Chapter 790: Wen Yuan's Past (I)

"Lu Cang..."

Inside the Boundless Palace, Venerable Wen Yuan gazed at the projection of the familiar but blurry-faced figure and let out a long sigh filled with disappointment and frustration.

Fortunately, Mount Shu's Four Guardian Elders had all gone to Silver Sword Peak to see the iron-eating beast. They were there just in time to see the projection of the mysterious person that had attacked the High God's Legacy.

The younger generations did not recognize the person in question, but the Mount Shu Sect's elders recognized him at a glance.

It had been one hundred and fifty years since Lu Cang's disappearance and Wen Yuan's rise to the position of sect leader. If the cultivators of that generation had not deliberately preserved their appearances, they would all look very old now.

Yet, Lu Cang still had the face of a middle-aged man, totally unchanged from when he left Mount Shu all those years ago. The expression of unbridled arrogance and determination he once wore was gone, replaced by an icy, apathetic expression.

"There's no doubt that the one who broke into the Jiuli Hidden Realm was Lu Cang." The Weapons Master looked at Venerable Wen Yuan. He wanted to say something, but after hesitating for a moment, he just let out a sigh. "Haaaaa..."

Tan Qingfeng, Di Nufeng, and Chu Liang stood in the room, observing the complex expressions of the Mount Shu Sect's high-ranking members.

They couldn't help but wonder,

Does this intruder have some connection to Mount Shu? Could there be some kind of conspiracy behind this?

Before they could figure it out, the Discipline Master turned and said, "Tan Qingfeng, we have some internal sect matters to discuss. Could you please step out for now? Rest assured, Mount Shu has no designs on the Jiuli Hidden Realm. We can discuss the specifics of our cooperation later."

Tan Qingfeng glanced at her and then at Venerable Wen Yuan. Sensing that something major was about to unfold, he nodded and replied, "All right."

Once Tan Qingfeng was gone, the Discipline Master turned to Di Nufeng and whispered, "Ah Feng, go keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't sneak away."

Although Mount Shu Sect bore Tan Qingfeng no ill will, there was no guarantee that Tan Qingfeng wouldn't think otherwise and act rashly. It was best that they stay cautious.

Seeing no issue with the request, Di Nufeng chuckled and replied, "I've never really liked that old fella anyway. Don't worry. With me around, he won't get away!"

She then strode out confidently.

With only Mount Shu's higher-ups and Chu Liang remaining in the room, the Discipline Master glanced at Chu Liang.

Chu Liang immediately stood up straight and declared, "I swear I won't look at things I shouldn't, speak out of turn, or leak a single word of what's discussed here."

He wasn't some fool who could be dismissed with a casual excuse. It was obvious a big secret was about to be revealed, and there was no way he was going to miss it.

Had it been any other disciple, they would have been kicked out without hesitation. However, since it was Chu Liang, the elders chose to let it slide.

The Discipline Master then turned and fixed his gaze on Venerable Wen Yuan again. He said slowly, "Sect Leader, we never questioned what happened in the Divine Ruins back then. You told us that Lu Cang disappeared within the Divine Ruins and that the former sect leader forbade you from speaking further about it.

"We believed you because we trusted your character and your ability. And over the years, you have indeed lived up to our trust."

The Discipline Master spoke in a very gentle tone. "But now that Lu Cang has reappeared, don't you think you owe us an explanation? If you tell us the truth, we will not pass judgment, no matter what happened back then.

"But if he is still alive, we must find him. His son may have been a disgrace, but I believe Lu Cang would never betray our sect."

For several generations, the Lu Family had made great contributions to the Mount Shu Sect. Venerable Lu Yu and Venerable Wuqi had dedicated their entire lives to the sect, especially Venerable Wuqi. Without the foundation he had laid, the Mount Shu Sect of today would be struggling to survive rather than maintain its Divine Nine glory—assuming the sect even still existed in the present day.

…

Lu Cang, a peer of the elders present, had inherited the exceptional talent of the Lu Family. Growing up under the glorious achievements of his father and grandfather, Lu Cang was showered with affection from a young age. This inevitably made him quite arrogant, and he was known for being a show-off.

Venerable Wuqi repeatedly expressed his favor toward Wen Yuan, who had a calm and mature personality. However, Lu Cang refused to accept it. He believed that the only reason he lost to Wen Yuan was his lineage—the Lu Family. His grandfather and father were concerned with the sect's greater interests and did not want the Mount Shu Sect to become a hereditary immortal sect.

Thus, he raised his own flag as a candidate to become the next sect leader and gathered the support of many elders and disciples, including Mount Shu's Four Guardian Elders. They were not entirely on Wen Yuan's side at the time.

Then Venerable Wuqi took Lu Cang and Wen Yuan to the Divine Ruins. Three people entered, but only one returned.

Wen Yuan ended up as the only viable choice for the Mount Shu Sect's next sect leader. For a long time, he was the sect's sole master of the Heaven Origin. Some Mount Shu Sect members had doubts about whether Wen Yuan had told the truth, but they ultimately stood firmly in support of him. As for what had happened in the Divine Ruins, since he did not speak of it, no one dared to ask.

Under Venerable Wen Yuan's leadership, the Mount Shu Sect flourished in the years that followed.

Nevertheless, the older members still had a deep attachment to the Lu Family, and the same went for Venerable Wen Yuan. Lu Chengchou had caused so much trouble at the Mount Shu Summit, yet he still managed to escape so easily. Part of the reason was that several elders had held back, aiming to capture him alive rather than kill him.

However, now that Lu Cang was alive, things were different.

Venerable Wen Yuan had to give an explanation about what had happened when he went into the Divine Ruins with Venerable Wuqi and Lu Cang. They needed to know the truth.

…

Venerable Wen Yuan remained silent for a long time before leaning back slightly. He raised his gaze to look at the others and said, "Back then… my esteemed teacher forbade me from speaking a single word of what happened in the Divine Ruins. But now that Lu Cang has reappeared, I should give you all an explanation… This is what I owe you."

Appearing as a young child today, the Conservation Master replied in a clear voice, "We are already at the end of our years. If anything is amiss, we can explain it to Venerable Wuqi ourselves in the afterlife."

The Alchemy Master chuckled. "Indeed. If you don't speak now, I might have to wait until I enter the underworld for Venerable Wuqi to explain it to me himself."

The joke helped ease the tense atmosphere slightly.

Then Venerable Wen Yuan continued, "When our esteemed teacher took us into the Divine Ruins, it was indeed a trial. However, it was not one that he had organized."

Everyone gathered around the table in the Boundless Palace, listening as Venerable Wen Yuan recounted the past.

At the time, Lu Cang and Wen Yuan were no longer youths. They had already been renowned cultivators at the pinnacle of the seventh realm for years, and with the right opportunity, either of them could have attained the Heavenly Origin.

Venerable Wuqi led the pair to a secluded part of the Divine Ruins. There were no lurking dangers, no rampaging ancient vicious beasts—only a mysterious man clad in a Daoist robe.

Venerable Wen Yuan recalled that the man had dark skin and an unremarkable appearance. His face exuded the qi of death, similar to the most recent sighting of Lu Cang.

…

When the mysterious Daoist monk looked at Lu Cang and Wen Yuan, his gaze showed no emotion.

He asked, "So these are the finest cultivators Mount Shu has produced?"

"They are talented enough, are they not?" Venerable Wuqi replied.

Venerable Wuqi was dressed in a white robe. Though his face showed his old age, his eyes were bright and clear, exuding the aura of an immortal. There was no trace of the youthful recklessness he once had; he now looked just like an old deity that was detached from the world.

"They are not as good as you," the mysterious Daoist monk remarked indifferently. "Had you followed me back then, you would not have ended up in such a state."

"Mount Shu needed me…" Venerable Wuqi said slowly. "Enough talk. Let's begin."

Their conversation left Wen Yuan and Lu Cang bewildered, but upon hearing those words, they understood that the trial was about to begin.

The mysterious Daoist monk raised his hand and conjured a massive dark bronze alchemical cauldron, nearly one zhang tall, out of thin air. It landed heavily on the ground! The intricate and profound patterns engraved on the alchemical cauldron shifted and flowed as if composed of countless strands of Dao essence. Despite Wen Yuan's and Lu Cang's high cultivation levels, merely glancing at the patterns made them feel dizzy.

Judging by the Dao essence alone, this alchemical cauldron had to be among the top ten legendary artifacts recorded in the Catalog of the Mortal World's Ten Thousand Treasures. Yet, neither Wen Yuan nor Lu Cang had ever heard of an alchemical cauldron like this before.

The mysterious Daoist monk shouted, "Enter!"

Then a flash of black and white divine light burst from within the alchemical cauldron, pulling Wen Yuan and Lu Cang inside. They instinctively resisted, but their struggles were in vain.

The last thing they heard was the mysterious Daoist monk's voice ringing out from high above. "Whoever comes out first is the winner."

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: LD

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Term change: High God's Domain -> High God's Legacy