Watching the Mountain

Chapter 421: Chapter 219: Fortune

A thousand years into the Hidden Dao Era, the Cultivation Realm had been consistently peaceful. So much so that even Xu Ran had begun to wonder if the Overseas Archipelago would ever make a move.

Until today. Hearing the news of the Overseas Archipelago’s invasion from Li Daoyi, he couldn’t help but reflect on their incredible patience. They had actually waited until this very moment to make their move.

The Overseas Archipelago had been scheming for at least a thousand years for this day. The lifespan of a Golden Core Stage cultivator was only twelve hundred years. A millennium-long plot... their ambitions were truly profound.

’This tribulation will be difficult to overcome.’

Xu Ran sighed inwardly, then looked at Li Daoyi and asked, ”How is that girl, Qianxue?”

The news had come from Luo Qianxue.

After the Jade Radiance Immortal Sect was defeated and forced to retreat from Cyan Cloud County, she had led the survivors to Qianshan Prefecture in Linhai County to re-establish their sect.

Linhai County, as its name suggested, was located by the sea. It was also the most remote county in the entire Eastern Domain, and the one with the lowest overall strength.

Luo Qianxue had chosen that location for two reasons. First, the remnants of her sect were too weak to establish a foothold in any of the more resource-rich regions.

Second, she was worried the power that had crushed the Jade Radiance Immortal Sect wouldn’t let them go. She figured if pursuers came, it would be convenient to flee directly to the Overseas Archipelago.

She just never expected that after all this time, no pursuers would come. Instead, she had been met with an invasion from the Overseas Archipelago.

In the history of the Cultivation Realm, the Overseas Archipelago and the mainland had always coexisted peacefully. A large-scale invasion had never happened before.

And yet, not long after Luo Qianxue had moved and settled down by the coast, this happened.

One could only chalk it up to fate.

The heavens were being a bit cruel to this clever, eccentric girl. It seemed she was fated to encounter every kind of suffering.

Hearing Xu Ran’s question, Li Daoyi shook his head, his expression complicated. He replied:

”It’s unclear. After Fellow Daoist Qianxue sent word of the large-scale invasion from the Overseas Archipelago, we lost contact.”

He saw the sorrowful look on Xu Ran’s face, pondered for a moment, and then added:

”Fellow Daoist Qianxue is a smart woman. Faced with so many enemies, she would certainly know not to resist. She’s a Sect Leader; she’s probably busy leading her people to retreat right now.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Ran let out a long sigh, his expression complex. ”I hope that girl is alright.”

With the Overseas Archipelago launching a full-scale invasion, they had their own crisis to deal with. Even if they wanted to help Luo Qianxue, they didn’t have the resources to spare.

Li Daoyi nodded. With a light tap of his finger, he used Spiritual Power to conjure a topographical map of Changqing County in mid-air. He pointed to a mountain range on the map and said:

”Just now, a message came from the Upper Sect. They want all the sects in Changqing County to gather at the Black Cliff Mountain Range and stop the enemy there.”

Xu Ran stared at the map in the air, lost in thought.

The Black Cliff Mountain Range was so named because of its high peaks. Gazing upon it, one saw only a pitch-black, seemingly bottomless expanse.

The place was approximately 13.5 million li in a straight line from the Profound Pure Sect. It also served as the gateway to Changqing County, fortified with various Guardian Arrays to repel intruders. Once past it, an enemy could advance deep into Changqing County without opposition.

If they could hold the enemy here, they could prevent the fires of war from reaching the Profound Pure Sect’s own territory.

As he was contemplating this, Li Daoyi, who was standing to the side, looked at him and said with a serious expression:

”Eighty percent of the sect’s disciples will be joining the battle. Senior Uncle, you should stay here.”

Seeing Xu Ran’s reaction, he hastily added, ”It won’t be just you. Senior Uncle Chen Chang’an will also stay behind to defend the sect.”

”Our most important loved ones are Dust-covered within the sect. We can’t expect the people from the Overseas Archipelago to abide by any rules and leave them unharmed. We must protect the sect. There can be no mistakes.”

”Senior Uncle, you’re an Array Master. Your true value can only be realized by holding down the fort here. Sending you to the front lines to fight would be a waste of your talent.”

Xu Ran looked at the expression on Li Daoyi’s face and, for a moment, didn’t quite know what to feel.

He hadn’t expected that this martial nephew of his, who was normally so decisive and serious, would come up with so many reasons just to convince him not to go to the front lines.

In truth, even if Li Daoyi hadn’t said anything, Xu Ran would have chosen to stay. The reason was just as Li Daoyi had stated: the people most important to him were all Dust-covered within the sect.

Senior Sister Yue, Little Xiyue, Teacher Qing Xuan, Zhang Zhentian, Shen Wuchen, Ye Qingyue... Everyone important to him was slumbering within the sect. How could he possibly leave with his mind at ease?

He had promised Senior Sister Yue he would become the sect’s Mountain Guardian. And as a guardian of the mountain, what he was meant to protect was, of course, the Profound Pure Sect itself.

After entering the Hidden Dao Era, his Cultivation hadn’t improved much; he was currently only at the Golden Core Middle Stage.

His skill with arrays, however, was another matter. After so many years of deep study, aided by the Sparrow Transformation Array Map that Little Xiyue had given him and his own continuous refinements of the Combined Attack Array, his proficiency had finally caught up to his Cultivation. He had reached the level of a Tier Four Array Master in the new system.

His Cultivation, in contrast, had progressed at a snail’s pace. With the Heaven and Earth Dao Concealment, cultivation had become increasingly difficult over the years.

In fact, it wasn’t just him. Even prodigies like Li Daoyi and Chu Lingxiao had found their cultivation speed slowing down significantly after the start of the Hidden Dao Era.

In terms of talent, Li Daoyi was a sliver more gifted than his master, Zhang Zhentian. And yet, it had taken him almost twice as long to reach the Nascent Soul Realm.

His Cultivation wouldn’t be of much use on the battlefield. In contrast, with his skill in arrays, he might actually be useful if he stayed within the sect and made use of the Sect Protection Array.

Of course, if the front line were to fall and he sensed the situation turning dire, Xu Ran had no intention of dying to defend the sect. He would unhesitatingly take the Dust-covered and flee.

After all, where there is life, there is hope.

Seeing Xu Ran agree, Li Daoyi breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried his Senior Uncle would insist on going to the front lines, which would have forced him to waste a great deal of breath trying to change his mind.

In his heart, his Senior Uncle was the Shennong of their age, the founder of the Flying Immortal Stream. Both of these identities had been created for the benefit of all living beings under heaven.

Spirit Rice allowed countless low-level cultivators to stop worrying about resources, while the Flying Immortal Stream gave ordinary cultivators another path to break through their current Realm.

With such a magnanimous heart, it would only be natural for him to insist on fighting on the front lines.

’Thank goodness...’ Li Daoyi let out a relieved breath. He then gave Xu Ran a silent nod of farewell and hurried away.

Xu Ran silently saw him and all the others off to the battlefield. He offered no words of blessing, nor did he make any promises or pacts with them. He simply watched them leave in silence.

The scene from that night on Spirit Stream Peak, when the sect had last set out for the Evil Demon Battlefield, was still vivid in his mind. He would never forget what had happened to Wang Zhenye and Hao Daniu.

He didn’t want to say anything more.

A silent blessing was the best he could offer.

Since the beginning of the Hidden Dao Era, as disciples grew old and passed away one by one, the sect’s population had dwindled, making it much quieter than before.

Now, with Li Daoyi and Chu Lingxiao leading eighty percent of the disciples away, only a little over four thousand people remained to defend the vast sect.

It cast a pall of profound silence over the entire sect grounds.

On the night Li Daoyi and Chu Lingxiao left, Xu Ran and Chen Chang’an sat facing one another. They simply looked at each other in total silence.

After a long while, Xu Ran finally broke the silence, asking Chen Chang’an, ”Isn’t it terribly unlucky, running into something like this during the last year of your watch?”

That was how Xu Ran saw it. Chen Chang’an had drawn the lot to stay and guard the sect until the thousandth year of the Hidden Dao Era. Once this year was over, he was supposed to enter the Dust-covered state.

But at the very last moment, the Overseas Archipelago had launched its invasion. Now, until the war was over, he would be forced to remain in this era, unable to be Dust-covered.

Chen Chang’an shook his head, his expression placid. ”I’m used to it.”

He was telling the truth. His life had always been this way, always leaving behind a sliver of regret. Whether it involved his family, his friends, or anything else he cared about, things were never perfect.

Compared to what he’d been through before, this current situation felt like nothing special.

The war breaking out now was something he could accept. At least he was still here, guarding the sect and able to fight for it.

The worst-case scenario would have been the invasion starting right after he had completed his duty and entered the Dust-covered state. That would have been a true regret.

He tilted his head back slightly, his eyes fixed on the cold night sky, and spoke in a tone both calm and resolute:

”This isn’t misfortune. On the contrary, it’s my good fortune. At least... this way, I won’t have any regrets.”