Rest for Now

Chaos has probably truly arrived. Even a name like Qin Baichuan can't intimidate the scoundrels. Yet, only two days after he left Emei, someone dared to provoke him and went all the way to the Golden Summit.

Or perhaps it should be said that it was precisely because he left that some people dared to provoke him?

It remains unknown who exactly is challenging Emei. One rumor is that the Three Elders and Four Ancestors are fighting amongst themselves. It seems that not everyone within Emei wants to ascend to immortality. Another rumor is that an internal traitor colluded with outsiders to storm the mountain.

In short, since the Golden Summit has been sealed off for a long time and the situation is unclear, the only thing that can be confirmed is that the 'Mysterious Gate' leading from Emei to Yuntai Peak has been deliberately destroyed and all communication has been cut off. Moreover, the nearby sects have also confirmed that Emei not only sealed off the mountain with a large formation, but also seemed to have started a massacre, and the fighting inside was earth-shattering. There is no doubt that a Dao Lord-level figure has started the fight.

Therefore, naturally, all eyes in the world turned to the leader of the Xuanmen sect.

But now is not the time to worry about Emei; we're too busy with things at Ink Bamboo Mountain.

Although she had lost all her power, at least Qin Nanxin was no longer in mortal danger. All she needed to do was recuperate in the alchemy furnace and slowly recover in the Ink Bamboo Mountain Grotto-Heaven. As the guardian of Mozhu Mountain, Li Fan couldn't stay by Qin Nanxin's side forever. So, he left the rest to Xuantian to take care of, while he himself continued to go down the mountain to help clean up the mess.

By then it was already broad daylight. The Ink Bamboo Mountain had been attacked the night before, but by noon the next day, the True Immortals and Masters of the Middle Valley Dojo had arrived one after another with Sword Light and the ability to escape through the air. Their actions were incredibly swift. Li Fan naturally joined their patrol of the mountain, assisting in searching for the disciples' corpses, dispelling the evil energy, collecting the flesh and blood of the Devil Embryo, and confirming the status of the seals in various places.

The Chi Mei Wangliang and monsters vanished in an instant, as if they had merely happened to pass through Ink Bamboo Mountain and were simply exchanging a brief greeting.

But the damage still occurred.

Almost all of the new generation of disciples at Ink Bamboo Mountain have been wiped out; it can almost be described as a complete extinction.

Of course, if we divide the generations of Ink Bamboo Mountain disciples according to the tribulations of breaking through from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, then this is not the first time that Ink Bamboo Mountain has experienced a generational gap. From the time when Jade Toad Granny infiltrated Ink Bamboo Mountain to eat the children in Li Fan's generation to the tribulations at Tiantai Mountain, only five people returned alive.

During the years that Li Fan traveled Fourth Department, almost all of the new generation of disciples who joined the sect perished in this calamity if they had not formed their core during their adventures in Lei Marsh, participated in the war against Kun Country, or fought against demons in the Ten-thousand-mountains.

After searching for a whole day across two mountains and fourteen peaks, they only found four living people claiming to be disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain.

Moreover, only the newly enrolled disciple Lin Chen, who was officially registered and joined the sect, and who survived the night, is now unconscious due to excessive blood loss and is being treated in a medicine pot. Fortunately, Li Fan has obtained a lot of Immortal Ink Bamboo Mountain Immortal Spirit Jade Marrow, and he can also give Lin Chen an extra jar for him to cleanse his marrow and reshape his body. After all, he is Lin Xiang's brother, and now he is truly one of their own.

As for the other three, one was received last night, one was a reincarnation and disintegration, and the other was actually a fake!

"She initially claimed to be a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain, then said she was a wandering cultivator passing by. Later, she tried to escape, but her scent was too strong, so Dang Kang caught her. I searched and found this."

The one speaking was the village woman who fed Dang Kang. She was a disciple of Yangshuo Peak, the granddaughter of the peak master, Qiao Chunhua, and she had two braids. Although her name and appearance were rustic, she was actually quite pretty, with a youthful vibe like a friendly older sister, a female classmate, or a class monitor and academic representative.

She held out a piece of God Lord Jade, which immediately attracted the attention of everyone present.

At this time, in the Ink Bamboo Mountain Grotto-Heaven, since the abbot was still playing chess with the "guests" from Hengshan, the abbot of Lou Guan, Yao Xuanzhou, presided over the Dharma assembly. Li Fan, as the guardian of Mozhu Mountain, was also present along with the peak masters of the nine peaks of Bamboo Mountain who had returned and the guardians of various places.

Ban Yu, covered in blood and filth, was surrounded by a group of real people who commented on her strong odor, which made her eyes lifeless.

"This is the God Lord Jade! A token of the Divine Cult, passed down only to protectors, altar masters, and core disciples under the Ten Ultimate Venerables have rendered great service! Was it your Divine Cult that attacked my Ink Bamboo Mountain last night? Speak!"

The Daoist who stepped forward to interrogate them was none other than Yuhengzi of the Seven Star Peak of Bamboo Mountain. He was the head instructor of the Ink Bamboo Mountain disciples, who had succeeded Zhang Jiugao. Originally, he was the one leading the disciples in their cultivation, but because he needed to deal with the demon's lair in the Ten-thousand-mountains and was also preparing to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm, he had been stationed in the south to provide support, leaving the new disciples to be trained by Qingtingsou. He never expected that such a thing would happen now, and he had been in contact with the most of the dead disciples. Seeing them made him want to kill them.

However, this Ban Yu had indeed seen a lot of things. They had seen many Dharma Kings and Sect Leader, and they had seen even the fiercest ones. Besides, they were already dead. Since there was no way out, they simply let go and shouted with their heads held high.

"Last night I spent the night in the mountains and encountered four demonic cultivators from the Black Lotus Sect who were chasing your sect's disciples. So I stepped in to help and saved their lives. Emei disciple Qin Nanxin and that boy with the broken hand can testify to this!"

But then three more sword immortals appeared and killed everyone, and I was powerless to stop them. The grievances have their perpetrators, and the debts have their debtors. If you, Ink Bamboo Mountain, have the guts, go and seek revenge on them! Don't repay kindness with enmity and take your anger out on a weak woman like me!

Qiao Chunhua asked, "Then why didn't you say so before? Why were you planning to run away?"

Ban Yu glared at her, "I heard that your sect originally revered the three religions, but now it has joined the Xuanmen sect, and even the deity has withdrawn from the hall and no longer worships him. Now that I'm in your hands, what if I also 'disappear'? I'm too timid to utter a sound!"

"What sword immortal? Where did this sword immortal come from! From Hengshan?" Yuhengzi demanded through gritted teeth.

"How would I know? Go ask Emei!"

"You!"

Yuhengzi was about to make a move when Qiao Chunhua stopped him, stepping forward and saying, "Fellow Daoist, please calm down. Last night when I was rescuing people, I did see her running away with Junior Brother Lin. Perhaps she wasn't the thief. Don't harm the innocent."

Ban Yu looked around and noticed that after all the shouting, none of these True Lords were actually yelling or threatening to kill; they seemed to be a group that valued reason. Seeing an opportunity, he immediately feigned pitifulness and begged for mercy.

"Reporting to all the True Lords, I am Ban Yu, a candidate Saintess of the Divine Sect. I have heard that a candidate Saintess of our sect went missing near Ink Bamboo Mountain. There are rumors that she betrayed the sect and joined your sect. Because Saintess can sense each other, I was assigned to search for her. The missing Saintess Huo Hongmian. Do you know if such a person exists?"

Someone actually nodded and said, "There is such a person. He is currently a disciple of Tianmen Peak. Although he hasn't formed his core yet, he knows some martial arts and has been helping out at the Middle Valley Dojo. I heard that he used to be from the Divine Sect."

Ban Yu was taken aback. "You dare to take the Saintess of the Divine Cult as your disciple?"

"What's wrong with accepting them? Aren't there many rogue cultivators from the Divine Sect?"

"So what exactly is this 'Saintess' thing?"

"Are you a special professional who practices dual Cultivation Method?"

Li Fan almost wanted to cover his face...

Well, the Divine Cult is far away in Kunlun, and usually operates in secrecy in the Central Plains. When they fight, it's a battle at the level of a Divine Lord. These country bumpkins in the old forest of Ink Bamboo Mountain probably haven't heard much about the Divine Cult. After all, not everyone comes with a flamboyant old man.

Li Fan then coughed and said, "Legend has it that the Divine Cult raises some girls who are said to be the reincarnations of the Ten Absolute Divine Venerable Saintess. They are usually raised freely outside and are not taught the Divine Cult's Cultivation Method. They are just waiting for them to awaken Saintess on their own, but the probability is extremely low. They are usually used as sacrifices to the Blood God Demon Lord."

Huo Hongmian didn't want to waste her life like that, and our Ink Bamboo Mountain never cares about the karma of our disciples' past lives. Since she is willing to abandon darkness and embrace the light, and can pass our sect's tests, then it's a mutual agreement, and there's nothing we can't accept."

Upon hearing this, Ban Yu was greatly shocked. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Disciple Ban Yu is willing to abandon darkness for light, betray the demonic sect, and enter the Ink Bamboo Mountain to cultivate the righteous path!"

"..."

Well, the bumpkins of Ink Bamboo Mountain have certainly never seen anyone with such a flexible moral compass.

"Let's set this matter aside for now and first confirm the safety of our disciples," Yao Xuanzhou said, raising his hand. "Now that we've determined this woman is a member of the Divine Sect and not a disciple of our Ink Bamboo Mountain, take her to the Discipline Institute for safekeeping."

Seeing that his life was temporarily spared, Ban Yu didn't dare to cause any more trouble and obediently kept quiet.

Although Yuhengzi did not believe her, he had many important matters to attend to, so he had no choice but to endure it and put it aside for the time being.

Ban Yu, who had impersonated a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain, was imprisoned, while the other two rescued boys were brought forward.

This man was named Song Xiaoliu, the same boy who saved Qingting Sou at the foot of the mountain. Although he was initially unable to find the immortal mountain and become a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain, Qingting Sou still had to repay this life-saving grace. So he made an exception and accepted him as a personal disciple, and even gave him a new Daoist name, Song Dayou.

Okay, Li Fan thinks "Little Six" sounds better...

There was another person named Xiang Kong, a cultivator from a local Cultivation Family in Ink Bamboo Mountain. Like Lin Chen, he was one of the newly enrolled disciples who had joined the sect and been abducted. In fact, when he was dug out of the cave containing the flesh and blood of the demon god, he was already dead. However, the mountain lord's servant, Hua Nu, appeared and brought him a pair of twin swords, so he was 'alive' again. But at this moment, he was still confused, his memories were chaotic, and he had not yet figured out who he was.

With the mountain lord's flower servant by his side and two swords in hand, even if Li Fan didn't step forward and say it outright, the Real Persons present could roughly guess the background of this 'newcomer' from his previous life. However, according to the rules of Ink Bamboo Mountain, unless one awakens to enlightenment, others cannot offer advice or interfere. Therefore, they simply nodded in acknowledgment.

In addition Lin Chen was still recovering from his injuries and had not yet woken up, while Lin Xiang's condition was a bit too advanced. So the two of them decided to become disciples on the spot. Yao Xuanzhou encouraged them on their behalf and then handed them over to the mountain lord's flower servant to take to the academy. They each learned the Cultivation Method and became the new generation of formal Inner Sect disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain.

Now that we've dealt with the matter of the sect's disciples, it's time to discuss our enemies.

So, Qingyue, who had been running around like crazy last night, came out to explain.

"One of my enemies is the North Star Guard of the Immortal Palace Ziwei Yuan. These people have been assassins who kill cultivators since the era of the Immortal Emperor. I have counted three experts in the Nascent Soul Realm on this trip. They are all sword immortals who control swords. One of them came to assassinate me. He tried to stab me twice but failed and has already escaped."

The other two are specifically tasked with assassinating new disciples, taking on the karma of the killings to lure nearby Inner Sect disciples to ambush and assist them. The Soul Lamp Talisman also detected and calculated this person's location. However, this person actually kills using a set up sword formation and flying swords, concealing the secrets of heaven, thus always being one step ahead and never revealing himself to us.

The second person, hidden in the shadows, observed from the shadows, responsible for calculating and fine-tuning the timing to activate the sword formation. Therefore, each time they ambushed the reinforcements who came to rescue them, they were always unexpected and foolproof. The disciples near the Seven Stars, Crane Head, and Yangshuo Peaks all stepped into the sword formation without any precautions and were ambushed and killed.

As Ban Yu just mentioned, the disciples that Qiao Fengzhu found were also encountered and killed on the spot by these two North Star Guards. Later, one went north of Kunlun and the other south of Kunlun, and they have already fled separately. However, I have memorized their Divine Sense and calculated their whereabouts. They cannot escape my grasp."

Li Fan spent the entire night circling around, deducing the location of the thieves, examining and speculating on the method of murder, and even drawing and explaining the sword formation on the spot.

The disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain listened attentively and fell silent for a moment. They could see that, let alone the Inner Sect disciples, even they themselves, if they stepped into such a treacherous and ingenious trap, would probably be torn apart by the sword formation.

Li Fan gave them some time to digest the divinations and the three exquisite sword formations, and continued...

"The four Devil Embryo of the Black Lotus Sect are another group of people. Qingting Sou was also injured by them. Xiang Kong, Lin Chen and their group of disciples were also kidnapped by them, which is why they escaped the pursuit of the North Star Guard assassins."

Although their purpose is unknown, it is clear that the Black Lotus Sect's lineage has not been severed. Moreover, with the False Moon in the sky and celestial anomalies, these remnants of the demonic path will only grow stronger and should not be underestimated.

However, these four Devil Embryo really provided Ink Bamboo Mountain with a lot of 'wine and meat' this time. Right now, the Golden Core disciples from various departments outside are still processing piles and piles of materials.

"As for the Divine Cult, I didn't actually find any experts from them around last night. Maybe they were too weak to notice?"

In short, regardless of whether the Saintess is real or fake, Saintess should have a protector by her side. This protector has not yet been captured. Once they are found, we will know their purpose.

As for other demons and monsters, they're no match for us; just kill them when you see them."

Even so, Li Fan was somewhat helpless. He had discovered last night that being too powerful also had its own problems. His True Yang Technique was only recently mastered, and he couldn't control it well enough to conceal his cultivation level. Once he unleashed his true power in a chaotic killing spree, his Divine Sense would spread out like a torrent, causing the souls of surrounding Chi Mei Wangliang to tremble. Even from a great distance, they were shaken by this terrifying pressure. Often, after Li Fan killed just one, a large group around him would flee for their lives without stopping. No matter how fast Li Fan flew, he couldn't handle both rescuing people and chasing after the pursuers all by himself...

Therefore, the Real Persons present discussed the three matters: pursuing the assassins of the North Star Guard, searching for the remnants of the Black Lotus Sect, and capturing the protectors of the Divine Cult. They expressed their opinions and finally reached a consensus.

The peak masters of the nine peaks of Bamboo Mountain were naturally filled with hatred. The Southern Faction cultivators of Ink Bamboo Mountain were originally exiled losers, and naturally had no desire to get involved in the conflicts of the Central Plains. Being able to cultivate in seclusion on the Li Country, select disciples from the refugees to inherit the Daoist Tradition, and occasionally have a tug-of-war with the monsters of the Ten-thousand-mountains was already the life they had always dreamed of.

I never imagined that even in this lowly life, we still couldn't live peacefully. People came to kill their disciples, generation after generation. It's truly outrageous!

Ink Bamboo Mountain is indeed a group of country folk from the mountains. Their logic is very simple: if you're attacked, you attack back; blood for blood, tooth for tooth. In fact, this was the case when they Li Country Censorate. If they had cared about the big picture or understood forbearance, they wouldn't have had a mastermind like the Abbot to manage things, and things wouldn't have escalated to the point where they are now surrounded by enemies.

As expected, all the peak masters declared that, regardless of whether it was the north or south, they would never let these three North Star Guard assassins, who had committed countless blood feuds, go unpunished. They would chase them to the ends of the earth and kill them all to avenge their disciples!

As for the matter of the Black Lotus Sect and the Saintess of the Divine Sect, we'll have to ask Lin Chen and Qin Nanxin for details after they wake up. If Ban Yu harmed the disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain, then no matter what kind of Saintess or Dharma Protector she is, even the Heavenly King himself would have to cut off her head to avenge her!

Li Fan was in a bit of a dilemma, because those three North Star Guards were indeed ruthless killers and experienced experts.

Now that one assassination attempt has failed and he has vanished without a trace, the other two have also fled in different directions. While the skies are still within sight, if he were to pursue them with all his might, he could catch one of them if he personally intervenes.

But if only one person remains, and we don't send some experts, there's a possibility of being counter-attacked and killed. However, if we send too many people, wouldn't the situation become even worse, given that Ink Bamboo Mountain is already facing a shortage of manpower?

Hengshan is still lurking around Lou Guan Tower, and there are all sorts of other unsavory forces around him. It's really a bit troublesome...

Therefore, Yao Xuanzhou considered all opinions and finally made the decision.

"These two North Star Guards who slaughtered my Ink Bamboo Mountain disciples must not be let go, but such experts can only be pursued for seven days. If we can't catch them in seven days, we won't be able to find out their background either."

Those who fled to the Kunlun are to be pursued by Fellow Yuhengzi of Seven Star Temple, True Man Shang Jiannan, Peak Master of Crane Head Peak, and True Man Qiao Zhian, Peak Master of Yangshuo Peak. After the mission is accomplished, they can go directly to the Ten-thousand-mountains to provide support.

The other person will be sent by this humble Daoist priest himself. The Ink Bamboo Mountain Grotto-Heaven will be guarded by the True Person Qingyue of Moshan."

Li Fan was taken aback and was about to suggest that he take over the pursuit, but Yao Xuanzhou glanced at him and he suddenly remembered that the guardian of the Ink Bamboo Mountain Grotto-Heaven had always been the strongest person in the mountain.

Yes, now that he has mastered the True Yang Technique and reached the Integration Stage, his Dao power is inexhaustible. He can kill even Divine Transformation in the blink of an eye. His strength has indeed truly surpassed Yao Xuanzhou's.

So Li Fan stopped refusing and readily agreed.

"Please rest assured, Your Excellency!"

Although the other peak masters and guardians were not familiar with Li Fan and had not witnessed his abilities, and were somewhat hesitant, they all agreed since the abbot himself had made such a decision.

"As per the decree of the Control Yuan."