Chapter 615: Draw

“And you, Junior Brother Meng—no, Deputy Hall Master Meng—the Mission Hall will be under your two’s responsibility from now on.”

Dai Bufan felt he couldn't keep up with the times. Reaching retirement age, it was time to step down and let more capable individuals take charge.

Two years ago, before he met Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, he believed that as a young man in the early Integration stage, his future was bright.

During his time in charge of the Mission Hall, he could deduce crucial information from subtle details, unravel complex situations to uncover the truth, and issue missions that both punished evil and promoted good, while also serving to train junior disciples. It was no exaggeration to say he was a pillar of the Dao-Seeking Sect.

Now, he felt he was no pillar at all, completely incapable of handling these two's affairs!

The first time you two went out, you joined the Immortal Cult, and then the Immortal Cult was destroyed.

The second time you went out, you discovered Junior Brother Li Haoran was the reincarnation of the former leader of the Nine Nether Cult.

The third time you went out, you fabricated the Heavenly Court Cult and established deep cooperation with the Nine Nether Cult.

The fourth time you went out, attending the Qingzhou Grand Ceremony, you encountered a Tribulation Transcending Realm cultivator from the Great Yu Dynasty, which prompted Senior Sister to intervene.

The fifth time you went out, you met three Tribulation Transcending Realm cultivators from the Great Yu Dynasty in Hanshui City, and all three of them were captured.

And on your sixth outing, you directly resurrected the legendary Ancient Ancestor of the Phoenix Clan, causing chaos at the Monster Nation's founding ceremony.

I distinctly heard you two were helping Junior Sister Gan Tian with archaeology. How did an archaeological dig end with you unearthing the Phoenix Ancestor?

I can't even imagine what you two will do on your next outing!

A legendary ancient Half-Immortal! You two went out for a bit and managed to resurrect her, even triggering a Half-Immortal battle?!

A battle involving six Tribulation Transcending cultivators and two Half-Immortals—Dai Bufan had never in his life witnessed a battle of such magnitude. Yet, you two not only saw it but were the main cause of it!

“No, no, no, this won't do!” Lu Yang waved his hands repeatedly, declining Dai Bufan's suggestion.

“Just sit down. I'll talk to Master; he'll definitely agree!”

“Absolutely not, my status is too low, and my cultivation is abysmal; I cannot possibly handle such a great responsibility!”

Meng Jingzhou also spoke up for Lu Yang, saying, “That's right, he absolutely cannot be the Hall Master of the Mission Hall. He's the Young Cult Master of the Heavenly Court Cult and Senior Ripple's Senior Brother. Senior Ripple is right here in our sect; if she knew, she definitely wouldn't agree.”

Dai Bufan abruptly turned to Meng Jingzhou, his eyes wide with astonishment and confusion, as if listening to a mythical tale.

What exactly did you two do in the Monster Domain?

He pressed Lu Yang's shoulders with both hands, firmly pushing him down into the seat.

Senior Brother Dai, his face full of smiles, acted cordially with a gentle tone, personally pouring tea for Lu Yang.

“Come, Hall Master Lu, tell me about your experiences in the Monster Domain.”

The two took turns recounting and supplementing their experiences in the Monster Domain, naturally omitting the existence of the Immortal Fairy. They simply stated that Lu Yang was fortunate enough to coincidentally clear the Ancient Realm of Creation and awaken Jiang Ripple.

Dai Bufan painfully rubbed his forehead; their experiences were too bizarre.

“So, essentially, the Monster Nation is now the property of the Heavenly Court Cult?”

“That's not wrong to assume.”

“Senior Brother Dai, if there's nothing else, we'll take our leave,” Lu Yang said cautiously. While Senior Brother Dai was rubbing his forehead, he and Meng Jingzhou quickly exited the Mission Hall.

Senior Brother Dai had not yet recovered from the shock of the information.

The two parted ways at the Mission Hall entrance and returned to their respective mountain peaks.

Upon returning, Meng Jingzhou prepared to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Returning to his cave dwelling, he saw Old Ma leisurely nibbling on grass by the entrance, seemingly carefree.

“Old Ma, I'm back from the Monster Domain. It's a real shame you didn't come this time; the trip to the Monster Domain was incredibly fruitful!”

Regardless of whether Old Ma wanted to listen, Meng Jingzhou directly recounted his half-year experiences in the Monster Domain.

After listening, Old Ma was filled with regret, blaming himself for being cowardly and not witnessing the Half-Immortal battle firsthand.

If it had known the Ancient Ancestor of the Phoenix Clan was backing them, what would there have been to fear? It could have swept across the entire Monster Domain.

This can't happen again. Next time, next time it must follow this boy out to see the world!

“I wonder if Senior Ripple has met Senior Sister yet,” Lu Yang murmured with slight concern.

Lu Yang ascended the mountain, skillfully reaching the peak. There, he only saw a worried Third Senior Sister; Senior Sister and Jiang Ripple were nowhere to be found.

Third Senior Sister sat by the stone table, her hands clasped together, thumbs twirling, clearly uneasy, her brows furrowed with worry.

“Third Senior Sister, where are Senior Sister and Senior Ripple?”

“Oh, it's Junior Brother. Just now, for some reason, Senior Ripple immediately proposed wanting to test Senior Sister's skills the moment she saw her, and Senior Sister readily agreed.”

“Considering the commotion their exchange would create, they went to a spatial pocket created by Senior Sister to fight. I've been waiting here ever since.”

Lu Yang gasped. “Senior Ripple, you're really bold to challenge Senior Sister right off the bat.”

“Third Senior Sister, are you worried Senior Sister might lose?”

Third Senior Sister sighed, motioned for Lu Yang to sit down as well, and voiced her concerns: “I'm worried that Senior Ripple, having just emerged, will have her Dao Heart shattered.”

“Senior Sister used to hit without restraint. From what I know, several old seniors had their Dao Hearts shattered by her and spent hundreds of years to pick them up again.”

“How did they pick them up?” Lu Yang asked curiously. It was his first time hearing that a Dao Heart could heal, though the cost was immense, requiring centuries.

“They suppressed their cultivation, disguised themselves as juniors, and flaunted their power among the younger generation. Typically, they'd first allow themselves to be mocked, told they had low cultivation, poor talent, or no hope in this life. Then they'd rise up, unleash a portion of their strength, and strike back.”

“They started from the Qi Condensation stage, first joining small sects. When their cultivation reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and the small sects limited their development, they would join medium sects to cultivate, then the Golden Core stage, Nascent Soul stage… constantly repeating the process I just described during their cultivation.”

“And surprisingly, this method was quite effective. Some old seniors even met their confidantes during this process, then 'an old ox ate tender grass,' got married, and rediscovered their second spring. Their mindsets were younger than before, and some even advanced further in cultivation, empowered by love.”

Lu Yang: “…”

So, the old seniors spent centuries humbling others by showing off, did they?

As the two spoke, the space above them twisted, and Jiang Ripple, in her human form, fell from high above, crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Lu Yang and Third Senior Sister quickly went forward to check on her.

They saw that Jiang Ripple's breath had ceased, with no signs of life; she was clearly as dead as could be.

“Senior Ripple, are you alright?”

Hearing Lu Yang's concern, Jiang Ripple revived once more, abruptly sitting up, her heart still pounding with lingering fear.

“That was close, so close! I never imagined there would be such a powerful junior in later generations.”

“Fortunately, I deliberately killed myself before I lost, ending the fight. I guess you could say I barely managed a draw with her!”