Chapter 775 - 409: A Peculiar Method (Part 2)

"Celestial Peak and Jade Camel Peak are both yours."

It was Tian Fulai.

Tian Fulai spoke, enunciating every word. Then, clutching his severed arm, he turned and left without a backward glance, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

"Brother..."

On the high platform, Meng Jianglai’s face filled with worry. He shot Yang An a hateful glare before chasing after Tian Fulai.

Yang An smiled at the sight, while the Mansion Master and the Supreme Elder simply looked on helplessly.

"You are all dismissed."

"Supreme Elder," the Mansion Master said quietly to the Supreme Elder beside him via voice transmission, "please join me in my hall for tea later. We see each other so rarely these days. I’ve missed it."

The Supreme Elder visibly winced. The bet had yet to be settled, and several Top Grade Magical Treasures were about to change hands. Even for a Supreme Elder, he was extremely reluctant to part with them.

After all, only he knew the hardships he had endured and the price he had paid to obtain those Magical Treasures.

He glanced at Yang An, wondering how he could have misjudged the situation so badly today. He regretted his impulsiveness upon seeing Tian Fulai, but now he could only swallow this bitter pill. The Mansion Master, on the other hand, was inwardly celebrating.

The crowd of ten thousand quickly scattered, but the events of the day were still being discussed endlessly, spreading by word of mouth.

As one of the seventy-two peaks of Emei Mansion, Jade Camel Peak was named for its resemblance to a camel’s hump. Compared to the other perilous peaks, Jade Camel Peak enjoyed uniquely favorable advantages in both its location and concentration of Spiritual Qi.

This was befitting of Tian Fulai’s status as the mansion’s First Elder, but now, it had been taken over by Yang An.

After Yang An took charge, the staff on Jade Camel Peak were replaced by a new batch of Cultivators, all of whom had volunteered to transfer from the disciple sector.

Regardless of Yang An’s character—and it was true that he hadn’t made a good impression on most of the mansion’s Cultivators—it did nothing to diminish the fact that he was incredibly powerful.

Many still hoped to benefit from this proximity. If they were chosen by Yang An as a personal disciple, their status throughout the entire mansion would rise accordingly.

Just a few days after Yang An took over Tian Fulai’s sanctum, his Cultivation Realm broke through from the Late-stage Nascent Soul all the way to the Late Stage of Divinity Transformation.

On the day he broke through to the Divinity Transformation realm, the ensuing Celestial Tribulation stunned the entire Emei Mansion. He once again became the center of attention, the most talked-about figure within the mansion.

In those days, one could hardly have a conversation between Cultivators without Yang An’s name coming up. Some even insisted that Yang An was still no match for Elder Tian, and that if they were to fight again, he would surely be defeated.

However, Yang An neither knew nor cared what the outside world was saying about him.

On this day, Jade Camel Peak unexpectedly welcomed its first guest.

The guest’s name was Wei Daoshan, a newly promoted Elder of the mansion. He was the very same Elder Wei who had previously almost lost his own abode.

Elder Wei came to visit Yang An and was personally welcomed into the magnificent main hall. Yang An then dismissed all of his subordinates.

Yang An was puzzled by the reason for Wei Daoshan’s visit.

Wei Daoshan began with a round of pleasantries, thanking Yang An for speaking up for him that day, before finally revealing his true purpose.

He had come to offer his allegiance to Yang An and recommend himself for service.

Emei Mansion had seventy-two peaks and thirty-seven Elders, but they were divided into different factions. As a newly promoted Elder, he had failed to integrate into the circles of the more established Elders. Otherwise, the Mansion Master wouldn’t have considered sacrificing him first that day.

Yang An’s refusal to let him be sacrificed that day had earned his goodwill. Coupled with Yang An’s head-on defeat of the "undefeated" Tian Fulai... this was a powerful backer he needed to latch onto quickly. Thus, he cast aside his dignity as an Elder and humbled himself before Yang An.

After learning of Wei Daoshan’s intentions, Yang An smiled. He didn’t refuse the offer.

In fact, his upcoming plans required someone to handle the more trivial, non-essential tasks. Wei Daoshan’s arrival was perfectly timed.

"As it happens, I haven’t been in the mansion for long, so I still have many unanswered questions."

Yang An said with a smile.

"If it is something I know, please, feel free to ask."

Wei Daoshan was exceedingly humble, making his deference clear and positioning himself as a subordinate.

Yang An thought for a moment. "What is the relationship between Elder Tian Fulai and Elder Li Sixian?"

He asked because of the memories he had absorbed from the Bow Lady. They revealed that when the City God he’d killed was first assigned to Ya’an, it was Elder Li of the mansion who had given him a so-called Immortal Pill.

Originally, Yang An had thought the trail ended with Elder Li. It wasn’t until his battle with Tian Fulai, where he noticed something was amiss, that he realized the matter ran much deeper.

"Elder Li is the Elder in charge of rewards and punishments within the mansion. He’s responsible for everything from assigning tasks to the mansion’s Cultivators to appointing those who serve as City Gods outside."

"Elder Tian was the strongest Elder in the mansion... previously," Wei Daoshan glanced at Yang An, realizing his slip of the tongue, and hastily corrected himself.

"So, before... recent events, in terms of status, everything any of the Elders did had to be approved and handled by Elder Tian. It was a clear hierarchy."

Yang An nodded.

"Do you know when Tian Fulai broke through to the Harmonizing with the Dao realm?"

"It was about ten years ago. I had just been promoted to a Guardian of the mansion at the time. That was also when Elder Tian’s Cultivation Level broke through to Harmonizing with the Dao. His legendary undefeated reputation began with that Celestial Tribulation," Wei Daoshan answered without hesitation. He remembered the event vividly.