Chapter 424: Sword Flight into the Sea of Clouds
At the break of dawn, Chen Ping'an and his companions packed up their belongings and prepared to leave the Violet Sun Palace.
The palace master Huang Chu and two Old Immortals at the Dragon Gate realm personally saw them off, all the way to the Iron Scroll River's banks. The Jixiang Temple River God had already prepared a ferry boat. They would first travel downstream for over a hundred li of waterway, then disembark at a ferry crossing to continue their journey to the border of Huangting Nation.
Chen Ping'an expressed his thanks to Huang Chu. Huang Chu produced a small purple sandalwood box exuding a fresh wood fragrance—it was one of the famous "Sweet Dew Terrace" desk ornaments of Huangting Nation, saying it was a small token from the old ancestor.
Pei Qian put on a stern face, pretending she didn't care at all.
Chen Ping'an hesitated briefly, then accepted the small box containing four treasures from the Treasure Storage Tower. He said, "If Palace Master Huang ever passes through Dragon Spring Commandery in the future, you must come to Fallen Mountain as a guest."
Then Chen Ping'an lifted the valuable box and joked, "Without such a precious gift as a send-off, and without the Old Flood Dragon's Drool Wine from the banquet at Snow Blind Hall, there would only be some home-style dishes. I suspect that even if Palace Master Huang were to pass through Dragon Spring Commandery, you wouldn't be too inclined to greet me, would you?"
Huang Chu smiled faintly. "As long as I have the opportunity to visit Great Li, even if I don't pass through Dragon Spring Commandery, I will find a detour to disturb Mr. Chen."
They chatted pleasantly. Huang Chu accompanied Chen Ping'an and his group all the way to the ferry boat. He originally planned to board the boat and see them off to the Iron Scroll River ferry crossing, but Chen Ping'an insisted it wasn't necessary, so Huang Chu relented.
After boarding the boat, Chen Ping'an stood at the prow. At his waist hung the Sword Nurturing Gourd, filled with the spiritually abundant Old Flood Dragon's Drool Wine. The ferry boat slowly sailed downstream. Chen Ping'an clasped his fists in the direction of the Violet Qi Palace.
On the top floor of the Treasure Storage Tower, a tall female cultivator had cast an illusion technique. This was none other than the Cavern Spirit True Lord Wu Yi. After witnessing this scene, she smiled. "Calling on a god is easy, but sending him off isn't difficult either."
She was in a fairly good mood.
Wu Yi had already sent a flying sword message to Piyun Mountain in Dragon Spring Commandery, reporting every detail of the past two days to her father.
She believed that even if she didn't receive praise, she would at least not be punished.
In Wu Yi's field of vision, the distant ferry gradually shrank to the size of a mustard seed.
Suddenly, Wu Yi's heartstrings tightened, and she dared not move.
Without her noticing, a gentle and refined old man in a scholar's robe had appeared beside her. He had effortlessly broken through the Violet Sun Palace's mountain and river grand formation and silently arrived at Wu Yi's side.
Wu Yi steadied her mind and said softly, "Your unfilial daughter greets Father."
The uninvited guest was none other than the former Vice Minister of Revenue of Huangting Nation, now the Vice Mountain Lord of the Linlu Academy at Piyun Mountain. Over his long life, this old flood dragon had used countless pseudonyms.
The old man glanced at Wu Yi and, for the first time, graced her with a smile. "You've managed to accomplish three things at once. When did your mind become so sharp?"
Wu Yi was alarmed. She felt that her father was either being sarcastic or implying something else, and she feared that the next moment she would be in trouble. She was already contemplating fleeing far away.
The old man placed his hand on the railing and spoke slowly. "What ability does the River God of Yu River have to ruin Xiao Luan of the White Crane River? That trip he made to Dragon Spring Commandery with great fanfare was nothing more than drinking with that little snake. That little green-clad boy from Fallen Mountain, who was putting up a brave front, had already been hitting walls everywhere when trying to get a Peace Token for a friend. It was actually Xiao Luan himself who panicked and sought help indiscriminately, willing to lower his pride and submit to your Violet Sun Palace. Still, Xiao Luan was smart to give up his ties with the Hong clan bloodline. Serving the Violet Sun Palace brings her many benefits, and you can earn money without lifting a finger—mutual benefit. That's the first thing."
The old man spread his palm, looked at it, and shook his head. Then he clasped his hands behind his back and continued, "Your method of currying favor with Chen Ping'an was rather crude, too clumsy. Especially at the Snow Blind Hall banquet, where you even tried to suppress Chen Ping'an. But just like in a game of Go, a mistaken move can lead to a miraculous play. In the end, it actually improved Chen Ping'an's impression of you. If you had kept acting too cunning, Chen Ping'an would only have been more cautious, always wary and on guard against you and the Violet Sun Palace. In the end, you wouldn't have accumulated any so-called fraternal feelings in the martial world. The most ingenious part was that night rain you arranged, originally meant to cover for Xiao Luan. It created the illusion of a river god's flirtatious heart stirring. Unexpectedly, it instead gave Chen Ping'an a tremendous opportunity. If I hadn't deliberately suppressed it, the celestial phenomena would have been much greater. Not just the Violet Sun Palace, but the entire Iron Scroll River, even the spirits and gods of the White Crane River, would have sensed it and shared in the blessings. A sage delights in mountains but is closer to water—there is great wisdom in that. So what you did surprised me greatly, an unexpected joy. That's the second thing."
The old man turned his head and smiled. "Finally, having you invite Chen Ping'an to the Violet Sun Palace was an arrangement by His Excellency the National Master. Minister Cui told me plainly that it was merely to slow down Chen Ping'an's journey home. As for what the National Master seeks, he definitely wouldn't tell an outsider like me. Of course, I don't want to know either. Meddling in such matters, whether it succeeds or fails, you and I will surely have no good outcome. This time, you helped me accomplish this task, which means I've helped Minister Cui with a small favor. The Violet Sun Palace will surely receive rewards from Great Li in the future. Just wait for good news."
It was tremendous good news, but Wu Yi couldn't help but feel a chill run through her entire body. She had never imagined that her father had been watching the entire farce from beginning to end.
At that moment, Wu Yi stood in the high tower corridor facing the old flood dragon, much like Lady Xiao Luan had stood in the small courtyard facing Wu Yi earlier. Their mindsets were identical.
The old flood dragon, whose attire and appearance were indistinguishable from a great Confucian scholar of the world, spread his palm again, frowning deeply. "What insight can be gleaned from this?"
Wu Yi secretly glanced over.
She saw her father using his divine abilities to condense the essence of water vapor from the world's spiritual energy. His palm was full of tiny water droplets, as if freshly gathered from lotus leaves after rain. Then those water droplets simultaneously burst apart in his palm, turning into a puddle of rainwater. Her father gazed at it for a long time, still puzzled, and then transformed it back into droplets. In Wu Yi's eyes, her father, whose scholarly knowledge rivaled that of Confucian academy sages, seemed to hesitate slightly. He extended his other hand and poured the droplets from his original palm into it. In an instant, Wu Yi saw a flash of golden light in her father's palm. Before she could focus her eyes to see clearly, her father had already clenched his fist swiftly, and Wu Yi could no longer see what was in his palm.
The old man pondered for a moment, then snapped back to reality and said to Wu Yi with a smile, "Nothing worth looking at."
Wu Yi naturally dared not press further.
The old man asked, "Do you know why all sentient beings in the world tirelessly pursue the human form? Clearly, the human body is so fragile, even eating the five grains for survival becomes an obstacle to cultivation. That's why Qi refiners practice fasting to avoid corrupting their divine essence and causing their fetal vitality to wither, making it impossible to return to youth and become an infant. In contrast, our flood dragon lineage is blessed by nature. Not only do we possess robust physiques, but our intellect is no less than humans. So why do you and I stand here in human form?"
Wu Yi was puzzled and dared not speak rashly. She knew that the human body's acupoints and orifices were considered grotto-heavens and blessed lands—this had long been common knowledge among mountain cultivators and all mountain spirits and demons. But her father would never speak nonsense to her. So where was the mystery?
The old man did not make things difficult for Wu Yi, one of the few offspring he had left in the world. "The key is in a single word: return."
The old man extended a finger and drew a circle in the air.
Wu Yi fell into deep thought.
The old man laughed. "You are still young and inexperienced. Not to mention the scene three thousand years ago, even ten thousand years ago—if I don't tell you, where would you go to find the answer?"
Wu Yi's expression turned solemn. She knew her father was imparting to her the key to attaining the Dao!
She had been stuck at the Golden Core realm for over three hundred years. That deviant Daoist method that could allow a cultivator to break into the Nascent Soul stage—as a descendant of the flood dragon lineage, she found that practicing it not only failed to yield twice the results with half the effort but instead proved extremely difficult. After barely managing to reach the peak of Golden Core through painstaking effort, her Golden Core bottleneck had remained immovable for over a hundred years, plunging her into despair.
The old man looked up at the sky. "Aren't you curious—"
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"—about where the three teachings of today, the Hundred Schools of Thought, and the three worlds of mortals come from? Why did they come? And how did they ultimately become the masters of the world? Hmm, on the last point, there are many messy mountain and wild folk tales, some close to the truth, some far. You might roughly know some inside information."
Wu Yi nodded.
Three thousand years ago, the last true dragon in the world fled the Central Continent Shenzhou. Relying on its innate divine ability to control the world's waterways, it chose to land at Old Dragon City at the southernmost tip of Bottle Gourd Continent. During the journey, it was severely wounded and crashed into the earth, forcibly carving out a Dragon Path. It was suppressed by an unknown great cultivator using a mountain-suppressing technique that has since been lost. Forced to break through the earth, the dying true dragon eventually fell near what is now the Lizhu Grotto-Heaven, where it perished. Another great cultivator used secret arts to create the Lizhu Grotto-Heaven, hanging it like a bright pearl above the Great Li Dynasty.
The old man sighed. "Your comprehension is truly abysmal."
Wu Yi felt aggrieved.
The old man waved his sleeve, temporarily turning the Violet Sun Palace into a small world. He then took out a fairy boat he had once used to sail to the starry sky of the heavens. He stepped into the wooden boat first and motioned for Wu Yi to follow. Only then did he say, "What do you think is the most powerful existence ever to appear in the world?"
Wu Yi timidly replied, "The founding patriarchs of the three teachings? And those realm-fourteen big shots who are unwilling to show themselves? The former, as long as they are within their own world, are just like the Heavenly Lord. As for the latter, they have already transcended the category of realm levels, possessing all sorts of unimaginable divine abilities and immortal arts..."
The old man neither confirmed nor denied this. He casually pointed at a direction on the Iron Scroll River and laughed. "Jixiang Temple, farther away the River God Mansion of White Crane River, even farther away your brother's Cold Food River residence, and the surrounding mountain and river shrines—what commonality do they have? Forget it, I'll just say it directly. With a brain like yours, waiting for you to give an answer would be a pure waste of my spiritual accumulation. The commonality is that these so-called mountain and river deities in the eyes of the world, once they have a shrine, can mold a golden body. No matter how poor your cultivation aptitude was before, you become a deity with a golden body—a leap to the heavens. Do you need to cultivate after that? Just eat incense. The more you eat, the higher your realm, and the slower your golden body decays. This is a completely different path from that of Qi refiners. Hence, the saying goes, 'Gods and immortals are different.' Now, go back to that word 'return.' Do you understand?"
Wu Yi shook her head. "Still don't quite understand."
The old man sighed. "If you ever disappear without a trace, it'll definitely be from dying of stupidity. Do you know that your brother, in his pursuit of the Nascent Soul, was much more ruthless with himself than you? He discarded many innate divine abilities of the flood dragon lineage and directly bound himself as a river god with many restrictions?"
Wu Yi's eyes lit up. "We need to 'return' to the Nascent Soul by becoming a deity?"
The old man looked at this daughter with pity, somewhat disheartened. Truly, rotten wood cannot be carved. "Your brother's direction was correct, but he went too far and completely cut off the great path of the flood dragon lineage. That's why I've given up on him. Otherwise, I wouldn't be telling you this. Your study of deviant Daoist methods, using stones from other mountains to polish jade, was also correct. But you have yet to grasp the true technique, and you haven't gone far enough. Still, at least you still have a chance."
The old man reached out and tapped the railing with a finger. "It's not at either end, but right here—between god and man. That is the fundamental great path most suitable for our flood dragon lineage. This was our ancestral law ten thousand years ago. Back then, flood dragons governed the five lakes and four seas, rivers and streams—every place with water was our territory. But your brother, clever as he was, overthought it. He mistakenly believed that the ancient orthodox divine path of 'conferring rectification' was similar to the imperial conferment of today. That made him incurable and led him down that wrong path. But now the rules of heaven and earth have changed, greatly affecting us. Because of the bloody upheaval back then, we have been rejected by the invisible great Dao, making it extremely difficult to break into the Nascent Soul..."
Wu Yi finally couldn't help but ask, "Father, you still haven't said how to actually achieve the Nascent Soul. Just tell me directly!"
The old man smiled and asked in return, "You and I are father and daughter, so you think that my teaching you the Dao when you cultivate is a matter of course?"
Wu Yi immediately felt on guard, sensing that she was about to suffer.
Sure enough, the old man sneered. "Filial piety and parental kindness—that's what the Confucians taught you, not what I taught you. I have never hoped for obedience or filial piety from my descendants. You should know this better than those siblings still in my belly, right? So how should you act as a daughter?"
Wu Yi's face turned pale.
The old man grinned, showing a hint of white teeth. "Within a hundred years, if you still cannot become a Nascent Soul, I'll just eat you. Otherwise, you'll be needlessly sharing my flood dragon's fortune. Considering you handled this matter well, I'll tell you some news. Chen Ping'an carries some snake-gall stones condensed from the last true dragon's essence blood. A few are of good quality. If you eat them, you might not break into the Nascent Soul realm, but at least you'll be able to boost your combat power somewhat. Then on the day I eat you, you can struggle a bit more. How about that? Isn't your father loving to you?"
The tall Wu Yi began to tremble.
The old man suddenly sighed. "You eat aquatic creatures that have become spirits to fill your belly. I eat you to gather fortune. That Cui Dongshan, who possesses an ancient remnant body, might also eat me. What can be done?"
The old man said to Wu Yi with a smile, "So don't think that high cultivation and great abilities are all that impressive. There's always a higher mountain above. That's why we should thank the rules established by the Confucian sages. Otherwise, you and your brother would have long been my meal. And I would probably be the prey of Cui Dongshan. In today's world, even though nations below the mountains are fighting each other, sects on the mountains are constantly at odds, and the Hundred Schools of Thought are scheming against one another—can this even be called a chaotic era? Haha, if the scene of ten thousand years ago were to reappear, I wonder if everyone today would run to the Confucian temples in the prefectures and counties and kneel down to kowtow?"
Wu Yi had no feeling at all about these "great matters."
She was still fixated on that method to break into the Nascent Soul.
The old man asked, "What four items did you give Chen Ping'an?"
Wu Yi answered honestly, "I chose one from each floor. A piece of meteorite that formed and condensed from the first spring thunder and fell to earth—thumb-sized, weighing six catties. A mid-grade spiritual artifact robe made of Spring Grass Thin Cloth. Six 'Fox-skin Beauty' talisman paper dolls custom-made by the Xu clan of Breeze City. And a green plum pit full of spiritual energy. If buried in soil, it can grow into a thousand-year-old bayberry tree in a year. On every solar term of the year, it will emit spiritual energy. Previously, an old master of Lingyun Sect wanted to buy it at a high price, but I couldn't bear to sell it."
The old man nodded. "The level is acceptable."
The old man suddenly laughed. "Don't think it's casting pearls before swine. The Northern March Deity Wei Bo will naturally explain everything to Chen Ping'an in detail. But the premise is... that Chen Ping'an can reach Fallen Mountain. That depends on the outcome of the contest between Minister Cui and Cui Dongshan."
Wu Yi could hear the shocking implication in his words. Cui Chan and Cui Dongshan were locked in a contest? But she was still obsessed with the concept of "between god and man," and pleaded, "Father, if I can attain the Nascent Soul, wouldn't I be able to do more for you?"
But the old man had already put away the small boat, dispelled the small world technique, and vanished in a flash, returning to Piyun Mountain in Great Li.
Only Wu Yi remained, filled with melancholy and fear.
A hundred years of time.
That was a long life that mortals dreamed of, but to Wu Yi, what did it mean?
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The Jixiang Temple River God was excessively attentive along the way, forcing Chen Ping'an to bring out Zhu Lian as a shield.
Soon, Zhu Lian and that Iron Scroll River God had become sworn brothers, calling each other brothers. When they reached the ferry crossing, they parted reluctantly. The river god had already gotten so familiar that he called Zhu Lian "Big Brother" with utter sincerity.
The river god piloted the ferry boat
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back. Chen Ping'an and Zhu Lian withdrew their gazes together. Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "What did you talk about that you got along so well?"
Zhu Lian snickered. "What else can men talk about? Women, of course. We talked about that Lady Xiao Luan for a while."
Chen Ping'an couldn't be bothered to say anything more.
Zhu Lian suddenly looked bashful. "Young Master, in the future, when we encounter perilous situations in the jianghu, could you let this old servant share the burden? I consider myself a veteran of the jianghu, and I'm not afraid of wind and waves. I wouldn't dare hope to capture a mountain or river deity like Lady Xiao Luan with ease, but if I let loose and use my real skills, squeeze out a tiny bit of my past charm, Lady Xiao Luan's maids and those young female cultivators of the Violet Sun Palace—within three days at most..."
Chen Ping'an quickly cut off Zhu Lian's words. After all, Pei Qian was still by their side. This girl was young but had an excellent memory for such talk, much better than for studying.
Zhu Lian was still unwilling to give up. He muttered, "Young Master, a piece of land nurtures its people. The hometown of Dragon Spring Commandery must be full of beauties, right?"
Chen Ping'an thought for a moment, then shook his head. "As far as appearance goes, it seems no different from any ordinary market town."
Zhu Lian groaned. "That's a pity."
But Zhu Lian quickly said, "This old servant took the liberty of chatting with that River God brother about some matters concerning Sun Dengxian. I reckon that even if Sun Dengxian encounters trouble in Huangting Nation in the future, as long as this River God brother hears about it, he might be able to help Sun Dengxian. But Young Master should also be prepared. Even across thousands of mountains and rivers, that Jixiang Temple River God will surely want to claim credit from you."
Chen Ping'an gave Zhu Lian a thumbs-up. "Well done."
Zhu Lian asked curiously, "Young Master, why do you admire Sun Dengxian so much?"
Chen Ping'an replied without hesitation, "Because he's a great hero. When we travel the jianghu, aren't we supposed to admire great heroes? Or should we worship flower thieves?"
Zhu Lian said seriously, "Young Master, I, Zhu Lian, am no flower thief! I am a romantic of the scholarly elite..."
Chen Ping'an interrupted him with one sentence. "Oh, cut it out."
Pei Qian shook her head and mimicked Chen Ping'an's tone, adding fuel to the fire. "Oh, cut it out."
Zhu Lian made a kicking motion, scaring Pei Qian into running away.
Chen Ping'an, just like when he returned to his hometown after his first journey to Great Sui, did not choose Yehu Pass as his entry route.
He arrived again at the border county of Fengya in Huangting Nation. Reaching here meant that Dragon Spring Commandery was only six hundred li away.
Ahead, they would have to pass a long stretch of cliffside plank road. That time, he had been accompanied by a green-clad boy and a pink-skirted girl. During a blizzard, Chen Ping'an had stopped to light a bonfire and coincidentally met a passing master and servant.
The more Chen Ping'an thought about it, the more he felt that the gentle and composed man should be a quite high-level expert.
Passing through Fengya County, they arrived at the familiar plank road in the twilight.
Chen Ping'an chose a spacious spot and planned to stay there for the night. He instructed Pei Qian to be careful not to get too close to the edge of the plank road while practicing her Demonic Sword Technique.
Pei Qian asked curiously, "Old cook can fly anyway! Even if I accidentally fall down, he can save me, right?"
Chen Ping'an said casually, "If you want to fly far, you can ask Zhu Lian to help you. But it's different when practicing the sword. You still need to be careful."
Pei Qian said, "Oh."
Pei Qian took out her Walking Mountain Staff and began to hit the sky, hit the earth, and hit demons and monsters.
Zhu Lian found it hard to watch every time.
Shi Rou, on the other hand, quite enjoyed watching Pei Qian's antics. She sat on a rock and appreciated Pei Qian's sword technique.
After a good session of hard training, Pei Qian worked up a sweat. She put down the Walking Mountain Staff, laid her master's bamboo box horizontally like a desk, took out her belongings, and under the last rays of the setting sun, she squatted down and began copying books.
After copying the books, Zhu Lian had also cooked the rice. Shi Rou and Pei Qian took out their bowls and chopsticks, while Zhu Lian brought out two wine glasses. Chen Ping'an poured some Old Flood Dragon's Drool Wine from the Sword Nurturing Gourd, and the two occasionally enjoyed a small drink together.
Pei Qian wolfed down a big bowl of rice with the force of a storm. Chen Ping'an and Zhu Lian had just started their second glass of wine when she smiled and asked Chen Ping'an, "Master, can I take a look at that little purple sandalwood box? What if something inside is lost? Then we can turn back early and look for it."
Chen Ping'an took a sip of the fine wine and smiled. "Go ahead."
Pei Qian took the beautiful little wooden box from the bamboo box, sat cross-legged beside Chen Ping'an, and opened it. She counted the items one by one: a piece of iron the size of a thumb but very heavy; a folded green robe weighing less than two taels; a stack of talisman papers painted with beauties. She turned them over and over again, afraid they would grow legs and run away. She carefully studied them—wait, there were only three! Pei Qian suddenly looked panicked. "Master, Master, the plum pit is gone! What do we do? Should I go look for it on the road right now?"
Zhu Lian rolled his eyes.
Shi Rou couldn't help but laugh. Girl, if you're going to lie, at least hide the laughter in your eyes!
Chen Ping'an said, "Oh, it's fine. I have money now. If it's lost, it's lost."
Pei Qian let out a "Hey," flipped her wrist, and suddenly opened her palm. "Master, aren't you happy? We both thought it was lost just now, didn't we? But now it's like we've gained an extra plum pit, right?"
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded.
Pei Qian laughed heartily. "Master, you're so silly. It wasn't lost at all, and you couldn't even tell!"
Chen Ping'an flicked Pei Qian on the forehead.
Pei Qian didn't move. She made a motion of sinking her breath into her dantian. "Doesn't hurt at all!"
Zhu Lian couldn't take it anymore. He flicked his finger through the air.
It hurt so much that Pei Qian, with lightning speed, first put the plum pit back in the little box, bent down to set it aside, then held her forehead with both hands and burst into loud sobs.
Chen Ping'an laughed heartily.
Pei Qian, seeing that even her master didn't feel sorry for her, sneaked a peek through her fingers at her master and cried even harder.
Chen Ping'an quickly suppressed his smile and asked, "Do you want to see your master fly his sword through the distance?"
Pei Qian's mouth turned down. "No, I don't."
Chen Ping'an just smiled.
Pei Qian suddenly beamed radiantly. "Yes, I really want to!"
Chen Ping'an then took off the half-immortal sword from his back but did not draw it. He stood up, faced the cliff edge, and tossed it out.
Chen Ping'an strode forward, patted the Sword Nurturing Gourd, and leaped out, landing on the sword as he whooshed away into the distance.
Pei Qian widened her mouth, quickly stood up, ran to the cliff's edge, and stared wide-eyed at the dashing figure flying on the sword.
Zhu Lian and Shi Rou naturally knew the secret: the flying swords First and Fifteen were hidden beneath that immortal sword.
Pei Qian shouted at the top of her lungs, "Master, don't fly too far!"
In the mountain wind, Chen Ping'an slightly bent his knees, standing on that immortal sword. Communicating telepathically with the two flying swords, the scabbard of the immortal sword tilted upward. He suddenly soared higher, and the sword beneath him broke through a layer of clouds. He paused involuntarily. Beneath his feet was a golden sea of clouds in the afterglow, stretching endlessly.
Between heaven and earth, there was great beauty beyond words.
Chen Ping'an realized that when he traveled by flying sword, the sights before his eyes were completely different from viewing the sea of clouds from a celestial ferry. It was a distinctively different landscape and feeling.
Chen Ping'an gazed at the sea of clouds for a long time. As the great sun sank into the sea like it was falling, the afterglow gradually faded. Finally, Chen Ping'an stood on the sword, closed his eyes, held his breath, and concentrated on practicing the Sword Furnace Standing Pole.
Chen Ping'an withdrew from the Sword Furnace Standing Pole technique. Suddenly, a thought stirred in his heart. He murmured, "Has Cao Ci broken through his realm again?"