"The latest news from up ahead is that the matter at Demon Mountain has finally settled down, but every town within a radius of three thousand li has been completely destroyed. No one knows how many people died..."
An intelligence agent from Central Continent Prefecture came to report.
The man Su Beichen called Uncle Zhong let out a long sigh. "The people have suffered terribly."
Regardless of Central Continent Prefecture's reaction, Su Beichen's agitated voice filled the room in the rear courtyard:
"They say that just as the monster was about to break out, Demon Mountain erupted with golden light and suppressed it again. It was truly a stroke of luck. If Demon Mountain hadn't had another trick up its sleeve, that monster would probably have descended upon the mortal world. It could even swallow a True Fate Realm expert alive. The entire continent might have been destroyed..."
Su Beichen still felt shaken. "But Demon Mountain has existed for more than ten thousand years and came from ancient times. Do you think that Demonic Beast might also have come from antiquity? It's terrifying to think that it could have existed for so long..."
Those words suddenly stirred something in Xu Baiyang's heart. After a moment of hesitation, he finally said, "If that's really the case, it must know many things about antiquity. For example... inheritances."
Xu Baiyang's eyes lit up, but when he recalled the Demonic Beast's savage, man-eating appearance, he shook his head repeatedly. "That thing isn't exactly easy to talk to. It even chewed Wang Yuanzhi to death in one bite. Who would dare approach it so casually?
"Besides, Demon Mountain has revived and suppressed the Demonic Beast again. It'll be extremely difficult to make contact with it for the time being."
Xu Baiyang fell silent.
Lin Shuguang was also recalling the feeling of ancient weight and vicissitude that Demon Mountain had given him when he had used the Beast God Soul to summon the Beast Soul. It hadn't been an illusion.
For some reason, Lin Shuguang suddenly remembered the dreams he had once had. In them, a mysterious man wielding a saber had appeared and said he would slay the old heavens.
In the final dream, heaven and earth had collapsed... Had he succeeded? Perhaps.
At first, Lin Shuguang had thought it was merely a dream. Afterward, he had encountered the Blood-colored Demonic Saber.
That saber was strange. It actually possessed its own consciousness and acted on its own.
Its appearance was even identical to the saber in the mysterious man's hand from his dream... aside from its luster, they were exactly alike.
Afterward, the Blood-colored Demonic Saber had come looking for him on its own. It had taught him how to circulate his soul and had even made him cross over into the Great Gan Dynasty, possessing a young man who was also called Lin Shuguang. It had said that he was to defy heaven and change his fate.
Although the Blood-colored Demonic Saber had had other plans concerning the possession in the end and hadn't let Lin Shuguang participate any further, Lin Shuguang had consequently become entangled in far too many causes and effects.
"I wonder if that fellow is getting anxious because he can't contact me now?"
Lin Shuguang lowered his gaze.
When all was said and done, the Great Gan Dynasty was riddled with mysteries.
The mysterious man in the dream...
The Lin Family young master in the Great Gan Dynasty who was to defy heaven and change his fate...
The Baojian Sect of the Great Gan Dynasty...
At first, Lin Shuguang had thought that these two Great Gan Dynasties existed in the same spacetime. Yet, in his conversations with Su Beichen, nothing the Lin Family young master acting as his substitute knew had been corroborated.
Either all of that had merely been the Blood-colored Demonic Saber's obsession.
Or...
Lin Shuguang sighed. "I hope it isn't what I'm guessing. I'm not even a Spirit Transformation expert yet. If I get dragged into that kind of whirlpool, I won't have the ability to protect myself at all."
He glanced at the Pay-to-Win System.
So useless!
Couldn't you give me a draw that instantly maxes out my realm or something?!
"What did you say?" Su Beichen hadn't heard Lin Shuguang's muttering and asked curiously.
He was now extremely curious about this disciple of Baojian Sect.
The lofty air he had deliberately put on before had hit a wall with Lin Shuguang too many times, so he no longer bothered pretending.
Moreover, Lin Shuguang had managed to kill Meng Jun... Even the fact that he was still alive left Su Beichen utterly baffled.
"Nothing." Lin Shuguang rose and walked to the window. He glanced at the sky outside, which was a hazy gray.
After pondering for a moment, he turned to Xu Baiyang. "This matter must have already been reported to Baojian Sect. What about the former Seventh Elder? Senior Brother, can you contact him?"
Xu Baiyang frowned. "Things were simply too chaotic then. I didn't even notice whether Elder Yun had appeared. So much time has passed now. I'm afraid..."
He looked at Lin Shuguang, the worry in his eyes obvious.
Elder Yun had probably met with disaster!
Lin Shuguang frowned slightly. "Who has the Boundless Bright Day Treasure Boat?"
"Elder Yun was personally keeping it... How about this? I'll go out and contact Baojian Sect's people. The sect has probably already dispatched a team by now."
Xu Baiyang did not linger. He also nodded at Su Beichen before leaving alone.
Only Lin Shuguang and Su Beichen remained in the room.
A maid came over carrying tea and pastries. Su Beichen waved for her to put them down and leave.
The door closed.
Su Beichen plucked a cherry and tossed it into his mouth. It seemed that his mood had improved considerably now that the matter at Demon Mountain had been settled.
"What are you planning to do next?"
He handed over a banana.
Lin Shuguang gently shook his head without taking it. "The State Selection is over, and what happens afterward has nothing to do with me. I'll return to Baojian Sect and cultivate martial arts first."
Su Beichen mused, "Are you still going to Xuanyuan City?"
"Of course."
Hearing the certainty in Lin Shuguang's reply, a smile finally appeared on Su Beichen's face. "Then I'll wait for you in Xuanyuan City. You helped me tremendously this time. Although Meng Jun is dead, Five Thunder Sect won't escape! If you need anything in the future, just ask. I'm determined to make you my friend."
Lin Shuguang was straightforward. "Then can you give me the complete Blood Spirit Soul Sacrificing Banner?"
"What did you say?"
The corner of Su Beichen's mouth twitched. The smile on his face stiffened, and his cheek even spasmed.
He had only just made that promise, yet now he couldn't fulfill it.
Pretending not to hear wasn't his style.
He coughed dryly. "Can you change your request?"
Under Lin Shuguang's gaze, Su Beichen could only bite the bullet and speak. "The Blood Spirit Soul Sacrificing Banner belongs to my elder sister. I really can't decide—"
Before he could finish, Su Beichen gritted his teeth. "Brothers can't lack loyalty. You saved my life at Demon Mountain. If I can't even fulfill this little request, what kind of brother would I be? Take these three Blood Spirit Soul Sacrificing Banners. I'll find a way to get the rest from that old—cough, from my elder sister. Wait for my news."
With one sentence, ownership of the three Blood Spirit Soul Sacrificing Banners had changed hands. Even Lin Shuguang hadn't expected this fellow to be so decisive.
However, Su Beichen suddenly added in a low voice, "There's a restriction placed on these banners by my Su Family. Removing it requires a trip back to the main family. The round trip would take at least half a month, and outsiders aren't allowed to enter that place..."
Lin Shuguang's face darkened on the spot.
Damn, so I got moved for nothing just now?
Su Beichen grabbed Lin Shuguang and hurriedly tried to reassure him. "No, listen to me first. Although the Blood Spirit Soul Sacrificing Banners have a restriction, it doesn't affect their use at all. You must have felt that yourself... As for my sister, I'll greet her over there. Even if she wants to recall them from so far away, she can't do anything. Unless the main family takes action—but as I said, you saved my life, so the family won't do that. Just take them and use them without worry. Once I return to the main family, I'll remove the rest and then lift the restriction for you."
After a great deal of reassurance, he finally dispelled the anger that had been building in Lin Shuguang's heart.
In the end, he still reminded him, "But out of goodwill, I want to warn you of one thing. The Blood Spirit Soul Sacrificing Banner is ultimately an evil object. Using it consumes a massive amount of blood essence. Otherwise, my sister wouldn't have lent it to me so casually—she herself doesn't dare use it freely. You should understand the consumption of three Blood Spirit Soul Sacrificing Banners. You can imagine how terrifying the consumption of a complete set would be.
"If you don't want to be sucked dry into a corpse in the future, use this thing as little as possible."
Lin Shuguang ignored him.
Su Beichen had run into a "closed door," but he merely tugged at the corner of his mouth. He was nowhere near as furious as he would have been before.
As he had said, Lin Shuguang's current identity was no longer that "insignificant" junior disciple of Baojian Sect. He was the lifesaving benefactor of Su Beichen, the son of the Central Continent Elder of Central Continent Prefecture.
After the meal.
Xu Baiyang also received word from Baojian Sect. The treasure boat was docked on a distant patch of open ground, and this time, other elders had been sent to escort them.
Before the words "Holy Son" could leave his mouth, the leading elder noticed Su Beichen accompanying them and had no choice but to swallow those words. He merely said in a low voice, "The Sect Master already knows what happened. He has dispatched numerous elders to search for the disciples. I'll take you back for now."
Some things were inconvenient to say in front of Su Beichen.
Yet Lin Shuguang clearly heard the respect in his tone. He glanced at the elder without revealing anything.
For this elder to speak to him so respectfully, something had probably happened within the sect that he didn't know about.
Lin Shuguang nodded and followed him with Xu Baiyang.
Su Beichen suddenly grabbed him and handed over something from his palm. Leaning close to his ear, he whispered, "I think you'll like this. Look at it after you get back. As for the other matters, you know and I know."
Lin Shuguang gave him a deep look and nodded. "Farewell. I'll await your good news."
"Don't worry." Su Beichen waved and watched the three of them leave.
The elder hesitated as he glanced at the two of them, then looked away as if he hadn't seen anything.
Still, he was astonished inwardly. Lin Shuguang had only just arrived, yet he had already managed to grow so close to the young master of Central Continent Prefecture. Clearly, he had extraordinary means. No wonder the ancestor had singled him out.
They boarded the treasure boat.
Xu Baiyang respectfully asked, "Uncle-Master Wang, have you found Uncle-Master Yun?"
Elder Wang comforted him. "We found him, but he was injured. He probably won't be able to get out of bed for some time. Fortunately, he survived. When you were at Demon Mountain, did you sense anything unusual? This incident happened so suddenly. Even that True Fate Realm expert from Jade Void Palace was caught up in it. It's difficult not to worry that something might be wrong..."
Xu Baiyang thought carefully before shaking his head. "At the time, I was taking the second test. Suddenly, I saw the mountain split apart, and there seemed to be the faint sound of a beast's roar coming from the void. I only made a guess then. It wasn't until the examiners from Jade Void Palace issued a warning that I realized something was wrong."
Lin Shuguang's account was more or less the same as Xu Baiyang's. However, he omitted the small interlude where he and Su Beichen had infiltrated Demon Mountain's interior, and he said nothing about Meng Jun of Five Thunder Sect.
Elder Wang fell silent. After a while, he shook his head. "Demon Mountain has revived. I don't know whether that's good or bad."
Xu Baiyang couldn't help asking, "Uncle-Master, wasn't it said that Demon Mountain had long since lost its divinity? How did it suddenly revive again?"
Elder Wang smiled. "It was an object from antiquity, after all. To have survived for so long, it must possess something extraordinary. No matter how powerful Xuanyuan City is, it can't compare with the ancient sages. They don't understand jack shit."
Such words were entirely unlike something that a disciple of Baojian Sect could say.
But perhaps because Jade Void Palace had suffered heavy losses, Elder Wang was in such high spirits.
The time it took to burn a stick of incense passed.
The treasure boat flew back to Baojian Sect. Disciples came and went, constantly carrying injured participants in and out, while the atmosphere among them was oppressive to the extreme.
"Come with me. The Sect Master instructed me to bring you to him. He wants to see you." Elder Wang spoke to Lin Shuguang in a low voice.
Xu Baiyang did not dare ask more and cupped his hands in farewell.
Elder Wang did not take Lin Shuguang to the Main Hall. Instead, he brought him to the rear mountain of Baojian Sect.
Lin Shuguang hadn't expected the rear mountain to conceal such a serene place.
Seeing the astonishment in Lin Shuguang's eyes, Elder Wang smiled and explained, "The Sect Master planted all these flowers and plants himself. Ordinary disciples—even those Heavenly Prides—can't come here whenever they please. The Sect Master specifically summoned you here, so there must be a deeper meaning."
"We're here."
Elder Wang nodded with a smile and gestured for Lin Shuguang to enter the courtyard.
When Lin Shuguang pushed open the door, he saw an old man seated in a pavilion not far away.
"The matter of Jintian was full of twists and turns. After such an experience, what are your thoughts?"
Lin Shuguang had only taken one step when some force tugged at him, and he instantly appeared in the pavilion.
Lin Shuguang couldn't help thinking that a high cultivation realm really was convenient. For everything, one only needed a thought.
"How do you want me to answer?"
Lin Shuguang showed no sign of unease as he sat across from the Sect Master of Baojian Sect. A stone table stood between them, with a bottle of wine and two jade cups upon it.
"You're an interesting little fellow." The Sect Master of Baojian Sect chuckled softly.
He picked up the wine cup himself. "At first, I was only half-convinced by your arrival. Now, with Demon Mountain—quiet for ten thousand years—having undergone such an upheaval, and Jade Void Palace, which had become the Imperial Lineage of Jintian, suffering such heavy losses because of it, you truly are the lucky star of my Baojian Sect."
Lin Shuguang glanced at him. "I have no background, no resources, and no power. This lucky star of yours will probably only end up being killed."
"Hahahahaha!" The Sect Master of Baojian Sect threw back his head and laughed. "Who says you have no background? Everyone in my Baojian Sect will support you. Besides, since our ancestor chose you, he will certainly appear when the time is right."
Lin Shuguang toyed with the jade cup. "Your Baojian Sect really likes handing out empty promises. He does it, and so do you. I'm just a young man who entered the Core Realm not long ago, yet you want me to go head-to-head with Jade Void Palace? I'll probably be dead before that person appears."
The Sect Master of Baojian Sect's expression changed. "He... he really is here!"
Lin Shuguang drank the spiritual wine in his hand, and his blood essence surged.
Such a small cup of spiritual wine had increased his blood essence by several thousand calories. This wine truly was excellent.
He set down the cup and poured himself another. "There's no need for probing questions. I've already told you everything I can. As for the rest, he has his own difficulties."
The Sect Master of Baojian Sect fell silent and set down his cup. "How much do you know about Baojian Sect's past?"
Lin Shuguang spread his hands. "Let's be frank and get straight to the point. If you want me to help you, what price are you prepared to pay?"
"!!!" The Sect Master of Baojian Sect was completely dumbfounded.
Lin Shuguang continued, "That person and I aren't master and disciple, and I have no Incense Offering Affection with your Baojian Sect. Since coming here, I've suffered countless slights. We'll have to settle all of that properly... In this world, I'm the only person who can contact him.
"Actually, I'm not asking for much... Really, not much..."
The hand of the Sect Master of Baojian Sect trembled around his wine cup.
"W-wait!"
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