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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
The Youngest Junior Brother whom Chen Suyun and Gu Wudi were talking about was called Xiao Yang. He had been found more than 20 years ago below the waterfall of the Nine Great Mountains by Chen Suyun, who took him back with her.
Xiao Yang, still a tiny baby at that time and had been placed in a basket. He looked close to death while covered in blood. There was an old piece of jade with him containing two words, and it had been those words which told her of his name. After that, Xiao Yang had been pitied by her Master, the Second Mountain Elder. Thus, he got accepted as his disciple since he felt the boy was now alone. That was how Xiao Yang had become the most junior disciple in the Nine Great Mountains and thus called Youngest Junior Brother by everyone else.
However, the reason Xiao Yang had been abandoned below the Mountains was a mystery. His identity was still unknown now, and many felt he had been burdened by some sort of grievous hatred.
Nevertheless, no one really cared about that, as they felt there had to be some sort of fated connection between him and the Nine Great Mountains which brought him here. Besides, he had a delightful attitude, worked hard, and was gifted in cultivating, which made him really likeable. Everyone acquainted with him was friendly with him. Chen Suyun was both a sister and mother to Xiao Yang, since she had raised him on her own and taught him a lot about the world and cultivation techniques.
“Chosen One, you want to ask him about the Celestial Seal of the Nine Mountains, right? There’s no use asking him; you have to see Master instead. He’s only been here for around twenty years, so how would he know about it?” Chen Suyun frowned after seeing Gu Wudi’s expression. It was no secret here that he coveted the Celestial Seal, but her Master had already said clearly that he wasn’t suited to guard it. Instead, it had been Junior Brother Xiao Yang who was deemed most suitable all those years.
She did not doubt her Master’s words, naturally, but Gu Wudi was arrogant and proud. How could he accept that the Celestial Seal was in the possession of someone inferior to him? That Celestial Seal was the most precious treasure of the Nine Great Mountains, having collected the Mountain’s Power of Faith, Fortuity, and destiny all this time. It was mysterious and unfathomable.
Ever since the Supreme Mountain Elder had started cultivating in isolation and had not appeared, the Celestial Seal had fallen under the guardianship of the Second Mountain Elder. This meant he now controlled the stability of the arrays, essence and Principles, pretty much the whole environment of the Nine Mountains.
“Why do you say that, Eldest Senior Sister? My Master said that the Celestial Seal should be guarded by someone moralistic. When the Supreme Mountain Elder relinquished the Seal and every Elder fought over it, my Master, the Third Mountain Elder, missed a move and thus lost to the Second Elder. That was how he managed to acquire it. How can he not allow the disciples to compete for it? Rather, give it directly to someone else? This decision isn’t convincing in the slightest and I’m not satisfied with it.” Gu Wudi looked slightly annoyed as his brows furrowed.
He was extremely frustrated; if he lost in a fair fight with Xiao Yang and the latter acquired the Celestial Seal as a result, he wouldn’t argue against it. But now, he wasn’t given a chance to fight for the recognition and was immediately considered unsuitable for the role. How could he possibly be happy with this?
He was haughty and had a high opinion of himself, having cultivated in the Nine Great Mountains for so long that his strength had caught up to many disciples before him. The Second Mountain Elder’s decision meant that he didn’t think Xiao Yang was weaker than him, when Xiao Yang had only cultivated here for around twenty years.
“That’s my Master’s decision. Go talk to him if you have something to say about that. You are so much stronger than Youngest Junior Brother, so won’t be fair to him if there was a fair fight, right?” Chen Suyun continued frowning as she spoke.
Gu Wudi was undeniably extremely talented and was deemed the most brilliant disciple of the Nine Great Mountains in recent times. The only issue was that he was too self-centred and considered himself unrivalled. His usual gentle and polite behaviour was all just a ruse.
“I can suppress my cultivation level to be the same as his. If you still think it’s unfair, then I’ll allow him to be in one realm higher than me. Or let him take three of my attacks while we are in the same realm. What about that?” Gu Wudi’s expression turned dark, and his voice sounded unfriendly.
“You’ve cultivated long enough that your knowledge regarding techniques and Principles are so much more superior to him. You fighting him will be unfair to him.” Chen Suyun did not budge. “This is Master’s decision, so it’s more useful talking to him.”
She had watched Xiao Yang grow up, so she was on his side. Meanwhile, Gu Wudi was already in the Sacred Emperor Realm due to so many years of cultivating. Xiao Yang had only been cultivating for more than twenty years, so how were they comparable?
“Great. That’s great.” Gu Wudi’s expression was dark now, having abandoned his warm demeanour. “If so, don’t blame me for anything I do.”
After he spoke, a golden light appeared under his feet and he led the cultivators away, his fury impalpable.
Chen Suyun shook her head, thinking that it was just bluster, and did not take it seriously. Soon, she transformed into a divine rainbow and left for the Second Mountain.
…
The Blue Cloud Flying Boat cut through the misty waterfall and headed towards its destination, bearing a terrifying force which swirled the air. Runes flickered and remained unmoving like an enormous rock.
The Deep Cloud Graveyard, also called the Deep Cloud Area of No Return, was known as the burial ground for clouds. It was easy for one to get lost here, and even accomplished cultivators found it hard to exit. That was why the Nine Great Mountains used it as a natural barrier against any contact with the outside world.
The Sky Deer Goddess clearly had some special ability, which enabled her to cross the area on her Blue Cloud Flying Boat. Soon, she went past the waterfall and arrived at the Nine Great Mountains.
“The Nine Great Mountains are confident enough that there’s no disciples guarding it nor a Grand Protective Array.” Gu Changge stood on the boat, his hair and clothes flowing in the wind as he curiously looked into the distance.
The Sky Deer Goddess nodded in agreement. “That’s because they know that very few can find this place.”
“Really? But you found it, didn’t you?” Gu Changge smiled and added teasingly, “Tell me about your grudge against the Nine Great Mountains. I’m suddenly interested.”
“Are you planning to help me take revenge? I cannot possibly repay such a favour, but sadly you didn’t accept it when I offered myself up,” she replied, a slight smile on her lips. However, her tone was mocking, which would have shocked anyone acquainted with her who was present. They wouldn’t believe this woman was the sacred, elegant, and Zen-like Sky Deer Goddess.
“Why not? Even if you cannot warm my bed, you can still be my servant or maid.” Gu Changge smiled.
Her smile didn’t fade. “I can’t believe there’s a day where the great Young Master Gu is this afraid of me.”
She combed her fringe seductively as she spoke. Gu Changge had already gotten used to her many seduction attempts, and he knew she did it deliberately. It didn’t matter if it was the result of her Dao Heart changing after the rise of her demonic nature, and thus revealing her true personality, or if it was just a disguise. Nonetheless, it didn’t change the fact that he couldn’t ‘eat’ her.
Seeing Gu Changge ignore her didn’t faze her. She continued, “One of my Senior Sisters betrayed Sky Deer City as well as me and her Master, eventually ending up in Nine Great Mountains.”
She did not say who that Senior Sister was, but the calmer she looked, the deeper her hatred went.
He said, intrigued, “So that Senior Sister of yours is a Mountain Elder of Nine Great Mountains?”
The Sky Deer Goddess shook her head. “Her talent is inferior to mine. She should be in the Quasi-Nirvana Realm at the very most, where the Mountain Elders of the Nine Great Mountains are all at least True Daoists.”
“What a fruitful resource.” Gu Changge exclaimed.
She glanced at him, knowing that working with such a frightening man would be equivalent to negotiating with a tiger for its skin. It would be impossible to make him sacrifice any advantages he possessed. She didn’t know whether her initial choice was correct or not.
Soon, the Blue Clouds Flying Boat cut through the layers of mist, and an ancient and grand continent appeared before them.
“Who are you?” A cultivator had noticed the flying boat almost instantly, transforming into a divine rainbow as he shouted. Only the Blue Cloud Flying Boat could find the Deep Cloud Graveyard.
However, the man had barely approached before a golden palm emerged from inside the flying boat. It blocked his view while heading towards him. The sight shocked Gu Wudi and his companions, who had been planning to return to the Second Mountain after falling out with Chen Suyun.
“Who dares to trespass into the Nine Great Mountains?” Gu Wudi had suppressed so much anger and he was finding a way to expend it. When he encountered someone invading the Nine Great Mountains, he instantly pulled out a weapon to attack.
A golden sword energy wove together and surged from his weapon, slicing towards the Blue Cloud Flying Boat in front of him. The other cultivators wielded their abilities as well.
A swath of blinding light flew towards the Boat like a galaxy moving to drown it. However, the golden palm still stretched out from the Flying Boat and enclosed them, seemingly just made of condensed golden runes. It might have been the Hand of God since it was powerful enough to encompass the world.
*Boom!* All light was extinguished at once as their abilities turned to dust.
[What!?] Gu Wudi’s expression turned stricken as he hadn’t expected the invader to be this formidable. To be able to snuff out all their attacks with just a palm. Its power hadn’t waned and continued its path towards the group of cultivators. Their skins nearly split open from its force and they already started seeping blood.
“Stop!” He disdainfully roared, and his aura transformed immediately. A True Dragon then emerged from behind him while exuding Chaos Qi. Its viciousness complemented his golden armour, making him look like a golden warrior god, who condescendingly looked down on the world.
That palm did not pause in its descent, the Chaos Qi spreading out as it fell on him like a collapsing sky. It made his True Dragon collapse at once and he coughed up blood, his body nearly exploding from the force.
“How is this possible!?” Gu Wudi was taken aback as he realised everything had gone wrong. He turned to escape, but the palm seemed to have transformed into its own universe and trapped him inside. It was impossible for him to move.
…
In the depths of the continent, the atmosphere inside the ancient yet majestic Second Mountain was weighty. The palace was enormous, with white jade pillars and glass roof tiles. Every surface shimmered with divine light, making the palace resemble one from the Celestial Realm.
A white-robed Elder with white hair and white beard as well as a slight hump in his back was saying something to the others with narrowed eyes. Behind him was an attractive, tall youth with a green tinge to his eyes, who had a green light swirling around him and looked like an accomplished cultivator.
“Forgive me, Second Mountain Elder, but I disagree with your decision. Now that the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains have the Upper Realm army closing in on their borders, it is a good opportunity for the disciples of Nine Great Mountains to show themselves and rally support around the world. How can we seal up the Nine Mountains? We may regret it forever if we miss such a fantastic chance from heaven.”
A black-clothed Elder frowned unhappily from opposite the white-robed Elder. He had white hair and looked young, with a sparkling gaze, Chaos Qi exuding from his eyes with every blink. This was the Third Mountain Elder, also the Master of the Chosen One, Gu Wudi. The white-robed Elder was the Second Mountain Elder, and the young man was his youngest disciple, Xiao Yang.
The other Mountain Elders had gathered in the palace as well, both male and female. Their figures were indistinct, yet their auras were all frightening.
All the most powerful cultivators of the Nine Great Mountains were already there and agreed with the Third Mountain Elder as they weren’t happy with the Second Mountain Elder’s decision to seal the Mountains. Only a few maintained their silence as they felt there had to be a reason for this.
“I used the Celestial Seal of the Nine Mountains to divine the future and look into the River of Time. The signs show that the Nine Great Mountains are in danger of going extinction very soon. The only solution is to seal the Mountains. I did this for everyone’s sake, as this isn’t just disastrous to the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains but also the Nine Great Mountains.”
The Second Mountain Elder shook his head with a sigh, sounding helpless.
“How many times have you used that explanation? Every time the Upper Realm invades us, you call it an impending disaster. However, it was nothing every single time. When have our disciples ever encountered danger in the outside world? Did you know that if you seal the mountain, the reputation and faith we’ve painstakingly built over the years will be reduced to nothing? What will everyone think of us? They will think we are scared of the Upper Realm and can only hide away from the frontlines!” The Third Mountain Elder sneered scornfully at the so-called divination the Second Elder performed.
The palace fell silent immediately, and even the Second Elder tried opening his mouth to speak but ended up swallowing his words with a sigh. He was extremely cautious since he had sensed that the conditions were different from before. However, the others refused to believe him.
“Besides, I cannot concur with your determination to hand the Celestial Seal of the Nine Mountains to Xiao Yang. Wudi is so much better in terms of strength and ability, so why won’t you give him a chance? If there was a fair competition for the Seal, I wouldn’t argue against the result. However, you are obviously favouring your junior disciple, and I have to speak up for Wudi!” The Third Mountain Elder continued speaking, his eyes glittering as he stared at the Second Mountain Elder. He wanted to seek justice for his disciple. The other Mountain Elders nodded agreeably at this too.
“Master, the Third Mountain Elder is right. Senior Wudi is so much stronger than me. He’s better suited to the role of possessing the Celestial Seal, and besides, I won’t be able to win against him in a fight when he has already reached the Sacred Emperor Realm. Please rescind your order. It is best to let Senior Wudi have the Celestial Seal instead.”
The silent young man behind the Second Mountain Elder suddenly spoke. He rubbed his nose and laughed bitterly, as if he was too weak and had to make sacrifices for the bigger picture.
“Xiao Yang, you…” The Second Mountain Elder turned to him before shaking his head and not saying anything else.
The others immediately understood what Xiao Yang meant, and their eyes were filled with astonishment. On the surface, it sounded like he was humbly refusing the role, yet the real meaning was that this was unfair to him. He might be young, but he had a calculating and manipulative mind.
Oh, shut up Xiao Yang. I hope Changge kills him in the future.