bàn yuè yǐ hòu ， lín xuān lái dào le yí wàng wú yín de cǎo yuán ， cǐ shí tā zuò kǔ xíng zēng rén dǎ bàn ， zài shī zhǎn liǎn qì wèi ， jiāng xiū wèi shōu liǎn dào níng dān chū qī zuǒ yòu 。
半月以后，林轩来到了一望无垠的草原，此时他做苦行憎人打扮，再施展敛气未，将修为收敛到凝丹初期左右。
Half a month later, Lin Xuan arrived at an endless plain. He dressed as a ascetic and used Qi Control to conceal his cultivation level to the early Core Formation stage.
pí fū yě tú le yī céng yào wù ， kàn shàng qù hēi hēi de ， yóu yú bìng fēi huàn shù ， suǒ yǐ bù yòng dān xīn lù chū pò tíng shén me 。
皮肤也涂了一层药物，看上去黑黑的，由于并非幻术，所以不用担心露出破廷什么。
His skin was also coated with some medicine, making him look dark. Since it wasn't an illusion, he had nothing to worry about in terms of revealing anything.
cǐ shí yǎn qián de cǎo yuán ， yǒu qiān wàn lǐ zhī guǎng ， ruò lùn miàn jī ， jī hū xiāng dāng yú yī jùn zhī dì ， qiě shuǐ cǎo fēng měi ， rán ér què shèn shǎo yǒu rén jū zhù 。
此时眼前的草原，有千万里之广，若论面积，几乎相当于一郡之地，且水草丰美，然而却甚少有人居住。
The plain before him stretched for thousands of miles, almost equivalent to a county's land area. It was lush and fertile, but few people lived there.
yún zhōu nǎi xiū liàn shèng dì ， rán ér chú le rén zú ， yāo shòu de shí lì yě hěn kǒng bù ， qiān bǎi nián lái ， shuāng fāng bào guò shù cì dà zhàn ， píng rì lǐ de zhēng dòu ， gèng shì cóng lái yě bù céng jiàn duàn 。
云州乃修炼圣地，然而除了人族，妖兽的实力也很恐怖，千百年来，双方爆过数次大战，平日里的争斗，更是从来也不曾间断。
Cloud Province was a holy place for cultivation, yet the strength of both human and monster races was terrifying. Over millennia, they had fought several major battles, with constant skirmishes in between.
bù guò zǒng tǐ shuō lái ， què hù yǒu shèng fù ， rén lèi yǔ yāo zú de shì lì chà bu duō ， yī fāng xiǎng yào wán quán zhàn jù zhǔ dòng ， yǒu zhe hěn dà de nán dù 。 zhěng gè yún zhōu ， yě bèi shuāng fāng gěi guā fēn diào 。
不过总体说来，却互有胜负，人类与妖族的势力差不多，一方想要完全占据主动，有着很大的难度。整个云州，也被双方给瓜分掉。
Overall, it was a balanced situation where humans and monsters couldn't completely dominate each other. It was difficult to gain an upper hand, as the land was divided among them.
yǎn qián zhè piàn cǎo yuán ， jiù shì shuāng fāng dì pán de huǎn chōng dì dài ， suǒ yǐ tǔ dì shèng rán féi wò ， què méi yǒu rén gǎn zài zhè lǐ jū zhù de 。
眼前这片草原，就是双方地盘的缓冲地带，所以土地圣然肥沃，却没有人敢在这里居住的。
This plain before him served as a buffer zone between their territories, so no one dared to live there.
bù guò rú jīn ， sān bǎi nián yī cì de tiān yún jiāo yì huì lín jìn ， bù guǎn rén zú hái shì yāo shòu ， dōu dà liàng yǒng rù ， zhěng gè cǎo yuán lóng shé hùn zá ， měi rì lǐ cháng yǒu pīn dòu ， yī níng dān qī de kǔ xíng tóu tuó ， sī háo bù yǐn rén zhǔ mù ， lín xuān zì cóng zuò zhè fù dǎ bàn zhī hòu ， xíng tiáo cóng wèi bào lù 「 dǎo shì ràng tā dà sōng le yì kǒu qì de 。 ér suí zhe shí jiān de tuī bèi ， lín xuān xiàn xún zhǎo zì jǐ de xiū xiān zhě jiàn jiàn shǎo le 。
不过如今，三百年一次的天云交易会临近，不管人族还是妖兽，都大量涌入，整个草原龙蛇混杂，每日里常有拼斗，一凝丹期的苦行头陀，丝毫不引人瞩目，林轩自从做这副打扮之后，行条从未暴露「倒是让他大松了一口气的。而随着时间的推背，林轩现寻找自己的修仙者渐渐少了。
However, with the upcoming Heavenly Cloud Trade Fair every three hundred years, both human and monster races had flooded in. The entire plain was now filled with all sorts of people, and daily battles were common. A Core Formation stage ascetic like Lin Xuan wasn't particularly noticeable. He was relieved that his disguise hadn’t exposed him yet.
yě nán guài ， yī lái nà xiē rén gēn běn xiǎng bú dào tā huì dǎ bàn chéng kǔ xíng tóu tuó ， èr lái zài zhè xiē rén de sī wéi zhōng ， lín xuān dé zuì le wàn fú zōng ， kěn dìng zǎo jiù táo dào le shēn shān dà zé ， shèn zhì huì xiǎng bàn fǎ lí kāi yún zhōu ， wú lùn rú hé yě bù kě néng dà yáo dà bǎi de lái cān jiā jiāo yì huì de 。
也难怪，一来那些人根本想不到他会打扮成苦行头陀，二来在这些人的思维中，林轩得罪了万佛宗，肯定早就逃到了深山大泽，甚至会想办法离开云州，无论如何也不可能大摇大摆的来参加交易会的。
As time passed, Lin Xuan found fewer fellow cultivators around. It made sense; they wouldn't think he would dress as an ascetic after offending the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect and fleeing to remote areas or even leaving Cloud Province altogether.
hé kuàng wàn fú zōng suī rán yǐn mán le yī xiē shì shí ， dào dǐ shuō míng le tā shì yuán yīng zhōng qī de xiū shì ， suǒ yǐ chú le tóng jiē lǎo guài wù ， qí tā de dī jiē xiū shì ， jiù suàn yǎn chán jiǎng lì ， yě bù kě néng dà dǎn dào rú cǐ chéng dù 。 wēi xiǎn zàn shí suàn shì jiě chú ， zhǐ yào xiǎo xīn yī xiē shēn fèn yīng gāi bú huì bào lù 。
何况万佛宗虽然隐瞒了一些事实，到底说明了他是元婴中期的修士，所以除了同阶老怪物，其他的低阶修士，就算眼馋奖励，也不可能大胆到如此程度。危险暂时算是解除，只要小心一些身份应该不会暴露。
Although the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect had hidden some facts, it was clear that he was a middle-stage Core Formation cultivator. Thus, only fellow core formation experts dared to be so bold, while lower-level cultivators would never dare to act this way due to their fear of punishment.
bù guò jì rán zhuāng hé shàng ， dāng rán yào zhuāng xiàng yī xiē ， měi tiān gǎn lù zhī yú ， lín xuān dū huì sòng dú jīng shū ， rú cǐ yī lái ， gèng méi yǒu rén huái yí 。
不过既然装和尚，当然要装像一些，每天赶路之余，林轩都会诵读经书，如此一来，更没有人怀疑。
The danger seemed to have passed for now, as long as he remained cautious about his identity.
gèng ràng tā xīn xǐ de shì ， fó jīng guǒ rán néng gòu tiáo jié xīn jìng ， zì jǐ de lū cè méi yǒu cuò ， rú cǐ yī wèi ， yě xǔ bìng bù yòng dào shì sú qù chī kǔ 。 lín xuān xīn zhōng dà xǐ ， měi tiān chōu chū gèng duō de shí jiān lái yán dú jīng shū 。“ zhào zhè ge dù xià qù ， zài yǒu sān tiān ， yīng gāi jiù néng dào xuān yuán chéng le 。
更让他欣喜的是，佛经果然能够调节心境，自己的撸测没有错，如此一未，也许并不用到世俗去吃苦。林轩心中大喜，每天抽出更多的时间来研读经书。“照这个度下去，再有三天，应该就能到轩辕城了。
Since he had dressed up as a monk, he naturally wanted to look the part. Between his travels, Lin Xuan would read scriptures and recite them aloud, which made him even less noticeable.
yóu yú shí jiān chōng yù ， lín xuān bìng méi yǒu jí zhe gǎn lù ， měi tiān tài yáng luò shān yǐ hòu ， tā dū huì zhǎo dì fāng dǎ zuò ， bìng yán dú jīng shū ， bìng bú huì yīn wèi rén zài lǚ tú jiù huāng fèi le gōng kè ， xiū liàn shì yī tiān yě bù néng tíng xiē de 。
由于时间充裕，林轩并没有急着赶路，每天太阳落山以后，他都会找地方打坐，并研读经书，并不会因为人在旅途就荒废了功课，修炼是一天也不能停歇的。
He was overjoyed when he realized that the scriptures could regulate his mind. His intuition hadn't been wrong; perhaps he wouldn’t need to endure hardships in the secular world. Lin Xuan was delighted and spent more time studying the scriptures each day.
xiǎng yào bǐ bié rén qiáng ， jiù yào fù chū gèng duō ， rú guǒ zì jǐ shì lí hé qī xiū xiān zhě ， zǎo jiù shàng mén jiāng wàn fú zōng tiāo le ， nǎ lǐ hái yòng dé zhe zài zhè lǐ xīn xīn kǔ kǔ bàn kǔ xíng sēng rén de 。
想要比别人强，就要付出更多，如果自己是离合期修仙者，早就上门将万佛宗挑了，哪里还用得着在这里辛辛苦苦扮苦行僧人的。
"Going at this pace, I should be able to reach Xuan Yuan City in three days."
lín xuān zuò wán sān cì dà zhōu tiān xún huán ， zhèng shǒu pěng jīng shū ， tū rán méi shāo yī dòng ， sà rán zhàn le qǐ lái 。
林轩做完三次大周天循环，正手捧经书，突然眉梢一动，飒然站了起来。
With ample time, Lin Xuan didn't rush his journey. Every evening after the sun set, he would find a place to meditate and study the scriptures. He wouldn’t let his studies suffer just because he was on the road.
“ shào yé ， zěn me le ？” xiǎo yā tou zhèng zài dǎ dǔn ér ， bèi lín xuān de jǔ dòng gěi xià le yī tiào 。
“少爷，怎么了？”小丫头正在打盹儿，被林轩的举动给吓了一跳。
If one wanted to outshine others, they had to put in more effort. If he were at the Separation stage, he would have already gone to the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect and destroyed it; why bother pretending to be an ascetic?
“ yǒu liǎng rén xiàng zhè biān fēi guò lái le ， ér qiě shí lì jí qiáng ， dōu shì yuán yīng qī 。” lín xuān shén sè nán kàn de kāi kǒu ， nán dào hái shì bèi rén kàn pò de xíng jì 。
“有两人像这边飞过来了，而且实力极强，都是元婴期。”林轩神色难看的开口，难道还是被人看破的行迹。
After completing three Grand Circulation cycles, Lin Xuan was holding a scripture when his brow twitched. He stood up abruptly.
“ nà zěn me bàn ， wǒ men yào bù yào bì kāi ？” yuè ér yǒu xiē jǐn zhāng le qǐ lái 。
“那怎么办，我们要不要避开？”月儿有些紧张了起来。
"Master, what's wrong?" The little girl had been dozing off but was startled by Lin Xuan’s sudden movement.
“ bù ， xiān děng yī děng ， huò xǔ zhǐ zǒu lù guò 。” lín xuān yī biān shuō ， yī biān jiāng qiáng dà yǐ jí de shén niàn quán lì fàng chū ， jiān shì zhe liǎng gè lǎo guài wù de yī jǔ yī dòng 。
“不，先等一等，或许只走路过。”林轩一边说，一边将强大以极的神念全力放出，监视着两个老怪物的一举一动。
"There are two people flying towards us, and they're extremely powerful. Both are Core Formation stage." Lin Xuan said with a worried expression. Had he been discovered?
guò le piàn kè ， lín xuān shén sè biàn dé yǒu xiē gǔ guài 。
过了片刻，林轩神色变得有些古怪。
"What should we do? Should we avoid them?" Yue'er grew tense.
“ shào yé ， yòu yǒu shén me xiàn ？”
“少爷，又有什么现？”
"No, let's wait to see if they just pass by," Lin Xuan said as he released his immensely powerful divine sense to monitor the movements of these two old monsters.
yuè ér zhè yā tou ， shén me dōu hǎo ， jiù shì hào qí xīn jí zhòng ， yóu yú shàng wèi níng jié yuán yīng chéng gōng ， shén niàn fù gài fàn wéi yǒu xiàn ， duì fāng hái zài bǎi lǐ zhī wài ， suǒ yǐ tā zhǐ hǎo wèn lín xuān 。
月儿这丫头，什么都好，就是好奇心极重，由于尚未凝结元婴成功，神念覆盖范围有限，对方还在百里之外，所以她只好问林轩。
After a moment, Lin Xuan’s expression turned strange.
“ yīng gāi bú shì zhēn duì wǒ de ， pēng liǎng gè jiā huo sì hū zài hù xiāng zhuī zhú ， qián miàn táo de nà ge shì yuán yīng chū qī de xiū xiān zhě ， ér hòu miàn zhuī tā de zé shì yī huà xíng zhōng qī de yāo zú 。” lín xuān liǎn sè gǔ guài de shuō 。“ huà xíng zhōng qī yāo zú ， shào yé ， wǒ méi tīng cuò ba ， tiān yún jiāo yì huì qī jiān ， rén yāo liǎng zú bú shì yǒu xié yì ， jìn zhì sī dòu ma ？” yuè ér yī dāi ， biǎo qíng yà rán qǐ lái 。
“应该不是针对我的，砰两个家伙似乎在互相追逐，前面逃的那个是元婴初期的修仙者，而后面追他的则是一化形中期的妖族。”林轩脸色古怪的说。“化形中期妖族，少爷，我没听错吧，天云交易会期间，人妖两族不是有协议，禁制私斗吗？”月儿一呆，表情讶然起来。
"Master, what did you find?"
zhè yě shì wèi le jiāo yì huì shùn lì zhào kāi ， fǒu zé rén yāo liǎng zú ēn yuàn chán mián ， ruò méi yǒu zhè xié yì ， shuāng fāng jiàn le miàn xiān dǎ gè yī tā hú tú ， bié shuō jiāo yì hé méi fǎ jǔ xíng ， hái huì tiāo qǐ liǎng zú xīn yī lún de zhàn huǒ 。
这也是为了交易会顺利召开，否则人妖两族恩怨缠绵，若没有这协议，双方见了面先打个一塌糊涂，别说交易合没法举行，还会挑起两族新一轮的战火。
Yue'er was curious but limited in her divine sense due to not having successfully formed an embryo yet. The other person was still over a hundred miles away, so she had no choice but to ask Lin Xuan.
dāng rán ， yě bú shì shuō zài zhè qī jiān ， shuāng fāng jiù méi yǒu le zhēng dòu ， dī jiē cún zài dǎ dǎ shā shā ， shuāng fāng dū huì zhēng yī zhī yǎn bì yī zhī yǎn ， bì jìng nà yàng de sǐ zài duō ， yě bú huì yǐng xiǎng dà jú ， bù guò yuán yīng xiū shì yǔ huà xíng yāo zú jiān ， jué duì bù néng dòng shǒu 。 nǎ pà shuāng fāng yǒu bù gòng dài tiān zhī chóu ， yě bù yǔn xǔ zài zhè lǐ dǎ 。
当然，也不是说在这期间，双方就没有了争斗，低阶存在打打杀杀，双方都会睁一只眼闭一只眼，毕竟那样的死再多，也不会影响大局，不过元婴修士与化形妖族间，绝对不能动手。哪怕双方有不共戴天之仇，也不允许在这里打。
"They're probably not targeting me. Those two seem to be chasing each other. The one running is at the early Core Formation stage, while the one pursuing him is a mid-stage transformed beast," Lin Xuan said with an odd expression.
bì jìng ， yuán yīng xiū shì ， shí yǒu ** dōu shì mǒu pài zhǎng lǎo ， huà xíng yāo zú ， yě huì shì dòng zhǔ lǐng zhǔ ， zhè yàng cún zài ， dū huì yǒu tóng jiē de péng yǒu ， yí dàn zhēng dòu ， hěn róng yì jiāng shì tài kuò dà 。
毕竟，元婴修士，十有**都是某派长老，化形妖族，也会是洞主领主，这样存在，都会有同阶的朋友，一旦争斗，很容易将事态扩大。
"Mid-stage transformed beast? Master, did I hear you correctly? During the Heavenly Cloud Trade Fair, humans and monsters have a pact to ban private fights, right?" Yue'er was surprised.
lín xuān dāng rán zhī dào yuè ér wèi shén me jīng yà ， zhè jiàn shì qíng què shí gǔ guài ， cǐ dì lí xuān yuán chéng yǐ jīng bù yuǎn ， nà liǎng gè lǎo jiā huǒ ， bù pà zhí fǎ shǐ ma ？ lín xuān jì rán lái dào zhè lǐ ， duì yú tiān yún jiāo yì huì de xiáng qíng ， zì rán liǎo jiě guò yī xiē 。
林轩当然知道月儿为什么惊讶，这件事情确实古怪，此地离轩辕城已经不远，那两个老家伙，不怕执法使吗？林轩既然来到这里，对于天云交易会的详情，自然了解过一些。
This was done to ensure the smooth running of the trade fair. If there were no such agreement, both races would fight upon meeting, making it impossible for any trades to take place and potentially sparking another war between them.
jù shuō zài jiāo yì qī jiān ， shuāng fāng dū huì gè pài chū shù shí míng wú yīng jí de cún zài zuò zhí fǎ shǐ ， qí zhōng hái bāo kuò wǔ míng dà xiū shì yǔ wǔ míng huà xíng hòu qī de yāo zú 。
据说在交易期间，双方都会各派出数十名无婴级的存在做执法使，其中还包括五名大修士与五名化形后期的妖族。
Of course, while low-level beings fought, higher-ups would look the other way, as those deaths wouldn’t affect the overall situation. However, Core Formation cultivators and mid-stage transformed beasts couldn't engage in combat under any circumstances, even if they had an eternal enmity.
shèn zhì yǒu chuán yán shuō ， yóu yú tiān yún jiāo yì huì shè jí liǎng zú ， dān xīn chū luàn zi ， měi yī cì zhào kāi de shí hòu ， dū huì yǒu liǎng míng zǎo yǐ bù wèn shì shì de lí hé qī cún zài ， yī wèi shì rén zú de qián bèi ， lìng wài yī wèi zé shì wǔ jiē yāo zú ， qiāo qiāo zuò kuì zài àn chù 。
甚至有传言说，由于天云交易会涉及两族，担心出乱子，每一次召开的时候，都会有两名早已不问世事的离合期存在，一位是人族的前辈，另外一位则是五阶妖族，悄悄坐馈在暗处。
After all, ten out of ten Core Formation cultivators were likely to be some sect’s elders, while mid-stage transformed beasts would also be cave lords or masters. Such beings often had friends at the same stage, and a fight could easily escalate.
dāng rán ， zhè zhǒng shuō fǎ ， jǐn jǐn shì fāng shì zhōng de chuán yán ， zhēn xiàng rú hé ， pǔ tōng xiū shì yǒng yuǎn yě bú huì qīng chǔ 。
当然，这种说法，仅仅是坊市中的传言，真相如何，普通修士永远也不会清楚。
Lin Xuan knew why Yue'er was surprised; this situation was indeed peculiar. They weren’t far from Xuan Yuan City, so these two old fellows didn't fear the enforcers? Since Lin Xuan had come here, he naturally knew some details about the Heavenly Cloud Trade Fair.
dàn qiān bǎi nián lái ， měi yī cì tiān yún jiāo yì huì zhào kāi ， rén yāo liǎng zú de yuán yīng jí cún zài ， hěn shǎo yǒu dǎ dòu de 。
但千百年来，每一次天云交易会召开，人妖两族的元婴级存在，很少有打斗的。
It was said that during the trade period, both sides would each send dozens of Core Formation cultivators as enforcers, including five high-ranking experts and five late-stage transformed beasts.
shuí gǎn gōng kāi wéi fǎn méng yuē ， bèi zhí fǎ shǐ zhuā zhù ， dōu méi yǒu hǎo guǒ zi ， jiù suàn shì qī dà shì lì de xiū shì ， huò zhě bèi jǐng shēn hòu de yāo zú ， yī yàng yán lì chéng chǔ ， qīng zé fèi qù xiū wèi ， zhòng zé chōu hún liàn pò 。 suǒ yǐ gǎn yǐ shēn shì fǎ de rén hái zhēn bù duō 。
谁敢公开违反盟约，被执法使抓住，都没有好果子，就算是七大势力的修士，或者背景深厚的妖族，一样严厉惩处，轻则废去修为，重则抽魂炼魄。所以敢以身试法的人还真不多。
There were even rumors that due to the involvement of two races, every time the fair convened, there would be two long-retired Separation stage existences—one a human elder and another a fifth-stage transformed beast—sitting in the shadows.
lín xuān yě yǒu xiē dí gū ， jiū jìng shì nǎ liǎng gè jiā huo ， dà dǎn dào rú cǐ chéng dù ， bù guò hái shì jiāng hào qí xīn yā xià qù le ， bì jìng tā xiàn zài yī jiù bèi wàn fú zōng tōng jī ， duō guǎn xián shì hěn bù míng zhì 。
林轩也有些嘀咕，究竟是哪两个家伙，大胆到如此程度，不过还是将好奇心压下去了，毕竟他现在依旧被万佛宗通缉，多管闲事很不明智。
Of course, this was just hearsay from the market. The truth remained unclear to ordinary cultivators.
jì rán yǔ zì jǐ wú guān ， lín xuān chóng xīn pán xī ér zuò ， dàn yī jiù jiāng shén shí fàng chū ， guān zhù zhe liǎng gè lǎo guài wù de yī jǔ yī dòng 。
既然与自己无关，林轩重新盘膝而坐，但依旧将神识放出，关注着两个老怪物的一举一动。
However, over millennia, there had rarely been fights among Core Formation cultivators during the trade fair.
suí zhe shí jiān de tuī yí ， tā men yuè lái yuè jìn ， lín xuān tū rán yī shēng qīng yí ， biǎo qíng biàn dé yǒu xiē yīn qíng bù dìng 。“ shào yé ， yòu zěn me le ？” yuè ér yǒu xiē yuán yǔ ， píng shí lín xuān néng tài shān bēng yú qián ér bù biàn sè ， jīn tiān zěn me yī jīng yī zhà de ？“ nà ge rén ， yǒu xiē shú 。” lín xuān yī zì yī dùn de shuō “ shén me ， nán dào shào yé rèn shí ？”“ bù cuò ， zhèng shì xī rì de jí è shǎo zhǔ 。”
随着时间的推移，他们越来越近，林轩突然一声轻咦，表情变得有些阴晴不定。“少爷，又怎么了？”月儿有些元语，平时林轩能泰山崩于前而不变色，今天怎么一惊一乍的？“那个人，有些熟。”林轩一字一顿的说“什么，难道少爷认识？”“不错，正是昔日的极恶少主。”
Who would dare openly violate the agreement? Those caught by enforcers wouldn’t have a good outcome; even high-ranking sect members or deeply rooted transformed beasts faced severe punishment—ranging from废除修真 (destruction of cultivation) to soul refinement. Thus, few dared to test their luck.
Lin Xuan was also puzzled about which two individuals were so bold. However, he suppressed his curiosity since he was still wanted by the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect and meddling in others' affairs wasn’t wise.
Since it had nothing to do with him, Lin Xuan resumed his meditative posture but still kept his divine sense out, monitoring the movements of these old fellows.
As time passed, they drew closer. Suddenly, Lin Xuan let out a light exclamation, his expression becoming uncertain.
"Master, what's wrong?" Yue'er asked, puzzled by Lin Xuan’s sudden startle today.
"That person seems familiar," Lin Xuan said with deliberate words.
"What? Could it be that Master recognizes him?"
"Yes, he is the former Tyrannical Young Lord."
Half a month later, Lin Xuan arrived at an endless plain. He dressed as a ascetic and used Qi Control to conceal his cultivation level to the early Core Formation stage.
His skin was also coated with some medicine, making him look dark. Since it wasn't an illusion, he had nothing to worry about in terms of revealing anything.
The plain before him stretched for thousands of miles, almost equivalent to a county's land area. It was lush and fertile, but few people lived there.
Cloud Province was a holy place for cultivation, yet the strength of both human and monster races was terrifying. Over millennia, they had fought several major battles, with constant skirmishes in between.
Overall, it was a balanced situation where humans and monsters couldn't completely dominate each other. It was difficult to gain an upper hand, as the land was divided among them.
This plain before him served as a buffer zone between their territories, so no one dared to live there.
However, with the upcoming Heavenly Cloud Trade Fair every three hundred years, both human and monster races had flooded in. The entire plain was now filled with all sorts of people, and daily battles were common. A Core Formation stage ascetic like Lin Xuan wasn't particularly noticeable. He was relieved that his disguise hadn’t exposed him yet.
As time passed, Lin Xuan found fewer fellow cultivators around. It made sense; they wouldn't think he would dress as an ascetic after offending the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect and fleeing to remote areas or even leaving Cloud Province altogether.
Although the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect had hidden some facts, it was clear that he was a middle-stage Core Formation cultivator. Thus, only fellow core formation experts dared to be so bold, while lower-level cultivators would never dare to act this way due to their fear of punishment.
The danger seemed to have passed for now, as long as he remained cautious about his identity.
Since he had dressed up as a monk, he naturally wanted to look the part. Between his travels, Lin Xuan would read scriptures and recite them aloud, which made him even less noticeable.
He was overjoyed when he realized that the scriptures could regulate his mind. His intuition hadn't been wrong; perhaps he wouldn’t need to endure hardships in the secular world. Lin Xuan was delighted and spent more time studying the scriptures each day.
"Going at this pace, I should be able to reach Xuan Yuan City in three days."
With ample time, Lin Xuan didn't rush his journey. Every evening after the sun set, he would find a place to meditate and study the scriptures. He wouldn’t let his studies suffer just because he was on the road.
If one wanted to outshine others, they had to put in more effort. If he were at the Separation stage, he would have already gone to the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect and destroyed it; why bother pretending to be an ascetic?
After completing three Grand Circulation cycles, Lin Xuan was holding a scripture when his brow twitched. He stood up abruptly.
"Master, what's wrong?" The little girl had been dozing off but was startled by Lin Xuan’s sudden movement.
"There are two people flying towards us, and they're extremely powerful. Both are Core Formation stage." Lin Xuan said with a worried expression. Had he been discovered?
"What should we do? Should we avoid them?" Yue'er grew tense.
"No, let's wait to see if they just pass by," Lin Xuan said as he released his immensely powerful divine sense to monitor the movements of these two old monsters.
After a moment, Lin Xuan’s expression turned strange.
"Master, what did you find?"
Yue'er was curious but limited in her divine sense due to not having successfully formed an embryo yet. The other person was still over a hundred miles away, so she had no choice but to ask Lin Xuan.
"They're probably not targeting me. Those two seem to be chasing each other. The one running is at the early Core Formation stage, while the one pursuing him is a mid-stage transformed beast," Lin Xuan said with an odd expression.
"Mid-stage transformed beast? Master, did I hear you correctly? During the Heavenly Cloud Trade Fair, humans and monsters have a pact to ban private fights, right?" Yue'er was surprised.
This was done to ensure the smooth running of the trade fair. If there were no such agreement, both races would fight upon meeting, making it impossible for any trades to take place and potentially sparking another war between them.
Of course, while low-level beings fought, higher-ups would look the other way, as those deaths wouldn’t affect the overall situation. However, Core Formation cultivators and mid-stage transformed beasts couldn't engage in combat under any circumstances, even if they had an eternal enmity.
After all, ten out of ten Core Formation cultivators were likely to be some sect’s elders, while mid-stage transformed beasts would also be cave lords or masters. Such beings often had friends at the same stage, and a fight could easily escalate.
Lin Xuan knew why Yue'er was surprised; this situation was indeed peculiar. They weren’t far from Xuan Yuan City, so these two old fellows didn't fear the enforcers? Since Lin Xuan had come here, he naturally knew some details about the Heavenly Cloud Trade Fair.
It was said that during the trade period, both sides would each send dozens of Core Formation cultivators as enforcers, including five high-ranking experts and five late-stage transformed beasts.
There were even rumors that due to the involvement of two races, every time the fair convened, there would be two long-retired Separation stage existences—one a human elder and another a fifth-stage transformed beast—sitting in the shadows.
Of course, this was just hearsay from the market. The truth remained unclear to ordinary cultivators.
However, over millennia, there had rarely been fights among Core Formation cultivators during the trade fair.
Who would dare openly violate the agreement? Those caught by enforcers wouldn’t have a good outcome; even high-ranking sect members or deeply rooted transformed beasts faced severe punishment—ranging from废除修真 (destruction of cultivation) to soul refinement. Thus, few dared to test their luck.
Lin Xuan was also puzzled about which two individuals were so bold. However, he suppressed his curiosity since he was still wanted by the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect and meddling in others' affairs wasn’t wise.
Since it had nothing to do with him, Lin Xuan resumed his meditative posture but still kept his divine sense out, monitoring the movements of these old fellows.
As time passed, they drew closer. Suddenly, Lin Xuan let out a light exclamation, his expression becoming uncertain.
"Master, what's wrong?" Yue'er asked, puzzled by Lin Xuan’s sudden startle today.
"That person seems familiar," Lin Xuan said with deliberate words.
"What? Could it be that Master recognizes him?"
"Yes, he is the former Tyrannical Young Lord."