Chapter 742: Competitive (I)
Huyan Dong stood amid the cold, mighty gusts of wind blowing past Holy Mountain. He said with slight surprise, "You actually managed to move the Noble Dharma. How did you do it?"
"Sincerity," answered the slender boy, Chu Yi.
Hearing that, Huyan Dong couldn't help but remark, "For someone so young, you sure say a lot of crap."
On the Holy Mountain, Huyan Dong had the Noble Dharma's protection. That meant his safety was no longer under Chu Yi's control, so his courage naturally grew.
Without Huyan Dong's connection to the Noble Dharma, it would have been difficult for Chu Yi to meet the Noble Dharma in the first place, so Chu Yi did not bother responding to his provocation.
Chu Yi simply smiled and said, "I can't share the details with you. You only need to know that the Noble Dharma has taken me as his disciple. He wants me to train on the Holy Mountain for ten years before I may leave."
Huyan Dong nodded.
Of course, he knew that it was extraordinary to have the Noble Dharma's support.
The Noble Dharma was the oldest living human cultivator. He did not wield a legendary artifact, yet he still received the utmost respect from the Divine Nine immortal sects, which spoke volumes.
Even if he had no way of advancing to the eighth-and-a-half realm, the Realm of the Heavenly Origin Terminator, the Noble Dharma was undeniably one of the most powerful eighth-realm Eminent Ones.
Although the Noble Dharma had seemingly remained hidden from the world for years, he still maintained absolute control over two sects in the Terrestrial Ten. The proof was in how the imperial court had bestowed the Monastery Tower, one of the Terrestrial Ten, with the title of "Nation Guard" precisely because of its ties to the Holy Mountain.
The Holy Mountain stood on equal footing with the sects in the Divine Nine. The influence and power it held could not be underestimated.
With the Noble Dharma's protection, Chu Yi had truly found solid footing. Even if the imperial court were to discover his identity as the former dynasty's young emperor, there was nothing they could do to him as long as he remained on the Holy Mountain.
The purpose of Noble Dharma's order for Chu Yi to remain on the mountain and train for ten years was not only to cultivate his character but also to protect him. This way, no one could harm him while he was still a child.
Huyan Dong gazed at the remarkable child before him. "What was the collaboration you were talking about earlier?"
"Are you interested, City Lord Huyan?" Chu Yi asked with a smile.
During his time on the Holy Mountain, Huyan Dong learned about the events occurring in the outside world.
As he had expected, Taotie City had been mercilessly cast out of the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten. Furthermore, no one had attempted to rescue him—not even the Penglai Supreme Sect, the sect that Taotie City served and had the closest relations with.
In the meantime, the sects in the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten had already begun scheming against one another to determine which sect would ascend into the Terrestrial Ten. Each sect sought to push its own ally to take the spot for the sake of securing greater influence and power in the future.
The name "Taotie City" seemed to be vanishing from history.
"Didn't we have an agreement? If you could obtain the Noble Dharma's protection, we would discuss the collaboration further," Huyan Dong said with a smile. "Now we can talk."
Chu Yi explained, "It's simple. Since I can't leave the mountain, I need someone to act on my behalf outside. Taotie City fell because it lacked a strong supporter and true power. But now, you'll have both. The Holy Mountain will be your supporter, and the Mount Mang rebels will be your strength...
"Since Taotie City has already been destroyed, there's no need to rebuild it. Instead, we will merge Taotie City with the Mount Mang rebels and establish a new force, one even greater than before. We will reclaim everything that once belonged to Taotie City."
Chu Yi's eyes gleamed as he looked at Huyan Dong. "We'll call it Mount Mang City!
"All the hopes you once placed on Taotie City, all the ambitions you never had the chance to fulfill—you can realize them here. You know my ambitions lie elsewhere. This is merely a stepping stone for me. In the future, our fates will be intertwined, but in the end, Mount Mang City will belong to the Huyan Family. You will surpass your ancestors and achieve even greater glory..."
"Mount Mang City?" Huyan Dong uttered. He had to admit that the boy's words stirred his heart.
Taotie City had been wealthy, but it lacked true power of its own. No matter whose protection it sought, it had never been a lasting solution.
However, with the Noble Dharma as a supporter, the possibilities were endless.
In fact, Huyan Dong could do much more than just reclaim a spot in the Terrestrial Ten. If he wanted to, he could even achieve his long-cherished wish of pulling the Mount Shu Sect down from the Divine Nine...
Nevertheless, as he looked at the boy in front of him, Huyan Dong dismissed the thought.
Forget it. This kid's from the Mount Shu Sect. If not for Red Cotton Peak, he might never have gone against Taotie City in the first place.
The Mount Shu Sect was where he learned to make such grandiose promises.
Just as Huyan Dong was about to say something, a scarlet-robed girl emerged from a nearby temple.
The girl appeared to be around the same age as Chu Yi, about twelve or thirteen years old. She was slightly taller than him, which was unsurprising since girls usually grew a bit faster at this age. She was undoubtedly a budding beauty, but her expression was as frigid as the endless frost of the Northern Regions, with a hint of indolence in her gaze.
Huyan Dong did not know who the girl was, but he knew she held a very high status on the Holy Mountain. She beat and scolded the Noble Dharma's disciples whenever she liked, and no one dared to provoke her. She showed little respect even toward the Noble Dharma.
The girl walked over and called out to Chu Yi, "Hey! The old geezer is calling you."
"Got it, Big Sis Jiang Guo. I'll be right there," Chu Yi replied with a smile.
He had heard Noble Wu'e mention the girl's name before, so he had remembered it. The "old geezer" Jiang Guo mentioned was undoubtedly the Noble Dharma.
"I happen to have something to discuss with the Noble Dharma as well," Huyan Dong said, moving to follow them.
Jiang Guo shot him an icy stare. "Go drop dead somewhere else."
Huyan Dong smiled and nodded. "All right then."
He wasn't being so agreeable because he was kind; it was because he could clearly sense that this girl's cultivation power was absolutely terrifying... She definitely had the ability to kill him with a single punch.
When she told him to "go drop dead somewhere else," it could have been a threat… or become a fact.
Watching the two children, whose combined age didn't even reach twenty-five, walk away, Huyan Dong couldn't help but sigh. "Haaa."
The immortal realm has become way too competitive. Are eleven- and twelve-year-olds supposed to have such high levels of intelligence and cultivation power nowadays? Does that make any sense?? When I was twelve, I spent my days eating tanghulu![1]
While Huyan Dong was lamenting inwardly about his situation, someone called out to him from behind, "Father!"
Turning around, Huyan Dong saw Huyan Bin, now in his thirties, walking over with two charred mantou[2] in hand. His face was full of warm, innocent joy.
"Father, all they have here is mantou, and they taste awful. So, I thought I'd try roasting them. Guess what?" Huyan Bin laughed. "They burned!"
"..."
When Huyan Dong saw his son's silly grin, his lips parted. One word hovered at the tip of his tongue, but in the end, he held it back.
...
"Useless!"
This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.
Inside a pavilion in the Ruins of Return Cult, the Sea Master raged as he glared at the two blood-soaked subordinates before him.
Standing on the left was Squid King, a master of striking enemies under the cover of black ink, and on the right was Tiger Whale, who was unmatched in close-range rushed attacks. They were among the Sea Master's most capable subordinates.
Yet, despite attacking together, they had failed to get past Madam Hongyu.
The Sea Master had spent considerable time gathering intelligence on Grand Ancestor Fuyou's situation. All his two subordinates needed to do was get into the underground cavern when the blood mist rose. Then Grand Ancestor Fuyou would have a chance to latch onto someone and escape.
Yet, despite their meticulous planning and the element of surprise, they had still failed.
"Esteemed Sea Master, it is not that we are incompetent. It was just bad timing today," Squid King said.
He lifted his black robes, revealing the lower half of his face. It was pitch-black and lined with long, squid tentacles, making for a frightening sight. However, his eyes just showed how wronged he felt.
Tiger Whale chimed in, "That's right. Several human cultivators were also on Misty Island, including an Eminent One with great sword skills. His attacks were extremely sharp!"
The sea demons of the Ruins of Return did not know much about humans. Otherwise, they would have recognized that this human Eminent One was none other than the renowned Chu Liang of the Mount Shu Sect.
"If that's the case, our failure to rescue Grand Ancestor Fuyou will only make that old thief Wuchao more vigilant." The Sea Master's expression turned as dark as stormy waters. "They may even trace it back to you two. How will my Ruins of Return Cult escape then?"
The Sea Master's fear of Wuchao's might stemmed from a terror deeply rooted in his heart. That was precisely why he had wanted to free Grand Ancestor Fuyou, who had once fought Wuchao in a great battle. The Sea Master knew that with his strength alone, he had no chance of victory against Wuchao.
"Sea Master, I have something to say," Squid King said, pulling back into his robes.
"Speak!" Sea Master commanded.
"If someone were to report to Wuchao about Misty Island, it would definitely take some time. You should take advantage of this window to go down in person and rescue Grand Ancestor Fuyou. That way, Wuchao will be preoccupied dealing with Grand Ancestor Fuyou and won't have time to bother with us. Having just repelled our attack, Misty Island would not expect us to strike again so soon…" Squid King explained slowly. "The most important thing now is to be quick!"
Boom!
The Sea Master erupted in fury, striking Squid King with his palm. Squid King was sent flying, coughing up blood as he crashed into the wall. He was already heavily injured before, and now he was barely clinging to life.
Despite attacking Squid King, the Sea Master withdrew his hand and said quietly, "This plan is feasible."
"..." Squid King's eyes widened. "If it's feasible, then why, Esteemed Sea Master—"
"Why didn't you say so earlier?!" the Sea Master snapped, flinging out his sleeves in anger. He took a step outside the pavilion and vanished.
Squid King: "?"
Of course, what the Sea Master said was just an excuse. The real reason for his anger was that his subordinates' incompetence had forced him to take action personally—something he had no desire to do.
If he did that, it would be much easier for others to figure out that he was involved. After all, there weren't many eighth-realm Eminent Ones in the Ruins of Return. It wouldn't take much effort at all to deduce who was responsible for the incident.
However, his subordinates' attempt to free Grand Ancestor Fuyou had already failed. If the Sea Master still refused to act, there would be no salvaging his plan.
No matter what, I have to take GrandAncestor Fuyou out of that seal today!
If the Bloodmist Manor managed to send word to Wuchao about the failed attempt, he would definitely tighten the defenses around Misty Island. At that point, all hope would be lost. Fortunately, Wuchao had been deeply focused on his closed-door cultivation, so it would take some effort to track him down. This provided a crucial time gap that the Sea Master could exploit.
1. Sugar-coated fruit on a bamboo skewer. Chances are you've seen plenty of vids of it on YouTube or TikTok. ☜
2. Steamed bun. ☜
GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts
Translator: LD
Term Change:
Honorable Ancestor -> Grand Ancestor
For the foodie readers...
Mantou: These are quite often plain, but there are ones with filling as well. Whenever I think of mantou, I think of my friend telling me about how they are a must-have when eating chilli crab to soak up all the delicious sauce... 🤤
Tanghulu: Traditionally, they're the red round ones, made with hawthorn.
