Mount Fengyang

A streak of escape light converged, and an armored youth at the Core Formation stage landed before the hall. The armored youth hurried inside and bowed to the three figures within, one after another. "Did you find any trace of that person?" Before the youth could report, the green-robed elder spoke up to inquire. "Reporting to Master, upon receiving your command, I immediately led a search party across the islands. We searched for five days and covered nearly every island, but found nothing out of the ordinary," the armored youth replied with cupped hands. The green-robed elder nodded slightly, not in the least surprised. From that person's previous actions, it was clear he was exceedingly cautious and suspicious; he certainly would not leave any tracks behind. What truly concerned the green-robed elder was something else. "Has the word been spread?" The armored youth nodded. "Word has already been sent to every island and all cultivators, and messengers have been dispatched back to Mount Fengyang. Fourth Junior Brother has presumably begun taking action as well..." "Good! Step down for now. Make no further moves, lest you overplay your hand and spoil everything." Dismissing the young man, the green-robed elder turned to the other two Nascent Soul cultivators. "That person is healing somewhere in hiding. Once he emerges from seclusion and comes into contact with other cultivators, he will receive the news—unless, of course, he has already left Mount Fengyang's territory." One of the Nascent Soul cultivators was a woman of striking beauty, adorned in a phoenix coronet and exquisite robes. Looking toward the retreating back of the armored youth, she asked, "Fellow Daoist Feng, do you truly intend to invite him to join us against the Bifang?" "Indeed!" The green-robed elder nodded. "He took on three demon kings alone, and one of them was the Bifang. Even I cannot guarantee I would emerge unscathed from such an encounter. For such an expert to suddenly appear—and with an existing grudge against the Bifang—it is a godsend for us. Naturally, we must do everything in our power to recruit him!" The other Nascent Soul cultivator was a man of handsome and dashing bearing, dressed in black robes with a longsword at his waist, resembling a chivalric swordsman wandering the mortal realm. The black-robed swordsman smiled faintly. "To be held in such high regard by Fellow Daoist Feng, this person must indeed possess remarkable abilities. Still, for an expert like him to barge into these waters out of nowhere at a time like this, could there be foul play? Fellow Daoist Feng, have you uncovered anything about his background?" The green-robed elder shook his head. "At the time, we only caught a glimpse of his escape light from afar and could only tell he excels in Thunder Escape arts. Fellow Daoist Shen and I racked our brains, but could not recall anyone like him. However, after he departed, Fellow Daoist Shen and I searched along the path the Bifang had pursued him from, and we found a destroyed dragon ship. It remains unclear whether it was related to him." "A dragon ship? Could he have come from the Star Sand Islands?" the female cultivator asked, surprised. "It is still unclear for now. But as long as he is not of the demon race, everything is open for discussion. No matter what scheme he might harbor, could it truly elude our eyes?" the green-robed elder said dismissively. "Fellow Daoist Feng makes a good point. He might have relied solely on his Thunder Escape technique to get away; his true strength might not be all that formidable," the black-robed swordsman agreed, equally relaxed. *** In the Crescent Moon Realm. Atop a nameless mountain shrouded in thick mist, streaks of light darted in and out of the vapor from time to time. As it turned out, this was where local cultivators held a trade fair—though naturally, those in attendance were merely unremarkable, low-level cultivators. The mist rippled. A figure drifted out from within. It was Qin Sang, who had successfully reached Crescent Moon Island. To distance himself from the brewing storm, Qin Sang had taken great pains to make a wide detour. Only upon reaching Crescent Moon Island did his tense nerves finally ease somewhat, and he began inquiring into the local situation. Emerging from the fog, Qin Sang flickered and vanished into thin air. Moments later, someone walked out from the other side, rubbed his eyes vigorously, muttered a curse under his breath about seeing ghosts, and hurried away. *Mount Fengyang...* Standing atop a mountain peak, Qin Sang gazed into the distance toward the tip of the crescent. According to the information he had gathered, Mount Fengyang was the domain of a Nascent Soul expert. Revered as Master Feng, this person had attained the mid-Nascent Soul stage. Throughout the lands surrounding the crescent tip, every faction, large and small, treated Master Feng with the utmost deference and acknowledged him as their overlord. He was the undisputed hegemon and the foremost expert in the vicinity. His influence reached far beyond Mount Fengyang; even other Nascent Soul factions dared not show him the slightest disrespect. Fortunately, Master Feng was not of an eccentric or malevolent disposition, and Mount Fengyang enjoyed a decent reputation in the cultivation world, generally regarded as a righteous sect. *I wonder if Master Feng was one of the two who frightened off the Bifang.* The thought crossed Qin Sang's mind as he looked around. Rolling mountains stretched endlessly into the distance. He had taken too vast a detour. This area could no longer be considered Mount Fengyang's sphere of influence; rather, it was the borderlands between Mount Fengyang and another sect, the Yinyue Sect. It was a rugged terrain of treacherous peaks and harsh waters, disdained by high-ranking cultivators. Though the cultivators attending the trade fair had low cultivation, there was no shortage of well-informed individuals among them, and these matters were hardly secret. Qin Sang had learned that several months ago, all factions large and small near Mount Fengyang had received orders to assemble at the mountain. *The largest cultivation market is at Mount Fengyang. If I want to gather intelligence on the entire Three Realms of the North Sea, I must visit Mount Fengyang. But before that, I need to restore my strength first.* Qin Sang pondered quietly. In truth, he had no fear of being drawn into the conflict. With his current cultivation, he was wary only of great cultivators at the late Nascent Soul stage. If anything seemed amiss, he could pull away at any moment; even Master Feng would not be able to stop him. As a local hegemon, Master Feng undoubtedly knew many secrets. If Qin Sang could use this opportunity to establish ties with him, his future endeavors would be much more convenient. Furthermore, Qin Sang wondered whether Chen Yan, the Ghost Mother, and Dongyang Bo had crossed the storm belt and arrived in the Three Realms of the North Sea. If they had ever appeared here, Master Feng would surely know something about it. His mind made up, Qin Sang picked a direction and flew for a time until he arrived before an unassuming mountain range. His eyes gleamed as he summoned the Jinchen Sword and slashed violently down at the mountains. *Rumble!* The mountains shook. A light barrier abruptly surged from within the peaks, warding off the sword energy. Beneath the barrier, the scenery shifted dramatically into a paradise of babbling springs and lush greenery. Several pavilions and towers nestled among the foliage, and flustered figures flew out from within, gazing up into the sky in panic. This was the home of a minor sect called the Myriad Swords Sect. Qin Sang had held back his full strength. After unleashing that single sword strike, he stood calmly with the blade lowered, gazing leisurely at the assembled crowd of the Myriad Swords Sect. Soon enough, Qin Sang was respectfully escorted into the sect master's main hall. "Reporting to Senior, every member of the Myriad Swords Sect is gathered here. We relocated here with the permission of Senior Yin, the sect master of the Yinyue Sect. If we have offended Senior in any way, please show mercy! This junior will lead our people away at once." The sect master of the Myriad Swords Sect was only at the Core Formation stage and was not currently on the mountain. A female cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage had been left to receive Qin Sang, trembling so violently from head to toe that she could barely stammer out her words. Panic gripped every member of the sect. Qin Sang said indifferently, "What use do I have for your sect's grounds? I merely require a place to nurse my injuries, and finding the spirit vein here passable, I shall borrow it for a time. You may all cultivate in this hall; without my permission, none of you are to take a single step outside." With that, Qin Sang secretly released the Heavenly Eye Butterfly and, without looking back, strode into the sect master's cave abode.