Chapter 630: Chapter 623: Return

Giant Willow City, within the territory of West Barbarian Mountain, belonged to the frontier lands.

Setting off from this city and heading northeast for several tens of miles, one would encounter a stretch of continuous mountains.

After crossing these mountains, one would have already left the territory of West Barbarian Mountain and entered the range of another territory.

Of course, the continuous mountains there, teeming with fierce beasts and laden with dangers, were not so easily traversed.

Let alone ordinary people, even cultivators without sufficient strength, after stepping into the mountains, were very likely to encounter accidents and die within.

There were rumors that a few cultivators who had faced the Heavenly Tribulation of the Nine Realms had once joined forces, attempting to cross these mountains to reach other territories, but they were a bit unlucky. Within those continuous mountains, having traveled less than ten miles, they encountered a True Level fierce beast.

In the end, of that group, only one person was seriously injured and barely survived, while the rest all perished at the hands of that fierce beast.

Of course, whether this rumor was true, no one could verify any longer, but the existence of True Level fierce beasts within those continuous mountains was indeed a fact.

True Level fierce beasts were powerful beings on the same level as True Immortals and True Demons. For those cultivators with insufficient strength to successfully cross these mountains, it was not absolutely impossible, but at least they needed good luck to succeed.

The entire territory of West Barbarian Mountain was already surrounded by sea on several sides. To reach other territories, crossing the continuous mountains adjacent to Giant Willow City was almost the only way.

But with the current situation, more than ninety-nine percent of the people within the West Barbarian Mountain territory could only stay in this area for their entire lives, never able to visit other territories and broaden their horizons.

In the eyes of people from other territories, West Barbarian Mountain was seen as a barbaric wilderness, desolate and remote, with inaccessible roads, which was definitely one of the main reasons.

At dawn, as the morning sun just rose, the city gate of Giant Willow City facing the direction of the continuous mountains had just opened.

A young man dressed in white, with the appearance of a scholar, somehow already appeared before the city gate.

“After nearly a hundred years, I, Ye Fangxian, have finally returned…”

He seemed a bit tired, but the young man’s spirits were exceptionally good.

He glanced at the tall gates of Giant Willow City, then strode forward and entered.

Although there were soldiers guarding the entrance, in the past, whenever someone passed through the gate, not only was a city entrance fee necessary, but they likely also had to give some bribe for smooth entry into the city.

Yet now, as the person dressed like a scholar passed through the city gate, despite having done nothing, and even not sparing those gate-guarding soldiers a second glance,

the soldiers, facing him, inexplicably felt fear, not daring to approach him, much less collect the entrance fee or obtain benefits from him.

The behavior of the soldiers guarding the city gate was like that of rats seeing a cat, an oppression stemming from a difference in life levels.

When they recovered from the chilling sensation suddenly surging from their hearts, Ye Fangxian, who had just passed through the gate, had long disappeared without a trace.

…

On a street outside within the city gate, inside a certain teahouse.

“Have you heard? The infamous Five Thunders Sect within our West Barbarian Mountain territory has completely relocated and merged into the Bloodthirsty Demon Sect.”

“That’s impossible, right? The Bloodthirsty Demon Sect might have had some strength in earlier years, but since the split, with many people defecting overseas, today’s Bloodthirsty Demon Sect has only a few cats and dogs left. With their little strength, among all the sects, they are either at the bottom or not far from it. To say they merged into the Five Thunders Sect, that’s normal, but you’re saying the Five Thunders Sect merged into the Bloodthirsty Demon Sect, are you joking with me?”

“Brother, some things can’t be seen just on the surface. Who knows what aces the Bloodthirsty Demon Sect has up its sleeve? Back when their top-level powerhouses departed overseas, logically, that should have been the weakest time for their sect. Yet the neighbouring Ten Thousand Sword Sect, Seven Kills Demon Sect, and other forces with old grudges against them, did they dare to take advantage of the situation and attack them?”

“The merging of the Five Thunders Sect into the Bloodthirsty Demon Sect is a fact. If you don’t believe it, you can ask around. As for the hidden details behind it, that’s not something we have the qualification to know.”

“Really? If the Bloodthirsty Sect can easily absorb even the Five Thunders Sect, then within our West Barbarian Mountain territory, which sect can compete with them?”

…

Inside the teahouse was supposed to be a place for idle chatter and nonsense.

If we were to talk about a major event that occurred in the West Barbarian Mountain Territory during this period, it would undoubtedly be the merger of the Five Thunders Sect into the Bloodthirsty Demon Sect.

At this moment, among the people lingering in the teahouse, at least eight out of ten were discussing matters related to this event.

A cup of clear tea, a few small pastries, Ye Fangxian sat at a table near the window in the teahouse.

In those days, he had run off to the Bloodthirsty Sect, hoping to teach the widely talked-about Sea King a small lesson, but in the end, he suffered a complete loss of face, stripped clean by Chen Hai and hung up on a tree for quite a while.

Always one with his nose in the air, this event had caused him to feel utterly humiliated.

Too ashamed to return to his sect, after sending word back home, he had come to Giant Willow City, crossed the continuous mountains, and ventured into other Territories.

A seedling in a greenhouse won’t grow tall, and a bird that has never broken its wings won’t fly high.

Within the West Barbarian Mountain Territory, their Medicine King Valley was the overlord. In this place, he, Ye Fangxian, had been too well protected.

Always believing himself to be unbeatable among his peers, because of Chen Hai, he was thoroughly humbled and deeply recognized his inadequacies in actual combat.

Leaving Medicine King Valley to venture into other Territories, his purpose was simple: to temper himself and truly embark on an invincible path.

Over the years, he had visited many Territories, experiencing numerous life-and-death situations.

At the beginning, he fought against the genius disciples from the various major powers, losing more often than winning, and was miserably trounced.

Neither arrogant in victory nor discouraged in defeat, Ye Fangxian had never been weaker than anyone in his life. Every time he was brutally defeated, it only made him stronger.

In the most recent ten to twenty years, he had not been defeated among his peers.

Those unparalleled geniuses who had fought against him and fallen to his hands were at least in the triple digits.

In terms of Realm, he hadn’t made any progress and was still at the early stage of True Immortal.

He had come across some theory from who knows where, which said that only when an exceptional talent reaches the point in a Realm where progress seems impossible, should they consider breaking through to the next Realm.

Therefore, in these years, he focused on maximizing his combat strength, but as for his Realm, he always held back, refusing to break through even though he was capable.

Don’t be fooled by his mere early stage of True Immortal; even for an ordinary cultivator at the Perfect level of True Immortal or True Demon, he was still not someone to be taken lightly.

It’s just that, at the stage of True Immortal, there are only the distinctions of early, mid, and late periods, without any “layers” per se for the Realm of True Immortal.

Otherwise, with maximum being the nine layers of Realm, he would have certainly found a way to cultivate to an unimaginable degree, much like ten layers, or even dozens or hundreds.

By that time, he, Ye Fangxian, would be a god that could vanquish gods, a Buddha that could vanquish buddhas.

This was a description of a devilish-level genius by a good friend he had met in some Territory.

Ye Fangxian agreed wholeheartedly with this statement.

It was only after adopting this concept that he constantly kept his Realm in check, focusing solely on improving his combat strength.

Had it not been for his nearly hundred-year stay in the early stage of True Immortal, how could he have achieved true invincibility among his peers and defeated so many unrivaled geniuses?

“The Chen Hai who robbed me back then, stripping me thoroughly clean, must undoubtedly be the Sea King of the Bloodthirsty Sect.”

“Where I fell, there I shall rise; what I lost, I will take back a thousandfold by my own hands.”

“With the Sea King sitting in power, the Bloodthirsty Demon Sect seems to have developed quite well these years.”

“After a visit back to Medicine King Valley and catching up with the Sect Master and the others, I will head directly to the gates of the Bloodthirsty Sect.”

“Once there, I’ll make that Sea King truly experience what ‘despair’ means!”

With a cold laugh in his heart, Ye Fangxian silently vowed.