Inspection

At Ten Thousand Zhang Blade Cliff, the wind howled past.

As the voice fell, the tense atmosphere instantly eased.

The Eldest Young Master had actually hurried back from the Ancient Abyss.

With the Eldest Young Master's order, there was naturally no need for everyone present to keep playing house with the Third Young Master.

Of the four figures hovering in the air, three vanished in an instant. Only the woman called Ying'er remained standing where she was.

After a brief silence,

Xu Ying'er stared at the blood-colored figure standing at the cave entrance and spoke softly again:

"Third Young Master, please come with me. The Eldest Young Master is waiting for you at the mountaintop."

"."

Xu Yuan didn't hurry to lower the hand touching his neck. Instead, he continued staring at the figure hovering in the air and called softly:

"Mr. Ran, we can go now."

"."

Hearing his voice, Ran Qingmo slowly walked out of the cave abode. Silent, she stood beside him with her sword in hand.

The sudden sunlight outside the cave was difficult for her eyes to adjust to.

She closed her eyes,

then opened them.

Below Hanging Heaven Cliff,

beneath the brilliant sunlight, clouds billowed across the sky with the wind. She couldn't see the boundless world in its entirety, but she could clearly see the man standing beside her.

Her beautiful eyes lowered slightly as she spoke softly:

"I'm leaving."

"Mm. Take care."

Xu Yuan glanced sideways at her, his voice calm. "What I said earlier still stands. If you change your mind, you can come find me in Jingjiang City."

He was referring to the offer of cooperation he had made to her in the Buddhist hall.

Ran Qingmo parted her red lips, then fell silent for several seconds. In the end, she only gave a slight nod.

"Okay."

As her voice fell,

Ran Qingmo turned around. The Ice Cloud Steps condensed soundlessly beneath her feet, and she stepped onto them lightly.

"Oh, right."

The voice that suddenly came from behind made her pause.

Xu Yuan looked at her slender figure and said softly:

"My name is Xu Yuan."

"."

Ran Qingmo looked back at the man behind her, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Xu Yuan's eyes crinkled with a smile as he repeated:

"I said, my name is Xu Yuan."

"."

Her reply was as sparse with words as it had been when they first met. "...Mm. All right, I'll remember."

She left, dressed in black as dark as ink.

After a few light leaps through the air, she swiftly dwindled into a black speck and disappeared at the edge of the horizon.

Only after watching her vanish completely did Xu Yuan slowly lower his hand from his neck.

He had now repaid the debt of gratitude he owed Ran Qingmo for helping him.

Turning to Ying'er, who hovered in the air, Xu Yuan instructed her calmly:

"Take me up."

The clouds churned before his eyes, surging forward until the view suddenly opened up and the azure sky appeared.

In a daze, Xu Yuan found himself back atop Hanging Heaven Cliff, brought there by the masked Ying'er.

He felt fairly calm about meeting Xu Changge. After all, he had inherited the original body's memories, and the Blood Origin Heart-Meteor Art had tempered him.

His identity as Xu Changtian was now unassailable.

After bringing Xu Yuan up, Ying'er didn't say a word. She simply walked ahead on her own.

Following her gaze, Xu Yuan's pitch-black pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints.

Atop the mountain, he saw another enormous Seven-Life Python head.

The reason he said "another" was that, unlike the one belonging to Ji Qingyue, all seven lotus flowers atop this Seven-Life Python's head had blossomed. A massive dark-green horn had also grown from its crown.

Xu Yuan stared at it for a long time before finally confirming whose head it was.

Well, another heroine had been chopped up by Xu Changge.

Judging by its features, this head probably belonged to Ji Qingyue's older sister, Ji Fenghua.

The plot of Cangyuan had only just begun, yet the princess sisters of the Snake Demon Clan within the Ancient Abyss had already been wiped out.

The Xu Xian storyline he'd once played through in Cangyuan was completely gone.

But that wry thought was only a fleeting one. Xu Yuan quickly realized how serious this was.

The direct deaths of two important heroines meant that the butterfly effect he had caused had already sent Cangyuan's story spiraling out of control.

The future had become unpredictable.

He took a deep breath to steady himself, then moved his gaze again.

Finally,

his eyes naturally settled on a handsome man.

Xu Changge.

He sat quietly beneath Ji Fenghua's enormous python head.

He wore blue robes with dark cloud patterns on the sleeves. A faint sheen seemed to flow across his skin, and his deep eyes were as dark as a frigid pool. His long hair fluttered gently in the breeze atop the mountain.

Just sitting there, he made others feel painfully inferior.

It was as if some people were born to be like the bright moon in the night sky—gentle and not dazzling, yet still making everyone aware of their own insignificance.

But none of that mattered to Xu Yuan at the moment.

What mattered was,

why was a man like this holding a long, thick cane?

The memories in his mind stirred up an ominous premonition. He immediately shouted in the original body's voice:

"Xu Changge, I'm warning you!"

"Crack!"

Xu Yuan hadn't even finished speaking when the man opposite him narrowed his eyes. The cane in his hand lashed toward Xu Yuan like a coiling snake.

"..." Xu Yuan.

Damn it, what kind of big brother was this? He was already twenty, and his brother was still using violent discipline on him?

Xu Yuan hurriedly circulated his cultivation art, pouring Source Qi into his eyes before he could make out the path of the cane.

He dodged to the side.

"Crack!"

The cane struck the ground beside him, kicking up a cloud of dust.

As it drew back, Xu Yuan saw a deep lash mark left on the ground.

He turned to look back and shouted:

"Xu Changge, are you serious?!"

"Crack!"

Xu Changge's expression remained calm as he swung the second lash, his voice gentle and unhurried:

"If you think it's serious, then it is."

This time, the cane moved even faster. Xu Yuan had to exert all his strength just to dodge it.

The lash mark left on the ground was deep enough to split a small stone by the cliff's edge.

At the sight of this, Xu Yuan was genuinely getting angry. He opened his mouth to keep cursing, but Xu Changge's third lash was already coming.

Xu Yuan took a deep breath and sent his Will Soul out to sense it. Strands of rosy Source Qi rose from his hand, catching the incoming cane in midair.

The moment that wisp of blood-colored Source Qi appeared, Xu Changge's long, narrow eyes narrowed to slits.

As the rosy Source Qi rose from Xu Yuan's hand, blood-colored flames ignited along the cane.

The blood-red fire raced along the cane, burning its way toward Xu Changge at the other end!

Yet Xu Changge remained seated where he was, quietly waiting for the flames to reach him. He simply let the strange blood-red fire dance in his hand.

Looking at the flames, a flicker of surprise passed through Xu Changge's deep eyes. He casually squeezed his hand, and the flames vanished at once.

"This cultivation art is quite good."

Xu Yuan opened his mouth, about to say something, but before he could get a word out, Xu Changge stood up and swept his sleeve toward him.

In an instant, gusts of wind formed out of thin air from every direction. Xu Yuan's body became like a tiny boat caught in a storm at sea, flying uncontrollably toward Xu Changge.

At last, he stopped in midair, two meters away from Xu Changge.

Xu Changge stood with his hands behind his back, watching him with a placid gaze.

Xu Yuan struggled to speak, but found that Xu Changge had pinned him down so completely that he couldn't even move a finger.

Silent, they stared at each other.

After a long while, Xu Yuan still chose to look away.

He had a vague feeling that if he kept staring, his big brother would hang him up and beat him.

While Xu Yuan's thoughts wandered, Xu Changge also looked away and spoke softly to Juexing beside him:

"Master Juexing, sorry for the trouble. Please examine Changtian's body."

At the name Juexing, Xu Yuan's wandering thoughts instantly snapped back, and his heart gave a sudden lurch.

The monk Juexing was one of the few cultivators capable of detecting a mismatch between a person's Will Soul and body.

Xu Changge said he wanted to examine his body, but he was really questioning Xu Yuan's identity.

Why?

Was it because of his cultivation art?

Or because he had threatened to kill himself?

But according to his memories, the original body had done ridiculous things like threatening suicide before.

Before he could think further, a kind-faced, bald monk slowly approached Xu Yuan, who was suspended in midair.

He bowed slightly and joined his palms in a respectful salute.

"Third Young Master, forgive this humble monk for the offense."

He raised his hand slightly, and an unfamiliar Source Qi entered Xu Yuan's body from a distance.

This Source Qi did not follow his meridians. Instead, it traveled through his body along a strange route.

Though he knew Juexing would most likely find nothing, Xu Yuan still circulated his cultivation art to resist the invading Source Qi, trying to better match the original body's temperament.

Naturally, it was useless. The strange Source Qi still infiltrated his body.

For a time, silence settled over the mountaintop.

As the strange Source Qi continued seeping into Xu Yuan's body, Juexing's expression grew more and more surprised.

Meanwhile, seeing Juexing's expression, Xu Changge's gaze grew increasingly gloomy.

After a long while,

Juexing slowly stepped back and bowed apologetically to Xu Yuan once more.

He turned to Xu Changge, who stood at his side, looking as though he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Xu Changge seemed to have braced himself for something. He took a deep breath, his voice calm but tinged with coldness.

"Master Juexing, if you've found anything on Changtian, you may speak freely."

As he spoke,

he cast a sidelong glance at Xu Yuan, still suspended in midair.

Hearing the Eldest Young Master's words, Juexing froze for a moment. He immediately realized that his expression had apparently led the Eldest Young Master to misunderstand, and hurried to explain:

"Eldest Young Master, the Third Young Master is in good health. It's just..."

At the words "in good health," something in Xu Changge's heart seemed to settle. His gaze immediately softened as he asked:

"It's just what?"

Juexing glanced sideways at Xu Yuan, who was still hanging in midair. After considering his words, he spoke softly:

"It's just that the Third Young Master, um..."

After hesitating for a long while, Juexing finally said uncertainly:

"Right now, the Third Young Master seems to have, um... become an Innate Dao Body."

"What?"

The usually refined and gentle Xu Changge finally showed a trace of astonishment.

The next moment,

Xu Yuan felt the pressure on his body vanish, and he fell straight downward.

Before he could hit the ground, however, a gentle gust of wind caught him.

Immediately afterward, a vast torrent of azure Source Qi poured into his body.

That familiar feeling of invasion came again. Xu Yuan didn't even want to resist anymore.

It seemed like anyone he met could send Source Qi into his body and wander around for a couple of laps.

A moment later,

the azure Source Qi withdrew.

Xu Changge stepped back two paces and scrutinized Xu Yuan from head to toe.

Xu Yuan had regained control of his body. He craned his neck and glared back at his elder brother, mimicking the original owner's tone.

"Xu Changge, what are you staring at? Once my cultivation catches up to yours, you're dead!"

At those words,

the corner of Xu Changge's thin lips twitched almost imperceptibly, as if he wanted to smile but held it back.

In the end, he swept his sleeve and let out a cold snort through his nose.

"You think you can beat me, you good-for-nothing?

"You get the tiniest scrap of fortune and your tail shoots up to the sky. Because of all the rotten things you did in Jingjiang City, Father had to make such a huge fuss just to come rescue you!

"Forget it. There's no point talking to you. Ying'er! Bring me my whip!"

It's still 3k. Thank you all for reading and voting.

The author types slowly. I've already done my best to manage 6k updates a day.

ONZ