I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 495Book 2: : Open Strife Among the Three Palaces, Hidden Undercurrents in Haori

Book 2: Chapter 495: Open Strife Among the Three Palaces, Hidden Undercurrents in Haori

Vol 2 Chapter 495: Open Strife Among the Three Palaces, Hidden Undercurrents in Haori

"That's right, it was last time when the Underworld was breached by the mighty expert from Leiyin Temple, and Patriarch Shi managed to escape. It was truly heaven's blessing."

Hearing the words of the Yun clan elder, Immortal Yun's expression darkened slightly as he pressed further:

"What did he do after returning?"

"Patriarch Shi immediately stopped the Lu Clan from slaughtering innocents upon his return..." Though somewhat confused, the Yun clan elder reported everything that had happened recently to Immortal Yun in detail.

"You're saying Shi Nandang not only turned against the Lu Clan but also entered the Nine Luminaries Heaven?"

"Yes!"

Immortal Yun fell silent, seemingly deep in thought, while members of the Yun and Luo clans in the hall exchanged silent glances, appearing both anxious and hesitant.

Yun Fan of the Yun clan gritted his teeth and spoke up: "Holy Patriarch."

"Hmm?" Immortal Yun snapped out of his thoughts, looking at Yun Fan with slight surprise, "You've achieved Corpse Liberation?"

"Yes."

"Excellent!" A faint smile finally appeared on Immortal Yun's face—this was probably the first and only good news he had heard since returning to Haori Mountain. "After all these years of struggle, you've finally seen the clouds part and the moon appear."

"Holy Patriarch, this disciple achieved Corpse Liberation thanks to Patriarch Shi."

...

Immortal Yun narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the Nascent Soul cultivators in the hall.

These were all people he trusted deeply, yet some now kept their heads down, seemingly afraid to meet his gaze, their posture both guilty and stubborn.

Immortal Yun looked at Yun Fan at the front and asked coldly: "What do you want to say?"

"I..." Yun Fan gritted his teeth and said, "This disciple begs the Holy Patriarch not to suspect those who shouldn't be suspected."

"Audacious!"

Immortal Yun shouted coldly, and Yun Fan was sent flying backward, crashing onto the jade steps outside the Three Palaces, rolling and moaning incessantly while spitting blood from his mouth.

Blood flowed down the steps level by level like a small waterfall.

In the Three Palaces, everyone else was as silent as cicadas in winter, not a single breath audible.

Immortal Yun took two deep breaths, waved his hand, and Yun Fan's body flew back again, landing with a thud in the hall.

"Whether Shi Nandang is truly suspicious, I don't know yet." Immortal Yun stared coldly at the prostrate Yun Fan, "But you have already developed rebellious thoughts!"

"Only... only if the Holy Patriarch and Patriarch Shi remain harmonious."

Yun Fan replied intermittently.

"You're nothing but a loyal dog for Shi Nandang!"

"This disciple... this disciple isn't doing this for Patriarch Shi." Yun Fan raised his head, staring stubbornly at Immortal Yun, "But for myself, for our Yun clan, and for you, Holy Patriarch."

Immortal Yun stared at him and actually laughed: "For me? You, this traitorous thing, dare say it's for me?"

"Although this disciple received great kindness from Patriarch Shi, achieving Corpse Liberation and now becoming master of Thousand Wonders Peak." Yun Fan said weakly, "But I grew up within the clan, and the Holy Patriarch has always guided me. In terms of kindness, the Holy Patriarch's grace to me is as high as mountains and deep as seas—how could I only side with Patriarch Shi?"

His tone was mournful, and Immortal Yun's expression softened slightly. Yun Fan continued: "Has the Holy Patriarch ever considered what our Yun clan would be like now if Patriarch Shi hadn't returned?"

Immortal Yun opened his mouth but suddenly found it difficult to answer this question.

What would it be like?

The Lu Clan had nearly gone mad. If not for Shi Nandang's intervention, the Luo clan would likely have been mostly fed to the insects, and his Yun clan would have suffered devastating losses.

Given the Lu Clan's previous actions and the Gu God's greed, the scene he returned to would have been ten times more tragic than now.

Seeing Immortal Yun silent, Yun Fan continued: "If not for Patriarch Shi, our Haori Mountain would now..."

"Enough!" Immortal Yun's face darkened as he shouted, "How do you know he's really Shi Nandang? What purpose does he have coming to Haori Mountain? Do you know?"

Yun Fan froze completely.

Even others in the hall couldn't help but murmur and discuss, clearly frightened by Immortal Yun's words.

Yun Fan whispered softly, still unable to believe it: "No, he's not Patriarch Shi?"

"Hah, who knows who this person is? Entering our Haori Mountain with ulterior motives." Immortal Yun scolded, "You're so blind and foolish, yet you dare speak for him?"

Yun Fan remained silent for a long while. Just when Immortal Yun thought he had been rendered speechless, he suddenly asked: "A spy with ulterior motives who treats our Yun clan a hundred times more benevolently than the Lu Clan."

"A spy who guides my cultivation, quells sect turmoil, and preserves disciples' lives." Yun Fan looked at Immortal Yun, his voice growing louder, "Between him and the Lu Clan, who is the real spy of Haori Mountain!"

Immortal Yun suddenly realized that he was the one rendered speechless.

What made him frown even more was that even after he pointed out the doubts about Shi Nandang's identity, about half of the people in the hall seemed to agree with Yun Fan's words.

"Yun Fan! Don't forget your identity as a disciple of Haori Mountain!"

"This disciple remembers it precisely! Without Patriarch Shi, this 'external thief', our Yun clan would have been finished long ago, and Haori Mountain would be nothing but insects!"

Immortal Yun looked at Yun Fan—his face covered in blood, pale as gold paper, breathing weakly, yet his voice remained resolute and decisive.

Seeing him silent, Yun Fan continued: "Holy Patriarch, given the current situation in Xuanwei, neither our Haori Mountain nor the Yun clan can easily remain aloof..."

These words truly struck a chord with Immortal Yun. Hearing about the current situation in Xuanwei, he knew Haori Mountain had serious problems—the entire sect had only one True Immortal, falling far short even of that Cangmo Dragon Palace.

Dreaming of showing off the prestige of Xuanwei's Four Sects in the future would be nothing but fantasy.

"What do you want to say?"

Yun Fan lowered his eyes and said softly: "This disciple doesn't trust the Lu Clan, and trusts the Demon Ancestor even less."

...

Immortal Yun pressed his lips together, waves of shock surging in his heart.

Had Yun Fan's resentment toward the Lu Clan reached such an extent?

The meaning in his words was that no matter who Shi Nandang was, he would be better than choosing the Lu Clan?

But when he looked at the others in the hall, his gaze paused—most of the Nascent Soul cultivators were deep in thought following Yun Fan's words, and some were even nodding.

Had that Shi Nandang, who came from who knows where, unknowingly won over so many hearts? Even more influential than him, the Holy Patriarch?

He remained silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled and looked at Yun Fan: "I understand what you're saying."

"Holy Patriarch."

Immortal Yun raised his hand, "I know you're sincere at heart. Rise."

"Thank you, Holy Patriarch." Yun Fan's face filled with joy as he stood up. "The Holy Patriarch is wise!"

The atmosphere in the hall relaxed. Immortal Yun's lips curled slightly, his expression growing softer.

Beneath Haori Mountain's golden summit, within the inverted Yuanzun Peak, Immortal Yun's figure flashed into existence.

"Ancestor Yun!"

The Lu Clan members stationed here were thrown into chaos, staring at Immortal Yun outside the altar with panicked expressions.

They had thought this place was the center of the great formation, and they would be completely safe within it. They never expected Immortal Yun to enter so easily, completely silently, without the formation showing any reaction at all.

Immortal Yun ignored the others, focusing his gaze on Shi Nandang's master's face, slowly landing before him.

"Ancestor... Ancestor Yun."

"Are you in charge here?"

"Yes!"

Shi Nandang's master said through gritted teeth.

He originally held a high position within the clan, but had been blind enough to take in a wicked disciple. This time, entering the Nine Luminaries Heaven was out of the question for him.

But given his high cultivation and pure bloodline, he was assigned to manage the altar, receive the Great Elder and others, while preserving the Lu Clan's vitality.

Never did he expect that as soon as Ancestor Yun returned, he would directly enter Yuanzun Peak. Now everything was finished!

Shi Nandang's master looked pale and desperate, but Immortal Yun's words caught him completely off guard: "Let me ask you, when did you take Shi Nandang as your disciple?"

"Shi... Shi Nandang? Why does Ancestor Yun want to know this?"

"Answer when I ask!"

"This disciple took him in over eleven thousand years ago."

Shi Nandang's master said quickly, "At that time, Shi Nandang was still filial and respectful. Who would have thought he'd become like this now..."

Immortal Yun nodded slightly and asked: "So the Shi Nandang back then didn't have the formidable strength he has now, unable to achieve near-invincibility among his peers?"

"This disciple certainly had talent." Shi Nandang's master said quietly, "If not, I wouldn't have valued him back then. But to say he was invincible among his peers... I truly never expected that."

"That strength to fight against a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators alone..."

"Couldn't be seen at all in his early years."

Immortal Yun nodded slowly, then heard Shi Nandang's master say: "Actually, I've thought about this too. This disciple must have had some incredible fortuitous encounter."

"Fortuitous encounter?"

"Possibly even when he went to the Hundred Immortals Alliance." Shi Nandang's master said with downcast eyes, "Back when he went to the Hundred Immortals Alliance to help Zhongxuan Sect, he lost the Trapping Immortal Sword and disappeared for a while."

"You're saying..." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Ancestor Yun, this person must have obtained some great opportunity to have reached his current..."

"Fool!"

Shi Nandang's master froze.

"Even now, you're thinking about provoking me to seize Shi Nandang's opportunities!"

"This disciple, this disciple..."

Immortal Yun was practically laughing in anger: "Aren't you, his master, even slightly suspicious about whether Shi Nandang is really Shi Nandang?"

Shi Nandang's master opened his mouth, eyes staring blankly. It took him a long time to react: "Not Shi Nandang?"

His expression changed repeatedly, then he suddenly said quietly: "That's right, this wicked disciple's temperament has changed too. But initially he showed no abnormalities and knew everything about our Haori Mountain and Lu Clan so well that I didn't think much of it!"

Seeing Immortal Yun's expression grow even darker, Shi Nandang's master looked even more mournful: "I only thought I had poor judgment and that Shi Nandang was deeply scheming!"

"You're completely blind!"

"Not good!" Shi Nandang's master immediately reacted, "That thief has entered the Nine Luminaries Heaven! He's after the Holy Patriarch's legacy treasures!"

"Now you know! If the treasures of the Nine Luminaries Heaven are lost, I'd like to see how you'll take responsibility."

"Ancestor Yun, what should we do!"

Immortal Yun looked at the Primordial Demon Ancestor's remains and asked: "Can the Nine Luminaries Heaven still be opened?"

"No, after the ceremony began, we lost control. The Nine Luminaries Heaven can only be opened again at the ceremony's conclusion, through coordination between us and the Great Elder, working from both inside and out."

Immortal Yun shook his head and asked: "Who went in?"

Shi Nandang's master reported one by one.

"Saint Monk Bailian, the Golden-Winged Great Peng, and three Demon Ancestors." Immortal Yun felt slightly relieved. "That Shi Nandang inside probably can't cause much trouble."

Shi Nandang's master let out a long breath.

"But we must still be cautious! This person has been scheming deliberately and must have some reliance." Immortal Yun said coldly, "If he obtains the treasures of the Nine Luminaries Heaven, we must not let him escape!"

"Yes!" Shi Nandang's master first agreed, then asked, "But how can we prevent him from escaping?"

Immortal Yun suddenly extended his right hand. The inverted Yuanzun Peak began swinging left and right like a pendulum clock. Everyone stumbled around, looking about in panic.

A crimson red light flew from the mountainside into Immortal Yun's palm.

"Sun-Shooting Divine Bow!"

Shi Nandang's master's eyes widened tremendously. Watching the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow resting obediently in Immortal Yun's palm, cold sweat poured down his back.

This Sun-Shooting Divine Bow was the core of the Golden Sun Burning Sky Formation! Their Lu Clan had always regarded it as their ultimate trump card, yet never expected that the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow seemed to have been refined by Immortal Yun long ago!

Immortal Yun glanced at him and said coldly: "Do you think the First Patriarch entrusted Haori Mountain to me for no reason?"

...

Shi Nandang's master opened his mouth and murmured: "Why..."

"I was originally surnamed Lu in my early years." Immortal Yun stroked the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow and smiled, "Moreover, I was of the Lu Clan's main bloodline. After achieving Dao Fruit, my branch became independent. Due to the characteristics of our cultivation method, we took Yun as our surname."

"Ancestor Yun!"

Hearing this, Shi Nandang's master immediately became excited, choking up: "I thought... I thought when Ancestor Yun returned, we would be lucky to even survive."

"Shut up!" Immortal Yun scolded, then said, "I will allocate resources. You arrange the deployment of the Golden Sun Burning Sky Formation."

A look of confusion flashed across Shi Nandang's master's face.

"The situation in the Nine Luminaries Heaven is unclear. This Golden Sun Burning Sky Formation is a secret legacy left by the First Patriarch. With me activating it, it can withstand even a Golden Immortal!"

"Golden Immortal?"

Immortal Yun nodded, his voice cold: "The world only thinks our Haori Mountain has declined, that even within our sect there are rebellious thoughts... But as one of the Four Sects, how could outsiders imagine our true foundation?"

"Shi Nandang, Jiushan Sect—they've brought destruction upon themselves by provoking our Haori Mountain."

Shi Nandang's master trembled with joy: "When that Shi Nandang emerges from the Nine Luminaries Heaven, we'll shoot him dead with one arrow! After dealing with Shi Nandang, we'll go burn down Jiushan Sect!"

"Just one thing!" Immortal Yun said with a cold expression: "Haori Mountain probably already has spies from Jiushan Sect!"

Below the altar, several figures' faces stiffened.

"Spies!"

Immortal Yun gripped the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow, his expression dark: "Many among the Yun and Luo clans have already turned their hearts toward Shi Nandang."

"Even the Yun clan has... Then why doesn't Ancestor Yun just clean house directly?"

"The situation in the Nine Luminaries Heaven is unclear. We can't let Shi Nandang become vigilant." Immortal Yun shook his head, then added, "Moreover, this Shi Nandang probably has some connection with Jiushan Sect."

Shi Nandang's master looked suddenly enlightened: "That's right! The time he disappeared was precisely when he was at the Hundred Immortals Alliance!"

"I'm concerned that if Jiushan Sect becomes alert, this formation won't achieve its purpose!" Immortal Yun warned, "Don't spread this! Only the Lu Clan can know."

Shi Nandang's master patted his chest: "Ancestor Yun, rest assured. These are all our Lu Clan's most direct bloodline descendants, absolutely opposed to Shi Nandang!"

Immortal Yun glanced around at the Lu Clan members below the altar, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over "Lu Yan" before nodding slowly.