Chapter 1405: The Mountain of Shaoxian

Remembering the experiences he had recounted, Yun Jianyue couldn't help but exclaim, "Before, just hearing your stories, I didn't truly grasp it. Now, experiencing it myself, I realize how incredibly difficult it was for you to emerge from the Unknown Lands."

"And you even unlocked several Unknown Lands," Yan Xuehen added, gazing at him with a complex expression. When she first met him, she thought he was nothing but a flirtatious womanizer. Yet, the longer she spent by his side, the more she came to understand what an exceptional person he was. His only flaw, perhaps, was being the man of her disciple.

"Haha, praise me more; I'm thick-skinned and can take it," Zu An chuckled. Seeing the three women's admiring gazes, he felt utterly comfortable.

"Hmph!" Yan Xuehen scoffed, realizing he was still as shameless as ever.

"A'Zu," Yu Yanluo said, her voice filled with worry, "I still feel this trip is too dangerous. The figures that person spoke of earlier seemed capable of ascension at any moment. Even if Zhao Hao or the Demon Emperor came, they might not be able to complete this."

"The Unknown Lands are very peculiar," Zu An said, smiling faintly at the three women. "Simply relying on brute strength might not work; it also depends on wisdom and luck. The Demon Emperor is surrounded by fools like the Golden Crow Prince, while I have all of you — intelligent, clever, and resourceful. That's already enough to bridge any power gap."

The three women blushed slightly, inwardly marveling at how smoothly he spoke, as if his words were laced with honey. No wonder he was so skilled at charming women.

Yun Jianyue was the first to recover, letting out a humph. "Our intelligence goes without saying, but are you really so confident about your luck?"

"Of course," Zu An replied, his gaze soft as he looked at the three women. "If I had bad luck, how could I be surrounded by such beautiful and extraordinary confidantes like yourselves?"

This time, even Yun Jianyue couldn't resist. She reached out and pinched his ear. "You brat! Daring to tease your master? Have you eaten a bear's heart and a leopard's gall?"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Master-sister, please have mercy!" Zu An quickly begged for clemency.

Watching Zu An walk forward, bent over and "suffering" as his ear was pulled, Yu Yanluo couldn't help but smile.

Yan Xuehen, however, had a strange expression. The "demoness" still thought of him as a junior. One day, when he truly bullied her, she would realize what an overbearing and tyrannical man he was. Oh, what nonsense was she thinking?

And so, the group ventured into the vast mountains. Along the way, they encountered a few fierce beasts, but given their collective strength, they dealt with them effortlessly.

Soon, they arrived at a barren mountain, where not only were there no trees, but not even a single blade of grass grew.

"That's odd," Yun Jianyue wondered. "From a distance, we saw this mountain looking lush and green, even greener than the others. Why is it completely barren now that we're closer?" "Perhaps because of this," Yu Yanluo said, lifting her skirt slightly as she knelt to pick up a vibrant green stone from the ground.

"What is this?" Yan Xuehen asked, taking it to examine. Although it contained a faint trace of spiritual energy, it was not a Prime Stone and could not be used for cultivation.

"Judging by its color and shape, this should be the legendary Azure Jade Stone," Yu Yanluo explained. "It's a precious material used for crafting artifacts, and it's also said to help certain special cultivators achieve breakthroughs."

Everyone knew that she had once been the head of the Human Race's largest jade family, so her knowledge in this area was naturally extraordinary.

"Oh, so this is the Azure Jade Stone!" Yun Jianyue exclaimed, her eyes gleaming. "This is good stuff! Let's collect more; it will be useful later." She eagerly began searching nearby and quickly discovered that these Azure Jade Stones were quite abundant. As she collected them, a satisfied smile spread across her face.

"Look at you, so greedy," Yan Xuehen remarked, her delicate brows furrowed. Clearly, she found it rather unseemly for a dignified Grandmaster to behave this way.

"Hmph, Ice Stone Woman, do you think everyone lives like you, detached from worldly concerns?" Yun Jianyue scoffed, stroking the Azure Jade Stone in her hand. Her usually sharp phoenix eyes now resembled crescent moons. "I don't have your good fortune, where people from White Jade Capital arrange everything for you. Our Holy Sect has always been poor, so for its development, I naturally have to be meticulous about every penny. Besides," she added, "this is more than just a penny."

Zu An walked over to Yan Xuehen. "You should collect some," he advised. "While Azure Jade Stones are plentiful here, they are quite rare elsewhere."

"No need," Yan Xuehen replied indifferently. Under different circumstances, she might indeed have started collecting them. However, having just been mocked by Yun Jianyue, she couldn't bring herself to do it. If she collected them now, wouldn't she be stooping to the same level as Yun Jianyue? She couldn't imagine how Yun Jianyue would ridicule her later.

Zu An was amused. This woman, who usually appeared so calm and carefree, unexpectedly had such a haughty side.

"Hmph, Ice Stone Woman, you'll regret this sooner or later," Yun Jianyue snorted. "Don't come looking for me for this Azure Jade Stone when you need it in the future, and don't blame me if I don't give it to you then."

Yan Xuehen thought to herself, *Why would I ask you for it? Doesn't Zu An have some?*

The moment this thought crossed her mind, her heart skipped a beat, and a faint flush of pink spread across her fair, jade-like cheeks, making her look exceptionally alluring.

Yun Jianyue glanced at her strangely, wondering, *Why does this Ice Stone Woman suddenly look so… alluring?*

Still, she had to admit, the woman was breathtakingly beautiful. If she were a man, she wouldn't be able to resist her allure either.

Soon, Yun Jianyue had collected nearly all she could. Even as a Grandmaster, the space in her personal storage pouch was limited.

In contrast, Yu Yanluo showed no signs of stopping. Yun Jianyue immediately realized this was thanks to her "Map of a Thousand Miles of Mountains and Seas." If it could previously store the Spirit Spring of Yu Mountain, then collecting some Azure Jade Stones now was naturally no challenge.

While it couldn't truly contain a thousand miles of mountains and seas, its internal space was far larger than that of ordinary storage artifacts.

Yun Jianyue couldn't help but exclaim, "Grand Master Ji Jiu's mastery of spatial techniques is truly terrifyingly powerful."

Yan Xuehen also wore a solemn expression. They knew perfectly well that, given Yu Yanluo's current strength, she could never have refined such an intricate item herself. It could only have been Grand Master Ji Jiu.

Yu Yanluo's face flushed slightly. "This is a treasure I obtained in an ancient secret realm many years ago," she explained. "Later, my master helped me refine it, and that's how it became this Map of a Thousand Miles of Mountains and Seas."

Only then did Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue feel relieved. So, it was an ancient treasure. If it had truly been entirely Grand Master Ji Jiu's handiwork, his power would have been despair-inducing.

Just then, a thought suddenly struck Zu An. "This must be Mount Shaoxian that Shun mentioned earlier."

The group recalled the mysterious voice's description: "Mount Shaoxian, without grass or trees, rich in azure jade." Wasn't this exactly like the place they were in?

"Everyone, be careful," Zu An warned. "We should be in Yayu's territory now."

The group stopped collecting the Azure Jade Stones and vigilantly observed their surroundings.

"Have you noticed?" Yu Yanluo said. "Since entering this mountain, we haven't encountered a single fierce beast."

"That's perfectly normal," Yun Jianyue said. "Other creatures usually steer clear of the territories of powerful beings." She also scanned the area with her divine sense but did not detect Yayu's presence.

"Huh, is that a temple over there?"

Following Yan Xuehen's slender, jade-like finger, they saw a solitary small temple nestled halfway up the mountain.

They quickly hurried over and found the small temple utterly dilapidated, riddled with holes and looking as if it could collapse at any moment, as if a mere gust of wind would bring it down.

"There's writing here," Yu Yanluo said, looking up at the space directly above the temple gate. There, a plaque hung askew. Whether it was corroded by time or destroyed by something else, only a small portion remained, hanging precariously. Only one character was clearly discernible; the characters that followed were incomplete, with just a few strokes, making it impossible to guess what they were.

"Er?" Zu An recognized the first character, looking bewildered. What kind of plaque would start with the character for "two"? It almost felt like an insult or a taunt.