It Turns Out, They Are the Protagonists-Chapter 432: Thirty Years East of the River, Thirty Years West!

The Lan family ancestor’s answer shocked both Mu Zhian and Lan Mulian.

“I’ve never appeared at the ancestral worship ceremony, nor have I guided them,” the Lan family ancestor shook her head slowly.

Her voice was calm and cold, like ice falling into a glass of water.

Mu Zhian’s eyes widened in surprise. “If it wasn’t you, Senior, then who…?”

The Lan family ancestor glanced at Mu Zhian and took out a palm-sized, ink-black jade cauldron from her sleeve, tossing it to him.

“What’s this…?” Mu Zhian asked instinctively.

“You’ll need it during the ancestral worship ceremony,” the Lan family ancestor said calmly.

Her appearance was quite similar to Lan Mulian’s, but she lacked Senior Sister’s coldness and possessed a mature charm. If one didn’t know better, they might mistake them for mother and daughter.

After leaving the pleasure boat, Mu Zhian and Lan Mulian watched as the Lan family ancestor boarded the boat, and as it vanished from sight, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

“Let’s go back,” Mu Zhian said softly, looking at the black jade cauldron in his hand.

Lan Mulian nodded silently.

The events of tonight were too strange. She also needed time to think.

The Lan family ancestor, who should have perished, had appeared on a mysterious ancient boat… and her aura wasn’t weakened at all.

She had even said that the divine oracle bestowed during the ancestral worship ceremony wasn’t her doing…

Then who was it?

The Lan family should have only produced one Dao Integration expert…

“What are you thinking about, Senior Sister?” Mu Zhian asked, looking at Lan Mulian’s thoughtful expression as they flew on his sword.

“I’m just wondering why the ancestor didn’t seem weakened at all, yet she said she was deceased. She clearly had the aura of a living being…” Lan Mulian frowned slightly.

Mu Zhian nodded silently.

This was also what he was wondering.

Why would someone with the aura of a living being call themselves ‘deceased’?

Could it be that the Lan family ancestor was like him?

Lan Mulian looked at Mu Zhian, her lips parting slightly, as if wanting to ask something.

Why did Junior Brother also say he was ‘deceased’?

She wanted to ask, but she held back.

Mu Zhian looked back at the Primordial Lake. The pleasure boat, like a stone thrown into the water, rippled and vanished from sight.

“Senior Sister, since you can see through the essence of all things, can you see through my secrets?”

After a long silence, Mu Zhian asked.

Lan Mulian looked at Mu Zhian intently, then shook her head. “Your heavenly secrets are hidden. I can’t sense any fluctuations in your aura.”

As expected…

Mu Zhian wasn’t surprised.

His heavenly secrets were hidden, concealed from the Heavenly Dao of the Nine Provinces.

Because of tonight’s events, they were no longer in the mood for a leisurely stroll by the Primordial Lake.

Lost in thought, Mu Zhian left with Lan Mulian.

“What’s wrong? Did Sister just scold him? Why does he look so down?”

As they passed by a hall, a woman in a red dress, her eyes alluring, approached them. Seeing Mu Zhian’s distracted expression, she couldn’t help but ask.

Lan Mulian glanced at her sister and briefly explained what had happened.

“A deceased ancestor appeared on the Primordial Lake?”

Lan Feiying instinctively glanced at Mu Zhian, understanding why he was so troubled.

“Since the ancestor has already left, there’s no point dwelling on it. Cheer up. We can investigate the Primordial Lake tomorrow night,” Lan Feiying said gently, trying to comfort him.

“For Sister’s sake, cheer up.”

Smelling her sweet fragrance, Mu Zhian slowly collected his thoughts. “You’re so kind to me, Feiying.”

Lan Feiying glanced at him seductively, then hesitated, transmitting her voice, “Xueyi left my storage ring a while ago.”

Mu Zhian was stunned, looking at Lan Feiying instinctively.

The Fourth Pillar God of the Southern Wilderness had left Lan Feiying’s body…?

Could Xueyi also know that they were wary of her?

But where could a mere wisp of consciousness go?

Mu Zhian quickly collected his thoughts and smiled. “Just you alone can’t completely… comfort me, Feiying.”

Lan Feiying glared at him playfully. “Then what do you want?”

Mu Zhian embraced Lan Mulian’s waist with one hand and held Lan Feiying’s hand with the other.

“I need both of you to heal my heart.”

This was a hall for distinguished guests of the Lan family. Occasionally, cultivators would pass by, looking at this scene with envy, wanting to kick him away.

“This guy is so smug, being so close to two beauties of the Lan family. Isn’t he afraid of being targeted by other clan members?”

Three refined-looking scholars passed by, and one of them, tall and slender, frowned.

“Look closely at who those two girls are before saying that,” another young man said calmly.

“Lan Mulian… and that’s her younger sister, Lan Feiying?” The scholar’s expression changed, surprised.

Not many people knew that Lan Feiying and Lan Mulian were sisters, which indicated that these three scholars weren’t ordinary.

“Being so close to them without being rejected, that must be Mu Zhian… Just like the rumors.”

“He has a hidden aura, quite extraordinary. We should try to befriend him,” the third scholar, who hadn’t spoken before, finally said.

He clearly had the highest status among the three, and the other two nodded in agreement.

Lan Feiying glanced at the passing disciples, then glared at Mu Zhian. “Let go of me.”

After breaking free from his grasp, she took her sister’s hand. “Sister, let’s go back and cultivate. Ignore him.”

“If we go back with him, who knows what he’ll do. Don’t give him a chance to be alone with us.”

Lan Mulian blushed slightly, as if remembering their intimate moments on the pleasure boat. For some reason, she felt a strange sense of guilt as she looked at her sister.

Fortunately, Lan Feiying didn’t notice and pulled her sister away.

Mu Zhian didn’t try to stop them. After all, so much had happened tonight, and he also needed time to process it all.

He looked away, about to leave.

“So this is how the so-called Eastern Continent ancient clans behave? Others can stay, but I’m mistreated in every possible way. Did you even ask for my opinion?”

“I won’t stay in this Lan family!”

“The Lan family relies on their power to bully others. I, Huang Weifeng, will repay this humiliation a hundredfold!”

Mu Zhian faintly heard a young man’s angry voice. He glanced over and saw a young man confronting two Lan family members not far from the hall.

Mu Zhian’s interest piqued.

Wasn’t this the Chosen One the Void Nightmare had been following?

Although the Void Nightmare had told him that this person had come to the Lan family, Mu Zhian had been preoccupied with other matters and had forgotten about him.

He hadn’t expected to encounter him under these circumstances.

“Insolent! Do you really think you can challenge my Lan family, Young Master Huang?”

“This is the Lan family’s territory. No outsiders are allowed to reside here. We’re just following orders. If you’re dissatisfied, you can complain to the elders… if you can even see them.”

Two Lan family disciples scolded him loudly, their expressions cold and haughty.

They hadn’t expected this country bumpkin from the mountains to be so stubborn, even daring to challenge the Lan family in front of so many people.

They had simply asked him to change his residence to avoid disturbing Mu Zhian, but Huang Weifeng thought they were deliberately making things difficult for him.

Even if they were, so what?

Did the Lan family need to explain their actions to a mere cultivator?

The Lan family members and some guests in the hall looked at the young man, whispering amongst themselves.

“Is this Huang Weifeng crazy? How dare he cause trouble in the Lan family’s territory?”

“Even if the Lan family disciples were just following orders, so what? How can a lone cultivator retaliate against such a powerful force?”

Someone scoffed.

“If it weren’t for their reputation, the Lan family would have already killed him.”

Another lone cultivator said disdainfully.

He, like Huang Weifeng, was also a lone cultivator. This incident might affect them as well.

Two Lan family elders happened to pass by and noticed the commotion, but they didn’t intervene, simply hovering in mid-air and looking down.

A mere Core Formation cultivator wasn’t worth their time.

“You said your name is Huang Weifeng? I’ve never heard of a Huang Clan in the Eastern Continent. If you know what’s good for you, leave now. Causing trouble here won’t benefit you.”

A middle-aged man, in charge of the eastern region of the Lan family, spoke.

His gaze was deep, his aura steady, and a terrifying spiritual energy emanated from him.

“He’s Lan Chuan, the manager of the Lan family’s eastern district, at Nascent Soul Rank 3,” Lan Feiying whispered to Mu Zhian.

Boom!

Just then, Huang Weifeng felt a terrifying pressure descend from the sky, almost forcing him to his knees.

But he was a Chosen One and refused to yield even to the pressure of a Nascent Soul expert, gritting his teeth.

“I didn’t intend to offend the Lan family, but after their disciples brought me and my friend here, they repeatedly made things difficult for us, and now they say I’m not qualified to stay here and want me to move elsewhere. Is this how the esteemed Lan family behaves?!”

Huang Weifeng’s voice was firm and resolute, his dark eyes filled with determination, unwilling to yield.

But as he spoke, he glanced at a pure and innocent-looking girl not far away.

She was a delicate beauty with refined features, her hair smooth and black, her skin like jade, her eyes bright and captivating.

Dressed in white, she looked ethereal, but her beautiful eyes held an inexplicable alluring depth.

No wonder Huang Weifeng is so stubborn. He must have met this girl along the way and doesn’t want to lose face in front of her.

Mu Zhian observed the scene with amusement, his gaze lingering on the girl.

“We’re just following the rules. How are we behaving arbitrarily?”

The middle-aged man’s expression darkened upon hearing Huang Weifeng’s question.

Huang Weifeng scoffed and said loudly, “You claim to be following the rules, but why didn’t you stop that person behind you from entering the hall with your clan members?”

“Isn’t this just currying favor and pushing your own people into a dangerous situation?”

As Huang Weifeng spoke, many in the hall looked at him with disdain.

He was clearly just jealous of Mu Zhian, who was of a similar realm but enjoyed special treatment and could even be intimate with the Lan sisters.

It wasn’t just Huang Weifeng. Many lone cultivators nearby were also jealous of Mu Zhian, but they didn’t dare to show it.

Who would want to offend this young master? He had the backing of the Jade Pool Holy Land and was an inner disciple of the Two Polarities Sect, a distinguished figure.

And being able to… win over the Lan sisters was Mu Zhian’s own ability.

Many gazes were fixed on the young man standing at the entrance of the hall, his hands clasped behind his back.

He wore luxurious black robes embroidered with gold and silver thread and ancient patterns, a faint alluring aura emanating from his handsome features.

Many female cultivators stared at him, mesmerized.

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To outsiders, Mu Zhian was still Mu Zhian, but in the eyes of female cultivators, he was the embodiment of ‘allure,’ possessing an inexplicable charm.

The middle-aged man’s face darkened. “Insolent!”

“Senior Lan Chuan, there’s no need to waste your breath on him. Let me handle this, so it doesn’t escalate and cause trouble for the elders.”

Lan Qu, a talented disciple of the Lan family, wanting to show off, summoned a bow and nocked an arrow formed from a talisman, aiming it at Huang Weifeng.

Rumble…

A terrifying pressure filled the air.

The arrow radiated a captivating light, making many present feel uneasy.

Lan Qu was serious.

Huang Weifeng was in trouble…

After all, Lan Qu was at Core Formation Rank 8, while Huang Weifeng was only at Rank 5.

The difference in their realms was too great to be overcome by technique alone.

“Hmph.”

However, Huang Weifeng’s expression remained calm, his dark eyes filled with serenity, as he raised his hand to meet the arrow.

Murmurs erupted in the hall.

“Is he suicidal? Even a peak Core Formation cultivator would have to be cautious, yet he’s facing it barehanded?”

“He’s just a country bumpkin. He’s only at Core Formation Rank 5, yet he dares to offend the Lan family. Even if he survives, he won’t be able to stay in the Eastern Continent…”

As they discussed, a terrifying golden light suddenly erupted from Huang Weifeng’s body.

He looked up sharply, his hair flying in the wind, his aura surging, and punched out, his fist colliding with the spiritual energy-infused arrow.

The void trembled, and Lan Qu shuddered, a sweetness rising in his throat as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

A golden light enveloped Huang Weifeng, making him look like a young god-king, his aura imposing.

Silence fell over the hall.

“He’s only at Core Formation Rank 5, yet he so easily neutralized a full-powered attack from a Rank 8 cultivator…?”

After a long moment, someone gasped in shock.

Not just those in the hall, but even the two elders in mid-air were surprised.

They had initially thought Huang Weifeng was unremarkable, his constitution even considered useless in the current world, yet he possessed such terrifying power?

Only three people weren’t surprised.

Lan Feiying, naturally, as she was also a Chosen One like Huang Weifeng.

Lan Mulian, with her Sacred Heavenly Body, had seen through Huang Weifeng’s… secret.

As for Mu Zhian…

He had already killed two Chosen Ones. He wouldn’t be surprised by any display of talent.

My assessment is… he’s even more arrogant than Ye Yu, but his talent seems to be inferior…

Mu Zhian looked at the young man radiating a holy light with interest.

He was more curious about Huang Weifeng’s ‘golden finger’ than his talent.

Was it some old man, or perhaps a system?

“You’re quite capable, young friend,” Lan Chuan said slowly, staring at the god-like young man, his expression serious.

It’s a pity there are so many lone cultivators outside. Otherwise, I wouldn’t let this child go…

If he acted himself, it would damage the Lan family’s reputation.

It wasn’t worth it for a mere Core Formation cultivator.

Lan Chuan was about to transmit his voice to Lan Qu, instructing him to use a secret technique to capture Huang Weifeng.

But Mu Zhian stretched languidly and looked at the young man below with a smile. “This matter was caused by me. Since Brother Huang is dissatisfied, in the cultivation world, strength speaks for itself.”

Lan Chuan’s heart sank, and he quickly said, “Young Master Mu, you mustn’t!”

Mu Zhian was a guest elder of the Jade Pool and the Jade Empress’s husband. If anything happened to him here, the Jade Empress would blame them. Who could protect him then?

He had heard that even the elders had been reprimanded by the Jade Empress earlier and forced to reconcile with the Lan sisters.

“Alright, since Young Master Mu is interested, I’m happy to spar with you!”

Huang Weifeng’s eyes lit up with fighting spirit, excitement surging within him.

This was a good opportunity to make a name for himself in the Eastern Continent.

His system required fame. The more famous he was, the greater the benefits. And if he used Mu Zhian as a stepping stone, his strength would soar!

Although their realms were vastly different, he had the Holy Light Qilin’s assistance.

Even if he let it possess him during the fight, no one would notice.

“So you really do consider me a stepping stone?”

Mu Zhian chuckled softly.

A ruler, emitting a soft glow, appeared behind him.

He grabbed the Heaven-Measuring Ruler and swung it gently.

Boom!

A terrifying aura erupted, the void trembling, and four mysterious ancient runes appeared behind Mu Zhian.

The expressions of the Core Formation cultivators changed drastically, their eyes filled with shock.

Even Lan Chuan stared at Mu Zhian with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.

Is he really at the Core Formation realm…? Young Master Mu’s strength was comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Huang Weifeng’s face paled, and he cried out inwardly, “Senior Qilin!”

He had a feeling he couldn’t withstand this attack.

Mu Zhian, who was supposed to be a ‘stepping stone,’ why was he so powerful?

According to the Heavenly Dao’s oracle, Mu Zhian should just be a strong opponent on his path to Dao Integration!

The Heaven-Measuring Ruler, inscribed with the four characters ‘Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe’ (meaning ‘soldiers, warriors, fighters’), was unleashed, absorbing a portion of Mu Zhian’s spiritual energy.

“This Huang Weifeng is in trouble…” someone whispered.

They watched as the runes from the Heaven-Measuring Ruler enveloped Huang Weifeng, expecting him to be defeated.

But suddenly, Huang Weifeng’s aura changed.

His realm soared from Core Formation Rank 5 to Nascent Soul! A golden light enveloped him, and a majestic golden qilin, radiating holy light, faintly appeared behind him.

Huang Weifeng reached out and caught the incoming runes, crushing them in his hand.

A strong wind blew, and the ground trembled.

“Even Young Master Mu can’t defeat him? If we let him go today, he’ll become a great threat in the future…”

Lan Chuan’s expression changed, and murderous intent filled his heart.

Many cultivators in the hall looked at Huang Weifeng with apprehension.

Mu Zhian was at the peak of Core Formation, and even they couldn’t withstand that attack, yet Huang Weifeng had neutralized it so easily.

It seemed Mu Zhian had encountered a tough opponent…

“Interesting,” Huang Weifeng slowly looked up, his eyes filled with a majestic golden light, like a powerful being looking down upon the world.

“Senior Qilin only gave me a portion of his power, and I could temporarily reach the Nascent Soul realm. If I use his full power, I can crush Mu Zhian like an ant.”

Huang Weifeng sneered inwardly.

But when he looked towards where Mu Zhian had been standing, he was gone.

He was stunned.

“Behind you!” the Holy Light Qilin’s voice echoed in his mind.

Huang Weifeng’s heart tightened, and he turned around sharply, seeing Mu Zhian behind him.

“Do you really think the Nascent Soul realm makes you invincible?”

“Genius?”

Mu Zhian punched Huang Weifeng in the head, sending the newly ascended Nascent Soul cultivator crashing to the ground, his head ringing.

Before he could react, Mu Zhian landed before him, grabbed his head, and slammed it into the ground under the Chosen One’s disbelieving gaze.

“Who do you think you are?” Mu Zhian said indifferently.

“How is this possible…? Isn’t he supposed to be my stepping stone? Why is he so strong…?”

Huang Weifeng’s eyes were filled with disbelief, and he called out to the Holy Light Qilin in his mind, but the usually reliable spirit beast remained silent.

As he felt Mu Zhian’s condescending gaze, like one would look at an ant, Huang Weifeng’s heart was filled with frustration and shock, his fists clenching tightly.

According to the Heavenly Dao’s script, he was supposed to defeat these blind fools of the Lan family, then defeat Mu Zhian and attract the attention of the two Lan beauties…

But why…

Mu Zhian didn’t care what Huang Weifeng was thinking, simply glancing at him indifferently.

If Huang Weifeng had encountered the Mu Zhian from Tianxuan City, he might have succeeded.

However—

The ‘fish’ in the pond would grow, the Chosen Ones would grow, and he would also grow.

Perhaps he, the ‘Chosen Heroine,’ couldn’t compare to the other ‘protagonists’ in terms of cultivation speed, but it was enough to deal with the Chosen Ones of this world.