Crossing from the back of the ridge, ahead was an ancient battlefield at the edge of the Relic.
Countless massive Flying Swords lay broken there, and many desiccated skeletons were impaled on the fractured stone walls.
This was a place they had never seen on their way here.
In fact, the Disciples of the Immortal Sects had followed a straight path since entering the mountain, and their understanding of the Qiling Relic was less than one-thousandth.
Ban Yangshu once said that a great Relic was boundless, and it was indeed no exaggeration.
However, Ji You did not stop because of this, suppressing the bandit-like urge to “make a fortune by salvaging antiques,” and continued forward, muttering about a fair exchange for money and goods.
“Brother-in-law, it seems someone is following us.”
“I feel it. Don’t look back, keep going forward. I’ll tell you when we get near the mine shaft.”
The Immortal Fate in the mountains had shaken the Qingyun World, leading to countless seekers of immortality.
But due to intense disputes, many with lower Realm, though ambitious, dared not venture deep, so they could only loiter at the entrance.
Following the three of them at this moment were three middle-aged cultivators.
Two men were already in the Tong Xuan Realm, and there was a mature woman, with a curvaceous figure and good temperament, who was at the Junior Third Realm Completion.
With their ordinary Aptitude, they could not possibly be from an Immortal Sect; they should be from a Worldly Family.
Logically speaking, the three of them should be those who had cultivated bitterly without success, and seeing the Immortal Light soaring into the sky here, they wanted to take a risk.
And judging by the fresh blood already appearing on the three, their method of seeking Immortal Fate was to stake out lone cultivators here and then kill them for their treasures. “Brother-in-law, they’ve caught up.”
“You go ahead and wait for me at the mine entrance. I’ll go talk to them.”
“?”
Ji You stopped and turned back, Spiritual Qi slowly condensing.
His principle for entering the mountain was to avoid conflict if possible, to enter and retreat quickly, but this time it wouldn't work.
He didn't know if those miners in the mine shaft had escaped, and if he left a loose end, it might lead to great disaster.
The three cultivators who followed closely immediately stopped upon seeing this, sneered, and drew their swords, only to see a vast Spiritual Qi surge out, followed by seven Spirit Swords shooting out from the mountain forest.
Buzz—
Amidst the clear Sword Qi, a sky full of Sword Qi waves roared, coiling like a Dragon.
The three cultivators widened their eyes, parried with their swords, and were directly sent flying by the Sword Qi, only to see the person opposite him already drawing a bow and nocking an arrow, like countless cold lights shooting through the sky…
At this time, the Dan Sect siblings did not stop, running all the way to the entrance of the mine tunnel.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yuan Caiwei once again refined a Qi Replenishing Medicinal Pill, restoring her spirit, but still felt some blurred fragments in her mind.
Just then, she noticed her hand.
Her hand was slender and jade-white, but at this moment, there were faint patterns on it, like jade.
Xuanyu Dan Hand…
This was how it looked after using the Xuanyu Dan Hand before it had fully recovered, indicating that she had refined something.
As she pondered, her younger brother’s mumbling voice came from beside her, unclear, but probably expressing worry for his brother-in-law.
Yuan Caiwei couldn't help but turn her head: “Yuan Chen, listen, the words ‘brother-in-law’ cannot be called out casually.”
Yuan Chen stood at the entrance of the mine shaft, pouting when he heard her: “The Family has given Sister an ultimatum: you must find a husband. Brother-in-law is a suitable candidate. He is a private cultivator from the countryside, with no Worldly Family background but astonishing combat power, very suitable to be a live-in son-in-law for our Dan Sect.”
“When did you start needing to worry about this for me?”
“I know Sister is ambitious, but Brother-in-law is truly good. Although I can’t quite say what’s different about him, I vaguely feel he will surely be the sole champion of the nine provinces.”
Yuan Caiwei glanced at him: “Sole champion of the nine provinces? Even the Chu Family doesn’t dare to call themselves that. I think you’ve been poisoned by those folk storybooks.”
The Dan Sect itself does not possess combat power, but the Dan Dao Legacy can only be passed down through them.
Therefore, to ensure the smooth continuation of their lineage, the qingyun immortal rules had long stipulated that no cultivator could harm a Dan Sect Disciple.
But rules… are just rules after all, and they will not deter the covetous desires of certain petty individuals.
Just like this ambush.
So for the past hundred years, women who inherited the Dan Sect’s Legacy would choose the most talented individuals from small families and recruit them to Dan Mountain as live-in sons-in-law.
Firstly, small families are easier to control, and their ambitions won't be too great.
Secondly, no one from a large Family would be willing to be a live-in son-in-law, nor would they be dependent on the Dan Sect, thus failing to achieve the goal of gathering strength through marriage ties.
Therefore, choosing a talented individual with shallow background and supplementing them with Dan Sect Immortal Medicinal Pills is one of the means by which the Dan Sect stands firm in the Qingyun World.
But for Yuan Caiwei, Ji You was not within her consideration.
“The small Worldly Families that the Dan Sect speaks of must have at least ten Upper Five Realms, a world of difference from private cultivators in the countryside.”
“Moreover, Junior Third Realm Completion is simply not among my conditions for choosing a husband.”
“I don’t know what kind of enchanting potion he gave you, or what he promised you, but let go of that thought.”
The Dan Sect is one of the Seven Great Immortal Sects of the current age. Although Yuan Caiwei is not from the direct lineage, she is a well-known Young Miss of the Dan Sect and would absolutely not choose someone who hasn’t even entered the Upper Five Realms as her husband.
It’s the heart, Yuan Chen murmured softly.
No enchanting potion, what he saw was the heart.
The Dan Sect is located between Liang Province and You Province, and through various methods, such as gifting Medicinal Pills, healing injuries, and forming marital ties, it has forged connections with Worldly Families, indeed bringing together the small Worldly Families of both regions.
But what about after Sister disappeared?
Although those Worldly Families sent Disciples to search outside, not a single one dared to enter the Relic.
Later, after the Immortal Light surged, those people dared to enter the Relic, but they were going for Immortal Ascension, and even directly abandoned him in Beisha Town.
So before vested interests, this seemingly reliable relationship was simply unreliable.
But Brother-in-law was different. Although Brother-in-law kept talking about a fair exchange for money and goods all the way, there were many times when he made him feel that he was trustworthy.
Like when he entered the Hongshan Mine, like the people he saved along the way, like the stories he told about the Young Master of the Immortal Sects.
If he couldn’t be relied upon, even a Linxian Realm would be inferior to a Junior Third Realm Completion.
As the next direct Disciple of the Dan Sect, Yuan Chen was not an ignorant fool. He felt that Ji You would definitely be a good match for Sister, someone who could ensure her safety for life.
However, before he could figure out how to express what was in his heart, Sister’s voice rang out again from beside him.
“What Medicinal Pills did you promise him when you asked him to enter the mountain with you?”
“A thousand taels of gold.”
“Just silver? So cheap?”
Yuan Caiwei was stunned for a moment, thinking to herself that a private cultivator from the countryside was indeed just that: “Does he know you are a direct Disciple of the Dan Sect?”
Yuan Chen recalled: “His Senior Brother guessed it, but he probably doesn’t know yet.”
“Give him two thousand taels. This person risked so much with you; don’t treat him poorly.”
Yuan Chen understood his sister's meaning: it was a fair exchange for money and goods, just like with Brother-in-law, and then they would go their separate ways. As for the matter of marriage, it was not to be mentioned again.
But in fact, Yuan Caiwei had one more thing she didn't say, and that was if he could return.
Although the Dan Sect does not cultivate the Dao, they have their own method of observing Luck, so she knew there were two Tong Xuan Realm cultivators opposite him, and one who was at the Junior Third Realm Completion just like her.
Go talk to them…?
Just by looking at their blood-soaked appearance, she knew they had long harbored murderous intentions.
Yuan Caiwei felt that this person could go back and forth with her younger brother here, besides being naive, his Luck was also terrifyingly good.
Just as she was pondering, footsteps suddenly came from the mountain forest. Ji You walked over leisurely, carrying a long sword, his white robes fluttering, clutching three money bags in his hand.