Chapter 216 – A Chance Encounter with Three Old Daoists at Kunlun

Ye Kuang: “Damn, this is so frustrating. Could it really be as the ancients said—easy to ascend the mountain but hard to descend?”

His words echoed across the vast sky for a long time, clearly carrying a tone of exasperation!

But it was precisely this grumbling that unexpectedly attracted uninvited guests.

“Brat, what are you shouting about? Stop yelling!”

“Shut up!”

“How infuriating! Why is it that during our watch, we have to run into this mess?”

Hearing the voices, Ye Kuang felt like a drowning man clutching at the last straw and couldn’t help but exclaim strangely, “Senior, please lend a hand. I will be eternally grateful.”

But to his surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, the towering peak dozens of zhang high fell into complete silence.

Seeing this, Ye Kuang grew even more anxious. In his panic, he couldn’t help but shout repeatedly, “Senior? Senior! Senior!!”

“Brat, if you keep yelling like that, beware that this old Daoist will make you experience what it means to cry out to heaven with no response and to earth with no answer.”

“Why waste words on this kid? Let him fend for himself.”

“Hey… wait, something’s off. Look quickly—that kid seems to be holding something in his hand?”

“The Udumbara Flower!!!”

Instantly, the mountaintop buzzed with murmurs, as if everyone was discussing fervently.

Here, it must be mentioned that ever since Ye Kuang awakened the three wisdoms of hearing, contemplation, and cultivation, not only could he see objects from great distances, but he could also discern directions by sound.

However, he was still far from possessing the abilities of clairvoyance and clairaudience.

Nevertheless, the chattering of the three men below was completely audible to him.

Hearing this, Ye Kuang couldn’t help but shout, “That’s right! The spiritual essence in my hand is indeed the Udumbara Flower!!”

“Huh? This kid seems to be able to hear our conversation. Strange… truly strange…”

“Kid, as long as you offer this item to us, everything can be negotiated.”

“Let me handle this!”

“What nonsense are you spouting? If anyone goes down, it should be me first.”

Ye Kuang: “…”

Hearing this, a saying suddenly popped into his mind: All the hustle and bustle in the world is for profit; all the commotion is for gain.

But just as this thought crossed his mind, a figure abruptly descended from the peak. Its speed was so swift, it was like a roc spreading its wings and plunging a thousand miles in an instant.

Ye Kuang’s ears were filled with the howling wind and thunder. For a moment, he couldn’t help but widen his eyes, clearly somewhat incredulous.

To think that an old man randomly appearing in the Kunlun Mountains was actually a master hiding his true abilities.

By now, the old man had already grabbed onto the cliff wall, steadying himself, and shouted without preamble, “Quickly hand over the Udumbara Flower to me!”

Only then did Ye Kuang snap out of his daze, but his eyes flickered with uncertainty.

It could be said that if he were to hand over the snow lotus just like that, his situation would fall under others’ control. At that point, whether he would be saved or not would be entirely up to the Three Old Men.

Not only might his efforts come to nothing, but he might even struggle to keep his own life!

“Old Senior, I can give it to you, but when did I ever say I would use this lotus as a bargaining chip?” Ye Kuang said.

Hearing this, the old man was momentarily stunned, choking on his words and only managing to utter, “You…” after a long pause.

But then, shifting his tone, the old man angrily roared, “Brat, hand it over whether you want to or not! Give it to me now!!”

“Damn it…” Hearing this, how could Ye Kuang endure it? If he could tolerate this, then he wouldn’t be a true son of the Ye Family with unyielding integrity!”What? You dare use force! Believe it or not, I’ll completely destroy this Udumbara Flower. At worst, none of us gets anything!”

“Fine, young man. I am Sage Yichen of Kunlun. If you’re willing to part with this object, I will certainly rescue you.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Kuang immediately flew into a rage.

He had nearly been fooled by the empty promises of the old man before him!

But then, a sudden inspiration struck him. Though there was no way down, there was still a path upward.

Previously, he had been trapped by the saying “ascending a mountain is easy, descending is hard,” failing to consider alternatives. Who would have thought that continuing to fly upward could also be a way out!

Sage Yichen: “I’ll give you only three breaths to consider?”

“Hahaha…” Hearing this, Ye Kuang couldn’t help but burst into wild laughter, then spoke with a tone verging on tears: “Truly, those closely involved cannot see as clearly as those outside. I must thank you, Senior, for the reminder!”

Sage Yichen: “What did you say!”

At this, the old man clearly grew impatient, his emotions a mix of shock and anger.

Instead, Ye Kuang suddenly erupted with astonishing energy, then slapped the cliff wall, his entire figure shooting upward through the air.

Witnessing this, Sage Yichen couldn’t help but change expression, his face instantly turning extremely grim.

But by then, Ye Kuang, using the momentum of his feet pushing off each other, moved as swiftly as a bird taking flight, vanishing from Sage Yichen’s sight in the blink of an eye.

Only his unrestrained, wild laughter echoed through the skies.

At the mountain peak, two other old men were discussing how to divide the Udumbara Flower later when suddenly a figure soared into their view.

“Eh? Why isn’t it that old fool Yichen? It’s that kid!!”

“Yichen, you’ve done a fine job!!”

At that moment, Ye Kuang landed on the mountaintop. Before he could even catch his breath, he was startled by a thunderous roar in his ears.

Without a second thought, he turned and sprinted away furiously.

Dealing with that troublesome Yichen alone had already been challenging enough. If these three old men joined forces, he would truly have no escape route left.

Sage Yichen: “Don’t let him get away!!!”

As the old man’s voice pierced the air, the entire cliffside instantly grew tense.

Meanwhile, Ye Kuang ran even faster.

But no matter how he imagined it, he never expected the three old men behind him to be so formidable.

In the blink of an eye, he was intercepted by two of the old men.

Behind him, Sage Yichen strode forward with large, swift steps, his face ashen.

Ye Kuang: “What do you want?”

As he asked, he suddenly realized how foolish his question sounded.

“What do we want? Naturally, hand over the Udumbara Flower!” Sage Yichen said angrily.

Hearing this, Ye Kuang couldn’t help but retort sharply: “This flower was obtained by me. How dare you shamelessly seize it by force?”

No sooner had he spoken than his tone turned fiercely sharp: “Damn it! How can there be such disrespectful old fools like you on the Kunlun Mountains!”

Upon hearing this, Sage Yichen’s expression changed dramatically.

Even the other two old men turned red-faced, clearly choked with anger by his words.

Just as Sage Yichen was about to speak, the other two old men stopped him.

“Yichen, don’t say another word.””Do not misunderstand, young hero, we mean no harm.” At this point, one of the elders smiled amiably at the object in Ye Kuang’s hand and introduced himself: “I am Sage Yixiao. Having just heard you mention the Udumbara Flower, how about this—name your terms, and we shall agree as long as you are willing to part with it.”

Hearing this, the last elder chimed in eagerly: “Indeed, indeed! I am Sage Yisu. So long as you are willing to relinquish it, young hero, state your conditions without hesitation!”