I Am Loaded with Passive Skills

Chapter 3677: Chapter 1789: In Dire Straits

The heights of Cloud Mountain are endless, the moonlight terrifies the ghosts.

The immortal bird struggles to fly across, the aspirant pleads for the celestial boat.

As one of the five great secret realms of the Holy Emperor, the most distinctive feature of the Yunshan Emperor realm is its "height"!

The mountain is high, the path is high.

Aspirants climbing the mountain must also have an elevated mindset, otherwise, they cannot pass through.

This realm boasts towering mountains and ridges, where various clans settle on peaks, their summits piercing into the clouds, misty and ethereal, as if residing in the Heavenly Realm, breathtakingly beautiful.

It is said that when the ancestor of the Hua Family of Cloud Mountain discovered this realm, he attained enlightenment atop the mountain, transforming into an immortal bird.

The bird soared over the high mountains, spreading its wings, stepping on the stars.

It crossed one mountain after another, each time thinking it had reached the absolute peak, it lifted its head to see, there were always more mountains beyond.

The bird traversed a lifetime, never leaving the mountains.

Cloud Mountain’s peaks layer upon layer, this path hides and obscures each stage, perhaps only by boarding the celestial boat can one hope to reach the summit.

The ancestor of the Hua Family stopped on one of the mountains, suddenly awakened, angrily drew his sword, and slashed open the illusionary dream.

He built a house on this mountain, settled and lived, etched eight large characters on a stele with his sword as a reminder for future generations:

"The path is endless, stop appropriately."

This peak is known to later generations as "Tingdao Peak" of the Yunshan Emperor realm.

This house was later rebuilt as the "Yun Mountain Temple" of the Yunshan Emperor realm.

This path serves as a warning to future generations, for the people of the Hua Family of Cloud Mountain, who seek the path, must not only seek "supreme heights" but also "optimal stops."

"Greed, anger, delusion, greed foremost harm..."

In the Yun Mountain Temple, mist floats and rises.

Hua Changdeng sighed softly, suddenly stood up from his high seat in the great hall, took steps slowly down the staircase, intending to head outside the hall.

"Family head?"

At the bottom of the jadestone staircase, the clan elders on both sides were in a heated debate, arguing till their faces turned red, only the few silent ones at the back noticed the family head’s abnormality.

The other clan elders, divided into left and right factions, were still arguing fiercely about something:

"The Wu Rao Emperor Realm is a first-class secret realm, not inferior to our Yunshan, and now Wu Rao is divided into ten parts, with Cold Palace and Mournful taking only one part each, Qianshi taking nothing, while our Yunshan occupies 80%."

"Everyone think about it, is this not like a pie falling from the sky, is there truly such a good thing in the world?"

"Though the five great aristocratic families of the Holy Emperor rank differently, they have always emphasized relative equality. If you ask me, our Yunshan should take three parts of Wu Rao Emperor Realm, even five parts would be excessive, definitely not 80%, too much is as bad as too little!"

The conservative and sensible right faction was confronted by the relatively radical left faction’s speech:

"The timid will starve, the bold will feast. If heaven gives but you do not take, you suffer the consequences. It was mainly our family head who exerted effort to slay the Saint Emperor Fish Kunpeng, and now you’re afraid to take what we earned?"

"The Cold Palace Emperor remains reclusive, that Moon Fox merely provided some intelligence, yet demands a tenth; the Mournful Emperor realm did not even show up from start to finish, yet also wants a tenth; as for Qianshi..."

"Haha, Qianshi also did not exert any effort, that he does not dare to demand is because he does not deserve it, these eight parts of Wu Rao feel too little to me, and you think it’s too much? Simply laughable!"

These words were spoken with insinuations and sneering sarcasm.

The right faction is merely conservative and sensible, not without temper, and immediately pointed at the left faction to scold back:

"You witless fool, ruining the blessings of Yunshan!"

"Is Qianshi a good person? By openly refusing, it only indicates he’s scheming for something bigger secretly, beyond our consideration."

"If Mournful wants it, then give it, not just a tenth, three-tenths would be fine too. Now that the five families have become four, we need alliances; if Yunshan stands too tall alone, it will be the target of all!"

"As for the Cold Palace Yue Clan..."

The leading elder of the conservative right faction sneered repeatedly: "Yue Bei Hua Rao Dao, though the Cold Palace Yue Clan once led the charge, now they only demand a tenth. If Yunshan opens its mouths wide, truly suppressing them, are you not afraid of backlash?"

The clan elder at the front of the radical left faction reacted as if hearing nonsense, laughing wantonly:

"Rao Wangze is already dead, Fish Kunpeng is annihilated, all due to the family head’s credit alone, Yue Bei Hua Rao Dao is now just a past story."

"Nowadays, instead of ’Hua Yue North Path,’ it should be ’Yuehua North Road.’ Our family head is marching forward, how illustrious is the ancient swordsman’s edge?"

"Where the edge of the Ghost-hunting Sword points, even the Cold Palace Emperor must yield. Yet you want the family head to stop moving forward? How absurd!"

The scene suddenly became chaotic.

The two factions of elders quarreled until their foreheads touched, noses met, almost about to get physical:

"You’re absurd!"

"You’re even more absurd!"

"You are all reckless people!"

"You cowardly rats!"

"If you’re brave enough, make the first move, let’s see if the family head will strike you or if the clan rules will allow you!"

"I have long ceased to care, you have descendants, dare to try?"

"Try it, and you’ll know!"

"Ah—"

Clatter.

Hua Changdeng remained silent, descended from the staircase, standing before everyone.

His left hand held a void, a copper lamp appearing; his right hand lightly pressed, the Ghost-hunting Sword at his waist grimacing.

"Wooo—"

Thus, in the broad daylight of the Yun Mountain Temple, an eerie ghostly wail resounded, echoing around the great hall, startling everyone’s thoughts.

Everyone suddenly snapped back to their senses, looking at the person in charge.

Compared to many white-haired clan elders, Hua Changdeng appeared just in his thirties or forties, though his gaze was seasoned, yet his energy and intent were sharp.

When he swept his gaze across, like an eagle watching over wolves, the clan elders all bowed their heads and folded their hands, obediently retreating:

"Family head, we were just impulsive, we weren’t really going to fight."

"Why did the family head come down, with this sword... uh?"

"Where is the family head going?"

The clan elders were obviously not foolish, no matter how fierce the usual arguments got, it wasn’t enough for the family head to unsheathe his sword and descend, to kill a chicken to warn the monkeys, ensuring silence.

He held a lamp in one hand, the Ghost-hunter by his waist, clearly intending to go outside the hall, to kill those who needed to be killed.

Soon, a clan elder’s eyes lit up, exclaiming with surprise and joy:

"Is the Stairway to Heaven open?"

Hua Changdeng couldn’t be bothered to deal with these old guys.

Fish Kunpeng fell months ago, and the division of the fertile Wu Rao Emperor realm among the five great aristocratic families of the Holy Emperor was still unresolved, the matter delayed again and again.