Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Arrogant Golden Flame Sect

Hong Yan would like to express his gratitude to Casual Reader for the four consecutive rewards. Receiving such support brings him a small measure of joy; once again, he bows in appreciation to Casual Reader. He also asks everyone to use the pinyin domain to access Zero Hour Reading, and thanks those who leave comments in the review section—your feedback helps correct and guide the direction of Hong Yan’s story.

After about a quarter of an hour, the Spirit Beast Garden finally sank completely underground. The vast mountaintop it once occupied was now nothing but a field of green grass. The Howling Sky Dog, the Moon Mink, and even Jiang Yan’s mount, the Golden-Eyed Eagle, had vanished without a trace.

Jiang Yan extended his spiritual sense downward, attempting to probe beneath the earth and search for the buried Spirit Beast Garden. Unfortunately, as soon as his spiritual sense touched the hard ground, it rebounded immediately. No matter how he tried, he could not penetrate beneath the surface.

With a bitter sigh, Jiang Yan had to abandon his futile search. He turned to leave, preparing to rest, when suddenly a sharp shout echoed from mid-air.

"Where is Jiang Yan, Master of Mount Hua?"

Startled, Jiang Yan looked up and saw two shadowy figures drifting amidst the dark skies above Mount Hua. His heart skipped a beat—could the Tianshan Sect have come to seek vengeance so swiftly?

"The disciples of Golden Flame Sect are here! Where is Jiang Yan, Master of Mount Hua?" The questioning voice continued, now tinged with a chilling severity and a hint of impatience.

So it was the Golden Flame Sect, Jiang Yan thought with relief. It wasn’t the Tianshan Sect seeking revenge. Although he had grievances with Bai Lun of the Golden Flame Sect, Bai Lun did not represent the entire sect.

"Jiang Yan, Master of Mount Hua, respectfully welcomes the envoys of Golden Flame Sect," Jiang Yan replied loudly, infusing spiritual power into his voice.

In a flash, Jiang Yan’s vision blurred, and a white-bearded elder in gray robes appeared before him. At the same moment, a spirit beast flapped its wings, stirring a fierce wind, and landed a yard away from Jiang Yan. Riding upon its back was Bai Lun of the Golden Flame Sect.

"You are Jiang Yan, Master of Mount Hua?" the gray-robed elder asked coldly.

This elder was Bai Tong. He and Bai Lun had chased the Moon Mink past Mount Hua, all the way to the eastern shores, but failed to find its trail. Frustrated, they reluctantly returned. Upon passing the foothills of Mount Hua, Bai Tong caught the scent of fresh blood belonging to the Moon Mink.

Curious, Bai Tong decided to ascend Mount Hua to investigate. If the Moon Mink was indeed here, the sect would face annihilation; a healthy Moon Mink could devastate even a second- or third-grade sect, and Mount Hua, which wasn’t even graded, would stand no chance. Not that Bai Tong cared for the fate of Mount Hua; his only concern was whether the Moon Mink was present.

Upon reaching the summit, Bai Tong was puzzled to find the lights still shining—proof that Mount Hua hadn't been attacked by the Moon Mink. His spiritual sense swept over the mountain four or five times, even scouring beneath the cliffs, yet he found no trace of the Moon Mink.

Apart from spotting a few oddly designed courtyards on the mountainside, a dilapidated gate without spiritual energy at the foot, and some strange land imbued with faint spiritual power at the rear, there was nothing on Mount Hua to catch Bai Tong’s interest.

Bai Lun had intended to leave immediately and return to the sect; he had no desire to linger in a weak sect whose master had just died. If he picked up any misfortune, it could ruin his promising future—destroying Mount Hua would not be worth it! But Bai Tong had his own ideas; the scent of blood at the base of the mountain struck him as odd.

Bai Tong insisted on meeting the disciples of Mount Hua, and Bai Lun had no choice but to call out Jiang Yan’s name from mid-air, hoping he would come out. Only upon hearing Jiang Yan’s reply from the summit did Bai Lun realize that Mount Hua had no flying spirit beasts; Jiang Yan’s shabby wooden crane probably couldn’t reach such heights.

Bai Lun had to explain to his grand-uncle why Jiang Yan couldn’t fly up to meet them. Bai Tong sneered, then moved and landed atop the summit, standing before Jiang Yan.

"I am Jiang Yan, junior of Mount Hua. May I ask if the main sect has any instructions for us?" Facing the gray-robed, white-bearded elder, Jiang Yan felt a subtle yet distinct pressure and asked cautiously.

"Hm, fourth level of Qi Refining—not bad," Bai Tong said, displeased. "Since your sect now has a cultivator at the fourth level, why haven’t you upgraded to an ungraded sect? A sect with a fourth-level cultivator, Golden Flame Sect will no longer keep as a vassal."

Jiang Yan’s face paled. He hadn’t known such a rule existed. But now, Mount Hua could not withstand the wrath of this elder. Judging by his effortless flight, this old man was at least at the Foundation Establishment stage—a stage where one could single-handedly sweep a second-grade sect.

"Senior, I have only broken through recently and have not yet reported to the main sect," Jiang Yan replied cautiously.

"I ask you, Jiang Yan: have you seen a small golden mink recently?" Bai Tong’s eyes fixed upon Jiang Yan, greed flickering within.

"Jiang Yan, think carefully—have you seen it? If my grand-uncle finds that mink, Mount Hua will surely benefit," Bai Lun said, standing arrogantly atop the White-Headed Goose, commanding Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan’s heart skipped—were they not referring to the Moon Mink? That spirit beast was currently beneath their feet in the Spirit Beast Garden.

Jiang Yan’s face turned deathly pale; fortunately, it was nighttime. If it were day, Bai Lun and Bai Tong might have noticed his reaction. The stone in his heart wavered for a long while. Suddenly, Jiang Yan remembered something—his spiritual sense had failed to penetrate the ground, suggesting that, even as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the gray-robed elder had not been able to probe the Spirit Beast Garden beneath them. Otherwise, they would not be here questioning him.

Understanding this point, Jiang Yan felt reassured. Luckily, Bai Lun and Bai Tong had come late; had they arrived earlier and seen the Moon Mink in the Garden, Mount Hua would have been destroyed instantly.

Even so, Bai Lun’s arrogance and Bai Tong’s... Jiang Yan gritted his teeth and suppressed his resentment. With his strength inferior, he could only swallow his anger and find a way to send them off.

"To be honest, Young Master Bai and Senior, I have indeed seen a golden mink. At the base of Mount Hua, I even fought it once," Jiang Yan thought carefully—he could not outright deny having met the Moon Mink. The beast battle at the mountain’s foot was likely the reason these two had come.

"Where is the mink now?" Bai Tong’s greed almost overflowed from his eyes as he pressed Jiang Yan, his tone, out of urgency, softened just a touch—only just.

"I was no match for it. After a single exchange, the mink escaped westward," Jiang Yan replied with a note of regret.

"If I had known it was your spirit beast, I would have captured it and delivered it to the main sect," Jiang Yan endured their arrogance, keeping his voice steady.

A mocking laugh came from Bai Lun, who stood on the Golden-Eyed Eagle, pointing at Jiang Yan. "Capture it? With your worthless skills? Let me tell you, that beast is a second-grade Moon Mink. Even my grand-uncle, a Foundation Establishment expert, might not capture it. You think you can? Don’t kid yourself. Fourth level of Qi Refining—even if you reach the peak, you’re still useless. Trash is trash."

Jiang Yan sighed inwardly. With inferior strength, one must bow their head. To avoid provoking these dangerous visitors, he could only respond humbly, "Young Master Bai’s lesson is well taken."

Bai Tong’s eyes flashed coldly as he saw Jiang Yan endure Bai Lun’s contempt. He silently admired the young man’s patience, though he worried Bai Lun might go too far and offend the young sect master. Nevertheless, upon noting Jiang Yan’s cultivation, Bai Tong’s mind calmed—just a fourth-level Qi Refiner, no matter how gifted, without Foundation Establishment, he would always be an ant before Golden Flame Sect.

Besides, Foundation Establishment was not so easily achieved. In Linqing Prefecture, there were countless peak Qi Refining experts, but how many truly obtained the Foundation Establishment Pill and broke through? Without the pill, Bai Tong saw only a minuscule chance for Jiang Yan.

With that, Bai Tong snorted and said to Bai Lun, "Enough, Lun’er. We must focus on business. Let’s search west for the Moon Mink—it’s too elusive. Let’s go." He vanished into the air, his figure appearing a hundred meters away atop the summit.

Bai Lun glanced at his swiftly departing grand-uncle, relief flickering across his face. At last, he could leave this miserable Mount Hua. With that, he urged the White-Headed Goose into the air, commanding Jiang Yan arrogantly from above, "Jiang Yan, you are now at the fourth level of Qi Refining. Go and report to Golden Flame Sect, so we can remove your vassal status and stop wasting our spirit stones."

With those words, Bai Lun flew off, chasing after Bai Tong.

Only when their figures had vanished did Jiang Yan exhale long and deep. The power of a Foundation Establishment expert was beyond words; the mere spiritual pressure had nearly overwhelmed him, and his shirt was soaked with sweat.

Yet, a smile tugged at Jiang Yan’s lips. No matter how Bai Lun and Bai Tong wracked their brains, they would never guess that the Moon Mink they sought so desperately had just been beneath their feet. Now, let them search westward, ideally arriving at the gates of Tianshan, seeking compensation for their lost spirit beast.

Jiang Yan amused himself with thoughts of the Tianshan Sect being battered by Bai Lun and Bai Tong’s rampage…