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At Zhong Dao Mountain, tens of thousands of disciples surrounded the cave of Bai Xiaochun’s Master; even though this was a forbidden area, they could not endure any longer. With furious gazes, they charged in.

“Bai Xiaochun, show yourself!”

“Get out here!”

“Bai Xiaochun, your evil acts and sins know no bounds. If the heavens doesn’t punish you today, then we will do it on its behalf!” The crowd rushed into the forbidden area and looked towards the stone cave which lay within the forbidden area; this was exactly the place where Bai Xiaochun’s Master had passed away.

However, as their words echoed through the air, a low voice abruptly echoed from within the cave of Bai Xiaochun’s Master.

“Silence!”

The voice was exceptionally loud; it was the consolidation of Bai Xiaochun’s entire cultivation. Utilising all of his strength, Bai Xiaochun roared; his voice resounded throughout the surrounding like a boom of thunder, overpowering the crowd’s noise.

At the same time, Bai Xiaochun’s skinny figure slowly walked out from within the stone cave with a serious expression.

As he walked out, all the disciples present lifted up their arms; each of them held stones in their hand, preparing to throw it towards Bai Xiaochun. However, at this moment, Bai Xiaochun lifted his right hand, and with a ruffling sound, a portrait appeared within his hand and instantly opened up in front of his body.

Within that portrait, was his Master… and also Zheng Yuandong’s Master — Spirit Creek’s Sect previous generation’s Patriarch!

“Outrageous!” Bai Xiaochun aggressively roared, his voice almost being a high screech.

“Whoever dares to destroy my Master’s portrait, I, Bai Xiaochun, and my Senior Brother Sect Head will fight him with all that we have!” Bai Xiaochun howled angrily as he lifted the portrait and hid his body behind it. The moment the disciples saw this scene, their bodies all stiffened as they all sucked in a deep breath; for some reason, they no longer dared to allow the stones leave their hands anymore.

That portrait was of the previous generation’s old Patriarch; it was the Master of the Sect Head. If they were to somehow cause damage to it... they could imagine the Sect Head Zheng Yuandong’s rage, and this wasn’t something that the ancestors of each peak could stop.

“Shameless!” the crowd swallowed their anger and shouted. They were all on the verge of mutiny as they screamed angrily, but none of them dared to make a move.

Once Bai Xiaochun saw that his method was working, he immediately let out a sigh of relief. He held the portrait up and helplessly glanced at the crowd.

“Listen to me guys... I really didn’t do it intentionally! I…”

“You... you... you! Each and every single time, you always say you didn’t do it intentionally! The time during the lightning at Scented Cloud Mountain, you said it wasn’t on purpose. The acid rain on Purple Cauldron Mountain and Green Peak Mountain, you also said it wasn’t on purpose. Now... you are saying it’s not on purpose again!”

“This is too much!” It would’ve been better if Bai Xiaochun had not explained anything. Because of his explanation, the crowd was, once again, riled up, causing Bai Xiaochun to quickly raise up his portrait in fear.

“My Master visited me in my dream just now. The old man already said that he forgives me this time round. I promise, this will be the last time. There will never ever be a second time…” Bai Xiaochun loudly declared. While he felt nervous deep inside his heart, he also felt deeply apologetic.

“I can’t take it anymore... I want to beat him up!”

“Even if he is the biological son of the Sect Head, I would still give him a solid beating!”

“Beat down Bai Xiaochun!” Hearing Bai Xiaochun shamelessly talk about his dead Master visiting in his dreams, the crowd felt as if they were on the brink of insanity. Suddenly, a wave of a Foundation Establishment divine sense swept across the area.

Following the divine sense, silhouette after silhouettes of people rapidly surged into the area from above the Zhong Dao Mountain. The silhouettes began to descend before revealing a huge number of people; various mountain elders, ancestors and even the Sect Head, Zheng Yuandong, had all appeared!

Gazing at the present situation, Zheng Yuandong roared furiously as if a thunderstorm had just descended on this area.

“ALL OF YOU BETTER LEAVE RIGHT NOW!”

His voice rumbled as if it was thunder, almost causing the eardrums of the surrounding disciples to burst. The crowd all felt their hearts shiver; even Shangguan Tianyou and the other disciples felt their hearts tremble. All the disciples present hastily bowed their heads and hastily retreated.

Bai Xiaochun instantly felt enthusiastic. He was just about to open his mouth when Zheng Yuandong looked at him with a vicious glare.

“Bai Xiaochun... as your Senior Brother, if other people cannot beat you up, then I shall do it myself!” While Zheng Yuandong spoke, he walked towards Bai Xiaochun. Bai Xiaochun felt as if his scalp was about to burst. He was preparing to raise his Master’s portrait higher when Zheng Yuandong waved his sleeve and the portrait immediately left Bai Xiaochun’s hands, flying towards Zheng Yuandong.

Bai Xiaochun shrieked as he flapped the wings on his back as he hastily flew off, anxiously trying to escape. However, he was unable to go a long distance before a loud smack echoed from his butt as he was slapped from afar by Zheng Yuandong.

The burning sensation caused Bai Xiaochun cry out in pain. He grabbed his butt with a pitiful face and cried out tragically.

“Uncle Li! Save me! My Senior Brother is trying to kill me!”

Li Qinghou eyelids twitched for a moment as he pretended not to hear Bai Xiaochun. Zheng Yuandong anger had not appeased one bit; Bai Xiaochun taking out his Master’s portrait had angered him to the point where smoke seemed to be coming out from his ears. Zheng Yuandong gave Bai Xiaochun another kick.

Bai Xiaochun cried out in pain once again, and continued wailing.

“Master save me! Master save me!”

As the surrounding people all witnessed Zheng Yuandong chasing Bai Xiaochun and beating him up, their anger slowly dissipated; the various mountain elders also had weird expression on their faces as they all started coughing.

“This is private family business of the Sect Head’s bloodline...”

“That’s right, that’s right. I still have a furnace of pill medicine waiting for me; I shall take my leave first.” The elders all glanced towards Zheng Yuandong and Bai Xiaochun in the distance and gradually left one by one with a hint of joy.

In the end, only Li Qinghou and Xu Meixiang were left as they stood in the air. Gazing at Bai Xiaochun’s distant figure, Li Qinghou’s face had a hint of lament, however, deep within his gaze, there was also a glint of expectation for Bai Xiaochun.

“In this child’s heart, he already looks up to you as a father figure. Can you really bear to send him to the North Bank?” Xu Meixiang slightly opened her mouth and spoke as she stared at Li Qinghou, revealing a gentle and loving gaze.

“The things which Xiaochun had done, although unacceptable, didn’t have any malicious intention. He’s good-natured, and I was able see that, deep in his heart, he feels guilt for this incident… There isn’t any need to send him to the North Bank.”

Li Qinghou retracted his gaze, looked towards Xu Meixiang and shook his head with a smile.

“The words that I said to the Sect Head were my honest thoughts from the bottom of my heart. In fact, back when I demanded the Water Nation technique from North Bank, I already had this idea. Bai Xiaochun’s talent isn’t ordinary; if he is able to combine the advantages of both banks, it will definitely be beneficial for his future. Especially if he masters the Water Nation Technique; within a few years, he could cultivate to the peak of Qi Condensation. If this situation were to occur, then he have a possibility to participate in the opening of the Meteor Sword Abyss and also fight for his own opportunities!” Li Qinghou gently opened his mouth as he spoke.

“Meteor Sword Abyss? The Lower Stream of Tongtian River Eastern Vein, one of the three great Foundation Establishment sanctuaries shared by the four great sects… There is even a rumour that there exists a strand of Heaven Pulse Qi inside it. Every time it opens, the disciples at the tenth level of Qi Condensation of the Eastern Vein’s lower stream’s four strongest sects from the four great states - The Blood Creek Sect, The Pill Creek Sect, The Mystic Creek Sect and us, The Spirit Creek Sect - will be embroiled in a bloody battle...” Xu Meixiang’s face lit up in surprise as she took a deep breath.

“It will indeed be a bloody battle… If he had not learned the Water Nation Technique, I would definitely prevent him from going. However, if he does master it... then he will definitely have to go. Cultivation is a cruel and merciless path; it is the survival of the fittest. He will have to learn to face this fact and he cannot avoid it.” Li Qinghou lightly sighed as he turned around and left together with Xu Meixiang.

On this day, the tragic cries of Bai Xiaochun echoed throughout the entire sect. Zheng Yuandong had resolved to teach Bai Xiaochun a lesson, not with his status as a Sect Head, but rather with his position of a senior brother.

It wasn’t until late into the night when Bai Xiaochun, with a bruised and swollen face, walked behind Zheng Yuandong with an agonized expression and returned to their Master’s stone cave.

“Get on your knees and admit your wrongdoings to Master!” Zheng Yuandong glared at Bai Xiaochun, causing him to quickly drop to his knees in front of the portrait.

“Master, I was wrong…” Bai Xiaochun could feel his entire body swelling up, especially his butt. It looked almost as if a chrysanthemum that was blooming!

“Master, seeing your own disciple being beaten up to this state, you must really feel hurt in your heart. I had already told Senior Brother that... you came to visit me in my dreams today and had already forgiven me, but he doesn’t believe it…”

“Master... why don’t you visit Senior Brother in his dreams tonight too, tell him…” Bai Xiaochun muttered softly with a gloomy expression. Zheng Yuandong did not know whether to laugh or cry as he stood beside Bai Xiaochun. Even though he had given Bai Xiaochun a good beating, he was still extremely shocked by the thickness of Bai Xiaochun’s skin and muscles. Even now, he was able to feel a lingering pain in his hands.

“Kneel here for three months as your punishment for the chaos in the Ten Thousand Snake Valley!” Zheng Yuandong coldly snorted; he was forced to do this, this was for the disciples of the three mountains to see. He suddenly waved his sleeve and a pill medicine dropped onto the ground. He pretended to not see it as he turned around and left.

Watching Zheng Yuandong leave, Bai Xiaochun immediately began whining. He was about to complain to his Master when he suddenly stopped to check his surroundings. After making sure that the elusive rabbit wasn’t in the area, he then finally poured his indignance to the portrait.

“Master, I’m really miserable…”

“Senior Brother, he hit me… now my butt really hurts. Look at this! Look at this! My entire body is swollen!”

“I was wronged. I really didn’t mean to do it intentionally… I also didn’t… eh?” Bai Xiaochun stopped speaking halfway, he suddenly noticed the pill medicine on the ground. It was the one that Zheng Yuandong had ‘a(chǎn)ccidentally’ dropped onto the ground. Bai Xiaochun picked it up and gave it a sniff.

“Grade 3 superior quality Yang Yun Pill!”

Bai Xiaochun eyes instantly brightened. He took a glance outside the cave and sat to one side. Feeling bored, he swallowed the pill medicine and started to concentrate on his cultivation.

At the same time, all of the disciples of Spirit Creek Sect, including the various ancestors, none of them noticed, that at this instant, the empty space of land behind the Zhong Dao Mountain suddenly distorted for a moment.

However, this distortion was extremely fast and it disappeared in the blink of an eye. Right at this moment, one was vaguely able to see that at the place of distortion, it seemed as if behind the Zhong Dao Mountain… another mountain had appeared!

This was… Spirit Creek Sect’s ninth mountain! Although the Sect Head knew of the existence of the ninth mountain, he similarly did not notice the distortion or any abnormalities.

Spirit Creek Sect’s ninth mountain… it was a completely pitch black mountain and was shrouded by an unnerving silence. Even all of its plants and trees were black in color. On the highest peak of the ninth mountain, under a black colored peach tree, there was a monkey quietly sitting there and gazing at the peach tree; its eyes revealing complicated emotions and nostalgia.

If Bai Xiaochun was here, he would definitely recognise, with a glance, that this monkey… was the one that he had previously released! It was the monkey who liked to ponder after eating the weird pill medicine!

After a long period of time, the monkey let out a soft sigh.

“Since you are already here, why bother to hide yourself?”

The moment those words left its mouth, the space behind him immediately distorted and a tall and sturdy elderly man who wore a long purple robe walked out; he seemed as if he had just tore through the space! The elderly man looked as if he was an ordinary old man. It was as if he had no cultivation strength either, but for some reason, although he was simply standing there, he was as if a supreme being.

Standing beside the monkey, the elderly man was unable to control his expression of surprise. A crack suddenly appeared in the center of his forehead and revealed a third eye that looked at the monkey.

“You are…?”

“Can you no longer recognise me anymore? My disciple, or should I call you, Spirit Creek Sect’s First Generation Patriarch?” The monkey turned his head and stared at the elderly man, his gaze revealing the vicissitudes of life.

The elderly man’s heart trembled wildly as his pupils instantly contracted, his breaths became short as shock and disbelief was written all over his face.

“Impossible! You… you are already dead! How did you come back to life?!” This elderly man was indeed the First Generation Patriarch that had brought Spirit Creek Sect to its position as one of the four great sects today.

He could not believe it! His position, his cultivation, his composure, at this moment. it all seem to not exist anymore. However, he subconsciously believed that the other party was indeed his mysterious Master who had died ten thousand years ago. This kind of belief which came from the soul would never be wrong.

The monkey was silent, it gazed towards the direction of the Zhong Dao Mountain. He seemed to be able to look through the Zhong Dao Mountain and was able to see Bai Xiaochun who was currently meditating within the cave on the mountain. No one had noticed it, however, at that moment, deep inside the monkey’s gaze, there hid a… rarely seen feeling of respect.

“I have no idea how I came back, perhaps it was Bai Xiaochun... that kid’s pill medicine, or perhaps… some existence out there, through the hands of Bai Xiaochun, allowed me to… return.”

“And those who came back... wasn’t just me alone.”

The purple robed elderly man breathing became rapid, he followed the monkey’s gaze and glanced at Zhong Dao Mountain and Bai Xiaochun who was there.

“A mere Qi Condensation disciple.... How is that possible?!” The elderly man was in disbelief, but everything was happening right before his eyes, forcing him to believe it even if he did not want to.

“Han Zong! Do you still remember why I gave you this name?! Do you still remember that year? Why did I go against the heavens to change fate? To let you exist for ten thousand years?! Answer me!” The monkey abruptly let out a sharp and radiant glint in his eyes that gave out immense pressure. The surrounding space at this moment seemed to have turned into a thunderstorm. For some reason, just ten zhang away from these two people, every single abnormality that happened, could not be observed by anyone; even the other old Patriarchs on the ninth mountain did not notice anything.

The purple robed elderly man, Spirit Creek Sect’s first generation old Patriarch, Han Zong, stood petrified. Although it had been a long time, memories from 10,000 years ago surfaced inside Han Zong’s mind. Although he was an old man, in front of his Master, he felt as if he had returned to his younger days; he stood up straight as his aged face flushed red, as if he was a veteran soldier, loudly shouted.

“I remember... My mission is to protect the True Spirit, to lead the Spirit Creek Sect to become Heaven Passing River’s Eastern Vein’s middle stream sect, to become an upper stream sect, to kill our way into the Heaven Passing Northern Vein and eliminate the Northern Vein’s upper stream sect, Nine Heavens Thunder Cloud Sect, to return to our Ancestral Grounds, and to restore the glory of our Cold Sect’s Spirit Dao!”

“You still remember the Ancestral Grounds and the True Spirit? Then go take a look for yourself, at the talismans of Scented Cloud Mountain!” The monkey’s eyes revealed a deep mysterious look as he replied blandly. Han Zong immediately turned to look at the Scented Cloud Mountain.

With one look, he immediately frowned. In his eyes, the entire Spirit Creek Sect’s eight mountains came into his view, every mountain peak had an inner door that kept a complicated and exquisite talisman inscription. This was where the Lifeline of Spirit Creek Sect lied; its importance could not be described with words alone.

As for Scented Cloud Mountain’s runes, he did not notice anything out of the ordinary.

Seeing that from Han Zong, the monkey sighed lightly, the gaze in his eyes aged even more.

“Do you not see it…? It seems like my time of return is too late. Someone had already returned before me, understood this formation array completely, and simply sent out a spy to change the variety of the plants slightly. With that, one could make this formation array… change.”

“The Ancient Talisman beneath Scented Cloud Mountain has already been changed, and I do not have the power to forcefully reverse this change. I can only use the last strand of power that I had when I returned to activate the Spirit Snake through the hands of that child, Bai Xiaochun. Only then will the rune recover naturally.”

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2nd sponsored chapter from last week. Special thanks to Saurabh B. for sponsoring this chapter.

Translator: Xin

Editors: Arch, MantouInv, Cannibaloid, Jin

From XianXiaWorld