Chapter 125: Yan Jin's Paranoia

Rain was falling.

Meng Chuan and the other Godfiends were descending the mountain, each one silent. Seeing how Senior Brother Qian Yu looked, and the nine names personally carved by the Yuanchu Mountain Lord today, weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

"Ugh," a Godfiend disciple couldn't help but strike a roadside rock, instantly pulverizing a stone roughly thirty feet across. He snarled, "This is truly frustrating! I wish I had been there, fighting alongside them to kill those demon kings!"

"Your strength isn't enough; you'd only be committing suicide," another female Godfiend disciple beside him said coldly.

"One of me isn't enough, but ten or twenty would be enough to turn the tide!" the Godfiend retorted angrily. "Even if my strength isn't enough now, it will be in the future. If you don't even have a shred of courage, why bother cultivating as a Godfiend?"

The female Godfiend beside him said coldly, "I'm just telling you to keep a cool head and recognize the gap in strength."

"That's enough arguing," Meng Chuan interjected. "We should focus on cultivating diligently here on the mountain. Only by becoming stronger can we kill more demon kings once we descend."

Seeing Meng Chuan speak, the two Godfiend disciples stopped their argument. Among the disciples who had not yet left the mountain, Meng Chuan was the strongest, the recognized Senior Brother, and commanded significant prestige.

After descending, the many disciples quickly dispersed.

"Senior Brother Yan," Liu Qiyue, who was walking alongside Meng Chuan, called out.

Yan Jin stopped, looking puzzled.

"Senior Brother Yan, there's something A-Chuan and I need to tell you," Liu Qiyue said.

"Oh? What is it?" Yan Jin asked. On Yuanchu Mountain, he cultivated with obsessive intensity and was quite reclusive. His only truly close connections were Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue, as they had all come from Dongning Prefecture together.

"A-Chuan and I will be descending the mountain this year," Liu Qiyue stated.

"So soon?" Yan Jin was surprised.

Meng Chuan nodded, saying, "Yes, we'll both be breaking through to the Great Sun Godfiend realm soon! Once we do, we'll pass through the Nine Xuan Cave and descend the mountain."

"Then congratulations to you both," Yan Jin said with a smile. "I'll be much later than you, probably still a few more years."

"Once we pass through the Nine Xuan Cave, we'll also host a banquet to invite many friends," Meng Chuan said with a slight smile. He had a lot he wanted to say to Yan Jin, but he decided against it.

Among the twenty disciples from their original batch, only Meng Chuan, Ji Yuantong, and Yan Jin had cultivated a first-grade Godfiend body. Ji Yuantong had disappeared for three years before reappearing on Yuanchu Mountain, shedding his former arrogance. He became much more modest and humble, often smiling when interacting with his fellow disciples. After five years on the mountain, Ji Yuantong mastered the Great Strength Demon Body, then braved the 'Life-and-Death Pass' to become a Godfiend!

Yan Jin, however, was far more persistent and obsessive. He spent a full ten years on the 'Green Lotus God Body'. Only when the final deadline arrived was he forced to choose to brave the 'Life-and-Death Pass' to become a Godfiend. Even then, his Green Lotus God Body was only at the 'major accomplishment' stage, not yet perfected.

That was one thing. What concerned Meng Chuan most was Yan Jin's single-minded focus on cultivating the Black Iron Heavenly Book. From the moment he arrived on the mountain, Yan Jin chose the Black Iron Heavenly Book, 'Ice and Fire Seven Absolutes'. Cultivating Black Iron Heavenly Books was extremely difficult due to the lack of an 'intent realm' inheritance. Among the disciples who had not yet left the mountain, only Meng Chuan and Yan Chitong had managed to cultivate both a first-grade Godfiend body and a Black Iron Heavenly Book.

Yan Chitong had been specially invited to the mountain; he was a young genius who comprehended 'momentum' at the age of thirteen, with a talent no less than the fifth son of the Anhai Wang family. In terms of cultivation, he was slightly slower than the fifth son, Xue Feng, but he perfected the 'Green Lotus God Body' at sixteen and became a Godfiend! He further cultivated the Black Iron Heavenly Book, 'Crimson Lotus Flame Spear', naturally earning recognition as an unparalleled prodigy on par with Meng Chuan and Xue Feng.

Yan Jin, by contrast, was quite unfortunate. After ten years, his Green Lotus God Body was still not perfected. For the Black Iron Heavenly Book 'Ice and Fire Seven Absolutes', entering the path required comprehending both 'Ice Sword Intent' and 'Fire Sword Intent', and then fusing them into a single sword intent. After eleven years on the mountain, Yan Jin had only comprehended 'Ice Sword Intent'! This prevented him from ever truly beginning the cultivation, and he had only reached the Indestructible Godfiend realm by relying solely on 'Ice Sword Intent'.

"Given Yan Jin's comprehension, if he had chosen a Heaven-grade secret manual with an 'intent realm' guidance, his sword arts might be far more advanced by now, perhaps even having comprehended 'Sword Soul'," Meng Chuan sighed inwardly. "He clearly couldn't even begin the cultivation, yet he fixated on it. Sometimes, changing paths leads to a grander future."

Yan Jin was too stubborn. Regarding the Green Lotus God Body, if Yuanchu Mountain didn't have a rule about expelling disciples who didn't become Godfiends within ten years, Yan Jin would likely have continued until he perfected it. As for the Black Iron Heavenly Book, no one forced him, so he kept fixating on its cultivation, refusing to give up for eleven years! It was rare for Yuanchu Mountain to have such a crazily persistent disciple in many years.

All attempts at persuasion had already been made; saying more would only lead to an unpleasant parting.

"Alright, when you two host your banquet, make sure to invite me," Yan Jin said with a smile. "I'm going back to cultivate now. If you need anything, you can find me at Misty Snow Peak."

With that, he turned and left.

He went alone to Misty Snow Peak, a place so remote that he was still the only disciple residing there.

"Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue, are they also leaving the mountain soon?" Yan Jin murmured to himself. They were his only two friends on the mountain. "That's fine, too. Only by being completely alone can one truly cut off all emotions and desires, and only then can there be hope of mastering the Black Iron Heavenly Book 'Ice and Fire Seven Absolutes'," Yan Jin thought coldly as he hurried towards Misty Snow Peak.

"A-Chuan, I'm a little worried about Senior Brother Yan's disposition," Liu Qiyue said, walking alongside Meng Chuan towards Jingming Peak. "Senior Brother Yan is too reclusive and doesn't like interacting with people. While fellow disciples on Yuanchu Mountain help each other, Senior Brother Yan keeps everyone at arm's length... naturally, other disciples can't get close to him."

Meng Chuan nodded. "Qiyue, Yan Jin is our age, twenty-nine years old. Many mortals enlist in the military at twenty and often die on the battlefield. At twenty-nine, Yan Jin is old enough to decide how he lives his life; we don't need to worry about him anymore."

Liu Qiyue nodded thoughtfully.

"We should still be careful. These are the last quiet days we have for cultivation. Once we descend the mountain, we'll be on the battlefield," Meng Chuan said solemnly. That was the most crucial matter.

"Yes, the battlefield awaits," Liu Qiyue said with anticipation. After more than a decade of arduous cultivation, she was ready to descend and slay demon kings!

Just over half a month later.

On the afternoon of October 17th, bright sunlight streamed through the window as Meng Chuan was painting. Suddenly, a terrifying aura erupted from a nearby room.

"Hmm?" Meng Chuan immediately put down his paintbrush, pushed open his door, and rushed out. He arrived at Qiyue's cultivation chamber and immediately saw Liu Qiyue standing there, with fiery wings unfurling behind her! The red flame wings gently fluttered, moving with remarkable agility and freedom.

"You've broken through?" Meng Chuan's face lit up with joy.

Liu Qiyue nodded, smiling. "Yes, after achieving major accomplishment in the Soul Realm, my control over Phoenix Fire became much more refined, enough to condense it into Phoenix Wings. With them, I can fly through the world."

"Flight?" Meng Chuan exclaimed in admiration. "That's truly enviable."

Even if he reached the Great Sun Godfiend realm, he still wouldn't be able to fly. Of course, upon reaching the Great Sun realm, he could leap two li across the void, and with the aid of the 'Flying Swallow' technique, he could traverse five li without touching the ground! However, this was still different from true flight.

"Do you know how many Godfiends across this world envy your speed?" Liu Qiyue said, covering her mouth with a giggle. "By the way, A-Chuan, I've already broken through. After a brief period of consolidation, I'll advance to the Great Sun Godfiend realm tomorrow night. What about you?"

"I'll break through tonight," Meng Chuan replied. "I've waited long enough."