"They probably couldn't even scrape together enough spirit crystals to pay their tribute to the Yunhai Sect, so they packed up overnight and fled in the dead of night to avoid the humiliation of being kicked off Tianyu Mountain tomorrow."
Another man chimed in.
Immediately, several disciples of the Xiaoyao Sword Sect burst into loud laughter.
Situ Fuyao was about to snap, but Li Feng pressed a hand down on her, signaling her not to lose her temper.
Li Feng stepped forward and said, "Ah, if it isn't Brother Zhao. Trust you have been well?"
Zhao Qi, being the senior brother of the Xiaoyao Sword Sect after all, maintained a certain level of composure and decorum.
He cupped his fists slightly and smiled. "Brother Li, you moved away without a word to anyone. After all, we've been neighbors for so many years; it's only right that I host a farewell banquet for you all."
Li Feng smiled. "You're too kind, Brother Zhao. While our two sects are close neighbors, our relations haven't exactly been friendly. Your Xiaoyao Sword Sect has had its eyes on Changsheng Valley's territory every minute of every day."
Zhao Qi chuckled. "Brother Li exaggerates. The survival of the fittest—the strong prey upon the weak—that is simply the law of this world.
"Seeing all these bags and bundles you've got today, can it really be that you're packing up and leaving early to avoid tomorrow's embarrassment?
"If that's truly the case, I might as well send some men to take over Changsheng Valley."
Fuyao slammed her hand down on the table, furious. "In your dreams! We are not leaving!"
Zhao Qi chuckled softly. "Fuyao, as far as I know, Sect Master Situ still hasn't returned to the mountain. There is simply no way you can scrape together five hundred spirit crystals for the tribute. The Yunhai Sect isn't going to grant you another half-month extension."
Fuyao was about to blurt out that they had already secured the spirit crystals, but Li Feng stopped her.
Li Feng smiled faintly. "Tomorrow morning, I will personally head to Tongtian Peak. Perhaps things will take a turn for the better."
Zhao Qi and the junior brothers and sisters behind him all burst into boisterous laughter.
Zhao Qi cupped his fists. "As it happens, I will also be accompanying my master to Tongtian Peak tomorrow to discuss matters regarding Changsheng Valley with the Yunhai Sect. I hope Brother Li can remain as relaxed and carefree as you are right now.
"Well, we won't disturb you all eating your noodles any longer. My fellow disciples and I are off to drink at Yunhai Tower. Ha-ha..."
Zhao Qi had some class, but certainly not a lot.
He strutted away triumphantly with his fellow disciples.
In his mind, Li Feng and the others coming to Baiyun City to shop today was simply preparation for moving tomorrow.
He refused to believe that without Situ Zhen returning, mere good-for-nothings like Li Feng could possibly gather five hundred spirit crystals in just half a month.
Fuyao said angrily, "Senior Brother, why didn't you tell those bastards that we've already gathered the spirit crystals?"
Li Feng sat back down and said, "Why tell them? Let them get their hopes up for nothing—isn't that delightful?"
When Fuyao thought about it, she realized he had a point.
Picturing how humiliated and disappointed the Xiaoyao Sword Sect would look at Tongtian Peak tomorrow, the little girl instantly cheered up.
Yang Mo and Qi Shisan were also in a good mood, each of them eating an extra bowl of plain noodles.
After finishing lunch, the four of them carried their supplies and strolled around Baiyun City for a while.
They didn't return to Changsheng Valley until dusk.
Li Feng had bought a dozen books in Baiyun City: *The Chronicles of Jiulong*, *Atlas of Mountains and Rivers*, *Classic of Gods and Demons*, *Tianji Records of Wind and Cloud*, *Chronicles of Jiulong Beast Demons*, and so on.
As soon as he returned, he locked himself in his room and began reading the books carefully.
The original owner's remaining memories were quite fragmented, and since returning was out of the question, Li Feng had no choice but to understand and adapt to this world as quickly as possible.
He first read *The Chronicles of Jiulong* and *Atlas of Mountains and Rivers*, gaining a general understanding of the terrain, landforms, local customs, and traditions of this world.
The surface area of this world was more than ten times larger than Earth's, featuring vast oceans alongside massive landmasses.
Logically speaking, if the volume was more than ten times that of Earth, the mass and gravity should be proportionately greater as well.
Yet, the people here could actually fly through the air using Airborne Flight...
Did physics really not exist here?
Next, Li Feng read records concerning various current sects, beast demons, forbidden zones, and immortal abodes.
Finally, he opened *Tianji Records of Wind and Cloud*.
This piece of work was published by the mysterious Tianji Pavilion, listing the top one hundred rankings of the Tianxiu Band, Tianlin List, Tianren List, Divine Artifacts List, and Beast Demon List over the past few centuries.
Under the newly recorded Tianxiu Band, Li Feng found Shan Yundi's name.
Ranked seventeenth on the Tianji Newcomer List.
"Shan Yundi, direct disciple of Master Xuanzhi of the Yunhai Sect on Tianyu Mountain. Entered the sect at age twelve, stepped into the Soul Exit Realm at twenty-one. Magical treasure: Purple Cloud Divine Sword, ranked sixty-second on the Divine Artifacts List..."
Reading this, Li Feng began counting on his fingers.
"Twenty-one minus twelve... this woman entered the Soul Exit Realm after cultivating for nine years? This list came out three years ago, which means she's only twenty-four now? Is this woman a freak of nature?"
After doing the math, Li Feng was left in a state of shock and speechlessness.
The original owner was turning thirty soon, yet after twenty years of cultivation, he was only in the Primordial Spirit Realm.
His own grandmistress was over a hundred years old and had only reached the Peak Out-of-Body stage...
It really proved the saying: compare yourself to others and you'll want to die; compare goods and you'll want to throw them away.
Was the gap between humans really wider than the gap between humans and pigs?
After sighing with emotion, he continued flipping through *Tianji Records of Wind and Cloud*.
When he saw the Tianren List further down, it completely shattered his worldview.
The Tianren List recorded immortal cultivators over a hundred years old. Those who made this list had a cultivation level of at least the tenth layer of the Nirvana Realm.
"I'm in the Primordial Spirit Realm, and with a single punch I can shatter a thousand-pound boulder from a distance. Someone in the Nirvana Realm must be able to level an entire mountain with a single sword strike!"
After another sigh of amazement, Li Feng continued flipping forward.
Soon, he saw a familiar name again.
In the Tianji Divine Artifacts List, he saw the two characters "Duannian".
Li Feng's body trembled, and he instantly perked up.
"Ranked third on the Divine Artifacts List: the Duannian Divine Sword.
This sword has a mysterious origin, traceable back to the era of the Demonic Dragon Calamity three thousand years ago. Lost several times, it was acquired four thousand three hundred years ago by the Changsheng Emperor, the first-generation patriarch of the Changsheng Sect.
Relying on this sword, the Changsheng Emperor swept through a hundred powerhouses of the Jiulong Mainland without a single defeat.
The Changsheng Emperor lived for over eight hundred years before disappearing from the mainland, and the sword was lost along with him.
Rumor has it that this divine sword possesses the miraculous ability to sever time and break through reincarnation.
There is a rumor that this sword was snapped into two halves during a mysterious battle, and that the Profound Iron Broken Sword—the heirloom token of successive sect masters of the Changsheng Sect in later generations—is actually the remnant of this sword, though there is no concrete proof.
Duannian Divine Sword.
Origin: Unknown.
Attribute: Time.
Ownership: Lost."
***
Chapter 38: Li Yunchen's Plot
Looking at the records regarding the Duannian Divine Sword, Li Feng stood in a daze for a long time.
Back in the tomb chamber, Shan Yundi had mentioned to him that the Duannian Sword was the third-ranked divine sword on the Divine Artifacts List.
At the time, Li Feng hadn't paid it much mind.
Now, seeing the rankings issued by the Tianji Pavilion, he finally began to realize just how powerful a third-place ranking truly was, and why Shan Yundi's expression had been so shocked that day.
"The Changsheng Emperor? Could that mummified corpse that sat in meditation inside the tomb chamber be the first-generation patriarch of the Changsheng Sect?"
Other than this explanation, Li Feng couldn't think of any other.
After all, the Duannian Divine Sword had vanished and disappeared from the world along with the founding Patriarch, the Changsheng Emperor.
Now, a remnant of the Divine Sword lay before that mummified corpse, while the tomb walls recorded so many of the Changsheng Sect's esoteric mental cultivation methods that were never imparted to outsiders.
If he wasn't the Changsheng Emperor, who else could he be?
"Could the Patriarch have calculated while he was still alive that the Changsheng Sect would face this calamity thousands of years later, and therefore hid the broken Duannian sword and those profound techniques inside his own tomb chamber, waiting for a destined descendant of the Changsheng Sect to arrive?"
Li Feng guessed quietly in his heart.
If that was truly the case, it was utterly terrifying!
It was even more formidable than the Zhuge-style prophetic illustrations of Li Chunyang and Yuan Tiangang.
Li Feng spent the entire night reading in his room, never imagining that he—a former slacker—could actually pull an all-nighter of reading.
It was great being an immortal cultivator; if he had stayed up playing games all night in the past, he would definitely have looked like a frost-bitten eggplant the next morning.
At this moment, Li Feng didn't feel much fatigue. As day broke, he sat cross-legged on the bed for an hour of meditation, and all exhaustion was swept away, leaving his mind exceptionally alert and refreshed.
Since he still needed to go to the Yunhai Sect to pay the rent today, Li Feng ran just a single cycle of his circulation before finishing his practice.
He changed into the brand-new clothes he had bought yesterday, washed up, and spun around in front of the mirror to inspect himself.
Stepping outside, he spotted Fuyao and asked, "Fuyao, do I look handsome today?"
Fuyao nodded. "Very handsome!"
"Handsome is good!"
Li Feng gathered the three of them and said, "Second Brother, you will accompany me to the Yunhai Sect. Sixth Sister, Fuyao, you two stay here and keep house."
Qi Shisan cried out, "Senior Brother, I want to go too!"
Li Feng said, "What are you going for? Honestly stay here and keep watch. Second Brother and I will be back in half a day."
Qi Shisan was extremely dissatisfied with this, but he couldn't disobey his senior brother's words.
He could only sigh inwardly that he wouldn't get to see his goddess today.
Li Feng and Yang Mo flew through the air using Airborne Flight, and in less than an hour, they arrived at the outer perimeter of Tongtian Peak.
Immortal cultivators were allowed to fly freely twenty miles outside the perimeter of Tongtian Peak, but once they approached the main peak, Yunhai Sect disciples would immediately step forward to question them.
Two young men dressed in Yunhai Sect disciple attire, stepping on immortal swords, blocked their path.
Li Feng stated his affiliation and the purpose of his visit, and was then led by one of the disciples to fly toward the waist of Tongtian Peak.
At this moment, at the waist of Tongtian Peak, lay the Elders' Hall of the Yunhai Sect.
Today, the Elders' Hall was extremely lively. Not only was Xuanhailong, the First Elder of the Yunhai Sect, present, but Li Yunchen was there as well.
In addition, several sect masters from other factions were in attendance.
Wan Yi, Sect Master of the Xiaoyao Sword Sect; Lu Youjin, Sect Master of the Yipin Sect; and Daoist Yuyin, Master of Tianlong Temple, were also seated in chairs.
These three sects were located to the east, south, and west of Changsheng Valley respectively, and were all close neighbors of the Changsheng Sect.
The strengths of the three sects were roughly equal, and restricted by their respective territories, it was difficult for any of them to achieve major further development.
For a long time, all of them had coveted the spirit-rich Changsheng Valley occupied by the Changsheng Sect.
Sect Master Wan Yi of the Xiaoyao Sword Sect had woken up extremely early today, only to arrive late to the party.
Half a month ago, when he learned that the Changsheng Sect was unable to pay its tribute, he had made a private agreement with Li Yunchen: once the Changsheng Sect was driven out, that valley would be taken over by the Xiaoyao Sword Sect.
To achieve this, he had paid a heavy price.
He had rushed over today full of joy, never expecting that the Yipin Sect and Tianlong Temple would show up as well. It was glaringly obvious that they, too, wanted a piece of the fat meat that was Changsheng Valley.
Since First Elder Xuanhai—a man in the Yunhai Sect second only to the sect master—had stepped forward in person, today's matter was definitely not something Li Yunchen could call the shots on alone.
This made Wan Yi deeply anxious that the bribes he had secretly slipped to Li Yunchen would go down the drain.
He was even more worried that if either of the other two sects acquired Changsheng Valley, they would rise rapidly and gradually nibble away at the Xiaoyao Sword Sect.
In truth, today's entire affair had been stirred up by Li Yunchen himself.
As an elder of the Yunhai Sect, he naturally looked down upon the two hundred spirit crystals Li Feng had offered him as interest.
He had to maximize his personal profits.
The Changsheng Sect failing to pay its rent on time this year had caught Li Yunchen completely off guard and thrown him for a loop.
When Li Feng requested a half-month extension, the cunning and sly Li Yunchen had put on a reluctant act. It seemed as though he had been persuaded by Li Feng, but the reality was precisely the opposite.
He needed enough time to manipulate the situation surrounding Changsheng Valley.
The day he collected the rent at the Changsheng Sect, he went straight to the Xiaoyao Sword Sect and informed Wan Yi of the Changsheng Sect's current predicament.
Wan Yi was overjoyed, feeling that his opportunity had arrived.
He secretly presented Li Yunchen with two thousand blue crystals and more than ten black crystals, hoping that once the Changsheng Sect left, the Xiaoyao Sword Sect would take charge of taking over Changsheng Valley.
Having accepted the benefits, Li Yunchen naturally agreed readily.
However, turning around, he secretly approached the Yipin Sect and Tianlong Temple as well.
These two sects had also been coveting Changsheng Valley all along.
And so, Lu Youjin and Daoist Yuyin also secretly gave Li Yunchen plenty of benefits.
Through this series of slick maneuvers, Li Yunchen had raked in over ten thousand spirit crystals, instantly transforming himself into a wealthy tycoon among the Yunhai Sect's elders.
Yet there was only one Changsheng Valley; it was impossible to split it among three parties simultaneously.
Therefore, Li Yunchen invited Senior Brother Xuanhai to preside over the matter.
Li Yunchen's status in the Yunhai Sect wasn't high, but Daoist Xuanhai was a figure second only to the sect master.
Whichever sect Daoist Xuanhai assigned Changsheng Valley to, the other two factions wouldn't dare raise any objections.
As for the bribes they had secretly slipped to Li Yunchen, those couldn't be brought out into the open.
Besides, such a small quantity of spirit crystals wouldn't break the bones of sects boasting several hundred members; in the end, they could only swallow their loss and let the matter drop.
After all, Li Yunchen was the one responsible for collecting tribute crystals from those sects every year; they couldn't afford to fall out with Li Yunchen over this minor loss.
The three sect masters were all clever people; they realized they had likely been played by Li Yunchen.
On the surface, the three sect masters chatted and laughed politely, but beneath the surface, they were constantly competing, determined to secure the lucrative prize of Changsheng Valley today.
At that moment, a young disciple walked into the hall.
Upon entering, he cupped his fists in salute and said, "Reporting to the First Elder, Li Feng and Yang Mo, disciples of the Changsheng Sect, have arrived outside the hall."
Daoist Xuanhai wore a dark green Daoist robe, possessed an extraordinary and refined appearance with a goatee, deep gaze, calm expression, and a strong sense of dignity.
Stroking his long beard lightly, he said indifferently, "Have them enter."
***
Chapter 39: Pah!
Li Feng and Yang Mo were escorted all the way to the mountainside by the Yunhai Sect disciples.
Along the way, as they watched the towering giant peaks drawing closer and closer, both of their moods were quite complex.
As they drew nearer to the mountainside, seeing countless Yunhai Sect disciples practicing swordplay in the air, seeing young disciples walking in groups of three or five along the mountainside paths, and seeing the countless houses and halls stretching all the way up the slopes, their expressions grew even uglier.
Compared to the desolate and quiet Changsheng Sect, the Yunhai Sect could be described as flourishing to the extreme; the gap between them was no longer a mere difference between clouds and mud.
A short while later, the two of them were guided to the entrance of the Elders' Hall.
Towering eaves and lintels, halls spreading everywhere.
In particular, the main hall used by the Elders' Hall to welcome guests was built against the mountain, rivaling the scale of the Zichen Palace where emperors held court.
A disciple went inside to announce them, while Li Feng and Yang Mo waited outside.
"Brother Li, you've arrived late today! Everyone has been waiting for you."
Li Feng heard a familiar voice.
Looking closely, it was indeed Zhao Qi of the Xiaoyao Sword Sect.
Behind the porch lay a courtyard where quite a few young disciples were gathered—some wearing the attire of the Yunhai Sect, others belonging to the three other factions who had arrived alongside their sect masters.
Hearing that people from the Changsheng Sect had arrived, dozens of gazes in the courtyard swept over in unison.
Li Feng hadn't expected there to be so many people, including not only disciples of the Xiaoyao Sword Sect, but also those from the Yipin Sect and Tianlong Temple.
Had he been the original owner, he certainly wouldn't have figured out what was going on.
However, Li Feng was a transmigrator who had read countless scheming web novels in the past.
He immediately understood that he had been played by Li Yunchen.
In order to earn five hundred spirit crystals, he had risked his life entering Yan Nanguichen, only to end up doing the wedding gown for a scoundrel like Li Yunchen.
Li Feng could imagine with his very last pinky toe that Li Yunchen must have used this incident to extort plenty of benefits from the Yipin Sect and the other two factions.
"No wonder he said the other day that he didn't care about the two hundred spirit crystals of interest I gave him... So he was aiming for a big haul.
He kept talking about how he was an old friend of my master.
When faced with profits, it's all bullshit. Pah!"
In his heart, Li Feng cursed Li Yunchen viciously, while maintaining a completely calm exterior on the outside.
He smiled and said to the crowd in the courtyard, "Apologies for coming late, apologies for coming late..."
The neighboring sects close to the Changsheng Sect were all very familiar with Li Feng.
And they had always looked down on him.
Regarding Li Feng's apology, no one bothered to respond; all of them looked down their noses at Li Feng and Yang Mo.
Quite a few people were even thinking, has this kid lost his mind?
After today, the Changsheng Sect is going to be driven out of the Tianyu Mountain Range, so why is he still so cheerful?
Could it be that he's already found a new backer?
Well, that's entirely possible.
Li Feng's cultivation wasn't considered high—merely the mid Primordial Spirit Realm—but it certainly wasn't extremely low either; there were still many sects willing to take him in.
The disciple who had gone in to announce them quickly walked back out.
He said to Li Feng, "The Elder invites you in."
Li Feng hurriedly expressed his thanks, and then he and Yang Mo walked through the crowd in the courtyard and arrived at the grand and imposing hall.
Just as they stepped inside, several Yunhai Sect disciples happened to pass by the entrance of the Elders' Hall.
At the head of them was none other than the Sword Prince of Cloud Sword, Mu Jiansi.
Seeing that the Elders' Hall was so lively today, he couldn't help feeling a bit curious.
Drawing closer, he spotted Zhao Qi of the Xiaoyao Sword Sect.
The two of them were already acquainted.
Mu Jiansi said, "Zhao Qi? Why are so many of you gathered here?"
Mu Jiansi was a prominent figure in the Jiulong Mainland; at a young age, he had already reached the Dao Integration Realm, hailed as the foremost expert under the age of sixty on Tianyu Mountain.
As soon as he appeared, the disciples in the courtyard cupped their fists in salute, instantly sweeping away their arrogant attitude toward Li Feng and replacing it with smiling faces.
Zhao Qi briefly explained the matter of the three sects gathering here to Mu Jiansi.
After listening, Mu Jiansi frowned and said, "Changsheng Sect? Which Changsheng Sect?"
Zhao Qi smiled. "What other Changsheng Sect could it be? Naturally, it's the once-overlord of Tianyu Mountain, the head of the top ten immortal sects in the Mortal World, the Changsheng Sect."
Mu Jiansi was quite surprised.
He said, "The Changsheng Sect is, after all, an ancient sect that flourished for thousands of years. I've heard they've declined, but surely they haven't fallen to such a state?"
If the Changsheng Sect was truly driven off Tianyu Mountain today, it would be virtually equivalent to the annihilation of the sect.
Finding it hard to believe, Mu Jiansi walked toward the Elders' Hall.
Inside the hall at that moment, Li Feng and Yang Mo cupped their fists in salute to the seated crowd.
No matter what, they all belonged to the lineage of the Immortal Dao, branches of the same family. While they fought each other to the death behind the scenes, on the surface they still put on a polite and amiable front.
Seeing that only Li Feng and Yang Mo had entered, Li Yunchen felt a wave of relief in his heart.
He had genuinely worried that Situ Zhen might have returned.
Since that fat man hadn't returned to the mountain, relying purely on those few remaining disciples of the Changsheng Sect, it was simply impossible for them to scrape together so many spirit crystals in such a short period.
Putting on a look of feigned surprise, Li Yunchen said, "Why is it just the two of you who came? Where is Situ Zhen, the Sect Master of the Changsheng Sect?"
Li Feng cupped his fists and said, "My master and grandmistress went down the mountain on a journey some days ago and have yet to return.
I am Li Feng, the senior disciple of the Changsheng Sect, and this is my second junior brother, Yang Mo."