Chapter 945: Entering the Monastery

Jiang Yuebai and the others waited for some time inside the Watermoon Cave before realizing something was wrong.

“Chu Liang can’t possibly be stuck at this checkpoint,” Jiang Yuebai said, glancing toward the cave. She shook her head with certainty. “He wouldn’t fail here.”

After examining the area around the Watermoon Cave entrance, the Whale-Riding Immortal returned with a pale green leaf between his fingers and said, “Indeed. He wasn’t stopped by the checkpoint."

“There’s a faint trace of his spiritual qi on this,” he explained. “He likely cleared the stage and was taken away afterward. In this place, only the Divine Ruins Monastery would be capable of something like that.”

“Why would they take Chu Liang?” Jiang Yuebai asked, clearly a little worried.

“No idea,” the Whale-Riding Immortal replied. “But I doubt they’ll harm him for now. If they wanted to make a move against us, Chu Liang wouldn’t be their first target. I suspect... perhaps the Divine Ruins Monastery is looking for a new monastery guardian, and he’s caught their eye.”

"Absolutely not!" Jiang Yuebai said at once.

“Don’t worry,” the Whale-Riding Immortal said, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon. “The Divine Ruins Monastery won’t force anyone to become a guardian against their will. As for why they took him... we’ll know soon enough.”

They stood at the mouth of the Watermoon Cave, staring out into the vast expanse beyond. In the distant mist, tides of spiritual qi swelled around a towering and ancient mountain range. Amid the endless green peaks that scraped the sky and the thick canopy of age-old trees sat a modest, easily overlooked Daoist temple.

Long ago, this place had marked the beginning of the Path to the Heavens. It was here that Hallowed Li had severed the Divine Ruins and numerous legendary artifacts from the higher realm, letting them descend into the mortal realm. Even now, the secrets buried within remained out of reach for those who came after.

This was where his beloved was located.

He had spent decades roaming the nine provinces, all in pursuit of her.

"Let’s go."

With the Whale-Riding Immortal’s quiet command, the three of them rose into the air. Carried by the wind, they drifted through the mountain mist, skimming just above the treetops. Using the dense forest as cover, they slowly drew closer to the Divine Ruins Monastery.

The Divine Ruins Monastery must have caught wind of their movements while they were still clearing the checkpoints. There was no other explanation for how they had timed Chu Liang’s interception so precisely. Even so, the group had to move carefully. Charging in through the front gates was not an option.

That had always been the plan. Sneaking someone out quietly was fine, but grabbing them openly was never part of the deal.

It was just that now, their mission had changed from stealing one person to stealing two.

Pushing through the mist and the swirling spiritual qi, they soon reached the mountainside and caught their first glimpse of the Divine Ruins Monastery. None of them had seen it before, and they paused for a moment to take it all in.

The monastery wasn’t large. It only covered about half the slope and contained a dozen or so simple buildings, along with a few pavilions. Everything looked modest and worn with age. The four outer walls, once painted red, had faded under years of wind and rain. At a glance, it looked no different from an old Daoist temple in a quiet rural town.

This made things a bit difficult.

They had expected the Divine Ruins Monastery to be some massive building hidden in the remote areas. But what stood before them didn’t match the usual mysterious and grand style of the Divine Ruins. Then again, the monastery didn’t have many members, and it wasn’t one of the upper realm structures that had fallen into this world. A simpler design made sense.

The problem was that sneaking in would now be even harder.

Just as the three of them reached the outer wall and were about to climb over, they heard a soft creak. A side door had swung open, and someone stepped out.

It was Yang Buwei.

“Come with me,” he said, glancing at the Whale-Riding Immortal’s party and motioning them over.

"Hmm?" The Sword Emperor was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected them to have an inside man even here.

The Whale-Riding Immortal narrowed his eyes and asked, “Did she send you again?”

"There are restrictions all around the monastery gates. The moment you force one open, the monastery overseer will know. The last thing I’m doing for Miss Bai is opening this door for you."

Yang Buwei stepped back a few paces and stood calmly in the spotless courtyard, hands tucked into his sleeves.

He stated, “The moment you step inside, I become the monastery guardian who discovered intruders. Which means I’ll have no choice but to act.”

...

A light breeze swept through the courtyard, lifting a single fallen leaf into the air.

Jiang Yuebai and the others stood just outside the door, watching as Yang Buwei stood motionless within. Without a hint of hesitation, the Whale-Riding Immortal stepped forward into the courtyard.

“I’ll handle him,” he said. “You two go ahead and try to find the Hall of Heavenly Secrets.”

As for where the Hall of Heavenly Secrets was located...

Yang Buwei cast a meaningful glance toward a small path to the right.

Bam!

The Whale-Riding Immortal was the first to step inside. Seeing that, Yang Buwei’s expression suddenly changed. His eyes turned sharp and commanding, like those of a heavenly deity gazing down on all living things.

The Whale-Riding Immortal charged in, unleashing several divine techniques as he moved.

Yang Buwei responded by pressing down with two fingers. It was as if he summoned a natural barrier that canceled out all of the Whale-Riding Immortal’s attacks. His move resembled a blend of the Forbidden Ground and the Transcendent Dharma Mirror. That one strike shot straight toward the Whale-Riding Immortal’s chest.

Boom!

The Whale-Riding Immortal caught the strike with his palm. He frowned as he remarked, “What tremendous force.”

“This is the difference between the Divine Ruins Monastery and the mortal world,” Yang Buwei said coldly, his voice carrying a trace of killing intent. “You use foundational qi. I use immortal qi.”

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Swissssh.

The moment Yang Buwei said those words, blood burst from the Whale-Riding Immortal’s palm.

Although his cultivation was clearly higher than Yang Buwei’s, the purity and intensity of Yang’s spiritual force made his technique incredibly powerful. Despite being at a higher cultivation level, the Whale-Riding Immortal's defense was still broken through.

With a sharp whoosh, Yang Buwei pierced through nothing but air with his finger. The figure before him scattered into two torn leaves, while the real Whale-Riding Immortal had already retreated to the threshold.

Had he not used a stealth movement technique to evade the strike, the outcome would have been far worse.

With only a slight difference in spiritual energy level, the immortal qi that Yang Buwei wielded was capable of generating much greater explosive power, instantly giving him the upper hand.

Yet, the Whale-Riding Immortal remained calm. He raised his bloodstained palm and clenched his hand into a fist. “Immortal qi, is it?”

“

Heh.

”

Yang Buwei let out a cold laugh. “You think you can copy this?”

With a sudden flash, he lunged forward again to attack.

He hadn’t opened the door out of kindness. He had only done that because he had been threatened by that woman inside the Hall of Heavenly Secrets. Her demands happened to match his own goals. If they had remained outside the door, he couldn't have killed them.

But the moment they stepped into the Divine Ruins Monastery, he had every right to strike them down.

The Whale-Riding Immortal and Chu Liang had worked together to retrieve the Vessel of God. This legendary artifact was the key that led to the crushing defeat of the Penglai Supreme Sect, resulting in the complete destruction of the sect. Yang Buwei would never admit that it was his own words to Daoist Cangsheng that caused such an outcome. In his mind, all the blame fell on the members of the Mount Shu Sect.

To Yang Buwei, Chu Liang and the Whale-Riding Immortal bore the greatest guilt of all.

He planned to use this chance to kill these members of the Mount Shu Sect

He wants to copy immortal qi? As if it were that easy!

thought Yang Buwei.

Boom!

...

As the rumbling echoed behind them, Jiang Yuebai and the Sword Emperor swiftly rushed in the direction Yang Buwei had indicated. Since he had opened the door for them, it gave the impression that he was guiding them toward the Hall of Heavenly Secrets.

But before they could get far, another figure stepped in to block their path.

“Breaking into the Divine Ruins Monastery is no small offense,” a dark-skinned middle-aged man said coldly. “If you don’t turn back, I will strike.”

Jiang Yuebai had met Lu Cang before in the Jiuli Hidden Realm and knew he was a senior from the Mount Shu Sect. But now that he stood with the Divine Ruins Monastery, he could no longer act on personal sentiment.

So, Jiang Yuebai made no plea and simply asked, “Esteemed Senior, is Chu Liang here?”

Lu Cang cast a glance toward a pavilion at the heart of the temple and said, “The monastery overseer invited him for a talk. He's not in danger. You don't have to worry.”

As he spoke, he turned his gaze toward a path that lay in the exact opposite direction of where they had been told to go. “The Hall of Heavenly Secrets sees all beneath the heavens. The monastery overseer foresaw your arrival long ago. This was never a secret you could have kept from him.”

The Sword Emperor’s pupils widened. He stepped forward.

“I’ll hold him off,” he said firmly. “Go find your mother.”

Jiang Yuebai glanced at Lu Cang, then at the Sword Emperor of the West Sea. With a quick nod, she turned and dashed off in the opposite direction.

The path Lu Cang had subtly indicated was clearly the correct one. Since he had shown signs of cooperation, he likely wouldn’t go all out against the Sword Emperor. Jiang Yuebai pieced it together in an instant and moved without hesitation.

Even within the small Divine Ruins Monastery, it was clear who was on which side.

Yang Buwei’s act of opening the door was no gesture of goodwill. The direction he pointed them to was wrong, and he had clearly been trying to kill them!

Thoughts whirled through her mind as she ran, but she soon came to a stop. The monastery was small, and it didn’t take long for her to reach a quiet, elegant courtyard.

A pavilion stood in the center, and just within its threshold stood a woman in white.

She was barefoot, with long hair cascading over her shoulders. Dressed in a flowing white gown, her face was veiled by a soft, shimmering light that blurred her features. Yet, the moment Jiang Yuebai saw her, her heart tightened for reasons she couldn’t explain.

She didn’t need proof. One glance was all it took for her to know. The woman before her was her mother.

She wanted to call out, but grief surged up in her throat and left her unable to speak. She hadn’t meant to cry, yet tears brimmed in her eyes on their own.

The woman behind the threshold could not say a word. Instead, tears flowed down her cheeks first.