Returning to the Mountain in the Rain (Follow-up Reading Requested)

Returning to the Mountain in the Rain (Follow-up Reading Requested)

Drizzling threads of rain fell over the bamboo grove, only to vanish without a trace against a faint Spirit Shield. Like a fine rain falling upon a lake's surface, it nourished all things in silence.

Leaning against the window, Ye Jingcheng had just completed a full Heavenly Cycle. The spiritual energy within him was warm and lively.

Though his progress was not great, every bit of improvement left him deeply satisfied.

He possessed Four Spiritual Roots to begin with, so he could only work hard through bitter cultivation.

Ye Jingcheng took a deep breath, preparing to continue cultivating.

Yet at that moment, a divine sense transmission sounded in his mind.

"Set off!" Ye Jingcheng was startled. It was now the morning of the eighth day. The shop would remain closed for ten days; Ye Xinghe was exploiting the difference in timing.

Ye Jingcheng left the Inner Courtyard and saw three people within, all wrapped in black robes, impossible to distinguish from one another. Yet he knew that one was Ye Xinghe, one was Ye Xingyu, while the last was neither Ye Jingli nor Ye Jingyun.

Ye Jingcheng was startled. The loose Daoist robes revealed no expressions, only a pair of eyes. He could not judge who they were, much less stare at them directly.

"Put this on now!" The black-robed person at the front was clearly Ye Xinghe. He took out a black robe and handed it to Ye Jingcheng. Ye Jingcheng did not hesitate. He took the robe and pulled it over himself. Once he had put it on, he found that even his breathing had slowed, while his mind became much clearer. The cloth around his head had clearly been refined from Icy Silk.

Once Ye Jingcheng had put on the black robe, the other three followed Ye Xinghe toward a concealed location inside the shop.

When that spot was uncovered, it revealed an ordinary mortal's secret passage. The passage was extremely dark and somewhat damp within. Several Spirit Beast cages had been placed below, seemingly meant for imprisoning Spirit Beasts.

A little farther to the left stood another hidden door. Ye Xinghe was the first to push it open and enter, with Ye Jingcheng quickly following behind.

Several Moonlight Stones had been installed within the passage.

Under their pale glow, the few simple Spirit Patterns engraved upon the walls were illuminated with exceptional clarity.

No one ahead spoke, and Ye Jingcheng naturally remained silent as well.

After walking for a quarter of an hour, they finally reached the end.

The secret passage connected to a Rogue Cultivator's shop.

Ye Jingcheng did not get a clear look at the shop's owner, who was also wearing a black robe. Ye Xinghe led the way as the four emerged onto the street. This street was sparsely populated, and the bamboo grove here was unusually lush.

The four walked at an unhurried pace. Soon, they emerged from another exit unfamiliar to Ye Jingcheng, parted the Spirit Bamboo, and flew outside.

Ye Xinghe also took out an Azure Spirit Boat that Ye Jingcheng had never seen before.

"Get on!" At Ye Xinghe's command, all three boarded.

"For the first half hour, you can rest a little. After that, stay alert!" Ye Xinghe continued to remind them. Fighting was forbidden in the vicinity of Taihang Market. Even Purple Mansion great clans such as the Mo Family and Xu Family had to abide by this.

These were the rules set by the Taiyi Sect. Violate them, and your clan would be exterminated—there was no room for mercy. But once they left the area, the market could no longer control what happened.

Ye Xinghe's initial direction was also slightly off course. Beneath the fine rain, the Azure Spirit Boat did not seem particularly fast, even a little slower than Ye Xingyu's Spirit Boat. This speed continued for a quarter of an hour.

After passing a low mountain, however, it suddenly changed direction. The Azure Spirit Boat's speed became like an Azure Roc spreading its wings, several times faster.

Its sweeping azure trail stretched long behind it, and in an instant, it vanished into the dustless distance!

Ye Jingcheng could only marvel at Ye Xinghe's caution.

The journey proceeded extremely smoothly.

This time, they had chosen another route as well.

On the first night, they likewise rested in a mountain cave before continuing their flight on the second day. At this point, their speed had already stirred up fierce astral winds.

What Ye Jingcheng had not expected was that after flying for an hour, an enormous Red Crown Snow Eagle spread its wings and flew over from behind, landing on Ye Xinghe's hand.

"Nothing happened. From here on, we only need to worry about Green Mountain Ridge!" Ye Xinghe let out a breath of relief.

At the mention of Green Mountain Ridge, Ye Jingcheng grew somewhat worried as well.

It was the only route back to Lingyun Peak.

If someone had been waiting there in advance...

"The clan's side..." Ye Jingcheng still spoke up with a reminder.

"They'll provide support!" Ye Xinghe replied patiently. He then put away the Red Crown Snow Eagle and continued steering the Azure Spirit Boat.

The Spirit Boat continued forward at terrifying speed. Ye Jingcheng leaned against the railing, looking down at the green mountains flashing past below. A line suddenly surfaced in his heart: a light boat had already passed ten thousand layered mountains.

Then he smiled and calmly shook his head.

This was no time for sentiment.

Soon, they could see three or four green mountains joined together in the distance, towering into the clouds like Five Finger Mountain, steep and perilous.

At that moment, the Spirit Boat abruptly slowed and descended onto a somewhat shorter peak.

The black-clothed person to Ye Xinghe's left immediately took out an Array Disk and began setting up an array. Those practiced movements made Ye Jingcheng even more solemn.

The remaining person raised a hand, releasing countless azure spirit bees that flew toward Green Mountain Ridge!

Ye Jingcheng was not unfamiliar with these azure spirit bees. They were called Azure Chirp Bees, named for their all-over azure color and the birdlike chirping produced by their fluttering wings. Each was also far larger than an ordinary mountain bee.

Most crucially, these Azure Chirp Bees were exceptionally sensitive to spirit arrays! Many Ye Family cultivators raised them, making them highly suitable for scouting the way. Yet just as these Azure Chirp Bees were about to reach Green Mountain Ridge, several Flying Swords shot forth and slaughtered every last one of them.

"I told you, setting up an array to block the Ye Family is useless!" A clear, resounding shout rang out.

A full six Black Robed Cultivators surged out from different parts of Green Mountain Ridge, positioned in formation.

Had Ye Xinghe not stopped in time, the Ye Family group would have been surrounded and exterminated by those six people.

"Who sent you?" Ye Xinghe remained calm, as though he had expected this all along.

Ye Jingcheng was somewhat nervous at this moment. Of the six people before them, four gave off the aura of Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators.

As for the remaining two, he could not sense their auras at all. There was only one explanation: Foundation Building Cultivators!

This time, there were two Foundation Building Cultivators and four Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators. On their side, they had at most one Foundation Building Cultivator, two Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators, and himself, a Qi Refining middle-stage cultivator.

It was his first time facing such a formation! The Array Disk that had been set up earlier also gradually took effect. Spiritual light transformed into a massive spirit bowl, inverted over them to form a shimmering protective barrier! The next moment, everyone began summoning their Spirit Beasts.

Ye Xinghe summoned the Red Crown Snow Eagle from earlier once more. Amid a flash of spiritual light, an icy soul aura spread out, and the snow eagle soared forth again! From its sharp, elongated crystalline beak, it spat countless half-foot-long ice crystals toward the six people.

Besides the snow eagle, he also released a blood-red Crimson-Marked Leopard.

The Crimson-Marked Leopard could not fly, but it too displayed First Rank Late Stage cultivation, savage and ferocious beyond measure.

Ye Xingyu, who had earlier released the Azure Chirp Bees, likewise took out two Spirit Beasts. One was the Azure Scale Python that Ye Jingcheng knew extremely well, while the other was an enormous Golden Needle Rat.

Both were colossal in size, looking exceptionally fierce.

"Since you won't say who sent you, we'll just ask you ourselves!" The last Ye Family member beside them finally spoke.

Only then did Ye Jingcheng realize that the person accompanying them all along was the Ye Family Patriarch! Thank you to Floating Star for the 200-coin reward, thank you to reader ending in 4957 for the 100-coin reward, and to the reader ending in 6306 for the 100-coin reward.

An extra chapter for every cumulative 10,000 coins. I'll add them even during the new book period—I don't care anymore. Also, thank you all for your Follow-up Reading. I hope you'll remember to keep following along; Follow-up Reading is very important during the new book period!!!