Chapter 35: Chapter 33: The Arrival of the Minor Grandmaster

A youth with a body unsuited for Spirit Cultivation, one who walked the dead-end path of Body Refining, had actually become the enemy of all the major sects?

When the story of Jiang Jichen’s identity and his past began to spread, everyone was utterly shocked and found it difficult to believe.

"The Mountain Sect is the number one sect in the Celestial Pearl Country. Jiang Jichen dared to kill their successor disciples and members. He’s a dead man for sure."

"It’s not just the major sects. I’m afraid the great Noble Families will also seize this opportunity to hunt Jiang Jichen. What’s more, the Mountain Sect and Golden Snake Sect have already posted a massive bounty. Just providing his whereabouts gets you a Third-grade Spirit Pill and a Low-Level Innate Spirit Weapon. If you can capture him alive, they’ll even reward you with an Innate Realm-Breaking Pill."

"Still, if you want to talk about right and wrong, the Mountain Sect and Golden Snake Sect tried to kill him first. Jiang Jichen was likely just defending himself. But no matter the reason, Jiang Jichen has no protector. He can only pay with his life."

...

Discussions broke out across the Moonlight Forest, but the consensus was clear: Jiang Jichen had no path to survival. He was a dead man.

There was once a Cultivator at the Innate Fifth Realm who became the enemy of all the sects, and even he ultimately met his end. What hope was there for Jiang Jichen, a mere Body Refiner with a Spirit Cultivation Wasted Body?

Yet, some found it incredible, marveling at Jiang Jichen’s combat prowess, which far surpassed that of an ordinary person.

To slay a group of Eighth-Level Mortal Warriors and even a Half-step Innate Realm opponent while only at the Body Refiner Realm... it could only be described as heaven-defying. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

As people slew Spirit Beasts in the Moonlight Forest for their trials, they also searched for any trace of Jiang Jichen.

After all, the reward offered by the Mountain Sect and the Golden Snake Sect was massive—it was nearly equivalent to the prize for winning the Moonlight Trial Competition itself.

Once the news spread, several older-generation Innate Realm experts from Cyan Moon City also took action. Granny Liu from the Third Prince’s Mansion, Elders from the Murong Mansion, the steward of Prime Minister Lü’s Mansion, and even senior experts from the Jiang Mansion all entered the Moonlight Forest the very day the news broke.

With Jiang Jichen now the enemy of every sect, they had a legitimate reason to act openly. Some sought revenge, while others coveted the Mid-Level Storage Bag he carried.

However, several days passed. Despite searching every inch of the Moonlight Forest’s outer region—avoiding only the territories of a few powerful Spirit Beasts—no one found any trace of Jiang Jichen.

’Could Jiang Jichen have entered the forest’s central region? No, that’s impossible. With his level of Cultivation, entering the central region would be a death sentence!’

’The most dangerous place is also the safest. Maybe Jiang Jichen is hiding in the territory of a powerful Spirit Beast King? After all, those are the only places in the outer forest that no one dares to search!’

"I heard a rumor the other day. Three Mountain Sect Elders were tracking Jiang Jichen and accidentally flew over the territory of an Innate Fifth Realm Giant Tiger. The enraged tiger swallowed them whole, leaving not even a bone behind."

"Whew, so that’s what that tiger’s roar was about the other day. But I also heard that someone at the Minor Grandmaster Realm from the Mountain Sect has arrived. He’s probably here because of this incident."

...

With no one able to find Jiang Jichen, people began to speculate on his whereabouts. Meanwhile, the Spirit Beasts in the outer Moonlight Forest suffered. Unable to find Jiang Jichen, and with the Mountain Sect having lost three Elders in the search, the furious Elders from the Mountain and Golden Snake Sects unleashed their rage. They began a massive slaughter of all Spirit Beasts below the Innate Realm in the outer forest.

These Low-Tier Spirit Beast Inner Cores were useless to the Elders, so they all ended up in the hands of their disciples. As a result, the disciples from the major sects and Great Families here for their trials filled their bags with Spirit Beast Inner Cores, an astonishing harvest.

Some were even predicting the final rankings already, certain that Guo Ziming, the Mountain Sect’s second successor disciple, would take first place in the youth division of the Moonlight Trial Competition.

Meanwhile, the first successor disciple of the Golden Snake Sect, Murong Qingshu and Murong Hee of the Murong Family, Lü Zihao of the Lü Family, and others were also amassing huge numbers of Spirit Beast Inner Cores with the help of their seniors. It was clear the top spots would be claimed by one of them.

A day later, a Minor Grandmaster from the Mountain Sect finally descended. He went to the Giant Tiger’s lair and, with a single slash of his sword, cleaved the beast in two. His power radiated in all directions, a thrilling sight that stirred the blood of all who witnessed it.

"As expected of the number one sect in the Celestial Pearl Country! They can dispatch a Minor Grandmaster Level expert so easily. There are probably no more than twenty people in the entire country who are at the Innate Seventh Layer or above!"

The crowd watched in awe, their eyes filled with yearning.

Although this Minor Grandmaster from the Mountain Sect had only recently reached the Innate Seventh Layer, he was still terrifyingly powerful. The Innate Fifth Realm Giant Tiger was no match for a single one of his sword strikes; he cut it down as if it were nothing.

Then, the Minor Grandmaster’s Divine Thought swept across the Giant Tiger’s territory. His voice transmitted to all present, "Someone was hiding in that cave. They left less than a day ago!"

Hearing the Minor Grandmaster’s words, the crowd was stunned.

On one hand, they were shocked by the Minor Grandmaster’s terrifying abilities. With just a casual sweep of his Divine Thought, he could tell that someone had hidden there and even pinpoint when they had left.

On the other hand, their thoughts naturally turned to Jiang Jichen. Just as they had suspected, he had indeed been hiding in the Spirit Beast King’s territory. Unfortunately, he was already gone.

The three Mountain Sect Elders had tracked him all the way to this place, only to have all their efforts go to waste and get devoured by the Giant Tiger.

A Mountain Sect Elder stepped forward and bowed to the Minor Grandmaster. "Venerable Master, that little miscreant is incredibly cunning. Could you perhaps help us find him?"

The Minor Grandmaster floated in the air, casting a cold glance at the Mountain Sect Elders before speaking indifferently, "You can’t even find a single Junior Cultivator. What a pack of useless fools. If I were to act, would that not tarnish my prestige? I only agreed to come here to eliminate the Spirit Beast Kings in the outer Moonlight Forest. I will not concern myself with anything else!"

Harshly reprimanded by the Minor Grandmaster, the Elders trembled, their faces burning with shame. They didn’t dare utter a single word, but in their hearts, their hatred for Jiang Jichen grew even more intense. It was because of him that they had lost so much face.

After that, the Minor Grandmaster departed. Within a single day, he slayed ten Spirit Beast Kings in a row, leaving the entire outer Moonlight Forest with no Spirit Beasts above the Innate Third Layer.

This event shook the entire Moonlight Forest. The people within it were incredibly excited, letting out a collective sigh of relief. After all, they had always been the weaker party in the forest, constantly being hunted by Spirit Beasts.

But before these people even had a chance to celebrate, a terrifying, mysterious power suddenly descended from the depths of the Moonlight Forest. It coalesced into a giant palm and swatted the Minor Grandmaster hundreds of miles away, his fate unknown.

"This is a Training Land for young Cultivators, not a killing ground for Grandmasters. If I see this happen again, I will not be so lenient!"

An authoritative voice followed, echoing from the depths of the Moonlight Forest and causing the expressions of everyone present to change in alarm.

’An expert even more powerful than a Grandmaster!’

In that moment, they recalled an ancient rule of the Moonlight Forest that had been passed down through the ages—a rule they had nearly forgotten, as so much time had passed.

...

Meanwhile, Jiang Jichen received an unexpected message—a call for help from Han Qing.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he first hid Little Yue’Er and the Fifth-level Mortal Warrior boy in a secret location, then set off for the place where Han Qing was in peril.