Chapter 347 - 166: Bizarre Struggle

Chapter 347: Chapter 166: Bizarre Struggle

She murmured.

"During the rainy season, I asked the Domain Lord to let me resign as Vice Pavilion Master, but he refused."

"Of course he wouldn’t. You’re one of his Elders. He promised all of you that once the Mortal Realm rises, he would ensure you all had a future."

"But I’m not cut out for this position."

"Then switch positions."

"Like what?"

"For example... Vice Pavilion Master of the Hundred Valleys Pavilion. I don’t think it would be a problem for the Hundred Valleys Pavilion to have one more Vice Pavilion Master. Don’t you like flowers? You could still do what you love. Go to Xiyang City, tend to your flowers, and cultivate those floral Ghost Plants."

"Could I really do that?"

"Stop asking me. I’m just giving you a suggestion as a friend. If I say too much, it’ll feel like I’m meddling in the Mortal Realm’s internal affairs, and that sounds pretty dangerous."

"You’re like a grandfather to me. It’s very comforting to talk to you."

"..."

Gongyang Yiyue’s expression instantly soured. In a raspy voice, he said, "Did you forget we’re both Night Watchers? You’ve activated twice, and I’ve activated once. My actual age isn’t much greater than yours."

"But you look just like a grandpa."

"Fine, I’ll just activate again tomorrow then."

"Don’t! You’ll lose so many years of your life."

Big Fish leaned on Gongyang Yiyue’s shoulder and whispered, "During the rainy season, the Domain Lord asked everyone what their dream was. Do you have a dream?"

"Er... I do, but... it’s a bit embarrassing to talk about."

"Aren’t we friends?"

"Er..."

Gongyang Yiyue rubbed his nose and said with some embarrassment, "This is a bit shameful to say, but as my age keeps going down, I feel like it won’t be long before I can... stand up. After I can stand up, I want to do some things only adults can do."

"That’s why I want to live a few more years. Otherwise, if I spend my whole life just activating and never get to... stand up, it’d sound like a bit of a failure."

"’Stand up’ what?"

"You’re still young, you wouldn’t understand. I’ll tell you when you’re older."

...

「After the rainy season ended.」

Riyue Square wasn’t the only power to come to Jiangnan. Even before the rainy season, many factions had vaguely sensed that something was off about the Jiangbei Mortal Realm, though they had no concrete information.

But they were located in the Guanxi Plain.

For the name of a faction from distant Jiangbei to reach their ears was, in itself, an extremely bizarre occurrence.

However, with the rainy season about to descend, it was not a good time to travel.

Once the rainy season was over, they all began dispatching people to Jiangbei to investigate.

Almost as soon as these groups entered Jiangnan Fuyao City, they were intercepted by the Battle Pavilion. Then, just as had happened with Hu Zi, they were escorted back to the Mortal Realm. Ransom was demanded. If none was paid, they were released.

Some returned to their own factions.

Others, after leaving the Mortal Realm, became free agents and completely severed ties with their original factions.

And as those who returned spread word of what they had seen and heard in the Mortal Realm, the name "Jiangbei Mortal Realm" began to circulate among the various factions of the Guanxi Plain.

Almost every faction came to know that a power had risen, named the Jiangbei Mortal Realm, and that it was exceedingly strong.

Among them,

the one with the most information on the Jiangbei Mortal Realm was the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land.

Of all the people sent to Jiangnan, agents from the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land accounted for half. Many of them weren’t intercepted and managed to slip into Jiangnan quietly. This wasn’t because the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land was so powerful that it could field such a large number of agents.

It was simply because they invested more resources.

They placed a higher priority on gathering intelligence about the Mortal Realm.

"..."

The Saint Master of the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land sat silently at his tea table, the corner of his mouth twitching uncontrollably as he looked over the intelligence reports his subordinate handed him.

「Over a decade ago.」

He had learned that "That One" had left Nameless Mountain and was trapped somewhere, leaving behind a Grand Array on the mountain capable of nurturing a Snow Lotus to maturity.

Acting on the principle that ownerless treasures belong to the fated, and that to refuse a gift from the heavens is to invite disaster, he had sent his people to claim it.

He personally dispatched a team led by Yu Ning’Er to infiltrate the Jiangbei Chen Family in Jiangbei City—the closest point to Nameless Mountain. Their mission was to wait for the Snow Lotus to mature and harvest it immediately.

’A perfect plan.’

He had even sent Shao Qiu—the man who once founded the Godslaying Hall on the Guanxi Plain—along with another group of operatives.

However.

During the last rainy season, Yu Ning’Er had sent back a constant stream of messages reporting several complications. First, the rainy season in Jiangbei City had arrived early. Then, the illegitimate son expelled from the Jiangbei Chen Family seemed to be rising to power. This was followed by a whole series of other chaotic reports.

And then,

Yu Ning’Er’s Life Token shattered. Then the Life Tokens of the rest of her team shattered completely as well. Shao Qiu was likely dead too; although the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land didn’t possess his Life Token, the Saint Master knew the mission had most likely ended in disaster.

But he hadn’t paid it much mind. The Slaughter Immortal Holy Land had many agents, and failures were inevitable. Dead was dead. He hadn’t sent anyone else to Nameless Mountain. After all, the mission to retrieve the Snow Lotus wasn’t rated as particularly high-priority within the Holy Land.

It wasn’t worth sending more people.

’What if the next group died too?’

’Even if a third wave succeeded, trading the lives of three teams for a single Snow Lotus was a losing proposition.’

He had almost forgotten the whole affair.

Until...

he suddenly heard about the rise of the Mortal Realm.

The Jiangbei Mortal Realm.

Its Domain Lord, Chen Fan, was the very same illegitimate son who had been expelled from the Jiangbei Chen Family all those years ago. The one primarily responsible for his expulsion was Chen Quan. And Chen Quan was Yu Ning’Er’s son. And Yu Ning’Er... was an agent of his Slaughter Immortal Holy Land.

"..."

The Saint Master of the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land sat at the tea table, trying to unravel the logical connections. He had to determine whether or not the Mortal Realm now held a grudge against the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land.

’Chen Fan’s expulsion from the Jiangbei Chen Family... he had never authorized that.’