156: Watch my gift? How come I don't know? (ask for monthly ticket)

“Hup!”

“Hup!”

In the rainy mountain forest, shouts urged them onward.

With the creaking of wheels, mud splattered from the muddy mountain path as the Zhao Family hurried along, fleeing for their lives.

They had only run for about two or three li when they heard the frantic, piercing roars of demonic beasts from a distance.

“You killed my son!”

That hysterical Qi burst like a thunderclap in everyone’s ears, terrifying them.

The Zhao Family father and daughter, their faces pale, desperately clutched the carriage windows, while the servants shrieked in panic.

“Boom!”

Just then, on the mountain behind the carriage, a golden light suddenly tore through the night sky, followed by an earth-shattering roar from the ruined temple.

The next second, the demonic beast’s roar, as if its vocal cords had been severed, abruptly ceased.

Silence returned to the world, leaving only the rustling of leaves in the wind.

“Stop!”

After galloping for several hundred meters on the muddy mountain path, a voice rang out.

At the front, Yun Zhuosheng, dressed in black, reined in his horse with a look of surprise and uncertainty, causing the horse to neigh loudly. The two carriages behind also stopped on the mountain path.

Yun Zhuosheng turned around and looked back. Beneath the layers of dense forest, the golden light on the distant mountain had vanished, leaving only a faint afterglow.

That earth-shattering sound just now had made his heart pound.

Those two powerful Qi auras just now were undoubtedly Body Profound demonic beasts, but after a sharp shriek, the commotion abruptly stopped, leaving him surprised and uncertain.

Could it be that those two Body Profound demonic beasts were dead?

Is that Yan Shisan truly so powerful with his Divine Ability?

Never mind, let’s keep going.

Just as he was about to continue driving, a dull roar approached from afar, growing clearer and clearer. Under the night sky, as lightning flashed, a massive shadow loomed over the night.

A large ship, about thirty zhang long, was rapidly gliding down from a higher altitude, spanning the Void Realm, its lights brightly lit.

Then, several streaks of light flew down from it, shouting as they approached.

Soon, four or five figures, dressed in white robes with flowing sashes and jade crowns, arrived before the carriages, stepping on their treasured swords. Each of them exuded an extraordinary Qi, with sharpness hidden in their brows, and they stepped forward to inquire.

“Seniors, we are from the Shu Mountain Sword Sect. We are passing through this area for some business and just now sensed a powerful demonic Qi in this direction, but it’s gone now. Do any of you know what happened?” A white-robed man with a golden collar, different from the other men and women, spoke up.

Yun Zhuosheng was startled to hear that they were from the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.

Shu Land has many Sword Cultivators, but Shu Mountain stands alone at the top, a colossal force in the Jianghu of Shu Land.

Not daring to be arrogant, he quickly rose from the carriage and bowed, cupping his hands. “Greetings, esteemed members of Shu Mountain. I am Yun Zhuosheng, a Disciple of the Yun Family from Jinguancheng. Due to the sudden change in the situation, I am following my Family’s orders to bring my cousin’s Family back to Jinguancheng. We unexpectedly encountered demonic beasts while staying overnight in a ruined temple.”

“So it’s a Disciple of the esteemed Yun Family. Coincidentally, we are also going to Jinguancheng for the ceremony. We can travel together on the ship later, and there are other Fellow Daoists accompanying us. Now, tell us what happened just now?”

Yun Zhuosheng looked up at the sky and saw a huge flying boat hovering above the dense forest. He could vaguely see figures flickering on it, seemingly looking down. He felt a sense of relief and briefly explained the situation.

The Shu Mountain Disciples were surprised to hear about a ‘Yan Shisan, Great Hero Yan’ dealing with two Body Profound demonic beasts, and that the commotion earlier might have been caused by him.

At this moment, a woman’s voice came from inside the carriage.

“Great Heroes, there’s still a Young Master on the mountain. He might be in danger.”

A few minutes later, the carriages returned to the ruined temple on the mountaintop. By now, the temple was in a semi-collapsed state, its doors and windows askew and difficult to open, though candlelight still flickered inside.

Two large pits lay before the temple, scattered with foul-smelling flesh and blood, the stench assaulting their noses.

Just then, a streak of Sword Qi flew over, landing among them, revealing a figure in a straw cloak.

“It’s Great Hero Yan!”

On the carriage, a Zhao Family member, the maid Xiao Juan, saw him and shouted excitedly.

Yun Zhuosheng’s pupils contracted slightly at the scene. Is this Yan Shisan so powerful?

His eyes flickered, and he thought to himself, perhaps he should find an opportunity to befriend this person.

“Is this Fellow Daoist Yan Shisan? Were those two demonic beasts killed by you just now?”

The Shu Mountain Disciples, controlling their Sword Qi, swept over the large pits on the ground. The foul-smelling flesh and blood within were indeed from Body Profound demonic beasts.

At this moment, Yan Shisan was surprised and uncertain in his heart. The terrifying Qi just now had passed like a meteor. He had caught a fleeting glimpse when he looked back, vaguely seeing a ferocious light image, like a demon god descending, which then quickly disappeared.

He had never thought of fighting two demonic beasts head-on; only a fool would do that.

His gaze quickly swept over the expressions of those present, who all believed he had killed them.

He put away his sword, did not answer, but looked at the Zhao Family members, his voice steady:

“Are you all alright?”

“Thank you, Great Hero Yan, for your great Divine Ability and righteousness, keeping us safe.”

“Our entire Family, from top to bottom, must thank you properly.”

The middle-aged man from the Zhao Family expressed his gratitude, and his servants also bowed, offering countless thanks.

“Brother Yan, you can accompany these esteemed Disciples of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect to Jinguancheng later. You can visit my Yun Family then.” Yun Zhuosheng also changed his attitude at this time, with a hint of warmth on his face, thinking that befriending such a Loose Cultivator expert from the Jianghu would benefit his Family.

Meanwhile, among the Shu Mountain Disciples who came to investigate the situation, the Golden-collared Head Disciple looked at the flesh and blood in the pit, frowned, and transmitted a message to his fellow Disciples, “This demonic beast was not killed by this person.”

Logically, if this person had slain it, the shattered flesh and blood should carry residual Sword Qi fluctuations. Furthermore, flesh and blood torn apart by Sword Qi have clean cuts, which they are most familiar with, and the state of this flesh and blood is clearly not that.

“I heard there’s also a Young Master.”

Then, this Shu Mountain Head Disciple broke through the half-collapsed ruined temple and saw Chen Yuan inside, composed and at ease, watching wave after wave of people enter this desolate mountain instance.

Another wave of people!

He saw the flying boat in the sky, and there were quite a few people on it, truly lively.

As the Shu Mountain Head Disciple entered, Chen Yuan happened to look down and met that light golden gaze. In an instant, a sword pellet bestowed by his Revered Master within his body vibrated intensely.

This was a strong warning!

This person in front of him is very dangerous!

This situation only occurs when encountering a Senior of the Sect like a Fourth Heavenly Gate expert. This indicates that the person in front of him is a Heavenly Gate expert!

The Head Disciple was immediately startled. When Chen Yuan looked at him with amusement, he felt as if he was being seen through.

“Greetings, Senior. This Junior is Ji Wuming of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect!”

His expression changed, but quickly returned to normal. After all, as a Head Disciple of one of the nine peaks of Shu Mountain, he possessed this much Heart-Nature. He bowed very formally, lowered his head slightly, and cupped his hands.

The several Junior Brothers who followed him were startled and cried out, “Senior Brother!”

But they heard him quickly transmit a message,

“This person is a Senior of the Fourth Heavenly Gate. Do not be disrespectful.”

The several people were startled and quickly cupped their hands, all shouting, “Senior!”

Chen Yuan had not expected that during this brief rest, from demonic beasts, ordinary commoners, to aristocratic families, a “Jianghu-renowned” great hero, and now these Sect Disciples wearing uniform attire, would successively gather here, making this cold rainy night extraordinarily lively.

But he caught a hint of something unusual from these people.

“Are you also going to Jinguancheng?” Chen Yuan asked, his eyes flickering.

“Replying to Senior, yes! Now that Youmen Pass has been breached, and the Town Demon Envoy guarding the Ten Thousand Mountains has fallen, the demonic beasts from the Ten Thousand Mountains will march north in large numbers. The Dao Fu Division has issued a summons, calling all major Sects to Jinguancheng for a meeting to discuss a grand plan. Our Sect Seniors will follow later, as for us, we will go ahead to the Fushi to observe the ceremony on behalf of our Sect!” The Shu Mountain Head Disciple respectfully replied, revealing some basic information, while not forgetting to mention his Sect Seniors.

Chen Yuan heard this and indeed, the breach of Youmen Pass affected everything.

For example, the Zhao Family father and daughter were taken to Jinguancheng for refuge.

The so-called great hero said he wanted to join the Fa Shan Army as a Councilor to kill enemies.

And these Sects were going to gather in Jinguancheng for a meeting to discuss countermeasures, after all, they rise and fall together.

However, he didn't understand the last part, about going to the Dao Fu Division to observe a ceremony.

“Oh, you are going to the Dao Fu Division to observe a ceremony? Tell me about it!”

“Replying to Senior, it is for the enfeoffment of a newly appointed Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General. Our Sect Revered Master said that the Fushi rarely holds such a grand ceremony.”

Chen Yuan’s eyelids twitched slightly upon hearing this.

Enfeoffing him?

Why hadn’t he received any news?

Judging by the words of this Shu Mountain Sword Sect Disciple, the Fushi must have invited more than just the Shu Mountain Sword Sect to observe the ceremony. He pondered for a moment.

The Shu Mountain Sword Sect Head Disciple saw his expression and tentatively asked:

“Is Senior also going to Jinguancheng?”

“If so, you can ride our Sect’s Flying Cloud Boat with us. This boat can travel several thousand li day and night and is expected to reach Jinguancheng by tomorrow afternoon, saving Senior from enduring the wind and rain and the dust of travel!”

Chen Yuan looked at the Shu Mountain Sword Sect Disciple before him with considerable approval. His words and actions made people feel comfortable.

“That would be excellent. Thank you for the trouble!”

“You’re welcome!”

Chen Yuan smiled, then stepped out of the ruined temple, with the Shu Mountain Sword Sect Disciples following closely behind.

Outside, everyone’s gaze first fell upon Chen Yuan, and they were somewhat surprised by the sequence of events.

Chen Yuan looked at Yan Shisan with a half-smile, then his feet blurred, and he vanished from his original spot.

Meanwhile, the Shu Mountain Disciples walked up to Yun Zhuosheng and said, “Seniors, come aboard. We are preparing to depart!”

“That person just now?” Yun Zhuosheng asked, somewhat surprised and uncertain.

“Don’t inquire about that person. Quickly pack your things. We will take you aboard.” The Shu Mountain Disciple avoided the topic.

Yun Zhuosheng was naturally not foolish. His eyes flickered rapidly, realizing that the person was certainly not simple and that he had overlooked many details.

At this moment, a clear and righteous voice rang out.

“Fellow Daoists of Shu Mountain, I, Yan, also wish to go to Jinguancheng. May I inquire if I can board the ship?”

Yan Shisan, in his straw cloak, had bright eyes and cupped his hands, presenting a dignified appearance.

However, the Head Disciple said indifferently, “Sorry, the Sect’s flying boat does not take individual passengers.”

Judging from his actions just now, this so-called great hero was somewhat dishonest.

“Young Miss, Great Hero Yan…” The maid Xiao Juan, who was naive and didn’t understand the current situation, felt that Great Hero Yan had saved them, and if the several Sword Immortal adults could take them, why couldn’t they take this good person?

“Shut up!” Yun Zhuosheng suddenly turned his head, glared at the little maid, and reprimanded her in a low voice, scaring the little maid into silence.

And the Young Miss, Zhao Yunluo, who was as serene as water beside him, said nothing.

For a moment, the “isolated” figure of Yan Shisan, renowned in Western Shu, was left alone, his eyelids twitching, trying to maintain his composure.

“No matter, I, Yan, have bothered you!”

The Shu Mountain Disciples ignored him and said to the Zhao Family group, “Let’s go!”

With that, they gestured with both hands, and a streak of Sword Qi rose beneath their feet. Amidst several surprised shouts and exclamations, they ascended into the air, soaring directly towards the brightly lit flying boat under the night sky.

Not long after, the flying boat hummed, a layer of white mist rose around it, then the mist swirled like a jet, and with a whoosh, it carried the flying boat into the high sky, speeding towards Jinguancheng!

Only the “isolated” figure left standing before the ruined temple finally dropped his pretense, his expression becoming very ugly.

There were many people on the flying boat. Ji Wuming said they were Fellow Daoists from near Shu Mountain who had agreed to travel to Shu Mountain together.

In the various rooms, under the flickering candlelight, there were indistinct figures.

Under the arrangement of Ji Wuming, the Head Disciple, Chen Yuan entered a room on the top floor of the flying boat. It was ancient and fragrant, with a lingering aroma.

“Senior, please make do for one night!”

“Thank you for the trouble!”

“You’re too kind!”

This scene was witnessed by many people behind the windows, causing surprise.

This scene was also seen by the Zhao Family members who had come aboard, their expressions varied: strange, confused, and surprised.

A Shu Mountain Disciple arranged the Zhao Family members and prepared to leave.

However, Yun Zhuosheng quickly stepped out, “I thank you, Senior Brother.”

After speaking, he had a hesitant look on his face, then quietly inquired,

“May I ask, Senior Brother, if you know that person?”

The Shu Mountain Disciple seemed to have understood Yun Zhuosheng’s thoughts. He carefully discerned the emotions on Yun Zhuosheng’s face, compared them to the story he had told earlier, and his sword-like brows furrowed. He said sternly, “Did you form an enmity with that person in the ruined temple?”

Yun Zhuosheng was startled by the change in the Shu Mountain Senior Brother’s expression and quickly shook his head.

“No, no!”

“Then that’s fine!”

“Go get some rest early!”