Chapter 165: Let Go of Your Mother

Looking at the mountain range before him, Zhou Qing paused briefly before speaking.

"I'll draw Yu Ziqi and the others toward me, giving Sister Second a chance—don't worry, Second Uncle taught me the Silver Dragon Step; they won't necessarily catch up to me."

Mo Xingjian shook his head, his expression grave. "Don't underestimate the terror of realm comprehension. Even if they've only just begun to grasp it, their combat power equals at least three ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators."

"Are you truly certain you can escape six Sima Yaoji-like pursuers?"

Zhou Qing fell silent—he clearly couldn't.

"Don't split up. I'll be right behind you," Mo Xingjian said after a brief pause.

Both nodded and immediately entered Canglan Mountain.

To avoid detection by Soul Transformation cultivators and certain beasts, they suppressed their qi completely and dared not fly high—only darting swiftly through dense forests while continuously contacting Second Sister.

"If only I could master beast speech—then every bird in the sky and every beast on the ground in Canglan Mountain would be my eyes!" Yan Xiao couldn't help but transmit his thought.

This place, once a training ground for the Five Great Sects, must be vast beyond measure.

Hearing this, Zhou Qing suddenly grew alert—he recalled the image stone Yu Ziqi had given him, which showed a seven-colored bird controlled by the even more terrifying Li Hanshan.

It could pinpoint Second Sister's location precisely and silently.

"Watch out for that bird!" Zhou Qing warned.

Yan Xiao understood at once, giving a slight nod, then quietly soared onto the canopy of an ancient tree, scanning ahead for flocks of birds taking flight or signs of violent combat.

Unfortunately, mist shrouded the horizon, locking away one mountain peak after another.

Zhou Qing glanced back—his Master was nowhere in sight—but he could feel his Master's gaze fixed upon them.

Looking up, thick green canopies blocked the sun; only dappled light filtered through the leaves, falling onto moss-covered ground.

Thick vines coiled around tree trunks and boulders like slumbering serpents, making one dare not grow careless.

The ground was littered everywhere with the bones or droppings of various beasts.

The two alternated between leading and covering, moving side by side or front and back, constantly observing their surroundings.

"Third Brother, why was this place chosen as the Five Sects' trial ground every sixty years? Have you ever participated before?" Zhou Qing transmitted his question as they moved.

He knew little of Canglan Mountain—perhaps he could glean vital clues to better handle the dangers ahead.

Yan Xiao replied: "I participated once. Look over there."

Zhou Qing followed his gesture and saw, beneath several trees, scattered tiles and even floor bricks.

"This… was once a city?" Zhou Qing asked, surprised.

Yan Xiao shook his head. "Not a city—a sect. A sect older than the Five Sects. No one even knows its name anymore."

Zhou Qing nodded, understanding.

"After the Five Sects were founded, they somehow discovered this place and began exploring it together. Generations passed, and they've scoured it nearly bare—though they made little real progress."

"Because this region is vast, teeming with beasts, and roughly equidistant from all Five Sects, it became the designated trial ground."

"Had no battle occurred, this place would've reopened soon after the Five Sects' Exchange Gathering."

At this, Yan Xiao sighed deeply, his tone heavy with regret and helplessness.

At that moment, Zhou Qing's gaze suddenly caught something unusual ahead.

His body flashed—several leaps later—he landed swiftly.

Looking at the ancient tree pierced through, he reached out, touched the wound, and said gravely: "This wound… looks like it was made by Second Sister's short sword."

Yan Xiao stepped forward, examined it, then nodded immediately. "Yes, that's it. The blade looks short, but it can instantly extend into something enormous—impossible to defend against. Looks like we're lucky."

Both rejoiced and hurried forward along the trail…

Meanwhile, deep within Canglan Mountain, four figures each held strange objects, fully focused on sensing something.

Their bodies were covered in hard scales, or adorned with brilliant feathers, or bore sharp horns—yet their sole common trait was a pair of golden wings sprouting from their backs, strikingly visible in the dark forest.

They were all humanoid beasts.

Strangely, the aura they emitted was only at the Nascent Soul level.

Logically, only Soul Transformation beasts could assume human form—and even then, they retained some beastly traits.

Yet these four broke that rule—utterly incomprehensible.

Behind them stood an old man, hands clasped behind his back.

He looked no different from an ordinary man—but upon closer inspection, his pupils glowed with an eerie golden light, radiating an unfathomable depth.

He was a true Zhan Ling cultivator!

"Master Feng, it must be here!"

A man covered in hard scales rushed over, excited, his voice trembling.

Master Feng's eyes narrowed, his lips curled slightly, then he burst into loud laughter.

"How many years? After gathering so many clues, we've finally found Old Peng Wang's burial site! Good, good—give me the blood essence!"

As he spoke, Master Feng eagerly extended his hand.

The four immediately slammed their chests and spat out blood pearls thick with potent essence, carefully placing them in Master Feng's palm.

Master Feng's expression turned solemn as his hands swiftly formed intricate seals.

Under their expectant gazes, the array took shape—glowing brightly—until a magnificent golden great peng bird burst forth, letting out a deafening cry to the heavens.

…………

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Suddenly, the entire Canglan Mountain trembled violently, as if struck by an earthquake—Zhou Qing and Yan Xiao instantly went on guard.

They exchanged glances, then leapt onto treetops, gazing far ahead—rocks tumbled down the slopes, crashing with thunderous noise, clouds of dust rising.

The birds nesting in the forest scattered in panic, their cries filling the sky—chaos erupted.

"Could Second Sister be fighting them?" Their eyes lit up with hope.

But Mo Xingjian suddenly appeared beside them, face grim, eyes filled with dread. "Be careful—I sense an incredibly terrifying aura coming from that direction."

Yan Xiao was frantic. "Let's go see! What if it is her?"

Mo Xingjian frowned slightly, paused a moment, then nodded. The three dashed off together.

…………

"I sense a vast surge of life energy!" In another part of Canglan Mountain, a Soul Transformation cultivator from Cangyan Dao Palace exclaimed, eyes gleaming.

The other two Soul Transformation cultivators with him nodded eagerly, their eyes filled with excitement and curiosity.

"Could a heavenly treasure be ripening?" one speculated, hopeful.

After all, Canglan Mountain had always held rare treasures, and housed powerful beast generals—even a terrifying Soul Transformation beast king.

These beasts were famed for guarding precious artifacts—perhaps a truly great opportunity had arisen.

"Let's go!" The three exchanged glances and immediately unleashed their techniques, speeding toward the source.

Meanwhile, Yu Ziqi watched helplessly as the three Elders hurried off—he opened his mouth to speak, but saw Li Hanshan, shouldering his heavy halberd, swiftly chasing after them.

"You, wounded as you are, can handle this," Li Hanshan's cold voice echoed from afar, utterly emotionless.

Yu Ziqi's face darkened further.

Luo Lingling was too cunning—within three days, she vanished completely. When they finally found her trace, it was just a paper doll.

Should he stay and torment those tied to Zhou Qing to vent his rage—or watch helplessly as a potential opportunity slipped away?

Yu Ziqi hesitated.

After a brief pause, he gritted his teeth, determination flashing in his eyes, and swiftly used his movement technique to pursue them.

After all, the dead are dead—for the living, opportunities lost are never regained.

One must always look forward.

…………

Luo Lingling was drenched in blood, looking battered—she grimaced as she hurriedly absorbed spiritual energy from spirit stones, trying to heal her wounds.

"Wasted a Life-Substitution Talisman—I didn't use it even when Xiao Qing was at Four Flowers at the Crown. Now it's gone here. Old Mo, facing the same scene as before, I think I finally understand your choice."

Suddenly, the ground shook, and thunderous roars came from ahead—her eyes brightened.

"Could others be here? Maybe I can use this to blend in and shake off those pursuers."

Thinking this, Luo Lingling glanced warily behind, confirmed no immediate threat, then vanished in a flash toward the source of the tremors.

…………

Deep in Canglan Mountain, a hulking humanoid figure, covered in thick fur and dragging a long tail, slowly stepped out of a cave.

He stood at the entrance, gazing at the dense, dark forest ahead, inhaling deeply, then grunted.

He raised a hand and summoned a massive staff, thick as a stone pillar, into his grip.

Then, with a light step, he leapt into the air and shot off toward a distant direction.

…………

"Huh?" A surprised exclamation echoed from the void.

Next, a silver-haired woman wearing a veil tore through space and stepped out.

"I underestimated this backwater—there's an unexpected find!" She immediately descended.

…………

Meanwhile, at the rear mountain of Taiqingmen, Duanmu Shu and others, who had been in seclusion, suddenly changed expression and emerged.

Soon, they saw ripples in the air ahead—then a colossal corpse-wax crow emerged.

Its hollow eyes fixed on a spot, as if suddenly triggered, it flared its wings and shot straight into the sky, vanishing from sight in an instant.

"How did it get out of the Heaven Cave?"

"No idea—but something major has happened."

"Watch the other two—we follow this one."

…………

By the time Zhou Qing and the other two arrived, they saw that the once lush heart of the mountain forest had collapsed, revealing a vast, pitch-black abyss.

High in the sky, two elderly men were locked in fierce combat.

One of them had wings growing from his back, shimmering with strange light under the sun.

The other, with every move he made, exuded an awe-inspiring imperial aura, his every gesture radiating dominance.

"A Zhanling Realm demon emperor!" When Mo Xingjian saw the golden-eyed, winged elder, his face turned pale with shock.

As a late-stage Soul Transformation cultivator, he could clearly sense the terrifying pressure radiating from the opponent.

Hearing Mo Xingjian's words, Zhou Qing and Yan Xiao Hu also stared in stunned disbelief.

Zhanling Realm?

Across the entire fourth-tier spiritual nation, its eight commanderies and seventy-two prefectures, Zhanling Realm experts were as rare as phoenix feathers or unicorn horns—no more than a dozen in total. Could it be that one had just appeared right here in Canglan Mountain?

And he was a demon race member?

The last time Zhou Qing had encountered such a terrifying great demon was the Flame Crocodile King inside the third coffin of the Cave Heaven.

"Xuan Yuan Shuo, I thought you'd skulk like a rat forever!" The Wind Elder, mid-battle, launched a fierce technique while taunting the opposing elder.

The opposing elder laughed heartily: "Foolishness. This is my territory—I walk openly, not like you, sneaking in like a pack of rats from the border. You're here for the Jin Chida's inheritance, aren't you?"

"We are blood descendants of the Jin Peng clan. Once, the Xumi Sect here revered it as our ancestral patriarch. We come to claim this inheritance—it is our rightful due. How dare you interfere?"

The Wind Elder glared fiercely and retorted loudly.

Xuan Yuan Shuo sneered: "Who knows how long ago that was? Since the Holy Martial Imperial Dynasty rose to fourth-tier status, this region and countless other third-tier territories were granted to us by the Spiritual Alliance. Even if there truly is an inheritance here, it certainly doesn't belong to your demon race!"

"Shut your filthy mouth—let your fists speak!" Enraged, the Wind Elder spat curses and unleashed even more violent techniques, charging straight at Xuan Yuan Shuo.

The battle intensified further; each clash erupted with terrifying energy waves, as if tearing the sky apart.

Mo Xingjian stared in astonishment at the human elder, muttering to himself: "Xuan Yuan Shuo? It's him!"

Yan Xiao Hu, still stunned, quickly asked: "Master, is Xuan Yuan Shuo also a Zhanling Realm expert?"

Mo Xingjian nodded slightly, his expression grave: "Correct. Over three thousand years ago, after the former Emperor successfully ascended to Zhanling Realm, he immediately mobilized the imperial family's vast resources to help his younger brother—this Prince, Xuan Yuan Shuo—also reach Zhanling Realm."

"Brothers fight side by side, father and son charge together. With the two of them supporting each other, the foundation of the Holy Martial Imperial Dynasty was firmly secured. Afterward, they helped other sects' patriarchs ascend to this realm as well."

"Later, after many more years, the former Emperor passed the throne to the current ruler and entered seclusion to cultivate. Prince Xuan Yuan Shuo, meanwhile, has remained stationed at the border, rarely appearing before the public—so few know him well."

Hearing Mo Xingjian's explanation, the two finally understood, their respect and awe for such a powerful figure deepening.

"Shh—the Cangyan Dao Palace people are coming!" At that moment, Mo Xingjian seemed to sense something, his gaze shifting to a direction, and he quickly signaled silence, memorizing their approach.

Soon, five people arrived in haste, including Yu Ziqi. But when they sensed the terrifying duel above, their faces turned pale with shock.

"Is Second Sister alright?"

Seeing their expressions, Yan Xiao Hu grew anxious—had they come here because Second Sister was dead, or had the matter already ended?

Zhou Qing, equally worried, tried again to send a message to Second Sister.

The next instant, his token received a reply from Luo Lingling: "Who told you to come?"

Seeing this message, Zhou Qing was overjoyed—his heart, long suspended, finally settled.

"Master, Third Brother, look!" Zhou Qing called out urgently.

Seeing Luo Lingling's reply, Master and Third Brother were also delighted and immediately contacted her.

Soon after, Luo Lingling arrived from the other side, drenched in blood.

Seeing this, Yu Ziqi immediately moved to attack, but Mo Xingjian stepped forward, his eyes cold as he locked onto him.

"There'll be plenty of chances later—right now, the opportunity is paramount!" A Soul Transformation Elder from Cangyan Dao Palace quickly intervened.

They never expected Zhou Qing and the others to actually arrive here. Had it not been for this sudden event, their plan would already have been set in motion.

Yu Ziqi had no choice but to angrily withdraw.

Yet, the fact that two Zhanling Realm masters—normally unseen even by their own followers—were locked in such a fierce battle here proved the opportunity was immense. They must notify the Palace Lord immediately.

But even if any of the five sects sent reinforcements, it would take at least three days to reach this place.

Fortunately, they had a third teleportation array nearby—perhaps this was their chance.

Immediately, one Soul Transformation Elder sped off.

"Second Sister!"

Zhou Qing and Yan Xiao Hu rushed over to support her; Mo Xingjian instantly began scanning her condition.

Fortunately, she was unharmed.

"You three are…" Luo Lingling looked at the three, at a loss for words.

BOOM!

As the two clashed again, they swiftly separated, then both turned their gazes upward in unison.

Zhou Qing and the others shivered involuntarily—the temperature of the world seemed to plummet instantly.

Next, snowflakes began drifting down. Looking up, they saw a silver-haired woman, veiled, slowly descending from the sky.

Zhou Qing's pupils contracted sharply.

"It's her!"

The Wind Elder and Xuan Yuan Shuo exchanged glances—they had never expected a third Zhanling Realm expert to exist in this minor prefecture.

Especially Xuan Yuan Shuo—he knew every Zhanling Realm expert in the Holy Martial Imperial Dynasty. Yet this woman was utterly unknown to him.

The woman merely cast a cold, indifferent glance at Xuan Yuan Shuo and the Wind Elder, her eyes devoid of any concern for life or death.

Then, with light steps, she walked straight toward the bottomless, pitch-black abyss.

Wherever she passed, the air instantly froze into glistening ice crystals.

But the next instant, a blinding golden light erupted from deep within the abyss, like an endless black hole.

Within the light, ancient, mysterious runes flickered and danced, accompanied by a chilling aura of utter stillness.

Simultaneously, a crushing pressure surged from the abyss's depths, sinking every heart.

Zhou Qing and the others stiffened involuntarily, their spiritual power surging wildly to resist the terrifying pressure.

Seeing this, the woman immediately retreated, and all the runes vanished at once.

Xuan Yuan Shuo suddenly laughed: "Legends say the ancient Peng King reached Zhanling Realm's peak. Even after countless eons of death, his arrangements remain formidable."

"We cannot enter—it's restricted. But those four Nascent Soul cultivators he brought? They slipped right in."

The woman frowned slightly upon hearing this.

The Wind Elder, called a "feathered bird," cursed Xuan Yuan Shuo fiercely.

In an instant, a spiritual sense swept over all of them. Before Zhou Qing could react, the woman had already teleported before them.

Mo Xingjian instantly stepped in front of his three disciples, bowing respectfully: "Elder, if you require anything, I humbly offer to serve."

Though veiled, the woman's face beneath the gauze appeared extremely young—even younger than Luo Lingling.

Yet her Zhanling Realm cultivation forced Mo Xingjian, already of advanced age, to address her as a junior.

The woman glanced briefly at Yan Xiao Hu and the others, then fixed her gaze entirely on Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing's heart sank.

Before the woman could speak, Yan Xiao Hu hurried forward: "Elder, we are lowly cultivators, unfit to lead you. To not delay your great matter, I humbly offer a suggestion."

He pointed to a nearby figure: "Elder, please look—the man carrying the great halberd is Li Hanshan; the one with the sword case is Yu Ziqi. Both are Nascent Soul peak cultivators. Surely they can assist you."

At Yan Xiao Hu's pointing, Li Hanshan and Yu Ziqi immediately revealed murderous intent.

(End of Chapter)