Translator: CinderTL
Xu Sanyan, fleeing frantically, gazed at the distant, sprawling mountain range and swallowed hard.
This must be the Chaotic Cloud Mountains they spoke of. For him, it was indeed an ideal refuge. With such a vast mountain range, he could hide anywhere, and no one would ever find him.
Xu Sanyan rummaged through his storage pouch and realized he was out of clothes. He had originally packed plenty, but his recent, frequent manifestations of his dao body had torn them all to shreds.
"Well, if I have to flee naked, so be it."
He glanced down at his little brother, feeling no particular embarrassment.
Its impressive size would make any man feel inferior, any woman's heart flutter, and even old ladies would have to rush home to change their underwear.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Xu Sanyan fully entered the Chaotic Cloud Mountains.
The endless, undulating peaks stretched as far as the eye could see. This was still the outer edge of the range, devoid of human habitation.
After walking for some time, small paths began to appear between the mountains, along with traces of human activity.
By now, night had completely fallen. Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow at the distant village. "A village in this place?"
Rustle, rustle...
A faint sound drifted from deep within the forest. Xu Sanyan sensed two figures hiding behind trees to his left, their eyes fixed on him.
The two men's cultivation levels were not high, likely around the Celestial Being Realm, still within the mortal realm and yet to cross the immortal-mortal divide.
Peering through the gaps in the trees, they watched Xu Sanyan. In the blink of an eye, he vanished. Before they could recover from their shock, a voice sounded from behind them:
"Where am I?"
"Ah!"
Startled, they instinctively turned around, a chill creeping into their hearts. The naked man who had been ahead of them was now standing right behind them!
Realizing they had encountered a powerful cultivator with unfathomable strength, they knew they couldn't afford to offend him. The taller youth stammered,
"F-First Master, this is the Chaotic Cloud Mountains."
Xu Sanyan frowned. "Nonsense. I know this is the Chaotic Cloud Mountains."
The shorter, scrawnier youth quickly chimed in, "First Master, we're from Chang Family Village. This is Chang Family territory. Our Old Master Chang is a Soul Refining Realm cultivator."
Xu Sanyan glanced at him. The man wasn't stupid; he was trying to intimidate him with Old Master Chang's status.
"There are families in the Chaotic Cloud Mountains?" Xu Sanyan asked, intrigued.
He had never heard of the Chaotic Cloud Mountains before. The books he had read contained no specific information about this place, as if it had been deliberately erased from records.
The scrawny youth mustered his courage and glanced at the secret realm fruit in Xu Sanyan's hand before lowering his gaze and asking meekly, "You don't know about the Chaotic Cloud Mountains?"
Xu Sanyan ignored him, simply placing a hand on the youth's shoulder. "I ask, you answer. If your answers displease me, your life is forfeit. Understand?"
"Erm... Y-yes, First Master. Please ask," the scrawny youth stammered, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. He dared not refuse.
Xu Sanyan pondered for a moment. "Tell me about the Chaotic Cloud Mountains first. Be thorough."
The youth didn't dare wipe his sweat. The hand on his shoulder felt like a thousand-pound weight; any movement would instantly crush him.
He swallowed hard. "First Master, the Chaotic Cloud Mountains are home to many clans and sects. The most renowned are the two great families and the three great sects."
Xu Sanyan narrowed his eyes slightly. So many factions in these mountains?
The youth continued, "The Three Great Sects are Immortal Inquiry Mountain, Supreme Harmony Gate, and Sui Xin Temple. The two great families are the Liu Family and the Wang Family."
"And the Chang Family doesn't rank among them?" Xu Sanyan asked, surprised. The Chang Family had a Soul Refining Realm cultivator—how could they be unranked? This Chaotic Cloud Mountains must run deep.
While a Soul Refining Realm cultivator might not be exceptional among the Great Sects, they were still a formidable figure in the outside world. For example, the Sect Leader of Xu Sanyan's former Vast Origin Sect had been a Soul Refining Realm cultivator, capable of establishing his own sect.
Yet here, in the Chaotic Cloud Mountains, he didn't even qualify for a ranking?
The short, gaunt youth glanced at Xu Sanyan's palm, forcing a strained smile. "What's the Chang Family worth? There are countless minor clans like ours in these mountains—at least eighty, if not a hundred. Many sects are far stronger than us too."
Xu Sanyan silently noted this, gaining a preliminary understanding of the Chaotic Cloud Mountains. "Tell me about the Three Great Sects," he pressed.
The youth licked his lips nervously. "The Supreme Harmony Gate lies west of the mountains, closer to the Qian Kingdom. Sui Xin Temple is said to share origins with the Heaven's Will Demon Subduing Temple, though they later split for unknown reasons."
Xu Sanyan frowned. Bald donkeys here too?
"Immortal Inquiry Mountain is east of the mountains, near the Zuoqiu Clan."
"That's all?"
"Ah... I'm just a lowly cultivator who's never left the village. That's all I know," the youth stammered, suddenly panicked.
Xu Sanyan nodded and turned to the other youth. "Anything to add?"
"Ah... ah?" The tall youth jolted awake, as if from a dream, then quickly recovered and blurted, "I know nothing!"
Xu Sanyan turned to Chang Family Village in the distance. "What's your master's cultivation level?"
The short, gaunt youth paused, his mind racing frantically before he slowly spoke, "Peak Stage Soul Refinement. Just one step away from void harmony."
The tall youth exclaimed in surprise, "Ah? Master has broken through again?"
"Heh..." Xu Sanyan shook his head and chuckled, convinced the man was truly mentally deficient.
Cold sweat streamed down the short youth's face. He had deliberately exaggerated Master Gao's cultivation level, hoping to deter the naked man and persuade him to spare them.
But his own companion had exposed his lie, forcing him to quickly backtrack. "I might have misremembered. It's Mid Stage Soul Refinement."
"Sure you're not misremembering this time?" Xu Sanyan patted his shoulder, then lowered his arm.
The short youth swore, "No mistake this time. Absolutely no mistake."
Xu Sanyan lowered his head in thought for a moment, then turned to the simple-minded youth. "Go inside and announce me."
"Announce what?" the tall youth asked blankly.
"Tsk..." Xu Sanyan wondered what purpose this man's brain served, other than to make him taller. "Just say I've come to make friends."
"Oh." The tall youth turned and walked away.
The short youth breathed a sigh of relief. Though the man's... attire was peculiar, he didn't seem malicious. His life, for now, was likely safe.
Xu Sanyan pondered for a moment, then retrieved a large banner from his storage pouch and draped it over the secret realm fruit, concealing its mystical aura.
This banner was also a magic artifact, one he had seized from Zhou Longsheng during the Life Character Competition.
With these preparations complete, he stood his ground, waiting patiently. His reasons for sending someone to notify the locals were twofold:
First, if he wanted to integrate into the Chaotic Cloud Mountains quickly, he needed to make contact with the locals. Old Master Chang's strength was modest, and Xu Sanyan was confident he could manipulate him.
Moreover, he could use the opportunity to gather more detailed information about the Chaotic Cloud Mountains. The two youths' knowledge was too superficial to rely on.
Second, he needed a quiet place to recuperate and slowly heal the injuries to his internal organs. This location seemed ideal.
Before long, a group emerged from the village.
Leading the way was an imposing old man with a vigorous physique, his every step exuding the majesty of a dragon and the ferocity of a tiger. This must be Old Master Chang.
Seven or eight people followed behind, men and women alike. When they spotted the naked Xu Sanyan in the distance, they all froze in surprise.
The two women's eyes widened, their gazes fixed intently on him.
Xu Sanyan swept his gaze over them, thinking, Look at your ignorant expressions.
What? Never seen anything this big before?
(End of the Chapter)
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