Watching the Mountain

Chapter 335: Chapter 192: Qingyu, Junior Brother, Ye Shan

How could they possibly stand against such a formidable expert?

After hearing the Wuya Daoist Monarch’s words, Supreme Elder Zi Yun fell silent for a moment before asking with a look of bitter resentment:

”Can it be that you, Elder Wuya, also believe our Profound Pure Sect is to blame?”

This was the same question on the minds of all the Profound Pure Sect disciples. They stared at the Wuya Daoist Monarch, their faces etched with despair.

If even someone like the Wuya Daoist Monarch believed the Profound Pure Sect was at fault, then the truth of the matter would no longer be important. Their guilt would be sealed and settled.

Hearing Supreme Elder Zi Yun’s question, the Wuya Daoist Monarch fell silent for a moment. He sighed, then spoke with a conflicted expression:

”Fellow Daoist, you should return. I will not make a move just yet. I will give you time to arrange your affairs.”

Hearing this answer, Supreme Elder Zi Yun was stunned for a moment. After a brief silence, he raised both hands and gave the Wuya Daoist Monarch a deep, formal bow.

”Thank you for your benevolence, Elder.”

Without further hesitation, he finished speaking and quickly returned through the sect gate.

He understood the Wuya Daoist Monarch’s meaning. The man didn’t blame the Profound Pure Sect, but he still had to act regardless.

He had no idea what could force a Daoist Monarch so renowned throughout the land to go against his own principles and attack the Profound Pure Sect. All he knew was that this time, the Sect was likely facing an inescapable calamity.

Just as the Wuya Daoist Monarch had said, he needed to arrange the Sect’s affairs before the calamity struck, to secure a sliver of hope for their survival.

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When Xu Ran saw the Wuya Daoist Monarch appear, a sense of foreboding washed over him. He didn’t hold out any hope for a lucky break; instead, a specific problem came to mind.

’With a powerhouse at the Divinity Transformation Daoist Monarch Level appearing now, and with the former Sect Leader, Taihua True Monarch, still in seclusion, Senior Sister Yue is bound to act, isn’t she?’

Xu Ran didn’t know how strong Senior Sister Yue was. He guessed that no one in the entire Cultivation Realm did.

The only thing Xu Ran knew was that no matter how powerful she was, how talented, how close she was to embodying the Dao itself—right now, she was still, in the end, only at the Nascent Soul Realm.

Moreover, Senior Sister Yue had never been one to rush her training. She had even started her cultivation over from the beginning once. Now, her Cultivation couldn’t even compare to Zhang Zhentian’s; she was merely at the Nascent Soul Early Stage.

The Wuya Daoist Monarch, however, was at the Divinity Transformation Middle Stage.

Xu Ran didn’t believe for a second that Senior Sister Yue could be a match for the Wuya Daoist Monarch.

Even someone as arrogant as Ye Shan, who dared to claim he could challenge a Divinity Transformation master with his Golden Core body, ultimately only proved one thing: while the sword strike he envisioned was indeed capable of such a feat, his own strength was insufficient to unleash it.

If not for Little Xiyue’s help in sacrificing the Qi of One’s Own World for him, he likely would have never been able to unleash that resplendent sword strike in his entire life.

By the same logic, if Senior Sister Yue were to somehow defeat the Wuya Daoist Monarch, there was only one way it could happen... and it would mean her disappearing from this world forever.

This was the only outcome Xu Ran could imagine.

The only way he could think of to prevent this from happening was to step in himself once more.

However, he didn’t have a single shred of confidence that he could actually defeat the Wuya Daoist Monarch.

Even by borrowing the power of Little Xiyue’s Huaque Array, the most he could do was raise his Cultivation to the Divinity Transformation Early Stage.

The Wuya Daoist Monarch, on the other hand, was at the Divinity Transformation Middle Stage. The gulf between them was immense.

More importantly, the only reason he had been able to slay that Divinity Transformation Demon Cultivator back in the lands of the Demon Race was because he had relied on the power of the Ye Shan Sword.

Using the Ye Shan Sword would leave one influenced by Ye Shan’s Dao. The last time, he had used it for only a brief instant, yet it had taken him a long time to erase its influence.

This time, facing a Divinity Transformation Middle Stage Daoist Monarch, a single sword strike would certainly not be enough. If he used the sword continuously, his own Dao might be completely overwritten, replaced by the Dao of Ye Shan.

And even if that happened, the final outcome would remain uncertain. Perhaps even after his Dao completely transformed into Ye Shan’s, he still wouldn’t be able to defeat the Wuya Daoist Monarch—and he might very well lose his life in the attempt.

Xu Ran was utterly torn, a thousand thoughts flashing through his mind in an instant.

’For a powerless Longevity Seeker, the best choice is to lie low and just keep living, biding one’s time until one has the strength to roam the world freely, until one achieves the Dao.’

’Acting on impulse was not the way of a Longevity Seeker.’

An even darker thought wormed its way into his mind: ’What if Senior Sister Yue knew I had the Longevity Dao Fruit from the moment we met? What if everything she’s done since has just been to win me over? Don’t be fooled by her. Don’t be impulsive. Only the one who lives to the very end can possess everything.’

But just as these thoughts threatened to consume his very soul, an image of Senior Sister Yue’s peerless, ethereal face suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Her image faded, replaced by one of Little Xiyue, her hair tied in two buns, glaring at him with a stern, deadpan expression.

Then, the twin buns morphed into Xiaoque’Er, who was sweetly calling him ”Brother Xu.” The image shifted again, this time to Teacher Qing Xuan scolding him, then to Zhang Zhentian, Shen Wuchen, Li Daoyi...

Finally, all the images coalesced into a single memory: the day the Sect departed for the Evil Demon Battlefield. On Spirit Stream Peak, a group of his fellow disciples, led by Elder Flowing Clouds and all thoroughly drunk, stood before him, grandly proclaiming that they would help him achieve the Dao.

”Senior Brother Xu, after you achieve the Dao, remember to look back on this day! Remember to look back on us...”

Those words finally dissolved into the image of the faceless statue of himself erected in Wang Family Village, and the inscription carved on the stone tablet beside it: ”An Outer Disciple who wished to remain anonymous.”