Chapter 1129: Tonight's Bright Moon

Chapter 1129: Tonight's Bright Moon

Fish Scale Ferry was constantly being expanded to accommodate more large ferries like Parasol Tree Shade, transforming the temporary dock into a permanent one. Word had it that the Yunyan Kingdom court had already outsourced the official vinegar, barley wine, and ink stick production. Some bold youths from the capital were night fishing nearby, not far from the painted pleasure boats wafting the scent of powder and perfume, cups and chopsticks clinking back and forth. The hosts were mostly powerful figures from below the mountain, feasting the immortal masters from above. They appreciated the moonlight, chatted about friendships, and drank silver—on the banquet table, they called each other brothers, both sides surnamed Money. By the riverbank, the youths whispered among themselves about which imperial relative or which legitimate son of a high minister owned which pleasure boat licensed to do business here. Occasionally, the youths saw a woman stagger to the boat railing, pull out a handkerchief to wipe the corner of her mouth, slightly tidy her makeup, hesitate for a moment, then not put the handkerchief back into her sleeve but discard it instead, before hurrying back to the bustle and glamour.

Nowadays, both court and commoners knew that the owner of the Parasol Tree Shade ferry was a clan-level immortal mansion. Additionally, the court had imposed restrictions, forbidding unauthorized persons from approaching the Parasol Tree Shade ferry to disturb the sword immortals' quiet cultivation. Therefore, the waters around the ferry were relatively tranquil. Occasionally, a small boat would approach, and soon a martial artist serving as a guardian would dart out from the reeds like a wild bird, performing light-footed techniques, skimming the water like a dragonfly, warning the small boat to turn back immediately. That martial artist would curse under his breath, turn around, stoop, gather his breath, and tread water lightly, floating like a feather, walking as if on flat ground, trying to slip quietly to the shore. On the way, he spotted two people by the ferry railing looking his way—a man in blue robes with a warm expression, and a long-bearded Taoist holding a whisk with a sword on his back.

The martial artist was startled and quickly stopped, bowing and apologizing to the two unfamiliar immortal masters on the boat. The man in blue robes smiled and returned the courtesy with cupped fists, which made the guardian, who had been suffering from ill treatment at Fish Scale Ferry lately, pause. He guessed that this person was not of high cultivation, probably of ordinary status. Yet he couldn't help wondering: if his status was ordinary, how could he be on the Parasol Tree Shade ferry?

Throughout the capital region of Yunyan Kingdom, the exterior appeared relaxed but the interior was tense. Fish Scale Ferry, as the top priority, was joked about by colleagues: now even if a dog took a dump on the roadside at Fish Scale Ferry, whoever stepped on it would have to report it to the court for the records.

Lü Yan smiled and said, "How come they didn't recognize you?"

Chen Ping'an replied helplessly, "According to Dongshan, the Yunyan Kingdom court, perhaps to express gratitude, has kept only written records of all registered cultivators from Green Lotus Sword Sect and Jade Token Sect, without preserving any pictorial images."

Lü Yan teased, "Not your usual formidable reputation."

Chen Ping'an didn't explain further. In the past, on Parasol Leaf Continent, any clan-level immortal mansion was the undisputed overlord—the moods of the immortal masters were like clear skies or rain.

The mountains and rivers were spiritually beautiful, like a mute beauty full of affection.

Human bodies drift like dust on the roadside; worldly affairs are like ripples on water.

Lü Yan continued their earlier topic, saying, "I'll strive not to delay Mountain Lord Chen's cultivation time too much."

Chen Ping'an said, "Protecting the Way is itself cultivating the Way."

When a Taoist leaves the mountain, besides worldly experience to hone his own Dao heart, it's also to seek immortal fortunes, gather heavenly treasures, accumulate merit, and increase Dao power.

There are also three external matters, though occasionally done, they are of great importance. For instance, the first is guarding passes for others, like Azure Spirit Dynasty National Teacher Yao Qing guarding for the ghost Xu Jun.

Another is delivering people—guiding them onto the mountain. Put bluntly, going out to find cultivation seedlings, taking them as disciples, expanding the sect, and continuing the lineage.

Then there's helping others protect the Way. For example, back in Lotus Flower Blessed Land, Jiang Shangzhen transformed into Chou Chun Chao's Zhou Fei, intending to help Lu Fang of Bird's View Peak break through a love tribulation. Jiang Shangzhen spent considerable time, but the problem was that sword cultivator Lu Fang never broke his inner demon; he is probably still trapped in a ghost circle within the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. Later, according to Chief Zhou's account, if Lu Fang had been willing to enter Jade Token Sect earlier, he wouldn't have needed to go to the Lotus Flower Blessed Land at all. A forced melon isn't sweet, but it quenches thirst. Unfortunately, Lu Fang was a blockhead who refused to open up, insisting on hanging himself from the same tree.

Earlier, in the private Dao field of Fuyao Foot, the old abbot had two comments about Xun Yuan, a half-neighbor—one disparaging, one praising.

One was disdain for Xun Yuan's narrow-mindedness, calling him one of the main culprits for the continent's sinking. "What is cultivation? Merely private schemes for the clan gate. The ills of Parasol Leaf Continent are half Xun and half Du."

The other was a high compliment: "For disciples like Zheng Juzhong and Xun Yuan, indeed the more the better."

Lü Yan stroked his beard and smiled, "Mountain Lord Chen is so polite, then I truly won't stand on ceremony with you."

Chen Ping'an nodded, "No need to stand on ceremony."

The reason Lü Yan wanted Chen Ping'an as his protector of the Way was not that Lü Yan could only find Chen Ping'an. Traveling alone through the world, a waters-and-clouds life of three thousand years, Lü Yan did have a few Dao friends.

For instance, the Fire Dragon True Person who came with him to Parasol Leaf Continent was a good friend of many years. But as Fire Dragon True Person himself said, guarding a pass, which is easier and less troublesome, is something he can do at his current realm—he won't refuse. But protecting the Way, which is laborious and mentally taxing, requires someone else. His patience for such matters is truly not high.

Someone in the mountain world had made an analogy: guarding a pass is like working a short-term job, while protecting the Way is like working a long-term job.

Chen Ping'an said, "I hope the result is just protecting the Way, with no great merit on my part, only a bit of toil."

Lü Yan smiled knowingly, "If so, that would be best."

The implication beneath these words was very auspicious: the easier Chen Ping'an's task of protecting the Way, the less he needed to personally intervene, the more smoothly Lü Yan's cultivation would proceed.

Lü Yan suggested, "Mountain Lord Chen might as well just send a clone into that blessed land; that should suffice."

Chen Ping'an didn't dare to make a hasty decision about exactly how to enter that place. He said, "I know very little about that place. Does the senior have any detailed records like a gazetteer? I'd like to study them in advance."

Lü Yan shook his head. "I only have some hearsay, no inside information. I only know that because it's a top-grade cave heaven and a mid-grade blessed land, it's always been described as 'top-heavy,' with extremely strict gate restrictions and many barriers. The reason I could go there for training was thanks to the Sage of All Sages' mediation, which granted leniency. The Sage also told me plainly that exceptions come with a price, but he didn't specify what that price was—he just told me to think it through before deciding."

Chen Ping'an weighed this in his mind. A mid-grade blessed land? That meant the number of qi refiners wouldn't be too many, and their realms would be limited?

On his study trip back then, Li Baoping had discussed similar issues with Cui Dongshan.

At that time, the white-robed youth grinned and asked the girl in the red cotton jacket a question: "Have you ever bought hot tofu from a street vendor?"

It turned out that in the eyes of calculation experts proficient in numbers, from the grand scale of the Grand Dao world down to any blessed land, the total amount of heavenly energy and dynastic fortune was a fixed sum of one.

Therefore, every time a martial artist becomes a martial grandmaster, or a cultivator achieves the Earth Immortal realm, it's like cutting tofu on a chopping board—first come, first served. The weight of the tofu piece determines the level of achievement...

Then Li Baoping's counter-question caught the carefree Cui Dongshan off guard: "Do you have to pay to cut off a piece of tofu? Is the price for everyone to buy tofu from the stall set, or is there a discount?"

Chen Ping'an asked a key question: "Senior, do you know who calls the shots inside that cave heaven?"

Lü Yan hesitated, then said, "The Three Founders only established some rules initially and didn't interfere in specific matters. I've heard that only a few are actually in charge, each with divine titles."

The Heaven-ascending war changed everything. Some ancient gods, like Feng Yi, managed to retain their divine positions. Later generations of mountain-top cultivators only knew that these deities had passageways to the human world mostly through the martial ancestral temples of each continent. But where they resided—or more accurately, were imprisoned—remained only speculation. After all, the Three Founders couldn't allow these gods to scatter beyond the heavens. Otherwise, when Zhou Mi ascended to heaven and summoned the gods to return, causing the various Dao paths to collapse, the human world would have long been in chaos. Not only would wind and rain not be timely, but even the separation of yin and yang and the four seasons would be mere wishes. The Three Founders would not just have blocked the gates with their extra-Dao bodies; they would have been forced to scatter their Dao to patch those Dao vacancies.

This group of ancient gods, along with the batch of new gods born with the four worlds, had their "golden bodies" fixed in the "clouds above" where the cave heaven and blessed land connect.

That's why Lü Yan said, "The rules there are heavy."

Chen Ping'an changed the subject and asked, "Senior has traveled through the Azure Underworld World. What was your biggest impression?"

Lü Yan smiled slightly. "The color there deserves to be called 'verdant as if dripping,' as if it might actually fall onto the earth."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Like the glaze of a certain porcelain from my hometown. I should take the opportunity to see the different scenery there."

Lü Yan gently waved his whisk and laughed. "Once, in a certain mountain, I met an extraordinary person who said that the invisible time in heaven and earth is smelted from fragments of golden bodies."

Chen Ping'an asked, "What is smelting?"

Lü Yan said, "Incense."

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment and said, "A strange idea."

Lü Yan said, "That person also said that dreams are one of the incense burners."

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Hard to believe."

Lü Yan took an unremarkable yellow silk bag from his sleeve and handed it to Chen Ping'an, roughly explaining the contents: "A dozen or so items, each in a small bag. Besides five-colored soil from the Grand Dao world and Azure Underworld Great Mountains, there are also a few magical treasures that are neither very valuable nor common. You can check them later. Consider this the compensation for protecting the Way."

Chen Ping'an gently pushed the bag back, declining. "No merit, no reward. When the task is accomplished, we can discuss this then."

"Consider it a deposit. The rest will be settled later."

Lü Yan placed the bag into Chen Ping'an's hand, smiling. "On the way here, Fire Dragon True Person said that when giving gifts, especially to Mountain Lord Chen, it's best to give them separately to show more respect and feeling. I found that troublesome, so I skipped it."

Chen Ping'an put the bag into his sleeve and performed a Daoist bow of greeting to the Pure Yang True Person.

Fire Dragon True Person laughed heartily. "Counting money, it's much more fun to look at a pile of copper coins than a single lonely silver inglet."

Cui Dongshan nodded like a chick pecking rice. "Exactly. One Grain Rain coin isn't as festive as a pile of Minor Snow coins."

Pei Qian said, "Grain Rain coins and Lesser Heat coins have a premium when converted to Minor Snow coins. Master is practical, not ostentatious, so he'd choose the former."

Cui Dongshan pretended to suddenly understand, pulling out a folding fan from somewhere and tapping his palm. "A misstep. It seems the senior sister understands the Master better."

While speaking, his peripheral vision glanced at the bag, and he sent a mental message to his Master: "The most valuable thing is the bag itself."

Fire Dragon True Person sent a mental message: "Your existing five-element lifebound objects are already of decent rank. This Pure Yang colleague is most fond of traveling famous mountains and rivers. The gifts correspond to each of the five elements. To say 'sending coal in snowy weather' might be an overstatement, but 'adding flowers to brocade' understates the value of these gifts. Once you return to your mountain Dao field and refine them properly, the benefits will be considerable, helping you climb higher in the immortal realm—that's no difficulty at all. This is what they mean by 'when an expert makes a move, you know if there's something.'"

Fire Dragon True Person hesitated for a moment but didn't point out something: What Chen Ping'an should really ask for as "compensation" was to have a proper Dao discussion with Pure Yang True Person, to learn some of his "family secret" Taoist heart methods. Meeting a Pure Yang Taoist without discussing Dao techniques or talking about the Golden Elixir Great Dao is no different from entering a treasure mountain and returning empty-handed.

Say what you will, this kid, when doing business, hesitates here and scruples there—in the end, his face is too thin, like a piece of tender tofu.

Chen Ping'an and Lü Yan returned to the banquet table.

Xie Gou had just told Cui Dongshan about the cultivation seedling, letting Sect Leader Cui decide whether to take her up the mountain.

Unexpectedly, Cui Dongshan rattled off the details of that female cultivator and her companions—their Dao names, sects—like counting treasures.

Xie Gou was puzzled and asked if he had already taken a liking to that woman's bone structure and aptitude. Cui Dongshan laughed heartily, saying he didn't have prophetic abilities or a third eye; it was just that he was well-informed. That group of a dozen or more arrived in the capital earlier than you and Master. He often visited various government offices when idle, flipping through the Ministry of Justice's travel records. He glanced at them and remembered. He hadn't paid much attention initially and almost missed this big catch. "Rest assured, Vice-Seat Xie. Since you personally recommended this talent, the Green Lotus Sword Sect and I will spare no effort in nurturing her."

Cui Dongshan curiously asked Xie Gou one thing: had she never thought of establishing her own sect?

Xie Gou showed little interest. "If you have a personal disciple, a large group of disciples and grand-disciples, find a founding Dao field, create a sect, become a clan-level, and then a subsidiary sect—so what? Cultivation is still one's own cultivation. Can others do it for you?"

Cui Dongshan nodded vigorously, repeatedly muttering, "Each has their own aspirations. All good, all good."

Fire Dragon True Person's arrival was like pouring a big bowl of hangover soup for Feng Xuetao.

Although Feng Xuetao was nervous, he remained tough and didn't say a single soft word.

After all, he was an old-timer of the Flying Ascension realm, and Aiai Island had a strained relationship with North Juzhou. It wouldn't be appropriate, either in reason or in sentiment, to show any flattering posture toward Fire Dragon True Person.

Besides, as a rogue cultivator, he had some skill in handling people.

Sure enough, the old true person didn't mind; instead, he looked at Feng Xuetao with a bit more respect, smiled as he sat down, and indeed drank a bowl of wine. He wiped his mouth, and with a kind expression, said, "Daoist Qingbi, I've drunk the penalty wine, but the character 'North' seems to have to stay now. Although your Aiai Island, with Money God Liu and Wei Tiancai, now has two newly ascended Fourteen Realms, you're good at everything—making money is the best in the Nine Continents—but there's one thing not so good: fighting isn't your forte."

Regarding combat, Feng Xuetao dared not make any comment. Aiai Island's Qingbi was never among that small group of strong Flying Ascensions in the Grand Dao world.

Especially after personally traveling through the Barren Wilderness World, Feng Xuetao's spirit had become even lower.

Cui Dongshan sent a mental message: "Brother Feng, quickly take the opportunity to ask: since they're both Fourteen Realms, can the senior truly fight two at once?"

Feng Xuetao ignored him completely. Did he think he was a fool? To dare ask such a question and beg for a beating?

Xie Gou, without any such concerns, directly asked: "When you've merged with the Dao, what does the world look like in your eyes?"

Fire Dragon True Person stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "The mystery cannot be stated in much detail. I can only say one thing: in my eyes, heaven and earth are a stove, and you are all firewood."

Xie Gou asked, "The invisible spiritual energy flowing through heaven and earth—are those sparks that can be used anytime?"

Fire Dragon True Person made no comment, but smiled, "It's quite strange that you haven't entered the Fourteen Realms. Being a deputy seat is a waste of talent."

Xie Gou took the opening and asked, "Is the Prostrate Peak missing a chief seat?"

Fire Dragon True Person was known as a master of conversation who could never let a topic drop—he could pick up anything and warm up any awkward moment. "If Mountain Lord Chen doesn't mind my poaching, why not come be a nominal chief seat?"

Xie Gou grinned. "Forget it. A woman doesn't marry two husbands."

Fire Dragon True Person immediately sent a mental message: "If Daoist Bai Jing becomes the chief seat of Prostrate Peak, you and I can openly walk into Aiai Island to meet Money God Liu and Wei Tiancai. Two on two—how fair is that? And we'd have a legitimate reason. As long as we don't stir up too much trouble, the Confucian Temple won't say much."

Xie Gou's eyes lit up. "Let me try first—can I take on two alone? If things go south, you step in?"

She was extremely curious about how much these new Fourteen Realms weighed.

Fire Dragon True Person put down his wine bowl, wiped his mouth, and smiled. "Some things are happy just to think about. After being happy, that's enough."

Perhaps feeling that tonight's table had no ordinary people, the old true person was in high spirits and shared some of his cultivation insights. "Whether it's naturally coming to fruition or pure luck, as long as a cultivator successfully breaks into the Fourteen Realms, they've found a path infinitely close to longevity. Then it's just a matter of slowly stewing. Even with pure martial artists, there's that saying about fearing the young with fists. But for Dao cultivators nearing the summit, the longer your Dao age, the higher your Dao technique. New Fourteen Realms age into old ones—when the bitter daughter-in-law finally becomes the mother-in-law, you naturally earn the right to look down on the next batch of new Fourteen Realms."

"Many old, decrepit Flying Ascension cultivators, over the long years, often mistakenly believe that cultivation is only this. I too had such a bleak period when my Dao heart regressed."

"Those who can enter Flying Ascension are all chosen ones. At the beginning of reaching Flying Ascension, all had a fierce and vigorous heart. But as time passes and cultivation faces obstacles, it's easy to become slack, then think the Great Dao is hopeless, and become utterly disheartened. Little do they know that cultivation totals fifteen realms, like three parts of a book. Breaking through from the Nascent Soul realm into the upper five realms, you think you've reached the third part. When you enter the Immortal realm, you'll be shocked to find out you might only be in the second part."

Hearing this, Feng Xuetao interrupted, "What's even more terrifying is that when you reach Flying Ascension, you're afraid you're only in the first part."

Lü Yan smiled gently. "By that logic, after merging with the Dao, you'd be afraid that your cultivation career is just a preface, wouldn't you?"

Fire Dragon True Person laughed heartily, just raising his wine bowl. "Everything is nothing compared to a cup in hand; outside the cup, there are no troubles."

Xie Gou added, "Sleep until you naturally wake up, sleep until the world's meals are ready."

Cui Dongshan praised, "What fine poetry! No tonal patterns, but full of charm."

Only Pei Qian kept her eyes forward, nose aligned with her heart, silently drinking. Everyone else subconsciously looked at Mountain Lord Chen, who was rumored to be brimming with talent and famous for poetry across several worlds.

With Pure Yang True Person and Fire Dragon True Person present, and feeling the table atmosphere was good, Feng Xuetao let the wine bolster his courage and followed the earlier topic with a rather mundane question: "Is it absolutely impossible for a Flying Ascension to defeat a Fourteen Realm?"

As far as he knew, A Liang had two sparring sessions with Yu Dou, the True Invincible, in the heavens beyond the Azure Underworld World. These were battles between a Flying Ascension sword cultivator and a Fourteen Realm. The only observers were extraterrestrial demons.

Off the coast of Southern Bodhisattva Continent, Chen Chun'an blocked the Barren Wilderness Liu Cha. This was a life-and-death struggle between a peak Flying Ascension Confucian scholar bearing the sun and moon and a newly promoted Fourteen Realm sword cultivator.

On the battlefield of Old Dragon City in Bottle Gourd Continent, True Dragon King Zhu had a measured exchange with the Barren Wilderness throne Fei Fei and Zhu Yan.

In the land of Tuo Yue Mountain, the young hidden official and the Barren Wilderness Great Ancestor's chief disciple Yuan Xiong engaged in a battle of strength between two Fourteen Realms. But neither side was a pure sword cultivator in the strict sense.

Some results were reasonable. Some outcomes were surprising.

Fire Dragon True Person chuckled. "What does it mean to win? Is it a draw at a lower level, or driving them back, or killing them? Daoist Qingbi, you need to be precise in your wording, or it's hard to sort out."

Feng Xuetao wondered, "Can a Flying Ascension ever kill a Fourteen Realm?"

Fire Dragon True Person stroked his beard and pondered for a moment. "Before this year, don't talk about any chance. The difference of one realm is the difference between heaven and earth. After this year, who can say?"

"Earlier, I discussed this with friends and we reached a consensus: a Flying Ascension facing a Fourteen Realm, if the former can retreat intact without damaging their Dao foundation, that counts as a win."

Fire Dragon True Person was silent for a moment, then said, "For example, if Pure Yang Daoist, walking along, got into an argument with a new Fourteen Realm from some world, couldn't reason it out, and had to have a big fight, with both sides truly angry, then he'd have no small chance of winning."

Lü Yan gave a wry smile and slowly shook his head. "Such a hypothesis is not to be taken seriously."

Xie Gou laughed so hard her mouth couldn't close. "Ha, suppose Bai Ye were also a pure sword cultivator. If the Chicken Soup Monk possessed a supreme attack treasure similar to the Four Immortal Swords. If the Old Blind Man had refined one or two of his lifebound characters back then. If Zhou Mi had secretly eaten two or three Fourteen Realms. If the Barren Wilderness lost most of its Thirteen and Fourteen Realm great demons. If Little Master weren't bound by rules. If Blue Sky Cave Master met an era where the toad doesn't drink water, and the world is peaceful for ten thousand years... and if I broke into the Fourteen Realms, gathered more than twenty major and minor Dao paths, making the seas and lands connect, a majestic Sword Qi flow... hahaha..."

Fire Dragon True Person glanced at the sword cultivator Bai Jing, who had the appearance of a maiden in a sable hat.

Could she really possess more than twenty profound Dao technique lines?

Even knowing her extraordinary talent and deep foundation, hearing Bai Jing say it outright still surprised him considerably.

Having seen many titans ride the waves, Fire Dragon True Person counted only a few cultivation geniuses: Wei She from afar, and Zuo You from near.

Chen Ping'an smiled and sent a mental reminder: "Why talk about this? When traveling through the world, don't show your wealth."

Xie Gou replied confidently, "Mountain Lord, you don't understand. Nowadays, when I speak and act, it's all deep scheming and formidable cunning. This talk is a smokescreen, using military strategy—it's 'showing weakness to the enemy' from the Thirty-Six Stratagems."

Chen Ping'an was dubious. It was hard to say whether the ancient sword cultivator Bai Jing had any cunning or how deep it was. But just considering Vice-Seat Xie of Fallen Mountain, someone who willingly gave herself the nickname 'Gouzi'... Chen Ping'an found a reference point and asked, "The Dao techniques cultivated by Han Qiaose of White Emperor City—how many of them can catch your eye?"

Xie Gou gave a dry laugh and mumbled vaguely, "I don't speak ill of fellow Daoists behind their backs."

The old true person stroked his beard and thought for a moment. "Before the rain, if we really want to discuss it, there's something to say. For example, Ning Yao and the Barren Wilderness Fei Ran, as overlords of their respective worlds, were in a class of their own even as Flying Ascensions. Therefore, even Fourteen Realm cultivators would never provoke them unless absolutely necessary. Even if a Fourteen Realm beat them, in the long run, they'd end up with mutual losses, because this act is nearly becoming an enemy of the entire world, and the subsequent troubles are endless, greatly wearing away the Dao."

Actually, this tier also included hard workers like Leap Moon Peak, and beings like Barren Wilderness Gui Ke. Across the five worlds, there were exactly a handful.

"Next are Pure Yang Daoist and City Lord Zheng Juzhong—those who can merge with the Dao however they wish."

"Slightly lesser are those like Zhao the Celestial Master and Yao Qing—already laden with fortune and merit, their merging with the Dao is a matter of ripe fruit falling naturally."

"Another level down are Daoist Xie and the unfamiliar Daoist, as well as Hao Su and others—pure sword hearts, as sword cultivators they have the inherent advantage of great killing power, but their barriers are harder to break. How many sword cultivators have ascended after this rain?"

"Yet further down are the Barren Wilderness Tao Ting and others skilled in slaughter at Flying Ascension—their numbers are greater. As for those further down, there's nothing worth discussing."

These four types of cultivators are what mountain peaks generally call strong Flying Ascensions. Against Fourteen Realms, the first two tiers can defend themselves; the latter two still have a chance to fight. But whether the outcome is victory or life-or-death largely depends on whether the Fourteen Realm goes for the kill, whether the Flying Ascension is willing to risk their life, and whether they're willing to trade their true body's Dao life for the enemy's loss of cultivation.

Among these, there are a few exceptions that can make even Fourteen Realms fret—like one of Lu Zhi's lifebound flying swords. It can make a Fourteen Realm, who should be invincible, carefully weigh the cost.

Pei Qian was somewhat surprised because she hadn't expected Fire Dragon True Person to place Xie Gou and Mr. Xiao Mo after Zhao the Celestial Master and the others.

The old true person stroked his beard and smiled. "As for between Fourteen Realms, I'm just a newcomer, a young'un. It's not good for me to talk nonsense."

Why did Wu Shuangjiang painstakingly plan for so long, just to forge four imitation Immortal Swords before he would open the chaotic era and raise the banner first?

It was because Wu Shuangjiang felt that his Fourteen Realm's killing power was lacking.

Zheng Juzhong and Yu Dou, who was visiting White Emperor City, had a sparring session with considerable fire.

Zheng Juzhong was one person with three Fourteen Realms, and Yu Dou wasn't even at the Jade Capital, but Zheng Juzhong still lost by a margin.

Fire Dragon True Person suddenly stood up and gave a glance. Chen Ping'an silently rose and followed him.

The old true person walked to the top deck of the ferry, placed his hands on the railing, and asked with a smile, "Mountain Lord Chen, since our parting back then on the island, what are your thoughts now?"

On the journey up the mountain, winds from all directions blow. To break through from Nascent Soul to Jade Abyss, one must pass the heart tribulation and face inner demons; the key is a flawless Dao heart.

From Flying Ascension to merging with the Dao, the barrier lies in whether one's unique skill can align with the heaven-earth Dao. At the summit, one stands alone.

Back at the banquet table, Pei Qian quietly asked, "Little Senior Brother, does Master seem nervous meeting the old true person?"

Cui Dongshan feigned ignorance. "Just your imagination?"

The old true person provided an explanation: "A thousand threads and tangled thoughts, a hundred emotions interwoven, five flavors mixed?"

Chen Ping'an honestly said, "It's hard to explain in a few words."

The old true person looked up at the sky and smiled. "If you want to return the world to the world, you must first settle your own body. No rush. Think slowly."

Chen Ping'an leaned on the railing, deep in thought.

Under the bright moon, the old true person pointed at the sky and said words that seemed like nonsense: "If I remember correctly, the ancient heavenly court had four heavenly gates."

Chen Ping'an seemed to snap back to reality and gave a concise explanation: "Leaving the mountain."

The old true person hummed and nodded slightly. "Quite interesting."

Tonight, the moon at heaven's heart is perfectly round.