In Qinan City, group after group of Cultivators streamed out of the city’s Grand Transmission Hall, like drops of water merging into a lake, vanishing without a trace in an instant.

Amidst the swarming crowd, a plain-faced Foundation Establishment Cultivator paid no mind to the bustling city, instead walking briskly toward the city gate.

This person was Fang Qingyuan. After tying up loose ends in the Outer Sea, he had immediately taken a Teleportation Array and returned to Qinan City.

The Great Zhou Academy’s pioneering war had little effect on an Immortal City of Qinan’s scale. Since its founding, Qinan City had experienced countless such wars.

Once outside the city, Fang Qingyuan summoned his Tier Two Flying Boat and sped toward White Mountain.

After half a month of intermittent travel, Fang Qingyuan felt his surroundings growing desolate. The settlements passing below his Flying Boat became much sparser, and he knew he was almost at White Mountain.

Along the way, Fang Qingyuan discovered that White Mountain was still the same as before. The vast majority of Cultivators couldn’t care less about the pioneering war deep within its territory.

Although the war was right on their doorstep, with the exception of powers like the Spirit Wood Alliance and the Pill Alliance, whose Land Realms bordered the battlefield, most White Mountain Cultivators seemed to be living their own lives as if the war didn’t exist at all.

This was a part of their unique shrewdness. To become a cog in a massive Battle Array, where one’s life and death depended on the whim of a powerful figure—this was a situation almost every White Mountain Cultivator did their utmost to avoid.

Though they were reckless in their pursuit of profit and bloodthirsty by nature, on this particular matter, they shared a surprising consensus.

They would rather fail as a disorganized mob than serve as pawns for another’s victory.

After fending off a few foolish mobs of highwaymen, Fang Qingyuan followed the information he had received and headed deeper into White Mountain.

Thousands of miles still separated him from the battlefield in White Mountain, but Fang Qingyuan could already sense the faint aftershocks of the war. Processions of beast ships towed rows of pitch-black coffins, continuously transporting them to the rear.

Even if the pioneering war was over, people would still not be safe. Defeating the demon beasts in the Wilderness Forest deep within White Mountain was only the first step. The most crucial part, pacification, would consume even more lives.

This attrition would be long and painful. Only by irrigating this Barbaric Wilderness with the blood of countless Cultivators could it be transformed into fertile soil for human civilization.

Fang Qingyuan’s Flying Boat stopped before the main gate at the foot of a Tier Three Middle Grade mountain peak. Within moments, a group of Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment Cultivators flew over and surrounded him.

"Ahead is the gate of our White Mountain Beast Taming Sect. Please halt, Cultivator. You can go no further."

The leading Foundation Establishment Cultivator took up a formation and warned Fang Qingyuan, but his attitude wasn’t hostile. On the contrary, he was quite polite.

Perhaps it was out of respect for Fang Qingyuan’s status as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Still, for the great White Mountain Beast Taming Sect to be so courteous gave Fang Qingyuan a bad feeling.

"Are you Junior Brother Li Fire?"

Fang Qingyuan spoke, calling out the other man’s name. This was a disciple who had once followed Zhao Liangde’s orders alongside him, leading a team to do their dirty work back when he was in the Late-stage of Qi Refining. Now, he too had entered the Foundation Establishment Realm.

"And you are?"

Li Fire was uncertain. He stared at the disguised Fang Qingyuan, even channeling spiritual energy to his eyes, but he couldn’t see through to Fang Qingyuan’s true appearance.

"Junior Brother Li Fire, it’s me, Fang Qingyuan."

Fang Qingyuan smiled faintly and let his disguise fall, revealing his original face. Only then did it dawn on Li Fire.

"Ah, it’s Senior Brother Fang! We haven’t seen you in all these years. We thought you were having so much fun outside that you wouldn’t come back."

Li Fire’s tone was a little sour. With the pioneering war underway, it was precisely when they needed all hands on deck, yet Fang Qingyuan had vanished. Naturally, Li Fire held some resentment in his heart.

However, this resentment only lasted for a moment. After all, they were from the same sect, and Fang Qingyuan’s status was plain to see. After a few more words, Li Fire’s attitude warmed up.

"Come in, quickly! The Sect Leader will be so happy to hear you’ve returned."

Fang Qingyuan followed beside Li Fire, and on the way inside, he took the opportunity to ask about how everyone had been these past few years.

"Xie Wood? That poor kid had bad luck. He was long unable to pass the Foundation Establishment Stage. He hoped to find a breakthrough opportunity in a life-or-death battle, but who would have thought he’d perish instead, dying in the jaws of a demon beast. The grass on his grave is already tall.

Senior Brother Zhao Liangde is still the same, bedridden all these years. Even if he wakes up, who knows how much of his lifespan is left. His clan nephew, Zhao Xiangchen, on the other hand, had a stroke of good fortune and is now a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. He controls a large portion of the Zhao Family’s affairs and is constantly at odds with Zhao Liangde’s wife, Hou Ruoyun. Their squabbling has been a huge headache for the Sect Leader.

Also, Ling Ziqing has become the Vice Master of Miscellaneous Affairs Peak. Elder Long Shuhong died in battle. As for Shi Boji, Zha Shaoyang, and Zou Yu, they’re either wounded or crippled. We’ve suffered heavy losses in this pioneering war..."

Listening to Li Fire recount the sect’s changes over the past few years, Fang Qingyuan was filled with emotion. ’It’s only been twelve years, but so much has changed, and the people are not the same,’ he thought.

"How are things over at Yuanling Mountain?"

"I don’t pay much attention to that. We’re not on the same front as the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect, so we get very little news from them. But I heard that Zhao E Lian shows no consideration for his subordinates whatsoever. The Southern Border Beast Taming Sect has suffered huge casualties. On top of that, that bastard even withholds their spoils of war and steals his subordinates’ kills. He only toned it down a little after someone reported him to the Great Zhou Academy."

Hearing this, Fang Qingyuan recalled Zhao E Lian’s character and found it highly believable. ’It seems life isn’t easy for Jiang Kui and Zhang Yuan,’ he mused.

"We’re here. The Sect Leader is in the mountain ahead. A few years ago, he slew a Mid-stage Golden Core Demon Beast and sustained some injuries. He still hasn’t fully recovered."

Li Fire led Fang Qingyuan to the base of the tallest peak within the sect’s grounds and then excused himself. The sect was short-staffed, and he had to continue his patrol.

Having reverted to his true appearance, Fang Qingyuan walked through the mountain. From time to time, people would come up to greet him. Although he had only served as the Vice Master of Miscellaneous Affairs Peak for a short while, he had built up quite a bit of goodwill.

After responding to each greeting, Fang Qingyuan arrived at Lechuan’s residence. Standing outside the door, he hesitated to knock.

"Qingyuan? You’re back?"

Just then, Lechuan’s voice came from within. Fang Qingyuan pushed open the door and saw Lechuan in the middle of his cultivation. A Golden Core phenomenon manifested within a ten-foot radius around him, perfectly contained and not leaking out at all.

Seeing Fang Qingyuan, Lechuan stopped circulating his energy and laughed, gesturing for him to come forward.

As Fang Qingyuan approached, he noticed that in just over a decade, Lechuan looked much older. He had once been a spirited and gentle middle-aged scholar. While his dignified air remained, his hair was now flecked with white.

"How was life in the Outer Sea? Have you been well these past few years?"

Hearing that Lechuan didn’t immediately ask about Zhao E Lian’s secret, but instead about his own well-being, a warmth spread through Fang Qingyuan’s heart. He first spoke of his experiences and life in the Outer Sea before revealing what he had learned about Zhao E Lian.

Of course, Fang Qingyuan kept the matters of the Longevity Vine and the Demon Worm Death Water to himself.

Lechuan listened quietly, finally murmuring to himself,

"So that’s how it is. No wonder that bastard Zhao E Lian suddenly became so prominent. It was all from shady dealings and colluding with Demon Cultivators."

After this moment of reflection, Lechuan didn’t say how he would handle the matter. Instead, he asked about Fang Qingyuan’s own intentions.

"You were gone for over a decade, absent during the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect’s most critical time. Even though you were carrying out my secret orders, it would be hard to convince the others. Compared to the bloody slaughter of this pioneering war, life in the Outer Sea was easy. Moreover, the position of Vice Master of Miscellaneous Affairs Peak is now held by Ling Ziqing. He’s doing a good job. Even if you wanted to come back, it would put me in a difficult position."

Hearing Lechuan’s words, Fang Qingyuan quickly stated his own thoughts.

"I no longer desire the position of Vice Master. At my age, I can still strive to advance further in my cultivation. Mundane affairs would only hinder my progress."

Fang Qingyuan possessed Innate Qi Divine Techniques and had a long lifespan. Ling Ziqing was several decades older than him; there was no way he could outlast Fang Qingyuan.

Even Lechuan wouldn’t dare claim his own lifespan was longer than Fang Qingyuan’s apparent one.

"Sigh... We were driven into this corner of White Mountain’s heartland. At first, I had hoped to leverage the Beast Taming Sect’s favor to accomplish something great in this pioneering war. But after some time, I realized we were just a nail driven into the White Mountain Territory. Not only do the White Mountain Sects resent our presence, but the support from the Beast Taming General Mountain has also dwindled. Now, they’ve all but abandoned us."

Lechuan poured out his grievances to Fang Qingyuan. It was clear he had no one else to share these burdens with on a daily basis. Back when Fang Qingyuan was the Vice Master, he had often discussed matters with Lechuan.

After listening to Lechuan’s venting, Fang Qingyuan finally understood. The Nascent Soul Cultivator who had sent Lechuan here years ago had only wanted to drive a nail deep into White Mountain. If not for the opportune timing of the pioneering war, the name of the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect might not have been established for centuries.

This time, at the start of the war, the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect had received considerable support from Zongshan. But once the sect had accumulated enough merit points, that support gradually dwindled and eventually disappeared altogether.

Merit points were a valuable commodity. All the participating sects, clans, and Loose Cultivators were counting on them to exchange for the right to establish their own sects, the qualification to form an official Cultivation Clan, a sect headquarters, a territory, a Heaven-Reaching Order, and so on.

Based on the merit points the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect had accumulated, they had enough to exchange for the right to officially establish a sect, with Lechuan as its first Sect Leader.

A sect officially sanctioned by the Great Zhou Academy in this way would be protected by the three-generation sect leader system. No matter how much the other White Mountain Sects disliked it, they would have to tolerate it.

And this was the true goal of that Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Beast Taming Sect’s Main Mountain: to break into the White Mountain Territory and plant a nail.

Once the nail was planted, who would care about the feelings of the nail itself? This was why Lechuan was in such a difficult position.

Furthermore, because Lechuan had been seriously injured while slaying a Golden Core Demon Beast a few years ago, he hadn’t contributed much in the later stages of the pioneering war. As a result, when it came time to distribute the rewards, the territory the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect received wasn’t very large. For Lechuan, who had wholeheartedly wanted to achieve something great, this was undoubtedly a blow.

It was foreseeable that in the coming days, the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect would only be able to huddle in this corner of its Land Realm, living out a quiet existence. Among all the powers in White Mountain, they wouldn’t even rank in the top twenty.

So, after thinking it over and over, Lechuan finally said to Fang Qingyuan,

"Qingyuan, would you be willing to leave the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect and establish a new sect in this Land Realm?"