Chapter 300: Alone Against the World

This peak, though not tall, is enveloped in draconic energy and serves as the ancestral root of this mountain range, making it an excellent place for cultivation. Verdant ancient pines, peculiar towering rocks, and gushing spiritual springs adorn the landscape.

Duan De was meticulously focused on carving Taoist patterns on the mountaintop. Beside him, a scrawny old Taoist priest bustled about.

In the distant mountains, the Black Sovereign spoke, "The carving is almost done; it's sure to be finished today. This old Taoist is quite something."

"It's about time we sold off this unscrupulous Taoist," Tu Fei muttered, "though I wonder what price he'll fetch."

Fearing the unscrupulous fatty would notice them, Ye Fan gestured, and the two men and one dog quietly retreated. Luanyun Prefecture was covered in mountains; ancient pines soared to the sky, and green peaks touched the clouds.

They arrived at a sheer cliff thousands of feet high, where several ancient pines, like coiled dragons, stretched their branches, appearing robust and vigorous amidst the clouds and mist.

"Once everything falls into place," Tu Fei suggested, "we'll collect the bounty on his behalf and lure the people from the major Sacred Lands here."

Ye Fan smiled and said, "We need to consider every step carefully, leaving no room for error, otherwise, it wouldn't be fair to this stubborn fellow." If successful, Duan De would be absolutely furious; after toiling so hard and taking enormous risks, he would ultimately have his efforts serve another's benefit.

The Black Sovereign, like a cunning wolf, also yearned for the 100,000 jin of source stone, hoping to take Duan De's place. It chuckled as well.

From the sheer cliff, the chuckles of the two men and one dog could be heard. Hundreds of miles away, Duan De sneezed. He looked up at the sky, muttered a curse, and then resumed carving the Taoist patterns.

"Black Sovereign," Ye Fan said, "you stay here and guard. If that fat bastard leaves, quickly help him alter the Taoist patterns. Tu Fei and I will go down the mountain to check things out, ready to lure in the people from the Sacred Lands at any moment."

When Ye Fan and Tu Fei arrived at Shanyan City, they had a bad feeling: far too many cultivators had gathered there. "This won't do," they thought. "It will be very difficult to acquire the source stone this way." Both the Ji family and Yaoguang Holy Land had Supreme Elders present, and it was impossible to ascertain exactly which other prominent figures from various Sacred Lands had arrived. Furthermore, there were many rogue cultivators, many of whom were renowned individuals. Relatively speaking, the younger generation no longer seemed so formidable.

Ye Fan even suspected that powerful cultivators, or even Holy Lords, might have arrived. This was definitely not a good sign. Originally, he would have definitely canceled the plan, as he certainly couldn't scheme against the Sacred Lands himself. Now, everything was being carried out by Duan De, but he still felt some hesitation.

"Duan De will finish carving the Taoist patterns today. At the latest, he'll make his move tomorrow to exploit the Sacred Lands. We're running out of time. We need to decide quickly whether to proceed with the plan or exploit the fatty instead."

The two returned to the mountains to reconsider their options. The large black dog, with its square head and large ears, looked very imposing. Standing under an ancient pine, it said, "If you ask me, directly exploiting that old Taoist would be the simplest and safest option."

Sacred Lands with a heritage of over a hundred thousand years are not to be trifled with. This incident is far too significant, exceeding what they had anticipated.