Chapter 160: A Mountain Dweller, What Need Has He for the Affairs Beyond?

Chen Changsheng cupped his hands and thanked him, “My gratitude, Daoist Friend.”

He Chongyang waved his hand as he said, “You flatter me. It was nothing. By the way, may I ask where you are headed? Flying by sword over the Desolate Sea is rather dangerous. If it’s along the way, perhaps you could journey with us?”

Chen Changsheng asked, “I am heading to Yunfu Mountain. Is that along your path?”

“Where?”

“Yunfu Mountain.”

He Chongyang blinked in disbelief, wondering if he’d misheard, so he asked again.

“Are you certain of Yunfu Mountain? Could it be a mistake?”

He Chongyang continued, “Daoist Friend, are you not aware that Yunfu Mountain is the domain of that… Demon Sovereign, Zhao Yuqing?”

Chen Changsheng replied evenly, “I am aware.”

He Chongyang was startled on hearing this. “Could it be Daoist Friend purposely seeks out that demon?”

Chen Changsheng let out a soft laugh at the term ‘demon.’ Then he nodded. “Precisely.”

He Chongyang clicked his tongue, momentarily lost for words.

That place… it hadn’t seen a single visitor in hundreds of years.

Events from Qínlè Palace and the Crimson Black Isle still circulated widely in the Cultivation World. Yet, this Green-Robed Gentleman before him dared venture towards Yunfu Mountain.

Seeing his composed demeanor, He Chongyang couldn’t help but wonder.

To regard Zhao Yuqing with such indifference, one either possessed profound cultivation or was intimately acquainted with him.

He preferred the former – profound cultivation was best. If the man knew Zhao Yuqing personally, He Chongyang wouldn’t dare associate with him any further.

Anyone familiar with Zhao Yuqing… probably wouldn’t be much of a good person either.

He Chongyang probed, “Daoist Friend remains so calm. Do you perhaps know Zhao Yuqing personally?”

Chen Changsheng recalled their brief encounter that day at Autumn Moon Market. He shook his head. “Not personally.”

He Chongyang seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He asked further, “Then, what business takes you to Yunfu Mountain?”

“I merely wish to ask him some things,” Chen Changsheng answered simply.

“Is there no… ill will between you?”

“Ill will…”

Chen Changsheng pondered for a moment. “As for ill will… I couldn’t rightly say if there is or isn’t.”

He Chongyang advised earnestly, “Forgive my bluntness, but Zhao Yuqing is unpredictable in temperament and ruthless in his actions. Although Daoist Friend is deeply accomplished, it would be wisest not to entangle yourself with that demon. Should trouble arise later, it could prove terribly difficult.”

Chen Changsheng chuckled softly. “I have heard tales of him. But is he truly as terrifying as the stories say?”

He Changsheng recounted, “A few years ago, at the Immortal Dao Conference, Zhao Yuqing arrived uninvited. No one knows what caused his grievance, but right before the gathered cultivators, in the blink of an eye, he struck down an Elder from the Everflow Sword Mountain. He destroyed the Elder’s Soul Spirit entirely.”

“Enraged by his arrogance, Elders from numerous Immortal Mountains attacked together – twenty-three Dongxu Realm cultivators struck as one. Yet the result? Zhao Yuqing defeated them utterly, forcing them into retreat.”

“Though he spared their lives, he seized all their Magical Artifacts and Immortal Swords.”

“With just himself, he turned that Immortal Dao Conference completely upside down.”

“Mentioning Everflow Sword Mountain…”

Chen Changsheng paused briefly. “Could this matter involve that Sword Immortal Yu Xuan?”

He Chongyang shook his head. “That, I cannot say. It was rumored that Sword Immortal Yu Xuan knew Zhao Yuqing, but such talk was never confirmed.”

“Listening to you speak, perhaps there truly is some connection,” Chen Changsheng mused.

“However, I recall,” He Chongyang said, “Sword Immortal Yu Xuan has been said to have perished six hundred years ago, has she not?”

Chen Changsheng lifted his gaze thoughtfully. “Perhaps… it is only a rumor then…”

He Chongyang nodded; he too thought it unlikely. After all these years, what possible grudges could remain?

Chen Changsheng shifted the conversation. “Daoist Friend, could you tell me more about Zhao Yuqing? I find myself curious… how did he come to such a place?”

“That… I know little about,” He Chongyang admitted.

“By the time I learned of the matters of the Immortal Realm, he was already the Lord of Cloud Floating Mountain. He established himself there at least two hundred years before my time.”

“According to Seniors within my sect, it was as if Zhao Yuqing simply… appeared out of thin air. There were no signs beforehand.”

“Appeared out of thin air…”

Chen Changsheng’s brow furrowed as he considered this.

It struck him as strange. Zhao Yuqing had supposedly entered the Cultivation World by finding his Immortal Fate in the mortal world. How could his journey leave no traces?

He Chongyang continued, “I truly don’t know much more. Daoist Friend might seek out elders within the Cultivation World; they would likely know something.”

Chen Changsheng snapped back to the present and cupped his hands again. “Thank you for enlightening me, Daoist Friend.”

“Not at all, I shared only what little I know,” He Chongyang dismissed modestly.

The pleasantry faded from He Chongyang’s face. His expression turned serious as he asked, “But Daoist Friend… you still intend to go to Yunfu Mountain?”

“Naturally, I must go,” Chen Changsheng affirmed with a nod. “Certain matters have troubled me for some time. Only Zhao Yuqing can provide a definitive answer.”

He Chongyang sighed softly. “If that is your resolve, I shall not dissuade you further. Yet, Daoist Friend could disembark at the next Skyship Dock ahead. It would save you some Magical Power.”

Chen Changsheng glanced over the Sky Skiff. Its passengers were a diverse mix; it resembled a passenger vessel rather than a merchant ship.

Chen Changsheng noted, “This Sky Skiff carries paying passengers, does it not? I should not impose to stay aboard.”

“It is no trouble,” He Chongyang assured him promptly.

“Presently, seventy percent of all Sky Skiffs in the Cultivation World are operated by my Lingyue Immortal Isle. My word suffices.”

Chen Changsheng smiled. “That seems… rather improper.”

“Our meeting is fortuitous fate. Daoist Friend is far too polite,” He Chongyang insisted.

He found this Daoist Friend truly quite courteous. Yet, observing the smile on Chen Changsheng’s face, a flicker of suspicion arose within He Chongyang.

Why did it seem like this Daoist Friend felt no embarrassment whatsoever?

Chen Changsheng did not seek a seat. He remained standing on the deck, observing the strange scenery beyond the ship’s edge.

According to He Chongyang, the next harbor would connect to an Immortal Mountain dock. From there, transferring to another Sky Skiff would take him into the Cultivation World proper.

He had guessed the Cultivation World lay remote from the mortal realm, yet remained unprepared for the sheer vastness of the separation.

Meanwhile, He Chongyang carefully studied the man before him.

Plainly dressed, with no discernible aura of cultivation or Magical Power. And he openly declared his intent to go to Yunfu Mountain, a place others avoided with terror.

He Chongyang had traveled these Sky Skiff routes for years yet had never encountered this individual.

He inquired, “Might I ask if the Daoist Friend has a domain of your own?”

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment. “I have no domain. In recent years, I have wandered the mortal world. Previously, I had nowhere to call home.”

“Is that so…” He Chongyang murmured internally, seeing an explanation. Then he added, “With Daoist Friend’s cultivation level, your reputation should have spread far within the Cultivation World long ago. But I, racking my brain, recall hearing no name matching yours before.”

Chen Changsheng offered a mild, agreeable smile. “I have always preferred solitude amidst mountains. What need have I to manage affairs beyond? I am simply a man of no consequence.”

He Chongyang shook his head with a smile of his own. “Daoist Friend is far too humble. How could you be a man of no consequence?”

Chen Changsheng merely returned his smile, offering no further explanation.

His gaze drifted out across the Desolate Sea. And suddenly, he glimpsed something – a dark shape churning deep beneath the desolate waves.

Chen Changsheng’s brows drew together sharply. His hand instinctively tightened around his sword.

“Daoist Friend? What is it?”

Seeing this, He Chongyang started, then followed Chen Changsheng’s line of sight.

His own brow knotted as his eyes fixed upon the dark, drifting mass deep beneath the surface of the Desolate Sea.