Chapter 894: Enemies on Bihu Mountain, The Shadow of Qingdi

“Where’s Quanzhen? Why can’t I sense his presence?”

Qu Changge wanted to see his nephew. After all, the Elder Xun he consulted found that Lu Quanzhen’s destiny was completely obscured.

“What does Quanzhen’s whereabouts have to do with you?”

If Qu Changge had been polite, Lu Changsheng would have told him right away that his son was in Jin Kingdom. He’d even be willing to take him there.

But instead, Qu Changge barged into his home, tried to attack him, and had the nerve to act so arrogant.

“I’m Quanzhen’s uncle!” Qu Changge’s face turned dark as a chill rolled off him. Black mist swirled around him, and it seemed like a thousand fiendish ghosts gathered in the air, all glaring at Lu Changsheng, ready to tear him apart.

The intensity of that aura was truly frightening.

If it weren’t for the fact that Lu Changsheng possessed a Chaos Body, immune to all sorts of pressure and auras, any Nascent Soul cultivator would be hard-pressed to stand their ground.

“So what? My son’s wellbeing is for me to worry about, not you!”

Lu Changsheng stood his ground, expression cold and still. A faint haze of chaotic energy drifted around him, as if the world had just begun. Sun, moon, and stars seemed to form and shine as he spoke: “Qu Changge, if you want trouble, let’s take this outside—to the Great Void or beyond the heavens.”

Without a fourth-rank defensive array to contain the shockwaves, a clash between two Nascent Soul cultivators could level Bihu Mountain and destroy its third-rank spiritual vein.

That’s why cultivators often choose to settle scores in the Great Void or the upper reaches beyond the Nine Heavens’ Gale.

Yet Qu Changge saw Lu Changsheng standing unmoved beneath his infernal pressure.

From Lu Changsheng’s physical body alone, a force welled up—one not inferior to his own demonic body. Qu Changge was surprised.

After all, this demonic body was the supreme body of the Tianmo Sect!

To help him condense and cultivate it, the sect founder had poured in endless effort and treasure. The resources spent were nearly incalculable.

How could this so-called brother-in-law measure up?

Once just a minor cultivator, now, little over a century later, not just a Nascent Soul, but with cultivation techniques on par with his demonic body?

This made Qu Changge want to test Lu Changsheng, to see just what skills and secrets he was hiding.

He was about to suggest fighting outside the mountain, when two women flew over, calling out, “Husband!”

Qu Changge instantly recognized one of them: the gentle woman in a pale jade-green silk dress was none other than his own sister, Qu Zhenzhen.

His body trembled and the black mist faded as the shadows vanished. He was afraid his sister would recognize him and be saddened when they parted again.

He was also worried his demonic body would affect her.

It was one thing to intimidate Lu Changsheng.

But if it hurt his sister, that wouldn’t do at all.

After all, just a trace of his demonic aura could make a Foundation Establishment cultivator lose their mind, consumed by hatred, anger, and bloodlust.

“Hmph.” Lu Changsheng let out a cold snort watching Qu Changge act that way.

But when he saw Qu Changge’s anxious eyes fixed on his wife, he couldn’t help finding it a little funny.

From his brief encounter, Lu Changsheng could tell this man was dominating—even more extreme than other demonic path cultivators he’d known.

The shadows that swirled around him seemed an extension of his body, completely under his control. It was intimidating.

And yet, faced with Qu Zhenzhen, Qu Changge turned cautious and gentle.

The Lu Ancestor didn’t feel the least bit amused by this.

Instead, he thought this brother-in-law’s deep bond with his sister was clear. The fact that he hadn’t seen Qu Zhenzhen for so many years hinted at some painful secret.

Otherwise, with this much concern for his son Lu Quanzhen, there’s no way he’d stay away for a century and not come visit or reunite with her.

The aura surrounding Lu Changsheng faded as his magical energy withdrew. He smiled as he stepped out from the Sumeru Illusory Array, calling gently to his wives, Lu Miaoyun and Qu Zhenzhen, “Yun’er, Zhenzhen.”

He wore long blue robes and looked every bit the gentle scholar, with none of the earlier sharpness or force from facing off with Qu Changge.

Even Qu Changge was a bit taken aback seeing Lu Changsheng like this.

But right now all his thoughts were for his sister Qu Zhenzhen.

A hundred years of regret and longing boiled up in his heart.

“Husband, did something happen at home?”

Lu Miaoyun noticed the grand array had been activated and her husband had hurried home, so she guessed things were more complicated than Lu Ping’an had let on.

“Yes, husband, I just sensed a terrifying aura myself,” Qu Zhenzhen added.

Her Life-Bound Spirit Plant, the Auspicious Tree, was born from a branch of the Sumeru Tree King, making her especially sensitive to demonic energy.

So when Qu Changge tried to intimidate Lu Changsheng earlier, even with only a hint of aura seeping past the Sumeru Illusory Array, she still felt a lingering sense of danger.

“It’s nothing. Some idiot from the demonic path tried sneaking into our home, but I’ve already dealt with him,” Lu Changsheng said with a relaxed smile as he held both his wives’ hands and asked how they were.

“Hmph.” Qu Changge scowled coldly. He had no fondness at all for this brother-in-law.

Normally, seeing his sister’s radiant smile and open affection for Lu Changsheng would put him off even more.

Even so, watching her and another woman cling to Lu Changsheng together, he thought the man looked like a useless pretty boy—not to be trusted.

He was sure Lu Changsheng had sweet-talked and fooled his sister.

Right then, he suddenly sensed something wrong with his sister’s cultivation.

Though she technically had Foundation Establishment-level cultivation, it was weak and fragile—like a floating weed with only a rich life-force keeping her going.

Qu Changge’s gaze turned deep as he looked up at the peak of Biyun.

He noticed that his sister was somehow connected to a small pale-gold tree at the summit, their auras intertwined.

It was as if that little tree was her very Dao Foundation.

And not just his sister.

The woman close to her was the same.

But scanning the rest of Bihu Mountain, he saw most people had normal cultivation.

“This cultivation method… why does it feel like Qingdi Mountain’s way?”

Qu Changge frowned. He’d once glimpsed a similar technique in the Tianmo Sect’s library.

But those years, apart from training and trials, he’d rarely had time to explore other kinds of knowledge.

So he’d only seen some scattered records about Qingdi Mountain’s legacy.

He did know the group was ancient, that they were destroyed long ago, and that their methods were taboo.

How could his sister be cultivating something like that?

“Lu Changsheng, what technique is Zhenzhen practicing? Why is her magical energy so different from others?” Qu Changge sent a mental message, determined to learn why her cultivation resembled the forbidden Qingdi Mountain.

Lu Changsheng froze for a moment.

When his wife Lu Miaohuan broke through to Core Formation, he’d realized their Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method had a hidden flaw.

After reaching Core Formation, the Dao Foundation seed would sprout and could sense others cultivating the same art. By devouring each other’s Foundation seeds, cultivators could grow stronger.

He’d already gotten a sense of this from talking to True Lord Juejian, True Lord Xuanjian, and Yun Wanshang—but they only knew that the technique was widespread and shrouded in rumors.

Some said cultivators of the Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method had gone missing under strange circumstances.

Now his mysterious brother-in-law was asking, so Lu Changsheng replied mentally: “Zhenzhen practices the Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method. It’s a technique I found years ago—a different approach, using nature’s spiritual plants. It lets anyone ignore talent barriers and bottlenecks. Do you know it?”

“Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method?” Qu Changge had never heard the name.

But the cultivation method seemed similar to Qingdi Mountain’s legacy.

Hearing more from Lu Changsheng, he grew uneasy.

Any art that ignored talent and cultivation level would have limitations. Otherwise, it made no sense.

In his experience, the deeper and stronger a skill was, the tougher its requirements.

“So, aside from using spiritual plants, what’s the catch? This sounds almost exactly like Qingdi Mountain’s forbidden method.”

Qu Changge pressed further.

“Qingdi Mountain?”

Now Lu Changsheng was the one who looked surprised. He’d never heard of Qingdi Mountain. He answered, “This technique does have a flaw. Once someone reaches Core Formation, they can’t leave their Life-Bound Spirit Plant behind. They can also devour other cultivators’ Dao Foundation seeds to get stronger.”

Qu Changge’s face twisted with shock and fury—he wanted to hit Lu Changsheng.

How dare this man make his sister practice such an art?

Not only would she be bound to her own spirit plant—trapped forever—but if she broke through to Core Formation, others could devour her Dao Foundation too?

“Lu Changsheng, you actually made Zhenzhen practice a technique like that!” Qu Changge ground out through gritted teeth. If Zhenzhen hadn’t been holding Lu Changsheng’s arm, he’d have acted already.

“Zhenzhen lacks talent and has no real interest in cultivation. If she tried anything else, she’d never reach Core Formation—and I didn’t know about the flaw before,” Lu Changsheng replied, not wanting to argue. He quickly asked, “What exactly is Qingdi Mountain?”

But as soon as he finished speaking, Qu Changge slipped away, vanishing from Bihu Mountain.

“???”

Lu Changsheng had no idea what was going on or why the man left so suddenly.

Watching his home formation treated like nothing by Qu Changge annoyed the Lu Ancestor deeply.

Clearly their mountain’s defensive array was no longer good enough.

Even with the Sumeru Tree King watching over it, against Nascent Soul cultivators, its only use was slight interference—not real protection.

“Husband, what is it?”

Both women noticed Lu Changsheng suddenly looking off the mountain and asked with concern.

After years together, Lu Miaoyun could easily tell he was distracted.

Lu Changsheng was about to head outside when Qu Changge suddenly returned, floating above him, cold as ever. “Lu Changsheng, give me a copy of the Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method.”

“Qu Changge, I thought your family was supposed to be from a house of scholars. You come and go without ever asking—doesn’t anyone ever teach you manners?” the Lu Ancestor snapped.

“Lu Changsheng, I’m giving you some leeway for Zhenzhen’s sake. Don’t push me,” Qu Changge replied, eyes dark as hell itself, every word icy.

He’d been a pure-hearted scholar once.

But after a century of demonic trials and the blood of the Demon Lord, it was a miracle he held onto any humanity at all.

His only real care left was for his sister Qu Zhenzhen.

His nephew Lu Quanzhen was more or less an afterthought.

“That goes for you too, Qu Changge. If not for Zhenzhen and for your care of Quanzhen, with this attitude of yours you’d already be laid out on the ground,” Lu Changsheng shot back coldly.

In an instant, another fierce standoff erupted between the two.

“Husband, I sense that terrifying aura again,” Qu Zhenzhen exclaimed, looking around.

“That demonic idiot from earlier may be dead, but the resentment still lingers,” Lu Changsheng said offhandedly.

Qu Changge clenched his fists tight. The half-moon lotus-shaped scar on his brow throbbed, and he had to hold himself back from punching Lu Changsheng.

He answered in a cold voice: “I need to examine this Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method and see if it’s really connected to Qingdi Mountain.”

Lu Changsheng raised an eyebrow and immediately called out to Sumeru, fetching the Jade Slip from the study for Qu Changge.

In a breath, ripples spread through space and the Jade Slip appeared before Qu Changge.

He accepted it, pausing to give the Sumeru Tree King a long meaningful look.

Earlier, he’d already noticed the extraordinary nature of the Sumeru Tree King.

Beasts or birds at third rank could be caught and raised if one was skilled.

But actually transplanting and raising a tree spirit—that was a hundred times harder.

“How are you going to investigate it?” Lu Changsheng asked.

But Qu Changge just shot up from Bihu Mountain, tore open the Great Void, and vanished.

“Damn it!” The Lu Ancestor was most annoyed by that arrogant attitude of his.

Still, as Qu Changge vanished into the void, he caught a lingering aura.

There was someone else in the Great Void!

Aside from Qu Changge, another cultivator was out there.

He couldn’t tell the exact level.

But to roam the Great Void, you at least had to be a Nascent Soul.

“What’s Qu Changge up to now?” Lu Changsheng wondered, surprised.

He’d killed six Nascent Soul realm enemies on the Liang-Yue battlefield, but that didn’t mean he took them lightly.

Suddenly two at once—this was unusual.

He guessed Qu Changge probably went to consult this other cultivator about the Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method.

And he was right.

Qu Changge entered the Great Void and immediately spotted the black-robed old man standing atop a deep purple magic boat. He asked, did he know about the Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method?

“Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method? Young Lord, if I’m not mistaken, this is a technique released by remnants of Qingdi Mountain, used to raise their own resources.”

Elder Xun, a diviner and Nascent Soul of the Tianmo Sect, identified the Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method instantly.

“‘Resources’?”

Qu Changge’s face turned even colder. “Elder Xun, I’ve read brief notes about Qingdi Mountain in the library, but not the details. What’s up with these ‘remnants’?”

“I’m not sure about all the details,” the black-robed elder replied. “Qingdi Mountain was once a top power in the Southern Desolation. But for some reason, all the other top forces joined to destroy them; after that, records were wiped clean. Only the major factions have any real history left.”

“Though Qingdi Mountain is gone, a handful of their surviving cultivators live on. They’re treated as heretics and hunted down on sight by both orthodox and demonic sects.”

The black-robed elder shared everything he knew.

“Elder Xun, you said the Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method was created for raising ‘resources.’ What do you mean?”

Qu Changge pressed further, already realizing the so-called ‘resources’ were victims of the technique’s hidden danger: devouring each other’s Dao Foundation.

“It’s not usual for both orthodox and demonic sects to team up. But as far as I know, the Qingdi Mountain survivors have unusually long lives, far past most cultivators. They can also absorb others who practice the same technique, gaining power and life.”

Elder Xun explained, “The Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method was their bait, given out on purpose to raise ‘resources.'”

“If everyone’s hunting Qingdi Mountain survivors, why let their technique keep spreading?”

Qu Changge’s gaze darkened.

“They want to draw the survivors out. There are barely any practitioners left in the Central Domain; only the other four regions have any. Once a survivor appears, they’ll make a move.”

Elder Xun guessed his Young Lord had family who practiced it, but as a rank-four diviner, he knew better than to pry.

He didn’t want to risk being forced to divine the fate of those remnants.

“Take a look at this, is it really the Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method from Qingdi Mountain?”

Qu Changge tossed him the Jade Slip.

The old man examined it with his divine sense and nodded. “Young Lord, this is exactly the method from Qingdi Mountain.”

“If someone’s started this method, is there any way to fix it? Can they turn to another path?”

Qu Changge only skimmed it, but saw that after practicing it, your Dao Foundation rooted itself in your own spiritual plant. That made it nearly impossible to switch arts; even if you tried to break it and start over, you’d be out of time.

“I’m not sure,” the old man admitted. “You could always ask our grandmaster about Qingdi Mountain.”

At the mention of the grandmaster, he bowed with respect.

He treated Qu Changge with such deference both out of respect for his future and because he was the Tianmo Grandmaster’s direct disciple.

Qu Changge never liked dealing with his own master.

Maybe the Grandmaster seemed like an ideal teacher who gave his all, but Qu Changge knew all too well why he’d been taken as a disciple.

“Understood,” Qu Changge nodded coolly, asked a few more questions about Qingdi Mountain and the Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method, then headed back to Bihu Mountain.