Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Li Yuebai was certain that the Second Young Master wouldn’t dare do anything excessive, which was why he let himself fall asleep.
He was utterly exhausted, and as soon as he closed his eyes, he sank into a state of unconscious darkness.
When he woke up, the sky was already turning a pale white, but the Auspicious Hall was still dimly lit, with only a few lamps dimly glowing.
Sitting up, he discovered that the Second Young Master was still reading at his desk by the dim lamplight, seemingly having not slept all night.
“Please forgive my negligence,” Li Yuebai said helplessly, rubbing his still aching temples.
No matter how dissolute the Second Young Master had been before, he was now his superior, and what happened last night was truly improper— the Second Young Master had actually touched him inappropriately, acting subserviently and using such methods to soothe him to sleep; it just didn’t feel right.
“Why should we be so distant between us?” Yu Tianji smiled as he looked up from his desk when he saw that he was awake.
As expected of a young man, even after a sleepless night, only the dark circles under his eyes had deepened; his demeanor remained as usual.
“The Immortal Lord and I have never met before, so how can there be any talk of ‘you and me’?” Li Yuebai said with a wry smile.
“Master, it’s not like that,” Yu Tianji said, picking up a pen. “Now that I have just ascended to the position of Immortal Lord, who in Kunlun would submit to me? Only you truly care for me, truly care for the good of all of Kunlun. If I don’t rely on you, Master, who else can I rely on? That’s why I said, Master, you don’t need to be so polite with me, you don’t need to treat me as the Immortal Lord, just consider me your disciple.” He was used to being overly familiar, always spouting sweet words to charm the beautiful women and boys who fawned over him. But these words were spoken with utmost sincerity, without a trace of flattery.
Then again, the most sophisticated way to flatter was like this: revealing one’s true feelings— who wouldn’t be moved?
“…” Li Yuebai composed himself and could only give a formulaic reply: “I will certainly do my utmost for Kunlun.”
Well, whatever the Immortal Lord said, he would just do his job step by step and complete the tasks given by the system.
“Hello, host, your second task, [Make Yu Tianji the Immortal Lord], has been successfully completed.” The system popped up: “Next, please complete task three: [Repel the Demonic Sect].”
Li Yuebai stood up, unfolded a map, and continued to plan his tactics.
On the map, the terrain of Kunlun Immortal Mountain was clearly drawn.
In the real world, ancient cities were built with high walls of bricks and stones to resist foreign invasion. But this was the world of cultivation; walls could not stop cultivators who knew magic. Therefore, Kunlun Immortal Mountain was not surrounded by walls, but by a barrier.
The barrier, formed from Daoist magic, acted like a protective shield, preventing anyone from entering or leaving. It could be broken and repaired, but the process was extremely slow, requiring the combined efforts of hundreds or even thousands of cultivators— a process analogous to a city wall in the real world. Enemies would gradually chip away at the wall, creating a hole, while the defenders could repair it piece by piece with bricks and mortar.
However, Kunlun Mountain could not be isolated from the outside world. Cultivators of Kunlun Mountain needed to leave, and other sects from elsewhere also needed to enter. Therefore, the barrier could not be a solid block; it must have gates.
These gates, called mountain gates, number eight and were evenly distributed around the foot of Kunlun Mountain. Each gate was wide enough to allow dozens of people to pass through simultaneously, much like city gates in the real world.
Since being surrounded by the demonic cult’s army, each mountain gate had been temporarily sealed by Kunlun cultivators using magic, essentially adding another “door.” However, it was still not as sturdy as a “city wall,” making the mountain gates the weakest points of Kunlun Immortal Mountain.
If the demonic cult’s army were to invade, they would undoubtedly launch a full-scale attack on those eight mountain gates.
Naturally, the mountain gates were Kunlun’s key defensive locations, each guarded by hundreds of highly skilled cultivators.
Li Yuebai closed his eyes and retrieved all the information from the original owner’s mind.
The reason he was so exhausted was because the original owner had so much information.
Not only was he intimately familiar with the terrain of Kunlun Immortal Mountain, but he was also familiar with various combat methods, formations, and tactics. He had a certain understanding of the demonic cult’s attack methods and even knew the strengths and weaknesses of the disciples on each peak in swordsmanship and magic.
Not to mention the countless practical combat experiences…
The stronger the original owner was, the more uneasy Li Yuebai felt, worried that he would ruin his winning hand, and dared not make the slightest mistake.
He swiftly visited all the cultivators on every peak and in every courtyard of Kunlun, speaking in detail with the peak masters, immortals, and pavilion masters. Then, based on the actual situation, he assigned guard duties.
Fortunately, with a formidable enemy at hand, those who were not initially united had to unite. Furthermore, Li Yuebai’s strict discipline and well-organized division of forces meant that Kunlun was quickly brought into a state of readiness for battle.
“Master!” Xiao Ai rushed in excitedly. “Where am I? Which team did you put me in?”
Her forehead was covered in glistening sweat, and she was holding a sword, clearly having just returned from sword practice in the back mountains.
“Nonsense.” Li Yuebai remained engrossed in writing a letter, not looking up.
Fighting the Demonic Sect was no joke; children like Xiao Ai needed to be protected in the rear.
“…This disciple is serious!” Upon hearing this, Xiao Ai’s eyes widened immediately, and her voice became serious. “If the Demonic Sect really attacks Kunlun, this disciple will certainly not survive either. It’s better to fight to the death! It would be shameful to just watch the immortals and senior brothers fight on the front lines without doing anything myself!”
“For cultivators who are not capable enough, not causing trouble is the best help,” Li Yuebai said.
He didn’t think that the elderly, weak, women, and children being protected were shameful. After all, the front lines also needed logistical support from the rear, and everyone had their place.
“Who says I’m not capable enough? My swordsmanship is excellent! Where else can I be placed if not on the front lines?” Xiao Ai retorted, drawing her sword and wielding it several times with impressive skill.
Although she still looked like a little girl, this was related to her cultivation and despite her lively and innocent personality; in reality, she was already an adult. Her swordsmanship and Daoist techniques were indeed passable, but she had never experienced any major trials, so Li Yuebai dared not include her in the front-line defense team.
“Disciple has made up her mind. Peak Master Wan’s team is very suitable for me,” Xiao Ai said frankly.
Peak Master Wan Guangliu of Azure Dragon Peak and his disciples, entrusted with important responsibilities by Li Yuebai, were sent to guard the two southern mountain gates, forming the backbone of Kunlun.
Incorporating Xiao Ai into Azure Dragon Peak’s team would also be suitable; her swordsmanship would be perfectly complemented there.
Li Yuebai hesitated slightly, then a sharp system notification sounded in his mind.
“Warning, warning, host, please be cautious, host, please be cautious!” The system’s voice rose eight octaves.
“System, what’s wrong?” Li Yuebai had never seen the system like this before; his brow furrowed, and he became tense.
“Please do not incorporate Xiao Ai into Wan Guangliu’s team,” the system warned.
“Why?”
“Because the original owner did that,” the system replied.
Up to now, the system hadn’t revealed the full extent of the original owner’s experiences. Therefore, aside from focusing all his efforts on fighting the Demonic Sect, Li Yuebai knew nothing else, including that the original owner once sent Xiao Ai to follow Wan Guangliu.
“Wan Guangliu’s command isn’t bad; following him in battle is an excellent choice,” Li Yuebai said.
“But casualties are inevitable in battle,” the system replied. “In the original storyline, Xiao Ai died in Wan Guangliu’s army.”
“Could it be that Wan Guangliu made a command error?” Li Yuebai’s heart tightened.
“No.” The system played a video.
It was a reenactment of the original storyline— the battlefield was a scene of carnage, Xiao Ai’s hair was disheveled, and her body was covered in wounds and dust. Her once cute and innocent face was now expressionless. A dozen Demonic Sect members surrounded her. She swung her sword, then pulled out a talisman, and plunged herself and the Demonic Sect members into a sea of fire.
Xiao Ai’s words about going into battle were not just empty talk; she truly meant it.
“Her sacrifice had nothing to do with Wan Guangliu,” the system said. “But Wan Guangliu didn’t think so.”
“Did he feel guilty?” Li Yuebai’s heart sank.
“More worried,” the system said.
“Worried?” Li Yuebai thought for a moment and understood.
Xiao Ai was one of Mu Qingning’s most beloved disciples. Her death in Wan Guangliu’s ranks would inevitably cause Wan Guangliu anxiety, fearing Mu Qingning would hold a grudge and retaliate.
This would create an irreparable rift between Mu Qingning and Wan Guangliu, even if Mu Qingning hadn’t made any mistakes.
The system’s warning was correct; this future had to be changed.
After much deliberation, Li Yuebai wrote a new order on paper.
“Xiao Ai, you and Shao Ying will secretly sneak out of the mountains to find Yu Tianliu and request his return to Kunlun for support,” Li Yuebai ordered.
“Eh? But this disciple wants to fight on the front lines!” Xiao Ai said.
“Seeking reinforcements is more important than fighting on the front lines,” Li Yuebai said in a deep voice. “No disobeying orders is permitted.” Yu Tianliu was out there with several thousand elite troops. If they could get him back to support them, they could attack from two sides, and the Demonic Sect would surely suffer heavy losses. Xiao Ai was skilled in swordsmanship and lightness skills, while Jiang Shaoying was best at concealment. Sending these two disciples out to seek reinforcements was the most suitable option.
“Warning, warning, host, this decision is not good either,” the system said frankly. “I must remind you that this reinforcement is unattainable.”
“Oh?”
“You must have some information about Yu Tianliu’s character in your memory bank,” the system said.
“Some,” Li Yuebai recalled.
Yu Tianliu was the eldest son of the Immortal Lord and the half-brother of Yu Tianji. He was intelligent, capable, and excellent in all aspects, but he lacked the chivalrous and immortal qualities of a cultivator. Instead, he was more like an emperor in an ordinary world, valuing power and interests highly.
“System, do you mean that Yu Tianliu won’t return to reinforce us for his own benefit?”
“Yes,” the system replied. “In the original storyline, he received Mu Qingning’s plea for help but ignored it— no, it was even worse than ignoring it.”
“How?” Li Yuebai became increasingly curious.
“Yu Tianliu killed the messenger who came to request help!” the system said.
Li Yuebai’s heart sank: “Killed him?”
“Yes,” the system replied. “Yu Tianliu is indeed too dangerous. He didn’t want to return to face the Demonic Sect’s army, so he actually killed the messenger Mu Qingning sent to request help!”
“…” This information was truly shocking. Li Yuebai couldn’t help but sit down at the desk, rubbing his forehead as he pondered deeply.
“Therefore, sending two disciples to request help is meaningless; they will only be killed by Yu Tianliu!” the system said.
After much deliberation, Li Yuebai finally made a decision.
“System,” he said softly, “I still want to send Xiao Ai and Shao Ying to find Yu Tianliu.”
“But…”
“Not to ask for help, but to secretly monitor him.”
“Host, this decision makes some sense, but it’s still too dangerous.”
“Therefore, I hope you can provide more information about Yu Tianliu so that they can avoid danger as much as possible,” Li Yuebai said.
“Of course, the system will try its best to meet your request,” the system promised.
“Then it’s decided. If they can’t complete the mission, they’re not really Mu Qingning’s disciples,” Li Yuebai sighed.
He had great confidence in Xiao Ai and Shao Ying, believing they could protect themselves and complete the mission.
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