Chapter 752: Big Brother Will Protect You, But Only for a While
Chapter 752: Big Brother Will Protect You, But Only for a While
At the Lingxu Cave, Half-Fallen Cliff.
Zhenren Yun Miao slowly walked forward and called out to the figure ahead, “Little Brother Dan Emperor, weren’t you supposed to be watching over Heavenly Tower Mountain? Why are you back?”
Shen Yi, who had just landed, was slightly taken aback. He then cupped his hands in greeting and explained, “I heard from the disciples of your lineage that Zhenren Ling Su has been somewhat restless lately and went out to clear her mind. After much consideration, I worry it might be because of me, so I decided to return to the cave for a period of cultivation.”
“...”
Zhenren Yun Miao’s expression faltered. Did it really take so much thought to figure that out?
But then again, the Southern Continent hasn’t been breached yet, and the other party hasn’t even touched upon the division of incense offerings. It’s normal not to fully understand the intricacies.
Still, it seems a bit late to think about avoiding suspicion now.
Zhenren Yun Miao sighed and forced a smile. “Little Brother Dan Emperor, you’re overthinking it. It’s precisely because she went out to clear her mind that you need to stay at Heavenly Tower Mountain to keep an eye on things.”
He shook his head. “You just arrived in the Northern Continent, so you might not fully understand. This vast land, though entirely the domain of the Three Immortals Sect, has countless immortal lineages passed down from the three sect leaders and the Five Directional Emperors. Our Lingxu Cave is just one of them.”
“Though we are called fellow disciples...”
Zhenren Yun Miao’s smile turned more bitter as he recalled the responses he had received from the others. “The relationship between these caves is not as harmonious and friendly as you might think. Even if it’s not as hostile as your relationship with the Bodhi Sect in the Southern Continent, it’s not far off.”
“Take some of the elders, for example. They clearly gave the orders, yet they have never shown themselves to you even after all this time.”
Ling Su’s departure was clearly a significant blow to Zhenren Yun Miao.
At this moment, beyond wanting to win Shen Yi’s favor, his words were also filled with resentment.
“But rest assured, I know you’ve endured a lot of hardships. I won’t stand idly by and let others bully you before our Master returns.”
“Thank you, Senior Brother Yun Miao.”
Shen Yi lowered his eyes slightly, as if recalling the destruction of the immortal sect and the death of his master at the hands of the monk. After a long silence, he sighed lightly. “I’ll return to Heavenly Tower Mountain first, but please convey a message to Zhenren Ling Su for me.”
“I came to the Northern Continent not only to escape but also to seek justice for Shen Xu Mountain. Even if I want a place for cultivation, I will find it myself. When Zhenren Ling Su returns, Heavenly Tower Mountain will still be hers.”
“...”
Zhenren Yun Miao nodded noncommittally.
Given the resolute manner in which the young man had left without looking back last time, his words were likely true for now.
However, once he truly tasted the benefits of having a cultivation ground and experienced the power of Imperial Qi, it might be a different story when the time came to hand over Heavenly Tower Mountain.
“Senior Brother, I’ll take my leave.”
Shen Yi turned and stepped back into the Grand Emptiness, accompanied by Nan Huang and the other True Stones.
This return was to gauge the attitude of the senior brother of the Lingxu Cave.
From the look in Ling Su’s eyes when she glanced at Yun Miao last time, Shen Yi was certain that Yun Miao would never reveal the cave’s plans to harm him. It turned out to be true.
With this, his path to integrating into the Northern Continent was halfway open.
Currently, Shen Yi’s biggest troubles were undoubtedly the retribution from the Bodhi Sect and how to transcend the Second Grade, which was controlled by two major sects.
These two issues were, in fact, one and the same.
It was about how to truly join the Three Immortals Sect and attain a position of sufficient authority to receive genuine transmissions of the sect’s teachings.
Securing Heavenly Tower Mountain was the beginning of this transformation.
Now that he had a good start, the rest would depend on his strength.
In the Northern Continent, where there were more monks than porridge, these self-important true disciples of the major sects would not sit idly by and watch an outsider take over a cultivation ground.
...
The sun and moon rose and set, and two more months passed.
Zhenren Yun Miao still sat by the cliff, meditating and cultivating, but he occasionally glanced at Ling Su’s cave. Clearly, his mind was not on cultivation.
He always used the excuse of needing to make perfect preparations before taking action to justify his reluctance to leave the mountain.
But the departure of his youngest sister had cleanly torn off his facade.
While the senior brother was still sitting here, his fellow sister was going to seek support from other disciples. If this news spread, Zhenren Yun Miao’s face would be utterly lost.
“Can it really not wait any longer?”
Zhenren Yun Miao sensed the turmoil in his Dao heart and could no longer enter a state of meditation. He finally stopped pretending to meditate and stood up, pacing around restlessly.
During these two months, I will frequently return to report.
The Grandmaster of the Emptiness Heavens, stationed within Heavenly Tower Mountain, has not made any unusual moves. At most, he has become less miserly with the relief efforts and has even had the disciples rebuild homes for the refugees.
It’s likely that he has tasted the benefits of Imperial Qi and is now trying to make the refugees forget their former leader, Ling Su.
Ling Su’s prolonged absence has left Yun Miao indifferent to these trivial matters. What truly disturbs him is that an outsider from the Southern Continent is gradually taking over a Daoist site, while he, the senior disciple of his lineage, has yet to achieve anything.
His steps faltered, and he clenched his fists.
After a moment, Yun Miao made a decision, summoning a magical artifact and soaring toward Qingguang Cave.
A cultivator like him, who has reached the pinnacle of the Nine-Nine Transformations, would not be satisfied with merely securing a portion of Heavenly Tower Mountain, as Ling Su did.
At the very least, he would aim to occupy a prefecture, or even compete with other prodigies for the ultimate position.
For such a significant matter, it would be wise to first sound out his uncle.
The luxurious celestial carriage rose into the clouds, the earth below becoming a blur.
Within a few days, a white crane flew past, flapping its wings and guiding the celestial carriage into a picturesque immortal mountain.
"Master Yun Miao, what urgent matter brings you here? Please, come this way."
The white crane transformed into a child, leading Yun Miao into a grand hall filled with incense smoke.
Only a few disciples were present, all direct disciples of the Eternal and Transcendent Immortal, Qingguang.
"Lingxu Cave’s Yun Miao, paying respects to Senior Sister Yao You."
Seated in a secondary position, a young woman lounged lazily, not in a Daoist robe but in a black dress that accentuated her fair skin. She wore a jeweled crown, making it hard to look at her face closely.
Yun Miao first bowed to the woman before taking his seat, led by the crane child.
"Senior Brother Yun Miao is a rare and honored guest. We almost forgot the last time we saw you."
Several fellow disciples teased him with a light-hearted remark.
Yun Miao felt a bit uncomfortable but only smiled gently.
"..."
The crane child stood quietly at the entrance, listening to the exchanges, and glanced at Yun Miao, noticing his growing unease.
"None of you know, but I have come today to seek advice."
"I observe the current upheaval and the shifting tides of the world. All of you have found your paths in this tribulation, but I, after many years of cultivation, have hit a bottleneck with no sign of progress. I wish to travel down the mountain and seek guidance. Do any of you have any advice?"
As Yun Miao gently explained his purpose, the crane child slowly withdrew its gaze, smiling wryly.
The last time, it thought the senior disciple of Lingxu Cave was too slick. Now, it seems the man has been on the mountain too long, focused on the changing tides, and has lost sight of the basic situation.
He still thinks entering the tribulation and vying for offerings is like inviting guests to a meal, that he can talk others into sharing their bounty.
Sure enough, when he finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent.
The disciples who had been jovially chatting moments ago now averted their eyes, as if they hadn’t heard a thing.
"Everyone..."
Yun Miao felt awkward.
In his estimation, in terms of strength, he could match even Senior Sister Yao You of Qingguang Cave.
By coming here to discuss matters, he was trying to avoid conflict.
But he hadn’t expected such a lack of cooperation.
"Senior Brother Yun Miao."
To ease the awkwardness, a disciple in a green robe finally spoke, smiling politely, "Earlier, Lingxu Cave seemed content with not competing. We believed it, so we agreed to allocate a portion of Heavenly Tower Mountain as compensation."
"Now that you’ve taken your share of Heavenly Tower Mountain, it seems a bit unreasonable to bring this up again."
He acknowledged Yun Miao’s profound cultivation, but he was unwilling to enter the tribulation and truly fight. Relying solely on the reputation of the Nine-Nine Transformations to enjoy eternal offerings was wishful thinking.
"Junior Brother Shu Yu..."
Yun Miao frowned, about to protest, but was interrupted.
"Look, even the new disciples of Qingguang Cave haven’t found their place yet, and you let your Junior Sister Ling Su take Heavenly Tower Mountain without a fight."
Shu Yu pointed to the last two seats.
Yu Chi and Shen Shan forced smiles. They had just arrived in the Northern Continent and were lucky to have joined Qingguang Cave and secured their lives. They had no intention of getting involved in these disputes among Northern Continent cultivators.
"Senior Brother, you should give a clear answer. If you intend to compete, then all our previous discussions are off the table." Real Zhenren Shu Yu maintained his polite demeanor, but his words left the other person speechless.
Real Zhenren Yun Miao's face was already clouded with anger: "Heavenly Tower Mountain is no longer under the care of my junior sister Ling Su, but rather under the Grandmaster of the Emptiness Heavens from the Southern Continent. Don’t forget, this Xiushi traveled thousands of miles to the Northern Continent, and it’s all because of your Qingguang Cave."
He had come in good faith to discuss matters, but not only had he received no benefits, he was now being asked to hand over Heavenly Tower Mountain?
"I don’t care about that; it’s your Lingxu Cave’s internal affair." Real Zhenren Shu Yu shrugged.
"An internal affair? If it weren’t for your master’s attendant, Crane Child, coming over back then..."
Even a clay statue has a bit of spirit, and Real Zhenren Yun Miao suddenly stood up, ready to lash out.
At that moment, a cold gaze fell upon him, causing him to freeze. He instinctively turned to look back.
He saw the woman who had been lounging lazily, now with her eyes open.
"..."
Though they were at the same cultivation level, Real Zhenren Yun Miao felt a subtle pressure under her gaze.
Even though they were both the eldest disciples of their respective lineages, he and Real Zhenren Yao You were different. She was one of the earliest Xiushi to face the tribulation, having built a formidable reputation and a vast territory of four prefectures, and no one had dared to challenge her.
To be honest, Yun Miao’s aspirations were similar. Owning a territory of four prefectures would be more than enough for him.
"Want to face the tribulation? Be honest about it."
Real Zhenren Yao You withdrew her gaze, seeming uninterested in further conversation. She said coolly, "I don’t offer guidance, nor do I have the habit of giving away incense offerings. If you’re willing, you can join me in the competition. After the great tribulation, you can have two-tenths of these territories."
"If you don’t have the courage, go back to your Lingxu Cave and guard your Heavenly Tower Mountain."
"You!"
Faced with such blunt words, Real Zhenren Yun Miao’s face darkened instantly.
He had always considered himself an equal to her, but now her attitude clearly showed that she didn’t take him seriously.
Yun Miao was about to storm out, but just as he turned, he couldn’t bring himself to take a step.
Working together, but only getting two-tenths of the territory, and having to return Heavenly Tower Mountain, the terms sounded almost insulting.
But upon further reflection, she had already earned a significant reputation and taken on the corresponding risks. All he needed to do was follow her lead.
Even if Yao You already had four prefectures, two-tenths of that would still be much larger than Heavenly Tower Mountain.
He would only lose some face.
As for Heavenly Tower Mountain, Ling Su had already given up on it, and Dan Emperor wasn’t even a disciple of the Lingxu Cave. It wouldn’t hurt to temporarily inconvenience him.
"I have the courage." Real Zhenren Yun Miao turned back around.
"Heh heh."
Real Zhenren Shu Yu couldn’t help but laugh, getting up and walking over to Yu Chi and Shen Shan, patting their shoulders meaningfully: "Junior Brother and Junior Sister, don’t forget to thank Senior Brother Yun Miao. He came here specifically to offer you a great future."
Shen Shan instinctively forced a smile.
Yu Chi, however, fell silent and subtly tugged at him.
Real Zhenren Shu Yu had intended to irritate Yun Miao with these two, but he hadn’t expected this reaction, so he raised an eyebrow: "What’s wrong? Are you dissatisfied with Heavenly Tower Mountain?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Shan was already growing anxious. He had just escaped with his life and was fortunate to join Qingguang Cave. Now, he could even get a share of a territory. This was a tremendous opportunity. What was there to hesitate about?
"Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother, but we are new to the Northern Continent and have made no contributions. How can we take over Dan Emperor’s territory?"
Yu Chi bowed her head humbly, politely declining the offer.
Back in the Southern Continent, she had already thought this through. When the great tribulation arose, those who were destined to rise would do so.
The Grandmaster of the Emptiness Heavens was one of them.
Comparing their situations, they had both been in the Northern Continent for only a few months.
While they were mere disciples with no status in the sect, Dan Emperor, known as a descendant of insect demons, had already established his own territory.
This was already enough proof of many things.
Having barely escaped from the Dragon Taming and Tiger Subduing Bodhisattva, Yu Chi wouldn’t invite more trouble by provoking another powerful figure. This was clearly a death trap, not a good opportunity.
(End of Chapter)
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