Watching the Mountain

Chapter 71: Chapter 65: I Hate Smart People

Xu Ran felt his worries were not without reason.

The Flame Sun Sect had suffered two great calamities: the war on the Evil Demon Battlefield and an attack by Evil Cultivators. As a result, very few people remained in the Sect. It had gotten so bad that during the last great inter-sect competition, they couldn’t even assemble enough teams to participate. The bleakness of their situation was palpable.

That Gold Attribute Spiritual Object was either for Ancestor Yanyang’s own cultivation path, to help him break through to the Divinity Transformation Stage, or it was for the sake of the Flame Sun Sect’s lineage, to be used to cultivate the next Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.

Either reason was a matter of immense importance.

Judging from Ancestor Yanyang’s actions, he had clearly thrown all caution to the wind, like someone with nothing left to lose.

Given the Flame Sun Sect’s current state, he truly had nothing left to be concerned about. His options were to either gamble on this one slim chance of survival, or wait for his lifespan to run out, at which point the Flame Sun Sect would be destroyed regardless.

’This must be why the three Nascent Soul Sects he attacked chose to swallow their pride and suffer in silence.’

In the Cultivation Realm, the most terrifying entities were never the monstrous prodigies, the supreme experts, or the great powers. They were the loners with no attachments and the factions on the brink of collapse.

Given the attitude Ancestor Yanyang was now displaying, it seemed entirely possible he would attack the Profound Pure Sect and demand the Sect hand over the person who had developed the Gold Attribute Spirit Fruit.

’In other words, me.’

Moreover, the Profound Pure Sect, in its current state, wasn’t necessarily strong enough to fend off Ancestor Yanyang.

Ancestor Yanyang was at the Nascent Soul Late Stage. The Profound Pure Sect had a total of seven Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators across its Six Main Peaks, but four of them were still stationed in the New Domain and had not returned. Only one Nascent Soul Middle Stage and two Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivators remained to guard the Sect.

’When the time comes, even if the Sect wants to protect me, it might be powerless to do so.’

But just as Xu Ran was stewing in his worries, the Communication Jade Talisman he carried began to vibrate. He picked it up to look, and a surprised expression immediately appeared on his face.

The person who sent the message was none other than Qin Yufeng of the Flame Sun Sect, the man from the very sect causing him such anxiety.

During the great inter-sect competition back then, everyone had avoided Qin Yufeng. For a whole month, only Xu Ran, being an outsider, didn’t shun him. Thus, they ended up chatting frequently and exchanged methods for their communication talismans.

”Fellow Daoist Xu, I apologize for the sudden intrusion. I have a question, and I would ask that you answer me truthfully. Are you the Spirit Plant Master from the Profound Pure Sect who developed those various Spirit Fruits?”

After seeing this message, Xu Ran’s pupils constricted slightly. He thought for a moment, then replied:

”Elder Qin, if a person like me, who is only famous for defeating the Evergreen Sword Saint in his youth, had truly accomplished such a feat, is there any corner of the Cultivation Realm that wouldn’t know of my deeds? I’m very curious how you would connect me with such a personage.”

After a good while, Qin Yufeng replied: ”That’s true. I may have been overthinking it. The main issue is that the information coming out of your sect and the former Wangyue Sect is so abundant and chaotic, it’s impossible to tell who is who.”

”And you, Fellow Daoist Xu, seem to have been specially promoted to Steward because of some achievements as a Spirit Plant Master. So I thought that after eliminating all other possibilities, the most improbable one might be the most likely. That is why I asked.”

Seeing Qin Yufeng’s reply, Xu Ran frowned. He knew about the information circulating in the Sect; the mix of truth and falsehood helped him stay hidden. He just hadn’t expected the Wangyue Sect to have been helping him hide as well.

’No wonder so few in the Cultivation Realm had learned about him. After all, if the very chief of intelligence in charge of selling information was personally concealing the facts for him, it would naturally be difficult for anyone to investigate.’

’It seems I’ve unknowingly racked up another debt to the Wangyue Sect.’

He then stared at Qin Yufeng’s message, lost in thought. To be honest, he didn’t like dealing with such clever people, but he had no choice. The man had already sought him out, so all he could do for now was try to handle the situation.

”Elder Qin, you are thinking too much. I’m not afraid of you laughing, but in truth, those so-called achievements of mine were all credited to me by the real Spirit Plant Master in my Sect, who doesn’t wish to reveal their identity. My promotion to Steward was the same, all for the sake of better concealing who they are. There are a few others like me in the Sect.”

Another long pause passed before Qin Yufeng replied: ”I see. In that case, I’m relieved. It is best that it’s not you, Fellow Daoist Xu. I only wanted to remind you that if it really were you, you’d best have your Sect arrange an escort and take you to a place to hide for a while.”

”Why do you say that, Elder Qin? Could it be that someone wishes to bring harm to that Spirit Plant Master?”

”It’s nothing serious. You’ve likely heard, Fellow Daoist Xu, that our Ancestor seems to have gone mad and is acting without regard for the consequences. I previously suspected you were that Spirit Plant Master, so I wanted to tip you off. After all, we are acquaintances, and I couldn’t bear to see you harmed by my Ancestor.”

Xu Ran frowned again, but before he could respond, another message arrived from Qin Yufeng:

”Since you are not that Spirit Plant Master, Fellow Daoist Xu, let’s drop the matter. I was being overly suspicious. As for the information I have revealed to you, you can tell your Sect. That is all. Fellow Daoist, take care of yourself. Do not reply.”

Seeing Qin Yufeng’s message, Xu Ran was silent for a long time. He then let out a sigh, his expression troubled.

He couldn’t figure out the purpose of Qin Yufeng’s message, nor could he guess whether the man had actually believed his words.

However, the information from Qin Yufeng only made him more worried. It seemed his earlier guess had been correct; Ancestor Yanyang was indeed very likely to attack the Sect.

At this thought, Xu Ran dared not delay a moment longer and hurried to Celestial Profound Peak to find Yue Qingyu.

At a time like this, only this Senior Sister Yue could make him feel even a sliver of reassurance.

After he explained the reason for his visit, Yue Qingyu pondered for a moment and said, ”I will immediately send word to my Master about this and have a Supreme Elder recalled from the New Domain to guard the Sect.”

Seeing his worried expression, she let out a light laugh and comforted him, ”Don’t overthink it. This isn’t just for your sake. With turmoil brewing in the Cultivation Realm and the situation so uncertain, the Sect’s defenses are indeed somewhat lacking.”

”Besides, given your contributions to the Sect, it is only right that we do everything in our power to protect you. You can accept this with a clear conscience. This is the treatment you deserve.”

It had to be said that when it came to reassuring people, Yue Qingyu was truly gifted. As soon as she spoke, Xu Ran’s worries and burdens vanished.

Seeing his reaction, Yue Qingyu nodded lightly and said, ”In a few days, I will be joining the team for the great inter-sect competition to partition the New Domain’s territory. During this time, the Sect’s protective array will be fully activated. You can cultivate with peace of mind.”