Chapter 147: The Infamous Danfu Name

Puff!

Wan Tianjue opened his mouth, and the blood mist he spewed carried a burnt smell. He was half‑kneeling on the ground, his once‑splendid robe torn to shreds, looking like a beggar who had rolled in mud three times, staring intently at the equally disheveled Black-clad Leader not far away.

"Fine, fine indeed! For a mere Purple Monkey Flower, we fought to this point—was it worth it?" Wan Tianjue's voice was hoarse, each word seeming forced from his throat.

The Black-clad Leader propped a jet‑black bone banner, its front bearing a dim, lifeless demon skull, clearly also badly wounded. He coldly retorted, "Wan Tianjue, stop putting on a show here. Did you get that thing?"

Wan Tianjue was startled and reflexively asked, "What thing? Didn't your men snatch it away?"

The two locked eyes, and the air froze instantly.

A chill colder than the earlier battle rose from the depths of both their hearts at the same time.

"Damn!" Wan Tianjue snapped his head around, his Spiritual Sense ignoring his injuries as it frantically swept toward the valley where the Purple Monkey Flower was.

Empty, nothing there.

Not to mention the Purple Monkey Flower—there wasn't even a single monkey hair left.

"It's that old thing!" Wan Tianjue's face turned the color of pork liver, another spray of blood spurted out, "Wang Shan! It's him! We… we were fooled by him!"

He finally understood.

All that damn chase, all that double‑sided ambush, were lies! That old fellow had plotted everything from the start, deliberately leaving clues to make them turn on each other, while he slipped away in the chaos with the real treasure!

He burned his own essence, risked his life, only to become a wedding dress for someone else? To end up the biggest dupe?!

Aaah!

Wan Tianjue, enraged, raised his voice in a long howl toward the heavens; the roar shook the mountains, causing stones to tumble, yet it could not mask his overwhelming humiliation and shame.

The Black-clad Leader did not roar; he simply stood there, his aura colder than ten‑thousand‑year ancient ice. He slowly recalled the whole sequence, from Wang Shan appearing at Ghost Sorrow Cliff, to his use of Earth Vein energy, and then this flawless frame‑up.

"This 'Wang Shan'… his knowledge of Ghost Sorrow Cliff far exceeds ours," he croaked, "He is no ordinary lone cultivator. Investigate! Bring up his ancestors for eighteen generations!"

…

Three days later, on the outskirts of the Man Yun Mountain Range, a lone‑cultivator gathering place called "Wild Boar Ridge".

In the market town's teahouse, voices roared.

"Hey, have you heard? Something big happened at Ghost Sorrow Cliff!" a black‑faced man who had just come down from the mountains gulped a large mouthful of cheap wine and spoke mysteriously.

"What big thing could it be? Isn't it just the Wan family and a bunch of black‑robe monsters fighting over the Purple Monkey Flower? Doesn't this happen every year?" someone nearby scoffed.

"Bull! This time's different!" the black‑faced man slammed the table, "Wan family's Foundation Establishment Elder Wan Tianjue was beaten like a grandson! And those black‑robe monsters lost many of their own! In the end both sides ended in a mutual disaster, guess what happened?"

He deliberately left it hanging.

"What happened? Speak quickly!"

"The Purple Monkey Flower—gone! Someone snatched it amid the chaos!"

"What?!"

The whole teahouse fell silent instantly, everyone's ears perking up. Stealing under the watch of a Foundation Establishment powerhouse and a mysterious faction? Who could that be?

"Who did it? Such nerve!"

The black‑faced man lowered his voice, his face showing a mix of fear and reverence, "I don't know exactly who, just that it's an old man. Some say his surname is Wang, he used to be a vassal of the Wan family, but now… heh, everyone calls him 'Cinnabar Mighty Elder'!"

"Cinnabar Mighty Elder?"

"Exactly! He handles Talisman with divine skill, treats elixirs like meals. Most bizarre, they say he also knows a strange Beast Taming technique that can make the Wan family's beasts turn on their own masters, attacking them like madmen!"

"My dear, so fierce?"

"It's more than fierce—it's downright brutal! Think about it, what kind of person is Wan Tianjue? Which of those black‑robe monsters is good? In the end, that old man toyed with them, killing and maiming them, then walked away with the treasure, patting his butt, leaving not even a hair for them to find!"

"Hiss… that's not a person, that's a monster, right?"

"Who says not? Some say this old man is a reincarnation of an ancient great being, here to play with the mortal world. Otherwise, how could a Qi Training Stage old man have such power?"

Rumors spread like wings, becoming more and more mysterious.

Wang Shan's deeds at Ghost Sorrow Cliff were embellished by countless lone cultivators into many versions. His cunning, ruthless tactics and ghost‑like presence were magnified endlessly, eventually coalescing into an awe‑inspiring title—Cinnabar Mighty Elder.

In an instant, the entire Man Yun Mountain Range lone‑cultivator circle erupted. All factions, big and small, began probing who this suddenly emerged 'Cinnabar Mighty Elder' truly was.

Deep within the Wan family mansion.

"Useless! A bunch of useless ones!"

An elderly man with white beard and hair crushed the jade tablet in his hand; the news of Wan Tianjue's hasty retreat had already reached the family's upper echelons.

"Ancestor, calm your anger," a middle‑aged Steward bowed and said, "Elder Wan Tianjue has already done his best, but that old scoundrel Wang Shan… his methods are too bizarre, he…"

"Bizarre?" the elder snorted coldly, "To precisely manipulate Earth Vein energy at a chaotic place like Ghost Sorrow Cliff, and to nullify Wan Tianjue's Beast Control seal— is that merely bizarre? It's a deep understanding of the Beast Taming Sect's legacy! Investigate! This Wang Shan is certainly not simple!"

"Yes!"

Meanwhile, in another dark underground palace, the Black-clad Leader was reporting to a black crystal.

"…That's the situation, Master. The Purple Monkey Flower is missing, but I think this might be an opportunity."

From within the crystal came an androgynous, wavering voice, "Oh? An opportunity?"

"Yes, Master. This 'Cinnabar Mighty Elder'— his knowledge of Ghost Sorrow Cliff may even include Beast Taming Sect secret techniques unknown to us. I suspect the 'key' on that Wan family youngster might have fallen into his hands."

"…Interesting. A worm that can snatch things from you and Wan Tianjue. Then go find him. Find him, bring back his secrets, and his bones, together."

"Understood, Master."

At the storm's eye is the newly coined title—'Cinnabar Mighty Elder'.

Countless gazes, greedy, wary, or curious, all began to converge on that name.

They all wanted to know who this mysterious figure that stirred the Man Yun Mountain Range's clouds truly is, and what he intends.

It serves both as an invisible camouflage, deterring petty ruffians from daring to provoke, and as a beacon in the night, drawing ever more powerful, unknown hunters toward the direction where Wang Shan hides, quietly surrounding him.