Chapter 1063: Delayed a Bit on the Way

Lu Yang possessed a shred of conscience. He knew Elder Meng’s punishment was the direct result of his own challenge to a duel, and that he shared the blame for the ruin of the white sandalwood grove.

Thus, he voluntarily offered to join the Move-Mountain Fill-Sea Sect for two months of community service.

"Now that sounds more like it."

Before setting off for their destination, however, the two first had to restore the ruins before Meng Jingzhou’s cave dwelling to their original state.

Viewed from afar, this particular stretch of the Body-Refining Peak looked as though it had been gnawed on by a dog, its barren baldness a truly unsightly blot on the landscape.

Lu Yang never once entertained the thought of utilizing Tang Chuanwu's time-reversal; previously, when they chanced upon a murder case, requesting such a reversal was to save lives and apprehend the killer.

This was different. Lu Yang could hardly demand Tang Chuanwu commit suicide merely because he himself had blundered; even if Tang Chuanwu could resurrect, the sensation of dying was no pleasant thing to endure.

Lu Yang had realized long ago that if he resorted to Tang Chuanwu’s suicide whenever trouble arose, he would easily grow desensitized to his life, reducing him to a mere tool.

Working in tandem, they scraped away several layers of earth, finally clearing the charred soil and vitrified glass entirely, before fetching fresh dirt from the sect's pastures to fill the massive crater.

"What should we do about the white sandalwood grove? Use the Tree-Breeding Incantation?"

Lu Yang found himself in a bit of a quandary. After a moment's reflection, he suggested, "Since the white sandalwood grove was nurtured by the Third Elder, restoring it directly with the incantation would completely erase all traces of his cultivation. We had better bury seeds and let them grow into a forest naturally."

"True enough."

They purchased a massive sack of white sandalwood seeds from the Mission Hall. Lu Yang dug the pits with his sword, Meng Jingzhou hollowed them out with his hands, and after half a day of huffing and puffing, the task was finally done.

Truth be told, there was indeed a distinct sense of accomplishment in it.

……

"At long last, we have arrived at the Move-Mountain Fill-Sea Sect." Lu Yang stretched himself thoroughly, utterly exhausted by the hardships of the road, though he took comfort in the fact that it had been a safe journey, fraught with perils but devoid of real disaster.

Initially, he and Old Meng had reasoned perfectly: as grand cultivators of the late Deity Transformation stage, there was no need to board a flying boat; they could simply fly straight to the Move-Mountain Fill-Sea Sect.

Yet along the way, they chanced upon a secret realm that opened only once a century, one that strictly required a Deity Transformation cultivator to enter. Operating under the philosophy of 'since we're already here,' they ventured inside and breached three successive trials, only to encounter the Spirit of the Secret Realm at the end of the third. Dissatisfied with their unorthodox methods of clearing the trials, the Spirit fought them for hundreds of rounds before finally realizing it was no match for the pair. It then spun a tale about the realm's origins to distract them, seized the realm's authority to banish them, and barred them from ever returning.

After being randomly teleported away by the Spirit, they landed squarely in the forbidden grounds of a reclusive clan, who had lived there for generations to suppress a demon. To maintain the seal, they had sacrificed young boys and girls every century for over a hundred and fifty thousand years, using their blood to sustain the formation.

The demon was but a wicked thought left by a Tribulation Transmutation cultivator of yesteryear, and the reclusive clan were his descendants. Having rescued the youths destined for sacrifice, Lu Yang and his companion battled the demon for hundreds of rounds before choosing to report the matter to the authorities, summoning the Governor of Youzhou to dispatch men to handle it. Once the Governor had dealt with the demon, he advised the clan that they need not bear their burdens alone, and bestowed commendations upon Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

With the ceremony concluded, Lu Yang sensed someone nearby invoking the small wooden sword he had once gifted. Tracking the sword-qi, he found the Poria sisters, who had been born from the Twin Rivers.

After resolving the crises of the Void Sovereign and the Nightmare Sovereign in Spring River City, Lu Yang had gifted the Poria sisters the wooden sword for protection before his departure. Now, beset by malicious bullies, they had been forced to wield it to deter their foes, claiming it was a gift from Lu Yang. The bullies feared Lu Yang's reputation but doubted the sword's authenticity, boldly continuing their assault. At the critical moment, Lu Yang materialized, saving the sisters before the crowd, punishing the wrongdoers, and granting the sisters a new wooden sword.

"Next time we go out, let's just take a flying boat. Even if it's slower, at least the chances of running into trouble are slim," Meng Jingzhou proposed.

"We can try that," Lu Yang agreed, recalling his own experiences with flying boats—even when accidents happened, it never truly impeded the journey.

"The Move-Mountain Fill-Sea Sect certainly knows how to pick a spot." Arriving at their destination, Meng Jingzhou breathed a sigh of relief, finding the mood to appreciate his surroundings, noting that even the air felt fresh.

The Move-Mountain Fill-Sea Sect was nestled deep within the mountains, cradled by hills and streams in a picturesque landscape... provided those mountains did not move.

The sect occupied a peculiar niche; being an institute under the imperial court, it possessed no formal rank or grade.

Their primary duty was to handle the aftermath of cultivators' battles—restoring topographies, realigning mountain ranges, and planting forests. Consequently, anyone wishing to join had to possess a spiritual root with at least an earth or wood attribute.

The shifting mountains the two observed from outside the gates were merely the disciples practicing their Mountain-Moving Techniques.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist. We are disciples of the Dao-Seeking Sect. Please deliver this letter to your Sect Master; we have matters to discuss."

When traveling abroad, they represented the face of the Dao-Seeking Sect. Though they had arrived covered in the dust of the road and looking somewhat worse for wear, they tidied their appearances before approaching the gates of the Move-Mountain Fill-Sea Sect, handing the Third Elder's letter of introduction to the gatekeeper.

"Lu Yang? Meng Jingzhou?" The gatekeeper recognized them instantly, his excitement flushing his face crimson.

"Did you two also destroy a landscape in battle and come to seek our aid in restoring it?"

Nearly everyone who visited their sect came for that very reason.

Lu Yang adopted a solemn expression. "We heard that your noble sect handles the aftermath of cultivators' battles, a grueling task that frequently leaves you short-handed. Upon learning of this, we brothers decided to offer our own humble efforts to share your burden."

Meng Jingzhou remained silent, nodding with practiced gravitas.

The pair indeed possessed the righteous aura described in the storytelling scripts, and the gatekeeper's admiration for them deepened.

"I shall inform the Sect Master at once."

Before long, the gatekeeper returned and invited them inside to audience with the leader.

The Sect Master of the Move-Mountain Fill-Sea Sect was named Kong Liansheng, a middle-aged man of refined demeanor with a long, elegant beard.

Sect Master Kong sat upon a grand armchair, the letter of introduction resting beside him.

"Greetings, Sect Master Kong."

Sect Master Kong rose, stroking his beard as he regarded the two with a smiling face, his gaze brimming with approval.

"To achieve such fame at so tender an age—truly, young heroes indeed."

"Old Third Zhang says in his letter that he hopes you two will stay at my sect for two months to help with our labors. This isn't the first time he has sent people to me. What exactly did you two do to offend him?"

Meng Jingzhou confessed their error with honest simplicity. "We were sparring, and we accidentally destroyed his white sandalwood grove."

Sect Master Kong burst into hearty laughter upon hearing this. "So you ruined his white sandalwood trees! No wonder he packed you off to this place. Everyone has moments of youthful impulse; it is perfectly understandable, perfectly understandable."

Suddenly remembering something, Sect Master Kong gestured with the letter in his hand. "Come to think of it, the letter says you were supposed to arrive in the first ten days of July. How is it already the middle of August?"

"A few minor incidents occurred on the road, which delayed our arrival."