Deep in the Mountain Domain, an ordinary mountain dweller walked out from an ordinary stone cottage. He appeared barely over five chi tall, and his features were rather ugly. This ugliness was not merely perceived in mortal eyes, but etched into the Great Dao itself; every race would find him somewhat unsightly upon seeing him. Even the Shaman Clan and the human race, whose aesthetic tastes were diametrically opposed, would both consider him rather ugly.
Nearby, a small patch of the cliff wall came to life, transforming into three nearly identical giants who bowed in unison.
The ugly, diminutive mountain dweller said, "Pack your things. We are heading east."
One of the giants was startled. "Teacher, you intend to intervene there? That is the karma of the Bloodline Faction!"
Another giant chimed in, "Teacher! The Bloodline Faction is on the verge of suffering a massive downfall. Once Houtu finishes taking form, she will certainly seek retribution against them. That will be our golden opportunity to rescue the Immortal Ancestor. If we go now, wouldn't we just be acting as stepping stones for the Bloodline Faction?"
The last giant added, "Isn't the current situation already within your calculations? You said before that Wei Yuan was bound to have a major battle against the Bloodline Faction sooner or later. Now that the Bloodline Faction is about to be heavily crippled, why have you changed your mind? What about the Immortal Ancestor?"
The diminutive mountain dweller said, "I foresaw the outbreak of battle, but I did not foresee Houtu. Wei Yuan is himself a child of karmic destiny; calculating his fate is exceedingly difficult. Rather than calling it calculation, it is more like deduction and inference. Now that Houtu has appeared, I cannot remain aloof. That young girl's sword is formidable; Fifth and the others cannot hold them back."
One of the giants grew anxious. "Then what about the Immortal Ancestor?"
The diminutive mountain dweller said slowly, "Do you think the Second and Third High Mountains will abandon that side to appear and stop Houtu?"
"Absolutely not!" the three giants replied in unison.
The diminutive mountain dweller sighed. "The problem is that I cannot find the Second and Third, nor can I find the Immortal Ancestor. If I do nothing, nothing will change on the Immortal Ancestor's end, and Houtu will descend smoothly. Do you truly wish to experience the scenes of the Yuangu era all over again?"
The three giants did not know how to respond and could only kowtow frantically.
The diminutive mountain dweller walked past them, ascending into the sky step by step, vanishing into the void in the blink of an eye. As he traversed the Immortal Heaven, an unexpected swell of emotion stirred within him, inexplicably reminding him of the time long ago when he had just achieved success in his cultivation and went to pay homage to the First High Mountain.
Back then, that towering, mountain-like figure had leaned down slightly and said, "Di Ran, you are a good child. But if your kindness crosses the line, it will be exploited by many."
At that time, he had not understood the meaning behind those words. But now, he understood everything, including the thoughts hidden in the hearts of others. He knew even better how the imagery of Houtu's descent that had awakened him from his cultivation had come about.
Yet, even knowing what others thought, there were still things he had to do. It had nothing to do with anyone else; it was determined solely by his own heart.
***
In the Mountain Domain, Zhang Sheng fought the Mountain Folk Immortal Monarch alone, gradually gaining the upper hand.
Around her, sword light flickered incessantly, blooming and perishing in tens of thousands of rays. Massive boulders continually formed in the hands of the Mountain Folk Immortal Monarch, hurtling toward her one after another. According to common knowledge in the immortal realm, such brute, heavy attacks were the ultimate bane of sword cultivators—after all, immortal swords could not withstand relentless, crushing blows.
Yet every time a boulder came hurtling, several beams of sword light around Zhang Sheng would spin rapidly, flattening into a circular disc where the dual qi of yin and yang swirled, forming a Taiji diagram.
When the boulder struck, it plunged directly into the Taiji diagram. Simultaneously, an identical Taiji diagram manifested in the distance, and the boulder shot out from it, completely failing to harm Zhang Sheng in the slightest.
Meanwhile, every immortal sword Zhang Sheng launched in retaliation was shaped like an awl, spinning at high speed. Striking the Mountain Folk Immortal Monarch, they bored deep holes into his flesh, inflicting bone-deep agony.
Her swordsmanship was no longer based solely on her personal insights; researchers in Qingming had optimized the external form of the immortal swords, simultaneously calculating the optimal speed, spin, and entry angle under various types of Dao power. When bombarding nether iron, the penetration depth of these optimized immortal swords was seventy percent greater than what Zhang Sheng had devised on her own.
Facing an opponent as clumsy, massive, and crude as this Mountain Folk giant, Zhang Sheng's techniques remained unchanged, yet the destructive power of her attacks had surged exponentially.
The Mountain Folk Immortal Monarch advanced step by step, drawing closer to Houtu. Zhang Sheng retreated gradually, ready to deal a devastating blow the instant he showed an opening. The two sides were locked in a stalemate.
Just then, a beam of light suddenly descended from the sky, enveloping the Mountain Folk Immortal Monarch. His wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and his aura surged violently, returning to its peak condition!
Without hesitation, Zhang Sheng unleashed Qingping, slashing directly toward the sky.
A hand reached out from the void and gently caught Qingping, followed by a sigh: "Why must you exterminate every last one? Your human race has already claimed so much land. Why insist on summoning Houtu and severing all vitality across a hundred thousand li?"
With a sharp tug, Zhang Sheng tore Qingping free from the grip, and the blade flew back to her of its own accord. A cut had appeared in the palm of that hand.
Di Ran stepped out from the void. Looking at the cut on his palm, he was slightly moved and remarked, "A fine sword!"
Zhang Sheng replied, "I know it is a fine sword. I don't need your praise."
Di Ran said slowly, "In a clash between two races, I can no longer afford to observe such rules."
He addressed the Mountain Folk Immortal Monarch below, "Leave this to me. Go destroy Houtu."
The Mountain Folk Immortal Monarch blinked in surprise, then bowed deeply with great respect. "Yes, Fourth High Mountain."
However, he had dashed forward for less than a hundred li when his surroundings grew hazy, with countless figures faintly dancing around him.
The Immortal Monarch's movements instantly grew sluggish, and then Feng Tingyu and Ji Liuli appeared, pinning him down in a relentless grip.
Seeing this, Wei Yuan smiled faintly and said, "There are no living moves left."
High above in the Immortal Heaven, a vast will slowly surfaced.
In the secret realm, the Venerable Master did not look toward Houtu. His gaze was fixed solely on high, on that wisp of the Martial Ancestor's divine sense that only he could clearly perceive. That divine sense was still active, darting back and forth like a swimming fish, seemingly searching for something.
Though separated by great distance and severed by karma, Wei Yuan's words—"There are no living moves left"—seemed to echo within his heart. The Venerable Master naturally had not heard Wei Yuan speak, but in truth, he had no more pieces left to play.
Facing Houtu this time was nothing like obstructing Wei Yuan's ascension to immortality back then; the terrifying consequences tied the hands of the immortals, and none were willing to act.
Li Daoyan was as cunning as ever, having chosen to intercept Feng Hanzhou so that he would not have to confront Houtu directly.
Seeing that the Mountain Folk were at their wit's end, the Venerable Master hesitated no longer. He rose to his full height, his massive true body stepping out of the secret realm for the first time in several thousand years.
The moment he appeared, the Martial Ancestor's divine sense locked onto its target and shot down like lightning!
In an instant, that figure who had once looked down disdainfully upon the world and silenced all immortals reappeared, wearing a playful smile as he towered over the Venerable Master.
Terror surged into the Venerable Master's heart, freezing even his divine sense. The Martial Ancestor had truly appeared!
The Venerable Master said in a deep voice, "It has been several thousand years. Today is just the right time to settle old scores! Whatever methods you have, bring them on. I will take them—"
The Martial Ancestor smiled leisurely and said, "Are you trying to ask about that so-called backup plan of mine rumored across the world? There isn't one."
The Venerable Master froze. "How could there be none?"
The Martial Ancestor said, "Back then, I was busy sealing Heaven and Earth. Only after I finished everything did I remember that an entity like you even existed. So I gave it some thought and felt there was no need to leave behind any special methods just for you. Leaving a wisp of divine sense here to say a few words to you would be enough. I figured that by the time you gathered the courage to poke your head out of your turtle shell and face this wisp of my divine sense, the outstanding talents among the younger generation of my human race would already be beating you half to death, wouldn't they?"
The Venerable Master froze again. This divine sense of the Martial Ancestor was actually a bluff? And he had hidden away for several thousand years all because of a bluff?
The Martial Ancestor's figure gradually dissipated; clearly, he had not even imbued this divine sense with much immortal power. He cast one final glance at the Venerable Master and uttered just a single word:
"Trash."
Chapter 1494