Chapter 120: A New Grave on the Hillock

Upon hearing this, Hua Yuyan was incensed. With a surge of strength in her feet, she darted forward, seized the man by the throat, and hoisted him into the air.

"You wretch! How dare you utter such words!" Hua Yuyan was furious. She had not expected that while we were risking our lives at Shanhaiguan, these so-called righteous sects would be here spouting such cynical remarks. It was truly infuriating.

However, as soon as Hua Yuyan acted, another Taoist priest spoke up: "Fellow practitioners, you see this? This is the witch from the Lingying Palace. I said long ago that the Lingying Palace is no righteous sect; its disciples behave improperly, and some even feed on human souls. I suspect this woman is one such witch."

"Put him down, or don't blame us for being impolite!" other Taoists chimed in, filled with righteous indignation.

These words only further enraged Hua Yuyan. She arched her brows in anger, sneered, and said, "Fine, then come at me all at once. I want to see exactly how you plan to be impolite to me!"

I stepped forward and said to Hua Yuyan, "Miss Yuyan, there is no need for us to reason with these petty people, nor should we let them upset us."

Still fuming, Hua Yuyan shoved the man she was holding away.

The priest tumbled to the ground with a heavy thud. Grimacing in pain and baring his teeth with a vicious look, he shouted, "Fellow practitioners, what are you waiting for? These two are demonic outsiders! Kill them to preserve the peace of the Taoist path!"

To my surprise, upon hearing this, the Taoists actually formed a sword formation.

Hundreds of them arranged themselves, blocking the entrance to Mount Mao with an aggressive air. Following their hand seals, hundreds of practitioner swords converged to form a formation, looming over us with a menacing intent. Against an ordinary person, this formation would surely have meant being pierced by a thousand blades.

I had come to Mount Mao for Ma Zhenlei, not for them, and I had no desire to fight them. But since they had pushed the situation to this point, I had no choice but to step forward.

"Kill him!"

I walked straight into the heart of their sword formation, clenched my fists, and let out a roar: "Move aside!"

My internal energy erupted, and their seemingly magnificent sword formation was instantly shattered by the shockwave. The Taoists were sent flying in all directions, crashing to the ground. A few were even wounded by their own falling swords, including the priest who had been the most arrogant. A blade had pierced his leg, and the agony caused him to pass out immediately.

Then, Hua Yuyan and I walked toward the gate of Mount Mao. Naturally, no one dared to stop us. Those who had previously relied on their numbers to bully others now had their spirits completely broken.

"Didn't Ma Zhenlei say that only two demonic beings were coming to attack Mount Mao? How is he so powerful? We... we have practiced this sword formation for fifty years, and he shattered it with a single shout..."

"Indeed, he didn't even draw his sword."

"Oh, stop talking! Fleeing for our lives is what matters now..."

As Hua Yuyan and I passed through their ranks, the Taoists began scrambling away as soon as we moved past them. I could not help but sigh; there were reasons for the decline of the Central Plains' Taoist sects.

Afterward, Hua Yuyan and I made our way up Mount Mao. Whenever we encountered Taoists, none dared to block our path; they either stepped aside or ran for their lives.

Mount Mao is known as the Supreme Clarity Sect Altar, graced with the reputation of being the "First Blessed Land and Eighth Grotto-Heaven."

Along the mountain path, spiritual springs and sacred pools were scattered like stars, winding streams intersected, bizarre rock formations stood in dense clusters, and various caves were deep and winding. With lush trees covering the mountains and thriving green bamboo, it felt like a fairyland. However, at this moment, I had no heart to admire these wonders. I traveled all the way to the Nine Heavens Ten Thousand Blessings Palace at the summit.

I stopped, yet I did not see a single Taoist.

Upon entering the Nine Heavens Ten Thousand Blessings Palace, I discovered a large group of Taoists hiding in the Hall of the Three Mao True Lords. When they saw me enter, they trembled in fear. An elderly, white-bearded priest of high seniority asked, "Is the visitor the demonic human Lin Yi?"

"I am Lin Yi, but I am not the demonic human you speak of. Rest assured, I have come to Mount Mao not to harm you, but solely to find Ma Zhenlei."

"Fellow practitioner Lin, to tell you the truth, the Sect Master left the mountain early this morning," the old priest said.

"Where did he go?" I asked.

"That... I do not know. The Sect Master is elusive, his movements always unpredictable." The old man then led us to search nearly every corner of Mount Mao, but indeed, there was no sign of Ma Zhenlei.

It seemed we had come to Mount Mao for nothing. However, no matter where Ma Zhenlei fled, I would find him to avenge my mother!

Sooner or later, he would die by my blade.

Since Ma Zhenlei was not there, Hua Yuyan and I had to leave to seek other clues. The old priest poured out his grievances, saying that Mount Mao had been ruined by Ma Zhenlei. Having been a priest on Mount Mao for seventy years, he had never seen such a ruthless Sect Master; the incense had died out, and the sect was on the verge of collapse.

As the old priest spoke, tears streamed down his face.

The other Taoists began to murmur among themselves. I asked them if it were true that Ma Zhenlei had killed the former Sect Master of Mount Mao. Without hesitation, they all nodded.

They knew the truth, yet they still supported Ma Zhenlei as Sect Master simply because they had no other choice. No one was a match for him, and defying him meant death. They had no other option.

With Ma Zhenlei gone from Mount Mao, I had no choice but to leave.

Just as Hua Yuyan and I were about to descend the mountain, all the Taoists in the courtyard, young and old, came out. Hua Yuyan looked around and asked, "What are they doing?"

I waved my hand, saying it was nothing, as they looked bitter and seemed to be seeking something.

Then, I saw all the Taoists kneel before us. This took me completely by surprise. I asked them what they meant and told them to stand up. The old priest from before said, "I know that hundreds of Taoists blocked your path at the foot of the mountain, yet you reached the summit without the slightest effort, which proves you both possess true capability. If one day you can kill that villain Ma Zhenlei, you will be the benefactors of the Mount Mao Sect. We will surely set up shrines to honor you. Please, accept our kowtow!"

As he spoke, I could see tears in his clouded eyes, mingled with hatred.

After he finished, all the Taoists knelt before us.

This scene was beyond my expectations. When the Three Mao True Lords were present, the Mount Mao Sect was so prestigious; now, it made one sigh with regret.

I told them all to rise and said, "To be honest, fellow practitioners, I, Lin Yi, am just like you—I share an irreconcilable hatred with Ma Zhenlei!"

Ma Zhenlei had escaped, leaving no trace. Luo Jinhong's whereabouts were even harder to investigate, and I had no leads. After some thought, it seemed I would have to return to the Mountain God Temple and ask my grandfather or Priest Li if they could help me find some clues.

The journey passed in silence.

When I finally calmed down, I thought of Weiyang. Recalling how she had perished for my sake, my heart ached incessantly.

While I was unconscious, I had a strange dream about a paulownia forest. I asked Hua Yuyan, "Do you believe that a paulownia forest exists in this world?"

Hua Yuyan was somewhat surprised by my question, but she replied, "I heard my master say that there are still many legendary races in this world. For example, the Corpse Clan led by Ying Gou under your command, as well as the Dragon Clan, the Phoenix Clan, the Demon Clan, the Ghost Clan, and the wild immortals outside the pass, which are a branch of the Demon Clan. Legend has it that the Phoenix Clan lives in a paulownia forest. Is that what you are referring to?"

I nodded.

"I believe the paulownia forest must exist," she said.

"Why are you so sure?" I asked.

"Think about it: your mother is a White Dragon, which is proof enough that the Dragon Clan exists. Since the Dragon Clan exists, why couldn't the Phoenix Clan exist? If the place where the Phoenix Clan lives is the paulownia forest, then the forest must naturally exist," she said.

Her words were, without a doubt, a comfort to me. If the paulownia forest truly existed, could it be that Weiyang had not left me? Could she be in the paulownia forest beyond the mountains, just as I had seen in my dream?

Mentioning my mother reminded me of the memory left within the trace of dragon energy in my body, and of that heartless man—the one who had abandoned us.

I clenched my fists in secret. I wanted to ask him: why?

But where could I find him?

"Lin Yi, are you alright?" Hua Yuyan asked, noticing my mood.

I shook my head and said I was fine.

On the way back to the Mountain God Temple, Hua Yuyan wanted to visit the place where I had lived, so we took a detour into our village. We went to my uncle's house, where the spirit tablets of Lin Xiaofeng and Bai Ningxiang were still kept very clean. Someone had been offering incense and replacing the offerings.

I just didn't know who was doing it.

My uncle had been gone for so long, and I had never paid my respects, so I took some spirit money and incense to offer a tribute.

His grave was on the mountain opposite the Old Grave Slope. I cleared the weeds from his grave, lit the incense, burned the paper money, and left a bottle of wine for him. The world changes too fast; two months ago, he was still healthy, and now, only a solitary grave remained.

I sat by the grave and muttered a few words to him.

Suddenly, I noticed a new grave on the Old Grave Slope opposite.

The village of Old Boundary Ridge had long been deserted, so it was impossible for there to be a new grave. Seeing this, I felt a bit strange. Hua Yuyan and I immediately descended the mountain and went to the Old Grave Slope.

The new grave had a tombstone. When I looked at it, I couldn't help but be surprised.

"Tomb of the Benevolent Mother, Lin Xiuhua."

"Erected by her unfilial son, Lin Wu."