49: Qilian Mountains Strange Stories

At the Heavenly Dao Sect's back mountain seclusion area.

Lin Mu and Lao Mo stood facing each other.

The wild wind in the mountain gully blew like a fierce beast, making their clothes flap noisily.

Lin Mu gently tidied his wind-blown hair and said to Lao Mo, "My seclusion this time might be a bit long. If you emerge from seclusion early, you don't need to guard this place."

Lao Mo chuckled and said, "Master can rest assured and seclude himself; there's no need to worry about me."

Lin Mu knew Lao Mo's character well, so he said nothing more, turned, and walked into the secret chamber to begin his seclusion.

After Lin Mu's figure disappeared, Lao Mo took out his form-shifting whip, transformed it into a long sword, and then lightly swiped it through the air.

The originally raging wind suddenly seemed to be frozen, stopping motionless.

Where Lao Mo's long sword had passed, a crack appeared out of thin air, as if a wound had been torn in this space.

This was a cultivation method Lao Mo had improved using Yun Feiyang's techniques, allowing him to cleave open a small chaotic world from the void.

If the outside world knew, even Great Emperors would likely be dumbfounded.

Lao Mo put away his long sword and stepped into the crack, which then slowly disappeared, as if it had never appeared.

Time flew by like a white steed galloping past a crevice.

Twenty years passed in a hurry, and the door to Lin Mu's seclusion remained tightly shut.

On this day, Yun Feiyang's figure appeared like a ghost before the secret chamber's door.

He took a deep breath, channeled all his spiritual power, and shouted loudly at the door:

"Reporting to the Sect Master, an outer disciple has reported that a treasure suspected to be a divine stone is about to appear!"

Yun Feiyang's voice echoed within the secret chamber, as if trying to break through the tightly shut door.

However, after a long while, he still received no response from Lin Mu.

He waited for a moment longer, just as he was about to report again.

The door of the secret chamber suddenly let out a loud bang, opening with a crash, and Lin Mu walked out from within.

After twenty years of seclusion, time seemed to have left no trace on his face.

Through these twenty years of secluded cultivation, Lin Mu's mastery of the Power of the Heavenly Dao had reached perfection.

And he had grasped the method of sensing other heavenly dao stones.

However, he estimated that the current sensing range was at most a few thousand meters.

Lin Mu had just mastered the ability of instantaneous movement in recent days and was about to emerge from seclusion to test it when he heard Yun Feiyang's voice.

"You just said you found the whereabouts of a divine stone?" Lin Mu asked Yun Feiyang as he walked.

Yun Feiyang organized his thoughts and respectfully replied:

"Reporting to the Sect Master, the news was sent back by a disciple who was training in the Qilian Mountain Range."

"In the center of the Qilian Mountain Range, a seven-colored divine light has bloomed in the sky, extremely similar to the scene you described."

"However, that disciple's cultivation was limited, and he dared not go deeper, so he specifically sent this message back."

Lin Mu pondered for a moment and asked in confusion, "Where exactly is this Qilian Mountain Range?"

With that, he also took out a map from his storage ring.

"The Qilian Mountain Range is located in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains northwest of the Yanshan Kingdom. The depths of the mountain range are often frequented by demon beasts, making it extremely dangerous for ordinary martial artists."

Yun Feiyang leaned forward, explaining and pointing with his finger to the location of the Qilian Mountain Range on the map.

"Demon beasts?" Lin Mu asked with great interest, "What exactly are demon beasts?"

Yun Feiyang secretly thought to himself, "Is the Sect Master stupid from seclusion? He's asking me about something most martial artists already know?"

Although he thought so, even with ten times his courage, he wouldn't dare to say it.

He forced a smile and said,

"Besides us humans on this Nine Underworlds Continent, there are also the demon beasts to the north, the Asura Clan to the east, and the Giant Race to the south."

"There's even a legend that traces of the Dragon Clan can be found in the Endless Sea to the southwest. However, no one has been able to confirm it."

"As for these demon beasts, they are creatures that accidentally gained sentience and mutated."

"Whether they are snakes, insects, rats, ants, or even trees and plants, they all have the potential to become demons."

Lin Mu examined the map carefully with great interest.

Sure enough, the map marked the locations of various races and dangerous areas that humans needed to avoid.

The more Lin Mu looked, the more excited he became, and his smile made Yun Feiyang's hair stand on end.

How could this not excite Lin Mu?

These strange creatures, which he had only ever seen in books before, now he had the chance to see them with his own eyes.

Lin Mu roughly remembered the location of the Qilian Mountain Range and put the map away.

"Has Lao Mo already emerged from seclusion?" Lin Mu inquired.

"Elder Mo hasn't appeared since twenty years ago. Perhaps he emerged from seclusion without notifying his subordinate, or perhaps he hasn't emerged yet."

Yun Feiyang said with some uncertainty.

Lin Mu sensed with his spiritual power, and surprisingly, he didn't detect Lao Mo's aura within the Heavenly Dao Sect's range.

"Perhaps Lao Mo has already emerged from seclusion and gone traveling."

Yun Feiyang wouldn't miss any opportunity to flatter, so he quickly interjected:

"Elder Mo's power reaches the heavens, he is invincible under the heavens, no one can harm him, Sect Master need not worry."

"Invincible under the heavens?" Lin Mu thought of Wu Daoren (Nameless/Unprincipled Man).

Although he seemed to bear no ill will towards Lin Mu, who could guarantee that for the future?

Having come to this world, the only person Lin Mu couldn't see through was Wu Daoren (Nameless/Unprincipled Man).

Even though the system had once said that no one on the Nine Underworlds Continent could harm him and Lao Mo, he always remained skeptical.

On the other side, Yun Feiyang, hearing Lin Mu's rhetorical question, felt a jolt in his heart: "Damn it, I've praised him at the wrong time."

He quickly flattered again, "Of course, Sect Master is undoubtedly the number one under the heavens."

"But Sect Master and Elder Mo certainly won't be enemies. Besides the Sect Master, Elder Mo is invincible under the heavens."

Lin Mu knew this guy had misunderstood; he wasn't so bored as to contend with Lao Mo for the title of number one under the heavens.

"You, a dignified Sect Master, speaking such sycophantic words, aren't you afraid of others laughing?" Lin Mu said helplessly.

Yun Feiyang, after hearing Lin Mu's words, showed no trace of shame; instead, he proudly said,

"It is this subordinate's honor to serve the Sect Master. This subordinate's admiration for the Sect Master is like a surging river, endless."

"Like the Yellow River flooding, uncontrollable?" Lin Mu continued smoothly. How did he feel these lines were so familiar?

Yun Feiyang didn't expect Lin Mu to preemptively say his lines, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

But then he immediately resumed his fawning smile and said, "This subordinate's loyalty to the Sect Master is evident to the sun and moon."

Suddenly, Lin Mu remembered where he had heard those lines.

"It seems I'll have to be wary of this old fellow from now on."

Lin Mu watched Yun Feiyang about to continue his endless flattery and could only helplessly interrupt him.

"Alright, you go arrange the sect's affairs. Tomorrow, you will accompany me to the Qilian Mountain Range."

Yun Feiyang, hearing Lin Mu's command, put away his thoughts of continuing to flatter, straightened his expression, accepted the order, and retreated.

After Yun Feiyang retreated, Lin Mu silently activated the Power of the Heavenly Dao, and with a thought, his body disappeared from its original spot.

He reappeared, having instantly moved to his own room within the sect.