’The three Treasures—Thousand-Year Earth Pattern Ginseng, Spirit Cloud Fruit, and Yellow Sand Star Crystal—were fairly common back in the Ancient Times, but they’re almost impossible to find in the current Cultivation Immortality Realm. I wonder if they can be substituted.’

These three Treasures were Li Chang’an’s biggest headache. The others were manageable.

Afterward, he asked about various details concerning Gu Yunqi.

But Liu Feiyan didn’t know much either.

She had spent years inside Mandarin Duck Valley, and most of what she knew about Gu Yunqi came from Huang Sha True Monarch. She hadn’t had much direct contact with the man himself.

After some questioning, Li Chang’an waved his hand and recalled Liu Feiyan into the Venerable Soul Banner.

He kept his promise, allowing Liu Feiyan and Fan Yunfei to meet inside the Venerable Soul Banner, even giving them their own private space.

In the past, the two of them hadn’t dared to interact much under the pressure from Huang Sha True Monarch.

Now, they were actually a bit more at ease.

’These two really are fugitive lovers, with only their Souls left.’

Li Chang’an glanced at them before looking away and putting the Venerable Soul Banner away.

「After this.」

He began to take stock of all his gains.

Although Mandarin Duck Valley’s thousand-year accumulation was vast, most of it was useless to him. He would have to sell it off piece by piece later.

While he was sorting through the Treasures, news of the incident at Mandarin Duck Valley slowly began to spread.

「At first.」

Many people didn’t believe it.

Mandarin Duck Valley was considered the number one Golden Core Influence in the entire Western and Southern Domains, and Liu Feiyan, its master, was Huang Sha True Monarch’s Dao companion.

Who would be so bold as to move against Mandarin Duck Valley?

However, it wasn’t long before more detailed news emerged.

"What? Mandarin Duck Valley’s Treasure Vault and Library are both empty?"

"The Soul Lamps of their Golden Core Cultivators have all been extinguished?"

"..."

Each piece of news was more shocking than the last.

Soon, Golden Core Masters from numerous Western Domain influences rushed to Mandarin Duck Valley and confirmed the matter.

Because Huang Sha True Monarch’s stance was unclear, no one made a move for the time being, even though many were eager to carve up the various industries controlled by Mandarin Duck Valley.

However, the numerous influences of the Southern Domain did take action!

Gu Qinghong summoned the masters from various Golden Core Influences to gather at the Cyan Cloud Sect and discuss a counterattack.

Throughout the entire Southern Domain, everyone received Gu Qinghong’s message—except for Li Chang’an of Changqing Mountain.

As for Li Chang’an, everyone had long since assumed he wouldn’t come.

In the Western and Southern Domains, Changqing Mountain held a rather special position.

If it weren’t for the fact that it had offended Mandarin Duck Valley, it could have been considered a completely neutral power.

Li Chang’an rarely took the initiative to attack. The few times he went to the battlegrounds, his performance was unremarkable, and he spent most of his time on the defensive.

Now that disaster had struck Mandarin Duck Valley, Li Chang’an’s name quickly vanished from the Western Domain’s wanted list.

The other Golden Core Influences in the Western Domain didn’t see him as an enemy.

"That Li Chang’an is just a Turtle. There’s no need to deal with him. If we really conquer the Southern Domain, we can just accept him as one of the Western Domain’s own."

The various powers of the Western Domain had long been aware of Li Chang’an’s disposition.

For this very reason, although the war between the Two Domains was escalating, Li Chang’an had become an almost invisible, peripheral figure.

In fact, many Cultivators from both Domains who were weary of war came to Changqing Mountain with their families, begging Li Chang’an to take them in.

Changqing Mountain had now become a sanctuary of sorts.

Li Chang’an was happy to see this.

’There’s nothing good about all this fighting and killing. Peaceful Cultivation is the Righteous Dao.’

In a world growing ever more chaotic, he was enjoying a rare moment of peace.

「Not long after.」

Taking advantage of the Western Domain’s weakness and chaos, the cultivators of the Southern Domain launched a formal counteroffensive.

In less than a month, they had pushed the front line back to the original border between the Two Domains.

At this point, the Ancient Ruins Secret Realm was once again split evenly between the two sides.

The fighting around the Ancient Ruins Secret Realm grew increasingly brutal.

Li Chang’an heard that more Sect ruins and Treasures had recently appeared within the Ancient Ruins Secret Realm.

Several people had already obtained opportunities to reach the Nascent Soul realm there.

For this reason, neither side was willing to back down.

Inside and outside the Ancient Ruins Secret Realm, the bodies of Cultivators from the Two Domains piled up layer by layer, and the entire land was soaked in blood.

’Truly brutal.’

Li Chang’an sighed to himself as he read the news in his hand.

’Once the intensity of the fighting dies down a bit, I’ll send my Golden Core Puppets to explore deep into the Secret Realm. After all, there are Nascent Soul opportunities to be had.’

He had no intention of going now.

He had protected his few Golden Core Puppets quite well throughout this bloody war between the Two Domains.

A Puppet’s life was still a life, after all.

As he was thinking, it grew late at night.

A golden light materialized before Li Chang’an’s eyes.

[Divination has been refreshed]

[Today’s Divination: Evil]

[Huang Sha True Monarch suddenly tears up the Spirit Contract and brazenly attacks you. You use the Realm-Sundering Talisman to tear open the void and escape, but this method of escape convinces Huang Sha True Monarch that you are the culprit.]

’An Evil Trigram?’

Li Chang’an’s heart jumped when he saw the Divination’s content.

Huang Sha True Monarch was going to ignore the backlash from the Spirit Contract and attack him without any definitive evidence.

’My Cultivation is still too shallow. I’m no match for him. I should avoid him for now and let Elder Jiang handle this.’

With a flicker, Li Chang’an appeared inside Jiang Muyu’s cave residence.

Jiang Muyu was still in the middle of her Cultivation.

She asked in confusion, "Young Master, has something happened?"

"Muyu, a friend of mine told me that Huang Sha True Monarch is planning to make a move against me. You need to contact Elder Jiang right away."

"Ah?"

Jiang Muyu’s expression changed slightly.

She hastily took out a Communication Treasure to inform her father, Jiang Xuanyuan, of the situation.

Afterward, the two of them left Changqing Mountain together, not even leaving an incarnation behind, and fled eastward.

Along the way, Jiang Muyu said angrily, "Young Master, that Huang Sha True Monarch is just too shameless! A dignified Nascent Soul True Monarch, attacking a junior like you not once, but twice."