Three hundred years ago, Shen Baishuang, who was already at the Nascent Soul Third Realm cultivation level, left for the East Victory Continent to avoid internal sect strife following his master’s orders.

Upon reaching Divine House Mountain, seeing that this place had spiritual veins and the mountains were magnificent, and since it was secluded in the extreme north of East Victory, outside the jurisdiction of the Five Major Sects, he drove away an evil sect and settled here temporarily, establishing a cave mansion named "Han Yuan".

After spending decades here taking disciples and passing on skills, he once again set out to travel and never returned from then on.

In the blink of an eye, more than two hundred years passed, and the garden’s flowers and trees no longer possessed the colorful hues of yesteryear, the ground covered only in falling dead leaves.

Inside the cave mansion, a middle-aged Taoist with a kind face and large ears hanging to his shoulders was sitting on a flat greenstone, and before him stood a young cultivator who appeared to be in his twenties.

The middle-aged Taoist sighed and said, "Junior Brother Gao, your talents among fellow disciples are unmatched. Before long, you can form the Golden Core, but for the greater good of the sect, I have no choice but to delay you for some years. Do you resent me for this?"

The young cultivator solemnly replied, "Sect Leader Brother, please don’t say that. I, Gao Zhongyuan, am fortunate to have Sect Leader Brother’s support, allowing me to join the sect. This gratitude is beyond repayment, so how could I hold resentment?"

The middle-aged Taoist felt both guilty and gratified, sighing, "Rare indeed, rare indeed. Junior Brother, you should return for now. I will provide you with an explanation."

After bowing respectfully, the young cultivator retreated.

The middle-aged Taoist stood up and paced back and forth inside the cave mansion, with his brow furrowed, occasionally letting out long sighs, seemingly pondering a difficult issue.

After a long while, determination gradually emerged in his eyes.

At this moment, a handsome cultivator, with raised brows and bright eyes, burst in from outside the door, loudly saying from ten zhang away: "Recently, E Mountain disciples have become increasingly arrogant, daring to roam freely in front of our mountain gate. Sect Brother, if this goes on for long, it’s no solution. You need to come up with an idea."

The middle-aged Taoist glanced at him and said solemnly, "Junior Wen, your timing is perfect; I was just about to find you regarding this matter." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

The handsome cultivator immediately became spirited upon hearing this, eagerly sitting down and asked, "Sect Brother, have you decided to go to war against E Mountain? I have long said, you retreat a chi, and they advance a zhang. Might as well fight it out, letting life and death be up to fate."

The middle-aged Taoist shook his head and said, "I am considering whether to accede to E Mountain Sect’s request and hand over the Cangzhu Peak Cave Mansion..."

"What?"

Junior Wen was astonished, then stood up abruptly, pointed at Chu Daoist in rage, "Chu Muran, what nonsense are you spouting? How could Master’s legacy be relinquished by us?"

Chu Daoist looked at him, his expression calm, only saying, "Junior Brother, sit down and hear me out."

Junior Wen glared at him for a while before heavily sitting down.

Chu Daoist pondered his words for a moment, slowly saying, "Junior Brother, if Master were here, no one would dare bully Han Yuan Cave. But it’s been over two hundred years since Master left; let’s not mention E Mountain Sect, yet within this Divine House Mountain, of the dozens of sects, which one doesn’t have their eye on this cave mansion of ours?"

Han Yuan Cave has numerous underground spiritual veins, making it one of the finest cave mansions within the Divine House Mountain Realm. When Shen Baishuang was present, as a Nascent Soul Third Realm cultivator, his cultivation was too high for anyone to dare plot against it. But since he left, surrounding sects around Cangzhu Peak have gradually developed ideas, not to mention they are wary that Shen Baishuang may return unexpectedly, and thus don’t dare be too blatant, or they’d have attacked already.

Junior Wen spoke sullenly, "Even so, we can’t hand over the cave mansion."

Chu Daoist sighed, saying, "Initially, I was unwilling too, but Master has been gone for long, as you’re aware of the circumstances over these years. Not to mention you and me, even future disciples find it impossible to cultivate. If the Daoist inheritance is severed, wouldn’t that make us traitors to the sect?"

Junior Wen slammed his fist on the stone table, saying angrily, "If it weren’t for E Mountain Immortal City’s interference, would it have come to this?"

For a sect to endure, it must recruit disciples and teach mysterious skills, so when older generations pass away, upon reincarnation, still might be led back into the Daoist fold by future disciples,

However, it’s been thirty years since Han Yuan Sect has had a disciple join.

They aren’t unwilling to take on disciples; rather, each time they are preempted by external sects, led by E Mountain Sect, snatching away those with extraordinary talents first. It’s clear to anyone with eyes that this is a slow attempt to sever their foundation; even if the cave mansion isn’t handed over, once Han Yuan Sect members are completely wiped out, the goal would still be accomplished.

Chu Daoist once had a firm stance, but Han Yuan Sect is ultimately shallow-rooted, having resisted for two hundred years, and the situation has only worsened, with no sign of Shen Baishuang returning, leading him to lose hope.