Chapter 26: Azure Questions White
The glowing white giant hand that had emerged from the bright moon grabbed the frantically fleeing White Bone Daoist in one swift motion, just like picking up a little chick.
This Third Courtyard Dharma Lord, who moments ago had been boasting about killing without restraint, didn't even have the mind to fight with the owner of that giant hand. He simply begged piteously: "Spare me, Senior Azure Sky."
The old temple master said calmly: "Even immortals find it hard to persuade someone bent on seeking death. Besides, what sort of immortal am I? Just an obscure, nameless piece of rotten wood."
The White Bone Daoist was terrified: "I beg you, Senior Azure Sky, to clearly state my offense. I will definitely change, definitely repent thoroughly."
As he spoke, the soul of this fourteenth-tier cultivator seemed to be forcibly squeezed out of his physical body by that great hand. A series of twisted faces flickered and shifted, while his yin spirit drifted like a ribbon, ethereal and unreal.
Although the White Bone Daoist's current fourteenth tier had been achieved through secret techniques and was somewhat watered down, and moreover, the single-plank boat closely tied to his Great Way had been broken in two by that fellow surnamed Chen through brute force, causing his Dao fruit to leak and his momentum to weaken, still, a fourteenth tier was a fourteenth tier.
If that old Daoist hadn't appeared abruptly, crossing through the heavens to arrive here, given the White Bone Daoist's usual ruthless style that had already turned ferocious, he truly would have taken advantage of the critical moment while still at the fourteenth tier to stir up trouble, churning up the territory of Great Li and tearing it to pieces before stopping.
There was no sign of any exquisite Daoist method from the Third Courtyard Dharma Lord, only a raucous clamor.
The old temple master frowned slightly. This fellow was really regressing as he lived longer.
The White Bone Daoist showed not a trace of his former arrogance, continuing only to grovel humbly, begging Senior Azure Sky to show leniency.
Among the few "old fourteenth-tier" figures on earth, the old temple master of the Guan Dao Temple in the Eastern Sea might have had the least reputation among mountain cultivators. But for this batch of ancient great monsters as old as the White Bone Daoist, even including the sword cultivator Bai Jing, in their encounters with the Azure Sky Cavern Lord of the Falling Treasure Shoals, hadn't she also restrained herself back then? Stopping at the border of the Falling Treasure Shoals and absolutely refusing to enter?
"Since leaving the cave, never met an opponent"—this referred to the old Daoist's Dao power.
Of course, you might say it was flattery, but you'd better not let the old Daoist hear it.
Because the second half of the saying, "When able to forgive, chooses not to forgive," had long made clear the Azure Sky Cavern Lord's style of conduct.
The old temple master sneered: "My little school and small sect haven't accumulated many principles for me to show off, to give away freely outside my Dao field."
The White Bone Daoist's expression was desolate. Miserable, utterly miserable—his life was over.
On the road outside the city, the transformed Lord of Qingqiu, now in human form, first made hand seals to salute the Azure Sky Cavern Lord with ancient rites, then mimicked the etiquette of women in the current age, gracefully performing a wanfu salute toward the heavens.
This was because when she had been a terrestrial immortal, two great monsters had joined forces to hunt her. The disparity in strength was vast, and she fled, narrowly escaping peril at every turn, until she had to dart into the Falling Treasure Shoals seeking refuge. Although the Azure Sky Cavern Lord hadn't appeared to save her at the time, the two great monsters had lingered for several days before finally taking the hint and leaving, never crossing the threshold, not daring to capture that seemingly easy-to-get wily fox.
The old temple master paid no attention to the little white fox's overtures on the ground. He only stared at the Third Courtyard Dharma Lord from afar, displeased, and frowned: "You, stop putting on an act. Hurry up and show some real ferocity. I'm in a hurry to get back to my temple to refine pills."
At this point, the White Bone Daoist no longer found the old man overbearing. He just kept begging and pleading for mercy.
Xu Xie was truly broadening his horizons today.
Even Liu Cha felt that this old Daoist spoke with incredible arrogance, with real substance.
Chen Ping'an, who was sitting on the snowy white platform, had already tied up his hair in a bun, hands tucked in sleeves, observing the landscape. The greens and blues, the light ochres—it was a feast for the eyes.
As for the old temple master's words, though self-deprecating on the surface, they were actually pointed.
Chen Ping'an simply pretended not to hear, stretched lazily, stood up, and selected an open area in the outskirts of the capital, intending to slowly descend with the divine platform beneath him.
He also cast a glance at the capital city. The Great Sword Immortal Yuan seemed very anxious, probably worried that the old Daoist might accidentally crush the true body of the Third Courtyard Dharma Lord to pieces.
Chen Ping'an had no choice but to send a secret message to the old temple master.
The old temple master ignored it, neither agreeing nor refusing.
Chen Ping'an, out of habit, rolled up his sleeves once more and tried to collect those ancient heavy treasures used by the ancient witches for sacrifices and offerings. There were scattered items, at least thirty or so pieces. But then it got awkward—he had forgotten that the divine power of "Sleeves Holding the Universe" was hardly something a first-tier great cultivator could possess. The result was that a string of priceless ancient artifacts knocked against each other at the edge of his sleeve, clattering loudly.
Fortunately, Grandmaster Chen still maintained his composure. Using a strand of fist intent, he guided the many treasures, making them float in a circle and rotate slowly, pretending to inspect their quality one by one.
Cao Ci suppressed a laugh. With such thick skin, it wouldn't be easy for him to use the same tactic to get even.
Zhu Su felt embarrassed on behalf of the hidden official.
Liu Cha, who had his sword in hand, exchanged a mental message with Chen Ping'an. Having gotten the result and confirming he didn't need to stay and watch the battle, he was the first to fly off on his sword back to Yellow Lake Mountain.
The old deaf man had already retrieved his two lifebound flying swords and exhaled a turbid breath.
A thousand years, then another thousand, blurred. How sunk his sword heart had been. From the wild homeland, to the Sword Qi Great Wall, to the strange land of Haoran—through all the turmoil, finally, finally, after the rain, he saw the Way.
The old deaf man calmed the two flying swords in his lifebound acupoints that were "rushing out the door to pick a fight." He stabilized his mind, then sorted through the two strands of heaven-earth spiritual energy stirred up by the flying swords within his body. Each carried profoundly different Daoist truths. The old deaf man understood the gravity of the matter. Like managing floodwaters, he didn't block their path but instead actively opened many cave abodes, guiding the vast spiritual energy to circulate, rise, fall, and settle.
Having completed this "homework" that he would never have dared to dream of before, the old deaf man's mood suddenly cleared, just like the view after rain.
The small earthen slope had been crushed into a large pit by him. He thought he should report it to the Great Li government office—pay compensation where due, record it in the archives, and have a clean explanation. It wasn't because the hidden official had become the Great Li national teacher, or because he himself was the new second seat of the Fallen Mountain Sect, that he could act however he pleased.
The old deaf man extended some divine sense, his gaze landing on a resting pavilion thirty li away. He transmitted a mental voice with a smile: "Are you two officials from the Ministry of Justice?"
He had to admit, the "officials" of Great Li were truly bold. In the wild lands, would anyone dare to voluntarily approach a great cultivator like this? That was simply seeking death. In the wild lands, especially among long-famous great monsters, there was no such thing as "accidental killing."
The two cultivators identified themselves, one from the Patrol and Inspection Division and the other from the Scrutiny Department of the Ministry of Justice. The former was even an offering with a second-rank non-duty token.
They naturally knew the status of "Sword Cultivator Sweet Osmanthus" on the registry of the Fallen Mountain Sect. However, duty compelled them. They were responsible for monitoring cultivator activity in this area recently, and after that scene with the True Realm Sect immortal Liu Laocheng, the pressure on them had increased.
Even if the National Teacher's Office didn't pursue the matter, and the Emperor himself said nothing, the Ministry of Justice and the Northern Court dared not take it lightly.
The old deaf man shrank the distance between mountains, arriving directly at the roadside pavilion. He didn't enter but took out a money pouch from his sleeve, fished out a Snowflake Coin, and tossed it lightly to the cultivators inside. He reminded them, "I damaged the land over there. Ask the local county office to calculate the cost. Refund the difference or pay extra as needed."
The two Ministry of Justice offerings exchanged glances. Were all the sword immortals of the Fallen Mountain Sect so eccentric?
Outside the capital city, Xie Gou continued to crouch inside the battlements. She pointed a finger at the field that had been overturned by fox claws, chewing on wedding candy, and said indistinctly: "Earlier, when I mentioned compensation for the field, I wasn't joking. Our mountain lord has a petty heart, just like Daoist Azure Sky. That's why they get along."
The Old Lord of Qingqiu nodded. Small money.
Xie Gou shook her head. A stubborn blockhead—she teaches him how to behave in the world and adapt to local customs, but he just doesn't get it. Still needs a good rap.
Mortals could be judged by actions, not intentions. But in Vase Bottle Continent, once you climbed the mountain, practiced the Way, and became an immortal, Great Li would judge you by both actions and intentions.
The Old Lord of Qingqiu transmitted a mental voice: "Bai Jing, is it already too late to withdraw from Vase Bottle Continent now?"
Xie Gou lifted her chin toward the divine platform over there. "I don't have the final say, you know. Ask him yourself. Our mountain lord is extremely reasonable."
The Old Lord of Qingqiu said bitterly: "I didn't notice that."
Xie Gou rolled her eyes. This woman really didn't know how to talk. She needed practice.
Actually, it wasn't hard. Just send her to Fallen Mountain Sect, let her chat with Old Man Zhu a few times, then have a few drinks with Old Immortal Jia, and she'd probably graduate.
The Old Lord of Qingqiu transmitted again: "Why did Senior Azure Sky act?"
Back then, at the border of the Falling Treasure Shoals, having narrowly escaped, she had withdrawn beyond the boundary line, bowed sincerely toward the direction of Azure Sky Cavern, and kowtowed three solid times.
Xie Gou rubbed her sable hat. She too was puzzled. If it was simply to vent for Xiao Mo, that was one reason, but it didn't quite hold up. She knew too well the temperaments of both Xiao Mo and Azure Sky Cavern Lord—both stubborn to the death, utterly single-minded.
If either side was willing to speak up and say, "I'm about to have a life-or-death battle and need your help to stand guard," or "I need you to help me through a closed-door cultivation session, seeking a Dao companion trustworthy enough to entrust with my Way and life," they would each be the other's best choice.
But to deal with a Third Courtyard Dharma Lord, whether Xiao Mo asking for a sword duel or Azure Sky Cavern Lord seeking the Way, neither would have been necessary. Watching from the sidelines would have been enough.
Xie Gou thought for a moment and offered a guess: "Probably this Third Courtyard Dharma Lord had offended Daoist Azure Sky before, an old grudge, and was caught red-handed just now."
At the Ape Trampling Stack, Azure Mystery Cavern, the atmosphere instantly became tense as soon as Zheng Juzhong appeared.
Xu Xie, Zhu Su, and the others were not suitable for, nor dared to, exchange pleasantries with him. Liu Cha was too lazy to talk. With a figure like Zheng Juzhong, it was best to keep each other at arm's length.
Only Cao Ci smiled and asked: "Mr. Zheng, why have you come?"
Zheng Juzhong smiled slightly: "I needed to come here first to see my master's attitude and stance. If possible, I'll pick up some scraps."
Cao Ci asked doubtfully: "Is Senior Qingzhu also nearby?"
Zheng Juzhong nodded. His master was currently in a coastal area, neither too close nor too far, sightseeing and resting his eyes.
At this moment, besides Xie Shiji, Chen Qingliu had with him another old Feisheng from the Peach Hermitage, Jing Hao of Flowing Mist Continent.
In the eyes of the young servant boy, Old Immortal Jing had long since received a dharma decree to go and pay homage to the true master of the Azure Palace Mountain.
Zheng Dan glanced at the woman in green who had been watching from the sidelines the whole time. She transmitted mentally: "Is it her?"
Zheng Juzhong smiled: "Otherwise?"
The woman in green, who was even calmer than the bystanders, had not stopped the man with the great halberd from voluntarily dissolving his own body. She made no attempt at remediation, allowing his physical form to dissolve into heaven and earth. She also hadn't stopped the Old Lord of Qingqiu from besieging the capital, hadn't interfered with Chen Ping'an's martial performance against the ancient witch, and hadn't inserted herself into Chen Ping'an's and the Third Courtyard Dharma Lord's display of divine powers.
She simply kept observing, repeatedly and carefully, the myriad states of this new world.
Zheng Dan shifted her gaze, seeing the White Bone Daoist casually held in the hand of Azure Sky Cavern Lord. She smiled: "This skeleton—doesn't he seem utterly without rhyme or reason in his actions?"
Zheng Juzhong said: "When the veins don't show, it feels chaotic."
Zheng Dan asked curiously: "I beg Mr. Zheng to enlighten me."
Zheng Juzhong said: "You were merely invited to serve as the gatekeeper of White Emperor City. Just focus on practicing your sword and patiently seek the path of merging with the Way."
Zheng Dan was helpless.
Zheng Juzhong actually understood the Third Courtyard Dharma Lord's thinking, but since it involved his own Dao transmitter, he had to show some discretion for the elder's sake.
First, find new allies, regroup, and plot for a grand eternal enterprise. For instance, establish a sect and claim patriarch status. First, weigh Chen Ping'an's strength. If weak, kill him conveniently. If strong enough, invite Chen Ping'an to be the deputy patriarch.
Second, see if he could simultaneously win over the Old Lord of Qingqiu and others. Using the concealed fourteenth tier, form an alliance, rebuild the Dao field—naturally with himself as the supreme authority. If the Old Lord of Qingqiu or anyone else didn't play along, devour their true bodies cleanly, which would also extend the duration of his fourteenth-tier power. Or, using their old Daoist veins, set up two or three long bridges for merging with the Way, to prepare for the future merging of yang spirit and yin spirit.
Third, keep the appointment.
In ten thousand years, the only one who could treat the river of time as a tourist attraction, who could coexist without conflict with that ancient spirit serving as gatekeeper, was probably his master, Chen Qingliu, who possessed that lifebound flying sword.
When Chen Qingliu waded upstream, he must have met the Third Courtyard Dharma Lord. Perhaps they had even reached some unspoken secret agreement.
The man with the great halberd had come here for a simple purpose: to see with his own eyes "Chen Ping'an, who still has a name in the human world after eight thousand years."
The ancient witch had come to determine whether Chen Ping'an or Zhou Mi was the reincarnation of "the One." The answer was no.
The Old Lord of Qingqiu was worried about the treacherous currents of the world after ten thousand years. She had chosen to travel with a few "Dao friends" who knew her well and were long familiar, to avoid meeting a fate of death upon exposure.
Only the Third Courtyard Dharma Lord, ambitious and eager, wanted to choose a location to establish a sect and claim patriarch status. Unfortunately, his heart was higher than the sky, but his fate was thinner than paper. He had still underestimated the skill of "forbearance." At the root, it was because heaven's timing, earthly advantage, Dao heart, and Dao power were all insufficient.
Chen Ping'an greeted Xie Gou: "Come over here and help collect the treasures left by the ancient witch."
It wasn't that he didn't trust the old deaf man, but he believed Xie Gou's "luck" was better.
The sable-hatted girl immediately stood up from the battlements, eager and rubbing her hands: "As you command!"
Seeing that wily fox still standing there, Xie Gou glared: "What are you gawking at?"
The Old Lord of Qingqiu hesitated: "What am I supposed to do over there?"
Xie Gou complained: "Look at that awkwardness of yours. As long as it's someone you know you can't sleep with, you don't know how to deal with them, right?"
The Old Lord of Qingqiu had no choice but to follow Xie Gou to the outskirts of the capital where the divine platform had landed, appearing on the snowy white realm.
Upon seeing Xie Gou, the first thing Chen Ping'an asked was whether the divine platform underfoot could be mended.
Xie Gou lay down at the edge of the crack where the platform had broken in two, bending her fingers to tap on it lightly. Then she moved to another spot and continued to lie there and inspect.
Chen Ping'an crouched beside her, patiently awaiting the result.
Xie Gou raised her head and said: "Not possible, huh."
Chen Ping'an tucked his hands into his sleeves and asked tentatively: "No chance at all of re-refining it into a single piece? Spend more money, no expense spared."
Xie Gou said irritably: "Mountain Lord, now you start feeling the pain?"
Chen Ping'an rubbed his chin: "It's rare to punch freely like that. Got a bit carried away."
Xie Gou let out a "ha": "Oh my, only 'a bit'? I thought your punches were quite impressive, Mountain Lord."
Chen Ping'an reached out and pressed down on her sable hat, smiling: "Showing off a basketful of empty words? Is that how you talk to your mountain lord?"
Xie Gou said sullenly: "I'm just used to writing and composing. Modal particles are quite important too."
They didn't seem to care whether they were being discourteous by leaving the Old Lord of Qingqiu standing aside.
Xie Gou stood up, handled the treasures one by one, and stored them in her sleeves for safekeeping.
She first asked Chen Ping'an and the Old Lord of Qingqiu to move to the other half of the platform. Then she crouched down again, reached out her hand, and pressed it against the platform. In the blink of an eye, she stood up, moved to Chen Ping'an's side, extended her hand to support it lightly, and said the word "rise." That half of the platform, which had been condensed to an extreme degree, instantly turned into a palm-sized miniature object. Xie Gou took it in hand, like a snow-white plain seal.
The Old Lord of Qingqiu sighed faintly in her heart. This Bai Jing—her techniques were truly miscellaneous. Even though she had fallen in realm to Jade Abyss, she could still wield such divine powers and transformations at will?
Xie Gou first tossed the "plain seal" to the mountain lord, then waved her hand to tell them both to get out of the way. She crouched down, preparing to refine the remaining half of the platform.
Chen Ping'an advised: "There's no rush to refine this half. It's not like we're afraid of thieves."
Xie Gou didn't raise her head. Her face was twitching, cold sweat streaming, yet her tone was calm: "There's no such thing as doing only half the work. That's not like me."
Chen Ping'an held up the plain seal with one hand and nodded, but his peripheral vision was fixed on the Old Lord of Qingqiu.
At this moment, Xie Gou was indeed at her weakest. Why not try something, fellow Daoist?
The Old Lord of Qingqiu became flustered instantly, embarrassed and furious. Bai Jing, this is what you call your most reasonable mountain lord?! He's bullying me, isn't he!
Chen Ping'an narrowed his eyes and smiled: "Fellow Daoist, it seems you're not yet worthy of my reasoning with you."
A flash of brilliant color flowed through the Old Lord of Qingqiu's autumn-water-long eyes, but she immediately lost her momentum and turned her head away.
Xie Gou took a long breath, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and tossed the second snow-white "plain seal" to the mountain lord. She laughed heartily: "How about that? A trivial matter, right?"
One sleeve could fit two plain seals easily enough, but oddly, Chen Ping'an took the seals out again and handed them back to Xie Gou.
Xie Gou understood instantly.
The Old Lord of Qingqiu, however, was baffled. She decided not to think deeply about it.
They returned to the city wall. The old deaf man also came to meet them. It wasn't to claim credit, but to submit his "resignation" to the mountain lord—he needed to rush back to Flower Shadow Peak.
Chen Ping'an asked doubtfully: "Don't you want to enter closed-door cultivation at the Sword Worshiping Platform first?"
The old deaf man shook his head: "It's not about merging with the Way. Why would I need closed-door cultivation? I can enlighten myself while transmitting the Way to others."
Chen Ping'an was momentarily speechless, feeling a rare pang of guilt. But then he thought again—no, the old deaf man had been summoned by Xie Gou. It had nothing to do with him.
Xie Gou actually took out a stack of specially made talismans and stuffed them directly into her mouth to chew.
The Old Lord of Qingqiu sighed: "Above all else, the Third Courtyard Dharma Lord shouldn't have provoked Senior Azure Sky."
Xie Gou said casually: "Wrong."
Chen Ping'an remained silent.
The Confucian tradition had long proposed the "Three Ages Theory," specifically discussing the Age of Chaos, the Age of Rising Peace, and the Age of Great Peace.
The old temple master's Great Way was closely tied to the general trend of the human world. When the world was good, his Dao power rose accordingly; when the world was bad, his Way suffered invisibly. That was why this Daoist from the Guan Dao Temple in Lotus Flower Blessed Land had become the one who cared most about "trivial human matters."
After the battle of ascending to heaven, the alchemists, scholars, and sword cultivators of the various clans, collectively called Daoists in ancient times—they had died, were wounded, or else had fallen into deep slumber like Bai Jing and Xiao Mo.
That was probably a bleak era of "in times without heroes, even a mediocre person becomes famous."
The wild ancestor was busy building the Moon Holding Mountain and was challenged to a sword duel by three sword cultivators including Chen Qingdu. The great monster Chu Sheng constructed that Hall of Heroes, Zhu Yan used his staff to smash mountains, Yang Zhi occupied Ye Luo River. Only after that did the rise of Fei Fei and that group of throne great monsters occur, and the emergence of entities like the Immortal Hairpin City.
After the battle of ascending to heaven, before the wild's general situation stabilized and Dao fields stood in abundance, during this period, "rising stars" like the White Bone Daoist, who were skilled at hiding their abilities, had an opportunity to become insufferably arrogant. The taste of having no match in the world was delightful, and their actions and words became increasingly unrestrained. The White Bone Daoist was slightly better—one of the most forbearing few—yet even so, he inexplicably met with disaster. At the critical juncture of covertly pursuing the fourteenth tier, he received a vicious Daoist attack that nearly cost him half his life.
Originally, the success or failure of his Way merging was about fifty-fifty. But the result was that his entire Dao field was razed. This Third Courtyard Dharma Lord was utterly disgraced, sitting dazedly on a tattered meditation cushion amidst flying dust, with his hard-earned thousand-year Dao field completely reduced to ruins.
All the flesh and blood on his body had also vanished in an instant, barely preserving his soul and a set of bones.
In the depths of his grief, after much thought, he couldn't figure out which enemy had delivered this calamity that felt like a heavenly tribulation.
He cursed furiously. After cursing, he collapsed to the ground and wept loudly.
At that moment, from the thick dust emerged a tall, long-bearded Daoist. He sneered: "Holding a funeral here?"
The White Bone Daoist immediately sat up, his heartstrings taut. He hesitated for a long time before asking: "Fellow Daoist, are you just passing through?"
He was afraid that it might be a powerful adversary who had been hiding in the distance, waiting for an opportunity to strike. If he had succeeded in merging with the Way, they naturally wouldn't have dared to provoke him. They wouldn't even have offered congratulations but would have wisely fled. Otherwise, falling into the hands of a new fourteenth-tier cultivator would itself be the best gift of congratulations.
Unexpectedly, the old Daoist shook his head: "Not passing through. I came specifically looking for you."
The Third Courtyard Dharma Lord stood up, grinding his teeth: "What reason do you have, fellow Daoist, for sabotaging my Way-merging endeavor?!"
The old Daoist said: "Same as you—I chose my own Dao name, also four characters. Besides that, neither of us ascended to heaven. Truly a karmic connection."
He stammered: "Azure Sky Cavern Lord?!"
The old Daoist nodded: "Not too stupid. I am indeed from the Falling Treasure Shoals, a small place that sullies your ears."
After a dazed moment, he wailed heartbreakingly: "I have never had any feud with the Azure Sky Cavern Lord! Why do you trouble a junior so?!"
The old Daoist said, puzzled: "No enmity? Then I'm confused. Fellow Daoist said you and I are of the same character. Not ascending to heaven was the wise choice. Why seek the faint hope of reincarnation? Better to be the remnant ash after calamity to achieve the Great Way."
"I'm just curious—is it up to you, Third Courtyard Dharma Lord, to decide whether the Great Way is achieved or not?"
"If so, then I'll borrow a few auspicious words from you, fellow Daoist, that carry reality with them. For instance, let me attain the fifteenth tier on the spot. How about that? If it works, I'll be at the fifteenth tier, and I'll give you a hand, return you a fourteenth tier. If it doesn't work, then don't blame me for sending you on your way."
Listening to those caustic remarks, looking at the old Daoist's mocking expression, he felt burning hatred.
He barely managed to compose himself and asked: "So just a few drunken words, and the Azure Sky Cavern Lord would act like this?"
The old Daoist said calmly: "Just because someone says a few wrong words doesn't mean I want to ruin their life. I don't have that kind of ability, nor that kind of face."
He felt like crying but had no tears.
The Third Courtyard Dharma Lord had originally believed that upon his re-emergence, one day he would surely have a good fight with that stinking old Daoist!
But now that he had fallen into the hands of the Azure Sky Cavern Lord again, his lofty ambitions were all flowing away like water.
The White Bone Daoist's heart was dead ashes. But suddenly, he burst into loud laughter: "I'll at least drag a few down with me!"
No longer concealing his fourteenth-tier aura, he forcibly manifested a dharma body. Black smoke billowed. All the refined items in his qi prefectures stirred restlessly. He reached out to crush that bright moon.
At the same time, the dharma body pressed one hand toward the ground.
This showed the toughness of an ancient great monster's physique.
The old temple master shook his head almost imperceptibly. After all these years, still so obstinate. Having survived two great tribulations by hiding, how could he escape a third?
Back when he had attempted to merge with the Way and enter the fourteenth tier, in truth, this Third Courtyard Dharma Lord was already doomed to fail. He would have been ground to dust by the heavenly tribulation.
Thus, by saving the half-dead Third Courtyard Dharma Lord from that tribulation, he was also trying to teach this junior the word "reverence."
Now, crossing the river to descend into the Haoran world, the old temple master still hoped that he could learn the word "fear" from the edge of life and death.
If the White Bone Daoist could truly change his mind, taking him back to the Guan Dao Temple to cultivate with an old acquaintance, what harm would there be?
The old Daoist raised one hand high and said: "Still clinging to delusion? How long will you remain stubborn?"
The White Bone Daoist laughed maniacally. One hand struck toward the bright moon, the other pressed toward the capital of Great Li. "That stinking reasoning of bullying with power—it's utterly foul! Today I will subdue you and make you my mount. I'll ride you through the world for ten thousand years!"
The old temple master crushed his soul with one hand, yet without harming his true body in the slightest. Then he slapped the dharma body's skull with another blow, smashing it to pieces. With a flick of his wrist, he flung the "true body" toward the capital of Great Li. At the same time, with a sweep of his sleeve, he dispersed the remaining Dao charm of both currents.
The White Bone Daoist had spat out harsh words, but in his heart, he had long accepted death. At the moment of his body's destruction and Dao's extinction, he simply looked up at the blue sky and bright moon.
There had once been a sword cultivator who called himself Qingzhu. When passing through the river, he had made an agreement with him: someday, go together to the human world for a stroll.
That sword cultivator had also admonished him, saying that in the later human world, techniques and methods would be splendid, branching out widely, well worth seeing, not to be underestimated...
Heh. The Way is impermanent. Enough. Let it be so.
Thus the White Bone Daoist vanished. Coming and going like a fleeting shadow, as if he had only given the onlookers a brief glimpse, nothing more.
The Old Lord of Qingqiu looked desolate. Naturally, she felt the sorrow of the fox mourning the hare. After all, an ancient hero had fallen, like a skipping stone on water.
The woman in green sighed softly. She went to the mountaintop and nodded to Zheng Juzhong.
Zheng Juzhong said: "Senior can go to the wild lands with Zheng Dan."
The woman in green looked complicated: "I don't trust the current hearts of people."
Zheng Juzhong smiled: "Just trust Zheng Juzhong."
The old temple master withdrew his moon phase, retracted all his Dao aura, but did not return to his Dao field in the Azure Firmament World. Instead, he landed on the rain-soaked street within the capital of Great Li.
Yuan Huajing had already summoned "Yelang" and successfully delivered the final sword stroke, gaining another fierce general under his command—a Feisheng-tier puppet.
The next scene startled Yuan Huajing, Ge Ling, and the others greatly. From within the White Bone Daoist's body leaped streaks of dazzling treasure light. In an instant, the ground was piled high.
Gu Can, with Gu Lingyan, was at the western coast of Vase Bottle Continent. She performed a wanfu salute in the direction of the Great Li capital, offering distant thanks to Mr. Zheng for helping her escape from the Heavenly Stem cultivator.
Zheng Juzhong asked: "Cao Ci, what are you looking at?"
Cao Ci hesitated but did not speak.
He was looking for a higher level of martial realm.
The woman in green, having made her decision, glanced at the fox lord on the city wall.
The fox lord was wavering. Should she venture into the wild lands and rebuild Qingqiu? Or remain in Haoran, tempering her heart amidst the boundless mortal world to seek the Great Way?
Seeing this, the woman in green said nothing more. She followed Zheng Juzhong and that female ghost sword immortal away.
But before leaving, she smiled at the sable-hatted Bai Jing. Xie Gou gave her a thumbs up.
The Old Lord of Qingqiu murmured: "I only hope I won't regret today's decision in the future."
Xie Gou said: "In the wild lands, the fox clans are scattered, not much of a force. They can't even establish a 'sect' level Dao field. But here in Vase Bottle Continent, there's a Fox Kingdom. In earlier years, they were also engaged in the pitiful business of flesh trade and fox-fur talismans. It wasn't until the Fox Kingdom was taken under our mountain lord's wing that things became completely different. Sister A Zi will know the truth as soon as she goes."
The Old Lord of Qingqiu wrinkled her nose and sniffed in Chen Ping'an's direction. She shook her head, looking suspicious: "Bai Jing, don't deceive me."
Chen Ping'an said self-deprecatingly: "Like a mortal who's been fried in oil a few times, then jumped into a river for a bath—what smell could still be on me?"
He voluntarily raised his arm and spread his palm. A faint golden thread emerged.
Apart from the Fox Kingdom's master Pei Xiang, who was a sacrificial offering in the Jise Hall Ancestral Temple, there was also the maiden whose true name was Qiu Qing, and others—all had deep ties with the Fallen Mountain Sect. Furthermore, Chen Ping'an had encountered Bai Ze and his attendant in a snowstorm on a plank road long ago.
The Old Lord of Qingqiu clasped her hands behind her back, interlacing her fingers. She squinted her eyes in careful scrutiny, her expression solemn. At the same time, she raised her fingers to make rapid calculations. After a moment, she suddenly smiled and nodded. Her eyes shimmered with autumn waves: "Unexpectedly, he's a righteous and affectionate gentleman."
Xie Gou grinned. That's the way.
Chen Ping'an darkened his face: "What?"
The Old Lord covered her mouth with one hand, smiling with narrowed eyes, while gently waving her other hand. Her voice was charming: "Apologies, apologies. I'm just used to speaking like this. Don't you all say that a leopard can't change its spots? Please forgive me, Fellow Daoist Chen."
Zhu Su, standing nearby, found the fox spirit's affectation unbearable. It was cloying enough to give one goosebumps.
The Old Lord of Qingqiu straightened her waist, her gaze plaintive: "You didn't say earlier that you were shielding the Fox Kingdom, Fellow Daoist Chen?!"
She was most meticulous in her calculations, and her heart ached until her teeth itched.
Chen Ping'an smiled slightly: "Fellow Daoist Qingqiu, didn't you ask earlier?"
If you hadn't taken this beating and learned your lesson, whether in Haoran or the wild lands, would you have settled down?
Xie Gou put her hand to her mouth and said: "Sister A Zi, now that you're here, you need a pseudonym. I suggest 'Xu Niang.' How about that?"
The Old Lord of Qingqiu understood the implication of this name. She didn't mind, covering her mouth with a tinkling laugh: "Fine then."
Zhu Su clicked her tongue.
The Old Lord of Qingqiu's smile was like a flower. She turned her head to look at the pretty female sword immortal—cold and aloof, with a unique charm.
Zhu Su quickly stabilized her Dao heart and said sharply: "Looking for death?!"
The Old Lord of Qingqiu clasped her chest, bit her lip, and seemed to want to speak but hesitated... Zhu Su couldn't stand this coquettish fox spirit any longer and was about to draw her sword.
The sable-hatted girl quickly stood between them, glaring at the wanton woman. What was this? Even a rabbit doesn't eat the grass by its own nest. She spoke with the maturity of age to mediate: "One of us, one of us."
Unwilling to watch any more, Chen Ping'an leaped onto the battlements and looked toward the white-clad youth still standing on the mountaintop in the outskirts. He called out: "Cao Ci!"
Regarding Cao Ci, there was a "no-loss bet" in the Haoran world. The cultivators who bet that Cao Ci would never lose to anyone regarded it as depositing money, steadily earning interest, safe regardless of harvest. Why not?
For Chen Ping'an, it was simple: I'm short on money!
Cao Ci was originally waiting for Chen Ping'an.
The reason he hadn't spoken up was simply that he feared winning would be a dishonor.
Chen Ping'an pointed toward the sea.
Cao Ci nodded.
Chen Ping'an pushed off with his toes and rose upward.
Cao Ci floated on the wind, leaving the mountaintop.
A figure in blue robes shot across the sky toward the sea, his rolled-up sleeves suddenly emitting a series of thunderous roars. In the blink of an eye, the blue figure disappeared.
Cao Ci followed closely behind, drawing a snow-white trail through the air, like a white rainbow hanging across the sky, long-lasting.
At the junction of sea and land, between the blue sky and azure waves.
Cao Ci threw the first punch.
Chen Ping'an spun his body to face Cao Ci, but simply crossed his arms in front of him to casually block the punch.
Like an arrow, his body slammed into the sea. Chen Ping'an stood barefoot on the water's surface, sliding backward, retreating and retreating.
After a moment, he steadied himself on the sea surface. Far behind the figure in blue robes, layer after layer of giant waves crowded together, piling up into a hundred-zhang-high wall. The wind stood the sea upright.