Chapter 4: Mountain Pass

Not far away, the source of the raging wind and waves was a slowly descending spirit vessel. The spirit vessel was magnificent and splendid, entirely powered and constructed with expensive spirit stones. At the rupture of the seal on Nanwu Mountain stood dozens of cultivators, each dressed differently. Leading them was the Lihuo Sect, who had erected the boundary marker for Nanwu Mountain.

Within the dense mist thick with yin energy at the mountain entrance, cultivators with imposing auras stood solemnly. Upon noticing the wind and waves, they all looked upwards.

The cultivators in the distance each exuded extraordinary presence, their garments neat and tidy. Merely standing there, they seemed incongruous with the pervasive yin mist of Nanwu Mountain, matching the rumors Zhang Fugui had heard—the aura they radiated was that of immortals who slay demons and eradicate evil.

At this moment, a cultivator in blue robes stepped out of the descending spirit vessel. He wore a wide-sleeved Taoist robe, sharpness gleamed in his eyes, and every gesture he made was full of commanding presence.

As soon as he set foot on the ground, the attention of the surrounding cultivators almost entirely converged on him.

“Who is that—”

“You don’t know!? That’s the young master of the Su family. Who in the Southern Realm doesn’t know him?”

In the Eastern Continent’s cultivation world, the highest respect was given to one mountain, four sects, and eight great families. Among them, one mountain was the legendary gathering place of geniuses—Tianlu Mountain. Tianlu was a breeding ground for talent, producing outstanding human cultivators for centuries. Below Tianlu were the four great sects: Cangxue Sect, Luoshan Gate, Xuanyu Manor, and Divine Physician Valley. Alongside these four sects were the eight great families.

The cultivator in blue robes was none other than Su Yi, the young master of the Su family, ranked sixth among the eight great families.

At only twenty-five, Su Yi had already advanced to the Golden Core stage, becoming the final disciple of the Cangxue Sect’s sect leader. He was famed among young cultivators for his mastery of talismanic arts, one of the few geniuses of his generation.

Other cultivators subtly observed, their gazes passing over the Su family members and resting on the blue-robed young master at their head. After the Su family elders conversed briefly with the Lihuo Sect cultivators, the blue-robed cultivator turned and led several Lihuo Sect members deeper into the rift of Nanwu Mountain.

He spoke no words; merely passing by, he exuded an unmistakable, extraordinary aura.

“Do you think that commotion from before is true? The Su family from Tianyuan City actually has a marriage contract with the young master of the Gu family from Xize?” A disciple from a sect whispered, sensing the surrounding eyes fixed on the Su family cultivators. “That contract—could it be between the young masters themselves?”

Nearby, a cultivator glanced sideways at the blue-robed figure not far off and lowered his voice: “Don’t speak recklessly, but I heard the Su family’s spirit vessel originally departed from Tianyuan City heading west. Isn’t the Gu family based in Xize?”

This matter was peculiar. Not long ago, Tianyuan City had suddenly been abuzz with a secret involving the aristocratic families: rumors claimed the Su family and the Gu family young master from far-off Xize held a marriage contract. Among the eight great families, the Su family ranked sixth, while the Gu family of Xize had long been first. The Gu family’s young master, Gu Zizhou, was the foremost disciple of Tianlu Mountain, the top mountain sect in the world.

While Su Yi was a standout among the younger generation, Gu Zizhou was an unparalleled prodigy.

He reached Golden Core at fifteen and Nascent Soul at twenty-five. Across the entire Eastern Continent cultivation world, he was truly unrivaled. With such talent, he was destined to ascend to deityhood and transcend the tribulation within a century—a future beyond reckoning.

If the Su family truly held a marriage contract with Gu Zizhou, it would undoubtedly affect the current power dynamics among the mountain, four sects, and eight great families. In the past, such rumors would have been dispelled within half a day, but this one had lingered for some time, with neither the Su nor Gu families offering any explanation.

No explanation likely meant it was true.

Behind the withered trees, Zhang Fugui also saw so many cultivators for the first time. In all his years at Nanwu Mountain, cultivators had been few and far between—either dead and transformed into malevolent spirits or long since devoured by other ghosts in Nanwu Mountain. The grand assembly and the spirit vessel he now beheld were far mightier than any cultivator he had seen before.

The person he carried remained silent for a long time; Zhang Fugui shivered and whispered, “So many cultivators…”

The youth responded coldly, “Quiet.”

Zhang Fugui covered his mouth.

The youth was covered in blood and dirt, gravely injured, his voice hoarse, yet when he was silenced, he dared not move.

Zhang Fugui trembled slightly, unsure whether this person was truly blind.

The sounds grew clearer in Su Yu’s ears. He felt his hearing should not be so acute, but the approaching footsteps seemed to grow ever nearer.

Colors mingled and swirled where the voices came from, entwined with white yin energy. Strange, vivid strands of light, as if crafted by divine hands, spilled wildly over the black veil. Su Yu watched entranced as these luminous spots scattered over various moving objects, particularly some colossal ones where the spots concentrated densely, shimmering with iridescence.

Su Yu had never seen such a sight before. “What is that?”

Zhang Fugui paused, following the direction indicated. He blinked, “Such a huge ship… I heard them call it a spirit vessel.”

Su Yu mused over the unfamiliar yet familiar term: spirit vessel. That colossal thing was a spirit vessel.

Then those shimmering, colorful vapors—were they emitted by the spirit vessel?

“What is the Su family?” Su Yu suddenly asked.

Zhang Fugui was startled. Though he had died years ago in Nanwu Mountain, he had heard of the Su family’s renown.

In the Southern Realm of the Eastern Continent, who did not know the Su family of Tianyuan City? They were a famous cultivation aristocratic family. The Lihuo Sect cultivators guarding Nanwu Mountain’s entrance were not even remotely comparable to the Su family’s collateral branches. Even in such a remote place as Nanwu Mountain, the Su family’s fame was well known. How could the Taoist not know?

Quickly realizing this, Zhang Fugui hurried to share what he knew.

When finished, seeing no response, he cautiously asked, “That’s all I know. Is there anything else you want to know?”

“Nothing,” Su Yu lowered his gaze, watching the interplay of white and colorful light in the distance.

But the sound… was nauseating.

Seeing the Taoist say no more, Zhang Fugui dared not ask further but carefully observed the youth.

Was the Taoist not from the Southern Realm? Why was he so unfamiliar with it?

Zhang Fugui glanced sideways and saw the young Taoist leaning against his back, his eyes slightly lowered. The youth’s condition seemed a good deal better than before, barely clinging to life, and his body temperature was somewhat warmer.

“There are many cultivators over there, all heading into the mountain… They must be here to slay demons and exorcise ghosts. Once they enter, we’ll have a chance to escape.”

Su Yu said nothing, quietly listening to Zhang Fugui’s plan.

Looking afar, although the dim view was filled with numerous colorful light clusters resembling smoke, most were white vapors like those around Zhang Fugui. Bowing his head slightly, Su Yu saw these vapors rising from the soil below, drifting upward as if drawn by some force into deeper mountain areas.

Their direction matched where the cultivators were heading.

He had no interest in those cultivators; in fact, like with the Su family, the word “cultivator” stirred an inexplicable disgust within him. He did not know the source of this feeling, for his mind was blank.

At that moment, several strands of yin energy separated from the main mass. Instead of drifting east where the malevolent spirits gathered, they floated southeast. In the darkness, those strands stood out sharply, their movements unlike the majority drifting with the current.

Su Yu slightly raised his eyes and glimpsed several strange lights rising near the iridescent spirit vessel.

Those lights originated from the cultivators. Just as Su Yu intended to observe more closely, the lights were engulfed by the white yin energy, and seeing those lights provoked a wave of nausea in his throat.

Zhang Fugui noticed the youth’s hand gripping his shoulder. “Taoist… are you hurt? Is your leg hurting?”

Su Yu said, “Something’s coming.”

“Something coming…?” Zhang Fugui looked outward but saw nothing but cultivators. Just as he was about to ask what it was, a sudden chill ran down his arm.

Suddenly, the rustling of the forest intensified. A fierce gale blew head-on.

It immediately caught the attention of many cultivators. Before they could grasp the situation, the withered trees surrounding the forest snapped one after another. The previously moderate yin wind abruptly intensified, carrying a biting chill. A sharp cry erupted as a cultivator walking in front was caught off guard and had his outer robe slashed by the wind blade, blood immediately flowing.

“What’s happening!?”

“Defend yourselves! The yin wind is strange!”

“Spirit-seeking compass—”

Panic spread among the cultivators. The more experienced ones quickly retreated a few steps, snatching spirit-seeking compasses from others. The compass needles spun wildly as unprecedentedly dense yin energy rapidly surged. Within moments, the compass needles suddenly broke.

Chaos erupted among the cultivators while the yin wind at Nanwu Mountain’s entrance raged wildly.

“Fall back from the mountain entrance!”

The fierce wind howled through the withered forest. Su Yu heard the piercing whistle grow louder. The white vapors darted faster, swirling with drifting colored smoke like a tornado rising from the ground, forming a strange airflow in the sky.

Zhang Fugui barely held his ground amid the gale. Having lived in Nanwu Mountain’s lair for so long, he had never witnessed such a terrifying wind.

He had just taken a few steps carrying the youth, but cultivators were retreating even faster. Those immortal-like cultivators raised spiritual implements; one white-haired elder swung forth a massive spiritual artifact. As the powerful device was unleashed, the chaotic airflow grew even more violent.

In an instant, Su Yu saw the white vapor explode suddenly. “Don’t go any further!”

Zhang Fugui halted mid-step. The next moment, the Su family’s spirit vessel transformed into a golden curtain, thundering down to seal the only exit of Nanwu Mountain.

Just a step away, the sole passage out of Nanwu Mountain was firmly sealed.

“It’s over,” Zhang Fugui’s face turned deathly pale.

The curtain formed; the white-haired elder controlling the spirit vessel sealed the mountain exit to prevent the yin energy from surging out. His murky gaze swept the panting cultivators below, ensuring most had escaped, and prepared to seal the final gateway.

Suddenly, through the curtain, he spotted a figure.

Near the forest edge closest to the entrance stood a middle-aged man in coarse cloth robes, looking around anxiously. His skin was pale and bluish, showing he had been dead for some years and had already transformed into a soul form.

What caught the elder’s attention was the “person” on the soul’s back. Though seemingly human, the elder sensed no trace of cultivator’s spiritual energy from him. The youth was covered in blood and dirt, but his face was astonishingly delicate, bearing a strangely familiar beauty.

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