Hundred-Broken Mountain

He placed the Nirvana Fruit on top of the Phoenix Egg. The next moment, something miraculous happened: the fruit in Ye Lin's hand began to slowly disappear, and a fiery-red glow flowed into the Phoenix Egg.

The life force within the Phoenix Egg grew stronger and stronger. Seeing this, Ye Lin urged the Phoenix Fire within him to pour out even more energy.

Just a few minutes later, Ye Lin lay on the ground, utterly drained. It was gone—not a single drop remained.

All the spiritual energy within him had been sucked dry by the Phoenix Egg before him.

"Little one, you sure can eat. I've spent a great deal of effort and resources trying to hatch you. I hope you won't disappoint me."

Ye Lin lay on the ground, utterly bereft, and spoke.

The life force within the Phoenix Egg was now very strong, but there was still some way to go before it hatched.

Just then, the Phoenix Egg trembled a few times, as if responding to Ye Lin.

"All right, little one. Sleep here in peace. Once I get the North Wind Fruit, I'll keep feeding you."

Ye Lin stroked the Phoenix Egg, then buried it underground again. No matter what, no one could be allowed to discover it.

If it were discovered, he would lose the egg—and his life.

One had to know that in ancient times, divine beasts had ruled heaven and earth. After the great battle of that era, they had all perished.

In other words, the Phoenix Egg before him was the only surviving offspring of a divine beast. Divine beasts had dominated the ancient era, when ruthless powerhouses had emerged one after another; their strength went without saying.

And the value of a divine beast's descendant was enough to make even Mahayana old monsters seize it without hesitation.

"No, I should wait three more days. I've only just joined the sect. If I leave now, I might arouse someone's suspicions."

Ye Lin thought it over, then turned and headed inside.

In others' eyes, he had only just escaped the demons and devils, and returned from the gates of death. If he left the sect before he had even found his footing, it would surely attract the attention of anyone looking for something suspicious.

He might as well stay quietly in the sect for three days. There was no rush to go until this matter had blown over.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed. That day, Ye Lin opened his eyes.

"My foundation at Qi Refining Level 9 is already very solid, but I still can't see any hope of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm."

Ye Lin shook his head and murmured.

"But let's see what my fate looks like."

Cultivation: Qi Refining Level 9

Fate Rank: Black (Calamitous)

Fate Traits: [Cursed with Bad Luck] [Divine Comprehension]

Destiny: In one month, Lin Zisheng will rely on an Inner Sect elder to expel the Sword Intent from his body, and his murderous intent toward you will grow ever stronger. Then, when you leave the sect a month from now, he will ambush you. You will use every trump card you have to escape, gravely wounded.

Recent Opportunity: None

[Cursed with Bad Luck]: Your luck is poor. For example, you're bound to trip while walking, and bound to be cheated on after marriage.

[Divine Comprehension]: Your comprehension is extraordinary, allowing you to master all kinds of techniques with remarkable speed. While others need three months to learn a technique, you need only a few days.

Looking at his panel, Ye Lin thought it over. It seemed the Sword Talisman had done quite a number on Lin Zisheng last time.

"In one month? He's planning to kill me as soon as he comes out of seclusion. He must really hold a grudge."

Ye Lin murmured to himself, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Now that he knew what fate had in store for him, things would be easy. Lin Zisheng was currently his walking treasure chest.

"Never mind. I'll get the North Wind Fruit first, then head to Golden City."

Having made up his mind, Ye Lin left the sect.

Hundred-Broken Mountain lay a hundred li from the Azure Cloud Sect, outside the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

After just three hours, Ye Lin had arrived at Hundred-Broken Mountain. He looked at the massive mountain before him and started up the slope.

The Spirit Spring was at the foot of the mountain, so Ye Lin searched around the base, looking for it.

Just then, he spotted a middle-aged man carrying a basket on his back and an axe in his hand, heading up the mountain.

Ye Lin hurried over and stopped him.

"Hello. Do you know where I can find a spring at the foot of this mountain?"

Ye Lin asked the man before him.

"A spring? Young man, follow this path for a thousand meters and you'll find it. But I should warn you, a Demon Beast has made its lair in that spring. You'd better be careful."

At that, Ye Lin nodded and cupped his fist toward the man.

"Thank you for letting me know."

With that, he followed the direction the man had pointed.

After walking about a thousand meters, Ye Lin did indeed find a spring. On the left was a tall cliff, with streams of water pouring down its face into the spring before him.

It was as natural as a mountain spring could be.

"The panel says it's at the bottom of the spring. The bottom looks only three or four meters down."

Standing on the ground, Ye Lin peered through the clear water and easily estimated its depth.

Then he plunged into the water and swam toward the bottom of the spring.

At the bottom, Ye Lin spotted half of a wooden box poking out from the soil nearby. He grabbed it and yanked; the box came free with ease.

Just as Ye Lin was about to swim back to the surface, something suddenly wrapped around his right leg.

Ye Lin looked down and saw a several-meter-long python slithering up his leg, winding around his body.

Seeing this, Ye Lin sped toward the surface.

"Whew, a Qi Refining Level 3 Demon Beast? How dare you?"

Once he reached the surface, Ye Lin looked down at his leg. The python had wound itself all the way around it. If he had been an ordinary person, he wouldn't have stood a chance of swimming up; he would have been finished the moment it caught him.

Ye Lin pulled a Long Sword from his Spatial Ring and slashed at the python's head beneath the water. In an instant, its head was severed from its body.

A few more slashes, and Ye Lin cut the whole python into pieces, which slowly sank to the bottom of the spring.

After putting away the Long Sword, Ye Lin climbed onto the bank, sat down, and opened the wooden box in his hand.

Inside lay three silver-white needles, each radiating a chill.

Even at Qi Refining Level 9, Ye Lin couldn't help shivering. The cold emanating from the silver needles was simply too intense.

"One prick from these, and forget the Qi Refining Realm—even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would immediately lose the ability to fight."

Ye Lin took a deep breath, closed the box, and put it into his Spatial Ring.

These three Ice Soul Needles were his trump card now, and they gave him a much better chance against Lin Zisheng's assassination attempt a month from now.

Then Ye Lin stood and looked toward the distant mountain, which rose several hundred meters high.

"Whew, Hundred-Broken Mountain is several hundred meters tall. Is it below the cliff?"

Looking at the mountain before him, Ye Lin headed for its highest point. The journey was quiet, and he didn't encounter any Demon Beasts causing trouble.

He reached the top with ease and went to the edge to look down.

Before him was a cliff that dropped almost straight down at a ninety-degree angle. There was nothing on the cliff face that he could climb down.

"I'm at Qi Refining Level 9 now. Even if I jump from here, at worst I'll be badly injured."

Ye Lin pondered for a moment, then climbed down the cliff face. Jumping would have been easier, but he wasn't a masochist.

"I really need to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm soon. Not being able to fly is such a hassle."

Ye Lin complained after painstakingly climbing down to the base of the mountain. He looked at his reddened hands and could only sigh.

A dense forest surrounded the foot of the mountain.

"Hm? There's a light over there. I should go take a look."

Just then, Ye Lin noticed a flickering glow in the bushes ahead. It caught his attention.

He immediately headed in that direction.