Chapter 229: This Person's Sword Qi Is Too Overbearing

In the nineteen nations of the Eastern Wilderness, after the Divine Wood Sect split from the Five Elements Sect, it took control of four countries' territories. However, since these four countries were previously within the Five Elements Sect's sphere of influence, while the Divine Wood Sect is now nominally the leading sect of these four nations, the separation occurred less than a century ago. As a result, many cultivation families still maintain lingering ties with the Five Elements Sect.

In Jianguo, there was a Foundation Establishment family named Yuan. The Yuan family's old ancestor was originally a rogue cultivator. Thanks to his outstanding talent and profound fortuitous encounters, he managed to cross the threshold of life and death, successfully reaching Foundation Establishment a century ago even without a Foundation Establishment Pill. However, there was actually a hidden secret behind this.

The Yuan family's stronghold was called Black Cloud Mountain. At the peak, where the spiritual vein was most abundant, its grade reached low-grade third-tier. Yuan Hongyuan, the Yuan family's Foundation Establishment ancestor, resided there, overseeing the lands below.

"You need to find a way to kill this person."

Today, an uninvited guest arrived at Black Cloud Mountain. After landing, he stood with his back to Yuan Hongyuan and dropped a portrait.

"Who is this person?"

Yuan Hongyuan took it and found it was a portrait of a very young-looking boy.

"The Divine Wood Sect's top true disciple."

The visitor did not hide anything and told him truthfully.

"If I were to act, whether successful or not, my Yuan family would likely not be able to remain in these four nations." As Yuan Hongyuan spoke, he crumpled the portrait in his hand, his brows furrowed.

"Don't forget, you owe your current standing to the Foundation Establishment Pill our sect granted you," the visitor said, then snorted coldly. After saying this, the visitor did not linger and transformed into a streak of spiritual light, vanishing from Black Cloud Mountain peak.

Yuan Hongyuan stood beneath a spirit tree laden with peaches, pondering for a long time. With a deep sigh, he walked down the mountain peak, which he hadn't left for ten years.

"Old Ancestor, why didn't you inform us when you came out of seclusion?" In the Yuan family's main hall, the current patriarch, Yuan Shaoyuan, saw Yuan Hongyuan enter, his face filled with surprise. He immediately yielded his seat to him.

"Find out about the Divine Wood Sect's top true disciple this year. I need all information about him." As the Foundation Establishment cultivator who founded the Yuan family, Yuan Hongyuan was an absolute overlord. At his command, Yuan Shaoyuan immediately set out himself, traveling to Giant Wood Ridge to gather information from several family disciples who had joined the Divine Wood Sect.

Two days later, after hearing about Chen Mobai, Yuan Hongyuan's face showed even greater worry. If this person were killed and the act exposed, even if he led the Yuan family out of the four nations, they would likely be pursued for thousands of miles by the Divine Wood Sect, who would not rest until the family was eradicated.

"Old Ancestor, this person is widely recognized by the Divine Wood Sect as an unparalleled sword dao genius, invincible among those of the same cultivation level. If he reaches Foundation Establishment in the future, as long as a Core Formation cultivator doesn't appear, he will be an unrivaled existence in the world." Yuan Shaoyuan spoke with a hint of hidden concern in his voice.

As patriarch, he naturally understood that there was a hidden hand behind their Yuan family, and it was precisely because of this that they were able to establish roots in Jianguo and even acquire Black Cloud Mountain, with its low-grade third-tier spiritual vein. On ordinary days, when Yuan Hongyuan was in seclusion, it was Yuan Shaoyuan, as patriarch, who dealt with the people behind the hidden hand. Now, with the family's pillar suddenly descending from the mountain and inquiring about Chen Mobai, as patriarch, he had already guessed the reason.

"Take Little Four and Little Six, and personally go to Giant Wood Ridge to keep watch. As soon as this person leaves Jianguo, notify me immediately."

After long deliberation, Yuan Hongyuan still had no choice but to obey the order. After all, over the past century, he had actually done many things detrimental to the Divine Wood Sect within Jianguo, and was already too deeply involved.

"Yes, Old Ancestor. However, although this person is the top true disciple, he is still just one individual. My fourth brother, sixth brother, and I, all at Qi Refinement Completion, along with the Three Smoke Cloud Light Array, should be able to subdue him. There's no need for you to act personally." Yuan Shaoyuan offered this suggestion, believing that Yuan Hongyuan, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, would be too conspicuous. If he acted, it was highly likely that those investigating from the Divine Wood Sect would discover clues.

"Hmph, even a lion uses its full strength when hunting a rabbit. The reason I, Yuan, have been able to cultivate to this day is precisely because of my caution. Every time I act, I ensure complete preparation to cut out the roots and leave no future troubles. Only then could my Yuan family establish its current foundation. Furthermore, it's not that I look down on you, but since this person is considered an unparalleled sword dao genius by the Divine Wood Sect, even if all three of you act together, even with the array, one or two of you might still die."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shaoyuan's face involuntarily turned grim. "Could this person be even more astonishing than Hong He!?" Hong He was the Divine Wood Sect's most renowned top true disciple before him, holding that position for a full decade, forcing Zhou Wangshen and E Yun to contend for second and third place. His terrifying combat talent was even known to major sects outside the Eastern Wilderness.

"The last person hailed as an unparalleled sword dao genius was the current Core Formation master of Golden Light Cliff." As Yuan Hongyuan's words fell, Yuan Shaoyuan decided it would be best to proceed cautiously, as the ancestor suggested.

However, he also felt pity for Chen Mobai. Such talent, before even making a name for himself in the world, was about to perish in an ambush. One must know that Yuan Hongyuan was on the verge of breaking through to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment and had once repelled three invading early Foundation Establishment cultivators, fighting one against three on Black Cloud Mountain. Even if Chen Mobai was incredibly brilliant, he was still only at Qi Refinement. Under Yuan Hongyuan's personal suppression, he would certainly have no chance of escape.

After bidding farewell to the family ancestor, Yuan Shaoyuan used the excuse of going out to discuss important business. He took his two elder brothers and left Black Cloud Mountain, then used face-changing masks to stake out a position outside Giant Wood Ridge. It seemed even heaven was looking favorably upon them. After only half a month of waiting, Chen Mobai actually left the Divine Wood Sect.

As he passed through a forest, they activated a Cloud Mist Talisman. This talisman had no offensive capabilities, but anyone passing through would be marked with an imperceptible wisp of smoke. This smoke was colorless and odorless, could remain for a month without dissipating, and could only be observed through specially refined lenses made by their Yuan family.

The three observed the smoke's movement from ten li away. After following for half a day, they discovered that Chen Mobai had arrived at a market city. This city was guarded by Divine Wood Sect Qi Refinement disciples and also had shops belonging to their family. However, they did not intend to expose their presence. After Chen Mobai rented a cave dwelling and moved in, the three of them also jointly rented a nearby vacant cave dwelling.

"Strange, this is clearly Divine Wood Sect property. As long as he showed his sect token, he could stay for free. Why would he specifically choose to spend spirit stones?" All three were very confused by Chen Mobai's actions, but then something even more perplexing occurred. They waited for a full two months and did not see Chen Mobai leave his dwelling again.

"This is bad, could it be that we've been exposed and he fled after noticing us?" Yuan Shaoyuan, experienced in ambushes, immediately realized this possibility. However, since the cave dwellings in this market city were Divine Wood Sect property, they dared not break through the array to investigate.

"Let's wait a bit longer. If it truly doesn't work out, we'll just have to report it and have those above investigate his whereabouts." Another month passed with this wait.

Just as Yuan Shaoyuan decided to give up and leave with his two elder brothers, *Creak!* Chen Mobai's cave dwelling door opened. Their long-awaited assassination target appeared before them.

"Damn that kid, he actually prepared so many Fasting Pills." Yuan Shaoyuan cursed under his breath, but at this critical moment for success, his years of experience in ambushes made him even calmer. He instructed his fourth brother to set up the tracking smoke at the market city's exit, while he and his sixth brother waited inside their cave dwelling, to avoid being noticed by the Divine Wood Sect's top true disciple.

"Oh no, the direction this kid is heading... it looks like he's returning to Giant Wood Ridge!" After Chen Mobai left, they followed the smoke's movement, but after half a day of pursuit, they realized something was wrong. "If he returns to the Divine Wood Sect, there'll be nothing we can do." Even with a hundred times more courage, they wouldn't dare to kill someone at Giant Wood Ridge.

"I'll notify the Old Ancestor immediately." Yuan Shaoyuan was also decisive. Knowing he might not be able to wait for Chen Mobai to leave Jianguo, and unwilling to let go of this rare opportunity, he immediately activated a valuable second-tier Heart-Link Talisman. This talisman came in a pair; activating one would transmit a message to the other talisman held by another person.

Black Cloud Mountain. Upon receiving the message, Yuan Hongyuan pondered for half a quarter of an hour. Then, his expression turned cold, he made up his mind, and activated the other Heart-Link Talisman.

"The three of you don't need to follow anymore. I will wait ahead on the path he must take to return to Giant Wood Ridge."

Upon receiving the message, Yuan Shaoyuan breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled his two elder brothers aside, and after relaying the ancestor's response, all three simultaneously withdrew, heading towards Yunguo. To the outside world, they claimed they were going to negotiate a spirit trade deal with the Luo family, a cultivation family in Yunguo. To avoid suspicion and investigation from the Divine Wood Sect after Chen Mobai was killed by their ancestor, the three naturally had to play their parts completely.

Chen Mobai was completely unaware that someone was following him. After leaving the market city, he headed directly towards Giant Wood Ridge. His mind was entirely preoccupied with how to maintain his persona as an unparalleled sword dao genius after returning to the sect. He planned to say that although he had successfully reached Foundation Establishment, during his breakthrough and transformation, he was suddenly enlightened and comprehended an incredibly dominant sword strike. He unleashed it instinctively with his newfound understanding, but it injured his meridians, internal organs, mind, and spiritual sea, requiring two or three years of recovery. After all, he had registered with the Divine Wood Sect as cultivating the Twin Aspects Art. In the future, besides the Everlasting Life Scripture, he would still need to display some proficiency in the Crimson Flame Sword Art. However, he was currently stuck at the critical threshold. He would have to wait until he achieved the Three Yang Body before he could use the Pure Yang Scroll to feign his foundation in the Crimson Flame Sword Art. When no one was around, he could use the Formless Puppet to unleash the Crimson Flame Sword Art at the Foundation Establishment realm. If anyone analyzed the battlefield afterward, they would discover traces of sword energy like a rainbow. However, there was no one for him to test the power of the Formless Puppet after equipping it with high-grade spirit stones.

As Chen Mobai was thinking this, he arrived at a desolate mountain range. After passing through this area and traveling another hundred li, Giant Wood Ridge would be visible. If it were the previous Chen Mobai, he would only be able to cross this desolate mountain range by climbing over its peaks. But now, it was different. He had reached Foundation Establishment. He could fly! Just then, the effects of two Divine Movement Talismans wore off, so he stopped and activated a flight spell. He ascended like a streak of green light. He was like a green flying sword slicing through the sky, cutting a clear path through the clouds and revealing the blue sky.

Yuan Hongyuan, ambushed in the middle of this desolate mountain range, held the pre-arranged array flags in his hand. He watched Chen Mobai flying through the sky, his mouth agape, his face filled with disbelief.

He, he reached Foundation Establishment!?

Realizing this, Yuan Hongyuan's face was filled with conflicted emotions. The array he had set up was a mid-grade second-tier array, originally designed for opponents at the Foundation Establishment level, capable of trapping even cultivators flying in the air. However, if it were used against Qi Refinement cultivators, Yuan Hongyuan could suppress and kill them one by one, even if a hundred fell into the array. Yet, Chen Mobai had reached Foundation Establishment! He clearly remembered the Divine Wood Sect's appraisal of their top true disciple: An unparalleled sword dao genius! Invincible among those of the same cultivation level!

Although Yuan Hongyuan was confident in himself, believing his combat abilities to be above average among his peers, and with the pre-arranged array, he would even dare to contend with a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. But Chen Mobai was a sword cultivator! And he was an unparalleled genius among sword cultivators. Yuan Hongyuan truly had no confidence in winning if he faced such a prodigy.

"The information I gathered earlier was that Chen Mobai was only invincible at the Qi Refinement stage during the sect's grand competition, and only afterward did he obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill refined by Zeng Woyou. I never expected him to actually succeed in reaching Foundation Establishment in less than half a year." After connecting all the clues in his mind, Yuan Hongyuan's estimation of Chen Mobai had already surpassed that of Hong He. This person was the foremost prodigy of the Divine Wood Sect since its split! He had been in the sect for three years and was already the top true disciple. To dare to consume a Foundation Establishment Pill and succeed in reaching Foundation Establishment in a mere second-tier spiritual vein area like Jade Pot Market City... This showed his unparalleled talent. It was even possible that he had already comprehended a higher realm of sword dao at that time, which was why he chose to go into seclusion in such an ordinary spiritual land. Perhaps even without a Foundation Establishment Pill, he could have relied on his sword to cleave through that barrier.

Thinking of facing such an unparalleled prodigy in a life-or-death battle, Yuan Hongyuan no longer had any confidence within him. As for his actions, if he wasn't certain, he would never take a risk. So, gritting his teeth, he ultimately chose to conceal his aura, allowing Chen Mobai to fly overhead without activating the array. "Anyway, it was an intelligence error. I should be able to make up an excuse and get away with it."

Half a day after Chen Mobai disappeared, Yuan Hongyuan packed up the array and quietly slipped back to Black Cloud Mountain. Half a month later, Yuan Shaoyuan and his two brothers returned, feigning that their business deal had fallen through. They asked their ancestor about the matter. The latter, pretending to have suffered sword injuries, lightly coughed twice before sighing and recounting the "life-or-death battle" of that day.

"That Chen Mobai truly is an unparalleled sword dao genius. He had already reached Foundation Establishment without my knowledge. I used the Five Smoke Cloud Net Great Array to trap him. However, his sword energy was too dominant. After a day and a night of direct confrontation, my defensive artifacts and the great array were successively shattered by his overwhelming sword energy. In the end, I had to abandon a life-saving talisman to barely escape from his sword."

Hearing how fierce the battle had been, Yuan Shaoyuan and his two brothers gasped in cold air. It was fortunate that the three of them hadn't risked ambushing him outside the market city. Otherwise, their bodies would probably be cold by now. And after death, no disguise would be useful; the Divine Wood Sect had many ways to trace their origins from their corpses. If that had truly happened, Black Cloud Mountain would likely already be a river of blood, slaughtered by the Divine Wood Sect's top true disciple. Unexpectedly, this person actually reached Foundation Establishment in such a place. No wonder he didn't appear for a full two months! He truly lived up to his reputation as the unparalleled sword dao genius recognized by the Divine Wood Sect. Even their own ancestor, who was close to reaching the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, was no match for him, even with the aid of an array and favorable terrain, and could only flee in disarray.