Watching the Mountain

According to reports released by the Major Sects with Divinity Transformation Daoist Monarchs, Qin Yufeng had not died. He wasn’t in the Flame Sun Sect when it was destroyed, and his current whereabouts are unknown.

Xu Ran found this slightly disappointing.

Though he and Qin Yufeng were acquainted, he truly wished the man was no longer in this world.

The man had tested him time and again, becoming a constant nuisance. So, if possible, it would be best if he just disappeared for good.

However, the major top-tier Sects had already issued orders to hunt down the remnants of the Flame Sun Sect throughout the entire Cultivation Realm. ’Hopefully, they’ll find Qin Yufeng.’

Xu Ran let out a small, disappointed sigh.

The details of Ancestor Yanyang’s crimes had also been made public.

It turned out that while all the Major Sects were focused on the grand competition in the New Domain, Ancestor Yanyang had gone to the Mortal Realm. He had used force to violently subjugate dozens of mortal nations, forcing their people to collect and offer up gold and silver for him.

Although gold and silver are mundane materials, a massive quantity can be refined to extract an extremely pure Qi of Gold. The purity of this Qi of Gold is far beyond what ordinary Gold Attribute Spiritual Objects can offer.

However, most Cultivators wouldn’t do this. First, refining pure Qi of Gold requires a massive amount of gold and silver, which is difficult to collect. The resources spent gathering that much gold and silver would likely far exceed the value of the resulting wisp of Qi of Gold.

Second, only a Core Formation Stage Cultivator who has gained an initial understanding of the Power of the Five Elements Laws of Heaven and Earth can refine pure Qi of Gold from gold. Cultivators of lower Realms wouldn’t know where to begin, even if they had a mountain of gold and silver before them.

Only someone like Ancestor Yanyang, who had a special need for pure Qi of Gold, would go to such lengths.

It was said that in order to rapidly gather a massive amount of gold and silver in the Mortal World, Ancestor Yanyang had resorted to numerous cruel methods. He killed hundreds of thousands and forced the people of dozens of mortal nations to collect gold for him day and night. He even brought the Cultivators from the Major Sects, who were stationed in the Mortal World, under his control.

His original plan was to take advantage of the Cultivation Realm’s focus on the New Domain’s grand competition, when no one had attention to spare for anything else. After collecting a massive amount of gold and silver, he would flee to the Overseas Archipelago, and then he would be in the clear.

If the Divinity Transformation Daoist Monarch who had dealt with him hadn’t stumbled upon the situation by chance, he might have actually succeeded.

The rule that Cultivators cannot attack mortals in the Mortal Realm is an iron law not merely because of ancient tradition. More importantly, it is the first Law of the Cultivation Realm, publicly decreed by every Sect with a Divinity Transformation Daoist Monarch.

Any individual or faction that dares to violate it will be suppressed by a Divinity Transformation Daoist Monarch in person. There have never been any exceptions.

In the recorded history of the Cultivation Realm, every single entity that has violated this iron law has been personally dealt with by a Divinity Transformation Daoist Monarch.

After understanding the reasons, Xu Ran was overcome with emotion. A mighty expert at the Nascent Soul Late Stage had met his end, his Dao extinguished, all over something as mundane as gold and silver. ’If it hadn’t actually happened, who would believe such a story?’

*

*

*

Not long after news of the Flame Sun Sect’s destruction spread, Zhang Zhentian came to Xu Ran’s door.

More than a decade had gone by, and some things were in the past. In fact, when Zhang Zhentian returned a few days ago, he had stumbled upon his own grandfather and Xu Ran drinking together, bickering boisterously.

Besides, the main reason he had been reluctant to see Xu Ran back then was that he himself was attracting too much attention. It wasn’t appropriate to have too much contact with Xu Ran, as he knew Xu Ran disliked being in the spotlight.

"Senior Brother Xu, I heard from Supreme Elder Zi Yun. Is it true the Flame Sun Sect tried to make a move against you?"

Upon seeing Xu Ran, Zhang Zhentian skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.

"Something like that did happen. But why do you ask?" Xu Ran hesitated for a moment before answering honestly.

Zhang Zhentian nodded. "I understand," he said.

With that, he turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Xu Ran was completely baffled by his behavior.

Zhang Zhentian stood ramrod straight. Dressed in black martial arts attire, he exuded a sharp, decisive aura. His voice was grave as he said:

"To solve this problem for you, of course, Senior Brother. Since someone dared to target you, how can I just stand by and let them continue to live in this world?"

"That descendant of Ancestor Yanyang, Qin Yufeng... he was spotted some time ago. But his Cultivation has already broken through to the Purple Mansion Stage, not the Foundation Establishment Stage mentioned in the reports. The last group that tried to corner him was wiped out in a counterattack, and he escaped.

The Major Sects are now calling on their younger generation to hunt him down. I’m going to sign up for the hunting party right now."

"Senior Brother, you just focus on your Cultivation. If anyone dares to obstruct your path, I will sweep them aside for you."

Without waiting for Xu Ran to react, he strode away.

Xu Ran watched his firm, efficient stride, a strange feeling washing over him. He never would have imagined that the little hellion who had once been the first stain on his record would now be vowing to protect him and clear the obstacles from his path of Cultivation.

’Thinking about it now,’ he mused, ’that little stain on my record seems to have been well worth it.’

’This is the Evergreen Sword Saint we’re talking about, a prodigy who dominates his entire generation. In the future, he might become a peerless expert who defines an era. Ordinary people don’t even get a chance to associate with him.’

’All it cost me was becoming a bit of a laughingstock. No, strictly speaking, not even that. Because now, when people discuss the Evergreen Sword Saint, they only remember the time he was defeated by an opponent of the same Realm. As for that earlier match... no one mentions it at all.’

At this thought, Xu Ran’s eyes narrowed slightly, and a smile played on his lips. He felt incredibly content.

With Zhang Zhentian on the case, he no longer needed to worry about Qin Yufeng. He was, however, a little surprised that the man had managed to break through to the Purple Mansion Stage so quickly.

But Xu Ran wasn’t worried in the slightest. After all, the one taking action was the Evergreen Sword Saint, Zhang Zhentian—a man hailed as invincible below the Golden Core Realm.

It was just Qin Yufeng, after all. His only concern was that the man would go into hiding and couldn’t be found, not that there would be any mishaps.

Not long after Zhang Zhentian left, Xu Ran also departed from his Cave Mansion. Today was the day he and Ye Shan had arranged to meet.

The grand competition in the New Domain was over, and Ye Qingxue had returned. This meant the plan for her to take on a disciple could finally be set in motion.

It had been Xu Ran’s idea, so Ye Shan had invited him to be there to witness it.

When Xu Ran arrived at the back of the mountain, he immediately spotted a small boy standing beside Ye Shan.

The boy looked to be only eight or nine, much younger than Xu Ran had imagined.

’At that rate, he must have only been four or five when Ye Shan found him?’

’So how could he have judged the boy’s character back then?’

In terms of appearance, though, despite his young age, there was indeed a resemblance to a young Ye Shan in his features. His eyes were dark and bright, giving one the immediate impression that this child was destined for great things.

At a nod from Ye Shan, the little boy very deliberately raised his hands in a formal salute. "Ye Shu. Greetings, Senior."

Xu Ran nodded slightly. ’Well,’ he thought, ’the child speaks so deliberately.’ His salute just now had been the same—methodical and exceptionally slow.