Secondly, just as it was previously with Abbot Liaoyuan of Bodhi Temple.

If conditions permit, the Jinzhou Ye Clan had no intention of doing the dirty work themselves.

In the Southern Wilderness, the existence of Golden City Stronghold, a sacred land of the Ghost Tao Lineage of the Witchcraft Sect, which was hostile towards the Celestial Master Mansion, was something the Jinzhou Ye Clan would not overlook.

This was a habit influenced by the old clan leader, consistently practiced by the Jinzhou Ye Clan.

That elder, as one of the few Ninth Heavenly Layer powerhouses in the Great Tang, spent his life rarely acting personally.

Ye Han and Ye Lingxi, his daughter and granddaughter, had seldom witnessed it themselves.

What they often saw were stories like this:

The rise of the Xinzhou Li Clan, which dominated within the Celestial Master Mansion, a sacred land of the Taoist Talisman Sect, led to incessant internal strife that plagued the Mansion for nearly two hundred years.

The Buddhist Sect's Precept Holder lineage's Xuantian Temple was becoming increasingly closed off, with more and more descendants of Prestigious Families seeking to become disciples within the temple.

The Daoist Artifact Refining Sect's Mount Shu Sect also had severe internal discord and, a few years ago, finally erupted into civil war.

The Buddhist Zen Martial Arts lineage's Bodhi Temple had just suffered the calamity of its demise in the era of late Dharma.

The Zhang Tang Imperial Family's support of the Sect's Sacred Land, intended to strategically balance the influence of Prestigious Families, was continually undermined.

What especially concerned Ye Han and her daughter was that they themselves could not tell how much of that chaotic uprising in the Western Regions—which directly cost the previous emperor Zhang Qilong his life—was premeditated by that old man from Jinzhou, and how much was simply him going with the flow...

Of course, many things are founded upon one's own Cultivation Strength.

You can choose not to use it, but you must possess it.

The old man himself, being one of the current Ninth Heavenly Layer powerhouses of the Great Tang, seemed to impart this lesson to his descendants.

Thus, this time Ye Han personally traveled south instead of just sending her daughter Ye Lingxi.

"Mother..."

Ye Lingxi unrolled a scroll.

The blank paper suddenly started showing writing on its own.

Ye Han glanced over, "Yuan Mobai and Lei Jun, huh? As expected, they've come."

Later, Ye Lingxi opened another scroll, and the paper revealed a message from another source: "Golden City Stronghold has sent word they've also spotted Yuan Mobai and Lei Jun appearing in the northern part of the Great Southern Mountain."

Ye Han nodded lightly, "We should also get ready. It would be best if we could capture Yuan Mobai, and Lei Jun would be a pleasant surprise."

Ye Lingxi pondered thoughtfully.

"What, are you feeling competitive?" asked Ye Han.

Ye Lingxi shook her head, "How could I? Grandfather and you always taught that we scholars should focus on Focusing our Mind and Calming our Qi, rather than vying for strength and ruthlessly competing with others. Dealing with Bodhi Temple or Celestial Master Mansion is about removing the sources of chaos from Buddhist and Taoist groups for the foundation of our clan for generations to come, not personal vendettas or prideful quarrels."

Ye Han replied, "If you remember this point, that's good."

She turned to leave, "To be fair, Yuan Mobai and Lei Jun, master and disciple, are indeed talented figures of their time. But precisely because of this, they must be eliminated early and not left unchecked."

"I understand," Ye Lingxi replied, following along. "I was just thinking, I've heard Yuan Mobai has always cherished his disciples. Perhaps we could use this to our advantage—using Lei Jun to tie down Yuan Mobai, giving us a better chance of capturing him and preventing his escape."

Ye Han said, "First, let's see how far the people of Golden City Stronghold can get."

The people of Golden City Stronghold were frustrated.

They had prepared an ambush at Lonely City Ridge, with women from the Jinzhou Ye Clan ready to act on the outskirts.

However, Yuan Mobai and his disciple, who were reportedly rushing towards the Great Southern Mountain, had suddenly vanished without a trace.

After all, the Great Southern Mountain has a vast terrain with continuous mountain ranges.

Even as local experts, the people of Golden City Stronghold couldn't possibly control every inch of land, especially since they were now acting so brazenly.

But they were patient and continued to wait quietly near Lonely City Ridge.

Like hunters waiting for their prey.

Ye Han and Ye Lingxi likewise remained composed, sending out their accompanying scouts to maintain a smooth flow of information.

「A few days later, their patience seemed to be rewarded.」

News arrived that Lei Jun and his disciple had been seen in the middle section of the Great Southern Mountain.

But they soon lost track of them again.

"Have they sensed something or become suspicious?" Ye Lingxi looked at her mother.

Ye Han peered down at the messages conveyed through the Seeing the Words as if Seeing the Person Technique on the scroll, saying, "No rush. We will observe the developments."

「Later, new information came in.」

The whereabouts of Yuan Mobai were still unknown.

Only Lei Jun was seen briefly alone in the Great Southern Mountain, then disappeared just as quickly again.

"One in the light, one in the dark, or have they split up into two groups?" murmured Ye Lingxi.

Ye Han wrote a few words on the blank scroll: "If they were using a 'one overt, one covert' approach, they would more likely come directly towards Lonely City Ridge. This current situation looks more like they've simply split their forces."

The ink characters appeared on the blank paper and then quickly faded away.

Ye Han and Ye Lingxi continued to wait patiently.

「Some time later, new information finally arrived:」

Someone in the western ranges of the Great Southern Mountain spotted a young Taoist man who seemed to be Yuan Mobai, as if looking for something.

Lei Jun, on the other hand, was heading in the opposite direction from his master, seeming to go towards the eastern part of the Great Southern Mountain.

"For now, we will still focus on Yuan Mobai, waiting for him near Lonely City Ridge," Ye Han declared. "As for Lei Jun, keep an eye on his movements, especially watch if he attempts to leave the Great Southern Mountain to return north."

The Jinzhou Ye Clan and Golden City Stronghold waited together near Lonely City Ridge but still saw no sign of Yuan Mobai.

However, reports indicated that Lei Jun started appearing more frequently in the eastern part of the Great Southern Mountain.

Ye Lingxi wondered, "Have they detected the ambush at Lonely City Ridge?" She found it strange. "If so, they should just leave. Why bother going to the eastern part of the Great Southern Mountain? If they plan to ambush us in return... Tang Xiaotang from Dragon Tiger Mountain surely hasn't ventured out with the Celestial Master's Sword!"

Ye Han asked, "Anything unusual recently in the eastern part of the Great Southern Mountain?"

Ye Lingxi replied, "There have been no related whispers."

Ye Han frowned, "Is there something special there, attracting them?"

"Hmm?" Ye Lingxi took out a scroll and unfurled it. Reading the words upon it, she started. "In the eastern part of the Great Southern Mountain, there's a mountain peak flickering with Nine-colored Radiance, looking just like the Celestial Master's Robe?"

Mother and daughter looked at each other.

They had spread false information that Lonely City Ridge, the main peak in the western part of the Great Southern Mountain, held clues to the Celestial Master's Robe—a mere bluff to lure them in.

Could it be that the Great Southern Mountain is truly a blessed land for the Longhu Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion?

Only, it's in the eastern part?

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