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Volume Two: Summit of the Cloud Marks
As the sun sets, the high mountain peak gradually fades into darkness. A slender figure stands against the wind, gazing into the distance. The fabric of their clothing flutters in the breeze.
In the distance lies a vast expanse of rolling mountains, low in elevation. The afterglow of the sunset casts a warm yellow light over the entire range, resembling a resting yellow bull.
This place is Golden Bull Ridge, the destination of Ye Tian.
Thick smoke billows upward, creating a desolate scene as night approaches. Golden Bull Ridge appears to have recently been ravaged by a great fire, with trees turned to ash and the air filled with the scent of devastation.
Ye Tian's gaze is deep; although he looks at the distant mountains, he is actually lost in thought.
A year ago, he had an unexpected encounter with members of the Cloud Sea Sect. After some mutual understanding, he learned that their intention was to invite him into the mountains from Spirit Martial Town. However, Ye Tian declined their generous offer, and despite the elder's repeated attempts to persuade him, he remained resolute.
The elder was quite significant; his name was Xuanyuan Changfeng, seemingly a Lord of the Cloud Sea Sect, second only to the sect leader. However, he did not carry himself with any airs and held Ye Tian in high regard. From him, Ye Tian learned an important clue about finding Cold Frost, which was precisely why he appeared at Golden Bull Ridge.
Additionally, Ye Tian discovered that Wang Weiyang had previously studied under Xuanyuan Changfeng but was later expelled from Mountain Gate for colluding with Blood Sect Assassins to harm an elder of their sect.
Before this incident, Wang Weiyang was favored by Xuanyuan Changfeng due to his exceptional talent and comprehension. Xuanyuan Changfeng was somewhat protective of his students, so Wang Weiyang's minor transgressions went unnoticed.
The turning point occurred one night when Wang Weiyang, emboldened by Xuanyuan Changfeng's favor, argued with an elder of the Cloud Sea Sect. At that time, Xuanyuan Changfeng did not pay much attention because he too had been young and impetuous once.
However, later on, Blood Sect sent a well-known assassin to infiltrate the Cloud Sea Sect and carry out an assassination. With Wang Weiyang's assistance, they successfully killed that elder. Afterward, everyone knew that this incident must have significant ties to Wang Weiyang, but without evidence, it was difficult to draw conclusions.
Xuanyuan Changfeng initially did not believe that Wang Weiyang could commit such treachery. However, after careful consideration, he had no choice but to acknowledge this reality.
When everyone rushed to capture Wang Weiyang, he had already vanished without a trace under his previous protection.
Due to the lack of conclusive evidence and the arrogance of the Cloud Sea Sect, the incident of the elder's assassination was quietly suppressed, leaving the outside world unaware.
It was precisely because of this that Wang Weiyang was able to evade justice.
Xuanyuan Changfeng felt a deep sense of guilt regarding this matter. He knew how Wang Weiyang had killed that elder, as the high-quality tea leaves the elder had used in his lifetime were taught to Wang Weiyang by him, intended to make Wang Weiyang apologize and make amends.
However, he never expected that the malicious Wang Weiyang would poison the tea, and after the elder was poisoned, Wang Weiyang opened the door to let in an intruder and conspired to murder him.
Of course, Ye Tian was not interested in Wang Weiyang's past; he wanted to know these details because Xuanyuan Changfeng had once said something like this.
"Are you really sure he is dead...?"
According to Xuanyuan Changfeng, the assassin from the Blood Sect did not manage to escape successfully, but when the Cloud Sea Sect discovered him, he was already a cold corpse, with all his blood drained and his expression frozen in shock and anger at death.
This situation indicated two things: first, he died at the hands of someone he trusted deeply. That person was Wang Weiyang. Additionally, from the assassin's complete lack of defense against Wang Weiyang, it could be inferred that Wang Weiyang had been colluding with him for a long time; otherwise, such a vigilant assassin would not have lost his life due to such a grave oversight.
Second, his cause of death was due to someone using the Blood Exchange and Marrow Transformation Technique to drain his blood. This was precisely why Xuanyuan Changfeng asked Ye Tian if he was certain that Wang Weiyang was dead; because after extensive investigation, the Cloud Sea Sect confirmed that the blood flowing through that assassin's body belonged to a beast known as the Three Lives Ghost Fox. As its name suggests, it has three lives...
"Wang Weiyang, could it be that you are still alive..." Ye Tian withdrew his gaze from afar. By the time he arrived here, a great fire had already ignited, and nearly all the inhabitants of the Village at the center of the mountain had been slaughtered.
However, Ye Tian was fortunate enough to save one person. From that individual, Ye Tian learned that they came from Martial Sovereign and had once been bandits under Wang Tianba's command. They all owed their lives to him but later were inexplicably sent here and had not been heard from for years.
Until the day before Ye Tian's arrival, a young man had escorted a man and a woman here. He held a token from the Wang family and intended to imprison them.
Although everyone had no further ties with the Wang family after arriving here, they still remembered Wang Tianba's life-saving grace. Thus, they readily agreed to the young man's request and warmly invited him to stay in their village with fine food and drink.
However, things took a turn the next morning. The young man mysteriously got up early without anyone knowing when or where he went. When he returned, he indiscriminately began a massacre. The villagers had long been disconnected from the outside world and faced no formidable beasts in the mountains; thus their strength was quite low and naturally could not withstand that young man.
Before long, everyone in the Village was massacred. Then he set fire to the mountain and ultimately took away that man and woman without a trace.
This information was obtained from a gaunt middle-aged man who, due to his physique, was exceptionally skilled at climbing. This area is filled with towering cliffs, and on the sunlit side of the rock walls grows a plant known as "Platinum Vine."
This plant is extremely delicious but grows slowly and is difficult to harvest. Among all the people of Golden Bull Ridge, only he could pick it. He had gone to gather Platinum Vine to use as a treat, which allowed him to avoid this deadly incident.
Under Ye Tian's detailed questioning, the thin man described the young man’s appearance, accent, height, weight, and even how many moles were on his face in great detail.
However, the person he described was not Wang Weiyang.
This left Ye Tian puzzled. According to the thin man's description, this individual’s demeanor and speaking style were indistinguishable from Wang Weiyang's. Moreover, the man and woman escorting him were certainly Cold Frost and Cold Yang. Based on the timeline, it all made sense; it was even very likely that the young man's rampage after returning early was because he inadvertently saw Ye Tian here and left no survivors to cover his tracks.
"Could Wang Weiyang have disguised himself?" This was Ye Tian's first thought at that moment, a notion that still hadn't changed.
When Ye Tian arrived, a large fire was raging. After burning for four long hours, it finally extinguished completely.
The gaunt man had long since left, and Ye Tian had freed himself from the immense disappointment of arriving too late. Although he wasn’t certain if that person was Wang Weiyang, one thing was clear: even if the young man wasn't Wang Weiyang, he definitely had intricate connections with him.
From his act of setting fire to the mountain and leaving no survivors, it was evident that this person feared Ye Tian finding him. If he was afraid, then he must have a relatively detailed understanding of Ye Tian; in other words, he likely knew Ye Tian and recognized that he wasn’t his match.
Moreover, according to the thin man, the two individuals being held captive by the young man appeared exhausted but otherwise unremarkable. This indicated that he did not intend to take their lives. The reason for sparing them was simple: he would one day use them as leverage against Ye Tian.
Typically, Cold Frost alone would be sufficient to threaten Ye Tian; however, why did he choose two hostages? Through careful analysis, it became clear that his plans were quite complicated and that he lacked confidence in succeeding on the first attempt. Therefore, he wanted to leave himself an escape route.
Based on this analysis, Ye Tian changed his strategy. Since the enemy was hidden while he was exposed, continuing to search blindly would yield no results. Furthermore, given this person's meticulous plotting, it was only a matter of time before he would come knocking at Ye Tian's door.
Thus, what Ye Tian needed to do now was find a place to settle down quietly and wait.
Speaking of a place to settle down, Ye Tian couldn't help but recall his conversation with Xuanyuan Changfeng that day.
"Young brother, if you insist on leaving, I cannot keep you here. But I hope that one day after everything is settled, you can come visit me at Cloud Sea Sect for some chess and drinks. An old man like me is quite lonely!"
Ye Tian has always been grateful for this statement. He and Xuanyuan Changfeng had only met once, yet the other party showed him such kindness, which deeply moved him in his desolate situation of having no one to rely on.
Moreover, this statement seemed to imply a request from Ye Tian, but in reality, it was paving the way for him.
If there ever came a day when Ye Tian regretted missing out on the opportunity to study at the Cloud Sea Sect, then with just this one statement, he would still have a chance.
Thinking of this, Ye Tian couldn't help but chuckle to himself and quickly found a suitable excuse, muttering, "Since Senior Changfeng is so enthusiastic, I might as well comply."
With that, Ye Tian leaped into the air, activating the Yuqi Tayan Jue, his figure darting through the sky like a flash of lightning, swiftly heading towards Divine Wood County.
In the past year or so, Ye Tian had been preoccupied with searching for Cold Frost, making little progress in his cultivation; he had only advanced from the late stage of a Second-Stage Martial Artist to the mid-stage of a Three-Stage Martial Artist. However, he was pleased to note that the enhancement from the Crimson Dragon Golden Blood had become increasingly evident. At this point, considering Jujutsu, his body could withstand challenges comparable to that of a Ninth-Dan Martial Artist, or even a Martial Unity Expert.
In other words, among opponents of the same rank, almost no one could harm him in the slightest.
As time passed, about two months later, Ye Tian finally appeared within the territory of Divine Wood County.
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