Dozens of War Hounds bolted down the official road outside Nanshan City, kicking up clouds of dust everywhere they went. Leading the charge were three figures: a portly, pot-bellied bald elder known as the 'Second Elder'; a thin, silver-haired elder known as the 'Sixth Elder'; and a grim-faced middle-aged man carrying a massive broadsword on his back.

"Huh?" Steward Mu, riding a War Hound, spotted them from afar and shouted, "Second Elder, Sixth Elder, that carriage up ahead must belong to Teng Qingshan and his party!"

The Second Elder immediately raised his right hand high.

Dozens of War Hounds neatly reared up, stopping in unison.

"Sister Jun, those people are heading toward us," said Xiao Ping from beside the carriage. Li Jun, however, remained remarkably calm, watching the group approaching on the road. The coachman, 'Old Wang,' also watched cautiously, immediately recognizing Steward Mu in the crowd: "Miss Jun, isn't that Steward Mu we ran into outside the city last night?"

"Yes, it is him!" Li Jun recognized him instantly.

"This must be Mr. Teng's carriage," Steward Mu said with a smile, walking beside the two great elders and the cold middle-aged man, before suddenly flinching.

"Hoo-hoo~~" The beastly Teng was staring right at him, his eyes flashing fiercely.

Steward Mu felt a genuine apprehension toward this ferocious youth.

"We are from the Rising Sun Merchant Guild," Steward Mu said with a strained smile. The thin, silver-haired elder, the 'Sixth Elder,' spoke up: "I am the Sixth Elder of the Rising Sun Merchant Guild's headquarters, and this gentleman beside me is the Second Elder of the headquarters. We don't know where Mr. Teng is; we have come specifically to meet him!"

Li Jun looked at the group before her: "Big Brother Teng isn't here right now. He will be back shortly."

"Not here?" The Sixth Elder examined the area around the carriage carefully.

"If you wish to see Big Brother Teng, please be patient and wait," Li Jun stated.

Li Jun was inherently wary of this group. Of course, she wasn't afraid. Because... Qingluan and the Gale Eagle were high above. With just one call from her, Qingluan would dive down.

The people from the Rising Sun Merchant Guild could only wait quietly for Teng Qingshan.

On Divine Axe Mountain, this towering peak with its long history was now overgrown with weeds and vines, rarely visited year-round, causing the mountain paths to vanish. It was nothing but trees and thickets; climbing the entire mountain would be genuinely difficult for an ordinary person.

Teng Qingshan traversed the mountain, appearing slow but actually moving with great speed.

In the blink of an eye, he covered dozens of zhang.

"This is Divine Axe Mountain! The residence of Emperor Yu in ancient times. It was here that Emperor Yu unified the Northern Sea Continent, standardized the written script, unified the currency, and spread the method of internal energy cultivation," Teng Qingshan gazed at the great mountain, feeling a momentary illusion, as if seeing the Northern Sea Continent over six thousand years ago—a vast, sparsely populated wilderness.

At that time, Emperor Yu descended from the heavens.

He spread civilization and the methods of internal energy cultivation, granting the people of the Northern Sea Continent the ability to resist natural disasters! Powerful internal energy allowed the people of the Northern Sea Continent to constantly expand their territory, and the population continued to grow until the current prosperity.

Yet...

The sacred land of that era was now so desolate!

"Divine Axe Mountain holds a special status. Although some mountain caverns were hollowed out for habitation, very few families dared to reside on Divine Axe Mountain," Teng Qingshan sighed inwardly. Divine Axe Mountain was the dwelling place of the Sky God with the Divine Axe, 'Great Yu.' If any family dared to settle there, they would surely be courting death. Other families would likely gang up and attack that clan.

Nanshan City was different. Although Nanshan City also held a special status, it was, after all, a metropolis of five million people. Which family wouldn't covet it? But Divine Axe Mountain was merely a desolate mountain. Occupying it offered no substantial benefit, only a host of disadvantages.

"Restricted Area!"

Teng Qingshan arrived before a mountain cavern, where two large characters, blood-red, were carved into the rock face.

These two characters were not quite the same script used on the Northern Sea Continent today; they bore a strong resemblance to the script of Jiuzhou. Teng Qingshan recognized them instantly.

"Could this be the place where the thirty-six stone carvings were etched?" Teng Qingshan's form blurred, and he vanished from the spot, entering the cave.

...

After exploring the Restricted Area, he noted that many wooden racks had long since rotted away, leaving behind only marks of axe technique practice on the ground and walls.

"Half of this wall has been pried away," Teng Qingshan observed the mountain face, easily dozens of zhang long and five or six zhang high. "If I'm not mistaken, the thirty-six stone carvings should have been on this very rock face." After searching the entire restricted zone, only this wall seemed like a plausible location for the carvings.

"What a pity..."

Teng Qingshan shook his head and left the Restricted Area.

Standing at the edge of the cliff, he gazed out over the land.

"Emperor Yu, you called me to the Northern Sea Continent to look after your bloodline! I have come. What attracted me was your 'Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting.' However, the thirty-six carvings are now gone. And the Divine Axe Mountain faction that your bloodline commanded collapsed long, long ago, with no trace left," he mused.

"If I discover your descendants, Emperor Yu, I will look after them and ensure your lineage continues."

"If I cannot find them, then there is nothing more I can do."

Teng Qingshan sighed. Even an existence as powerful as Emperor Yu, standing at the apex of humanity—

Yet, matters concerning descendants were beyond Emperor Yu's control. In the Jiuzhou Continent, the 'Emperor Yu Gate' had a long and continuous inheritance. But 'Divine Axe Mountain' had crumbled ages ago.

"Descendants will have their own destiny; why worry so much?"

Teng Qingshan glanced back at the words 'Restricted Area' on the cliff face, smiled, and leaped directly off the precipice.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Teng Qingshan’s silhouette twisted while suspended in mid-air. He tapped his toes against the cliff face, instantly slowing his descent. From the high mountain, Teng Qingshan plummeted like a phantom; by brushing against the cliff several times, he reached the base in moments.

"Hmm?" Teng Qingshan looked down at the dozens of War Hounds gathered by the carriage.

Whoosh!

Teng Qingshan dove down like a majestic eagle, momentarily stepping on a tree branch before landing gracefully on the ground.

"How terrifying!"

"This—how is this possible..."

The dozens of men from the Rising Sun Merchant Guild stared at Teng Qingshan in shock. Although they hadn't seen the moment he jumped from the cliff, they noticed him during the descent. The first to spot Teng Qingshan jumping was the cold middle-aged man carrying the giant broadsword.

"He just jumped from a thousand-zhang cliff!" The cold middle-aged man was utterly stunned.

"That easily?"

The others were equally dumbfounded.

The Second Elder and Sixth Elder exchanged glances, seeing the horror reflected in each other’s eyes! Even a Golden Core Expert of the Xiantian realm could not survive a jump from such a height. After all, Xiantian experts possessed strong Xiantian True Essence, but their physical bodies weren't exceptionally tough; the massive impact from such a fall would rupture their internal organs.

"Sister Jun, what are they here for?" Teng Qingshan's voice drifted up from below.

"Big Brother Teng, they said they specifically came to find you and want to talk."

The Second Elder and Sixth Elder had felt some hesitation before, as they hadn't witnessed the fight between Fu Dao and Teng Qingshan. But the sight of Teng Qingshan jumping from the mountain just now erased any lingering doubts in their minds. The powerful expert beside them, carrying the broadsword, no longer dared to act arrogant, his gaze toward Teng Qingshan now containing a trace of respect.

"You came looking for me?" Teng Qingshan walked over with a faint smile.

Seeing Teng Qingshan approach, the Second Elder and Sixth Elder hastened forward with smiles.

"Mr. Teng," the stout, bald 'Second Elder' greeted him with a cupped-hand salute, "I am the Second Elder of the Rising Sun Merchant Guild headquarters. This gentleman beside me is the Sixth Elder."

"Oh?" Teng Qingshan looked at the two of them with feigned surprise. "May I ask why you two have sought me out?"

"Let's talk over here," the Second Elder said with a smile, leading Teng Qingshan to a secluded spot nearby.

Teng Qingshan stood with the Second Elder and Sixth Elder.

"Speak plainly, what is the matter?" Teng Qingshan asked directly.

The Second Elder bowed and exclaimed with emotion, "Mr. Teng possesses such peerless strength; it is unbelievable that our Rising Sun Merchant Guild knew nothing of it before... Your immense talent, yet content with obscurity—this old man truly admires you." The Sixth Elder beside him also chimed in, "Second Elder, with Mr. Teng's strength, a mere slight display would make him famous across the world."

Teng Qingshan listened quietly.

Seeing Teng Qingshan remain silent, the Second Elder spoke directly: "Mr. Teng, our Rising Sun Merchant Guild wishes to invite you to become an Enshrined Guest for our guild. Are you willing?"

"An Enshrined Guest? I have other matters," Teng Qingshan had no interest in these affairs.

The Fang family had extended an invitation last time; Teng Qingshan had no desire to serve these clans or powers.

"Oh, no, no," the Second Elder shook his head repeatedly. "Mr. Teng misunderstands. The Enshrined Guest status in our Rising Sun Merchant Guild is different from those in other clans! Those clans are constantly at war, and their Enshrined Guests are frequently required to fight and serve them. Our Rising Sun Merchant Guild, however, seeks harmony for profit. Our business spans the world, and every one of the thirty-six main cities has security forces from our guild!"

"And since our Rising Sun Merchant Guild does not seek world domination, very few families make us their enemy."

"Therefore, serving as an Enshrined Guest for our Rising Sun Merchant Guild requires virtually no active duty." The Second Elder smiled, "Take, for example, the Saber Saint of Thunder, 'Fu Dao.' He roams the world, diligently cultivating the martial path; he has been an Enshrined Guest for over ten years, yet our guild has never asked him to perform a single task."

Teng Qingshan listened with slight astonishment.

The Second Elder continued, "Unless faced with a life-or-death crisis, there is no need to call upon a supreme expert like yourself! Our Rising Sun Merchant Guild has a history spanning several millennia, and the number of times we have faced mortal danger is extremely rare. If you become an Enshrined Guest for us, Mr. Teng, you can still pursue your own endeavors freely. Moreover, through our inns spread across the continent, you can obtain any information you seek. Should certain issues arise, the Rising Sun Merchant Guild can also resolve them for you. What we require is simply your friendship. When our guild faces a crisis, we only ask that you lend a hand."

Teng Qingshan’s eyes lit up, and he looked admiringly at the Second Elder: "Your Rising Sun Merchant Guild is remarkable!"

Demanding no immediate return, only offering support.

This approach was enough to attract many supreme experts who disliked unnecessary trouble. If they accepted favors, how could they stand idly by when the guild faced peril?

"Very well, I accept this arrangement." Teng Qingshan pondered for a moment, then nodded. In his view, becoming an Enshrined Guest of the Rising Sun Merchant Guild would likely make finding the stone carvings much easier.

The Second Elder and Sixth Elder couldn't hide their joy.

"I would like to ask you two: do you know anything about the stone carvings of the 'Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting' left by the Divine Axe Sky God 'Great Yu' from back then?" Teng Qingshan inquired.