He fell off a cliff but unexpectedly gained a cultivation inheritance.

The setting sun cast its slanting rays across the Huashan Mountains, bathing the rugged peaks in a warm orange-red hue. The usually bustling Huashan scenic area was eerily quiet. Roads leading to the core area were already cordoned off, and uniformed police officers and search and rescue teams carrying specialized equipment could be seen moving back and forth along the way. A heavy and oppressive atmosphere permeated the air.

Just after six o'clock in the evening, a black SUV slowly pulled up in front of the Huashan Hotel. The door opened, and the first to step out were a middle-aged couple with graying hair—Zhang Bufan's parents, Zhang Guoqiang and Xie Fenglian. They looked haggard, their eyes bloodshot, clearly having traveled a long way and not even had time to catch their breath. Following closely behind was a tall, dark-skinned middle-aged man—Zhang Bufan's cousin, Zhang Xiaoshan.

"Uncle, Aunt, we've arrived. The Huashan Hotel is right here. The police said they'd meet us here," Zhang Xiaoshan said in a low voice, supporting Xie Fenglian who was almost staggering. He had come along voluntarily, partly to help take care of his elderly aunt and uncle, and partly to do his part in finding his cousin, Zhang Bufan.

Zhang Guoqiang nodded, took a deep breath, suppressed his anxiety, and looked up at the Huashan Hotel. The hotel was no longer the bustling tourist destination it once was. Two police officers stood at the entrance, and people in search and rescue uniforms were everywhere in and around the lobby. Climbing ropes, searchlights, first-aid kits, and other supplies were piled on the ground, clearly indicating it had become a temporary base for the search and rescue team.

As the three of them approached the hotel entrance, a middle-aged police officer in uniform, wearing a two-pole, one-star badge, came up to them and asked, "Are you Zhang Bufan's family members? I am Li Jianguo, the police officer in charge of this case of falling off the cliff and going missing."

"Yes, we are. Officer Li, my son Zhang Bufan... how is he?" Xie Fenglian grabbed Li Jianguo's arm, her voice trembling, her eyes filled with expectation and anxiety, tears welling up in her eyes, almost spilling over. In the few hours since her husband told her that their son had fallen off a cliff and was injured on Mount Hua, to the time she rushed here, her heart had felt like it was being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, making it difficult to even breathe.

Seeing Xie Fenglian's anxious expression, Li Jianguo's face showed a hint of difficulty. He said in a heavy tone, "Ms. Xie, please don't get agitated. We have organized a large number of search and rescue personnel to conduct a comprehensive search of the area where Mr. Zhang Bufan fell off the cliff, but we haven't found him yet. The higher-ups are taking this incident very seriously and have issued the order to 'find him alive or dead.' The scenic area has been temporarily closed, and we will further expand the search area and intensify the search efforts."

Upon hearing the words "the person hasn't been found yet" and "we need to see the body," Xie Fenglian swayed, her face turning deathly pale, and she almost collapsed to the ground. Zhang Guoqiang quickly supported his wife and said to Li Jianguo, "Officer Li, thank you for your hard work. What can we do now? Also, have my son's things been found?"

"Please take your family to the guest room to rest first; you must be tired from the journey," Li Jianguo said, stepping aside to make way. "Regarding Mr. Zhang Bufan's belongings, we found his backpack in the valley below the cliff where he fell. Everything inside is still there; I'll have someone deliver it to you later."

Afterwards, Li Jianguo arranged for a young policeman to take Zhang Guoqiang and the other two to a room on the third floor of the hotel. The room was small and simply furnished, but clean and tidy. As soon as they entered the room, Xie Fenglian could no longer hold back and collapsed onto the edge of the bed, sobbing softly, "Bufan, my son, you mustn't be hurt... If anything happens to you, how can I live..."

Zhang Guoqiang sat beside his wife, gently patting her back and comforting her, "Fenglian, don't be too sad. Bufan has always been lucky; he'll be alright. The police are doing everything they can to search for him; we have to trust them." Despite his words, his voice trembled uncontrollably, and the worry in his eyes was no less than his wife's. Zhang Xiaoshan stood to the side, his brow furrowed, silently praying that his cousin would be safe.

Not long after, a policeman came in carrying a black backpack covered in mud and somewhat damaged. He handed the backpack to Zhang Guoqiang and said, "Mr. Zhang, this is Mr. Zhang Bufan's backpack that we found in the valley. Please confirm it."

Zhang Guoqiang took the backpack, finding it heavy. He opened it, and most of the contents were still there: a black leather wallet containing Zhang Bufan's ID card, bank cards, various documents, some cash, a change of clothes, a bottle of mineral water, several packs of biscuits, a cell phone that had run out of battery and was now off, and some loose tissues, keys, and other items. Looking at these familiar things, Zhang Guoqiang's eyes welled up with tears.

"This...this really is Bufan's backpack..." Xie Fenglian stopped sobbing, leaned closer to examine the backpack, and said in a hoarse voice. Her gaze swept over the backpack, and when she saw the marks from tree branches on the shoulder straps and the mud on it, her unease intensified. She couldn't help but ask, "Officer Li, where was this backpack found? Was Bufan...was the place where he fell off the cliff very high?"

The young police officer standing nearby hesitated for a moment, glanced at Li Jianguo, and then truthfully said, "Auntie, this backpack was found in the valley below the cliff point. Mr. Zhang Bufan fell off an extremely steep cliff on Mount Hua, with a vertical drop of approximately 700 meters..."

"Seven hundred meters?!" "What? A cliff seven hundred meters high?!"

Before the young policeman could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Xie Fenglian and Zhang Xiaoshan's exclamations. Xie Fenglian's face instantly turned deathly pale, her eyes widened, and her face was filled with disbelief. She had never seen a 700-meter-high cliff in her life, and she couldn't imagine what chance a person could have of surviving a fall from such a height.

"No...it's impossible...my son..." Xie Fenglian's body trembled violently, her lips quivering, unable to utter a complete sentence. The immense shock caused her mind to go blank for a moment, her vision went black, and her body fell straight backward.

"Fenglian!" "Auntie!"

Zhang Guoqiang and Zhang Xiaoshan exclaimed in alarm simultaneously, rushing to help her, but they were too late. Xie Fenglian collapsed heavily onto the bed, completely unconscious. Zhang Guoqiang was terrified, his hand trembling as he checked his wife's breath, repeatedly calling out, "Fenglian, wake up! Fenglian, don't scare me!"

Zhang Xiaoshan was also sweating profusely with anxiety. He quickly turned and ran towards the door, shouting as he ran, "Doctor! Doctor! Someone come quick! My aunt has fainted!"

Fortunately, the hotel had already arranged for medical personnel to be on standby. Upon hearing the cries for help, two doctors in white coats and a nurse immediately rushed over with a first-aid kit. They quickly examined Xie Fenglian and then began emergency treatment. Zhang Guoqiang and Zhang Xiaoshan waited anxiously by the side, their hearts in their throats, fearing that something else might happen to Xie Fenglian.

Time ticked by, each second feeling incredibly long. Inside the hotel room, besides the busy sounds of the medical staff, only Zhang Guoqiang's heavy breathing and Zhang Xiaoshan's anxious pacing could be heard. About half an hour later, Xie Fenglian's eyelids twitched slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes, coughing weakly a few times.

"Fenglian, you're awake! That's wonderful! You're finally awake!" Zhang Guoqiang was so excited to see his wife wake up that tears welled up in his eyes, and he held her hand tightly.

The doctor breathed a sigh of relief and said to Zhang Guoqiang, "Sir, don't worry, the patient is out of danger. She fainted suddenly due to excessive grief and fright. There's nothing seriously wrong with her body, but we need to make sure she stays emotionally stable and avoids any further stress."

"Okay, okay, thank you, doctor, thank you all!" Zhang Guoqiang thanked them repeatedly, finally feeling a huge weight lifted from his heart.

The medical staff gave a few more instructions, left some sedatives, and then left. Zhang Guoqiang poured Xie Fenglian a glass of warm water and carefully fed her a few sips. Xie Fenglian leaned against the headboard, her eyes vacant, murmuring, "Bufan... my son... seven hundred meters... how could this be..."

Zhang Guoqiang sat on the edge of the bed, holding his wife's hand tightly, constantly comforting her: "Fenglian, don't worry, Bufan will be alright. So what if it's 700 meters high? Maybe he's lucky and something caught him? We have to believe in Bufan, he'll definitely come back safely." Although he himself felt these words were somewhat pale and powerless, he still had to say them, both to comfort his wife and to comfort himself.

Just as the atmosphere in the room reached its most oppressive point, a soft knock came at the door. Zhang Xiaoshan went to open it and saw a young woman in a white tracksuit, exuding elegance, standing there, followed by two tall, solemn-looking men in black. The woman had a beautiful face, with a hint of melancholy in her eyes; she was none other than Zhang Bufan's ex-wife, Ye Qingxue.

"Excuse me, is this Mr. Zhang Guoqiang and Ms. Xie Fenglian's room? I am Ye Qingxue, Zhang Bufan's ex-wife." Ye Qingxue's voice was gentle and calm. Zhang Xiaoshan hurriedly replied, "Yes, please come in!"

"Qingxue?" Zhang Guoqiang was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected Ye Qingxue to come. Although his son and Ye Qingxue were divorced, there was no deep-seated hatred between them, and Ye Qingxue usually treated the elderly couple with respect. He quickly stood up and said, "Qingxue, come in quickly."

Ye Qingxue entered the room, while two men in black stood guard at the door behind her, like two door gods, motionless. Ye Qingxue walked to the bedside, looked at the weak Xie Fenglian, and said softly, "Auntie, are you alright? I heard that Bufan had an accident, so I rushed over immediately. Don't be too sad, taking care of yourself is the most important thing."

When Xie Fenglian saw Ye Qingxue, tears welled up in her eyes again. She choked out, "Qingxue... Bufan... he fell off a cliff seven hundred meters high... What... what should we do..."

"Auntie, please don't get agitated." Ye Qingxue took out a tissue and handed it to Xie Fenglian, comforting her, "I know you're worried about Bufan, but there's no use being anxious now. I've already spoken with the head of the search and rescue team, and I'll personally go to the scene of the fall later. Maybe we can find some clues. Bufan is a lucky guy; he'll definitely be alright."

Upon hearing that Ye Qingxue was going to the scene of the fall to look for clues, a glimmer of hope flashed in Zhang Guoqiang's eyes, and he quickly said, "Qingxue, then I'll have to trouble you. If you find anything, be sure to tell us immediately."

"Don't worry, I will." Ye Qingxue nodded, comforted Xie Fenglian a few more times, and then turned and left the room. As she reached the door, she said to the two men in black behind her, "Ali, Ayong, let's go, let's go check out the scene of the fall."

"Yes, Miss." The two men in black responded respectfully and followed Ye Qingxue out of the hotel.

As Ye Qingxue and her two companions walked out of the Huashan Hotel, a search and rescue team leader was already waiting at the entrance. Upon seeing Ye Qingxue, the leader hurriedly went to greet her respectfully, saying, "Miss Ye, everything is arranged. We'll take you to the scene of the fall right away." Clearly, Ye Qingxue's family's prominent public background made him dare not be negligent in the slightest. Several high-ranking officials in the Southern Province were members of the Ye family's collateral branches, and the family also operated several multi-billion-dollar conglomerates. It was only because Ye Qingxue was indifferent to fame and fortune that she concealed her identity and married Zhang Bufan.

"Thank you for your trouble." Ye Qingxue nodded slightly, her tone calm. Then, she got into the search and rescue team's off-road vehicle and headed towards the direction where Zhang Bufan had fallen off the cliff. The off-road vehicle traveled for about half an hour on the rugged mountain road before finally arriving at the entrance to the valley below the point of fall.

"Ms. Ye, the road ahead is impassable for vehicles, so we have to proceed on foot. Mr. Zhang Bufan's backpack was found in a thicket of bushes not far ahead," the person in charge said to Ye Qingxue, pointing to a narrow mountain path ahead.

"Okay, let's walk in," Ye Qingxue said without hesitation, stepping out of the SUV first. Ali and Ayong followed closely behind, their sharp eyes alertly observing the surroundings, constantly protecting Ye Qingxue's safety.

The group walked along the narrow mountain path deeper into the valley. The valley was densely vegetated, filled with tall trees and low shrubs, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, making movement very difficult. The head of the search and rescue team led the way, explaining the situation as they walked: "Ms. Ye, we have conducted three comprehensive searches of this area, including checking the surrounding caves and crevices, but we have found no trace of Mr. Zhang Bufan, nor any signs of a fall."

Ye Qingxue didn't speak, only nodded slightly, while simultaneously channeling her spiritual energy to carefully sense the changes in the surrounding spiritual energy. As a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, her perception of spiritual energy was far more acute than that of ordinary people. She had only been in the valley for a short time when her brows furrowed slightly.

"The spiritual energy density here seems higher than outside," Ye Qingxue thought to herself. She stopped, closed her eyes, and focused all her attention on sensing the spiritual energy. After a moment, she opened her eyes, a hint of doubt flashing in them. Although the spiritual energy density in this valley wasn't particularly high, it was indeed much denser than outside the valley, and it also carried a very faint, strange fluctuation, unlike naturally formed spiritual energy (a portion of the spiritual energy that had dissipated when the Xuanqing Secret Realm array teleported Zhang Bufan hadn't completely dissipated).

"Ali, Yong, have you sensed anything unusual?" Ye Qingxue turned to the two men in black behind her and asked. Ali and Yong were also Qi Refining stage cultivators, with higher cultivation levels than Ye Qingxue, so they naturally possessed stronger spiritual energy perception abilities.

Ali and Yong exchanged a glance, then closed their eyes and sensed for a moment. Ali spoke first, saying, "Miss, there is indeed something unusual. The spiritual energy here is much denser than outside."

Ye Qingxue's doubts deepened. She quickened her pace, heading towards the location where the backpack had been found. Soon, they arrived at a dense thicket of bushes. The person in charge pointed to a pine tree and said, "Ms. Ye, Mr. Zhang Bufan's backpack was found at the top of this pine tree."

Ye Qingxue walked to the pine tree. She squatted down, reached out, and gently parted the branches and leaves of the bushes, carefully examining the ground around her.

As a cultivator, her observational skills far surpassed those of ordinary people. Every footprint on the ground, every broken branch, every loose stone—nothing escaped her notice. She carefully surveyed the area around the bushes, then meticulously sensed and probed a two-hundred-meter radius around the pine tree. The doubt on her face gradually turned to surprise, and then to a hint of understanding.

"Strange, there's no sign of anyone falling here," Ye Qingxue muttered to herself. Normally, someone falling from a 700-meter cliff into this thicket would leave obvious traces, such as broken branches, deep footprints, scattered pieces of clothing, and so on. But after a careful inspection, apart from a few marks left by a backpack, the surrounding vegetation was perfectly intact, and there were no signs of a heavy impact on the ground.

"Manager, are you sure this is directly below where Zhang Bufan fell off the cliff?" Ye Qingxue turned to the head of the search and rescue team and asked.

The person in charge nodded affirmatively and said, "Ms. Ye, we have confirmed through drone aerial photography and on-site investigation that this is the area directly below where Mr. Zhang Bufan fell off the cliff. We have searched an area within a radius of 500 meters and found no other suspicious traces."

After receiving confirmation from the person in charge, Ye Qingxue's deduction became even clearer. She stood up, sensed the surrounding spiritual energy again, and silently thought, "It seems that Zhang Bufan didn't fall into this valley at all."

Then, the person in charge briefly shared their thoughts with Ali and Ayong. Ali and Ayong looked at Ye Qingxue with some confusion. Although they had also noticed something unusual, they hadn't considered this point.

Ye Qingxue explained, "It's very simple. If Zhang Bufan really fell here, he would definitely leave obvious fall marks, but there's nothing here. As for his backpack, it was probably scraped off by branches on the cliff during the fall and then fell here. And Zhang Bufan himself, after his backpack was scraped off, was likely taken away by something before he hit the ground."

"What took it away?" Ali frowned. "Miss, you mean...?"

"There are two possibilities," Ye Qingxue said slowly. "The first is that he was rescued by a cultivator. Cultivators have the ability to fly and manipulate objects from a distance, so rescuing someone in mid-air is not difficult for them. The second is that he was captured by a demon. Some powerful demons also possess considerable abilities and might kidnap Zhang Bufan as he falls."

Ye Qingxue continued, "However, the second possibility can basically be ruled out. You should know that the entrance to the secret realm of the reclusive sect Huashan Immortal Sword Sect is not far from here, only a dozen kilometers away. Huashan Immortal Sword Sect is a representative of the righteous sects, with great strength. No demon dares to appear in this area, otherwise it will surely be killed by the cultivators of the Immortal Sword Sect."

"If that's the case, then there's only one possibility left." Ye Qingxue's eyes hardened. "Zhang Bufan was most likely rescued by cultivators from the Huashan Immortal Sword Sect."

Ali frowned and said, "Miss, but according to the rules of the cultivation world, cultivators generally don't interfere in the affairs of mortals. If they really saved Zhang Bufan, they should have left him where he was and left, not taken him away on purpose."

"That's exactly what puzzles me," Ye Qingxue nodded and said, "Unless... Zhang Bufan's identity or physique is special and has attracted the attention of the Immortal Sword Sect cultivators, they have no reason to take away an ordinary mortal."

At this point, Zhang Bufan's image involuntarily surfaced in Ye Qingxue's mind. She had been married to Zhang Bufan for five years and had always thought he was just an ordinary mortal, nothing special. But now it seemed that perhaps her understanding of him was incomplete. Could Zhang Bufan really have some special identity or constitution?

"No matter what, to find out the truth, we must visit the Huashan Immortal Sword Sect and ask them about the situation," Ye Qingxue said slowly. This is the only clue at the moment, and she must seize it.

However, thinking of this, Ye Qingxue frowned again. Ali seemed to sense her concern and said, "Miss, are you worried that our status isn't high enough to meet the higher-ups of the Immortal Sword Sect?"

Ye Qingxue nodded, a hint of helplessness in her voice: "That's right. The Huashan Immortal Sword Sect is far stronger than our Ye family. It's said that they have several Golden Core stage elders and a Nascent Soul stage ancestor, making them a first-rate force in the current cultivation world. The sect leader and elders who usually manage affairs are all Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, while I'm just a junior in the Qi Refining stage. I'm not qualified to pay them any respects, let alone ask them about anything."

The cultivation world is strictly hierarchical, with strength being paramount. For a Qi Refining cultivator to visit a first-rate sect with a Nascent Soul stage ancestor is like an ordinary mortal trying to meet the ruler of a country—they would never be granted an audience.

Ah Yong said, "Miss, should we report the situation to the patriarch first and ask him to intervene? The patriarch is at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and should be qualified to speak with the daily managers of the Immortal Sword Sect."

Ye Qingxue pondered for a moment, nodded, and said, "That's the only way."

Ye Qingxue turned her gaze back to the direction where Zhang Bufan had fallen off the cliff, her eyes filled with complex emotions. She didn't know if Zhang Bufan was safe, nor what secrets he was hiding. But she had a vague feeling that Zhang Bufan's fall was probably not as simple as an accident, and that it might involve something she couldn't even imagine.