Chapter 148: One Month to Resolve Obsession, Four Figures Seen Again Toward the West

Yu Xian let out a long breath, his expression calm.

The remnants left to him by the Elm Tree Mother had shortened his cultivation path by at least ten years.

And this wasn’t the kind of forced breakthrough through pill abuse that left hidden dangers—it was a perfect, natural, and harmonious enhancement. Completely absorbed. A smooth elevation.

He bent down and carefully collected the fallen wood dust from the floor. Then, with a flicker of his figure, he exited the house once more.

Moments later, on a slope behind Elm Tree Village—an area full of burial mounds—Yu Xian quietly walked forward.

This was where the villagers buried their ancestors. Over the years, dozens of mounds, large and small, dotted the land.

Yu Xian bypassed many of them, heading straight to a secluded spot.

Here, a single mound stood. It was the resting place of his mother—and a ceremonial burial for his father, whose body was never found after falling off a cliff while hunting. Only his clothes had been buried here.

His mother had passed away later from illness, and had been laid to rest beside her husband.

Gazing at the mound, Yu Xian knelt down. Without realizing it, tears streamed silently down his face.

“Father… Mother… Your son… your son has come to see you…”

As a cultivator, Yu Xian knew well that after death, the soul moved on, and his parents had likely long since reincarnated.

But this was about remembrance. A tribute. A final offering of love and longing to those who had passed.

After the time it took for two incense sticks to burn, Yu Xian wiped his tears, bowed three times, and whispered, “Father, Mother… I returned this time only to sever my lingering obsession. From now on, I won’t come back. Your son is going to seek his master… please don’t blame me…”

The wind blew gently. A crow cawed. No one responded—and no one needed to. The dead had passed on. Only the living moved forward.

Yu Xian reached out and dug a small pit beside the mound, placing the elm root dust into the earth, forming a small new mound beside it.

His father, his mother, and the Elm Tree Mother—now they were all buried together.

He kowtowed once more and stood with firm resolve.

Returning to the house, Yu Xian felt serene. The obsession that once haunted his heart was gone, and in its place… a faint sensation of breakthrough stirred in his soul.

But he knew this wasn’t real progress—just an illusion created by the clarity and openness of his heart.

Though he was already at the peak of early Foundation Establishment, breaking through to the middle stage wouldn’t happen without at least a year or two of cultivation.

Without realizing it, dawn had broken.

Yu Xian walked out and began repaying every household.

For uncles, aunts, and elderly with lingering illnesses, he concocted medicine and personally treated them.

For poor families, he handed over ten taels of silver—not too much, as excess wealth could bring harm.

He reclaimed a nearby barren hillside, opening new terraced fields, giving every household an extra acre of farmland.

He dug eight new wells, ensuring water for both drought and flood years.

He dredged the river channel, guaranteeing smooth flow whether rain came or not.

In this way, Yu Xian worked tirelessly for a full month.

By now, the villagers knew his true identity. After all, one could not do such miraculous tasks without spells—there was no other way to complete so much in so short a time.

Their little Xian’er… had become an immortal!

An immortal, not a rich merchant, a powerful noble, or a government official.

Even a county magistrate would kneel before a true immortal!

If Yu Xian had returned only as a rich man, a successful person, the villagers would still treat him as a junior. After all, every household had once helped him.

So what if he had succeeded? He’d still have to call them uncles and aunties.

But once they knew he was a cultivator…

Everything changed.

They became afraid to approach him. They acted with utmost reverence, speaking with caution, trembling with fear.

Even if he still called them uncle and auntie, they would wave their hands frantically and avoid him, not daring to reply.

Yu Xian knew all this. But there was nothing he could do.

After that month of service and gratitude, Yu Xian finally stood at the edge of the village.

Behind him stood the villagers—keeping their distance, afraid to come closer.

With a faint, bitter smile, he took a deep breath, then raised his hand and bowed deeply.

“To all the grandpas and grandmas, uncles and aunties—Yu Xian is leaving now!”

A moment of silence.

Then an old man finally stepped forward—Uncle Zhang San—and shouted, “Imm—Little Xian’er! Will you come back?”

Yu Xian looked at him, lips pressed together, and slowly shook his head.

“No, Uncle San. I won’t come back…”

Zhang San’s expression dimmed for a moment before he burst into loud laughter.

“Then don’t! You’re a god now! Your road is vast and endless. Xian’er, Uncle San wishes you eternal life!”

The villagers relaxed and called out their blessings.

“May you live forever!”

“May you ascend to immortality!”

“May you move mountains and fill seas!”

“May you never die!”

Yu Xian smiled, nodded, and said, “I will! I definitely will! I’m going now!”

He turned, stepped into the air, and rose higher and higher until he was but a silhouette in the clouds.

The obsession with Elm Tree Village had come to an end.

Now Yu Xian headed westward—to find his master. And to find… his enemies.

He wore a calm expression, treading on white clouds, flying toward the west.

But before he had gone far, he suddenly spotted movement to the south—four figures rapidly flying through the air.

He paused, frowning.

He recognized one of them—Ba Liming, the same man he had given 30,000 spirit stones to for buying a cultivation manual.

Why was he back?

And more importantly… why was he being chased?

Behind Ba Liming were three cultivators, in hot pursuit.

From his vantage point, floating sixty feet in the air, Yu Xian could clearly see it all.

Ba Liming, desperate, fleeing for his life.

And heading straight toward Elm Tree Village!

Yu Xian’s gaze turned cold.

He understood instantly: Ba Liming wanted to bring his pursuers to the village—to seek refuge with Yu Xian.

“How foolish.”

His expression darkened.

It was natural to seek help.

But dragging three hostile cultivators toward a peaceful village?

If Yu Xian hadn’t still been nearby, the villagers would have been in grave danger!

“When immortals battle, mortals suffer.”

If a fight broke out inside the village, the villagers would surely have died.

Fortunately, he hadn’t left yet. Otherwise, the village might have faced catastrophe today—all because of Ba Liming.

With anger in his heart, Yu Xian turned and flew directly toward the four incoming cultivators.

“Hand over the Yin Moon Illumination Technique, and we won’t hurt you!”

“Do you think you can escape!?”

“Hand over the technique, Ba Liming!”

Ba Liming gritted his teeth, furiously flying. He was just a few miles from Elm Tree Village now.

He ignored their threats.

He had paid 46,000 spirit stones for the technique. Give it up now? Absurd!

“Please, let that senior still be nearby…”

Ba Liming thought to himself, expression tense.

Otherwise, he would have to activate his self-harming escape technique as a last resort.

“You’ve flown over 3,000 miles in five days! Ba Liming! How many more spirit stones can you burn!?”

“Keep refusing, and once we catch you, we’ll make you beg for death!”

The three pursuers were already boiling with fury.

He had outbid them at the auction with that massive sum. They were determined to get the technique back—and make him pay.

“I’m almost to my sect! My master is a Foundation Establishment cultivator! Keep chasing me if you dare!”

Ba Liming laughed coldly, seeing the final mountain ahead—just beyond was Elm Tree Village.

The three behind him scoffed.

“Foundation Establishment master? Why not say Golden Core next?”

“Let’s see this so-called senior of yours. Maybe we’ll kill him too!”

“Even if a Foundation Establishment comes, we can handle it together!”

But in the next instant, all four froze.

A massive pressure descended from above.

A terrifying aura of Foundation Establishment cultivation swept down from the sky!

The four cultivators looked up—and saw a figure descending slowly from sixty feet above.

“Senior!?”

Ba Liming shouted in disbelief and joy.

The three others instantly restrained their auras, going on high alert. Gone was their earlier arrogance.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator had really appeared!

Yu Xian’s face was calm and cold as he looked down from above.

Then his voice rang out:

“You were trying to lead danger into Elm Tree Village?”

“Ah…”

Ba Liming’s expression changed drastically. He stammered, “No… no, I would never! I only wanted to beg senior for help…”

“Help?”

Yu Xian’s voice turned colder. “So you bring your enemies right to the village? What if I wasn’t here? Were the villagers supposed to die in your place?”

Ba Liming turned pale, lips trembling. He had no answer.

He had never considered what would happen to the villagers.

He only thought of two outcomes: if the senior was there, he would help.

If not—he’d use a self-harming technique to escape.

As for the fate of the village? That never crossed his mind.

“But… would regular cultivators really slaughter mortals just out of spite?”

Ba Liming asked himself—though he wasn’t so sure of the answer anymore.