Chapter 190: Chapter 190: Searching for a Person
Legendary-tier Demon Qi Beckon!
This was Bai Yuan’s second legendary Demon Hunter skill.
Demon Qi Beckon was a Cultivation Technique that Zhou Siming had stolen from the Demon Hunters’ ancestral hall, so it was naturally impressive. Now that it was upgraded to Legendary, it was even more powerful.
Demon Qi Beckon was originally a technique for sensing demonic energy. Now, paired with the Ten Thousand Demons Painting, it could detect demons within a hundred-li radius, making it a veritable living map of demons.
However, what surprised Bai Yuan was that upgrading Demon Qi Beckon to Legendary had granted it an additional ability.
In addition to the demons in the Ten Thousand Demons Painting, he could now use Demon Qi Beckon to find any person he had met before.
Bai Yuan’s eyes lit up.
There was still no word of Murong Tian. But if Bai Yuan used Demon Qi Beckon, as long as Murong Tian was still in Ling Province, he was certain he could find him.
Bai Yuan immediately led the Slaughter Camp back to their garrison.
After giving a few instructions to Yu Hui and the other Divine Mansion Sect experts, he descended the mountain without hesitation.
’Perhaps by finding Murong Tian, I can finally unlock the secrets of the Divine Mansion.’
...
「Yangguan County, at the foot of Divine Wood Ridge.」
Divine Wood Ridge was a range of deep mountains. Fortunately, there were few demons, so the local mountain folk often came to gather rare delicacies to sell in the city. At the foot of the mountains, many of their children could be seen playing.
"Grandpa, what’s this?"
"This mushroom is called a ’Hand-See-Blue.’ I hear they differ between the north and south. In the south, they’re incredibly delicious, but in the north, they’re highly poisonous."
A small, wide-eyed child looked up at an old man so ancient he seemed on the verge of crumbling to dust.
"Wow, that’s amazing!"
His eyes shone with light, utterly fascinated by such strange and wonderful things.
The old man before him lived at the foot of Divine Wood Ridge. He was profoundly knowledgeable and, as a result, deeply loved and respected by the villagers.
Most of the villagers were simple farmers. Aside from Martial Artists, the people they respected most were scholars.
Though the old man looked destitute now, they imagined he must have been a man of culture in his younger days.
The boy, of course, knew nothing of this; he just found the old man’s stories fascinating.
Just as the boy was lost in the story, a middle-aged man walked over. "Ah Gou, don’t bother Grandpa Mu anymore."
There was a village superstition that giving a child a lowly name would make them easier to raise, which was why many village children had names like Ah Gou or Gou Dan.
By that standard, the boy’s name, Ah Gou, was actually quite decent.
"Uncle Mu, I caught an extra rabbit today. I’ll leave it here for you."
The man placed the freshly caught rabbit on a stone in front of the old man’s cottage.
He didn’t have any complex motives.
He simply felt the old man was a man of culture and had taken a liking to his son. If he could teach Ah Gou to read and write, then his family would have produced a scholar, and they could walk through the village with their heads held high.
The man gave the old man a simple, honest smile, then grabbed the boy by the scruff of his neck and led him out of the small yard.
Not long after the man left, another figure arrived in the small yard—a travel-worn man with a very long blade slung across his back.
When the old man saw the newcomer, his brow furrowed slightly.
The atmosphere in the yard grew tense.
Finally, the man spoke first. "Sect Leader Murong?"
Hearing those words, the old man staggered back two steps as if struck by lightning, his eyes fixed on the man before him.
Seeing the old man’s reaction, the man knew he’d found the right person. He tore a mask from his face, revealing his true features.
"Bai Yuan?!"
The old man stared at Bai Yuan in utter disbelief.
’How could he have imagined that Bai Yuan would appear here?’
That was right. He was none other than the Shenfu Sect Master, Murong Tian, the very man the Lingzhou Army had scoured all of Huanglong Prefecture for and failed to find.
Bai Yuan gazed at Murong Tian with a complicated expression.
He could sense that Murong Tian’s martial cultivation was completely gone. Otherwise, with the two-hundred-year lifespan his realm should have afforded him, he would never look this ancient.
’The side effects of the Secret Technique Ouyang Hua mentioned are even more terrifying than I imagined.’
’No wonder the Lingzhou Army searched for months and still couldn’t find him.’
’Who would have thought that a lonely old man in a small village was actually Murong Tian, the renowned Shenfu Sect Master of Huanglong Prefecture?’
"I never thought it would be you."
Murong Tian’s aged lips quivered. His former charisma was gone, replaced by the tragic air of a hero in his twilight years.
He heaved a long sigh.
"How is the Divine Mansion Sect now?"
It wasn’t that he was unwilling to return to Shenfu Mountain. In his current state, he would be lucky to even make it out of the village without being killed by bandits, let alone travel the thousand li back to Shenfu Mountain.
While Martial Artists and merchant caravans frequently traveled between cities, for an ordinary person, such a journey was fraught with peril and offered only a slim chance of survival.
This was why most commoners were unwilling to leave their hometowns.
It wasn’t out of any deep attachment to their land, but because leaving meant a high probability of dying on the road.
Thus, even though war raged constantly in Dingzhou to the north, many people still refused to leave.
Ever since escaping the joint attack by Lu Xiao and the Longevity Palace Master, he had been trapped in this small village.
The village was so isolated that the most distant news they ever heard were amusing tidbits from the county seat. How could they possibly know the affairs of a colossal power like the Divine Mansion Sect?
Most of them had never even heard of the Divine Mansion Sect.
To them, the gangs and clans in the county seat were the ultimate authority.
Bai Yuan recounted everything that had happened to the Divine Mansion Sect.
When he heard that Murong Jiujiang had led a thousand members from the main peak to their deaths in battle, Murong Tian’s expression grew even more sorrowful.
Murong Jiujiang was the prized disciple he had raised himself. Although Murong Tian had employed certain political maneuvers against him, he had always secretly considered him his true successor.
It was just that a successor was not necessarily the same as the Sect Leader of the Divine Mansion Sect.
"You have done well."
Murong Tian nodded at Bai Yuan in satisfaction.
If not for Bai Yuan, the Divine Mansion Sect would now exist in name only.
Even if Ouyang Hua had managed to preserve the Murong Clan, it would take at least a century for another dazzlingly talented member of the Murong Clan to emerge.
Too many things could go wrong in that time.
In the past, the Divine Mansion Sect had nearly lost its lineage for this very reason.
Fortunately, Bai Yuan had turned the tide. Even without the Murong Family, the Divine Mansion Sect still endured.
As Murong Tian processed the flood of information from the past few months, Bai Yuan suddenly asked, "Sect Leader, what exactly is the Divine Mansion? Why did the Lingzhou General and the Longevity Palace Master attack us over it?"
Hearing the words "Divine Mansion," a bitter smile touched Murong Tian’s lips.
He had already learned from Bai Yuan that Lu Xiao and the Longevity Palace Master had attacked him for the sake of the laughable Divine Mansion.
"The Divine Mansion is just a legend. I don’t even know if it truly exists."
"The world claims that the founding ancestor of the Murong Family once visited the Divine Mansion, but I can tell you with certainty that our ancestor never left behind so much as a single word about it for his descendants."
Bai Yuan frowned.
’I thought finding Murong Tian would unlock the secrets of the Divine Mansion.’
’I can’t believe he knows even less than I do.’
Bai Yuan asked, "Then why do they say that the Divine Mansion can only be opened with your blood, Sect Leader?"
"Perhaps it was just an excuse Lu Xiao gave Master Longevity to convince him to act."
"..."
Bai Yuan didn’t press the matter.
It was clear Murong Tian truly knew very little about the Divine Mansion.
’If it weren’t for the guide from my past life, even I would be starting to think the Divine Mansion was a myth.’
’But the Lingzhou General has raised such a storm searching for the Divine Mansion, and even Master Longevity was willing to believe in it. This can’t possibly be a groundless rumor.’
But Bai Yuan didn’t dwell on it for long.
’Once I’m strong enough, I’ll go straight to that Tier Eight Great Demon. Then all these mysteries will be solved.’
’Thinking about the Divine Mansion now will only create more problems.’
"Sect Leader, I’m taking you back to the sect."
...
「The Hundred Thousand Mountains, Divine Mansion Sect.」
"Sect Leader?"
"Sect Leader!"
...
The news of Murong Tian’s return to the Divine Mansion Sect was not spread. Only a select few were qualified to know.
If the Lingzhou Army were to find out that Murong Tian was in the Hundred Thousand Mountains...
...they would likely dispatch all their troops to search every inch of the mountain range.
Ruan Xiuluan and the others gazed at Murong Tian, their expressions complicated.
They were Murong Tian’s contemporaries—Situ Liuyun was even his junior—but they had all witnessed firsthand what a peerless prodigy he had been in his youth.
A man who could outshine even Dong Wanjun—how could he ever have been considered mediocre?
Murong Tian had once been the man of every female disciple’s dreams in the Divine Mansion Sect.
But now, he had been reduced to this state.
There is always a particular sorrow in seeing a hero in his twilight years.
Especially one who had once shone as brightly as Murong Tian.
Murong Tian, however, seemed to have come to terms with his fate. He showed no desire to reclaim his position as Sect Leader, wishing only to live out his remaining years on Shenfu Mountain. That was all.
"Sect Leader Murong, I swear I will lead everyone to reclaim Shenfu Mountain."
Bai Yuan declared, his voice firm as iron.
Murong Tian looked at Bai Yuan with a gratified expression.
’My own disciple, Murong Jiujiang, died in battle. There is no shame in that. And Junior Brother Dong’s disciple is no less capable than we were in our prime. This is all very good.’
Hearing the words "Shenfu Mountain," Ruan Xiuluan and the others showed looks of anticipation.
They were all veterans of the Divine Mansion Sect, and their attachment to Shenfu Mountain ran deep.
The four of them, including Ruan Xiuluan, still held the titles of Peak Master. Naturally, they hoped to see their titles become meaningful again within their lifetimes.
Murong Tian mused, "Junior Brother Wang and the others are still in the Northern Territory. We should find a way to contact them. Even if we can’t persuade the Northern Garrison Army to intervene, we can at least gain more allies."
The Junior Brother Wang he mentioned was one of the six Peak Masters the Divine Mansion Sect had dispatched to the Northern Plains.
Bai Yuan nodded.
Six Entering Martial Artists were a considerable force. If those six Peak Masters could return, the Divine Mansion Sect’s power would increase dramatically.
If the situation in Ling Province were to stabilize, the Divine Mansion Sect might be able to reappear openly in Huanglong Prefecture once more.
However, Emperor Xuanyang was already growing wary of the Grand General of the North, Xu Dingchun. Bai Yuan believed there would soon be a major development involving the Northern Garrison Army.
When that happened, those six Peak Masters might be able to withdraw and return to Ling Province.
The Grand General of the North’s influence over the provinces of the Northern Territory was immense; it was possible he could cause a world-shaking change in the situation in Ling Province.
That would be the perfect opportunity for a comeback.
Until that opportunity arose, what Bai Yuan had to do was strengthen the Divine Mansion Sect as much as possible.
’Of course, by comparison, the most efficient plan was probably just to make myself stronger.’
He glanced at the two Legendary-tier blade techniques on his status panel.
’It seems it’s time to try some more advanced tactics...’
