had subdued.

Zhang Zhentian’s current cultivation was at the Golden Core Stage, and his opponents were naturally at the same level. To be invincible within the Golden Core Stage was truly a shocking and inspiring feat.

A stark contrast was Ye Shan, the very man Zhang Zhentian had always sought to surpass.

The other day, Ye Shan had suddenly returned to the public eye within the Sect in a most unexpected manner.

While Ye Qingxue was taking Ye Shu to the Instructor Hall on Qing Xuan Peak, Ye Shan appeared before a crowd of onlookers and demanded that the Little Witch, Ye Qingxue, kill Ye Shu.

The reason he gave was that despite being raised by Ye Qingxue for so long, Ye Shu had yet to show any potential.

After twenty years of practice, his cultivation was merely at the Qi Cultivation Second Layer. It was an utter disgrace to him.

Everyone was now saying that Ye Shu was his and Ye Qingxue’s child. If people found out that he, Ye Shan, had such a foolish son, wouldn’t it tarnish his reputation?

He even said that if Ye Qingxue was willing to kill Ye Shu, he would become Dao Companions with her.

Ye Qingxue had always been utterly infatuated with Ye Shan and dreamed of becoming Dao Companions with him. But this time, faced with the one thing she had always longed for, she hesitated.

Despite Ye Shan’s constant urging and coaxing, she still couldn’t bring herself to act.

With tears welling in her eyes, she even begged Ye Shan to ask for anything else.

But Ye Shan was unmoved.

Seeing his mother cry, Ye Shu looked at Ye Qingxue and asked, "Mother, do you want to marry him?"

Ye Qingxue nodded, almost without thinking, then immediately shook her head forcefully.

Seeing her reaction, Ye Shu gave her a very formal, deep bow. Then, he slowly spoke a single sentence:

"Mother, your son is not willing to die for you."

The moment he spoke, the crowd of onlookers was stunned. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with what Ye Shu said; everyone understood his meaning was, ’I want to live.’

The problem was with his phrasing. If he had simply said, "I want to live," it would have been fine.

But what he said was: "Your son is not willing to die for you."

This was highly problematic. Loyalty and filial piety were virtues held in the highest regard in the Cultivation Realm. For someone to utter such words in public would naturally draw peculiar stares.

People always hold others to a much higher moral standard than they hold themselves.

By saying this, Ye Shu made sure everyone would remember him.

Everyone said that Ye Shan and Ye Qingxue had not only produced a fool, but an unfilial one at that.

Unexpectedly, however, Ye Qingxue was overjoyed to hear his words.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled at Ye Shu. "Good boy, you’re right. Mother won’t let you die."

With that, she completely ignored Ye Shan and gracefully departed with Ye Shu in tow.

After Ye Qingxue left, the spectating disciples all stared at Ye Shan with indescribable expressions.

They never imagined that the peerless prodigy they once idolized would reappear in their lives in such a fashion.

Some of the newer disciples who didn’t recognize him looked at the man and curiously asked the senior disciples beside them, "Is that Ye Shan?"

After the senior disciples nodded, the new disciples shook their heads and sighed. "He’s like a dog. A stray dog."

Forcing a mother to kill her own child... no human being could do such a thing.

It seemed that nearly a hundred years of decline had caused Ye Shan to fall completely, to think he would stoop to such a method to latch onto Ye Qingxue, the popular and prodigiously talented "favored daughter of heaven."

When Xu Ran heard this news, he couldn’t stop himself from finding Ye Shan to demand what he was doing. ’Even if you want to change Ye Qingxue, you don’t have to do it like this, do you?’

But Ye Shan just smiled faintly. "I’m only doing what my master did to me back then. That’s how my master killed himself."

Xu Ran was stunned. "Killed himself? Senior Brother, what are you talking about? Wasn’t Senior Nine Profound killed by his enemies while protecting you?"

But Ye Shan shook his head, his gaze turning complex as he looked into the distance. "No, my master died willingly. I knew his strength. If he hadn’t actively sought death, those people never could have killed him."

"What?" Xu Ran was utterly shocked. "Why would he do that?"

Ye Shan sighed, his reply somewhat cryptic. "My master was an emotional man. He harbored a hatred in his heart, a deep and bitter hatred..."

He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly turning to look at Xu Ran. "Junior Brother Xu, if someone were to harm you, what would you do?"

Xu Ran was taken aback by the sudden question. He fell silent for a moment before replying, "That depends on the nature of the harm. If it was only me they hurt, I’d probably just remember it and decide what to do later, depending on my mood."

"What if it was someone close to you?"

"Who?" Xu Ran’s expression turned frigid. He gestured forcefully, speaking through gritted teeth. "If someone were to harm those around me... even if the perpetrator died, I would dig up their bones, summon their soul, and then torture them day and night. On and on, without end..."

Ye Shan was taken aback. After a long silence, he waved a hand at Xu Ran and said, "I understand."

After parting ways with Xu Ran, Ye Shan found Yue Qingyu. He cupped his fists and said, "I’m going to the Demon Race. I’ll have to trouble you, Senior Sister, to prepare the Cross-border Teleportation Array."

"Where in the Demon Race’s territory?"

"The Phoenix Race."