Chapter 98: The Pavilion of Oblivion on Mount Xuandan

Silence, deathly stillness.

Apart from Bai Mu’s own voice echoing through the valley, no expected reply came.

Something must have gone wrong!

Anxious, Bai Mu rushed to the front of the cabin and pushed the door open.

Inside, he carefully surveyed the room. The bedding on the bed was neatly folded, but there was no sign of Fan Sheng.

Surprised, his gaze swept the room until it landed on a small bamboo slip placed on the table.

Bai Mu hurried over, picked it up, and examined it closely. On it were written several paragraphs in bold yet graceful script:

“I must go out on urgent business for a day. Return to the valley at sunset. Bi Fang has left with me. You are to cultivate the ‘Highest Good Like Water’ technique on your own here—do not slack or grow lazy. Upon my return, I will test you. Treat this seriously. —Fan Sheng.”

“Phew...”

After reading the lengthy note, Bai Mu let out a long sigh, feeling the heavy stone of worry in his heart finally lift.

Though Fan Sheng must have encountered some sudden event, since he promised to return by sunset, there was no need for further concern.

After all, judging by Fan Sheng’s cultivation level, he was certainly not beneath Master Bai Ze, so his safety was essentially assured.

Since Fan Sheng had left a message urging him to diligently cultivate, Bai Mu could not afford to be idle.

With the sun just rising, he hurried to the waterfall pool behind the mountain to absorb the spirit energy of heaven and earth, eager to quickly integrate the familiar cultivation method and prepare thoroughly for the upcoming journey to the Southern Wilderness.

Having resolved this, Bai Mu glanced once more at Ling Yan, still unconscious by the Flaming Water Pool, then set off alone toward the back mountain.

The Southern Wilderness, Mount Xuandan.

This mountain lay in the barbarian lands of the Southern Wilderness, a remote and desolate place. Countless demons and monsters dwelled there, amidst miasmic swamps and poisonous marshlands.

Due to the harsh living conditions, few humans dared to venture there, so since ancient times, the Southern Wilderness had been a stronghold for the evil barbarian tribes.

Mount Xuandan was the grandest peak in the Southern Wilderness, and from another perspective, it was the central seat of power for the barbarian tribes there.

It was called the center of centralized authority because nearly ten thousand years ago, Mount Xuandan had been the stronghold of the Netherworld Evil Tribe.

The Netherworld Evil King—Zi Gui—once recruited soldiers and gathered countless fiends and monsters here, rivaling the divine clans of the Celestial Realm, the demon tribes of Pimu Diqu, and the demon clans of Cangwu Abyss.

At its peak, the tribe dared to challenge the gods themselves, even the Heavenly Emperor feared their power, a testament to Zi Gui’s unprecedented prestige.

Yet, regrettably, during a divine-evil war ten thousand years ago, after Zi Gui’s evil flute—used to control all things—was stolen, the power of the Netherworld Evil Tribe was severely crippled.

Eventually, the God of War Fan Xian and the Heavenly Emperor Ling Xiao led the gods to crush the tribe, sealing all royal members within Mount Xuandan, including the Netherworld Evil King Zi Gui.

The Southern Wilderness evil tribes, like a brilliant meteor streaking across the horizon, shone brilliantly for a moment before fading into oblivion.

With the royal strongmen sealed away, the tribe’s power plummeted to a nadir, unable even to contend with the weakest humans.

As a result, the scattered barbarians lived in hiding within the forests, subsisting on primitive means for nearly ten thousand years.

Mount Xuandan, Forgetfulness Pavilion.

A sturdy middle-aged man in white robes stood with hands behind his back at the pavilion’s corner. Behind him, another man in red robes, also middle-aged but more subdued, bowed his head respectfully.

“Xuan Yuan,” the man in white called softly.

“At your service,” the red-robed man replied respectfully.

“Hmm,” the white-robed man nodded slightly, then turned to ask, “How long have you accompanied me here on Mount Xuandan?”

“Just over half a month,” Xuan Yuan answered calmly, his once proud demeanor of a sword immortal now replaced by a servile humility.

This white-robed man was none other than the evil tribesman who had once taken on Bai Mu’s form to slaughter indiscriminately.

“Half a month,” the man in white repeated, nodding, then continued solemnly, “With the treatment of the Hairless Evil Fruit, your wounds should have healed. The accumulated evil spirit energy within the fruit must have enhanced your cultivation considerably, right?”

“Yes, Master,” Xuan Yuan responded without hesitation, a faint flicker of anger passing across his face—too subtle to be noticed by the man in white facing away.

“Since you have recovered, I have tasks for you down the mountain.”

Turning calmly around, his handsome and extraordinary visage betrayed no hint that he was an evil cultivator capable of killing with a mere gesture.

“I am your slave, Master. Command me as you will!”

Using the corner of his eye, Xuan Yuan glanced at the white-robed man, still standing humbly by the pavilion, his posture like a lost dog.

“Good, very good,” the man in white smiled faintly, surveying the abject figure before him. “But I must correct you: humble humans have no right to be slaves to our Southern Wilderness evil tribe. You, at best, are my dog, understand?”

The hot-tempered Xuan Yuan, hearing this malicious and mocking remark, did not lash out but instead replied loudly without changing his expression:

“Indeed, I am my Master’s dog, a loyal dog unconditionally faithful. If you order me east, I will not budge an inch west!”

“Hmph.”

The man in white sneered disdainfully, implying, “I hope your words today are true. Otherwise, the Heavenly Absolute Heart-Eroding Gu within you will not spare you, understand?”

“I understand. I shall serve my Master all my life.”

A slight twitch crossed Xuan Yuan’s eye muscle before he regained composure.

“Enough. These empty words now serve little purpose. Since you sincerely submit to me, there are tasks for you to accomplish—consider this your chance to prove loyalty.”

“If you complete them, I will remove the Heavenly Absolute Heart-Eroding Gu from your body. Fail, and you shall languish in my Netherworld Evil Prison, endlessly tormented.”

“I will strive to fulfill them, never disappointing my Master!”

Xuan Yuan lowered his head again, speaking each word with heavy emphasis. His facial muscles twitched, and a glimmer of fear surfaced in his eyes—clearly, the mention of the Netherworld Evil Prison had truly terrified him.