A Shape-Change Enters the Mountain

Chapter 721: Reputation Spreads Wide; A Shape-Change Enters the Mountain

Before long, Yuan Kun had successfully procured all the necessary items. Accompanied by his two subordinates, he left the small town and flew toward Linglong Mountain on his magic tool.

But they had only traveled twenty or thirty li from the town when, without warning, a silver light flashed in the sky ahead. A gorgeous, enchanting young woman appeared there, watching the three with a smile. Her demeanor was remarkably seductive.

“We are disciples of the Moon-Masking Sect. Senior…” Although Yuan Kun’s cultivation was shallow, he immediately recognized that the young woman’s sudden appearance was no ordinary matter. He quickly invoked his sect’s name to deter any potential hostility.

But the young woman did not even wait for him to finish. With a soft, tinkling laugh, she parted her lips and spat out a cloud of pink fragrant mist. The mist appeared to drift slowly, yet it reached the three in an instant, enveloping them head-on.

Pitifully, with Yuan Kun’s shallow cultivation, he had no power to resist. The moment he caught a faint whiff of the scent, his mind went heavy, and he lost consciousness.

The three toppled over and began to fall toward the ground.

Without any hesitation, the young woman flicked her sleeve. A beam of white light shot out, rolling them up and pulling them to her side in an instant.

She cast a quick glance down at them, then chuckled lightly. Silver light flared around her, and she shot away with the three in tow, vanishing from sight in moments.

After flying more than ten li, the white light descended into a desolate, uninhabited forest.

Beneath a large tree in the forest, a young man in a green robe sat cross-legged, his eyes closed in meditation, his expression utterly placid.

The white light abruptly appeared before him, then faded. Yuan Kun and the other two lay silently at the young man’s feet. The young woman descended lightly from the air and stood respectfully at his side, reporting in a deferential tone:

“Master, I have brought them. They claimed to be cultivators of the Moon-Masking Sect. I believe I have the right people.”

“Were you noticed by anyone else?” The young man opened his eyes and asked calmly.

Naturally, this was none other than Han Li, who had finally arrived in Northern Liang Country after traveling day and night for over half a month.

Since he planned to visit Nangong Wan in secret, he certainly would not go directly to the mountain and announce himself, inviting unnecessary trouble.

Therefore, he needed to learn the specific circumstances within the Moon-Masking Sect on Linglong Mountain. He had delayed a day in that small town to seek out a Moon-Masking Sect cultivator.

Having risen step by step from a low-level cultivator himself, Han Li knew very well that low-ranking sect disciples had not yet completely severed their ties to the mortal world, unlike their high-ranking elders. The towns closest to their sect were naturally their favorite haunts.

With Han Li’s formidable divine sense, no matter how many cultivators were in the town, none could escape his detection.

Originally, Han Li had targeted a different Qi Condensation disciple from the Moon-Masking Sect.

But as soon as Yuan Kun, who was dressed in steward’s attire, appeared, Han Li naturally changed his target.

A high-ranking disciple of the Moon-Masking Sect would naturally know even more.

He had attached a strand of his divine sense to Yuan Kun and ordered Silvermoon to capture him as soon as they left the city. Then, Han Li had come to this forest to wait.

“Rest assured, Master. With their level of cultivation, capturing them was trivial. No other cultivator noticed,” Silvermoon replied. She seemed to sense Han Li’s current mood and tactfully refrained from her usual teasing, answering with sincerity.

“Good. You did well this time. Your fox-body is skilled in illusion techniques. Use that ability, combined with my Dream Guide Art, to make this man unwittingly confess everything.” Han Li glanced expressionlessly at Yuan Kun before speaking coldly.

“As you command, Master.” Silvermoon immediately assented.

Turning around, she once again breathed out a cloud of pink mist, this time spanning several zhang in width, completely enveloping the three on the ground.

Han Li rose and calmly stepped into the mist.

Soon, a faint flash of azure light flickered from within the mist!

…

Although Linglong Mountain bore the name “Linglong,” meaning delicate and exquisite, anyone seeing it for the first time would find it difficult to associate the two. The mountain was neither small nor delicate; in fact, it appeared rather bulky and strange.

This single main peak covered dozens of li in area. Its lower half was extremely gentle, almost completely without steepness, resembling a vast, sloping plateau.

However, starting from the mountainside, the terrain suddenly became perilous and steep, creating a stark and incongruous contrast with the lower part. At the same time, the spiritual qi also began to increase dramatically. Only Core Formation cultivators and above would establish their cave dwellings up there.

Naturally, to prevent aerial intrusion by enemies, numerous powerful formation restrictions were placed on the upper half of Linglong Mountain. Low-level disciples had no choice but to follow several designated paths if they wished to ascend.

Han Li was now standing on an ancient, bluestone-paved street at the foot of Linglong Mountain. With his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed into the distance at the mountain’s summit, a trace of tenderness flickering in his eyes.

His appearance had changed drastically. Using the “Shape-Shifting Art,” he had altered his stature and features to perfectly match Yuan Kun’s. His cultivation had also been concealed to the level of Qi Condensation.

After obtaining the desired information from Yuan Kun and his two companions, Han Li had bound them with restrictions, tossed them into a hollow tree, and then headed openly for Linglong Mountain.

Using Yuan Kun’s steward token and the intelligence about the Moon-Masking Sect gleaned from the Dream Guide Art, he had easily infiltrated the sect’s mountain gate.

He was now standing in a market town that the Moon-Masking Sect had built at the foot of Linglong Mountain. It was a place where the sect’s thousands of disciples could trade and exchange needed items.

Several of the shops specializing in mortal-world goods were under the jurisdiction of this Steward Yuan.

Han Li was not in a hurry to head directly toward the summit. Instead, he unhurriedly took the goods that Yuan Kun had purchased and delivered them to these establishments.

Only then, under the respectful gazes of the shopkeepers, did he step out of a shop. Standing in the market street, he cast a distant glance at the mountain peak.

According to the memories of the three disciples, Nangong Wan was about to be married. Because of this, she was not in seclusion cultivating, but she was not seeing visitors easily. Even high-level disciples of the sect found it difficult to meet this senior, Nangong.

As for the details of how Nangong Wan had agreed to become the dual-cultivation partner of Wei Lichen of the Transform Will Sect, these three low-ranking disciples knew nothing at all.

This left Han Li feeling slightly disappointed.

Nevertheless, from their memories, he could see that Nangong Wan, as the youngest female Nascent Soul cultivator in the Moon-Masking Sect, was also renowned for her peerless beauty. She was greatly admired by the sect’s low-level disciples, and many male disciples secretly harbored feelings for her.

Unexpectedly, Yuan Kun was among them.

Although he had only seen Nangong Wan two or three times in his decades within the sect, he had become utterly infatuated.

When he heard that Nangong Wan was to be wed to another man, this Steward Yuan had secretly wallowed in heartbreak for a long time.

Upon receiving these memories, Han Li felt somewhat speechless.

After finishing the deliveries, Han Li followed Yuan Kun’s habits and casually handled a few minor matters, acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Fortunately, this Steward Yuan was not well-liked within the sect. He had no deep friendships with anyone, so Han Li did not reveal any clues.

After half a day had passed, Han Li saw that the sky was growing dark and judged that the timing was about right.

Thus, following Yuan Kun’s usual routine, he unhurriedly began his ascent.

Although Yuan Kun’s cultivation was only at Qi Condensation, his position as a sect steward entitled him to an unremarkable little cabin on the second tier of Linglong Mountain.

Of course, having a cave dwelling was out of the question.

Han Li, disguised as Yuan Kun, smoothly entered the second tier of Linglong Mountain without any trouble.

However, the few Foundation Establishment cultivators he occasionally encountered all looked upon ‘Steward Yuan’ with undisguised disdain. Some even walked right past him without so much as a glance.

At this, Han Li touched his chin and let out a quiet, wry smile in a secluded spot.

It seemed this Steward Yuan, except for his few subordinates, was not exactly a prominent figure.

After entering the second tier, Han Li did not head to Yuan Kun’s cabin. Instead, he flew his magic tool at a low altitude, following the mountain path upward.

Though other areas of the sky above appeared empty, Han Li knew they were protected by powerful restrictions. He had no intention of deliberately triggering them.

As a result, at the intersection between the second and third tiers, Han Li was stopped unceremoniously by two Foundation Establishment cultivators on duty.

“Yuan Kun! What are you doing here? You should know that this place is not for you,” one of them, a cultivator with a fair complexion, barked with a frown.

“Reporting to you two uncles, this disciple… wishes to request an audience with Senior Nangong. Could you uncles please inform her of my arrival?” Han Li’s face was full of hesitation, and after hemming and hawing for a while, he stammered out his request.

“What did you say? Yuan Kun, have you lost your mind? You want to see Senior Nangong! Are you dreaming in broad daylight?” Upon hearing Han Li’s words, the two cultivators were startled, then immediately began to shout harshly without a second thought.