Chapter 169: Fox Sovereign of Yuan Mountain, Two Door Gods

Yuan Mountain stood in the furthest north, separated from the Mortal World by endless Snow Mountains.

Su Junhan stood atop those Snow Mountains, looking up at the sky.

“A disturbance in Heaven and Earth?”

Su Junhan paused. His wrist turned, and a strand of hair fell into his palm.

In the blink of an eye, a flicker of light seemed to flash in his eyes. When he looked at the hair again, his gaze had also changed.

“Found it!”

Hu Junhan’s gaze turned towards the Southern Region of the Mortal World.

Then, his figure vanished from the mountain peak, heading directly to the Southern Region of the Mortal World.

……

Moyuan was recalling the moment he had just encountered Mister at the temple gate.

He couldn’t shake the feeling it wasn’t quite real.

It was rather like…

a fleeting dream.

That version of Mister seemed untouchable, vanishing like a soap bubble in an instant.

“Was it really Mister…?”

Moyuan voiced this doubt once more.

The person he had seen before looked exactly like Mister, but their demeanor and movements were only, say, seventy or eighty percent similar.

You could say it was him, but also say it wasn’t.

This troubled Moyuan greatly…

Little did he expect, before he could puzzle it out, another disturbance came from outside.

Moyuan sensed a heavy wave of Demonic Qi surging toward the Taoist Temple.

“Hmm?”

Moyuan frowned and went to the temple gate.

Looking up, he saw a streak of cyan Demonic Qi streaking across the sky.

As that cyan light touched down,

Moyuan saw the visitor clearly.

Su Junhan was dressed in a long purple robe, his eyes filled with the weight of countless years. The two spots on his nose bridge confirmed his identity as a fox.

Moyuan frowned; he felt an immense pressure emanating from the presence before him.

In just an instant, he guessed who it must be.

“Fox Sovereign of Yuan Mountain. You’re Su Junhan?”

Su Junhan too recognized Moyuan. He cupped his hands in greeting. “There are only two True Dragons in this Mortal World. The Old Dragon King of the Tongtian River rules the flows and fortunes of the waters. I know him well. That must mean you are the Ink Dragon of Bibo Lake.”

Hearing this, Moyuan smiled. “I didn’t expect the Fox Sovereign to have even heard of me. Moyuan is truly honored.”

He was somewhat wary of the Fox Sovereign. Compared to himself, this Fox Sovereign’s cultivation was far superior, especially since he was a Demonic Sovereign who had lived through the same era as the Old Dragon King.

Su Junhan smiled. “You flatter me, Ink Dragon. True Dragons are remembered by the world.”

Hearing this eased some of Moyuan’s worries. It seemed this Su Junhan likely wasn’t here to cause trouble.

So why was he here?

Moyuan had never had dealings with him before, so it probably wasn’t about him personally.

Could it be about Mister?

Moyuan paused, looked at Hu Junhan, and asked, “For what purpose has the Fox Sovereign journeyed countless miles all the way from Yuan Mountain?”

“To find someone,” Hu Junhan replied.

Moyuan asked, “Right now, there’s only you and me here. Who could you be seeking? Who precisely are you looking for?”

Su Junhan stated, “Since you are here, you must know who it is I seek.”

‘Looks like he’s here for Mister,’ Moyuan thought to himself.

“Mister isn’t here,” Moyuan said.

Su Junhan replied, “He will be, sooner or later.”

“Hmm?”

Moyuan frowned. “What do you mean by that, Fox Sovereign?”

Su Junhan showed a mild smile. “This Taoist Temple isn’t so small. If it can accommodate the Ink Dragon, surely it has room for one such as me?”

Moyuan was taken aback. Good heavens, this Fox Sovereign wanted to stay?

Moyuan said, “Please find somewhere else, Fox Sovereign. This place is Mister’s Taoist field. Without his permission, no outsider may enter.”

Su Junhan countered, “Then why are you here?”

Su Junhan found himself speechless by Moyuan’s reply. He’d considered countless possible excuses, but never expected this one.

“I am Mister’s steed,” Moyuan stated plainly. “I stay here to guard his gate.”

Su Junhan opened his mouth, then closed it again, momentarily unable to form a response.

Seeing him silenced, Moyuan felt rather pleased. ‘Stumped you with that one, didn’t I?’

“Might the Fox Sovereign also be here to guard the gate?” Moyuan pressed, his tone suggesting he thought the idea ludicrous.

Su Junhan replied, “The Mortal World has its Door Gods. Two Door Gods usually stand guard. We currently lack a pair. I think it quite fitting.”

Moyuan was dumbfounded.

“What? You’re serious?”

“Don’t you want some company, Ink Dragon?”

Moyuan’s lips parted slightly. “The great Fox Sovereign of Yuan Mountain, lowering yourself to guard someone’s gate? Aren’t you afraid of being mocked?”

Su Junhan fired back, “Who would know?”

Moyuan was stunned once more.

It seemed the Fox Sovereign genuinely didn’t care.

Since he was also seeking Mister… could it be that the Fox Sovereign, like him, had benefited from Mister’s guidance?

Moyuan mulled it over but decided firmly against letting him stay. This Fox Sovereign was no ordinary demon. If he had any hidden agendas, Moyuan would be helpless against him.

“It’s better you return,” Moyuan insisted. “You may come again once Mister returns. This temple gate is a humble one, I fear it is not worthy of a Fox Sovereign.”

Su Junhan looked at Moyuan. He pondered for a moment, seeming genuinely undecided.

He asked aloud, “When will Mister return?”

Moyuan answered, “Likely during this Huai Xu (a season/time period).”

“Not long, then.”

Su Junhan pressed again, “Truly… I cannot enter?”

Moyuan stared at him. “If you’re so dead set on guarding the gate, I suppose I can’t stop you. But let me be clear – I, Moyuan, have a big mouth. I tell everything I know. Who knows? It might only be a few days before the entire Cultivation World hears that the great Fox Sovereign has become a gatekeeper.”

Su Junhan chuckled upon hearing this, then took a step forward.

Moyuan was startled. “What are you doing?”

“Go ahead and tell them,” Su Junhan said calmly. “I don’t care.”

With those words, Su Junhan had already taken a step through the open temple gate.

Moyuan didn’t stop him. He just turned and watched.

He had no will to keep blocking Su Junhan. Firstly, he wasn’t certain he could win a fight. Secondly, things had escalated too far; there was nowhere else for this argument to go.

“Well met indeed…”

His biggest fear had come true.

One shameless fellow had met another equally shameless.

Utterly impossible to deal with.

Once inside the courtyard, Hu Junhan took a brief look around.

Su Junhan asked, “Why is there a dried-up tree in the courtyard?”

Moyuan explained, “It used to be a Wood Spirit, our sweeper. A few years back, over something, it transformed into a demon and quit working.”

Su Junhan gave a helpless chuckle. “A natural-born Wood Spirit… used for sweeping? Mister’s Taoist field truly spares no expense.”

Moyuan argued, “I, a True Dragon, guard the gate, don’t I? And besides, what about you?”

“Fair point.”

Su Junhan nodded and started walking further inside.

Moyuan was caught off guard again. “Couldn’t you have admitted that a little slower?”

“What?”

“You know, the… gate guarding part.”

Su Junhan stopped and looked back. “Earlier, didn’t I say I was here to guard the gate?”

Deceptively simple, yet it left Moyuan utterly lost for words.

‘He’s a match for me!’