I Am Liu Ji of Pei County. Might I Ask Which True Lord of the Mountain Stands Before Me?

Three days later, upon reaching the desolate wasteland on the border between Han and Wei, where he had sensed something-

The young wandering swordsman frowned.

Everything he could see straight ahead was barren desert and gobi, without a blade of grass, with corpses strewn everywhere and an eerie, oppressive Yin Qi.

More importantly, Liu Ji detected the barrier to perception the True Lords had erected here.

Recalling the two incidents from not long ago, he had a rough idea why this place had become like this.

"Not long ago, because of the conflict between the righteous and demonic paths..."

"While that [Emptiness Mansion] of the Mysterious-Swallowing Dao was ascending to heaven and stabilizing 'Void Heaven,' he joined forces with the one from Xuānxiāo Palace to strike down the [Shen Constellation] who guarded the world."

"And the demonic path happened to seize the opportunity. The remnants of the Third Devil Lineage still hadn't given up on rescuing the Third Devil Ancestor-"

"So, while the aftershocks had yet to subside and the great ones on the mountain had not turned their gaze downward, they caused some trouble for the grand undertaking of mending heaven. They manipulated mortal affairs in Middle Earth and had Qi State destroy Han State..."

"Although the True Lords made up for it in time once they realized what had happened, the mortals who had already fled across the border were ultimately not worth a glance from them."

"Not to mention there's trouble like this here, too..."

At that thought, Liu Ji crouched down, reached out with his right hand, and scooped up a handful of earth.

Then he slowly opened his hand, letting it fall bit by bit and scatter on the wind.

"This place was tainted by a trace of death from that [Shen Constellation], and any mortal who entered it was fated to die."

"Even if they got out, they would still die when their time came, and might even drag others down with them-"

"So the great ones on the mountain waved a hand and simply let them all die here, sparing themselves any further upheaval."

As for why they hadn't saved these mortals while they were at it-

Heh. If those great ones of the Southern Dipper Palace, known for cherishing life, hadn't been held back by the [Scar of Heaven] and unable to spare themselves,

And if the Chan School hadn't sealed its mountain and shut its doors because of the Third Devil Lineage,

They might well have felt compassion and lent a hand.

But how could the great ones of the other Dao lineages waste their time on such a trifling matter?

Liu Ji said nothing more, nor did he feel any particular emotion. After a long silence, he merely shook his head slightly, mourning the people here.

If he could, he would have liked to save them, and his fate could have temporarily suppressed their certain-death fate.

But unfortunately, he had learned of it too late and arrived too late as well.

By now, he feared there were no living people left here, apart from that "old friend" in the distance whose presence he had sensed.

"J-Ji... Brother Ji..." Behind him, Xiahou Ying, who had been dry-heaving for a long time at the sight before him, finally recovered.

He stammered, "How did this place end up like this?"

Then he added, "Are we still taking this road?"

What a disgrace. You can't even handle a little scene like this?

How embarrassing. When the grand undertaking begins and you and everyone else remember your past lives and regain your Five Dharmas cultivation-

I'll have to give them a good laugh at your expense over this.

Liu Ji amused himself with the thought, though he had no intention of letting Xiahou Ying continue making a fool of himself now.

"There was a calamity in Han State, I suppose. Who can say for sure about these things?"

He was vague about what had happened.

Then he continued, "With things like this, you certainly can't take this road. Make a detour and head home by the route we planned before."

"As for me, give me enough provisions. I'm going to take a look."

Xiahou Ying had known he would say that. After all, his big brother had feared neither heaven nor earth since childhood.

"Then don't get held up on the way. If you get back ten days or half a month later than me, Lord Xiao and the old patriarch might start nagging me again."

He muttered helplessly, but at no point did he object to Liu Ji's decision or worry about him.

Worry?

What a joke. Even if some desperate outlaw really did run into my big brother, the one who should be worried would be the outlaw.

Here's a little-known fact: even driving a carriage, I can't go as fast as my big brother can run-

And in all these years, I've never seen anyone fiercer than him!

Following Liu Ji's instructions, Xiahou Ying wrapped enough rations and several pieces of clothing into a bundle from the carriage and placed it in his hands.

He said nothing more, drove the carriage onto another road, and left.

Liu Ji wasted no time either. Following his senses, he walked slowly in the direction they guided him.

He didn't use his cultivation to travel-

First, there was no need. Whether he went faster or slower made no difference. Before the grand undertaking of mending heaven began, his old friends would not die, no matter what.

And King Zheng of Qin had yet to reach the point where "the six kings were finished and the four seas united." The attainment and subsequent death that would mark the opening of the grand undertaking were still a long way off.

At this point, even a True Lord could lose his position, but nothing would happen to "people chosen by heaven" like them.

Anyone who wanted to pull tricks over this was asking for an elbow strike from that one, the most manifest under heaven.

Second, there were the restrictions already in place. Middle Earth was different from other places.

Because of the grand undertaking of mending heaven, cultivators above the Purple Mansion realm were practically forbidden from taking action in the mortal world here.

Even when the grand undertaking began in the future, they would have to fight on two battlefields.

One in the mortal world, and one in the Great Void.

As for the third reason, that was entirely down to Liu Ji's mischievous tastes.

Although seven hundred years ago, they had all stood united against a common enemy and declared themselves ready to fight to the death without a moment's hesitation,

In the future grand undertaking of mending heaven, some of them were destined not to stand on his side-

He didn't think the old friend he had sensed was on his side.

After all, it couldn't possibly be Zifang, who was still very young, running all the way here, could it?

That meant it was someone on the side of that fellow who hadn't been born yet.

It was only because everyone except him had yet to remember the past that the task of rescuing him had fallen to him.

What more was there to say...

Wouldn't it go against his love of watching a spectacle without caring how big it got if he didn't take a look at the fellow's miserable state?

Liu Ji went looking for him with that thought in mind, but halfway there, he noticed something was wrong.

He had actually found traces of human activity.

Living people who, at most a few days ago, had cooked refined rice obtained from who knew where and then abandoned their camp.

For some reason, they had headed in the direction he had sensed.

Liu Ji panicked a little. Did that "old friend" come here to save people rather than being trapped here?

And did he actually save them?

Fuck... In Han State, someone who would do that-could it really be him?

This was no joke. If it really was Little Liangzi from his side, he couldn't let him suffer.

With that thought, he quickened his pace.

Then, halfway there, he unexpectedly encountered another group of refugees who, to his surprise, were still alive.

Liu Ji easily slipped in among them and soon discovered that they were being led by someone carrying a talisman.

Asking around, he learned that the man had brought them grain and declared it a blessing and gift from an "immortal."

Now, following the "immortal's" spoken instructions, he was taking them to the "immortal"-

The "immortal" had promised to bring them a way to survive.

Having dismissed his earlier thought, Liu Ji breathed a sigh of relief, but he was also somewhat surprised.

Could it be that a great one from the mountain came to rescue people in person too?

And got here even faster than I did?

That shouldn't be possible...

Still puzzled, Liu Ji soon reached the camp where more than ten thousand people had gathered-

Then he saw "Han Fei."

As understanding dawned, he also saw the figure standing beneath a tree, whom everyone here called an "immortal."

"I am Liu Ji of Pei County. Might I ask which True Lord of the mountain stands before me?"

That day, after gathering almost all the refugees who were still alive, Lü Yuan stood beneath the tree, waiting for the "chance of survival" as instructed by the Immortal Book.

He heard those irreverent words from the young wandering swordsman who had walked straight toward him after entering the camp.

Behind the mask was uncontainable astonishment.