Master said the Source of the Origin God was hidden in Little Meng Mountain.
Liu Chengfeng sat cross-legged and looked inward, using the Celestial Body to sense Little Meng Mountain.
Wu Dao Sect stood in Ten Mile Village, outside Little Meng Mountain. His perception spread from Wu Dao Sect to Ten Mile Village, then onward to Little Meng Mountain.
As his perception spread, all kinds of sounds immediately flooded his mind. The old trees outside the village, the snakes and insects underground, and the mountain streams were all singing and whispering.
When his perception entered Little Meng Mountain, waves of primeval wildness washed over him. This was an aura he had never encountered in other small worlds.
It was a strange beast.
Feeling that primeval aura, Liu Chengfeng knew what it was.
Under the Sky Eye, he could see strange beasts roaming Little Meng Mountain, and some of their primeval auras were incredibly powerful.
But none of these were what Liu Chengfeng sought. He was looking for the Source of the Origin God hidden in Little Meng Mountain.
Master hadn't explained what the Source of the Progenitor looked like, so Liu Chengfeng could only search for it himself.
Liu Chengfeng's perception spread underground, and the Sky Eye also spotted spiritual energy deep beneath the earth.
He saw a Spirit Vein, no thicker than a thumb, flowing through the mountain range.
This was Little Meng Mountain's Spirit Vein. For cultivators of the divine path, Spirit Veins were incomparably important.
Every cultivator of the divine path needed to absorb the spiritual energy dispersed by a Spirit Vein to cultivate their God Treasury.
Liu Chengfeng turned the Heavenly Mound, seeking to awaken Little Meng Mountain.
Mountains had veins, and where there were veins, there was bound to be a spirit.
As Liu Chengfeng turned the Heavenly Mound, Little Meng Mountain had no choice but to be awakened by it.
"Who are you—"
Little Meng Mountain wasn't a vast range, but being forcibly awakened still left it annoyed.
"Tell me, the Source of the Origin God is hidden in the mountain. Do you know anything about it?"
"I don't know."
Little Meng Mountain was like a child who'd just woken up, thoroughly annoyed. Then it ignored Liu Chengfeng.
Liu Chengfeng kept turning the Heavenly Mound. The Celestial Body was an unparalleled treasure, and whenever the Heavenly Mound turned, Little Meng Mountain had no choice but to awaken.
"Don't know, then."
Having been forcibly awakened by the Heavenly Mound, Little Meng Mountain was ready to lose its temper.
"If I find the Source of the Progenitor, there'll be plenty in it for you. I can strengthen your Spirit Vein. What do you say?"
Liu Chengfeng's offer made Little Meng Mountain pause.
A moment later, he saw the Spirit Vein flowing through the mountain, guiding his perception to an extremely hidden place before diving underground once more.
The place was so secluded that the moment Liu Chengfeng's perception entered, it lost all sense of direction.
His curiosity grew. He used his spiritual power to drive the Celestial Body and turn the Heavenly Mound, seeing if he could awaken whatever was there.
"Water Caltrop Zongzi, Yellow Rice Wine, Sandalwood Incense—burn the incense, and I'll ferry you across."
At last, a voice came from within the fog.
Liu Chengfeng immediately looked through the Sky Eye, trying to pierce the mist.
Soon, a little boat surfaced in his mind. It was old, mottled, and cracked.
A corpse lay inside the boat.
The corpse had been dead for countless years. Its clothes had rotted into tatters, leaving white bones exposed.
Liu Chengfeng's heart leapt. It looked promising.
"Can you ferry me to the Origin?"
Liu Chengfeng looked at the corpse in the boat.
"Come and try."
The corpse in the boat didn't answer Liu Chengfeng directly.
"Could this be a trap? Will you ferry me to the underworld?"
Liu Chengfeng felt wary of anything that could break into his mind.
"If you don't try, how will you know? Whether I ferry you to the underworld or to the end of the road depends on your fate."
The corpse's words made Liu Chengfeng ponder for a moment.
This corpse wasn't necessarily the Source of the Progenitor he was looking for.
"Do you dare to try?"
The corpse asked Liu Chengfeng in turn.
"What's there to fear? If you dare to ferry me, I dare to go."
Liu Chengfeng had no better way. Why not give it a try?
"Good. Come and make offerings to me."
"Fine. Wait for me. I'll come and make offerings to you."
As soon as Liu Chengfeng finished speaking, the boat and the corpse vanished.
"To the end of the road."
Liu Chengfeng mulled it over. It might not be safe, but he had to go.
He would cultivate first and grow stronger before going.
Before Liu Chengfeng could begin cultivating, Zhao Jinnian, the other servant taken in by his master, came calling.
Zhou Yinfeng and Zhao Jinnian had both become his master's disciples midway through life.
After being sent to Little Meng Mountain, they had stayed to look after Wu Dao Sect's small holdings, waiting for Liu Chengfeng to return and inherit them.
"I've come today to leave Wu Dao Sect and regain my freedom."
Zhao Jinnian made no pleasantries when he arrived. He presented a deed of manumission.
As a servant, Zhao Jinnian hadn't stayed to guard the empty halls of Wu Dao Sect.
Instead, he had built his own Zhao Family Village outside Ten Mile Village, married, and raised children.
"What do you mean?"
Liu Chengfeng hadn't even gotten angry, but Zhou Yinfeng's expression had already changed.
The young master had only just returned, and Zhao Jinnian was already seeking his freedom and setting up on his own.
"My son has been blessed by a god and was accepted as a divine son by the Ancient Kingdom Court."
"I've also joined the Ascending Wu Clan as an elder's personal disciple. From this day on, I'm no longer part of Wu Dao Sect."
As Zhao Jinnian spoke, his manner turned arrogant, even contemptuous toward Liu Chengfeng.
Having freed himself from bondage, he now looked down on his former master.
Half a year earlier, when Liu Chengfeng had returned and fallen unconscious, a divine manifestation had suddenly appeared in Zhao Family Village.
Zhao Jinnian's son, Zhao Tian, had manifested divinity, accompanied by wondrous signs that shook the surrounding lands. Even great figures from the Ancient Kingdom Court had been alarmed.
Later, Zhao Tian had been taken away by those great figures from the Ancient Kingdom Court. Rumor had it he was accepted as a divine son.
The Ancient Kingdom Court governed a hundred kingdoms and a thousand sects. It was a towering mountain that countless cultivators of the divine path looked up to.
With his son accepted as a divine son by the Ancient Kingdom Court, Zhao Jinnian had risen on his son's coattails and joined the Ascending Wu Clan.
He had been a servant, but overnight his status had multiplied a hundredfold. How could Zhao Jinnian go on being a servant?
"You want to leave Wu Dao Sect and establish your own household."
Liu Chengfeng understood Zhao Jinnian's thinking. Having ascended through the dragon gate, how could he still be willing to serve as a servant?
"That's right."
Zhao Jinnian made no effort to hide his ambition.
"For all these years, I've managed Wu Dao Sect's holdings diligently and worked myself to the bone."
"The old ghost is gone, and you're barely of age."
"The mines, land, tenant farmers, and every other holding of Wu Dao Sect will be put under my name, so no one else can take them."
Zhao Jinnian wanted more than to free himself from servitude. He also wanted to swallow up all of Wu Dao Sect's holdings.
Wu Dao Sect might have been a small sect, but it still owned plenty of property in Ten Mile Village.
The land, tenant farmers, and mines in Ten Mile Village all belonged to Wu Dao Sect.
"You dare—"
Zhou Yinfeng was instantly furious, flames of rage seeming to spout from his eyes.
"Zhao Jinnian, don't forget that you were once so destitute you couldn't even get a meal."
"When you were about to freeze to death, Master took you in as a servant, gave you money, and taught you to cultivate the divine path."
"And now you dare forget his kindness, bully the young master, and seize the family's holdings!"
Zhou Yinfeng hated Zhao Jinnian so much for his treachery and for bullying the young master that he wanted to smash him to pieces.
Liu Chengfeng's expression darkened.
"Out of respect for Master, I can pretend you never said those words."
Liu Chengfeng stared coldly at Zhao Jinnian.
Zhao Jinnian wasn't afraid in the least. In his eyes, Liu Chengfeng was nothing but an ordinary mortal. The old ghost was long dead—who was there left for him to fear?
"You're nothing but an ordinary mortal. Don't think too highly of yourself. Do you really believe you're still the master?"
"If the old ghost had still been alive back then, would a brat like you have dared to order me around?"
"If you know what's good for you, get out of Ten Mile Village. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."
As Zhao Jinnian spoke, he stepped forward, his blood aura surging like that of a ferocious beast as he pressed down on Liu Chengfeng.
Zhao Jinnian had cultivated the divine path for many years. He had now reached the third stage of the Blood Sea Divine Treasury and could tear apart tigers and kill leopards with his bare hands.
"How dare you—"
Zhao Jinnian's insolence enraged Zhou Yinfeng. He stood in front of Liu Chengfeng like a small mountain.
Zhou Yinfeng had cultivated the same technique as Zhao Jinnian and was also at the third stage of the Blood Sea Divine Treasury.
"What's there to fear?"
Zhao Jinnian sneered arrogantly, looking down at Liu Chengfeng.
"Zhou Yinfeng, you may be able to protect him for a while, but you can't protect him forever."
"My son is a divine son. When he returns from his training, he'll rule this land."
"If you know what's good for you, hand over the holdings now and kneel to join my household. Otherwise, there'll be no place for you here in the future."
His son had become a divine son of the Ancient Kingdom Court, and he had joined the Ascending Wu Clan.
Zhao Jinnian was more confident than ever. He didn't take Liu Chengfeng, the young master, seriously at all.
"Ungrateful wretch, you deserve to die!"
Fury boiled over in Zhou Yinfeng. With a roar, his blood aura surged like a wild ox as he charged at Zhao Jinnian.
"Like I'd be afraid of you—"
Zhao Jinnian swung his arm and charged too, his blood aura bellowing like a wild ox. His fist, as big as a bowl, smashed toward Zhou Yinfeng.
The two clashed, smashing tables and chairs. Amid the thudding blows, they exchanged several moves.
Their fists met with a hard crack, kicking up a gale. The impact sent them both stumbling back several steps, their chests heaving.
They had cultivated the same technique and had equal strength, so neither could gain the upper hand.
"If you don't hand them over now, I'll come again. Next time I won't be so polite. I'll flatten Wu Dao Sect."
"Come back, and I'll cut off your dog's head."
Liu Chengfeng's expression darkened as he stared coldly at Zhao Jinnian.
Zhao Jinnian knew he couldn't deal with Liu Chengfeng just yet. He gave a heavy snort and turned to leave.
"My son is a divine son. One day he'll rule the world. You're nothing but an ant, and you're courting death."
Zhao Jinnian had already stepped outside, but he still tossed back one last threat.
"Young Master, I'll risk my life to kill that wicked servant."
Zhou Yinfeng was furious. Master hadn't only saved their lives—he had also given them a future.
For Zhao Jinnian to be so disloyal and ungrateful was a crime against heaven and earth.
"Uncle Feng, I'll handle him myself. Next time, I'll cut him down with my own hands."
After saying this, Liu Chengfeng went back to cultivate.
He needed to step up his cultivation not only to search for the Origin in Little Meng Mountain but also to cut down Zhao Jinnian, that wicked servant.
Liu Chengfeng took out the Angry Bear Mental Method and began reading it carefully, studying its meaning.
Cultivating the divine path meant cultivating God Treasuries, refining the Primordial Spirit, and condensing a divine mark.
The body had four God Treasuries, and each God Treasury corresponded to a cultivation mental method.
Mental methods cultivated God Treasuries, while techniques protected the body and repelled enemies.
Therefore, every cultivator of the divine path needed to practice both techniques and mental methods.
The Blood Sea Divine Treasury was the first God Treasury one needed to cultivate.
The Angry Bear Mental Method left behind by his master was a very ordinary introductory mental method, merely a middle-grade Human Scroll, and a common one at that.
Liu Chengfeng read it carefully and studied its meaning, committing the Angry Bear Mental Method to memory.
As the Angry Bear Mental Method surfaced in his mind, the Heavenly Mound suddenly lit up with a resonant hum.
Before Liu Chengfeng could react, the Heavenly Mound pulled the Angry Bear Mental Method out of his mind.
The Angry Bear Mental Method circled around the Heavenly Mound. As it revolved, the mental method was broken apart and reassembled.
At last, the Heavenly Mound rose and slammed down on the mental method. It was like a red-hot iron branding it, melting the entire method away.
He even heard a sizzling sound, as if it were giving off wisps of smoke.
After the mental method melted and was reforged, a brand-new Angry Bear Mental Method appeared in Liu Chengfeng's mind.
Beside the new Angry Bear Mental Method was an annotation: Supreme-grade Human Scroll.
"So it can do that—"
Seeing the Angry Bear Mental Method rise from middle grade to supreme grade, Liu Chengfeng was delighted too.
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