Translator: CinderTL
Late at night, in a sparse forest outside the city, Xu Sanyan's mind stirred. He opened his system panel and upgraded his Breath Concealment Technique from Novice to Peak Stage.
The upgrade cost 96 Vitality, leaving him with 385 Vitality remaining.
He then sat cross-legged and began absorbing Spirit Stones.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the distance. Xu Sanyan looked up warily, only to see a figure in red robes emerge from the trees—Qin Manyang.
Qin Manyang casually tossed a bundle toward him. "Here's your promised two-tenths—two hundred Spirit Stones."
Xu Sanyan caught it. "Thank you."
"Hurry, let's go before the Yue Clan catches up!" Qin Manyang grabbed Xu Sanyan's arm and pulled him toward the forest.
"Did you kill him?" Xu Sanyan asked, surprised by her urgency.
He had assumed Qin Manyang would merely teach the man a lesson, not kill him. She had warned him against causing trouble in Yue Clan City, yet she had turned around and slaughtered the man herself.
"That brat drugged me. Should I have let him live to celebrate the New Year?" Qin Manyang sneered, her voice laced with contempt.
Xu Sanyan nodded and was about to stand up when Qin Manyang suddenly turned around. In the darkness, a cold sword light streaked directly toward them, radiating a chilling aura through the night.
Qin Manyang threw her Small Bell in front of her as a shield. With a resounding clang, the middle-aged cultivator stumbled back a step to regain his balance. Holding his sword in one hand, he sneered, "Hmph, daring to cause trouble in Yue Clan City? You're courting death!"
Xu Sanyan glanced at the scene, then swiftly retreated, turning to flee. Even Qin Manyang hadn't noticed anyone following them, indicating that their pursuer's cultivation level was far higher than hers, and even more so than his own. If he didn't run now, when would he?
Moreover, this was Yue Clan territory, and reinforcements would arrive endlessly. Once entangled, escaping would become nearly impossible.
"If we work together, we don't need to fear him!" Qin Manyang called out urgently, seeing him about to flee.
Xu Sanyan remained silent, his speed increasing further. He had spotted several more figures approaching in the distance. He had no idea what Qin Manyang had done in the city to provoke such a massive Yue Clan manhunt, but he had only taken two hundred Spirit Stones—not worth risking his life for.
"Hmph, no one escapes!"
The middle-aged cultivator pinned Qin Manyang down, shouting to the figures behind him, "Don't let that man get away! Hurry and chase him!"
"Yes!" The group vanished into the night, pursuing Xu Sanyan.
Xu Sanyan summoned the Ferocious Demon he had been hiding behind him to block the pursuers. He then fled deeper into the forest, abandoning the demon—it only needed to delay them for a moment.
He had long sensed that Qin Manyang acted recklessly and impulsively, heedless of consequences. He knew trouble would eventually come, but he hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
Qin Manyang's style of doing things was remarkably similar to the Crimson Heart Faction of the Harmonious Heart Demonic Sect she had mentioned.
"Hah!" A faint cry of a woman echoed through the night sky. Judging by the voice, it was Qin Manyang. The battle there must be intense.
Xu Sanyan only focused on running, head down. In a matter of moments, he could no longer sense the Ferocious Demon—it must have been killed.
"Don't run!" a useless shout came from behind.
Xu Sanyan ignored it, glancing back briefly to see three figures hot on his heels.
Their speeds were nearly identical, maintaining a constant distance. Xu Sanyan couldn't shake them, nor could they catch him.
But Xu Sanyan knew this couldn't last. Once the middle-aged cultivator dealt with Qin Manyang and caught up, he would be in grave danger.
As time passed, Xu Sanyan had no idea where he was anymore, but the pursuers behind him remained relentless.
Daylight gradually began to break. Xu Sanyan had been running all night, and even with his robust constitution, fatigue was starting to set in. Fortunately, he could still endure.
But the three pursuers behind him were nearing their breaking point. The three youths—two men and a woman—looked young, but their actual ages were likely much older. Their cultivation levels matched Xu Sanyan's, meaning they were at least fifty or sixty years old.
The three exchanged glances. The woman spoke first. "This kid runs fast. Should we keep chasing?"
The other two continued running without stopping, their faces showing hesitation. "Great Solitary Mountain is just ahead. If we don't catch him there, we should retreat. At least we'll have an explanation when we return."
"Agreed," the others said.
With their cultivation levels and after a night of pursuit, they were now over a thousand miles from Yue Clan City.
Xu Sanyan looked ahead and saw a solitary black mountain looming before him. The mountain range wasn't tall, and its trees were sparse. To him, it seemed like an ordinary mountain, showing no signs of anything unusual.
The moment Xu Sanyan stepped into the mountain range's territory, he froze in place. The scene before him abruptly transformed.
Black Mountain had vanished, replaced by a lush green meadow. On the meadow stood a schoolhouse surrounded by a spacious courtyard enclosed by a fence. Seven or eight bamboo huts lined the courtyard horizontally, and clear voices reciting lessons echoed from within.
"The Sage says, filial piety and fraternal love come first, respect teachers and elders, live harmoniously with neighbors..."
Xu Sanyan's eyes suddenly glazed over. His steps became mechanical as he walked toward the bamboo huts. He pushed open the door, and the reading abruptly ceased, as if someone had forcibly pressed a mute button.
The old teacher on the podium twisted his head ninety degrees, his expressionless face turned sideways to stare at Xu Sanyan. Dozens of children in the classroom also stared at him, their eyes unblinking.
The atmosphere immediately fell silent.
"You are late," the old teacher said slowly, his voice thin and shrill, like nails scraping across glass.
Xu Sanyan's eyes flickered, momentarily dazed, then briefly clearing. Two conflicting wills were locked in a constant struggle for control of his body.
"You must be punished. Ten strokes with the ruler."
As the old man spoke, he slowly approached with a ruler in hand. Xu Sanyan found himself involuntarily extending his hand, standing before the door like a true student.
Slap, slap, slap, slap...
The ruler landed on his hand, sending a searing pain through him. Each strike felt as though it pierced through flesh and struck his very soul, the agony burrowing deep into his bones, causing his body to convulse uncontrollably.
With each blow, Xu Sanyan would momentarily regain clarity, only to lose his senses again almost immediately.
After ten strikes, Xu Sanyan's height had shrunk from nearly seven feet to less than six. His muscular physique contracted, and even his features appeared significantly younger.
It was as if... he had been de-aged.
"Take your seat."
The old man spoke, and Xu Sanyan walked directly to an empty seat. Books had mysteriously appeared on the desk.
"The Sage said, 'Revere Heaven and Earth, venerate the Ghost Gods...'" A clear chorus of students reciting aloud filled the air. Xu Sanyan joined in, chanting with all his might...
Outside Great Solitary Mountain, the three pursuers exchanged serious glances. They looked at Xu Sanyan, who was less than a hundred meters away, but sensed something amiss and dared not continue their pursuit.
The woman spoke, "No one has ever emerged from Great Solitary Mountain after entering. We don't know what awaits inside. Even the Lu Clan's Soul Refinement cultivators were trapped there in the past. We..."
A man nodded. "We must not rush in blindly. I have a treasure that might be worth a try."
He reached into his storage pouch and pulled out a rope. With a soft incantation, the rope began to lengthen, writhing like a living serpent. He held one end firmly in his hand while the other snaked rapidly into Great Solitary Mountain, coiling towards Xu Sanyan.
(End of the Chapter)
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