To possess keen foresight is to be able to preemptively handle any situation.

(This book is reprinted from Literature Website .6.) As Ji Changkong journeyed towards Qingyan Mountain, he maintained his 'State of Self' awareness, cataloging every hidden Heavenly Master in his surroundings and striving diligently to avoid encounters.

Selecting paths rarely trod, and relying on his intimate knowledge of Qingyan Mountain, he ascended to the mountainside without encountering a single problem.

In other sectors, the sounds of fierce combat erupted incessantly; the battles flared suddenly yet raged with extreme intensity.

Massive slabs of the hard, great blue-grey rock of Qingyan Mountain occasionally shot skyward, only to descend with tremendous force toward the mountain base, or crash into other combatants.

Concealed behind a towering blue-grey boulder ahead, a Heavenly Master's Yuan Power fluctuation was distinctly perceptible.

After a careful probe, Ji Changkong immediately guessed his cultivation realm was likely at the Five Elements Heaven stage.

Within a hundred zhang radius to his sides, more powerful Heavenly Masters lay in wait; the Yuan Power signatures emanating from a few of them were even more terrifying, clearly surpassing the Five Elements Heaven Master ahead.

Without the slightest hesitation, his steps unwavering, Ji Changkong pressed forward, climbing directly toward the direction of the Five Elements Heaven Master hidden behind the blue-grey stone.

From this point upward on Qingyan Mountain, there were no clear paths, only jagged, protruding rocks—a scene somewhat reminiscent of the trials he had participated in for the Ji Family.

He did not employ the method of piercing the blue-grey rock with his fingers to advance, as he had during the earlier trials; instead, he utilized the manner of climbing by grasping the protruding rocks, just as the young men of the Ji Family did, rushing swiftly toward the summit of Qingyan Mountain.

Suddenly, the concealed Five Elements Heaven Master ahead displayed a clear ripple of Yuan Power.

A slender stream flowed from his core toward his left arm, then channeled through the meridians and marrow of that arm to his palm.

Yet, the energy was held back, apparently waiting for Ji Changkong to draw nearer.

Ji Changkong advanced another five zhang.

The Yuan Power in the hidden man's palm suddenly began to boil; a ferocious strike had been brewed to its absolute peak, seemingly ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.

Hwa-hwa-hwa! The sound of surging, crashing waves instantly erupted, and wave-like ripples surged toward the hidden man’s position.

With a tremendous crash, the jutting blue-grey rock suddenly flew away, striking the man who had been leaning his entire body against it.

Caught completely off guard, he had no time to unleash the power gathering in his palm, lost his footing, and plunged straight toward the mountain base. "Damn it!" The man cursed, having no idea how he was exposed, nor could he comprehend why Ji Changkong's attack had not targeted him directly, but only the blue-grey rock he was leaning on—and why the force was precisely enough to knock that one protruding stone free.

The Five Elements Heaven Master, a full two realms above Ji Changkong, fell in utter frustration toward the base of the mountain without even managing to launch his strike, unable to break the void and fly.

One who can discern subtleties gains immunity to sneak attacks and can seize the initiative in all matters.

Without sparing the fallen man a glance, Ji Changkong’s heart remained as still as water.

He quickly bypassed that entire area and continued scaling the higher blue-grey rocks.

…… Through this technique, Ji Changkong often managed to evade powerful foes.

If he truly encountered an unavoidable lurker, he could seize the initiative first, accurately shattering their point of support and sending them tumbling toward the mountain base before they could even react.

The targets he chose were generally Heavenly Masters whose cultivation was less than the ** Heaven stage.

The timing of his attacks was also perfect; he never engaged them head-on, but merely pulverized the rock they used for concealment or footing, forcing those who could not yet fly freely to first worry about stabilizing their descent.

By the time they hit the base or managed to regain their footing, Ji Changkong would already be out of sight, leaving them filled with regret and cursing the rogue in their hearts, wondering why his eyes were so sharp? Why did he know exactly where they were hidden? Why was he aware that that specific blue-grey rock was their foothold? They were destined never to know the truth.

Soon, Ji Changkong reached the top of Qingyan Mountain.

The modest peak of Qingyan Mountain had already become a river of blood; corpses of powerful Heavenly Masters littered the ground.

Ji Changkong, having ascended from a secluded corner, felt his expression shift slightly, and he immediately retreated a zhang downward, concealing himself once more.

On Qingyan Mountain, several factions were locked in relentless combat within a confined space.

Violent energy waves shot everywhere, and massive blue-grey boulders dissolved into dust. "Mani Bloodthirsty Demon, get back to the Western Regions!" A thin, white-robed middle-aged man, wielding an iron fan, thrust it out.

A hundred flowers bloomed simultaneously from the fan, forcing back a maniacal man with garishly colored clothes and wild red hair.

The man dubbed the Mani Bloodthirsty Demon had a dark sun embroidered on the back of his garment.

His eyes were blood-red and seemed ready to drip gore; his demeanor was as frantic as the most savage beast.

His large hands were slick with fresh blood, and his fingernails were unusually long and sharp as blades.

His expression subtly altered, Ji Changkong stared in astonishment at the Western Regions man whose fingernails dripped blood, wondering why he was called the Mani Bloodthirsty Demon.

As far as Ji Changkong knew, the Mani Sect of the Western Regions was a Heavenly Master denomination dedicated to purity, strength, wisdom, and light—the spiritual leader of the hundred nations of the West.

How could such a sect harbor a ferocious entity like a Bloodthirsty Demon? Since acquiring Yuan Power, Ji Yusheng and Ji Wanyun had informed him about the state of the world.

Lately, while secretly observing from atop his Heavenly Ape Dragon, he had formed his own understanding of the larger geopolitical situation.

…… The entire world could be divided into five regions: East, South, West, North, and Center.

The East was the East Sea, a region dense with islands inhabited by rogue Heavenly Masters organized by island clusters.

Many famous, powerful Heavenly Masters resided there, and often young cultivators traveled from the Central Lands to tour the area, maintaining myriad connections with various sects in the Central Lands.

Legend held that the inhabitants of the East Sea were descendants of migrants from the Central Lands.

Their customs were not vastly different from the Central Lands, and their appearances were indistinguishable from Central Land people.

The East Sea people considered the Central Lands their ancestral homeland, and East Sea Heavenly Masters maintained close ties and frequent interaction with their Central Land counterparts.

The South was home to the Nine Tribes of the Southern Barbarians, separated from the Shuiyun Kingdom by the vast Yunmeng Marsh.

Heavenly Masters from this region excelled with the longbow, and the secret arts and techniques they cultivated were often related to archery.

Rumor claimed that the most powerful Southern Barbarian Heavenly Master of antiquity could shatter the stars with a single shot! When the 'Nine Divisions King' Chi Xiao held sway, the Southern Barbarians were overwhelmingly dominant, and the Shuiyun Kingdom was no match for them.

Only after three pages of the Southern Barbarians' sacred archery text, the Nine Barbarian Divine Archery Manual, were torn out by Gu Dan a century ago, did the Southern Barbarians cease producing terrifying, renowned Heavenly Masters for the past hundred years.

The West was comprised of the Hundred Kingdoms of the Western Regions, mostly small nations housing a multitude of Heavenly Master religions.

The most prestigious among these was the Western Mani Sect, which worshipped the radiant sun.

It was said that the Mani Sect's leader, the Holy Mother Youlan, practiced the Mani Sutra and was a Nine Palaces Heaven Master, even more formidable than Chi Xiao at his peak.

Beneath Holy Mother Youlan were the Four Great Dharma Protectors: the Dharma Protector of Purity, the Dharma Protector of Strength, the Dharma Protector of Wisdom, and the Dharma Protector of Light.

Each of these Four Great Protectors was immensely powerful, rumored to reside at the Eight Trigrams Heaven realm.

The North was inhabited by the Northern Barbarian tribes, among whom the Royal Lineage was the Asura Clan—a peculiar race born from slaughter.

The Asura Clan Leader, Asura King Brahma, was stationed in the Asura Imperial City, cultivating the Asura Evil Codex of the Xieluo race.

His strength also reached the Nine Palaces Heaven realm, allowing him to roam spiritually through the sun, moon, stars, and the great void, making him the undisputed foremost Heavenly Master of the Northern Barbarians.

For many years, the Asura Clan had led the Northern Barbarians.

With Asura King Brahma presiding over the North, the tribes grew increasingly strong, pressing the Great Chu Kingdom to the brink of collapse.

The Center was the Central Lands, comprising three great nations—Tianwu, Great Chu, and Shuiyun—and countless smaller states.

This region boasted numerous famous mountains and great rivers, fertile lands, and an uncountable number of Heavenly Master sects and families, where prodigies frequently emerged.

Among the hundreds upon hundreds of Heavenly Master sects in the Central Lands, two stood far above the rest, serving as the spiritual anchor for the various Heavenly Masters of the region for centuries.

One was the Guiyun Sect, where Cao Xuanqi resided, and the other was the Tianshan Qiankun Sect, home to Gu Dan.

Both Cao Xuanqi and Gu Dan were Nine Palaces Heaven Masters.

It was precisely because these two presided over the Central Lands that the Western Regions, Southern Barbarians, and Northern Barbarians, despite coveting the fertile lands of the Center for centuries, had never succeeded.

…… "Ji Changkong, I see you! Weren't you looking for me everywhere in the Yunmeng Marsh? Heh heh, Zhao Mei Lan from the Tu family and I are right here.

I'd like to see what you can do to us now?" Suddenly, Jia Rongfeng, who had ascended Qingyan Mountain from another direction, spotted the skulking Ji Changkong and sneered coldly.

Behind him, Zhao Meilan of the Tu family also stepped out, casting a cold glance over Ji Changkong. "Kid, it must have been Ji Wanyun, that husband-cursing, good-for-nothing, who put you up to this, right?" Glancing at Jia Rongfeng, Zhao Meilan whispered quietly, "This brat can summon the ferocious beasts of Yunmeng; we can't let him live!" ……