"Heh heh! Fellow Daoist Sun, you certainly arrived in a hurry. It's a pity you've found the wrong person. I was merely tracking a spirit beast and strayed into your mountain range by mistake. I witnessed the commotion among the lower-ranked spirit beasts just now, and I was hoping to identify the culprit as well." The masked cultivator let out a dry laugh, his voice laced with wariness.
"Hmph! Tracking a spirit beast? Does Fellow Daoist Ma take this old woman for a fool in her dotage? A mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator such as yourself — famous throughout Great Jin for your escape arts — would let some spirit beast wander into our Tianyue Mountain Range? Besides, I've already swept the surrounding several hundred li with my spiritual sense, and aside from you, I truly haven't found any other cultivator capable of causing this." A layer of purple light surfaced on the old woman's face, her tone turning grim.
"What happened? Did the commotion among the beasts somehow bring harm to Yueyang Palace? I've been courteous precisely because I respect you as a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. But does Fellow Daoist intend to force this crime upon me? I may not be your match, but there's more than one disciple in my sect who knows I've entered the Tianyue Mountain Range. Besides, if I were to fight with everything I have, I wouldn't be entirely without the power to resist. Unless Fellow Daoist is deliberately looking to reignite the war between the Righteous and Demonic paths!" A golden gleam flashed in the masked cultivator's eyes, and his earlier apprehension gave way to an unmistakable edge of defiance.
Seeing this shift in the masked cultivator's demeanor, the old woman narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Was it really not your doing?" After a long pause, she asked in a cold voice.
"If Fellow Daoist Sun requires it, I can swear a Heart Demon oath! From the time of the incident until now, I still have no idea what even happened at your palace." The masked cultivator felt a measure of relief upon hearing her words and lowered his stance accordingly — a man who knew when to yield and when to stand firm.
"There's no need for any drastic oaths. It truly doesn't seem to be your doing. Given your standing in your sect, you wouldn't stoop to something so beneath your station. And moreover, I've never heard that Fellow Daoist Ma possesses any ability to summon spirit beasts. But you chased a beast all the way to our Tianyue Mountain Range — that beast must be anything but ordinary, wouldn't you say? I'd appreciate an explanation." The old woman's expression softened, and her tone became noticeably more courteous.
"That spirit beast is indeed exceedingly rare. Its importance to me may well rival that of your palace's Hao Yang Bird. It's an Earth Armored Dragon that has just advanced to the seventh level. I discovered it in the Huangli Mountain of a neighboring prefecture, but the creature is extraordinarily cunning and well-versed in the Earth Escape Technique. I chased it for six days and six nights before it led me here. That's why I entered without the courtesy of announcing myself to your palace." The masked cultivator understood that without revealing some details, he would never truly dispel her suspicion, so he freely disclosed the nature of his quarry.
"A seventh-level Earth Armored Dragon? That's truly an exceedingly rare spirit beast — I've never even heard of one at such a high level. No wonder you were so eager. And it seems you're preparing to leave now — could it be that you've already captured it? I've only ever heard of this creature's reputation but have never actually laid eyes on one. Would you indulge this old woman's curiosity?" The old woman's surprise gave way to genuine interest.
"I'm afraid Fellow Daoist Ma will be disappointed. Just as the beasts fell into a frenzy earlier, my tracking technique suddenly failed, and I lost all trace of the beast. However..."
"However what?" A sharp gleam flashed in the old woman's eyes.
"However, while I was searching for the beast, I suddenly spotted a streak of green light flying across the sky at tremendous speed. It didn't appear to be one of your palace's cultivators. I suspect the anomaly in the mountains just now was connected to that person. I gave chase, hoping to discover who it might be. Unfortunately, that person's escape light was simply too fast — after only a brief pursuit, I lost them without a trace. And that was when Fellow Daoist Sun intercepted me." The masked cultivator gave a bitter smile, his tone tinged with helplessness.
"A streak of green light? So that person hasn't been gone for long! Which direction did they flee?" The old woman's expression shifted, and she couldn't help asking.
"Outward, toward the edge of the mountain range. With your abilities, Fellow Daoist, you might still be able to catch up to them!" The masked cultivator's eyes darted about as he spoke, his tone carefully neutral.
"Thank you for the tip, Fellow Daoist Ma. I'll go have a look right away. Since that Earth Armored Dragon has vanished, you should leave these mountains as well. Our respective paths — Righteous and Demonic — lie apart, and this is not your sect's Shenmu Cliff. When I return, I trust I won't still find you lingering here." Having obtained the lead she wanted, the old woman immediately issued her dismissal. Without another word to the masked cultivator, she transformed into a golden rainbow and shot off at blinding speed toward the outskirts of the mountain range.
"Hmph! The old hag is just as hard to deal with as the rumors say — one whiff of information and she can turn hostile in an instant. Righteous and Demonic paths be damned — she just wants that Earth Armored Dragon for herself. Heh heh, if my senses didn't deceive me, that Earth Armored Dragon's disappearance probably had something to do with that green rainbow as well. That escape light was every bit as fast as a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator — catching that person won't be so easy. Judging by her frazzled state when she arrived, it seems that person caused Yueyang Palace considerable trouble. Now that's a pleasant thought." The masked cultivator waited until the golden rainbow had vanished entirely before letting out a cold laugh and murmuring a few words to himself.
He then lowered his gaze, his eyes settling on the spirit beast pouch at his waist, and a flicker of unmistakable joy surfaced in his expression.
"This trip may not have yielded the Earth Armored Dragon, but I did manage to capture a Black Blood Spider. At least it wasn't a complete waste. That Earth Armored Dragon was a gift to that fellow, I suppose. I wonder what method he used to drive the spirit beasts into such a frenzy." The masked cultivator's face betrayed a flash of disgruntlement, but he soon fell into contemplation.
"No, this won't do. The fact that this person has a method to lure spirit beasts — that's no small matter. I need to go back and report this to Senior Brother Mu at once." The masked cultivator abruptly raised his head, muttering under his breath. He cast a glance in every direction, and then green light shimmered around his body as he transformed into a green rainbow and streaked off into the sky.
As for the old woman surnamed Sun, she flew nonstop for nearly half a day, sweeping her spiritual sense across the entire region within several tens of thousand li. She found no trace of anyone suspicious and had no choice but to return to Yueyang Palace in frustration. She immediately issued strict orders to her disciples to keep the matter confidential. If any of the other great sects were to learn of this, it would become a laughingstock throughout Great Jin's cultivation world.
Fortunately, whoever had targeted the Hao Yang Bird had only taken the fire feathers and had not slaughtered the spirit bird for its core. With enough spirit pills and medicinal herbs, the bird could recover its vitality within a few decades.
So the old woman had no choice but to swallow this bitter loss in silence. But privately, she dispatched a select group of elite disciples to make discreet inquiries about whether any major power or any old monsters at the Nascent Soul stage or above had recently shown interest in refining treasures — hoping to follow the thread and ultimately identify the perpetrator.