CHAPTER 120: MOUNTAIN INSPECTION

When Adrian heard that the one responsible for identifying the mysterious cultivator was a disciple from the War Machine sect. His mind immediately went towards the man he met in the inner regions.

The man that he had been tailing ever since he entered the Misty Mountains, the man he followed inside the mystic realm. Now it seemed that very same man was the one trying to capture him. It seemed that the same man was trying to capture him.

’So he survived, huh?’ Adrian thought to himself. He was actually surprised that Julian was still alive. And with good reason. The aura of that beast was something that Adrian could still remember till now.

He hadn’t been close enough to tell its rank, but he knew that both of them stood absolutely no chance against it. That was why he decisively escaped into the Blood Star. The fact that the man was able to survive showed that he wasn’t as simple as well.

Perhaps, he had used an artifact he had gotten from the mystic realm? This thought wasn’t so far-fetched. Adrian had gotten the true legacy of the Hundred-Faced Thief, but that didn’t mean Julian didn’t receive anything at all.

He might have gotten something that could help him escape from the beast. Perhaps, a pill that could hide his presence, or a talisman that could increase his speed so he could run away at a very fast speed.

As Adrian thought about all the possible scenarios that Julian could have used to avoid losing his life, he also began to wonder how he was able to convince the City Lord of Stonehold City to take action.

To be able to make the City Lord listen to his words, he was definitely not just a normal disciple. Perhaps he had some sort of connection to the City Lord, something that Adrian did not currently know.

What Adrian didn’t know was that it wasn’t Julian making the City Lord move. It was Bella. With a single statement from the Young Mistress of the Vyre family, the City Lord assembled a squad of warriors who were in charge of assessing everyone who left the mystic realm, along with Julian.

Normally, this action would not have been condoned by others, as there were a lot of factions, sects, and families that the Misty Mountains served as a source of resources and training. However, City Lord Richard was able to avoid most of the backlash by simply mentioning the Vyre name.

As soon as everyone heard that it was done under the orders of the House of Vyre, they backed off immediately. Most of them came from cities around here and were vassals under the Vyre family, so they didn’t want to anger them.

Even those who weren’t vassals to them didn’t pursue the matter further. That was the deterrent provided by one of the Twelve Great Families. Anyways, those that were being checked were mainly the Foundation Establishment realm cultivators, so it didn’t affect their core interests.

No one would want to offend the House of Vyre just for some Foundation Establishment realm cultivators. That was plain stupid.

Adrian now started thinking about what he was going to do. He couldn’t leave the Misty Mountains as he was currently. Julian would be able to spot him very easily. He was sure that even though he hadn’t seen his face, he was smart enough to recognize him by just his voice and manners.

He was actually glad that he ran into this group of cultivators. If he hadn’t he might have been ambushed with a situation he wasn’t prepared for. Perhaps he could stay in the outer regions and wait it out. There was no way they would stay there for long.

Perhaps a few weeks, maybe a month, but they would eventually have to give up if they didn’t find anyone. But Adrian didn’t want to take this route. As interesting as his adventure inside the Misty Mountains had been, he was beginning to grow tired of it.

The never-ending mist that just lingered everywhere was a novelty in the beginning, but it got old rather quickly. Now he found it a little more than an annoyance that didn’t let him see clearly. He was also missing his siblings.

He had been away from them for about a month now and was starting to miss them dearly. Even though he left them with more than enough for them to live comfortably, he couldn’t help but worry about their well-being.

Were they eating properly? Had the money finished? Were they keeping up with their training? These questions gnawed at him, making him want to just rush back and see them.

Adrian sighed, rubbing his temples as he weighed his options. Well, he wasn’t really weighing options so much as making plans. He already knew what he was going to do. He was going to leave these mountains and return to the city, all while avoiding the scrutiny of those trying to find him.

If it was before, Adrian would not have tried this seemingly reckless endeavor, but now, hehe...

A man wearing a bamboo hat could be seen leaving the Misty Mountains. He was wearing plain grey robes and had a gruff beard. He resembled a middle-aged man. His appearance was quite ordinary, making him resemble your typical rogue cultivator.

The only thing that could be said to be unique about him was his aura. He radiated the aura of an initial-stage Golden Core realm cultivator. He had only taken a few steps out of the mist when he was suddenly stopped by two individuals. They were dressed in the same attire that resembled uniforms for soldiers.

"Halt! We are currently looking for someone, so you need to undergo an inspection." One of the two said, while unleashing his aura of a mid-stage golden core realm cultivator. It was a show of power and was also a message.

They meant business.

The man, seemingly caught off guard, stuttered with his response.

"W-What’s going on? What do you mean by inspection? I haven’t done anything." He fired off rapidly. The two soldiers had smug looks on their faces, seemingly satisfied by his terrified reaction.

Other cultivators in the make-shift market glanced at the scene with little interest. They had gotten used to seeing this sight over the past few days and didn’t think much of it anymore.

Just then, Julian and some disciples of the War Machine sect approached them.

"What’s with all the ruckus?" He asked with a slightly annoyed look on his face. The two guards who were initially arrogant immediately bowed their heads slightly when they saw him.

"Forgive us, Young Master. We were simply conducting an inspection on this man here. The second guard replied. Their earlier bravado had immediately vanished when they were in front of Julian.

Julian’s eyebrows furrowed. He turned his gaze towards the lone cultivator who was standing in front of him. Even though he was trying to hide it, he could see that he was slightly shivering. Looking at him, from head to toe, nothing in his appearance matched the individual he was looking for.

Not the height, voice, build, or even facial structure. Well, he hadn’t truly seen his face, but he was sure that this wasn’t it. He then glanced towards the man’s hands, where a ring that looked like it was made out of copper lay.

It was a bronze grade storage ring, a far cry from the black one that the individual they were looking for had. Most importantly, he wasn’t even in the Foundation Establishment realm.

The only thing that was even remotely interesting about this man was the fact that he was alone. With the current situation of the Misty Mountains, going alone was exponentially more dangerous. However, it wasn’t that uncommon. There were some oddballs out there who preferred being alone. Maybe this man was one of them.

His interest in this man fizzled out, and he waved his hand dismissively at him.

"You can go," Julian said while walking away in a different direction. The man quickly bowed his head in thanks while walking away at a brisk pace. The two guards stared at his retreating back with a slight unwillingness.

They clearly knew that he didn’t fit the criteria for the individual they were looking for. They just wanted to shake him up. Over the past few days, they had been able to earn quite a bit just by intimidating the cultivators here.

Especially from rogue cultivators who were just leaving the Misty Mountains. Under the pretext of inspections, they would demand large sums of money from them. Because they were working under the orders of the City Lord of Stonehold City, no one dared to disobey them or call them out on their behavior.

They had even gotten bolder and started targeting the disciples from smaller sects and families. Julian was aware of this, but made no effort to stop it. He didn’t really care as long as it didn’t affect his efforts to find that mysterious cultivator.

"Damn it, what a lucky bastard. He just had to show up just when Young Master Julian was passing by." The guard who had been arrogant earlier spat out in frustration.

"Don’t think too much about it. That guy probably didn’t have much anyway. I mean, he was still using a Bronze grade storage ring. Let’s just go back." The other said, comforting his partner.