"What proof do you have that she is the Church Leader's daughter?" Python Venerable asked.
"Quite apart from how much Little Yao resembles the Church Leader's wife, a blood kinship test will settle it when the time comes!" Yun Shuiqing said with complete confidence.
"If the Church Leader's remains are gone, we can find an expert to verify it through their auras."
"Surely you still have something the Church Leader left behind. One examination will tell us whether it is true!"
"Fine! I'll believe you for now," Python Venerable said gravely. "But even with my help, what can you accomplish?"
"Hu Yue has already been calling himself the acting Church Leader for years, and the Water and Fire Guards have backed him."
"Do you think he'll give up the Heavenly Net Divine Art and acknowledge this little girl as his leader?"
"The Heavenly Net Church today is no longer the Heavenly Net Church of old."
Yun Shuiqing said coldly, "That scoundrel Hu Yue is outrageously arrogant and defiant. I'll deal with him myself when the time comes."
"Just hold the others back for me. Once the dust settles, they'll know which side to stand on."
"Our Heavenly Net Church has declined over the years. Who knows how many disciples have died miserable deaths?"
"A hundred years ago, Earth Guard Valley Master was even publicly beheaded in the Imperial City..."
"So many disciples are desperately hoping the Heavenly Net Church can rise again."
At the mention of Valley Master, Python Venerable's face instantly darkened.
He and Valley Master had been close friends back then. When he heard that his friend had been publicly beheaded in the Imperial City, he had sought revenge in a fury.
Instead, he had fallen into the Imperial Family's trap and nearly been captured by the palace experts.
"Fine! I'll help you. We'll install this little girl as the new Church Leader and reunite the Heavenly Net Church!" he said.
After listening from the sidelines for so long, Fang Ling now understood who the two of them were.
They belonged to the Heavenly Net Church, which had once been the foremost sect in the Southern Sun Kingdom!
Its leaders had taken the name Rakshasa generation after generation, and every Rakshasa's fighting prowess had ranked among the very best in the Southern Sun Kingdom.
Beneath them were the Ghost and Phantom Envoys, the Eagle, Tiger, and Python Venerables, and the Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth Guards.
The two before him were Yun Shuiqing, the Phantom Envoy among the Ghost and Phantom Envoys, and Man Tianning, the Python Venerable among the Eagle, Tiger, and Python Venerables.
"Boy, where do you come from?" Man Tianning asked, turning an inscrutable gaze toward Fang Ling.
Fang Ling replied, "No sect, no school, no family. Just a Rogue Person."
"A Rogue Person with no ties to bind him. How fitting." He chuckled and raised a hand, about to kill Fang Ling.
But just then, Yun Shuiqing stopped him. "Wait!"
"This boy dared to venture into Heavenbreak Mountain alone. He must have some ability to rely on."
"He's still useful alive. We'll need him to protect Little Yao."
She looked at Fang Ling and said, "Young man, this is an opportunity for you."
"If you can protect this girl well, I guarantee you'll be amply rewarded in the future."
"How many more experts from your Heavenly Net Church are coming?" Fang Ling asked.
"Three to five, probably!" Yun Shuiqing replied. "Don't worry. Everything is under my control."
"I only need you to look after this girl, not fight them to the death."
"After all, I can hardly battle them while holding this girl's hand."
Fang Ling nodded, a faint excitement stirring within him.
These people from the Heavenly Net Church had decent cultivation. They would make excellent nourishment.
"At least you know what's good for you, boy." Seeing Fang Ling agree, Man Tianning smiled.
"Work hard for us, and we won't treat you poorly in the future."
"What's your name?"
"Fang Ling," he replied.
"Good, I'll remember it!" Man Tianning nodded.
Then he suddenly raised his voice and called into the darkness, "Master Qingye, why haven't you shown yourself yet? Do you really think the Enchantment Envoy and I can't sense your presence?"
"To think you noticed me. I thought only the Enchantment Envoy could sense I was here."
An old man slowly emerged from the darkness.
He wore tattered clothes, with a wine gourd tucked into his belt.
Smiling cheerfully, the old man walked over to Little Yao, crouched down, and studied her for a moment.
"Yes, she does bear a resemblance!" he murmured to himself.
"Master Qingye, what do you think of what I just said?" Yun Shuiqing asked calmly.
The old man stood up and let out a long sigh.
"Ah! If we can manage that, nothing could be better."
"I've spent all these years hiding here and there. It hasn't been much of a life!"
"Boy, let me introduce you. This is Master Qingye, the Wood Guard, one of our Heavenly Net Church's Five Guards!" Man Tianning told Fang Ling.
"He's a renowned physician and alchemist in the Southern Sun Kingdom. Even meeting him is an honor for you."
"You flatter me. I'm just an old man on his last legs!" Master Qingye said with a sheepish smile.
He circled Fang Ling a few times, then shook his head. "As for your innate constitution, boy... er... I really can't make sense of it just yet."
When Fang Ling heard that he could refine pills and treat illnesses, his eyes immediately lit up. He thought this man might be worth sparing.
"Hu Yue and the others probably won't arrive until tomorrow. You two should regulate your breathing and recover. There are plenty of fierce battles ahead," Yun Shuiqing said calmly, carrying Little Yao aside on her own.
Man Tianning rose and yawned, then leaped onto a treetop. "I'm in excellent shape. A little sleep will do."
Only Fang Ling and the scruffy Master Qingye remained beside the fire.
Master Qingye glanced at Fang Ling from time to time, his eyes full of puzzlement.
But he had plenty to deal with ahead, so he put those thoughts aside and silently sat cross-legged in meditation.
The next day, the group continued deeper into the mountain range, entering the main reaches of Heavenbreak Mountain.
"How strange. Demons and monsters gather here."
"Yet why haven't we encountered a single one?" Master Qingye asked doubtfully.
Man Tianning smiled. "Isn't it obvious?"
"With our cultivation, how would ordinary demons and monsters dare make trouble?"
"Our powerful auras must have frightened them into keeping their heads down."
Yun Shuiqing glanced at Man Tianning and asked, "What's wrong with that snake of yours?"
"It's a demonic creature at the peak of the Heavenly Jade Realm, after all. Why has it been so listless since last night?"
"I don't know either!" Man Tianning shrugged helplessly. "Maybe it hasn't adjusted to Heavenbreak Mountain's environment!"
"But it's more likely afraid of that vile beast in Heavenbreak Mountain."
"You know demonic beasts have far sharper senses than we do. It must have sensed it already."
"Let's wait for them here!" Yun Shuiqing stopped walking.
"If we go any deeper, I fear we'll encounter that vile beast first."
Man Tianning and Master Qingye nodded in full agreement and immediately settled down to rest.
Fang Ling looked up, having already detected the concealed aura deep within Heavenbreak Mountain.
This demon is in the Late Heavenly Balance Realm. Not bad, he thought.
The group camped where they were. Two hours later, more people arrived!
Three came at once, led by a middle-aged man who strode with the bearing of a dragon and a tiger.
His face looked chiseled by a blade, its contours sharply defined. His imposing presence radiated authority even without anger.
A man and a woman followed behind him. The man wore heavy makeup and had an effeminate air.
The woman, by contrast, looked valiant in silver armor, with three spearheads carried on her back.
"Tiger Venerable, Water Guard, Fire Guard, it's been a long time!" Man Tianning greeted them warmly.
Tiger Venerable Hu Yue ignored him outright, his gaze fixed entirely on Yun Shuiqing.
"Enchantment Envoy, you said the Church Leader died in the Netherworld Beast's lair. Is that true?" he asked.
Before you continue