Chapter Seventy: Journey to Phoenix Mountain

Chapter Seventy: Journey to Phoenix Mountain

Shen An had no idea why things had turned out this way. Jiang Meng could no longer sense his own abilities, and Shen An was powerless to help him. He offered Jiang Meng some words of comfort, but fortunately, Jiang Meng wasn’t overly troubled by it. He was simply glad to have awakened his powers in the first place.

July arrived, and Silver City was drenched in ceaseless rain. When Shen An stepped outside, a torrential downpour greeted him.

“It’s time to set out,” he thought.

In his mind, the words of the future echoed clearly: “Phoenix Mountain harbors a reclusive master. You must act with caution. When the time comes, those within will sense the change. Avoiding them will be difficult, so you might as well lay your cards on the table. As for how you do it, that’s up to you.”

Shen An felt a headache coming on.

“‘That’s up to me?’ What nonsense!”

The future, now asleep, had clearly dumped this mess onto him. With no other choice, Shen An pondered the advice, weighing his options in his mind.

Mu Linqiu did not accompany him. Shen An brought no one. After giving some instructions, he slipped away quietly. No one outside knew about this, nor would they have guessed that Shen An would leave at such a moment.

Elsewhere, on the northern face of Phoenix Mountain, a fiery silhouette darted through the landscape.

Wang Yuan had lost track of how long he’d been running; the threat behind him was ever present. He had thought that by rejecting Shen An’s olive branch and returning to his organization, he would be valued and promoted to squad leader. But Wang Yuan was mistaken. Their leader was not a perceptive man; he viewed people through tinted lenses.

Because Wang Yuan had once followed Mu Linqiu—and now Mu Linqiu and Viper had joined Shen An—Wang Yuan was the only one to return. This had caused a knot of suspicion in the leader’s heart. The others, when looking at Shen An, had strange looks in their eyes.

Wang Yuan spent several days within the organization; on the third day, he was summoned out and brought to another location.

But upon arriving at the designated spot, Wang Yuan realized things were not as simple as he’d thought.

Two people appeared, both as strong as himself.

At that moment, Wang Yuan finally sensed something was terribly wrong.

In an instant, Wang Yuan made his decision. The two adversaries were powerful. One-on-one, his strength was comparable, but facing them together was certain death. Wang Yuan unleashed his ultimate move.

He wrapped himself in flames, turning his surroundings into a sea of fire, and with resolute determination, burst forth right under their noses.

In doing so, Wang Yuan burned not only his blood and energy but his very foundation.

The two assassins did not wish to confront him head-on. They realized Wang Yuan was fighting recklessly, staking his life, and they were not ready to trade their own lives for his. Their caution allowed Wang Yuan to escape ahead.

The two pursued relentlessly, covering dozens of miles.

Surrounded by mountains, they had entered Phoenix Mountain’s domain and left Silver City behind.

Wang Yuan was utterly exhausted, now relying solely on his willpower to keep moving.

“Damn it, Shadow Group, what did I do wrong? Why do you want to kill me?”

Wang Yuan could not understand. He had merely refused Shen An’s invitation, yet upon returning to his organization, he was shunned by countless people—and now the organization wanted him dead.

His heart was filled with bitterness. At this moment, he no longer feared the organization; he felt only hatred and regret.

His spirit grew heavier, and his body seemed to slip from his control.

In a haze, he glanced back at the pursuers, his vision blurring.

“I can’t—I can’t die here.”

He muttered, his lips cracked from the forced surge of power and continuous running without rest. His chest burned with fever.

His clothes, scorched by his own flames, were tattered, but Wang Yuan still managed to control the fire.

“Wang Yuan, surrender! You have no escape!”

The two behind him were drawing closer, nearly within striking distance.

Wang Yuan could no longer speak. He looked at them, wishing he could incinerate them both, but it was only a wish—he had exhausted his ability to summon flames.

“You will not kill me—not ever.”

Grinding his teeth, Wang Yuan forced a drop of essence blood from his heart, transforming it into pure energy that flooded his body. His complexion briefly flushed with vitality; he raised his head and ran once more.

The two assassins had not expected Wang Yuan’s willpower to be so tenacious.

They, too, were fatigued from the pursuit, but their strengths complemented each other. As they chased him, they alternated in providing energy, so only one person’s strength was depleted at a time. Through this cooperation, when one tired, the other took over.

Stepping off the tour bus, Shen An gazed at the mountain ahead.

From a distance, the mountain resembled a slumbering beast, lying quietly and awaiting its awakening.

The tour guide called out to Shen An, who smiled and said he would wander on his own.

Afterward, the guide left him her phone number, instructing him to return to the hotel at the appointed time for the group assembly.

Shen An agreed, and she led the group away.

As he disembarked, Shen An used his Eye of Insight to survey the surroundings.

Currently, his Eye of Insight was only at level one, but with use and development, it would gradually upgrade.

The first level allowed him to see things within a hundred meters, but if someone’s cultivation matched his own, he could not see through them.

He scanned the area, finding nothing unusual, and walked toward the mountain path.

Soon, Shen An arrived by a courtyard.

The place was classical, an old residence. Just as Shen An was about to knock, a plainly dressed man with a braid, looking like a Taoist, opened the door.

“Hey, this isn’t a place for you. The tourists are over there,” he said without looking at Shen An’s attire.

Shen An smiled, sizing up the man. He sensed a faint energy; the man was not an awakened one but had cultivated something. In any case, he was not to be taken as an ordinary person.

Shen An replied with a pleasant smile, “I’ve come to see an old friend.”

The Taoist clearly didn’t believe him. “Nonsense! Everyone here is over fifty. You don’t have any friends here.”

With that, he tried to usher Shen An away.

Shen An did not force the issue, protested a bit, and left.

Carefully, the Taoist locked the door, then hurried inside.

Within, a man of about fifty sat on a meditation mat.

He opened his eyes.

“Master, someone was just outside saying he came to see an old friend. He looked too young, barely in his twenties, so I sent him away.”