Chapter 48: Return to the Mountain

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The news from Jingshi spread throughout the entire Great Song Immortal World in two or three days.

Before the many gossiping Immortals had fully digested the news that Yulong Zhenren had failed to suppress three low-level cultivators from the Taiyuan Sect and had instead been beaten into a state of critical injury, an even larger and more explosive piece of news spread across the Immortal World.

Liang Feng, an elite inner disciple of Yuqing Hall and the eldest disciple of Yulong Zhenren, had pursued the three Taiyuan Sect members, only to be struck in the dantian and then hacked into two pieces by someone.

And the one who killed Liang Feng was not from the Taiyuan Sect, but very likely Guo Ming, a fourth-generation elite disciple of the Longmen Dojo at the late stage of the Kaiyuan Realm.

But Guo Ming was also beheaded and killed near Liang Feng.

The traces left at the battle site were terrifying; a hilltop had been destroyed, and the trees and rocks within a radius of several hundred zhang had been turned into powder.

Besides this, there were traces of a Danyuan Realm True Person having taken action at the scene, but according to the experts who examined the traces, that was the destruction caused by the use of a Third-Tier True Fire Spirit Talisman, and not a Danyuan Realm powerhouse participating in the battle.

However, although two corpses and a large amount of destruction were left behind, the magic treasures and Storage Bags of both people had completely vanished.

And the three Kaiyuan Realm minor cultivators of the Taiyuan Sect, who were the core of this incident, had suddenly disappeared without a trace.

In this way, the situation became even more confusing and obscure.

Three days after the battle, a Seven-Colored Spirit Sparrow suddenly arrived from the northwest and hovered above the mountain ridge.

The traces of the battle below were still clear.

A gray-haired cultivator of about fifty years of age sat upright on the back of the Spirit Sparrow, his powerful Divine Sense sweeping across a hundred miles like a gale; as long as it was within the range of his Divine Sense, not even the aura of a mouse could escape his tracking, but unfortunately, a full incense stick of time passed, and he found nothing, eventually only able to sigh and withdraw his Divine Sense, saying:

"Three days have passed, and many cultivators have come to investigate, so the auras are all in chaos. I cannot discover the truth of that day, nor can I track the whereabouts of the three from the Taiyuan Sect."

Behind the old man stood a stunningly beautiful woman wearing a black long dress and carrying a sword box on her back; her expression was cold as she said in a chilly voice: "Eldest Senior Brother must have been killed by the Taiyuan Sect. I ask the Fifth Elder to make the decision."

The old man stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before saying: "This matter is confusing and obscure, and I cannot make a judgment either. But Danchenzi of the Taiyuan Sect has a fiery temper and is not someone easy to deal with. Before we clarify the cause and effect, going to demand people will likely bring endless trouble."

The woman said anxiously: "That day in the Imperial Palace, this disciple saw with her own eyes that Master was beaten into a serious injury by the three of them."

The old man sighed and said: "We elders have all carefully examined your Master's injuries. It is indeed the case that his Soul suffered a heavy blow, but it is not necessarily related to the Taiyuan Sect. Your Master was destroying a Third-Tier Magic Treasure Array Disk to block the agitation of the Spirit Sparrow, which led to the injury of his Soul. Then, according to what you said, your Master used his Divine Sense to forcibly suppress the three minor cultivators of the Taiyuan Sect and suddenly fell into a coma. Not to mention your Master, even if it were you, could three Kaiyuan Realm cultivators really heavily injure your Soul?"

The woman was instantly rendered speechless.

"Therefore, let this matter rest for now. After we return, we old fellows will discuss it. We will certainly send a Transmission Jade Slip to the Taiyuan Sect to demand an explanation, but there may not necessarily be a result. Because judging from the wounds, your Senior Brother died under the Flying Cloud Spear of Longmen Mountain, not under the magic tools of the Taiyuan Sect. This matter has already spread in the Immortal World, and we cannot use our power to suppress others when we are not in the right, thereby inciting a great war with the Taiyuan Sect."

The woman shed tears instantly and said: "Eldest Senior Brother died in an unclear manner, and Master is still in a coma. I ask the Fifth Elder to find a way to save Master."

The old man frowned and said: "Your Master's Soul injury is too severe. We have already exhausted our Spirit Pills and medicines; at present, we can only preserve his life. It is extremely difficult to cure him, unless..."

The woman said anxiously: "Unless what treasure? I ask the Fifth Elder to instruct me. Even if it is a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, this disciple is willing to go and retrieve it."

The old man shook his head slightly and said: "Unless it is a Soul Returning Fruit."

The woman cried and said: "The Soul Returning Fruit is hard to encounter in a hundred years; this disciple has no way."

The old man stroked his beard and pondered: "It is not that there isn't one. I heard that the Soul Returning Wood of the Taiyuan Sect has blossomed. If there are no accidents, it will mature in three years. It is just that because your Master himself had a conflict with the Taiyuan Sect and it has reached this point, I fear that even if the Taiyuan Sect has it, Danchenzi probably won't give it. Sigh, forget it, let's search the surroundings again. There is an aura left by a True Fire Spirit Talisman here. If I am not mistaken, it should be the one that was kept in the Treasure Pavilion, but I don't know how it ended up being used here."

After the old man finished speaking, he guided with his Divine Sense, and the Seven-Colored Spirit Sparrow let out a clear cry, spread its wings, and turned into a streak of light, flying into the distance.

And not long after the two left, another Spirit Crane broke through the air. On the back of the Spirit Crane sat an old man with white hair, wearing hemp clothes and possessing the bearing of an immortal. After releasing his rolling Divine Sense to search the surroundings, he also quickly frowned and left, heading straight to the southwest.

Although the Great Song Jingshi is prosperous, the wilderness is vast and sparsely populated.

Xu Chen and the other two had already escaped two hundred miles away from the battle site. Based on a two-hundred-mile radius, to find them would require searching an area of over one hundred thousand square miles. Even if a Spirit Transformation Realm cultivator came, they would exhaust quite a few brain cells, let alone a mere Danyuan Realm cultivator, whose Divine Sense is at most a few hundred miles in radius.

Moreover, Xu Chen fled to the southeast that night, not continuing to the southwest. Therefore, whether it was the people from Yuqing Hall, the people from Longmen Mountain, or other Immortal Sects and rogue cultivators, most of them placed their main search direction in the southwest. Thus, Xu Chen and the other two hiding more than two hundred miles away to focus on cultivation and recovery did not suffer any influence.

Of course, during this period, a few Divine Senses might have swept over the cave where they were hiding, but because the three had already restrained their auras and had no Soul fluctuations, naturally no one discovered them.

Time passed in the blink of an eye for seven or eight days.

The three had sufficient Spirit Pills on them, and also many rare Spirit Medicines, so Xu Chen and Jiu Shixiong had already recovered more than half, almost no different from usual. Zhao Xuan had also recovered her consciousness, and apart from being inconvenient to move, she was already out of danger.

However, all three were only in the Kaiyuan Realm. This series of battles caused damage to their Meridians, dantian, and even their Souls. If they could not recuperate well, it might affect their future cultivation, especially for Zhao Xuan, whose body suffered heavy injuries and many Meridians were destroyed. Even if she recovered, I fear she would not be able to go very far in the future, and whether she could even reach Foundation Establishment was a huge problem.

Therefore, although Xu Chen and Jiu Shixiong's recovery was good, their spirits were not high.

Zhao Xuan was indifferent and kept comforting the two: "Cultivating the Dao is inherently going against the heavens; how could it be smooth sailing? I was just an orphan back then, and it was lucky to survive. I never thought I could become an Immortal one day. Even if I cannot reach Foundation Establishment, I am already satisfied. Instead, it is Jiu Shixiong and Little Junior Brother; you must recuperate well after returning, and in the future, do not act on impulse and fight with others. Strive to both succeed in Foundation Establishment; perhaps you can even reach Golden Core and Spirit Transformation."

Jiu Shixiong smiled bitterly and sighed: "Very well, fate is destined; thinking too much about this is useless. I fear the Immortal World is already in an uproar now. We should hurry and find a way to return to the mountain, the faster the better!"

Thus, the three tidied up simply, then left the hidden cave, flew their swords along the wild mountain ridges, and continued to fly rapidly to the southeast for several hundred miles before changing direction toward the Taiyuan Sect.

A few days later, the three entered Nanyang Prefecture, but they did not go to Nanyang City, which was closest to the mountain gate. Instead, they went straight through Black Wind Ridge, circled a large loop in the vast mountains, and finally returned to the mountain gate they had been away from for over a month.

When they saw the uniquely outstanding Zhaoyang Peak and the familiar mountain gate, the three could not help but relax their moods simultaneously, feeling an excitement and joy of having survived a great disaster.

And at this time, the Taiyuan Sect was already in a mess.

All the disciples who had gone down the mountain had heard the news and rushed back to the mountain gate. Even the Great Elder Danchenzi, who had gone out to find Spirit Medicines to refine Purple Cloud Spirit Transformation Pills, and the Second Elder, who had been wandering outside all year round, had rushed back from ten thousand miles away.

At the highest point of Zhaoyang Peak, there was an old palace. A plaque hung on the lintel with the two ancient and simple characters "Taiyuan" written on it. However, the handwriting was mottled, having weathered the wind and rain, and it looked somewhat desolate.

In the main hall, the three elders sat in the upper seats, and a group of male and female disciples sat on cushions on both sides. The atmosphere was very serious.

Danchenzi held a Transmission Jade Slip in his hand, his face full of anger.

The Second Elder and Third Elder had their eyelids lowered, appearing to be in meditation, but in reality, their auras were very agitated.

A group of disciples had even more agitated emotions; there was anger, confusion, and also panic and unease.

"The people from Longmen Mountain have just left, and Yuqing Hall has sent a letter to question us, but we do not know the truth of this matter. At present, the whereabouts of the three are unknown, and their life or death is uncertain. I also dare not make a rash judgment, but the matter has already occurred, and there must be a result in the end. But the urgent matter at present is to find the people back first. We must see the people if they are alive, and see the corpses if they are dead, so that we can negotiate with Yuqing Hall and not incite a great war between the Immortal Sects."

Although Danchenzi was angry, he knew that this matter was of great importance.

Originally, after he saw the Soul Returning Wood blossom, he felt that this was a heaven-sent opportunity for his Spirit Transformation, so he was very pleasantly surprised and went straight to Yuqing Hall to find his old friend Baiyun Zhenjun to ask for the refinement of Spirit Transformation Pills. After obtaining the promise of Baiyun Zhenjun, he prepared to spend three years traveling across Shenzhou to search for the remaining few Spirit Medicines.

He received the Flying Sword transmission from the Third Elder and rushed back, only half a day earlier than Xu Chen and the other two.

And returning to the mountain, there were two pieces of bad news in succession, both of which were like thunderbolts from a clear sky.

One was that the Soul Returning Wood had actually withered and died.

The second was that Xu Chen and the other two had beaten Yulong Zhenren of Yuqing Hall into a serious injury.

And at present, all kinds of news were flying everywhere. Not to mention that the three disciples of the sect had no news, the people from Yuqing Hall and Longmen Mountain had also come one after another to inquire, their tone aggressive, naturally wanting to demand an explanation.

The Second Elder was thin and tall, with gray hair and beard, appearing to be fifty, but in reality, he was over a hundred years old. His peak Zhenyuan Realm aura could not be concealed. He lowered his brows and remained silent for a long time before saying in a deep voice:

"This matter is intricate and complicated. My disciple Xu Chen is only fifteen years old, and his cultivation is only at the early stage of the Kaiyuan Realm. Lu Yuan and Zhao Xuan, the two junior disciples, are also only at the middle and late stages of the Kaiyuan Realm. Even if the three joined forces, how could they beat Yulong Zhenren of the Danyuan Realm into a coma? If the people of Yuqing Hall want to use this to suppress us, are they not afraid of being laughed at by fellow Daoists in the world?"

The Third Elder, who was haggard, thin, and old, also nodded and said: "Senior Brother's words are reasonable. Moreover, it is rumored that Liang Feng, the disciple of Yulong Zhenren, and Guo Ming, the disciple of Longmen Mountain, were neither killed by our sect, so why should we give them an explanation!"

Danchenzi's face twitched slightly, and he sighed, "The Immortal World has never been a place that reasons."

The two Elders were silent together, and the crowd of Disciples was even more dejected.

When first starting cultivation on the mountain, one always felt that seeking the Dao of immortality meant living in seclusion in the wilderness, free from worldly disputes, purifying the heart and reducing desires while taking pills and refining Qi, with the hope that one day one would become an immortal, attain the Dao, and live a carefree, eternal life.

However, after descending the mountain for a few trials, one finally understood that cultivating the Dao is even more cruel; pills and Magic Treasures must all be sought through one's own hard work, and advancing in rank also depends on immense fortuitous encounters—it is not something that can be achieved by simply sitting in meditation to attain eternal life.

To put it bluntly, eternal life is about snatching one's fate from the heavens, gathering the world's rare treasures, and seizing the power of heaven and earth's creation to strengthen oneself.

And once one steps onto this path, unless one truly sees through life and death, one will spare no effort to traverse dangerous mountains and treacherous waters for a single stalk of Spirit Medicine or a single exotic treasure, all while facing the heavy threats of Demon Beasts, venomous snakes, and other cultivators.

Therefore, the path to becoming an immortal may look carefree in the eyes of mortals, but the hardship is known only to oneself.

With the Soul Returning Wood now withered, Danchenzi knew that there was likely no hope for him to reach Spirit Transformation in this lifetime, and he felt somewhat disheartened; yet, as the Great Elder with the highest cultivation, he could not ignore this crisis, otherwise the Disciples under his sect would face a life-or-death situation, and one wrong move could lead the Taiyuan Sect to eternal ruin.

If the matter is not investigated clearly, Yuqing Hall and Longmen Mountain will absolutely not let the matter rest.

However, just as everyone was feeling dejected, Danchenzi's expression suddenly changed; he stood up abruptly, took a step forward, and transformed into a streak of light, heading outside the mountain gate.

The two Elders also had expressions of astonishment and followed him, flying out of the great hall.

The crowd of Disciples, not understanding why, also stood up one after another and rushed out of the great hall, either riding their swords or soaring into the air to gaze in the direction the three Elders had gone.