"Do you also intend to head to Lingfeng Mountain?"
"Also? Lingfeng Mountain?" Nie Shiyun faced Nie Li’s inquiry with a face full of confusion.
Nie Li seemed to suddenly remember something. "That’s right, you wouldn't know yet. Just a few days after you entered seclusion, news arrived that Lingfeng Mountain has once again clashed with demonic cultivators. Although it’s just minor skirmishing, the two sides are currently at a stalemate. Many disciples from other sects are heading there to join the fray."
Immortal cultivators never minded a good spectacle if it didn't involve them; Nie Shiyun understood that much. He enjoyed a good show too, but he would pass on anything involving Lingfeng Mountain.
Lingfeng Mountain and demonic cultivators had never gotten along. Because it was situated in the northeastern mountain ranges, Lingfeng Mountain happened to be right next to Zhaohun Valley, leading to frequent conflicts between the two sects. While most demonic cultivators were rogue practitioners, they didn't mind lending a hand whenever Zhaohun Valley decided to stir up trouble for Lingfeng Mountain. Nie Shiyun carefully recalled this event; it was indeed described in the book, but it wasn't a major plot point. When Duan Mingyu heard that his Brother Rong Lü’s sect was at war with demonic cultivators, he naturally rushed there to assist. His movement pulled in the other two male leads, and thus the four of them gathered at Lingfeng Mountain to fight side-by-side, gaining some benefits in the process. This arc was primarily an opportunity for Duan Mingyu to visit Lingfeng Mountain and for the harem members to fight together to build their bonds. There was nothing in it that warranted Nie Shiyun’s extra attention.
Since it wasn't a primary plot point, Nie Shiyun had no intention of joining the crowd. As for Duan Mingyu, it was better to avoid him whenever possible rather than showing his face.
Although he had steadily reached the Golden Core stage, it was still far from enough.
"I have no interest in participating in the disputes of other sects. Although Zhaohun Valley is a demonic sect, there is a reason they have survived to this day," Nie Shiyun said, shaking his head. Their Yunqing Pavilion didn't shy away from doing business with demonic cultivators either. It was difficult to define inter-sect conflicts simply by who was good and who was evil.
Nie Li nodded in agreement; his son was indeed sensible.
"In my view, this will likely just be a minor scuffle. The Immortal Cultivation Conference is in four years. Lingfeng Mountain is probably just letting their disciples sharpen their skills; they won't let their foundation be shaken. You wouldn't gain much by going to watch, and you might easily make enemies. It’s not worth it."
"The Immortal Cultivation Conference..."
"Indeed. This time it is Pinyin Pavilion’s turn to host," Nie Li explained. "Qi Miaohan came to ask us to refine that Lotus Leaf Whip for her, likely in preparation for the conference."
In truth, he didn't need to mention it; Nie Shiyun was already intimately familiar with the upcoming plot.
The Immortal Cultivation Conference was held every fifty years, with the four great righteous sects taking turns as hosts. Only young cultivators under the bone age of fifty, above the Qi Refining stage but below the Nascent Soul stage, were permitted to participate. It was a moment for disciples to bring glory to their sects, as well as a prime opportunity for rogue cultivators and those newly arrived from the mortal realm to be recruited by the great sects.
The conference was tightly linked to the main storyline. All the major characters would be present, and it served as a linchpin for the subsequent plot. Nie Shiyun would definitely have to go. He calculated in his mind: there were still four years left. The members of the protagonist's group all cultivated as if they were on rockets. He had barely managed to keep pace with them through sheer effort. He didn't know how far he would be able to go by then, which only intensified his desire to increase his cultivation base.
The east was currently in chaos, and the northern ice fields were unsuitable for his spiritual root. Nie Shiyun ultimately decided to head south, toward the gathering place of the Yao cultivators. The southernmost part of the cultivation continent consisted of continuous forests, lush and green year-round. Deep within lay the territory of the Yao. Although a small number of Yao cultivators were scattered across the continent and some even joined human sects, generally speaking, most Yao were quite wary of human cultivators.
This was only natural; after all, no one would feel fond of a race that spent all day thinking about how to turn one's kin into medicinal pills for nourishment.
The Yao territories held many spiritual treasures and materials rarely seen by humans. However, because the Yao harbored significant hostility toward human cultivators, conflicts arose easily. Cultivators generally didn't bother risking their lives alone; only those in trade would frequently enter and exit Yao territory.
After informing Nie Li, although the father worried for his son, he knew Nie Shiyun had his own ideas and could not be restrained. Thus, just as he had done before the secret realm expedition, he prepared many protective treasures for him.
Nie Shiyun set out on his journey alone, feeling somewhat fortunate. Although Yunqing Pavilion didn't have many cultivators, he had a reliable older cousin above him and a well-behaved, obedient junior sister below him. He could wave his sleeve and leave whenever he wished without too many concerns.
Having broken through to the Golden Core stage, Nie Shiyun no longer had to travel laboriously on foot. Instead, he bought a suitable flying sword and traveled by sword-flight. Although there were many other types of flying tools on the market, and he had the ability to modify other items—much like the lotus pedestal he made for Qi Miaohan—Nie Shiyun disliked drawing attention, so he chose the most plain and simple sword.
He didn't rush his journey, instead stopping and starting as he pleased. Occasionally, when he encountered a town that seemed somewhat prosperous, he would rest for a while and check the merchant houses or auction houses for anything worth buying.
In the towns Nie Shiyun passed through along the way, many cultivators were discussing the standoff between Lingfeng Mountain and Zhaohun Valley, which was neither truly large nor small. Zhaohun Valley didn't have many disciples, but they could manipulate yin spirits, and some cultivators had learned techniques to drive corpses—sinister and unorthodox methods. Coupled with the many demonic cultivators who had rushed there to join the fun, eager to give the righteous sects a piece of their mind, Lingfeng Mountain found itself unable to handle them for a time.
Familiar names were listed one by one, and Nie Shiyun grew accustomed to hearing them. He heard that Rong Lü had become famous in this battle; no one had known when Lingfeng Mountain had produced such a Golden Core junior. He was like an unstoppable force, becoming a hot topic of conversation overnight.
"It seems that not long after, the Yingyue Sect disciple Duan Mingyu, who was a guest at Chiyan Cliff, also went to assist."
"I think I've heard of such a person."
Nie Shiyun sipped his spiritual wine, openly eavesdropping on the gossip from the table behind him.
"His going wasn't the main issue, but his departure drew Xu Yehua of Chiyan Cliff there as well. Xu Yehua’s arrival meant that Chiyan Cliff had officially entered the fray. Zhaohun Valley really shot themselves in the foot this time; it’s quite a spectacle."
"So you're saying Zhaohun Valley didn't just provoke Lingfeng Mountain, but also managed to anger two other great sects, Chiyan Cliff and Yingyue Sect, all at once?"
"Hmm... Yingyue Sect... while it's true that Duan Mingyu is from the Yingyue Sect, it seems no one else from the sect went. He can only represent himself, right? However, it’s true that no one in the upper echelons stopped him."
Nie Shiyun was stunned. This was different from the original work. Why hadn't Zhai Bairong followed him?
He immediately pricked up his ears to listen more closely. The cultivator at the back table’s tone turned dejected as he thought of something: "To be honest, it’s like seeing a ghost. Don't you think there have been too many capable people among the younger generation of cultivators these past few years? They talk about 'once-in-a-millennium geniuses,' but in our generation, they're a dime a dozen! That Rong Lü who appeared out of nowhere, and Xu Yehua of Chiyan Cliff who reached the Golden Core stage the year before last. Oh, and that Duan Mingyu—even though he has dual spiritual roots, one of them is a Mutated Ice Spiritual Root. If he hadn't been born a man, the position of the Pinyin Pavilion’s closed-door disciple would probably have changed hands."
"I heard he also broke through to the Golden Core stage recently. I really don't know how a dual-root cultivator manages to cultivate at such a god-like speed."
*How did he do it?* Nie Shiyun, who was also a dual-root cultivator who had reached Golden Core, felt a bit guilty. He had the "cheat code" of the Chaos Space. Duan Mingyu, on the other hand, had the greatest cheat of all—the favor of the entire Heavenly Dao—while remaining completely oblivious to it.
"Even though he has no official standing in his sect and is just an ordinary inner disciple, he seems to be well-cared for by his Senior Brother. The seniors are always giving him pointers... Sigh, let's not talk about it, the more I say, the more frustrating it gets. You really can't compare."
"Speaking of which, his Senior Brother didn't go with him this time?"
"It seems so. I'm not sure how accurate the news is, but among the people I know is an outer disciple of the Yingyue Sect. There are faint rumors that Zhai Bairong failed his Golden Core advancement last year and is currently unable to look after himself."
"How is that possible! That’s Zhai Bairong, the most promising of the Yingyue Sect’s younger generation. If you said that Duan Mingyu fellow failed his advancement, that would be more believable."
The man laughed. "That's why I said I don't know if it's accurate. Just take it as a joke. But it’s true he hasn't been seen in public for a while."
Nie Shiyun was immensely shocked, yet he had to maintain a calm expression. After all, being caught eavesdropping on others was never good. What kind of plot twist was this?
Regardless of the reason, the fact that Zhai Bairong hadn't followed Duan Mingyu to meet the other two male leads at Lingfeng Mountain had already deviated from the original plot. If the rumors were true, it was a serious problem indeed. Failing a Golden Core advancement once was okay—just as his predecessor had failed to reach Foundation Establishment once due to conflicting spiritual roots, only to succeed the second time because his cultivation was already firmly at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining. But if one failed twice for some other reason, the difficulty would double by the third attempt, and the prospects would only become bleaker thereafter.
Could it be... a heart demon? Nie Shiyun recalled where the plot had started to diverge, and it could only be traced back to that time in the secret chamber when he had snatched Duan Mingyu’s fortuitous encounter, causing the two who already had a rift between them to lose the chance to reconcile. Could it be that Zhai Bairong had been plagued by a heart demon ever since?
Did that mean he was the one who caused the other's failure to advance?
Nie Shiyun was stunned. He had never expected his actions to have such far-reaching consequences. He had thought that no matter what he did, the plot would be easily pulled back onto the right track by the Heavenly Dao. At this moment, because the amount of information was so large, he couldn't digest it for a while.
Logically speaking, he should be happy. The men around Duan Mingyu were equivalent to his boosters. If Zhai Bairong fell into a slump because of this, he would inevitably fall behind in Duan Mingyu’s harem. Without such a helper, not only would the protagonist group’s source of medicinal pills become scarce in the future, but the possibility of Duan Mingyu escaping unscathed when he eventually fell out with the Yingyue Sect would also be much lower.
No matter how he looked at it, there were benefits. But Nie Shiyun was not so cold-hearted as to be completely unmoved. Thinking that his secret clash with Duan Mingyu had indirectly caused a favored son of heaven like Zhai Bairong to fall into such a state, he actually felt a bit uneasy.
By the time he snapped out of it, the two cultivators behind him had already paid their bill and left. Nie Shiyun realized then that he had probably been sitting there blankly for about an hour.
Things had already come to this; he was destined to fight Duan Mingyu and the Heavenly Dao to the end. Nie Shiyun gave a small sigh and called the waiter over to pay.
He was to blame, but Zhai Bairong was also to blame for falling for Duan Mingyu.
Setting this matter aside for the time being, Nie Shiyun did not stop his journey. However, along the way, he became more intentional about gathering news regarding the current state of the various sects. Unfortunately, the further south he went, the more remote it became, and news gradually became harder to come by.
After traveling intermittently for about three months, he finally reached the territory of the Yao race.
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Transmigrated into a Total Shou Novel as a Cannon Fodder, but Ended Up 1v1-ing the Male Lead | Chapter 16 | Deviating from the Script | Novela.app | Novela.app
