Chapter 34: A Quiet Rivalry

Mo Fan sat on the ox cart, lost in deep thought. His identity had been exposed at the small tavern by Xiahou Ji, perhaps even earlier. The three great aristocratic families of Dongyang Prefecture should have known about his journey long ago; according to their usual methods, they should have intercepted and killed him on the road, ensuring he vanished before reaching West Ridge.

Yet, throughout the journey, not only had he not been intercepted by the three families, he had not even heard a whisper of them. This left Mo Fan perplexed, unable to grasp the intentions of enemies who clearly knew he was their target.

The forests of West Ridge were vast, with ancient trees far surpassing those of Undead Peak. As Mo Fan and his group traveled, they passed through a dense forest where the towering trees seemed to pierce the clouds. These massive trunks blocked everyone's view, and while the sun shone above, its light could not penetrate the thick canopy. The vast woods were filled with a gloomy chill; had he not been traveling with the others, Mo Fan would have been drenched in a cold sweat.

"Who goes there?"

The elderly woman leading Youyou's group possessed an unfathomable level of cultivation. Long before Qiu Yehong’s party came within range, the woman sensed movement. Her sword hummed in its scabbard, vibrating as if prepared to strike at any moment.

"Senior, it is us!" Qiu Yehong emerged with her fellow disciples, bowing to the old woman.

Seeing Qiu Yehong, the tension on the old woman's face eased. "Young Miss Yehong, you have come as well." She recognized the girl and, judging by her tone, they were quite familiar with one another.

"Yes, Senior. We are here by the order of our sect leader to climb the steps," Qiu Yehong replied straightforwardly, revealing their purpose. This was no secret; everyone who had come was there for the divine weapon about to descend.

The old woman understood this well, for was her own party not here for the same prize? Yet, she couldn't help but worry: given her young mistress's temperament, could she reach the summit? Fortunately, the steps were graded; one’s opportunities were commensurate with one’s ability. Thinking this, she felt slightly better. Even if her mistress could not reach the peak, she would at least not perform too poorly—she certainly would not be inferior to this girl before her.

The old woman glanced at Qiu Yehong again. "Let us go. Since we have met, let us travel together. Perhaps the other factions have arrived as well." She took the lead and moved forward. They were not far from Panlong Mountain; it was almost within reach.

"Everyone, keep up," Qiu Yehong commanded her juniors sternly.

Youyou, following behind the old woman, felt a surge of stifling irritation as she heard Qiu Yehong calling out to her disciples. She knew Qiu Yehong better than anyone. Since childhood, she had heard elders praise Qiu Yehong’s talent, calling her a rare genius among sect disciples, "comparable to our Youyou." Every time she heard this, it made her blood boil.

Now, meeting her here, she saw that Qiu Yehong was not only her equal in beauty and temperament but also in cultivation—both had reached the ninth level of the Zhiming Realm, standing at the peak of it. To gain the upper hand, it would depend on who reached the Guanda Realm first. But that was for the future; at this very moment, she had already lost a round. Qiu Yehong could command her juniors, while she herself was surrounded by seniors and elder sisters. She could not order them around, which only fueled her anger.

When the mistress is angry, the maid suffers. As Xiao Yimo walked behind her mistress, a sudden, sharp slap struck her face, sending the girl tumbling several steps away. The group was startled by Youyou’s sudden outburst, staring in silence. Xiao Yimo’s eyes flashed with a fierce glint as she glared at Youyou.

"You wretch, how dare you glare at me!" Youyou looked like a goddess from above, beautiful and peerless, her aura as turbulent as the waves of the sea. She raised her hand to strike the maid again.

"Enough." The old woman, unable to watch any longer, sternly commanded Youyou to stop.

Hmph! Stopped by the elder, Youyou glared at Qiu Yehong before coldly ordering her maid, "Still not following? Do you expect me to help you up?" With that, she raised her head proudly and marched off. Qiu Yehong shook her head but said nothing.

"Young Pavilion Master, I have heard that many important figures have arrived."

At the foot of Panlong Mountain, a youth stood in the forest, holding a painted fan. His face was as delicate as a peach blossom, yet his gaze was as cold as ice. Holding his fan, he stood with an aura of grandeur, filled with disdain for the petty schemes of the world. He was Mu Qingfeng, the Young Pavilion Master of the Siyin Pavilion, a top-tier expert in the cultivation world.

"Oh? And who has come?" He asked with a faint smile, folding his fan and turning to the messenger.

"Qiu Yehong, Hua Youyou, and also..." The man hesitated, not daring to finish his sentence.

Mu Qingfeng’s brows flickered slightly. He did not press the man further; with a wave of his hand, he dismissed him. From the man's expression and eyes, he already knew who had come.

*Snap.* He opened his fan and looked toward the distance. "Ghost Shadow, it seems the Ghost Sect cannot resist the temptation of the Nine-Dragon divine weapon either. I only wonder, besides you, Young Master Shadow, has anyone else from the Ghost Domain arrived?"

After standing in the forest for a long while, a cold glint flashed in Mu Qingfeng’s eyes, and he vanished from the spot. The major factions had begun to contend in the shadows.

At the exit of the West Ridge mist, a man with a pale face appeared, hobbling up the mountain path while leaning on a long sword. Two beautiful women accompanied him. Xiahou Ji and his companions had finally emerged from the mist after two days of trekking. The two girls were overjoyed, immediately beginning to tidy themselves up. They had spent the last two days in that wretched place, looking like ghosts, but the sight of the West Ridge scenery instantly lifted their spirits, casting their previous frustrations to the winds.

Xiahou Ji, however, remained sullen, burdened by heavy thoughts. After that encounter, he had been determined to test his Shadow-Killing Fist, but now... he felt a profound sense of guilt, feeling as though he had let down that youth who had sacrificed his life to open the path for them.

"Brother Xia!" Ignoring the sharp, sword-like gaze of Yao Xin, Lin Xiaojun boldly wrapped her arm around Xiahou Ji’s in a rather suggestive manner.

"Xiaojun, I..." Xiahou Ji gently pushed her away, his eyes filled with helplessness. He had known these two girls for a long time. It was back when he was searching for the Old Madman in Gancheng Prefecture; he had found them being attacked by fierce beasts in a dense forest and had compassionately drawn his sword to save them.

Who would have known! Lin Xiaojun had been severely injured, and in his haste to save her, Xiahou Ji had not hesitated to unbutton her clothing to treat her wounds. This act of salvation birthed an "ice beauty" who swore to marry him, claiming she had taken an oath that she would marry whoever saw her body. Xiahou Ji, a man who had cultivated for a thousand years, could not accept the affections of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, so he had run away. Yet, fate was not something he could control; they had met again at the small tavern.

Initially, Xiahou Ji had intended to take Mo Fan and leave, but he realized that some things could not be solved by hiding—they had to be faced.

"I know what you are worried about, but I am not of this era either. Don't look at me like a young girl; I am actually over a hundred years old," Lin Xiaojun said calmly, recalling the past. Born sealed within a rock, she was unearthed a century later and brought into the Shangguan family. Gifted from birth, she was recruited by the Shura Martial Arts Academy at twelve. The Shangguan family, fearing she would forget her roots, betrothed her to Shangguan Wudi. Years passed, and as her status in the academy grew, the family pressured her to marry. To escape the contract, she spread rumors that whoever killed Shangguan Wudi would win her hand in marriage. When she heard of the "freak" on Undead Peak, she cunningly encouraged Shangguan Wudi to go there, hoping to use Xiahou Ji’s hand to kill him. But man proposes, God disposes—the "trash" Mo Fan had beaten them to it.

"No wonder you hated little brother Mo so much," Yao Xin said, finally understanding the true motive behind Lin Xiaojun’s actions.

"I didn't want to kill him, but if he didn't die, then I would..." A crystal tear welled up in Lin Xiaojun’s cold eyes.

"But we..." Xiahou Ji was torn. Lin Xiaojun was undeniably one of the most beautiful women in the world; to say he was unmoved would be a lie. But as a thousand-year-old monster, he did not know when his life would end in this world, and he could not ruin the future of a girl with such potential.

"I don't care!" Lin Xiaojun’s icy exterior melted, and she embraced him tightly, just as she had on that night he treated her wounds.

*Sigh.* Yao Xin lamented. A figure appeared in her mind—a cheeky, smiling youth who always called her "Sister." "Little brother Mo, where are you?" she wondered. At this moment, she realized she held a lingering attachment to the boy she had only spent a few days with.

In the ancient forest, Mo Fan’s group followed the ox cart, moving forward without obstruction. Duan Liuxiang was no longer cloaked in black, revealing her true face—a beauty capable of driving the world to madness. Mo Fan’s words, "You are a beauty, why choose to be a thief?" had opened her heart. After the events at Panlong Mountain, she resolved to find him, the figure in her heart. She wanted to tell him, "I, Duan Liuxiang, am indeed a beauty, and though I chose to be a thief, I only wish to be a bird flying by your side in the woods, ignoring the rights and wrongs of the mortal world."

The ox cart creaked forward, and Panlong Mountain finally appeared before them.