Chapter 88

"Roar!!" Suddenly, a piercing beastly cry echoed from the distance. Lin Hao’s eyes lit up, and with a flicker of his figure, he flew straight toward the sound. Fixing his gaze, he saw a young woman dressed in white battling a fierce beast of the sixth level of Qi Condensation. Beside her stood another white-clad figure, silent and watchful. The young woman seemed to be struggling, and the beast was clearly on the brink of death, its body covered in wounds.

Looking closer, the girl’s long hair was tied with a crimson cord, her eyes sparkling as if holding a galaxy within, and her long lashes trembled gently, exuding an air of pure elegance. Yet, a scar on her cheek marred this beauty, inviting a touch of sorrow at first glance. It was none other than Fang Ling, now at the fifth level of Qi Condensation. The figure at her side was Bai Chou.

Fang Ling’s expression was grave as she faced the beast. Her eyes were full of concentration. With a wave of her hand, a streak of lightning burst forth. Spiritual energy quickly condensed into a sword of frost, and as she leaped above the beast, she hurled the blade straight at its neck!

The Frost Spirit Sword plunged into the beast’s throat, and as an icy chill spread, the creature’s meridians were frozen solid. With a final, agonized wail, the beast collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Upon seeing this, Fang Ling’s eyes brightened. She deftly retrieved the demon core, stowing it away with care before turning to Bai Chou. “Brother Bai, let’s go find another sixth-level Qi Condensation beast.”

“Don’t be hasty—look who’s here,” Bai Chou replied with a gentle laugh, glancing toward Lin Hao.

Fang Ling was puzzled at first, but upon seeing Lin Hao, joy flickered in her gaze, shadowed by a hint of melancholy that seemed to deepen the sorrow behind the scar on her face.

“Silly girl.” Lin Hao sighed inwardly as he landed beside her, his heart aching at the sight of the blood spattered on her. He gently ruffled Fang Ling’s hair, his voice soft with affection. “Don’t push yourself so hard.”

“I know.” Fang Ling replied with a playful smile. At that moment, Bai Chou approached, wearing an odd smile. “You two have a good chat. I’ll go prepare some wine.”

With that, he headed toward the outer peaks. Lin Hao smiled at Fang Ling. “Guess what I brought you this time?”

“No matter what you bring, Ling’er will like it,” Fang Ling replied sweetly after a moment’s thought.

Lin Hao considered briefly, then emptied the contents of several storage pouches. Clothes and sundry items were tossed aside and burned with a Fire Serpent spell; the remaining pills, artifacts, cultivation techniques, and spirit stones he sorted into four piles.

“Senior brother, you fought someone again, didn’t you…” Fang Ling’s eyes dimmed as she gazed at the heap of belongings on the ground, her voice barely above a whisper. It was as if she were speaking to herself, or perhaps questioning Lin Hao, or perhaps lamenting her own lack of strength.

Fang Ling was quick-witted. Even though Lin Hao said nothing, the seven or eight storage pouches made it clear he had faced grave dangers on this journey.

“It’s nothing,” Lin Hao replied lightly. From among the techniques, he picked out a sword controlling art—the Wind Sword Manual. After perusing it, he was satisfied and handed it to Fang Ling.

During his previous battle, he had noticed the power of this technique. As he had suspected, its level was on par with the realm of Qi Guidance. The woman he had fought earlier had only reached the threshold of the Qi Guidance technique, far from mastery. Though her cultivation was at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, it was unfocused. Yet, relying on this sword art, she had refined her spiritual energy and posed a real threat to Lin Hao.

This alone demonstrated the technique’s quality. Had the woman’s Qi Guidance reached true mastery, Lin Hao would not have dispatched her so easily.

“Senior brother…” Fang Ling took the manual but said no more. Her beautiful eyes shimmered as she gazed at Lin Hao, lost in thought.

Lin Hao then gifted her the better-quality artifacts for protection, keeping the rest for himself. Before long, Bai Chou returned. He and Lin Hao sat across from each other, chatting amiably, while Fang Ling began to process the beast she had just slain.

“Brother Lin, what of that matter from last time?” Bai Chou suddenly asked, sipping his wine.

After a brief pause, Lin Hao replied slowly, “It was Chen Ping’s doing.”

“The one known as the foremost of the outer disciples?” Bai Chou raised an eyebrow, surprised.

Lin Hao’s brow furrowed. “Is there someone else?”

“It’s not that simple,” Bai Chou answered calmly. He paused, then let his presence unfold—a power no less than Chen Ping’s—and said, “Most of the inner disciples of the Heavenly Mystery Sect keep a low profile. For some reason, after reaching the eighth level of Qi Condensation, they all become silent. In my view, drawing attention in the inner sect is never a good thing.”

“Do you know something, Brother Bai?” Lin Hao felt the profound energy radiating from Bai Chou, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.

“I do not,” Bai Chou shook his head, taking another sip. “I’ve kept to myself since joining the sect, never competing in tournaments. After breaking through to the seventh level of Qi Condensation, Zhong Ming took me away, and I’ve been doing errands for him in secret, rarely showing myself.”

“Earlier, that Zhong Ming—” Lin Hao began, but Bai Chou interrupted with a chuckle. “If I told you he only asked me to protect you, would you believe it?”

“I would.” Lin Hao nodded simply.

Bai Chou mused a moment, then continued, “I don’t know his true intentions, but he is certainly not benevolent. Be careful.”

“I understand,” Lin Hao replied. From then on, the two men drank in silence. Soon, the aroma of roasted meat filled the air, and Fang Ling called them over to eat.

Time passed swiftly, and before long, night fell. Sated with food and wine, Bai Chou fell asleep, while Fang Ling nestled quietly in Lin Hao’s arms. They gazed at the moonlight, a tranquil peace settling over their hearts.

Just then, a brilliant white light burst from Lin Hao’s dantian. The Heaven’s Punishment artifact suddenly transformed into the figure of a woman in black, who appeared before them.

“Master, this place is strange. You must be cautious,” she said, dropping to one knee, her gaze vigilant as she scanned the surroundings.

“Can you tell what’s causing it?” Lin Hao asked thoughtfully.

“I cannot,” came her emotionless reply.

Lin Hao nodded and ordered her to rise, then paid her no further mind. Fang Ling, however, found the woman oddly familiar. After pondering for some time, she set the thought aside.

The night passed quickly. At dawn, Fang Ling went off to hunt as usual, while Lin Hao recalled Heaven’s Punishment, mounted his sword, and soared toward the inner peaks.

Before long, the silhouette of a man in black entered his vision.

“How did you know I’d arrive at this moment, Brother Ji?” Lin Hao descended, surprise flickering in his eyes as he faced Ji Tianya.

Ji Tianya only smiled and shook his head. “You’ll understand in time, Brother Lin.”

“Here is all the information on the Heavenly Mystery Sect—perhaps you’ll find what you seek.” With a wave, Ji Tianya produced a jade slip and handed it to Lin Hao.

Lin Hao received it with a solemn bow, then returned to his cave dwelling to study the slip with his spiritual sense.

About three hours later, Lin Hao put down the jade slip, his expression grave.

“Hundreds of years ago, Yinshi Mountain took shape. Its emergence brought decline to both the Heavenly Mystery and Immortal Luo Sects… The Dark Yin Sect seized the chance to wage war, but their attack was repelled by a Heavenly Mystery elder wielding the Celestial Astral Sword… That elder was gravely wounded and disappeared thereafter…”

“It was during that war that Zhong Ming defected to the Heavenly Mystery Sect…”

“These details seem unrelated… If there’s anything peculiar, it’s only Zhong Ming’s defection and the missing elder… Something is odd about that…”

“The three current elders of Heavenly Mystery are Zhong Ming, Sun Changshou, and Jian Ru… All three have clear backgrounds, nothing amiss…”

“What’s this…” Suddenly, Lin Hao’s eyes brightened as he murmured, “The once-in-a-decade Foundation Establishment Secret Realm of the three sects… The last opening was nine years ago, which means it will open again… in three months!”

“This secret realm contains countless treasures, its spiritual energy far richer than ordinary sect lands… More importantly, it holds the Violet Spirit Qi that can raise the quality of Foundation Establishment—and even a strand of Golden Spirit Qi, which is even more effective!”

“Foundation Establishment…” Lin Hao’s consciousness delved deeper into the jade slip. “The Mortal-grade Foundation is the most basic; the Earth-grade can easily overcome the Mortal-grade, and the legendary Heaven-grade stands above even that—worthy of being called the Heavenly Dao Foundation…”

“The ultimate strength, eh…” Reading on, Lin Hao felt a faint longing rise in his heart. He murmured, “But right now, the focus isn’t on Foundation Establishment itself. Ji Tianya must have come for the Golden Spirit Qi too…”

“But for me, while Foundation quality is important, what matters more is the method to reach the tenth level of Qi Condensation! In such a densely spiritual place, I might be able to break through… but I need to make preparations. Wherever there are treasures, there will be strife, and I am sure rivalry within is inevitable…”

“The lands of Heavenly Mystery are too chaotic… Not to mention Ji Tianya entering the sect, I am certain there are many like him from the other two sects as well… Yet, with such powerful backers, why do they not seize entry by force…”

“Never mind…” After a long while, Lin Hao sighed, put away the jade slip, and stepped out of his cave, murmuring, “No word on Tiger’s fate. It’s time to set out…”

With that, he gazed toward the western outer peak, pondered a moment, then mounted his sword and flew north, leaving the sect behind.

Meanwhile, in Ji Tianya’s cave, a man in black suddenly appeared, clasped his fists, and reported respectfully, “Young master, Yin Tian’nan of the Yin family wishes to see you.”

“Oh?” Ji Tianya’s eyes narrowed in surprise. After a brief pause, he said coolly, “Ignore him. If he comes again, just send him away.”

“Yes.” The man bowed again, then hesitated as if recalling something. “Young master, with the three sects’ secret realm about to open, if the other families band together and target you…”

“There is no need to worry. Everything is within my expectations.” Ji Tianya glanced at the man, a fleeting chill flickering in his eyes. “Just don’t forget who your true master is.”

“Never, young master!” The man’s eyes widened with alarm, and he dropped to his knees, exceedingly respectful.

“You may go,” Ji Tianya instructed blandly, ignoring him after that. The man bowed once more and withdrew.

The territories of Heavenly Mystery, Immortal Luo, and Dark Yin—situated at the intersection of the Eastern and Southern Regions—were long recognized as barren and chaotic lands. Though the three sects dominated here like overlords, they were still dwarfed by the great clans and sects of the Eastern Region.

Despite its poverty, the three-sect domain had a beautiful name: Chu Mausoleum. But Chu Mausoleum was more than just the three sects; countless rogue cultivators, obscure sects, Daoist temples, and secret realms also resided here. Endless rivers, like the veins of the land, wound their way through mountains and valleys, nourishing boundless life.

Chu Mausoleum had existed since ancient times, its name’s origin lost to history. Legend claimed every river flowing through these lands sprang from a single tomb—and that within the tomb lay an immortal.

The three sects’ territory spanned thousands of miles, all within Chu Mausoleum. After leaving the Heavenly Mystery Sect, Lin Hao flew north, watching rivers and mountains slip by beneath him, awash with emotion.

After two days’ journey, a crescent-shaped peak appeared before Lin Hao’s eyes. The mountain was pitch black and perilous, with only a treacherous path winding from its base to the summit. At its foot surged a wild, untamed river, its destination unknown.

For ten miles around the Crescent Moon Peak, the land was all forest, yet for some reason, not even dry grass grew on the mountain itself. Soon, Lin Hao descended into a heavily damaged patch of forest.

Surveying the devastation, Lin Hao’s thoughts raced. After a moment’s consideration, he followed a shadowy path toward Crescent Moon Peak. Along the way, he saw traces of dried, blackened blood and scraps of clothing torn by branches.

“Tiger must have left by this route…” Lin Hao mused as he surveyed the scene. Before long, he emerged from the narrow path, and the great river he’d glimpsed earlier came into view. An ancient stone bridge spanned the water, timeless and enduring.

But here, the trail of blood abruptly vanished.

“Something is wrong…” Lin Hao gazed at the empty space ahead, his eyes grave. After deliberating, he stepped cautiously onto the bridge.

One step. Then another. And when his foot touched the bridge’s surface… the daylight abruptly faded to darkness.