Chapter 504: Sword Immortal in the Hand of a Sword Immortal

Chapter 504: Sword Immortal in the Hand of a Sword Immortal

When the green-robed man crushed the golden body of the Zaoxi Canal Master, the Lake Lord of Cangyun Lake wore a furious expression, as if he might erupt in rage at any moment and even risk a fight on the shore.

But when that man threw a punch and shattered the golden body of a River God, Lake Lord Yin Hou instead became calm as still water, his expression flat. Facing that outsider who seemed to be charging alone through enemy lines, Yin Hou raised his hand, two fingers pressed together. A faint golden strand and an emerald green strand of spiritual light gathered like small snakes, coiling around his fingertips, intertwining. Yin Hou gave a gentle shake, and on the surface of Cangyun Lake, with him as the center, water mist rose and green smoke billowed, instantly covering a hundred zhang of the water's surface.

Over at the ferry, not to mention Du Yu of the Ghost Axe Palace, even Yan Qing, after circulating her qi and focusing her gaze, could see nothing but a vast expanse of mist. The figures of the Lake Lord and the many dragon palace officials, both civil and military, had vanished. The old ancestor of their Baodong Immortal Realm seemed to be wielding that treasured heirloom of the sect, a flash of treasure light flickering faintly as it shielded all the fellow disciples of the sect, who then began to slowly retreat. It seemed they intended to leave the battlefield entirely to Lake Lord Yin Hou's side.

At the edge of the water mist, a faint golden python and an emerald green serpent coiled endlessly, chasing each other in flight, like dragons that summon clouds and rain, thickening the water mist on the lake.

Yan Qing only knew that this was one of the innate divine abilities of a Water God who had attained the Great Way. It was no mere illusion spell; it was a cage akin to a talisman formation. Once it trapped a cultivator or a pure martial artist, it could drain both their qi aperture's spiritual energy and their pure true qi respectively—a water-grinding method that could be used for both offense and defense.

Du Yu stood still in place, glancing at the mess of the ferry before him. It had collapsed into utter ruin, except for the ground near the bamboo box and traveling staff, which remained completely intact.

The senior was truly a transcendent figure.

What did this mean? It meant that when the senior stamped his foot, he hadn't yet used his full strength.

Yan Qing flicked her sleeve, scattering the dust on the ferry.

But her gaze remained fixed on the activity at Cangyun Lake. The water mist formation, covering a hundred zhang in all directions, suddenly shrank like a fishing net someone had yanked, becoming only a dozen or so zhang in size. Yet the water mist grew even denser, like liquid. The golden python and the emerald green serpent charged directly into the formation from left and right.

Yan Qing sighed inwardly. This was, after all, a battle on Cangyun Lake. Lake Lord Yin Hou held all the advantages of time and place, and with a trusted River God using his life to block that man's forward momentum, the man had lost the initiative. His situation could only worsen. Lake Lord Yin Hou had stood unshakably in Yinping Kingdom for a thousand years, as a Water God ranking equally with the realm's Five Marchmount Lords. No wonder the sect's old ancestor had chosen the dragon palace as the final lodging place on this journey to Suijia City.

Yan Qing glanced at Du Yu and saw that his expression was completely at ease.

Du Yu caught Yan Qing's gaze and turned to smile. "A little pond like this can't trap my Brother Chen, who could overturn rivers and seas with just a sneeze."

Yan Qing sneered.

Such nauseating flattery. She'd see if he could still say that after the battle was over.

The Baodong Immortal Realm cultivators had already withdrawn over a hundred zhang from the battlefield. The old ancestor Fan Weiran still hadn't withdrawn the divine ability of their town-mountain treasure. A golden crown on the old woman's head overflowed with golden light that shone in all directions. Beside the old woman appeared a celestial female official, like one from a hanging portrait—her face blurred, her form bathed in golden light, her figure graceful. This ethereal golden attendant waved her sleeves and raised a celestial canopy to shield all the Baodong Immortal Realm cultivators. The lake surface at Fan Weiran's feet had frozen over, forming a temporary ferry for them to stand on.

Yan Qing relaxed.

It seemed the old ancestor didn't intend to get involved in tonight's slaughter.

Lake Lord Yin Hou still stood in place, but the two remaining River Gods had already led their people away in different directions, seemingly heading home. As for the Shaoxi Canal Master, she not only acted as if she had received a great pardon but also seemed to have turned misfortune into fortune. Her face couldn't hide her gleeful expression as she activated her divine ability, transforming into a cloud of water mist and swiftly flying toward her own Shaoxi Canal.

Yan Qing understood clearly: Cangyun Lake was about to mobilize its full forces to hunt that man down to the last.

Yin Hou even had the leisure to smile faintly at Yan Qing.

Yan Qing pretended not to see.

Strange phenomena appeared across the lake.

Within that formation cage covering the lake surface, a golden thread suddenly appeared, and then the water formation exploded with a roar, dissolving like ice into water, all merging into the lake.

The green-robed man had one hand behind his back, also with two fingers pressed together, facing Lake Lord Yin Hou, his back to the ferry.

That man was holding a celestial treasure slip made of golden material between his two fingers, only a small part of it burned.

Yan Qing was puzzled.

Just a barrier-breaking talisman?

Was there a barrier-breaking talisman in the world with such tremendous power?

Not only had it broken Lake Lord Yin Hou's formation, but from the ferry where Yan Qing and Du Yu stood, they could also see that the hand behind the man's back was gently clenched into a fist, with the tails of one golden and one emerald green small snake exposed.

Lake Lord Yin Hou saw this strange phenomenon without any surprise, smiling faintly. "A small appetizer to welcome guests from Cangyun Lake. How does it taste, foreign immortal master?"

Chen Ping'an looked around. The two River Gods and the Shaoxi Canal Master had probably already returned to their respective territories. Starting from the sources of the three rivers and one canal, they were continuously building momentum downstream to help this Lake Lord set up the true killing formation.

If he hadn't sensed the movements outside, Chen Ping'an wouldn't have minded staying inside the formation, treating it as a chance to cool off and admire the moon. After all, those two water-transport snakes of Lake Lord Yin Hou, even lightly refined, were no paltry offering like the Shaoxi Canal Master's four ounces of water transport essence. Judging by weight, they were at least a catty each. Truly worthy of a lake lord—his foundation was far beyond what a mere canal master or river matron could compare to.

Chen Ping'an temporarily abandoned the idea of fully refining those two water-transport snakes. The two gleams of light in his hand behind his back vanished in an instant as he imprisoned them outside the Water Mansion Gate.

If there really were any hidden schemes that made his body and soul suffer a bit, that would count as Lake Lord Yin Hou's skill. Chen Ping'an would admit a minor defeat.

Inside his personal microcosm's qi aperture, the two water-transport snakes, one gold and one green, coiled outside the Water Mansion Gate, trembling violently.

A fire dragon came charging madly, raising its head high and coldly gazing down at these two worthless creatures, less than ants. One of its claws gently scraped the ground. If not for the faint familiar refining aura on them, one claw strike would have ended them.

The Water Mansion Gate opened instantly, then slammed shut.

It turned out two green-clad boys had carried the golden python and emerald serpent inside and ran.

The fire dragon, manifested from the pure true qi of a martial artist, moved its massive body, slowly turning and drifting away.

Lake Lord Yin Hou opened his palm, revealing a piece of golden body fragment—the only relic left after the Muhangu River God's fall.

There was also another larger piece. After that first punch, two golden body fragments had scattered and splattered away. The thumb-sized one had already been pocketed by the green-robed man. If Yin Hou hadn't snatched fast, this golden body essence would have become that man's loot as well.

Yin Hou shook his head gently and sighed. This Muhangu River God, though the weakest in combat among the three River Gods, was the most loyal and had followed him the longest. He had both the seniority of the Shaoxi Canal Master and the understanding nature of the Zaoxi Canal Master. A pity he died, and even more a pity that he only left behind this one golden body fragment. If he had the slightly larger one too, it might have added a hundred years of cultivation.

The golden body fragment in Yin Hou's palm sank into his hand. He planned to refine it slowly after the battle—an unexpected windfall.

What did it matter if a so-called subordinate general died? He could just ask the Yinping Kingdom emperor for another official decree of investiture. After all, this River God's left and right arms had long been restless, coveting the River God position for quite some time. Otherwise, where did those extra rare treasures in his daughter's boudoir come from?

This Muhangu River God had secretly hidden two beautiful maidservants of no mean talent over the past century, keeping them in a golden nest. If the dragon palace had truly held him accountable, his death would have been well deserved. It was only the Lake Lord's magnanimity that kept the hearts of his troops from growing cold.

Chen Ping'an glanced further at the Baodong Immortal Realm cultivators, who were clearly watching from the sidelines. He felt somewhat helpless. It seemed making big money was going to be difficult. These registered immortal masters—why didn't they have a bit of chivalrous spirit, drawing their swords to help when they saw injustice? It's said that the mouth is soft after eating; they had just raised their cups and exchanged toasts at the dragon palace banquet, and now they turned their backs? Tossing out a few magical artifacts to test his depth wouldn't have been too much to ask, would it?

Chen Ping'an didn't intend to make too many enemies among this group of immortal cultivators.

Cangyun Lake was a different matter.

A mountain or water deity actively doing evil and causing trouble in their domain was a completely different situation from a cultivator choosing not to do good and ignoring the human world.

Lake Lord Yin Hou, seeing that the man had fallen still, asked, "Do you want to settle this amicably?"

Chen Ping'an replied, "Waiting for the main course to be served."

Yin Hou burst into loud laughter. "Good, good, good! A straightforward man!"

Chen Ping'an narrowed his eyes.

Seated like a king over a thousand years of Cangyun Lake's water transport, with a territory as large as those small vassal states in North Juzhou Prefecture, I imagine he's been laughing at the human world like this all these years. Having attained the Way and become a Water God, he's probably never shed a tear in his life, has he?

On the lake surface, not a single ripple appeared.

But before Lake Lord Yin Hou, a flash of green appeared.

Wearing a magnificent purple dragon robe, Yin Hou hesitated for a moment, then chose not to dodge, intending to test the weight of this "Sword Immortal's" fist.

He extended a hand, blocking in front of him.

That "Zichou" dragon robe was a dharma robe Lake Lord Yin Hou had painstakingly refined using a large amount of immortal money. It was a genuine treasure artifact, a top-tier immortal treasure even by the standards of Huangyue City or Baodong Immortal Realm. When it came to family assets, immortal sects had to look at how many treasure artifacts they possessed, while he, the Lake Lord, and those mountain gods measured their wealth by how many orthodox divine positions they held to arrange for trusted subordinates.

Such heavy force.

A single swimming dragon on the dharma robe exploded on the spot.

Lake Lord Yin Hou used the momentum to slide back several zhang.

Could he be a Golden Body realm martial grandmaster? Was the so-called "Sword Immortal" identity just a smokescreen set up at the Water Immortal Shrine to confuse people?

But Yin Hou's expression remained unchanged. He raised his hand again and took another punch. This time, two water-transport dragons on his dharma robe exploded. Yet what is a dharma robe? This Zichou robe allowed the dragons born from spiritual energy to gather and disperse at will. Even if one or two robe dragons were temporarily shattered, they could instantly reconstitute their golden bodies, just as a deity could without harming their fundamental Dao. If it were only the force of these two punches, Yin Hou was confident he could take a hundred punches from this man, and then we'd see whether his dharma robe was more miraculously ingenious, or this man's pure true qi more enduring.

The third punch arrived.

The dharma robe simultaneously shattered two more dragons swimming on the sleeves.

Yin Hou's expression grew somewhat serious.

He was just considering whether to use a divine ability to escape. After all, why toy with this opponent now that the momentum of two rivers and one canal had been built? Three golden-bodied deities were about to bring floodwater into Cangyun Lake. There was no need for him, a Lake Lord whose status rivaled that of a human emperor, to personally take risks. If not for wanting to show off his Lake Lord style in front of the fairy Yan Qing, this man getting close to him on the lake surface would have been as hard as climbing to heaven.

Yin Hou, who had been hovering inches above the lake, stepped back from a punch and lightly touched his foot into the lake water, smiling with full sarcasm.

Another punch came.

A piece of the Lake Lord's ice-like deity statue shattered.

Lake Lord Yin Hou stood far below, several zhang deep in the water, hands behind his back. He shook his wrists and stretched his muscles. Truly a pure martial artist. No wonder he dared to act recklessly, killing his own canal masters and River Gods.

A heavy hammer-like force struck the center of Yin Hou's back. The fist force angled upward, blasting the Lake Lord out of the water and into the air.

Fortunately, it only shattered six dragons on the Zichou dharma robe.

If all nine dragons had collapsed at once, the dharma robe would have temporarily lost its effect.

This was similar to the effect of the divine armored dew from the soldier's treasure, the Armor Pellet.

A fist hammered down from above.

A sound like a great bell or colossal cauldron rang through the air.

Yin Hou, having just left Cangyun Lake, was once again smashed into the lake.

Although Lake Lord Yin Hou's body wasn't greatly damaged, he felt that these two punches were the greatest humiliation of his life.

Then, from under the lake bottom.

A series of dull winter thunderclaps sounded beneath Cangyun Lake.

The lake water churned violently.

But when the great waves neared the golden attendant holding the canopy, they were blocked as if by a high city wall, breaking into powder. Layer upon layer of waves were stopped by that golden treasure light, scattering like countless white pearls bouncing around.

Fan Weiran laughed. "Let's go ashore to watch."

The ice beneath everyone's feet rose into the air and sped toward the ferry like wind and lightning.

The old woman was the absolute authority in Baodong Immortal Realm. None of the cultivators present dared to raise any objection.

Only that eccentric second ancestor, the one who was Yan Qing's master, would dare to argue with Fan Weiran.

When the ice neared the ferry, without Fan Weiran's spiritual energy to sustain it, it suddenly dissolved and returned to the lake.

The cultivators, following their ancestor Fan Weiran, drifted down and landed on the nearly ruined ferry.

As this group of immortal masters approached the ferry, Du Yu gritted his teeth, tapped his foot, and dashed over to stand beside the book box and traveling staff, pressing his hand on the hilt of his saber.

Fan Weiran only glanced at this soldier of the Ghost Axe Palace, then walked past him with her people.

The golden woman attendant who had been holding up the canopy seemed telepathic; she also looked at Du Yu.

Du Yu's teeth chattered as he stood rigidly beside the traveling staff, motionless.

This tall, big-boned old woman was the second-strongest cultivator in over a dozen kingdoms' mountain sects.

And she was barely different in strength from the one who sat in the first place—the city lord of Huangyue City.

Furthermore, Fan Weiran was notoriously hot-tempered. In her early years, before becoming the gate master of Baodong Immortal Realm, whenever she led disciples down the mountain on excursions, there was never a time when no cultivators died. As for unlucky martial artists from the pugilist world, there were even more. Fan Weiran also enjoyed torturing enemies. Once, a sixth-realm pugilist grandmaster who had offended a Baodong Immortal Realm disciple on a trip was tracked down by Fan Weiran. After beating him down with a treasure artifact, the old woman stood beside him and stomped, from feet to head, crushing him into a pile of flesh.

Fan Weiran raised a finger and lightly tapped the golden crown on her head. All the golden light flowed back into the crown, and the golden attendant and the canopy in her hand dissipated.

Yan Qing bowed. "Yan Qing pays respects to the ancestor."

Fan Weiran's expression was kind. She gently poked Yan Qing's forehead with her finger, mock-angry. "You little girl, so bold, to walk alongside such a vicious outsider."

Yan Qing blushed and said nothing, standing with her hands at her sides.

Fan Weiran turned to face Cangyun Lake and informed Yan Qing via the ripples of her mind-lake, "The good show has begun. Forcing Yin Hou's human-form illusion to completely shatter, leaving only his true form, he must undoubtedly be a Golden Body realm grandmaster. Rare indeed—over a dozen kingdoms' pugilist world hasn't seen a legendary Golden Body martial artist in two hundred years. Yan girl, if you fight this man, you must remember one thing: never let him get close. Don't be like that arrogant Lake Lord Yin Hou, who suffered for it. Why use celestial arts and treasures, then fight bare-handed against a martial artist? Isn't that stupid?"

Yan Qing nodded.

Fan Weiran continued, "Besides, that Lake Lord's body is naturally powerful; we qi refiners can't compare. Beasts have thick skin and tough flesh."

Suddenly, a massive python a hundred zhang long appeared on the lake, already sprouting four claws. It raised its head high and spat a pillar of emerald green light onto the lake surface.

A figure in a green robe raised a palm and actually blocked that impressive pillar of light with his bare hand.

That dazzling scene was like a bright moon rising from the sea.

Yan Qing silently took in that tableau.

Fan Weiran sneered. "A Golden Body realm martial artist battling a Golden Body deity. Not bad. This trip wasn't a waste."

At the same time, where the two rivers and one canal entered the lake, three water dragons several dozen zhang long appeared. The two yellow water dragons were larger, while the one dark ink-black water dragon was the most delicate.

The three water dragons, each ridden by a Water God's golden body, had eyes that showed a faint layer of gold.

It wasn't just three water dragons coming to aid; the entire Cangyun Lake territory's water veins began to tremble and twist, channeling their power for Lake Lord Yin Hou and the three Golden Body deities of the canal and rivers.

Tonight on Cangyun Lake, the true flood had arrived—waves surging to the sky.

The majestic battlefield kept moving away from the ferry, drifting toward the lake's center.

A female cultivator, a direct disciple of Fan Weiran, said with a light laugh, "Master, this fellow knows his place. Afraid of splashing a single drop on you, he's gone far away on his own."

A tall male cultivator echoed, "A wise man knows when to yield. He's thoroughly enraged Lake Lord Yin Hou; his life or death is uncertain. If he also made an enemy of our ancestor, he'd be courting death."

Du Yu felt prickling sensations on his back, but he stood like a wooden stake at the edge of the ferry.

He was more like a traveling staff than the verdant green traveling staff itself.

A lofty fairy like Yan Qing could already make Du Yu and the Ghost Axe Palace suffer greatly, let alone a mountain-peak cultivator like Fan Weiran, whose magical skills were unmatched.

An old woman stepping on the Ghost Axe Palace was like a mountain pressing down from above.

Fan Weiran turned her head and smiled. "Yan girl, no need to be reserved. Step forward."

Yan Qing, strictly adhering to her sect's hierarchy of seniority, stepped forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with the ancestor.

The old woman Fan Weiran appeared relaxed, but her heart was not as calm as she let on.

Some things—even for someone like Lake Lord Yin Hou, whose cultivation was not low—remained invisible if one wasn't in that position.

The old woman looked up into the night sky.

Only she and Huangyue City's lord, Ye Han, could see glimpses of the strange light.

That was why her junior sister had always worried that she might hold a grudge against her proud disciple Yan Qing, even secretly obstructing Yan Qing's journey on the Great Dao. To guard against her senior sister, she acted like guarding against a thief.

Fan Weiran found it a bit amusing.

A young girl with a sweet, innocent look suddenly said softly, "Ancestor Grandmother, that man seems to be just practicing his boxing, deliberately using those snakes and pythons to refine his own body."

Fan Weiran waved her over. The girl bounced cheerfully to the old woman's side, tilting her head up, eyes innocent and pure. "Really, Ancestor Grandmother. I'm not lying."

The tall Fan Weiran bent slightly and ruffled the little girl's hair. The old woman lowered her head, staring into the beautiful eyes that shimmered with faint light, and smiled. "My Cui'er is quite gifted. When she grows up, maybe she can be as accomplished as your Aunt Yan Qing. On excursions down the mountain, wherever she goes, she'll be a fairy that everyone gazes at."

Yan Qing smiled faintly at the girl.

The girl glanced at Yan Qing, twisted her hands together, and looked down, embarrassed. "I'm not as pretty as Aunt Yan Qing."

Fan Weiran laughed heartily.

The girl grew even more shy.

Yan Qing gently pinched the girl's ear.

This was one of Yan Qing's rare displays of affection.

After laughing, Fan Weiran looked across Cangyun Lake, her expression growing grim. She said solemnly, "If so, then we need to think carefully."

The signs of a sect's decline often begin with a gap in generations.

In this regard, Huangyue City wasn't bad—at least He Lu was there to hold the line. But her Baodong Immortal Realm was even better.

Besides Yan Qing, there was this girl Cui'er, and her eldest disciple, who had been in seclusion for ten years—all future pillars of Baodong Immortal Realm.

Yan Qing's heart trembled.

Why had that man, who had clearly been holding back, and whom Fan Weiran had originally decided to simply stand by and watch, instead stirred her murderous intent?

On Cangyun Lake, an island was plowed into a massive trench by the tail of Lake Lord Yin Hou's true form python.

That green-robed figure threw punch after punch only to repel the enemy.

He could defend himself well, but his offensive was weak.

It looked as if he had run out of any remaining strength—after punching through the Muhangu River God's golden body and forcing the Lake Lord to reveal his true form, it seemed he had exhausted his initial burst, then flagged, then was spent.

The three water dragons of the two rivers and one canal, which had been holding back, now fought with increasing ferocity, each filled with bloodlust.

From afar on Cangyun Lake came Lake Lord Yin Hou's shout: "Ancestor Fan! If you help me kill this beast, I'll gift the Zichou dharma robe to Baodong Immortal Realm!"

Fan Weiran smiled but said nothing.

Yan Qing looked up. Even though she circulated her oral formulas and directed the spiritual energy in her qi aperture, making her eyes emit a purple gleam—a sign of her mastery in the grand magical art 'sun and moon shine on the furnace, eyes produce purple smoke'—she still couldn't see clearly. The battlefield was simply too far from the ferry. She could only make out the shadow of the python's violent thrashing.

Although little Cui was born with the ability to see some mysterious and indistinct truths, Yan Qing still found it hard to believe that a legendary Golden Body realm martial artist, on Lake Lord Yin Hou's turf, facing the full encirclement and assault of several deities, could still handle it with ease. If the fight had moved to shore, where the Cangyun Lake deity would lose his geographical advantage, Yan Qing might have found it somewhat believable.

Moreover, for a pure martial artist, once their true qi began to wane and decline, as long as they weren't given a chance to freely exchange breath, they were almost certainly doomed to a miserable end.

How long had these two been fighting?

Or was the Golden Body realm martial artist's physique such that not only was his true qi as enduring as a long river, but he had truly reached the indestructible golden body state of Buddhism, able to withstand the combined attacks of the Lake Lord and the three water dragons?

From afar, Lake Lord Yin Hou's voice rumbled like thunder across the ferry: "Fan Weiran! I'll add the Muhangu River God's divine position, giving it to Baodong Immortal Realm!"

Fan Weiran shouted back, "If I'm not mistaken, the Zaoxi Canal Master is also dead?"

From Cangyun Lake, except for the deafening, sky-shattering waves, Lake Lord Yin Hou was silent.

Although Yan Qing didn't concern herself with mundane affairs, the territory of Cangyun Lake had a total of three rivers and two canals. Offering one River God position was already a show of sincerity. If he also threw in the Zaoxi Canal Water God position, and considering that the Shaoxi Canal had essentially been abandoned, if Lake Lord Yin Hou truly agreed, it would be like driving two nails of thorns into his own flesh. With one canal and one river god's positions in the hands of Yinping Kingdom's orthodox deities, backed by Baodong Immortal Realm, Lake Lord Yin Hou would completely lose the right to arbitrarily kill them. How could he tolerate others snoring beside his bed? Lake Lord Yin Hou understood this well, especially since it would involve his fundamental Dao, siphoning off a large portion of Cangyun Lake's mountain and water fortune. If Yan Qing were in his place, she would never rashly agree.

Yan Qing asked telepathically, "Ancestor, are we really going to take both Cangyun Lake water god positions in one go?"

Fan Weiran replied with a faint smile, "If I don't drive up the price like this, even if Yin Hou obediently hands over the Muhangu River God position, he'll hold a grudge. With his scheming and means, he'll suppress the new River God into a useless figure. Our Baodong Immortal Realm doesn't have that much idle time to listen to one of our River Gods in another country complaining all day. So, do we manage it or not?"

Yan Qing nodded. "Ancestor has far-sighted vision."

Fan Weiran took Yan Qing's delicate, lotus-root-white hand. The old woman held it with one hand and patted the back of it with the other, sighing emotionally. "Yan girl, these mundane matters—just hear them, know them, and then forget them. You just focus on your cultivation, nurturing your spirit, waiting for the Great Dao."

Yan Qing hummed in acknowledgment.

Fan Weiran released her hand, confident. "Maybe the harvest will be even better than I expected."

Sure enough.

Within less than half an incense stick's time, Lake Lord Yin Hou shouted again: "Ancestor Fan! I'll include the Zaoxi Canal Master position as well! If you still refuse and keep pushing, then from now on, Cangyun Lake and your Baodong Immortal Realm cultivators share no friendship whatsoever!"

This time, his voice lacked its earlier steadiness; it was gritted and furious, clearly driven to desperation.

Fan Weiran smiled slightly and said quietly to Yan Qing, "How's that?"

Yan Qing's expression was complex. She whispered, "Ancestor, be careful."

"Yan girl, you probably don't know how the last Golden Body realm martial artist in over a dozen kingdoms actually died. When you return to the sect, you can ask your master. That was the battle that made my junior sister and Huangyue City's city lord famous."

Fan Weiran laughed loudly and turned into a rainbow streaking toward Cangyun Lake.

Yan Qing frowned.

Du Yu still stood obediently in place, silently praying to the gods and buddhas in his heart.

When the rainbow passed overhead toward Cangyun Lake, Du Yu felt it wouldn't help much. Still, if he had three sticks of incense on him, he'd really have stuck them into the ground.

On a small island that had been nearly leveled.

Lake Lord Yin Hou's massive true form slowly glided around the island.

The water dragons ridden by the two River Gods' golden bodies had gone berserk, madly hunting the green-clad figure on the island.

As for the dark ink-black water dragon controlled by the Shaoxi Canal Master, it floated on the lake surface outside the island. The canal master's physical form, hidden in the dragon palace, swayed precariously on a meditation cushion. Her face was pale as snow, feeling as if all her bones would be shattered.

Nearby, the two River Gods stood on their meditation cushions, eyes closed, concentrating. Golden light flowed all over their bodies, and dragon palace water-transport spiritual energy continuously poured into their golden forms.

These three water gods' true golden bodies had fully merged into the three water dragons, leaving only their physical forms here to conveniently absorb the abundant water-transport energy from the dragon palace.

A water dragon rammed its massive head toward the green-robed man.

But he blocked its head with one palm, preventing any forward movement.

The man smiled. "A bit tired? How about I take over?"

Chen Ping'an took out a Yuqing Brightness Talisman, secretly made by the Chongxuan Department's Xiaoyao Palace, and had already silently recited the incantation. He tossed it into the sky.

A blinding light shone forth.

Like a great sun illuminating the underworld.

Since he hadn't deliberately aimed for a wide range, the binding and suppression targeting this island became even more solid and indestructible.

One River God's water dragon incarnation tried to pull its head back.

But the palm that had been blocking the head as it pressed forward now twisted slightly as the green-robed man stepped on the ground, turning into a hand-blade that sliced forward.

A single line cut open the water dragon that the River God's golden body had been animating, starting at its head and ripping it open all the way down.

When the man came to a stop, a slightly larger golden body fragment was in his hand.

In the dragon palace, the River God's human-form physical body immediately withered to ashes.

The other water dragon was first stunned, then frantically fled. But when it crashed into the blinding light-sealed barrier wall, its head cracked in several places with a bang. Enduring the sharp pain, it tried to dig through the ground. If it could penetrate the island's root and reach the water, it would have a chance to escape.

But then its head was hit with a heavy blow, slamming it forward against the island's ground, carving a deep trench as it slid.

The sword-wearing green-robed man, now above the water dragon's head, punched down.

The entire small island trembled, sending up countless clouds of dust. The lake water that had been crashing against the shore now surged back in reverse.

Another piece of a River God's golden body fragment was now in that man's hand.

He looked again.

Lake Lord Yin Hou had disappeared.

That was to be expected. It was just a strategy of picking them off one by one. If the Lake Lord had entered the talisman formation's range, Chen Ping'an had an even more valuable talisman waiting in his sleeve. He would have served Cangyun Lake a proper main course.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chen Ping'an caught sight of that small ink-black water dragon floating on the lake, pretending to be dead. It flicked its tail and crashed into the lake, splashing a large spray.

Chen Ping'an patted his Sword-Nurturing Gourd. Flying Sword Fifteen shot out in pursuit.

Chen Ping'an looked toward a certain direction—the direction Lake Lord Yin Hou had fled.

Behind him, the Sword Immortal unsheathed itself by two or three inches on its own.

Chen Ping'an narrowed his eyes at the thick, accumulating cloud sea above and said sternly, "Go back!"

The Sword Immortal clanged back into its sheath.

It seemed somewhat resentful.

Chen Ping'an's body swayed slightly backward, but for now, he didn't bother arguing with the sword.

Chen Ping'an reached out, grabbed the Yuqing Brightness Talisman, and held it. The problem with most celestial talismans was that it was easy to open their gate but hard to close. Once the talisman core was activated, one could only watch the talisman light dissipate into the world. Cultivators could only slow the talisman core's fracture and spiritual energy loss, but couldn't completely stop a high-grade talisman from burning. However, after closing the gate, even if this talisman had become a house leaking on all sides, as long as he didn't use it again, it should last for at least ten days.

As for Lake Lord Yin Hou, Chen Ping'an had his own way to make him come to shore willingly and do business. It would just take some time. But it was more likely that the Lake Lord would come to him. Bad people who lived long and climbed high generally weren't stupid—an annoying truth.

As for Flying Sword Fifteen, it was just tailing the Shaoxi Canal Master, not seeking to kill. Knowing the general location of the dragon palace gave him more leverage for the deal.

Chen Ping'an looked back into the air and smiled. "Old grandmother, what are you rushing here for? Afraid I can't swim and won't be able to make it back to the ferry?"

Ancestor Fan Weiran was burning with rage. That Lake Lord Yin Hou had actually run off and left her to take the fall! If she hadn't sensed she was about to arrive, this unfathomable young man would never have withdrawn and given up chasing Yin Hou.

Fine. So he dared to claim he'd have trouble with Baodong Immortal Realm's cultivators? In the next hundred years, we'll see whether Cangyun Lake's water is deeper, or our Baodong disciples' spells are higher. Just as well—her junior sister was already doomed to never break through, so she could have her lead people here to stand off against these degenerate beast deities from Cangyun Lake for a hundred years!

Looking at the young man who was all polite and courteous, one hand tucked in his sleeve with two fingers holding that terrifyingly powerful talisman, just showing a flash of gold light.

Fan Weiran hovered at the boundary between the island and Cangyun Lake, and glanced at the vermilion gourd hanging from his belt, smiling. "Truly a Sword Immortal, and so young. Truly astonishing."

Chen Ping'an took down the Sword-Nurturing Gourd, drank some water, wiped his mouth, and laughed. "My brother Du Yu, along the way, told a whole basketful of Cangyun Lake's filthy deeds. When it came to your Baodong Immortal Realm, he was genuinely respectful and admiring. So tonight, I won't argue with you, old grandmother. Otherwise, watching such a good show would cost money."

Fan Weiran sneered inwardly.

Then she saw the man fix his gaze on her. He said slowly, "So please, get lost."

Fan Weiran's face darkened. Her sleeves billowed, flapping loudly.

Then she abruptly smiled. "The days are long. I wish this young Sword Immortal from elsewhere a pleasant journey. If you're willing, you're welcome to visit our Baodong Immortal Realm."

Then he asked an odd question: "Is your ancestral hall sturdy?"

Fan Weiran could at least tell that this wasn't a compliment, but since she had made up her mind, she hesitated no longer. She smiled. "The young Sword Immortal will see for himself when he comes."

The old woman flew back to the ferry.

Chen Ping'an looked up at the dark cloud sea that hadn't yet dispersed.

Aside from Lake Lord Yin Hou's true form charge—which was passable—the collisions of the other three water dragons had offered little benefit to his body.

Chen Ping'an secured the Sword-Nurturing Gourd, stood for a moment, then lightly tapped his toes and leapt off the island, landing on Cangyun Lake's surface. His figure turned into a wisp of green smoke, skimming the water like a dragonfly, heading towards the ferry.

When Chen Ping'an jumped onto the ferry, the old woman and the Baodong Immortal Realm cultivators had already left.

Du Yu was still wearing the divine armored dew, one hand on his saber, standing guard by the bamboo box, hat, and traveling staff like a door god.

Chen Ping'an laughed. "Such loyalty?"

Du Yu wiped his face hard. After all the wind and rain, his whole face was stiff. Wiping it, he winked and rubbed his hands together, his smile brilliant.

It wasn't that he didn't want to say flattering words; it was that Du Yu racked his brain and couldn't come up with a fittingly beautiful phrase. He felt that all the good lines in his mental draft weren't worthy of the peerless style of this senior.

Chen Ping'an gently smoothed the rolled-up sleeve, put his hat back on, shouldered the book box, and pulled out the traveling staff.

Du Yu was about to move, but damn, his legs were a little numb.

He had been a diligent little door god of the Ghost Axe Palace, hadn't he? Even without merit, he at least had hard work, right?

Senior, with your fiery eyes like a mountain-peak old immortal, you must remember this in your heart.

Chen Ping'an walked ahead. Du Yu quickly dismissed the divine armored dew, turning it back into a soldier's armor pellet that he tucked into his sleeve. He moved as fast as the wind, catching up to the senior, and quietly asked, "Senior, since we successfully drove back all the water gods of Cangyun Lake and chased away those Baodong Immortal Realm cultivators, what's next? Will we go break up the River Gods' temples, or head to Suijia City to snatch the rare treasure?"

Chen Ping'an smiled. "We?"

As for whether "driven back" was accurate, Chen Ping'an didn't bother explaining.

Du Yu chuckled, not embarrassed at all.

But a sense of proportion was still needed, so Du Yu stopped chattering.

After walking a while, Du Yu couldn't help asking, "Senior, are we going to the Zaoxi Canal Master's water god temple?"

Chen Ping'an nodded. "I need to rest there a few days and wait for the Lake Lord to come ashore to talk business."

Du Yu said "Oh" and didn't dare ask more.

When they returned to the water god's temple, the maids, servant girls, and attendants—whether ghosts or living people—had all scattered like monkeys from a fallen tree.

Chen Ping'an came to the inner residence gate with the plaque inscribed "Green Waters Flow Eternal". He stored it in his Zinchui object. Although the Zaoxi Canal Master's golden body had already perished, this unusual plaque still contained some water-transport spiritual energy, probably the most valuable item in this temple.

Chen Ping'an took off his bamboo box and hat, sat on the lowest step, and told Du Yu to light a bonfire in the courtyard.

He began practicing the Sword Furnace Standing Stake.

After a great battle, recovery was essential; otherwise, lingering effects would become a long-term problem.

Moreover, Chen Ping'an wanted to use inner vision to check whether the two water-transport golden python and emerald serpent, not fully refined, could truly benefit his Water Mansion.

Du Yu sat cross-legged by the bonfire, cautiously glancing at the senior's seated posture. He had no particular thoughts; practicing immortal divine abilities wasn't something that could be done by imitating a pose.

Besides, with this senior's status, he must be practicing an extremely advanced technique. Even if he taught the entire oral formula, Du Yu still couldn't learn it.

A streak of flowing firelight tore through the night sky and vanished into the wine gourd at the senior's waist.

Du Yu silently told himself: All sorts of strange things—no need to be surprised.

About an hour passed. Du Yu added dry branches a few times.

Then Du Yu noticed that after the senior opened his eyes, he seemed in a good mood, with a hint of a smile on his face.

Chen Ping'an looked up.

The thick cloud sea that had nearly covered the entire Cangyun Lake area had already dispersed.

A bright full moon hung in the sky.

Chen Ping'an asked, "Du Yu, do you think that, given the thousand years of accumulated culture and customs here in Cangyun Lake, anyone could change it?"

Du Yu said bluntly, "Unless it's a complete replacement from top to bottom, from the Lake Lord to the water gods of the three rivers and two canals. Especially the Lake Lord of Cangyun Lake—he must be the first to go, only then is there a chance. But to accomplish such a feat, it would take a mountain-peak cultivator like you, senior, personally acting, and then spending decades here, just keeping a close watch. Otherwise, in my opinion, it's better not to change. Actually, Lake Lord Yin Hou is still a ruler who doesn't completely drain the pond to catch all the fish. The floods and droughts he deliberately causes—they're just to add a few beautiful maidservants to the dragon palace. A few hundred commoners die each time. If you encounter a mountain or water deity who can't even control their own innate divine abilities, thousands die in one go. If they're also hot-tempered, constantly brawling with other deities or feuding with colleagues, then within their territory, the people are truly destitute, corpses strewn across the land. In my many years walking the pugilist world, I've seen many mountain and water deities, city gods, and earth gods who focus on the big fish and let the small fry go. The common people don't matter to them at all. It's the registered immortal masters on the mountains, the martial grandmasters who open their own sects, the local relatives of capital officials, and a few promising scholars—those are the ones they go out of their way to cultivate."

Chen Ping'an glanced at Du Yu.

Du Yu said innocently, "Senior, I'm just telling the truth. It's not like I'm doing those bad things. To be blunt, all the filthy deeds I, Du Yu, have done in the pugilist world don't even compare to the bad blood in the fingernails of Lake Lord Yin Hou or the Zaoxi Canal Master. I know you don't like this kind of heartless immortal attitude, but I, Du Yu, in front of you, am speaking from the bottom of my heart. I wouldn't dare deceive you in the slightest."

Chen Ping'an smiled.

Du Yu didn't take the opportunity to suck up, nor did he think he had truly entered the esteemed senior's sight and could borrow his authority to bully others.

At best, it meant the senior wouldn't casually slap him to death.

Du Yu had that much self-awareness.

Perhaps this was what true mountain-peak people were like—truly heartless on the Great Dao.

Earlier, as Du Yu looked up at the moon, he had felt a bit melancholic. For some reason, after wandering the pugilist world so many times over so many years, this was the first time he missed his parents.

But now that the senior had opened his eyes, Du Yu had to perk up again, carefully handling what seemed like the senior's casual questions.

Consider it a tempering of his state of mind. His parents always said that a cultivator's mental cultivation wasn't that important. Sect mottos, the master's nagging to disciples—just empty words. Immortal money, protective treasures, and the fundamental immortal techniques of the Dao—those three were the most important. Still, some mental cultivation was necessary.

Du Yu mustered his courage and asked, "Senior, what was the result on Cangyun Lake?"

Chen Ping'an laughed. "As you said, we drove them back. Peace brings wealth, right?"

Du Yu felt it couldn't be that simple.

But he had no more courage to dig deeper.

All the guts and mettle of the second half of his life had been used up tonight.

How else was he supposed to be a hero?

Then Chen Ping'an focused on practicing the Sword Furnace Standing Stake.

Du Yu began to slowly enter a meditative state using the unique secret method of the Ghost Axe Palace, breathing and absorbing.

At dawn.

Chen Ping'an stood up and began the Six-Step Moving Stake. To Du Yu, who hurriedly got to his feet, he said, "Search this canal master's water god temple. See if there's anything valuable."

Du Yu nodded and was about to look for luck, hoping to find a magic artifact or a few Xiaoshu Coins for the senior.

But the senior suddenly added, "By 'valuable,' I mean worth at least one Snow Coin."

Du Yu froze, thinking he had misheard. He cautiously asked, "Senior, did you mean one Xiaoshu Coin?"

Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "With hearing like that, it's amazing you've survived on the pugilist world this long."

Du Yu suddenly understood and began scouring the place. With the senior by his side, even just a homeless river matron's temple, he would dig three feet deep. If it were the dragon palace at the bottom of the lake, he'd do the same.

Chen Ping'an closed his eyes and continued the moving stake.

By noon, Du Yu returned carrying two large bundles, a full haul.

Chen Ping'an said, "The bag with the valuable stuff is mine. The other is yours."

Du Yu made a bitter face. "Senior, did I do something wrong?"

Chen Ping'an kept moving through his stances as he said slowly, "Cultivation has cultivation's rules. Walking the pugilist world has its rules. Doing business has business's rules. Do you understand?"

Du Yu didn't really understand, but he pretended to. Regardless, he accepted the bag with trepidation.

But then Du Yu thought it over, opened both bags, and put the few valuable items from his bag into the senior's bag.

Chen Ping'an didn't stop him.

Chen Ping'an stopped his boxing stances, leaped onto the ridge of the tallest building, and gazed toward Suijia City.

Then he began practicing his moving stances across the rooftops.

Du Yu was puzzled. How could this look exactly like a pugilist's boxing forms rather than any immortal technique?

Du Yu was then filled with admiration.

This senior's way of doing things was truly unique—returning to simplicity.

That evening, Du Yu lit the bonfire again. Chen Ping'an said, "Alright. Go on your own pugilist world journey. Staying in the temple a day and a night—everyone watching already knows what's what."

Du Yu felt embarrassed.

His little scheme couldn't escape the senior's perception.

If they had parted at the ferry right away, Du Yu was afraid he wouldn't have made it alive to Suijia City.

Du Yu thought it over. It was time to quit while ahead. He was about to shoulder the sack and head to Suijia City.

Chen Ping'an suddenly said, "Wait a little longer."

Du Yu obeyed. He put down the sack, sat cross-legged on the ground, and quietly asked, "Senior, actually, I know a secret talisman from the sect's ancestral hall. It's not much worse than the Snow Mud Talisman or the Turtle Monument Talisman."

Chen Ping'an smiled and waved his hand. "Earlier, when your life hung by a thread, doing that sort of shady business was one thing. But now that your life's safe, using your sect's rules to gild the lily isn't good. On the path of cultivation, become an immortal by first being a person."

Du Yu was stunned.

He glanced at the sack on the ground.

It seemed only now that he vaguely grasped a clue.

Du Yu clenched his fists, silent.

Chen Ping'an stood up. Du Yu instinctively rose, but Chen Ping'an pressed him down with a gesture.

Du Yu turned to look. After a moment, a familiar figure came into view.

She was really beautiful—however you looked at it.

Truly the fairy Yan Qing.

Chen Ping'an frowned.

Du Yu's heart pounded. Senior, please don't destroy such a pretty flower. If this lovely fairy dies, you might not care, but I'd be heartbroken.

Yan Qing asked, "Since you had the strength to kill three River Gods and Canal Masters in one go, why did you deliberately let Lake Lord Yin Hou escape?"

Du Yu nearly lost his balance and had to brace himself with his hand on the ground.

Chen Ping'an asked, "Who gave you the confidence to keep coming back to me?"

Yan Qing smiled. "A Sword Immortal who worries that the falling cloud sea might harm innocent people—how could he be a reckless killer? I, Yan Qing, refuse to believe it."

Chen Ping'an replied, "Whether you believe it or not, it's none of my damn business. I'll warn you one last time: my patience is limited."

But Yan Qing walked straight toward the bonfire.

Du Yu had already shifted his seat, positioning himself so he could observe the senior's expression and also admire the beauty's grace under the moonlight.

Then Du Yu's mouth slowly dropped open.

A wisp of green smoke shot toward the white-clad fairy, who could rival the moonlight. Then Yan Qing, like a little chick being lifted by the scruff, was carried along with the smoke onto a rooftop.

That green-robed figure stood on the roof ridge, turned a full circle, and the white-clad beauty spun an even larger circle.

Swoosh!

Fairy Yan Qing vanished.

Chen Ping'an jumped off the roof and returned to the steps to sit down.

Du Yu wiped his mouth and swallowed.

Chen Ping'an waved his hand. "You can leave now."

Du Yu was about to respectfully take his leave.

But then the senior suddenly showed a look of frustration. He launched himself into the air, and the entire temple shook just like the ferry earlier—a real earth-shattering tremor.

Du Yu was conflicted. Should he stay or go? It wouldn't be good to leave without saying goodbye. Not leaving might mean the senior had suddenly taken pity on the delicate Yan Qing and was bringing her back. With the beautiful moonlit night and the even more beautiful woman...

Du Yu slapped himself.

He hoisted the sack and started running.

As soon as he exited the water god temple gate, he stood there in a daze.

This sudden hurried departure—could it be that the senior had finally used his full power?

From the canal master's temple behind him to Cangyun Lake.

The green-robed figure had long since vanished, but thunder echoed without end.

Du Yu sighed deeply.

Chen Ping'an landed at the ferry, his eyes narrowing.

That annoying young female cultivator from Baodong Immortal Realm had been smashed into Cangyun Lake. It wasn't a serious injury—just a moment of drowning and a bit of a mess.

But thinking that Lake Lord Yin Hou might be nearby, Chen Ping'an had rushed over. Sure enough, after the woman fell into the lake, there was no trace.

Chen Ping'an held out the Yuqing Brightness Talisman between two fingers.

Just as he was about to throw the talisman in his hand,

the surface of Cangyun Lake broke open, and out came Lake Lord Yin Hou in his purple dragon robe. Beside him stood the young woman who had just broken free from a magical cage. She glared at the green-robed man at the ferry, her face full of anger.

Yin Hou extended a palm forward and said with a smile, "I was just worried about Fairy Yan Qing's safety. The situation was urgent, so I used a minor spell to try to cushion the force of the fairy's fall into the lake. My apologies. Fairy Yan Qing, please go ashore."

Yan Qing's expression was icy. She shook off all residual water vapor from her body and floated down gracefully onto the ferry.

If the culprit hadn't rushed to the ferry, Yan Qing couldn't imagine what her fate would have been.

Chen Ping'an looked at her. "Still not leaving? I can't help you with the tea at the Zaoxi Canal Master's place, but if you think the water in Cangyun Lake tastes good, I can help with that."

Yan Qing let out a cold snort and flew away on the wind.

Chen Ping'an looked at the wary Lake Lord Yin Hou and said with a smile, "You should know very well that if I were determined to kill you, it really wouldn't be hard."

Yin Hou nodded. "Indeed. So I find it strange: why did the Sword Immortal hold back?"

Chen Ping'an looked around, silent.

Yin Hou's feet remained in the water.

Not only that, but the sky above Cangyun Lake and all its territorial waters began to cloud over again.

Chen Ping'an asked, "What really happened with that secret letter from the Suijia City governor to the capital?"

Lake Lord Yin Hou answered without hesitation, "The content of the letter was nothing novel. You must have guessed it, Sword Immortal. He just hoped that a friend in the capital could, after his death, continue to overturn the case for him, or at least find a chance to make it public. But there's one thing you probably didn't expect: the governor stated at the end of the letter that if his friend never became a high-ranking court official in his lifetime, then it wasn't worth risking such an undertaking, lest it fail and bring trouble."

Chen Ping'an produced a gourd of wine from thin air, removed the seal, and drank slowly.

Yin Hou continued with a smile, "I have some connections in the capital, and you know my hostile relationship with Suijia City. I had the Zaoxi Canal Master accompany me, not with any other thought, but to have the secret letter delivered smoothly to the capital. Not only that, but I have some connections there, so I instructed the Zaoxi Canal Master that if that person was willing to overturn the case, to help him advance more smoothly in his official career. Actually, a true overturn was impossible. I just wanted to annoy Suijia City's City God Temple and the Fire God Shrine. But I never expected that City God would act so decisively, killing a court-appointed official—a governor of a region—without any patience, not even letting him leave Suijia City. That was actually somewhat troublesome. But that City God must have been a cornered dog jumping the wall, unable to care about more, so he just eradicated the root first. Later, somehow the news leaked—maybe someone let it slip that the Zaoxi Canal Master was in the capital. The City God then began to maneuver, sending a trusted subordinate with that half-formed incense-fire figurine to the capital to present to that person. And that scholar, who hadn't yet been assigned a post, agreed to Suijia City's City God Temple's conditions without a second word. That being the case, I had the Zaoxi Canal Master return to Cangyun Lake. After all, a close neighbor is better than a distant relative. Making small moves in the dark is fine, but tearing the mask off would be bad."

Chen Ping'an suddenly asked an irrelevant question: "As a Lake Lord, if you fancy a common woman of suitable talent, why go to such trouble?"

Lake Lord Yin Hou smiled. "First, the common people are ignorant; they fear power more than virtue. Second, it's not just my dragon palace that needs beautiful maidservants. The three rivers and two canals also need them. My subordinates' subordinates need them too. In Cangyun Lake territory, if one woman disappears today, another tomorrow, over time, too much fear also becomes a problem. Commoners can only resign themselves to fate, but those scholarly families with means to relocate will spread the word, living in fear year after year. What will they do? They'll move elsewhere. Over the years, Cangyun Lake's feng shui and fortune would constantly drain away. But if Cangyun Lake establishes an unspoken rule that both sides understand, it's easier to pacify people. Plus, the dragon palace compensates those on shore handsomely. Not to deceive you, Sword Immortal—many wealthy families would be glad to have their daughters or granddaughters caught by the dragon palace."

The Lake Lord paused, sighing. "The best deals in the world are never sudden wealth from a single venture, but the steady stream of year after year. Don't you agree, Sword Immortal?"

Chen Ping'an wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb and smiled. "Such a good principle, but coming from your mouth, it has a different flavor."

Yin Hou smiled and said nothing.

He was waiting for the other side to name a price.

Regardless of how much he hated this man, since he was no match for him, and this man could walk all over his Cangyun Lake, his dragon palace could only swallow its bitterness.

Stop losses in time.

Much better than compounding mistakes.

The former at least keeps the green hills, ensuring no shortage of firewood. The latter often sets off a chain reaction, causing the whole building to collapse in a single day.

Chen Ping'an put away the wine gourd into his Zinchui object and asked, "What about the corruption of the Suijia City City God's golden body?"

Yin Hou, who had come tonight with a frank attitude, couldn't hide his schadenfreude at this topic. He laughed. "That scholar-turned-governor not only unexpectedly carried a significant portion of the commandery's fortune and Yinping Kingdom's literary destiny, but the amount far exceeded both my and Suijia City's expectations. In fact, if it weren't for that, how could a mere youth have escaped Suijia City on his own? Furthermore, he had another fateful connection. There was once a Yinping Kingdom princess who fell in love with him at first sight and never forgot him her whole life. To avoid marriage, she became a Daoist nun devoted to the lamp. Although she had no qualification as a qi refiner, she was a deeply beloved princess. So she unintentionally entangled a thread of the kingdom's fate with that governor. Later, when she heard the tragic news in a capital Daoist temple, she resolutely stabbed herself in the neck with a golden hairpin and died. These two factors combined gave the City God that crime, which directly caused a fatal crack in his golden body that couldn't be repaired with yin virtue."

Chen Ping'an asked one last question, "What might Suijia City's fate be?"

Yin Hou looked toward Suijia City and shook his head. "Miserable. Having such a City God who wants the whole city's people to share his karma and bear his heavenly tribulation—every household must have had bad ancestors. In no time, the heavenly tribulation will fall. At the very least, most of the mortals in Suijia City will die. So the qi refiners who went to Suijia City will all leave before that. Even if they can't obtain the rare treasure, they won't dare stay."

Lake Lord Yin Hou had thought he would have to bargain tonight. He never expected that the young green-robed Sword Immortal would simply turn and walk away.

This made Yin Hou uneasy instead, but he didn't dare go ashore.

He could only swallow his hatred and anger, along with a sense of trepidation. Activating his divine ability, he parted the water and returned to the dragon palace at the bottom of the lake.

Chen Ping'an returned to the Zaoxi Canal Master's water god temple.

To his surprise, not only had Du Yu returned, but Yan Qing was also there.

This time, however, Chen Ping'an said nothing. He walked to the bonfire, squatted down, and held out his hands to warm them.

Du Yu crouched beside him. "Earlier, when I saw Fairy Yan Qing return, I thought of that sack full of heavenly treasures left unattended in the courtyard. I felt uneasy, so I came back."

After entering the temple, Yan Qing had been standing on the steps, watching the Ghost Axe Palace cultivator.

Du Yu. She had no impression of him before. She'd heard of him once or twice, only because his parents were a Dao couple on the mountain. She only knew him as a cowardly bully who liked to roam the pugilist world.

Yan Qing spoke. "I only have one question. I'll leave after I ask it."

But the man just stared at the bonfire, silent and lost in thought.

Yan Qing paused for a moment. "Why did you attack He Lu? If you heard from Du Yu about some of Cangyun Lake's filthy deeds and thus struck out ruthlessly, acting on impulse, that would be normal. But you shouldn't have even met He Lu."

Du Yu rolled his eyes and made a face.

Oh, still crying out for justice for that pretty-boy lover.

Serves her right for being thrown into Cangyun Lake to drink water.

Yan Qing had already prepared herself mentally for this man to keep playing mute.

But unexpectedly, the man slowly spoke: "The first words He Lu said to dissuade me were not for my benefit, but for the Zaoxi Canal Master, who had been inviting you for tea."

Yan Qing wasn't stupid; she knew that.

The man continued, "Because at that moment, He Lu thought I was a cultivator of higher cultivation than the Zaoxi Canal Master."

Yan Qing wanted to hear more, so she hesitated, then sat down on the top step.

But the man looked at her sideways.

Seeing the chilling look in his eyes, Yan Qing immediately stopped and made no further move.

Then the man looked away, returning his gaze to the bonfire, and fell silent again.

He had clearly not finished speaking, but he had no intention of continuing.

Yan Qing felt deeply humiliated. Was she so insignificant that he couldn't even be bothered to say a few more words?

Yan Qing's heartstrings trembled. Without further hesitation, she quickly flew away on the wind.

Du Yu hesitated for a moment, then also stood up and took his leave.

Chen Ping'an nodded.

He stared at the bonfire.

Truth lies not only in the hands of the strong, but it also does not lie only in the hands of the weak.

Truth is truth. It is not greater because you are strong, nor does it vanish because you are weak.

But it seemed this was only his, Chen Ping'an's, truth.

Not Du Yu's. Not that young female cultivator named Yan Qing's. Not the favored son He Lu's.

In the pugilist world of Shushui Kingdom, there was Song Yushao.

In the murky, foul Book-Simple Lake, there was that ghost officer willing to draw his blade against his colleagues.

In the bleached bones and grotesque ghosts of the Ghostly Demon Valley, there were the swordsman Pu Rang and the sect master Zhu Quan.

Here in Yinping Kingdom and Cangyun Lake, he had yet to encounter a single one.

It was because Chen Ping'an realized this that he fell silent.

He knew why this simple truth did not apply to them: it brought them no benefit or advantage. On the contrary, it only made them feel encumbered on their path of cultivation, shackled in their actions. So perhaps it wasn't that they didn't understand, but that they understood and pretended not to, for the Great Dao was high and distant, the scenery too beautiful, while the human world was low and mired in mud and misery, filled with what they considered insignificant partings of life and death, joys and sorrows.

Indeed, so many things unrelated to oneself—to know their ins and outs, to probe their details—was not always a good thing.

For instance, Chen Ping'an didn't need to ask the Lake Lord of Cangyun Lake why the Yinping Kingdom court didn't evacuate the city's populace. Because people could flee, but the karma would remain. For the emperor of Yinping Kingdom, even if he knew the full causes and consequences of the strange phenomena in Suijia City, he would choose silence. Better to have a clean break within Suijia City than to let the fleeing commoners disturb the feng shui and fortune of other commanderies, thereby dragging down the entire kingdom's fate. That's why the officials and wealthy families of Suijia City remained in the dark, with dandy sons still riding out of the city for carefree hunts.

At dawn, there would still be the creaking wheels of charcoal carts.

Under the moonlight, there would still be the sound of washing clothes.

Practitioners of the Dao distance themselves from the human world and avoid worldly affairs—not without reason.

Chen Ping'an remained squatting there, thinking of many things. Even after the bonfire had died out, he still kept his hands held out as if warming them.

Until daybreak.

Chen Ping'an stood up, put the sack into his Zinchui object, put on his hat, shouldered his bamboo box, and took up his traveling staff, heading toward Suijia City.

Not to the City God Temple, not to the Fire God Shrine.

To that abandoned haunted mansion in the city, to take a look.

After seeing it, he would need to do something.

In the darkness of night, a green-robed figure climbed over the wall into Suijia City.

There was a night curfew in the city. Chen Ping'an made his way alone to the haunted mansion. On his previous visit to the city, he had asked about the site at the incense shop.

Chen Ping'an stood outside the gate in the dead of night.

He looked at the rotten, crumbling gate. There were no door gods, no spring couplets.

That scholar, to his death, had not been able to overturn the case for his parents and take revenge.

What about me, Chen Ping'an of Niping Lane?!

A young man who no longer wore straw sandals, who no longer needed to go up the mountain to gather herbs, took off his hat.

The various qi refiners who had long since lurked, hidden, or taken root near this haunted mansion—almost all of them, even the dullest and lowest in cultivation—were startled, their minds suddenly thrown into inexplicable turmoil.

On a distant roof ridge, an old man with a small monkey crouching on his shoulder frowned deeply. Last time near the city gate, he had been mistaken; he had completely failed to see through this kid's cultivation.

The old man raised a hand and gently pressed down on his agitated pet.

As for those worthless ones who had felt suffocated and their spiritual energy blocked for no reason, none dared to come out and see what kind of deity had arrived.

When the man on the street took off his hat and bamboo box, he vanished into thin air.

The old man began to retreat several steps.

On the main street, outside the gate.

That green-robed figure's sleeves billowed, though there was no wind.

His figure vanished in an instant.

A wisp of green smoke tore through the night.

It finally landed outside the City God Temple.

At the City God Temple, a burly martial judge in iron armor appeared and said grimly, "Who goes there?!"

But the young swordsman simply raised his hand.

The Sword Immortal behind his back slowly unsheathed itself, gently rotated, and was finally held lightly in his hand. He held the sword horizontally before him, one hand gripping the hilt, the other hand's two fingers gently wiping across the blade, slowly moving toward the tip.

The sword's blade, originally thick and golden like liquid, blazed with an inch of additional golden light every time the green-robed swordsman's fingers wiped across it.

The man narrowed his eyes, gazing at the dazzling sword light in his hand, and murmured, "Whether it's karma or heavenly tribulation, I, Chen Ping'an of Niping Lane, will take it all on."

First set a small goal, like 1 second to remember: Shukuju