Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

A small marketplace at the foot of White Stone Mountain.

In the inn, the diners crowded in front of the third-floor windows, gazing up at the mountain peak.

They could not see what was happening there; they could only see the multicolored clouds churning, the weather on the mountain changing, and they could only hear the thunderous roar, mixed with faint sounds of shouting.

Half an hour later, the glow receded, and everything returned to calm.

“What do you think happened up there?”

“It must be the immortals of the Zhang Clan unleashing their immortal techniques.”

A chubby, middle-aged man said:

“Heh heh, I don’t think so.

Today I saw a gigantic spirit ship fly over; only the immortals of Yuanhe Mountain have such large spirit ships.”

“Hiss! So it was the immortals of Yuanhe Mountain who arrived. How do you know, brother?”

Someone asked, and others looked at the man with curiosity.

The man basked in the attention, saying proudly:

“My brother-in-law’s third aunt’s second uncle’s grandfather’s sister’s brother-in-law is a cultivator from Yuanhe Mountain!”

Everyone started talking among themselves, and the shop boy, watching the excitement from the side, lowered his head and carefully walked downstairs. He approached the counter and said:

“Shopkeeper, the guests want Apricot Flower Wine.”

The shopkeeper nodded slightly, pointing to the small compartment behind him:

“Go inside and get it.”

“Alrighty.”

The shop boy went in and after a while shouted again:

“Shopkeeper, I can’t find it.”

“So dumb,” the shopkeeper put down the abacus and came to the small compartment in the back.

The shop boy whispered:

“Uncle, the battle on White Stone Mountain has ended, the details are unknown, but I observed…”

“I know, get back to work.”

The shopkeeper’s face was somber. They were a secret line of Yuanhe Mountain for generations, tasked with monitoring large families.

Stations like theirs were set up with at least three near each large family.

Though Yuanhe Mountain was undoubtedly the overlord of the region, not every problem could be solved by fighting.

It was definitely suspicious that a battle broke out immediately after Yuanhe Mountain’s spirit ship arrived.

The shop boy picked up a jar of spirit wine and left. The shopkeeper also headed to the wine cellar and opened a hidden passage.

He took out a luminous bead to light his way, passing through the narrow corridor to a stone room.

Inside was a cage with three grey pigeons. The ceiling had a hole about the size of a bowl, through which faint light shone in.

These specially fed pigeons, despite being only at the mid-stage Qi Refining, were incredibly fast, comparable to a normal flying shuttle flying at full speed.

The only downside was their short lifespan of less than ten years.

The shopkeeper wrote down the observed battle situation in code, copied it three times, sealed it in bamboo tubes the size of a baby’s finger, and tied them to the pigeons’ legs, releasing all of them.

The pigeons squeezed through the bushes, not flying straight towards the mountain gate of Yuanhe Mountain, but rather in a large arc.

…

The blazing sun shone on Yuanhe Mountain, with the wind howling on Heavenly Prayer Peak. The sound of iron horses beneath the outer eaves of Purple Cloud Hall was disorderly and piercing.

Master Beichen’s eyes were solemn, consistently feeling uneasy.

He calmed his mind, pondering why he had such a sudden feeling of foreboding.

Just as he was deep in thought, a cultivator descended from the sky, controlling a spiritual artifact, and rushed stumblingly into Purple Cloud Hall.

His face was full of panic, fear evident in his eyes:

“Sect, Sect Leader, the soul lamps of the disciples accompanying Nanshan Ancestor have all gone out!”

“What?!”

Master Beichen felt as if he had been doused with a basin of Water of the Nine Netherworld, a chilling sensation rising in his heart.

It was certain that the sect’s cultivators were attacked. Should he go for the rescue?

Where did the incident occur? Could it be an even bigger trap?

In an instant, many thoughts flashed through his mind.

Master Beichen clenched his fists, took a step forward, and instantly dashed out of the hall.

He rode his magical treasure, soaring into the sky, heading for the Soul Hall of the sect, where there was a spiritual artifact that could locate the identity jade tokens of sect cultivators.

Hall Master Liu was waiting anxiously outside the main entrance and rushed forward upon seeing the ancestor.

Master Beichen bombarded him with questions:

“Have you located Daoist Master Nanshan’s position?”

Hall Master Liu shook his head:

“Nanshan Ancestor has gone beyond the monitoring range of the positioning spiritual artifact. We can only confirm that he was heading south.”

“What families are in that direction?”

“There’s the Yun Clan of White Crane Mountain, the Ouyang Clan of Baituo Mountain, and the Zhang Clan of White Stone Mountain.”

The rocks among the mountains there are all grayish-white, which is why all their names include the word ’white.’

Master Beichen’s mind raced as he calculated how long it would take to reach White Crane Mountain.

A disciple ran out of the Soul Hall in a panic and said:

“The ancestor’s soul lamp flame is flickering unsteadily, much weaker now.”

Master Beichen’s expression grew anxious; he pushed past the disciple and rushed into the main hall, with Hall Master Liu following quickly behind.

The disciple stumbled and almost hit a pillar. He was panting heavily, standing at the entrance of the Soul Hall.

Daoist Master Nanshan’s soul lamp flame grew weaker, only to suddenly burst into a bright glow as if it was a final brilliance.

Then it completely went out, a wisp of green smoke curling upward.

Master Beichen’s eyes were bulging with rage, and his bones cracked audibly from his clenched fists.

“Send out the notification to activate the Mountain Protection Array and recall all sect disciples except for those in Cyan Cloud Immortal City.

Also, bring my Sect Leader’s Seal and use the teleportation array to visit the sect leaders of each sect, inviting them to Yuanhe Mountain.”

…

Daoist Master Zhengyang entered Purple Cloud Hall, sitting beside Fire Cloud Zhenren with a puzzled look, using his eyes to question him.

Fire Cloud Zhenren gently shook his head, also unsure of the situation.

Master Beichen had a sorrowful expression as he gravely said:

“Everyone, our sect’s Daoist Master Nanshan encountered an attack while collecting tributes from various families, and his soul lamp has been extinguished.