The leaders of the cultivation sects gathered in the hall, along with the Qi Sea Realm cultivators, erupted in a chorus of astonished voices.
A fragment of the Heavenly Summit Mountain scripture!
It must be remembered that Heavenly Summit Mountain, over fifty thousand years ago, had truly been a sacred place for cultivation.
And the Heavenly Summit scripture was regarded as the foremost Dao text on the Chenping Continent, above even the Five Great Sects.
Heavenly Summit Mountain had produced twelve Ascenders, nine of whom cultivated the Heavenly Summit scripture.
The Ascenders who did not cultivate the Heavenly Summit scripture were the first-generation steward Tian Su Realman, the tenth-generation steward Pure Dust True Person, and the twelfth-generation steward Qinghong Realman.
After Heavenly Summit Mountain’s fall, the Five Great Sects that divvied up its assets naturally coveted the Heavenly Summit scripture.
Because the Heavenly Summit scripture was the cultivation method that came closest to the essence of the Immortal Dao on the Chenping Continent.
Everyone believed that.
The Five Great Sects pillaged massive amounts of heavenly materials, earth treasures, and spirit herbs from the mountain.
Any one of those sects gained more cultivation resources from Heavenly Summit Mountain than they had originally possessed in total.
Even the Heavenly Summit Mirror was divided among the Five Great Sects.
As for the six immortal artifacts once belonging to Heavenly Summit Mountain and the Heavenly Summit scripture itself, no trace of them was ever found.
At first the Five Great Sects mistrusted one another, each suspecting some other sect had secretly hoarded the six immortal artifacts and the scripture.
That mutual suspicion lasted for centuries, but because no concrete evidence ever surfaced, the doubts eventually faded.
No one knew the whereabouts of the six immortal artifacts or the Heavenly Summit scripture.
Then, all eyes turned to the Heavenly Summit Palace.
The Heavenly Summit Palace had been sealed by the twelfth-generation steward Qinghong Realman.
Only cultivators at Martial Spring Realm or below could enter it.
Of course, Ascenders could force their way in, but the price would surely be the palace’s destruction.
It was precisely because of this that the Five Great Sects established the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry, which in time evolved into the Chenping Continent Dao Inquiry Assembly, a top-tier grand event.
Chen Yan’s external incarnation sat there, watching the sheepskin parchment that Huangfu Han held up on the stage.
A fragment of the Heavenly Summit scripture?
Chen Yan did not doubt the possibility that Mirage Palace might have found this fragment, the scripture called the foremost Dao text of the Chenping Continent.
But he also knew that if Mirage Palace truly had the Heavenly Summit scripture, they would never come to Moxu Mountain to use that fragment to barter for some worthless herb.
They were merely using the fragment as bait, knowing the cultivators of Moxu Mountain were short-sighted.
Just like in Chen Yan’s previous life, when many swindlers used so-called “miracle medicines” to trick old men and women out of their pensions.
This was not that simple.
Huangfu Han’s true purpose was definitely not the seven-thousand-year-old Rain-Lin Pearl Vine.
It was to deliver that sheepskin parchment to someone.
Just as Protector Huang once gave his sheepskin parchment to Kang Zongdan.
...
Moxu Mountain was in uproar.
Every cultivator had gone mad over the supposed Heavenly Summit scripture fragment and swarmed the mountain in a massive search for the Rain-Lin Pearl Vine.
Many rogue cultivators joined in.
But those rogues were not seeking to monopolize the Heavenly Summit scripture fragment—they did not have the ability.
Both the Han Crow Sect and the Jiugong Sect had publicized that anyone who found the Rain-Lin Pearl Vine would be granted an exception to join their sect.
From the moment of entry, they would enjoy the treatment of an Offering Elder and be allowed to consult the fragment of the Heavenly Summit scripture at any time.
For example...
“Make way! Move out of the way!”
A young cultivator in black daoist robes, handsome but with a dark, gloomy expression, strode up the mountain, shoving past those moving more slowly ahead of him.
Chu Fan.
This young man, who had been mocked and humiliated by Mirage Palace disciples in Wushi Town, seemed utterly unaware that anything was wrong with him.
Thirty years east, thirty years west!
Today those who insult me will be repaid a hundredfold!
They dared to block me from seeing the special envoy?
Wait until I present the Rain-Lin Pearl Vine to the Mirage Palace envoy—see how they stop me then!
Chu Fan had no interest in the Heavenly Summit scripture itself.
He wanted to join Mirage Palace, then after improving his cultivation, find that squinty-eyed one and repay all the humiliations he had suffered!
“Make way!”
Chu Fan shouted, then shoved a rogue cultivator of the Body Forging Realm who was blocking his path up the mountain.
“Damn you, you—”
The rogue lost his balance, stumbled forward a few steps, almost fell, then spun around to hurl an angry curse at Chu Fan, only to abruptly go silent.
He of course recognized the young rogue behind him.
In Moxu Mountain’s territory, there were almost no Body Forging Realm cultivators who could match Chu Fan.
Chu Fan also carried himself with extreme arrogance; rogue cultivators who had taken offense at him and tried to pick fights had all been decisively knocked down.
“Young Master Chu, you’ve got quite the temper.”
By a tree sat a cultivator who looked about thirty. His name was Zhao Haitao.
He was a rogue cultivator from Wushi Town, at the early stage of the Qi Circulation Realm.
Zhao Haitao had come up the mountain for the same reason: the seven-thousand-year-old Rain-Lin Pearl Vine.
Zhao’s talent was ordinary. From childhood he had trained with his master, and after more than twenty years he had only reached the early Qi Circulation Realm.
Zhao’s master, a Body Forging Realm rogue, had stirred up trouble with a sect that had a Qi Sea Realm cultivator stationed on Moxu Mountain and so had fled Moxu Mountain in shame.
At that time Zhao was only a Body Forging Realm cultivator, so the sect had not investigated him further.
After Zhao’s master fled, Zhao repeatedly tried to join the Jiugong Sect, but was always rejected.
His talent was simply too average; the mid-Qi Circulation Realm was nearly his ceiling.
His last rejection by the Jiugong Sect had been three years ago.
Chu Fan had been among those taking part in the Jiugong Sect’s disciple selection that time.
After Zhao was eliminated, Chu Fan had stood to the side with a mocking smile.
“Delusional trash.”
Although Chu Fan had muttered to himself, his voice still reached Zhao Haitao’s ears.
From that moment on, Zhao had borne a grudge against Chu Fan.
Chu Fan turned and looked in Zhao Haitao’s direction.
He paused a moment, then made a customary bow toward Zhao and said respectfully:
“May I ask who you are, sir?”