Lord Shenxiu

Kunwu City.

In a certain desolate countryside, Sun Yuan got out of the car and took a deep breath of the fresh air.

This area is already within the western borders of Xiane, and it's a plateau region with thin air. Fortunately, Sun Yuan's health was good, so he didn't experience any altitude sickness.

According to his previous 'Spirit Communication' results, Professor Xiang had surprisingly been kidnapped near Kunwu City.

In the spirit communication vision, he saw several landmark buildings.

Then, after some twists and turns, Sun Yuan arrived here and used his senses to locate the base of the Longevity Sect.

In reality, it's just a teacher and not really worth all this trouble for Sun Yuan to go through.

Sun Yuan himself knew clearly that his intent to save the teacher was probably only half the reason, while more so, it was for uncovering the secrets of ancient spells.

After some days of inner changes, he had come to terms, or rather, realized that he couldn't escape the mysteries and would just have to dive deeper into research and harness this double-edged sword!

"A base of the Longevity Sect?"

He looked at a camouflaged hill, eyes gleaming, but he didn't act immediately and instead left looking like an ordinary tourist…

...

Several days later, deep into the night.

A shadow sneaked directly into this secret base, initiating a massacre mode.

"Enemy attack!"

"Where are the guards? Where are they?"

The Longevity Sect, seemingly unprepared for the secret base to be attacked, was thrown into chaos with just a little shock.

Sun Yuan walked through the corridor, muttering a few lines of the 'Swimming Fish Curse'.

This was a spell he acquired from Jin Ling's memory, not lacking in power, and seemed easier to cast compared to the 'Kunlun Curse' and 'Fusang Curse'.

This spell seemed to have the unbelievable effect of forcibly expelling the soul from the body.

Anyone affected by the spell, even if their soul didn't directly leave their body, would foam at the mouth, have their Divine Soul shaken, and be unable to move for quite some time.

Pa!

Sun Yuan had been prepared and first destroyed important locations like the monitoring room, then continued to clear out the scattered enemies.

Finally, he opened a door and saw Professor Xiang awake: "Professor... I'm here... huh?"

Contrary to the imagined scene of severe torture.

In sight was a luxurious room larger than Professor Xiang's university dorm, filled with numerous ancient books and research materials, crammed on several bookshelves.

Even, beside Professor Xiang, there were several maids with shapely figures and beautiful faces, dressed as maids, serving tea and other things.

Professor Xiang was opening his mouth to eat a piece of apple, and upon seeing Sun Yuan rush in, his mouth opened, and the apple fell to the ground.

"..."

"Sorry to disturb you." Sun Yuan closed the door and then opened it again: "Wait, Professor Xiang, how did you change sides so quickly? Although they healed you, wasn't that... a bit too much?"

The key point was that he risked his life, braving the elements, going through so much trouble to rescue the other.

But seeing the other party so clearly content, it was just... so damn excessive!

"Cough, cough... what change of sides? Don't wrongly accuse me."

Professor Xiang's old face reddened, quickly motioning for a baby-faced and voluptuous maid to get off him, coughing as he said: "I'm just a regular university teacher, and the Longevity Sect isn't considered an illegal organization by Xiane. They hired me to work extra for them, it's like doing part-time on weekends for extra pay. Many teachers do that..."

He paused, seemingly feeling like it couldn't be explained properly no matter what, and could only whisper: "I didn't want to either, but they offered way too much..."

"Yeah, yeah."

Sun Yuan glanced at the maids who were already tensed and apparently trained in combat, then suddenly acted, reciting the 'Swimming Fish Curse' rapidly!

The more the spell was used, the more proficient he became.

At this point, he could fully control the direction of the spell, managing to differentiate between friend and foe.

Bang, bang!

The maids toppled over, eyes rolled back like dead fish.

Sun Yuan walked into the room, his expression now calm: "Since Professor, you've willingly joined them, I won't force you... However, I'm just a university student, having pursued all the way here from Tianxing, and since I've come, I can't just leave empty-handed, can I?"

"What do you want to know?"

Professor Xiang looked at the fallen maids, his eyes filled with dread.

He couldn't imagine that the ordinary student he brought along had suddenly transformed into a supernatural being!

"What is the Longevity Sect mainly researching with Professor's help?"

Sun Yuan's eyes flashed as he quickly asked, calculating the time for reinforcements to arrive.

"They... wanted me to help translate an ancient book, which I deduce might be from the Yan Han period..." Professor Xiang's eyes flickered: "It's called The Journey to the West of Mu Heavenly Emperor!"

"Does this book need translating?" Sun Yuan's expression remained unchanged.

"Like many books that have reprints, transcriptions, or even random adaptations by later generations... The Classic of Mountains and Seas has many versions, some completely unrelated... The Journey to the West of Mu Heavenly Emperor is similar, but the Longevity Sect found what seems to be the original, written in an obscure script, hence needing my assistance for translation..."

"So... where are they planning to go?"

Sun Yuan's eyes glinted with brilliance as he used a bit of supernatural power, coldly urging a response.

"They..." Professor Xiang's expression turned somewhat dazed: "Wish to find the legendary Kunlun Mountain! It's said to be the origin of the Immortal Dao, and there lies the Immortal Elixir, which grants longevity when consumed!"

"So that's it, Kunlun Mountain, Immortal Medicine!"

Sun Yuan nodded: "Then, how's the progress?"

He actually wasn't very hopeful about such an undertaking.

After all, if such a massive Kunlun Mountain truly existed on this world, it would have long been discovered.

Since even celestial satellites found no evidence, it proved Kunlun Mountain didn't exist, at least not in this world!

"They've found some clues..." Professor Xiang continued: "They've already confirmed the Kunlun Ruins' location, and based on some purported ancient manuscripts left by Yan Han cultivators, they've determined that many cultivators once gathered at the foot of Kunlun Mountain and built a grand city-state, which was later buried in history, its name being—Empire's Capital Under the Emperor! Meaning the Heavenly Emperor's city on earth... Its specific location is..."

"Have they already started excavation? No wonder this base's defenses are weak; they left the least able behind..."

Sun Yuan nodded: "Then... I'm leaving now, Professor, take care of yourself."

He took one last look at the maids, then left without looking back.

Professor Xiang had already made his choice, and it wouldn't be right to impose his will.

"Kunlun Ruins, Empire's Capital Under the Emperor, emperor as the Heavenly Emperor, Emperor Fusang, Emperor Donghua?"

Rumble!

In Sun Yuan's mind, The Classic of Mountains and Seas surfaced once more, unfolding a new page—[South of the West Sea, by the banks of quicksand, beyond the Red Water, before the Black Water, lies a great mountain named Kunlun Hill, truly the Empire's Capital Under the Emperor!]