The sea of clouds was brutally torn apart as three streaks of light trailed long tails, covering thousands of miles in an instant.
Mountains and rivers flashed by like scenery viewed from a galloping horse, left rapidly behind.
Running Ox looked at the expressionless young girl and hesitated for a long while.
In the end, he couldn't hold back.
"Are we truly going to that Lu Family?"
Jiang Yuechu did not stop her movement, only glancing slightly to the side. "You've asked that three times along this journey. Speak your mind."
Running Ox shrank his neck and gave a sheepish smile. "Actually, it's nothing major. It's just that I've been in the Ten Thousand Demon Great Marsh for many years, and I've heard the Lu Family's name quite a bit."
"Though they've declined now and aren't as glorious as when their Old Ancestor was alive, they are still an aristocratic family that has been rooted in that perilous land for tens of thousands of years."
"To be able to endure as an aristocratic family in such a region, they must have some extraordinary qualities."
Seeing that she didn't interrupt, he emboldened himself to continue, "Currently, the most formidable thing about the Lu Family isn't their heritage, but rather the fact that they've latched onto Mount Qingcheng."
Before his voice could fade...
Wang Ziyu, who was beside them, said helplessly, "Actually, there's something I forgot to tell you earlier."
Jiang Yuechu turned her head.
Wang Ziyu smiled bitterly. "This Mount Qingcheng is no ordinary power. Like my Xuanzhen Grotto-Heaven, it is one of the twenty-five orthodox Dao Lineages. It has a deep Foundation and is a colossus even in the Eastern Region."
Hearing 'twenty-five orthodox lineages,' Running Ox's dark Face paled by several shades.
"Of course, if it were only that, it would be manageable. Everyone is an orthodox lineage, so even if there are private grudges, we must maintain Face on the surface."
"The problem is that this particular Dao Lineage is a bit... sinister."
Jiang Yuechu's brow arched slightly. "Sinister?"
"Indeed."
Wang Ziyu said solemnly, "The Qingcheng lineage cultivates the Dao of Wither and Flourish."
"A year of wither, a year of flourish; life and death change in a single thought."
"The Cultivators of this Dao Lineage have the most eccentric and unruly personalities, and their moods are unpredictable."
"One moment they might be drinking and laughing with you like brothers, and the next they might draw their swords to fight to the death just because you took a step with the wrong foot."
At this point, the boy spread his hands with a look of misfortune on his Face.
"That bunch of lunatics act entirely on a whim, with no rules to speak of."
"In the Eastern Region, if you encounter Disciples of other Dao Lineages—even those who are enemies of Xuanzhen Grotto-Heaven—as long as the interests align, you can still talk to them."
"But the people of Mount Qingcheng... they are the hardest to deal with."
Hearing this.
Jiang Yuechu raised an eyebrow slightly.
Entirely on a whim? No rules?
That was somewhat interesting.
"So, if we truly offend them, even if I reveal my identity, they might not necessarily give us Face..."
"In fact, it might even provoke the competitive spirit of those lunatics, making the situation even harder to resolve."
"At that point, even if I am a direct descendant of Xuanzhen, it wouldn't be surprising if they found some excuse to bury us in the wilderness."
Running Ox chimed in, "And I've heard for a long time that the Lu Family produced an extraordinary seed in this generation who joined Mount Qingcheng."
"At only sixteen hundred years of age, he has entered the middle stage of the Denglou Realm, and is only a hair's breadth away from the late stage."
Sixteen hundred years old.
To a Mortal, that was a vast span of time.
But for a practitioner, especially a great Cultivator of the Denglou Realm, such an age was considered very young.
He could be called a Prodigy.
Running Ox sighed, his tone carrying a hint of envy and a fair bit of wariness.
"With such talent, even within Mount Qingcheng, he is pampered like a treasure... Of course, he can't be compared to you, Master."
Running Ox quickly shifted his tone to flatter her, then his Face fell again.
"But if we just barge in like this, it would be fine if we keep it civil."
"But if... and I mean if a conflict arises, then it's not as simple as offending a declined aristocratic family; Mount Qingcheng would never just sit by and watch."
Since he had put it that way, the meaning was crystal clear.
No matter how powerful Jiang Yuechu was.
If she provoked a Dao Lineage to take action.
There would likely be only one outcome.
Jiang Yuechu did not stop her flight, only nodding slightly.
Lunatics or orthodox lineages, it didn't matter.
As long as they held something that could extend the life of the Great Tang, she would have to Face them even if they were the Heavenly King himself.
Actually.
If she were given time, even just a few years.
By then, she alone would be the Foundation of the Great Tang.
Why rush now?
But the Great Tang couldn't wait.
If the Sangshu Lineage truly took their anger out on the Great Tang... could she really count on that old Daoist, Thirteen Wu?
One cannot place their hopes on others.
It is better to rely on oneself than on others.
The most unreliable things in this world are human hearts and promises.
Only the blade held in one's own hand is real.
It was better to try her luck here; if she could help the Great Tang produce several Ascending Tower experts in a short time...
As long as the Great Tang could hold on a bit longer and give her enough time... then...
Even if it were a Dao Lineage or an immortal sect.
To her.
It would be nothing more than a single strike of her blade.
Seeing that Jiang Yuechu had no intention of backing down, Running Ox could only sigh.
He stopped trying to persuade her.
A hint of bitterness couldn't help but rise in his heart.
That Old Flood Dragon had been left behind to guard the palace gate because his strength was too weak.
At the time, he had mocked the old thing for being useless.
Looking at it now... being a useless person didn't seem so bad after all.
At least he wouldn't have to follow this crazy woman around risking his life.
Just as he was thinking this.
The clouds ahead changed abruptly.
Rolling black mist, like spilled ink, swept across the sky and earth.
The three streaks of light, which were originally speeding along, were forced to come to a sudden halt.
Where the black mist churned most intensely.
A burly figure stood in the air.
He was clad in heavy armor, with his arms crossed over his chest.
He grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp, white fangs. "Why go to Mount Qingcheng? Why not come and sit at my Spirit Mountain?"
Seeing this, Wang Ziyu's Face instantly turned deathly pale.
This aura... it was many times more powerful than the previous Five Immortals Immortal Master.
A true great demon of the middle stage of the Denglou Realm!
Running Ox's legs were shaking even more violently.
How could this be... how did the demons of Spirit Mountain arrive so quickly?
Could it be... the Lord didn't show his Face?
Or perhaps these lunatics from Spirit Mountain aren't even giving the Lord Face anymore?
No matter which possibility it was.
Today's situation was likely going to be disastrous.
He instinctively wanted to find an escape route.
He suddenly turned his head.
With this look.
His dark Face, which already had no color, turned completely ash-gray.
Behind the three of them.
The previously empty sky had also been shrouded in black mist at some point.
Within the mist.
Two figures, one on the left and one on the right, were faintly visible.
The person on the left was completely enveloped in a large black robe, their Face hidden.
The person on the right was dressed in white as pure as snow, which looked exceptionally eye-catching amidst the vast black mist.
His handsome Face, which was almost demonic, was expressionless.
Only a trace of cruelty curled at the corners of his mouth.
"Finally..."
"I've found you."