Chapter 162: Appearance in the Southern Heavens

In the front hall of Eastwood Mountain, Sun Yang sat prominently in his rightful place, his face twisted with anger as he glared at the cup of water and wine spilled over his clothes. Bitter curses filled his heart toward that scoundrel who had caused such a commotion, frightening him so much that he dropped the cup. Before several mortal envoys, the carefully cultivated image of a Daoist master that he had worked so hard to build was utterly shattered by that thunderous rumble.

In front of Sun Yang, a vigorous elderly man sitting upright in a chair suddenly tumbled to the floor with a heavy thud, dazed and disoriented. The tremor from the thunderclap had been too intense, causing the old man's chair to tilt and lose balance.

Another middle-aged man dressed in fine robes gripped the armrest tightly, glancing apprehensively at the towering golden-winged tiger crouched behind Jiang Yan. His voice trembled with fear as he asked, "Immortal Master, what is happening? Why does it feel like the very earth is shaking?"

Sun Yang circulated his spiritual energy, swiftly wiping the wine stains from his clothes. Hearing the question, he feigned calm composure and replied, "Our sect’s leader is currently demonstrating an immortal technique. There is no need for you to be so frightened."

A handsome young man seated at the outermost edge smiled and said, "You two are worrying unnecessarily. With the Immortal Master of Mount Hua present, even if heaven were to strike with thunder and lightning, I believe the Master would protect us all within this great hall. Immortal Master, may I ask if my words are correct?"

Sun Yang, hearing the young man's flattering words, reached out to pat the great golden-winged tiger crouching beside him and replied proudly, "You must be from the Great Cheng Dynasty, right? Very well, I grant your request. I will assist your dynasty in praying for rain and dispelling disasters in the third month of the Lunar Calendar."

The young man rejoiced at this, rising from his seat and respectfully bowing deeply to Sun Yang. His voice filled with gratitude, he said, "I thank you, Immortal Master. On behalf of the millions under the Great Cheng Dynasty, I express my deepest thanks. Our dynasty has yet another request: we beseech the Immortal Master to serve as our national protector."

The other two envoys exchanged bewildered glances upon hearing Sun Yang’s response. How could this Immortal Master be so accommodating? The Prince of Ning from the Great Cheng Dynasty had only spoken a few words of praise, yet the Immortal Master immediately agreed to visit the dynasty and pledged to assist in prayers for rain and disaster relief.

The vigorous elderly man from the Wu Long Empire, still on the ground from his fall, did not rise but instead knelt and kowtowed repeatedly with a sorrowful voice, "Immortal Master, my Wu Long Empire has stood for a hundred years, yet this year has suffered the worst drought in its history. Countless common folk have perished of starvation; the white bones lie thick across the fields, the dead are everywhere. I implore you, Immortal Master, to intervene and save my empire from disaster, to rescue the millions of people caught in this calamity. Please show great mercy and save the people of Wu Long Empire."

Tears streamed down the old man’s face as he bowed thrice more, his forehead bleeding from the force of his kowtows.

Sun Yang was momentarily stunned, never having imagined such misery in the Wu Long Empire due to the drought. His heart filled with sympathy, and unconsciously he pinched the fur of the golden-winged tiger, resolutely declaring, "Rest assured, I, Sun Yang, shall go to your Wu Long Empire to pray for rain and aid your people in distress."

With this promise from Sun Yang, the old man ceased his kowtowing, rose to his feet, bowed once more, and took his seat.

Seeing that both the Great Cheng Dynasty and Wu Long Empire had secured Sun Yang’s promise, the middle-aged man from the Qingyue Imperial Court abandoned his reserve. He knelt with a loud thud and earnestly pleaded, "Immortal Master, the Qingyue Imperial Court..."

After much thought, the middle-aged man found no compelling reason to elicit Sun Yang’s sympathy. The Qingyue Imperial Court was peaceful and prosperous, blessed with favorable weather—there was truly no comparable calamity like those of the Great Cheng Dynasty or Wu Long Empire.

He dared not lie to Sun Yang; an immortal so lofty was beyond his reckoning. Should the immortal divine the truth with a mere calculation, a sneeze from such a being could reduce him to ashes.

"Immortal Master, our dynasty has enjoyed peace and prosperity in recent years. As the saying goes, when granaries are full, people know propriety. Our people hold Mount Hua Sect in great esteem and have long yearned to see the true face of the immortals. We earnestly request the Immortal Master to visit the Qingyue Imperial Court and enlighten our people."

The middle-aged official, having served many years in the Qingyue Court, sought to attract Sun Yang’s attention from another angle. Immortal Masters have sects, after all, which must recruit disciples. Their dynasty had many outstanding youths, so there was no shortage of candidates for the Immortal Master’s recruitment.

Sun Yang scratched his head thoughtfully. The man’s reasoning was sound. As a wandering master of the world, his sect leader had expressly tasked him with seeking youths of exceptional innate talent to replenish the bloodline of Mount Hua Sect. Hearing that the Qingyue Court was peaceful and prosperous, it was natural there would be many promising youths to choose from.

"Sun Yang!"

A clear, sharp voice suddenly echoed from the hall entrance, startling those inside.

At the entrance, Yun Ying stood with an impish expression, her delicate face flushed scarlet. Pointing a small finger at Sun Yang seated within, she scolded angrily, "Sun Yang, you grabbed Little Jin! That hurts! Let go at once."

Startled by Yun Ying’s reprimand, Sun Yang sprang up from the bench. Seeing the golden-winged tiger strolling leisurely beside Yun Ying, he sheepishly explained, "Junior Uncle, I didn’t mean to. I don’t know how, but I accidentally grabbed the tiger’s fur. The tiger didn’t make a sound, so I didn’t notice."

Yun Ying reached out and rubbed the spot on the tiger’s body Sun Yang had grasped, displeased. "You grabbed Little Jin! I won’t lend Little Jin to you anymore." Pouting, she led the tiger out of the hall in a huff.

The three envoys gawked in disbelief as the little girl, not even half the tiger’s height, swaggered out with the tiger obediently following. Their eyes were filled with astonishment. "Immortal masters are truly extraordinary; even the tiger obeys so completely."

…

Outside Tianyue City, at the center of the Tianyue Realm, a bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the high sky, shattering the summit of Tianyue Mountain into a field of rubble. The thunderous explosion was so great that the sound quickly spread across the land, causing the earth to tremble and the mountains to shake.

“Bang…”

A shadowy figure suddenly dove from the sky, crashing into the ground and gouging a large pit, sending up a cloud of dust.

“Li Yuan, I’ll give you three more days. Hand over the boundary stone obediently, and the Tianyue Realm shall become a vassal domain under the Hui Sword Sect. You may yet live. But if you fail, do not blame me for being ruthless. I will destroy your Southern Sword Sect. This is but a mild warning; next time, if I don’t see the boundary stone, watch out for your head.”

A cold voice pierced the thick clouds, reaching Li Yuan’s ears in the deep pit.

Covered in dust, Wen Tingshi leapt down into the pit and helped Li Yuan to his feet, feeding him a spiritual pill.

“Cough, cough…”

Li Yuan spat blood and regained some strength. Glancing at his dust-covered junior brother, he smiled bitterly and asked, “Junior brother, you’ve returned from the Eastwood District. Did you see the boundary stone of the Xihe Sword Sect?”

Wen Tingshi shook his head sadly. “The boundary stone is in the possession of the monks at Huasheng Temple. They refuse to hand it over. I dared not force the matter and failed to complete the mission you entrusted me with.”

“What about the other brothers, Sect Leader?” Wen Tingshi asked, puzzled, having searched for a long time but found no disciples.

“Alas, our sect may not endure much longer. Since I succeeded as leader of the Southern Sword Sect, cultivators at the nascent soul stage from Yun City have repeatedly harassed us. Many brothers have fallen beneath that old villain’s hand…” Li Yuan looked up at the clouds, gritting his teeth as he spoke with fierce bitterness.

ps: I checked the chapters today and indeed missed one—Chapter 152 was overlooked. I inquired with the editor, who said it cannot be ordered sequentially. What are your thoughts on this?