Chapter 1085: Black Soul Mountain
"You said earlier that you have a way to safely send me out of the Heiya Realm. Do you also have a way to send me to the Tianji Realm?" Yun Che asked.
"The Tianji Realm?" Ji Ruyan said in surprise. "Could it be that Young Master wishes to seek intelligence or find something? If possible, would you first tell Ruyan? The strongest aspect of the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce is its intelligence network. Perhaps... you won't need to travel to the distant Tianji Realm—Ruyan may be able to help."
Yun Che hesitated briefly, then said, "I am looking for the Nine-Star Buddha God Jade and the Royal Immortal Herb."
"..." Ji Ruyan was taken aback, but to Yun Che's surprise, she did not say something like "impossible." Instead, after a short silence, she said, "Ruyan will try to find these two rare items, but the hope is slim. If it ultimately proves fruitless, then going to the Tianji Realm would indeed be the best choice. However, since Young Master has such a pursuit, you must return alive from the Soul Sect... Ruyan still hopes that Young Master can be more rational and know when to retreat from difficulties."
"Is the Tianji Realm really that miraculous?" Yun Che frowned. The old man earlier had also said that if one went to the Tianji Realm and was willing to pay Mysterious Stones, they would definitely not leave disappointed.
"The name 'Tianji' of the Tianji Realm is no empty word," Ji Ruyan said. "It is also the only star realm among the numerous king realms that is deeply respected by all."
"Could it be that the people there can truly see through heavenly secrets?" Yun Che shrugged slightly.
"The Tianji Realm has made several major prophecies in history, and all of them have come true," Ji Ruyan said. "No matter what intelligence is needed, as long as it does not violate human ethics and they are willing, they can give accurate results. There has never been a case of deviation or failure."
"Young Master certainly knows that the Profound God Conference, which will be held in two years and has shaken the entire Divine Realm, also originated from the Tianji Realm."
"...Hm!?" Yun Che was quite surprised. "Originated from the Tianji Realm? Was it because of some prophecy from the Tianji Realm?"
"Exactly so." Ji Ruyan slowly nodded. "As far as Ruyan knows, the Tianji Realm initiated a prophecy ten years ago: within thirty years, the Eastern Divine Region, and even the entire Divine Realm, would very likely be struck by a great calamity. Moreover, the severity of this calamity would be unprecedented. The four king realms began preparations early because of this prophecy. This suddenly held Profound God Conference, whose mechanisms are completely different from previous ones, has as its main purpose selecting the thousand best young profound practitioners in the Eastern Divine Region and then using all the power of the Zhou Tian Pearl to make them grow quickly, in order to cope with the great calamity that may descend."
Yun Che remained unmoved: "So-called heavenly secrets—I've never believed in them. Moreover, this prophecy only mentions 'likely.' In essence, it's just leaving themselves an out for their mystification. Besides, I've never even heard of this so-called prophecy at the level of middle-rank star realms. How do you know about it?"
"The word 'great calamity' would inevitably cause massive panic, so it must be kept hidden... However, this Profound God Conference is too abnormal, and similar speculations have emerged in many places. Although the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce is weak, its intelligence network is extremely extensive and contacts many people. In terms of intelligence capability, it may be stronger than Young Master imagines. Additionally, the concept of 'heavenly secrets' sounds ethereal to anyone who hears it, but if Young Master visits the Tianji Realm once, you may... change your view."
Yun Che raised his eyebrows, nodded, and said, "Alright then. I'll trouble you to use the intelligence capabilities of your Black Feather Chamber of Commerce to help me find the Nine-Star Buddha God Jade and the Royal Immortal Herb. If there really is a result, I will certainly provide appropriate compensation. As for whether I can return alive—you don't need to worry about that."
"Ruyan will do her utmost. As for compensation," Ji Ruyan shook her head, "there's no need. If I can truly help Young Master, it will be Ruyan's fortune."
"..." Yun Che raised his gaze and re-examined Ji Ruyan. His tone was noticeably gentler than before: "Miss Ruyan, you already know that I am merely a small figure from the lower realm, alone and insignificant. No matter what, I can't possibly help your Black Feather Chamber of Commerce. Why are you still willing to help me like this?"
Ji Ruyan revealed a faint smile on her face: "Because the person Young Master is willing to risk his life to deal with is the Soul Sect, which Ruyan hates the most. Moreover, Ruyan deeply admires Young Master's righteousness and great justice."
"Righteousness? Great justice?" Yun Che gave a self-deprecating smile, then leaped into the air: "I told you, this is merely a debt I owe... a debt that must be repaid!"
His voice faded, and Yun Che's figure disappeared into the night.
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East of Heiya City, when viewed from high altitude, the mountain ranges wound endlessly with no end in sight. At the farthest reach of sight, the entire mountain range was shrouded in dark gray mist, exuding a heavy gloominess.
The roars of beasts came from afar, making one's heart tremble and steps falter.
"Black Soul Mountain Range!" Standing before the mountain range, Yun Che muttered softly.
"The Soul Sect is not far from Heiya City. Three thousand miles east of Heiya City lies a two-thousand-mile mountain range called the Black Soul Mountain Range. Crossing the Black Soul Mountain Range leads to the Soul Sect's location."
"The Black Soul Mountain Range is an extremely dangerous place with countless dangerous profound beasts. Especially from dusk to the next morning, heavy gray mist rises in the mountains, greatly limiting the vision and spiritual perception even for Divine Way profound practitioners."
"In the western part of the Black Soul Mountain Range, many profound practitioners often choose to train or seek opportunities there all year round. However, only the strong dare to enter; ordinary profound practitioners never dare to approach. The eastern part belongs to the Soul Sect. Anyone who rashly enters and is detected by Soul Sect disciples will face a tragic fate—no one dares to approach... You must be extremely careful."
This was the information Ji Ruyan had given him about the Black Soul Mountain Range.
Facing the massive Soul Sect, Yun Che was as insignificant as a pebble beneath a mountain; there was absolutely no way he could confront them head-on. However, he also had his own resources to rely on.
"Soul Sect, prepare to taste the wrath of a small-time character!" Yun Che clenched his teeth and growled lowly.
Yun Che descended from the air and stepped into the Black Soul Mountain Range on foot. Although he was filled with hatred, he knew exactly what he was doing. No matter what, he had to be extremely cautious. One careless mistake and he would be courting death.
At the very least, he should roughly familiarize himself with the environment here, which would also facilitate an escape in dangerous situations.
Since it was daytime, there was no thick fog in the Black Soul Mountain Range. However, as soon as he stepped in, he could distinctly feel a sense of gloom.
Yun Che went straight deeper. Everywhere, he saw profound practitioners in different clothes and with different auras. Ji Ruyan's words were correct—those who dared to enter the Black Soul Mountain Range were absolutely not ordinary profound practitioners. Among the people Yun Che encountered, none had profound force auras lower than the Divine Soul Realm, and occasionally he met experts at the Divine Tribulation Realm. Moreover, all these people traveled in pairs or even groups; he didn't see a single person alone like himself.
Although he was still at the edge of the mountain range, the wandering profound beasts here were already far denser than humans.
After obtaining the royal-class Wood Spirit Pearl from He Lin, Yun Che's vision, hearing, and sense of smell had greatly surpassed before. He could even clearly sense the breathing of plants and trees. Wherever his gaze fell, he could accurately name every flower, grass, and tree and describe their characteristics—without exception.
Avoiding the auras of profound beasts, Yun Che scanned the surrounding terrain while advancing into the Black Soul Mountain Range at a moderate pace. As he got closer step by step to the Soul Sect, his eyes gradually turned more sinister. At that moment, his brow twitched slightly.
Ssss!!
A black-striped snake shot out from a crack in a dead tree to his right. At the same time, another identical aura was coiled and ready to strike from the opposite left. Yun Che reached out like lightning, grabbing the black-striped snake right at its seven-inch spot. He released a slight burst of profound energy, shattering its internal organs—while in the same instant, the second black-striped snake lunged at his neck like lightning.
"Watch out behind you!!"
The voice had barely arrived when a jade sword flew over with incredible speed, accurately piercing the black-striped snake in midair. Then the sword spun beautifully in the air and flew back with a cold sword aura, while the black-striped snake was split in two. The black blood that splattered caused the grass and trees beneath it to turn pitch black instantly—a shocking sight.
Yun Che: "..."
The one who had shot the flying sword was a thin man in dark clothes. Accompanying him were a tall man in similar attire and a young girl clearly much younger than the two.
From their auras, the thin man who had "saved" him was slightly stronger than Yun Che, probably at the third level of the Divine Soul Realm. The tall man was much stronger, likely at the fifth level of the Divine Soul Realm. As for the girl, she was clearly under their protection, her profound force only at the mid-stage Divine Origin Realm.
The three were clearly from the same sect. Based on their actions, they primarily practiced the sword path.
"Brother, are you alright?" The three came forward, and the thin man said, "This is the notorious black vipersnake of the Black Soul Mountain. Not only is it cunning, often hunting in groups, but it also has deadly venom. That was truly dangerous just now."
Yun Che nodded, glanced at them, and smiled slightly: "Thank you for your help."
The tall man frowned, clearly displeased that Yun Che only offered a simple "thank you." He gave a faint smile and said, "If it weren't for my junior brother's intervention just now, you would already be dead, and your corpse would be black. You should think about how to repay us first."
"Hehe, brother, our senior brother is just joking," the thin man quickly tried to smooth things over. "Why is brother here in this place alone? How about... we travel together? That way we can look out for each other. It's really too dangerous to be alone here."
"That's right! Let's go together," the girl immediately chimed in. Yun Che was already handsome, and with his sharp aura and subtle air of nobility, he easily attracted a girl's favor. She said with some pride, "My name is Gu Xiaolian. This is my senior brother and third senior brother. They are both extremely skilled and quite famous. If I told you their names, you would definitely have heard of them."
The tall man curled his lip, a look of undisguised arrogance on his face.
"No need." After Yun Che said this, he didn't say another word and simply turned to leave.
"Heh, this kid," the tall man snorted disdainfully.
"Third senior brother, what level is his cultivation? Is he also at the Divine Soul Realm?" Gu Xiaolian asked curiously.
The thin man said, "Mm, second level of the Divine Soul Realm."
"Oh, impressive," Gu Xiaolian blinked. "And I feel that his age should be about the same as mine... maybe even younger."
"Impossible!" the tall man scoffed. "A Divine Soul Realm around thirty years old—even the Soul Sect doesn't have many. Him? However, if he's under sixty, he could be considered a genius. Too bad he's an idiot—daring to come to Black Soul Mountain alone. This is probably his first time, because there's no way he'll survive a second time."
"Senior brother!" Gu Xiaolian was startled. "Don't say that... he might be able to hear you."
"So what?" the senior brother sneered coldly. "Whether he hears it or not, he's still an idiot."
As they spoke, two burly men appeared in their field of vision, both wearing identical black clothes. When they sensed the auras of these two black-clad men, both of them felt a jolt of alarm. The tall man even quickly withdrew his sneer.
Because these two black-clad men were emitting auras at the late stage of the Divine Soul Realm!
The two black-clad men also saw them at the same time. Their footsteps slowed, then they exchanged a glance and actually changed direction, walking straight toward the trio. Their gazes were fixed on Gu Xiaolian.
Sensing their stares, the thin man said nervously, "They mean us harm—let's go quickly."
"Stop!" Just as they turned around, a thunderous voice rang out behind their ears, making their entire bodies tremble, and they no longer dared to move rashly.
The three slowly turned around. The thin man bowed and said, "I am Luo Mu of the Jade Sword Sect. May I ask what instructions the two seniors have?"
"Jade Sword Sect? What kind of thing is that?" said the man on the right.
"Hahahaha! Who cares what it is? In the eyes of our Soul Sect, it's nothing but a fart. As long as there's fun, that's enough," the man on the left laughed wildly.
Soul Sect... These two words filled the three with terror. At that moment, they also glimpsed the black snake insignia on their clothes. The tall man said fearfully, trembling, "So you are... seniors from the Soul Sect. What... instructions do the two seniors have?"
"Instructions? Hmph!" The man on the right suddenly darkened his expression. "You bastards have some nerve, trespassing into the territory of our Soul Sect! Do you not know that the entire Black Soul Mountain is the domain of our Soul Sect?"
"This... this..." The thin man hastened to say, "Junior would never dare. It's just that... junior has always known that it is east of Black Soul Mountain that belongs to your esteemed sect, while the western part..."
"Nonsense!" The man in black said angrily. "Since it's called Black Soul Mountain, of course it belongs to our Black Soul Divine Sect. Not only do you trespass, but you also dare to quibble. But fine—our Soul Sect, after all, is the ruling sect of the Heiya Realm, so naturally we should be magnanimous and not bother with ignorant juniors like you."
The three were secretly overjoyed and were about to express their thanks when they saw the man point his finger at Gu Xiaolian, a lecherous grin spreading across his face. "Just give us this little girl to have some fun with, and we'll let bygones be bygones, forgiving your trespassing offense. If we have a good time, we might even reward you generously, hahahaha!"
The two men's expressions shifted drastically. Gu Xiaolian's face instantly turned deathly pale. She shrank behind the two of them, trembling with fear: "No... don't..."
"Senior brother," the thin man clenched his fists, his whole body shaking. He gritted his teeth and transmitted a message, "Senior brother, they are going too far... let's fight it out!"
"No! Do you want to die?" the senior brother quickly replied. "They are from the Soul Sect! The Soul Sect! And these two have such high profound strength—their status in the Soul Sect must be considerable... Don't be impulsive!"
"Senior brother, save... save me," Gu Xiaolian said in a mournful voice.
"Junior Sister Xiaolian," the senior brother's brow twitched. "They are... seniors from the Soul Sect. We can only... only let you endure this. Otherwise... all three of us will die."
"Senior... brother..." Gu Xiaolian was stunned on the spot, her face ashen, unable to believe her own ears.
"Hahahaha! At least you know how to listen and behave. So you two—get lost! Or do you want to join in for some fun too?"
"No, no... we're leaving right now! Right now!" Upon hearing the word "leave," the senior brother, far from feeling humiliated, seemed to have heard a heavenly sound. He grabbed the thin man and forcibly pulled him away backward.
"..." Gu Xiaolian slowly slumped to the ground, her face filled with despair.
"Hahahaha..." The two black-clad men laughed wildly at the same time. "Tsk, what a bunch of cowards. I thought there'd be more fun."
Just then, a cold, emotionless voice suddenly sounded behind their ears:
"You two—are you from the Soul Sect?"