Chapter 468 - 437: Wind and Clouds Converge

Chapter 468: Chapter 437: Wind and Clouds Converge

As the sun set and its afterglow painted the horizon, the manor was once again shrouded in white mist. Outside the borders of the Dynasty, three new travelers began their journey north.

One old and two young.

They were none other than Chen Che and his companions.

Having mostly recovered, the two set out at the appointed time, making their way north at a leisurely pace. Jinyun Valley, fearing they might attract Duobao, had not arranged to meet directly within the White Lion Dynasty. Instead, they had set the rendezvous point on a mountain outside its borders.

The mountain was named Celestial Beam Mountain.

It stood 830 zhang tall and was where the Emperor of the White Lion Dynasty performed sacred rites. Behind them, nearly a hundred Jinyun Valley disciples moved stealthily, trailing far behind and invisible to mortal eyes.

"Hot flatbread! Hot flatbread..."

"Freshly made buns, piping hot..."

The mortal marketplace was exceptionally lively, filled with the hustle and bustle of worldly life. The road was flanked by brightly lit shops and hawkers crying out their wares, while horse-drawn carts laden with goods ambled slowly past.

Of all the mortal lands Chen Che had traversed, the White Lion Dynasty was certainly a fine kingdom.

Perhaps that was why Xiao Chan had taken in Li Cang as a Registered Disciple.

Chen Che was dressed in a green robe with a longsword strapped to his back.

At his side, Xiao Chan wore black robes and a bamboo hat. He had already put away the Soul-Calling Banner and was now carrying the Soaring Dragon Spear, having reverted to his "Hermit Fushan" guise. After all, his identity was sensitive and best kept hidden.

In the blink of an eye,

they had already traversed most of the ten-li-long street.

As Chen Che walked and observed his surroundings, he suddenly heard a soft footstep up ahead. The sound was unlike that of a mortal—it was steady, powerful, and carried a certain presence. Looking up, he saw four or five figures approaching them.

Like him, they wove through the crowd, completely unseen by the surrounding mortals.

Leading them was a middle-aged man in a long, unadorned robe. His aura was immense; he had clearly already achieved Core Formation.

Several others followed the middle-aged man, and judging by their auras, all had reached Foundation Establishment. The one with the strongest presence was at the Ninth Layer. Some carried swords on their backs, others had sabers at their waists. A sharp glint could be glimpsed whenever they blinked.

Just from their bearing, it was clear this group was made up of ruthless, battle-hardened individuals.

Chen Che glanced at them, a brow raising slightly. He couldn’t discern their identities or origins from looks alone. But for them to appear here so openly, they clearly weren’t just sightseeing in the Mortal World.

Sure enough, the exclamations and reactions from the Foundation Establishment Cultivators behind them confirmed his suspicions:

"Ancestor, it’s Chen Che..."

"He really was hiding in the Mortal World!"

"What a great opportunity!"

The two groups came face-to-face.

The Ninth Layer Cultivator behind the Golden Core expert first froze, as if unable to believe his eyes, then cried out in delighted surprise. The atmosphere immediately grew tense, as if everyone was facing a powerful foe. The purpose of their journey was precisely to hunt down the surviving Golden Core Cultivators.

After several fruitless searches, they had given up.

They were just casually wandering through the Mortal World, never expecting to stumble upon the biggest fish of all.

"Hu Quanfei, shut your mouth."

"Put away your Weapons! Do not be disrespectful to Valley Master Chen!"

The Golden Core expert, however, turned and snapped at his subordinate. Then, from a hundred paces away, he bowed deeply, cupped his fist, and lowered his head. "I am Hu Anyu of the Hu Family, under the authority of the Mist Rain Tower. I greet you, Valley Master Chen..."

Chen Che gave a casual nod and walked right past them with his hands clasped behind his back.

He left the group of Cultivators standing there, stunned.

A flash of humiliation appeared in the eyes of the rebuked Ninth Layer Cultivator. But with his ancestor present, he didn’t dare act out. He waited until Chen Che was far in the distance before speaking, his face filled with resentment.

"Ancestor, are we just going to let them walk away like that? That Chen..."

Of all the Golden Core Cultivators whose whereabouts were unknown, this Valley Master Chen was the subject of the most rumors:

Some said he had obtained True Master Chixia’s legacy; otherwise, he couldn’t have achieved Core Formation so quickly. Others claimed his Storage Magical Artifact held several Qingxu Guiyuan Pills, which allow for Core Formation; otherwise, the Meng Family wouldn’t have produced two Golden Core Cultivators in just a few years...

No matter which rumor was true, they all suggested that this Valley Master possessed an extraordinary fortune.

Before he could finish, Hu Anyu shot him a fierce glare, forcing him to swallow the rest of his words. Hu Anyu glanced at the distant figures, then raised a hand to deploy a Silence Array before scolding his subordinate:

"You fool! Didn’t you see his injuries are completely healed? And what’s more, there are over a hundred Qi Refining Cultivators behind him—all of them disciples from Jinyun Valley..."

"Disciples of Jinyun Valley?"

Hu Quanfei’s pupils constricted. All of his attention had been fixed on Chen Che. He quickly glanced back and, sure enough, saw that most of the Qi Refining Cultivators were dressed in uniform attire.

"It really is..."

"See it now? Even the regular disciples are here. What does that imply? The higher-ups at Jinyun Valley must have gotten word long ago. The Meng Family, the Chen Clan, and the Lu Family probably all know Valley Master Chen is here. They might be nearby right now, waiting to welcome their Valley Master home."

Hu Anyu wiped the cold sweat from his brow. He shot a look at Hu Quanfei, who still seemed eager to take the gamble, then surreptitiously glanced back one more time.

"The man carrying the spear next to him is known as Hermit Fushan, a Tributor of Jinyun Valley. It’s rumored he’s only in the Foundation Establishment Realm, but by my judgment, it’s possible he’s in the Golden Core Realm as well! He glared at me just now, and I felt like my very soul was about to fly out of the top of my head."

"And you wanted me to make a move on them?"

At these words, everyone from the Hu Family broke out in a cold sweat.

’A being who could terrify their ancestor with a single glare was personally protecting Chen Che?’

Hu Anyu retracted his gaze, his expression returning to its usual sternness.

"’What is fated will be, and what is not can’t be forced. Caution is the only true path. Don’t let greed blind you at the sight of profit. It’s one thing to get yourself killed, but it’s another to drag the entire family down with you until it’s trampled into dust...’"

"Your lesson is wise, Ancestor."

...

...

Just as Chen Che and his group brushed past the Hu Clan, three figures appeared in the now-empty manor.

Lu Wanli stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his brow furrowed as he looked at Zhao Ming. Dressed in a wide robe, with long hair that fanned out like a lion’s mane, he had the air of an Alliance Leader from the martial world. They had found a fragment back at the canyon and had been following the trail ever since.

Beside him, Zhao Ming and Sun Ye, the Backsword Golden Core, wore bitter expressions.

They had been searching for over half a month, following a barely-there trail. The crucial part was having to maintain the Talisman’s mark, which was utterly draining their Heart Power. They thought they had finally found their quarry, but it seemed they were too late. The place was deserted.

"They left not long ago."

Lu Wanli scanned the surroundings, his hands still clasped behind his back.

"The residual aura here is quite dense, so they obviously stayed for a good while. I heard that when Meng Qianxun passed through here before, he didn’t even pause. It led everyone to believe they weren’t hiding here."

"It seems now that Jinyun Valley was pulling a feint, and they tricked everyone."

"Could it be they found out something? Is that why they left...?"

Hearing this, Zhao Ming couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

They had been the pursuers, the calculating party hunting the unsuspecting. But if their targets had been prepared and they’d walked right into a trap, things would have gotten ugly.

"No."

Lu Wanli stepped into the pavilion. The black and white stones on the Go board had already been gathered and stored neatly in their bowls. The entire manor, in fact, was tidy. There was none of the haste that would suggest a sudden departure.

"If I’m not mistaken, they had already planned to leave. After staying in the Mortal World for so long, I estimate their injuries have mostly healed. They’re probably on their way back to Jinyun Valley right now."

When the other two heard this, they both knew it was bad news.

’If he really makes it back to Jinyun Valley, will this Vice Alliance Leader of ours force us to attack the place? We definitely don’t want to go on that kind of suicide mission.’

Zhao Ming deliberated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said:

"Then we have to find him as soon as possible!"

In their view, if they could find Chen Che before he returned to his valley, he was a dead man. They didn’t know why he had turned on Yu Zhen when he was supposedly with Yu Zhen’s group to ambush Xiao Chan, but they could guess the general reason—a sudden betrayal to claim all the spoils for himself.

’What a pity. He picked the wrong target, choosing to attack Yu Zhen of all people.’

Lu Wanli swept his gaze over the manor. He had no interest in this empty mortal Cave Mansion. He gave a slight nod.

"Let’s go."

The three of them left the manor and stepped into the bustling Imperial City.

As fate would have it, they ran right into Hu Anyu’s group again. Lu Wanli gave Hu Anyu a faint glance. The latter immediately froze in place, stiff as a board, and watched them depart without daring to move.

"Ancestor, what’s wrong?"

The members of the Hu Clan had taken several steps before they realized their ancestor had stopped in his tracks, his face deathly pale and his back soaked with cold sweat.

Hu Anyu swallowed hard. It took him a long moment to catch his breath. He turned back, his voice filled with lingering fear.

"That man just now... he glared at me, too."

...

「Meanwhile.」

Celestial Beam Mountain was already visible in the distance.