The Grand Scatter Deity’s Legacy

“Brother Nanlong, did we hear that correctly? The Moulan Plains?” The cold-faced cultivator frowned, as if he truly could not believe what he had just heard.

The expressions of the other cultivators were equally troubled. But every Nascent Soul elder seated here had weathered countless storms to reach this stage. Though inwardly alarmed, they maintained their composure, quietly watching to see how Nanlong Hou would answer.

“Fellow Daoist misunderstood. I said we would go to the Moulan Plains, but not deep into them—merely a hundred li from the border.” Nanlong Hou explained without changing expression.

“That is still extremely risky. I have heard that the Moulans, after years of recuperation, are growing restless again. The edge of the plains is the truly dangerous area now. Quite a number of Dharma Warriors of our same rank have likely gathered there as well. And while those Dharma Warriors may be somewhat limited in their magical treasures, their cultivation and techniques are in no way inferior to ours. The spiritual arts they have mastered are astonishingly powerful, and they are exceptionally skilled at coordinated combat. If we are discovered, even if we manage to escape with our lives, it will be very difficult to retreat without losses.” The cold-faced cultivator shook his head, appearing genuinely wary of the matter.

“Do you think I do not know how troublesome the Dharma Warriors are? Years ago, I fought with an Nascent Soul stage Dharma Warrior for three days and three nights. That man’s cultivation was slightly inferior to mine, and his magical treasures were far weaker. Yet after a full bout, neither of us could do anything to the other.” Nanlong Hou’s face sank as he spoke.

“In that case, Brother still intends to go to the Moulan Plains. It seems that place truly holds something extraordinary. Otherwise, Brother Nanlong would not take such a risk.” Wang Tiangu suddenly smiled slightly, leaning back in his chair as he spoke slowly and deliberately.

“Haha, as expected, Brother Wang understands my intent best. Have any of you Fellow Daoists heard of the name ‘Grand Scatter Deity’?” Nanlong Hou shifted the topic, uttering a name that sounded somewhat familiar to the group.

“Grand Scatter Deity! The mad cultivator of the Heavenly South who dominated both the orthodox and demonic paths five thousand years ago?” The old woman who had remained silent until now was visibly moved at these words, and a sharp light flickered in her murky eyes.

“Madam Tai is correct. That was the madman who stirred up trouble among both orthodox and demonic sects. Though no one ever officially acknowledged it, that bold and reckless cultivator was unquestionably the number one loose cultivator of the Heavenly South in his era. His profound and unfathomable divine powers swept across the Heavenly South with almost no opponents. Even the Great Elder of the demonic path’s Blissful Union Sect and the Alliance Master of the orthodox path—both recognized as the foremost figures of their respective paths—would not dare claim they could overcome that half-mad cultivator by even a hair’s breadth.” Nanlong Hou spoke solemnly, a strange expression flickering across his face.

“Brother brings him up now. Could this matter be related to that mad cultivator?” Wang Tiangu asked with a peculiar look.

“Hehe! Brother Wang hits the mark. The place we intend to go is a secret cave dwelling that Grand Scatter Deity painstakingly arranged before his passing.” Nanlong Hou said gravely.

“Impossible! Wasn’t that madman surrounded and killed on the spot by a crowd of cultivators after incurring public wrath?” The old woman shook her head like a rattle-drum, refusing to believe it.

Nanlong Hou gave a light laugh and was about to explain when the middle-aged Nascent Soul cultivator in white robes suddenly spoke up.

“Grand Scatter Deity was not killed that day. He was forced to self-destruct the two puppet avatars he had cultivated, using a technique to deceive the heavens and slip away. The cultivators who besieged him at the time did not know this. They always believed they had killed Grand Scatter Deity and one of his avatars. However, after that battle, Grand Scatter Deity’s origin energy was greatly damaged, making it very difficult to restore his transcendent divine powers. So after recuperating for several years, he vanished without a trace from his original cave dwelling. There was no news of him after that. It was only when Brother Nanlong and I found the place of his final passing that we learned from the information he left behind that, after his disappearance back then, this senior had actually set his sights on the Fallen Devil Valley. He risked death to enter that valley—and became the first person to emerge alive from the Fallen Devil Valley.”

“Emerged alive from the Fallen Devil Valley? How is that possible?” The old woman cried out sharply, her face flushed with agitation.

The others, except for Nanlong Hou, all drew in a sharp breath, including Han Li.

Most of them were stunned by the shock of this news while simultaneously judging its truth. For a moment, they exchanged uneasy glances.

“Even if this is true, what does it have to do with the Moulan Plains? Did Grand Scatter Deity actually bury all the treasures he brought out from the Fallen Devil Valley in a secret cave there?” The dark-faced cultivator asked with a cold laugh after a moment of deliberation, seemingly unconvinced.

“Fellow Daoist Bing’s words are not entirely correct, but they are close. According to the information left at the place of Grand Scatter Deity’s passing, it seems he spent a full several years inside the Fallen Devil Valley. But not long after leaving the valley, he passed away on his own. Whether it was due to old injuries relapsing or some new serious injury sustained in the valley is unknown. However, he should have brought out quite a number of treasures. For treasures that even the foremost loose cultivator of that era valued, they must be extraordinary. Moreover, the fact that he was able to overpower so many cultivators as a mere loose cultivator means his secret techniques and magical treasures were themselves remarkable. This trip to the Moulan Plains—are you all truly unwilling to go?” Nanlong Hou stroked his long beard, his expression unchanged.

“And with so many of us Nascent Soul cultivators traveling together, how could ordinary Dharma Warriors truly stop us? Besides, should we encounter any unexpected trouble, we can simply break out separately. If anyone is unwilling to take even this small risk, then I invite those who do not wish to go to do as they please. Brother Nanlong and I will find others to join us instead. But let me make one thing clear first.” The white-robed elder added calmly.

Hearing the words of both Nanlong Hou and the white-robed elder, Wang Tiangu, the old woman, and a few other cultivators showed signs of hesitation. But at this moment, Han Li spoke up.

“I have one point of confusion. Since the two of you already know where the treasures are, why did you specifically summon us and insist on those with powerful divine senses? Is the place difficult to find, or does the opening of the cave dwelling have some relation to this?” Han Li asked calmly, voicing a doubt that had been on his mind for some time.

“Fellow Daoist Han, even if you hadn’t asked, I was planning to explain shortly. If Brother Nanlong and I could have obtained the treasures on our own, naturally we would not have shared them with others. But last time, when we secretly infiltrated the Moulan Plains to search for that cave dwelling, although the location was very secluded, we managed to find it after some considerable effort following Grand Scatter Deity’s information. The trouble was that outside the cave dwelling was an extremely ingenious ancient formation. We exhausted all our wits but could not break through and enter. Since we were deep in Moulan territory, we dared not linger. We had no choice but to memorize the formation’s characteristics and return to the Heavenly South to consult various formation manuals and study that ancient formation. In the end, we discovered that the restriction released by this formation was actually the long-lost ‘Supreme Mystery Divine Ban’ from ancient times.” Nanlong Hou’s face showed a trace of helplessness as he spoke.

“Supreme Mystery Divine Ban! Isn’t that one of the Ten Great Ancient Bans? How could it appear there?” Wang Tiangu’s expression changed, and he was somewhat startled.

Most of the others had never heard of the term “Supreme Mystery Divine Ban,” but upon hearing this, their hearts tightened.

The Ten Great Ancient Bans! Just the name alone suggested that it was no easy thing to break.

A flicker of surprise passed through Han Li’s eyes, but it vanished in an instant as he maintained his composure.

“I had long heard that Brother Wang was a renowned formation master, and now I see the reputation is well-deserved. Even such a rarely known ancient ban is familiar to you!” Nanlong Hou was also somewhat surprised. After exchanging a glance with the white-robed elder, he smiled and praised repeatedly.

“Brother Nanlong flatters me. I have only heard the name. When it comes to the specifics of breaking such a ban, I know absolutely nothing.” Wang Tiangu seemed to sense something and quickly demurred politely.

Seeing this, the white-robed elder gave a rare smile and continued, “After studying it for several years, we discovered that to break this restriction, one could either use brute force to slowly wear it down, or find eight cultivators with powerful divine senses to use divine sense manifestation to dissolve it. Forcibly breaking it was not an option. This ancient restriction is so ingeniously profound that even if the two of us attacked it day and night for months, there was no guarantee we could open it. And in the Moulan Plains, how could we dare to unleash our divine powers recklessly? But if we use divine sense manifestation to dissolve the restriction, as long as all Fellow Daoists’ divine senses are strong enough, we can break the formation within a single day.”

Hearing this, everyone in the hall finally understood why Nanlong Hou and his companion had sought them out.

Perhaps other mid-Nascent Soul cultivators with sufficiently powerful divine senses could also cooperate to break the restriction, but the two of them clearly did not want to include overly powerful cultivators, for fear of losing control of the situation.

After all, they were both mid-Nascent Soul cultivators. If they worked together, they might not be able to decisively defeat Han Li and the others, but they could maintain a delicate balance. To think of all this, they had evidently put considerable effort into their planning.

However, faced with treasures brought out from the Fallen Devil Valley, every cultivator in the hall, including Han Li, was naturally deeply tempted.

Going to the edge of the Moulan Plains carried some risk, but as the white-robed elder had said, compared to these treasures, those risks were negligible. Opportunities like this were something other cultivators would beg for but never receive.

Thus, each person silently made their decision. Nanlong Hou asked twice more, and seeing no one withdraw, a genuine smile finally appeared on his face.

“But there is one thing I must state clearly first. If everything goes smoothly and we actually enter the cave dwelling, Brother Nanlong and I will each choose one treasure first. The remaining items will then be divided equally. Does anyone have any objections?” Nanlong Hou laid out his conditions.