“Aren’t you worried she was faking it for you?” Yan Shunbei asked.
“What does she want from me?” Yan Xuan’s tone became somewhat bitter, “Now I am just a Qi Condensation cultivator and will only be a burden to anyone.” He quickly perked up and added, “Once we enter the Ten Absolutes Mountain, we won’t know what will happen, and she wouldn’t need to spend the effort to deceive me now.”
“Ten Absolutes Mountain is in Jingyuetian,” Yan Shunbei slowly said, “Although we truly had no idea what is inside the mountain, it’s the fact that it is under our management!” He looked at his son: “Over the years, there have been quite a few disciples of Jingyuetian who have entered the Ten Absolutes Mountain and came out alive.”
“Father.” Yan Xuan looked at his father, seeing the worry in his eyes, “I understand. But I choose to believe her — we can try to trust her once.”
“Alright,” Yan Shunbei stood up, brushing his sleeve. He slowly walked to the edge of the cliff and gazed into the distance: “These past two years, you haven’t been willing to come back often, I know you still somewhat blame me.” Yan Shunbei stood with his hands behind his back, sighing softly: “If we could have arrived one day earlier back then, your injury wouldn’t have been so severe…”
“Father,” Yan Xuan interrupted him, “Let’s not talk about the past anymore.” He stood up: “Even if I had to do it all over again, I would make the same choice, and so would you, right?”
“If I were in Father’s position, I probably would have made the same choice as you. I always remember what Father said. The road of achieving Dao is long and arduous, but as long as one is true to their heart, our Dao heart can remain firm.”
“Your son has always remembered and has been doing so,” Yan Xuan finished speaking, bowed to Yan Shunbei’s back figure, and then strode away.
Yan Shunbei did not turn around, still standing with his hands behind his back at the edge of the cliff, his long robe fluttering in the mountain wind. His skin, usually smooth, now seemed wrinkled by the wind. Listening to his son’s footsteps gradually fading away, Yan Shunbei sighed softly.
“What are you doing?” Ling Ji’s voice suddenly sounded behind him.
Yan Shunbei turned to face the uninvited master of the Duankong Sect, speaking expressionlessly, “What are you here for?”
“The one who just left, that was Yan Xuan, right?” Ling Ji looked back, “Is the kid still at odds with you?”
Yan Shunbei didn’t respond.
“I see.” Ling Ji smiled, “If I were trapped in danger, and my father left me to fend for myself for three days and three nights for the sake of the sect and Three Thousand Worlds, leading to the destruction of my core and turning from an envied Void Comprehending genius to what I am now, I would feel resentment too.”
“…You!” Yan Shunbei quickly took a deep breath to calm his tone, “You know very well what the situation was like at that time.”
“I know.” Ling Ji said, “But if it were my daughter, I would have rushed to her immediately, even if it meant letting down the entire world.”
“Hmph!” Yan Shunbei scoffed, “But I heard your daughter admires the legendary healer who sacrificed even herself for Three Thousand Worlds.”
“Alright, let’s talk about the Ten Absolutes Mountain,” Ling Ji quickly changed the subject, his face turning a bit pale, “Tell me everything you know.”
“That’s all I know. Don’t you know it too?” Yan Shunbei said.
“Ten Absolutes Mountain has been in your Jingyuetian for ten thousand years, haven’t you secretly studied them? Impossible!” Ling Ji said, “How can you be a sect leader like this? If it were in my Duankong Sect, I would have studied every single blade of grass by now.”
“That is a branch left by the ancient Ten Absolutes Mountain.” Yan Shunbei said.
“So you mean to say, apart from contributing a Qi Condensation son, your Jingyuetian has nothing else?” Ling Ji was almost laughing in exasperation.
Yan Shunbei: “…”
“Huh.” Ling Ji suddenly sighed, “To be honest, Yan Xuan is not bad, I see Qiqi gets along well with him.” This was the first time he called her “Qiqi,” and that too in front of an old friend and rival. For a moment, Ling Ji felt refreshed.
“You know, right? The Feng Alliance’s Xue clan also wants Qiqi to marry into their family,” Ling Ji continued, “That boy Xue Chengxuan and Qiqi are like-minded. He is barely worthy of her.”
“I see that kid from Anyun Summit is also following her wherever she goes. Anyun Summit practices both swordsmanship and spell cultivation, that kid is also quite talented,” Ling Ji added.
“Is it useful to talk about this now?” Yan Shunbei stared at him.
“Otherwise?” Ling Ji snorted, “You aren’t worried about your son, are you?”
Yan Shunbei closed his eyes and then opened them again: “The Demon Monarch’s Order has reappeared,” he said slowly.
“I know.” Ling Ji’s expression became serious and solemn.
“The Demon Monarch’s Order appears once every hundred years, and each time, it coincides with the centennial grand opening of the Ten Absolutes Mountain. It is said that the ancient Ten Absolutes Mountain has three branches, one each in the Three Thousand Worlds, the Demon Realm, and the Devil Realm.”
“So…” Ling Ji frowned, “Do you suspect that these three Ten Absolutes Mountains are interconnected?”
“I don’t know. But there is no definitive information on how the position of the Demon Monarch is contested. So…” Yan Shunbei said, “It’s not impossible.”
Ling Ji’s expression also became extremely grave.
“Moreover, if the Demon Realm also has a branch of the Ten Absolutes Mountain, it should be the strongest one.” Yan Shunbei continued, “Eighth-rank demon cultivators might participate, and perhaps even those of the ninth rank.”
“What about the Devil Realm?” Ling Ji’s gaze finally sharpened.
“The Devil Realm should be the weakest, no need to worry about that.”
“We have always had a relatively friendly relationship with the Demon Realm…” Ling Ji’s words stopped abruptly.
The celestial demon white tiger clan had been in charge of the Demon Realm for millennia and had been very friendly to the Three Thousand Worlds. However, the contest for the position of the demon monarch always ended with the demise of several powerful royal clan members. The fierceness of these contests could be fully imagined, even by those who were not involved. If that’s the case, the danger of Ten Absolutes Mountain this time might be…
“Meng Qi can’t go,” Ling Ji suddenly turned around.
“She came on her own, asking to enter the Ten Absolutes Mountain,” Yan Shunbei said.
“But…” Ling Ji frowned deeply.
“She will definitely go this time.” Yan Shunbei spoke calmly: “The black-robed youth who came with her is from the Ji family. He must have already told Meng Qi about these things.” He looked at Ling Ji and suddenly smiled: “Just now you proudly counted and seemed to miss two people. One is the Ji Wujiong I mentioned. Meng Qi has the token of the Ji clan head, which must have been given by him. You should know what that means. The other one…”
Yan Shunbei sighed softly: “I think that person will also participate in the monarch battle this time. Truly intimidating.”
“…” Now it was Ling Ji’s turn to be silent.
…
“What?” Meng Qi jumped up, “Are you serious?” She looked at Ji Wujiong in disbelief, murmuring, “You mean…”
“Yes.” Ji Wujiong nodded solemnly, “I’ve had the elders of my clan check these past few days. This minor Ten Absolutes Mountain in Jingyuetian should be connected to the Demon Realm. The Demon Monarch’s Order has reappeared in the Demon Realm, and the battlefield is likely to be in the Ten Absolutes Mountain.” He sighed, “The danger of the Ten Absolutes Mountain this time might be beyond our imagination. Maybe you shouldn’t go this time, let’s think of another way.”
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