Inside the room, Lu Xuan watched Tang Shitou rush out in a panic, his brow furrowing slightly.

His Divine Thought struggled to extend outward in an environment completely devoid of Primordial Qi, but he managed to calmly survey his surroundings and take in the entire situation outside.

“Big Brother!!” Tang Xiaoxiao and Tang Shitou cried out in unison, their voices choked with tears, as they helped a young man into the room. His face was even paler than Lu Xuan’s, and he was missing an arm.

“Big Brother, your arm…” Tang Xiaoxiao’s eyes fixed on the young man’s empty sleeve as tears streamed down her face. Tang Shitou collapsed onto the floor and began to sob uncontrollably.

The young man, whose hair was tied up in a topknot, forced a smile and said comfortingly,

“It’s just an arm…”

“What… what happened…?” Tang Xiaoxiao sobbed, her delicate face covered in tears as she cried her eyes out.

The young man slowly sat down in a chair, managing a weak smile as he said,

“Last night, my master and I fought to stop an Outer Celestial Demon that was causing trouble. Thankfully, we managed to drive it back.”

‘Outer Celestial Demon?’

Inside the room, Lu Xuan’s brow furrowed. He guessed they must be the Celestial Humans and Earth Immortals who had entered this “Peach Blossom Spring.”

Even though this world lacked Primordial Qi and made Cultivation impossible, those Celestial Humans and Earth Immortals could still wreak havoc just by relying on the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi stored in their Acupoints.

Lu Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly and continued to listen.

“Big Brother…” Tang Shitou, still wailing, spoke intermittently, “I’ll go find a doctor! I’ll go find a doctor…”

“Don’t bother.” The young man wearily extended his right hand to stop Little Stone and said with a bitter smile, “It’s useless. The Outer Celestial Demon’s methods are bizarre. There’s an unknown power clinging to the wound where my arm was severed, so it can’t regenerate.”

He took a breath, his expression turning grave.

“I had you stay in Hongshi Town because there was too much conflict in the Prefecture City, and I was afraid you’d get caught up in it. But now… Xiaoxiao, Shitou, you have to come with me to the Prefecture City. Over the past two days, Outer Celestial Demons have massacred several villages and towns. Hongshi Town isn’t safe anymore!”

“Mas… massacres?” Tang Xiaoxiao wiped away a tear, blankly clutching the young man’s empty sleeve as she asked,

“What are Outer Celestial Demons…? Aren’t the great figures from the Hall of the Hundred Schools going to do something about them…?”

The young man coughed twice, his expression growing grave.

“Yesterday, many otherworldly visitors descended. Some of them seemed fine, but a portion of them were like Celestial Demons, frantically slaughtering civilians. The Master of the Military School from the Hall of the Hundred Schools took action yesterday, but he returned in defeat…”

Tang Xiaoxiao and Tang Shitou sucked in a sharp breath. Even though they lived in a remote town, they both understood what a Master of the Academy represented…

That title meant they could either directly borrow the power of the five Great Virtues of Ancient Times, or they themselves were on the verge of becoming a Great Sage!

Sensing their fear and worry, the young man offered some reassurance.

“It wasn’t a total loss. The Soldier also managed to severely injure many of the Outer Celestial Demons, but now they’re scattered everywhere… Pack your things. I’m taking you to the Prefecture City immediately!”

Tang Xiaoxiao and Tang Shitou were both in a panic and did as he said, running toward the inner room. Halfway there, Little Stone slapped his forehead.

“What about our big brother!”

“Big brother?” The young man paused, looking startled.

Tang Xiaoxiao wiped the tears from her face and explained what had happened the previous night, with Tang Shitou chiming in.

“Our big brother comes from an isolated mountain village. The people there don’t know it’s taboo to use the names of the Ancient Sons, so he’s called Lu Xuan… The first time he ever came out, he got hit by a meteor. He’s so pitiful!”

The young man’s body tensed abruptly, and his mouth twitched.

“Hmm… what clothes was he wearing when you found him?”

The two of them paused and looked at each other. Little Stone answered honestly,

“The big brother was covered in injuries and his clothes were in tatters, so we threw them out. I changed him into your clothes, Big Brother…”

The young man narrowed his eyes and nodded slightly, then said,

“Xiaoxiao, Shitou, don’t worry about packing. Go to the apothecary in town and get me some Golden Wound Medicine. Go quickly.”

Although the brother and sister didn’t understand why, they did as they were told, grabbing a coin purse and hurrying out toward the apothecary. The young man’s gaze, however, shifted to the inner room. He took a deep breath, rose warily to his feet, and slowly approached.

After a moment’s hesitation, he cautiously pushed open the door to the inner room and looked up to see a young man sitting upright on the bed, looking gravely injured.

The young man let out a slight sigh of relief and asked with narrowed eyes,

“My name is Tang Xiuming. May I ask where you have come from?”

Lu Xuan lifted his gaze, sized up the young man for a moment, and said simply,

“From behind the mountain.”

‘I don’t want to lie, but I can’t just say I came from beyond the heavens. To the people here, anyone from the outside is an Outer Celestial Demon…’

‘And technically, I could be considered to have come from the other side of the mountains—the other side of the Ten Thousand Mountains.’

‘But “Outer Celestial Demons” indiscriminately slaughtering civilians, hmm?’

A cold glint flashed in Lu Xuan’s eyes. ‘Who would do such a thing?’

‘My Divine Sense hasn’t issued a warning, so Xiaoyan and the others should be fine for now…’

As his thoughts churned, Lu Xuan looked at Tang Xiuming—the one Little Stone said had activated the statue of Han Feizi—and offered a placid smile.

“I have Xiaoxiao and Shitou to thank for pulling me out of the river last night… I overheard your conversation just now. If I may be so bold, what do these Outer Celestial Demons look like?”

Tang Xiuming grew even more vigilant. ‘From behind the mountain?’

‘There aren’t any villages behind Hongshi Mountain…’

He didn’t realize that the mountain Lu Xuan mentioned was the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Lost in thought, Tang Xiuming looked the young man on the bed up and down. His gaze lingered on his face for a moment, and for an instant, he seemed dazed.

‘Hm?’

‘Why… Why does he look so similar to the statue of Lu Zi??’

He was startled and uncertain, but he didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he faithfully described the attire and actions of the Outer Celestial Demons.

A cold glint flashed in Lu Xuan’s eyes.

‘According to Tang Xiuming’s description, the so-called Outer Celestial Demons who caused trouble last night were none other than the Earth Immortals of the Aotao Organism…’

‘Interesting.’

Feeling the Virtue that had now fused with about thirty percent of his body, Lu Xuan lowered his gaze slightly and said bluntly,

“You’re being so cautious. You must be worried that I’m one of those Outer Celestial Demons, aren’t you?”

Tang Xiuming clearly hadn’t expected Lu Xuan to be so direct. After a moment of shock, he collected himself and said,

“Judging by your speech and bearing, Brother Lu, you certainly don’t seem like someone who has just walked out of a mountain village.”

As he spoke, he silently connected his mind to Han Feizi in the Hall of the Hundred Schools, preparing to fight for his life.

But Lu Xuan only smiled faintly. Under Tang Xiuming’s grave and wary gaze, he slowly rose and stepped down from the bed. The moment his foot touched the floor, his Physical Tribulation flared, and combined with his unhealed injuries, beads of blood immediately began to seep from his skin.

“Take me to the Prefecture City. I want to see the Hall of the Hundred Schools.”

“Who on earth are you??” Something felt even more wrong to Tang Xiuming. He took three steps back, his expression turning sharp. “Han Feizi said, ‘In Dharma alone lies order. Dharma, imbue my form. All evil, be vanquished!'”

A faint radiance appeared around him, weaving together into a weak manifestation of truth and principle. An aura rivaling that of a Grandmaster, or perhaps even a greater one, erupted from his body.

Lu Xuan just smiled faintly and said nonchalantly,

“Disperse.”

HUMMM!

The faint radiance around Tang Xiuming’s body instantly dissipated. Even the weak connection he had established with the image of Han Feizi was temporarily severed!

He felt his scalp prickle in terror, but he immediately breathed a sigh of relief. When this mysterious stranger spoke, patterns representing Virtue and Sagehood had clearly flickered into existence, and Outer Celestial Demons were incapable of communicating with the Ancient Sons…

‘But the strange thing is, why didn’t he have to say “The Master said” when communicating with the Ancient Sons?’

‘And he scattered my power with just a single word… This… this…’

‘Is a Master of the Academy even this powerful??’

As his thoughts raced, Tang Xiuming bowed respectfully to Lu Xuan.

“So I am in the presence of a reclusive elder. I was offensive just now. Please forgive me, Elder.”

“There is no need for that.”

Lu Xuan said calmly,

“I come from beyond the mountains. I am grievously injured and have not yet healed. I truly know nothing of this place. On the way to the Prefecture City, I must ask you to enlighten me.”

Tang Xiuming, still full of doubt, asked again respectfully,

“May I ask, Elder… which mountain are you referring to?”

Lu Xuan glanced at him and said indifferently,

“The Ten Thousand Mountains.”

The color drained from Tang Xiuming’s face, and a sudden chill ran down his spine.

…

「In a certain mountain.」

“There are still powerful individuals among these natives…” one of the Aotao Organism’s Earth Immortals said in a low voice. “And their power is bizarre. They clearly have no Cultivation, yet they can communicate with the Truths of Heaven and Earth. How strange!”

“Pay them no mind.”

Another director from the Aotao Organism said,

“That so-called Master of the Military School is one of the strongest in this Little World, but he’s merely on par with an Earth Immortal. Our priority is to gather enough baleful blood energy to break through the world fragment and establish a temporary portal to bring Chairman Ao Tao here.”

Chairman Ao Tao had planted a Great Ban deep within their souls. Even across the fragments of worlds, he could contact them directly and had already given his instructions.

“That makes sense in theory, but…”

An Earth Immortal director said with a bitter smile,

“How much baleful blood energy can we get from slaughtering one village or town? There are plenty of natives in the major cities, but this Little World has eighteen of them, and each one is guarded by one of those Halls of the Hundred Schools and a Master of the Academy…”

“What about the others who entered?” another Earth Immortal director had a sudden thought. “If I recall correctly, a dozen or so Earth Immortals and several dozen to a hundred Celestial Humans came in with us.”

He paused, then continued,

“Let’s find the locations of the others and leak their positions to the eighteen cities and that one giant city. The natives will surely rush to exterminate them, and then we can take advantage of the void they leave behind.”

“That’s a good idea, but we’ll still need to slaughter a few more villages first. We need to make the people here thoroughly brand all of us outsiders with the ‘Celestial Demon’ label.”

“Then let’s do it!”

…

“So, there are eighteen Prefecture Cities in total, plus the city of Luocheng?”

Lu Xuan nodded slightly after hearing Tang Xiuming’s explanation.

“Each city is guarded by a Master of the Academy… Since a Master of the Academy is also called a ‘Son,’ why do you only communicate with the Ancient Sons and not the Sons of the Current World?”

“Actually, the Masters of the Academy cannot truly be called ‘Sons.'”

Tang Xiuming said respectfully,

“It is merely a title of respect. Only one who becomes a Great Sage can be called a ‘Son.'”

“You don’t need to call me Elder,” Lu Xuan said indifferently. “Are there any Great Sages in the world today?”

“Ever since the Ten Thousand Mountains became impassable over a hundred thousand years ago, no new Great Sages have been born… However, I did hear a rumor. They say that in the Hall of the Hundred Schools in Luocheng, there is a Great Sage who has lived for more than one hundred thousand Years!”

“Hm?” Lu Xuan was surprised. “Lived for more than a hundred thousand years… Does that mean it’s a figure from Ancient Times who came here before the Ten Thousand Mountains were sealed off and has survived to this day?”

“Correct. But it’s only a rumor. I am not clear on the specifics.”

As they talked, the doubt in Tang Xiuming’s heart grew stronger.

‘This man claims to be from beyond the Ten Thousand Mountains, but when I asked him what became of the Ancient Sons, this Elder Lu just smiled without a word…’

‘Yet his name is Lu Xuan, showing no regard for the taboo, sharing the same name as Lu Zi, the first among the Ancient Sons. But the power he uses clearly comes from the same source as the power of the Sons…’

Tang Xiuming grew more and more bewildered, but he did not let it show on his face.

Meanwhile, Lu Xuan was also pondering. ‘According to Tang Xiuming, the eighteen cities plus Luocheng—which spans a hundred li—have a population of over two hundred million. While that’s far less than the outside world, it’s not a small number either.’

‘And they are devout believers in the Ancient Sons—especially in Lu Zi…’

Lu Xuan’s eyes lit up. ‘Over a hundred thousand years of devout faith… just how much of the Thoughts of All Living Beings has accumulated here??’

‘If I just reveal my true identity and make the people of this “Peach Blossom Spring” believe I am Lu Zi, I could probably command all the Thoughts of All Living Beings that have accumulated over the past hundred thousand years.’

‘Even if I can’t absorb it all myself, if I were to channel it into Sanqing Temple…’

‘The tricky part is how to make them believe me.’

‘Hmm, but if there really is a Great Sage who has lived since Ancient Times, he ought to recognize me. It seems I’ll have to seek him out. I need to get to that Hall of the Hundred Schools.’

While he was lost in thought, Tang Xiaoxiao and Tang Shitou bought the medicine and came running back.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep