Chapter 545: Why Dare to Be Angry but Not Speak Out?

Chapter 545: Why Dare to Be Angry but Not Speak Out?

After the flow of time was halted.
The mountains were high, the waters deep; the sky was silent, the earth still.
Huang Shi hid deep in the mountains, on a cliff face shaded by ancient pines, carving out a narrow cave just large enough to accommodate himself and his large travel bag. At this moment, frozen in the river of time, drenched in sweat, he had once thought he could easily kill the other three when the four of them set out to visit the mountains seeking treasure, never imagining that he was actually the insignificant one who could die at any moment.

That slovenly man named Jinshan, hiding in a reedy marsh by a lake, had a Tuobei Talisman pasted on his body, his face a mask of stupor.
The two direct disciples of Shen Zhenze from Cloud City, holding hands, with bulging veins, revealed the agitation of this man and woman at this moment.
Not far from that couple, the Dragon Gate Realm Supplicant Xu had a livid face and somewhat dazed eyes.

On the mountain peak, the old true man Huan Yun closed his eyes, showing utter exhaustion. No one knew where his thoughts were dwelling at this moment.
The military general Gao Ling, clad in Sweet Dew Armor, clenched his fists, seemingly in pain.
Wu Qun, with dazed eyes, covered his heart with one hand, presumably stunned into mental blankness by one unexpected event after another.

All the various states of beings.

After Huai Qian died, the golden-body deity and Nascent Soul puppet that had blocked that casually delivered sword strike with two fingers together had turned from two cyan talismans into four. The small golden hollow ball, which had held the natal flying swords of many sword cultivators, had rolled to the ground earlier and now lay quietly against the railing, stained with some blood.

That sword qi was so fierce that even Huai Qian's soul, golden core, and Nascent Soul had been shattered in an instant. Even the two priceless "cunyi" items on his body had been destroyed on the spot. All the treasures inside naturally vanished along with them, turning into rich spiritual energy that merged into the mountains and waters of this realm.

The stagnation of the river of time occasionally sent out ripples of colorful glass-like light, like a small pebble thrown into a river—not a big disturbance, but still causing small splashes.

On the mountain peak, only the patches of green glazed tiles in the ruins of that Taoist temple seemed to mutually temper with the stagnant river of time, emitting halos unique to the glazed tiles refined by transcendent beings.

Chen Ping'an was quite accustomed to this situation; it wasn't a bad thing—it allowed him to temper his martial physique.
He had once seen the old abbot of the Guan Dao Temple in the Eastern Sea, in the three-hundred-year river of time of the Lotus Root Blessed Land, occasionally picking up pieces of golden fragments the size of rice grains.

But Chen Ping'an didn't directly catch that ball of sword qi.

That Sun Taoist laughed. "What, scared?"

Chen Ping'an nodded. "I'm still a bit scared."

Sun Taoist said, "It's a karmic opportunity you deserve. It doesn't matter much whether the 'Sun Senior' you know sees your heart as kind or evil. Feel free to accept it. Under heaven, no one who doesn't seek death should die. At least, that's how it is with me. As for those who seek death, they can only blame their backing not being high enough, or their ancestors' names not being frightening enough."

When Sun Taoist said this, he glanced at the corpse.

One of the top ten in Middle Earth Divine Continent.
Could that compare to the top ten of the entire Qing Ming World?
If they really wanted to wrestle with me, I'm afraid even your ancestor's small arms and legs wouldn't dare to reach out.

But Sun Taoist's dharma sword and true self had been left behind in that Taoist temple in the Qing Ming World, and in the Haoran World, he was also constrained by Confucian rules. So the current Sun Taoist was far from his peak state.

Chen Ping'an then took out his Nurturing Sword Gourd and carefully collected that extremely pure shattered sword qi into it. The gourd immediately became very heavy.

Chen Ping'an smiled. "When an elder bestows, I dare not decline."

Sun Taoist smiled nonchalantly, withdrew his gaze, and without any visible movement, Di Yuanfeng, Zhan Qing, and Liu Guibao instantly regained consciousness. Trapped in the stagnant river of time, they all felt dizzy, especially Zhan Qing, who felt her internal organs had turned to mush. She swayed unsteadily but gritted her teeth to keep from falling.

Not only that, Sun Taoist also restored Sun Qing and Bai Bi, both Golden Core cultivators, to normal.

Sun Taoist said, "I intend to take you three as nominal disciples. But I won't force anyone. You can choose whether to change your sect. Remember, this opportunity only comes once. Just ask your own heart."

The little marquis of Northern Ting Kingdom, Zhan Qing, knelt without hesitation, kowtowed to thank him, tears streaming.

He didn't even glance at Sister Bai.

Bai Bi felt a sense of loss. She could speak but didn't.

Because she didn't know whether she should congratulate him or be sad for herself.

Di Yuanfeng, who had been traveling in straw sandals and carrying a bamboo staff all along, made a Daoist bow to this old immortal. His heart was churning with a hundred mixed feelings.

After a moment's thought, feeling that the courtesy wasn't solemn enough, he knelt, knocked his head three times, and didn't dare to rise for a long time.

Prostrate on the ground, Di Yuanfeng felt as if he were dreaming.

First, in the study cave dwelling, that tall old man with seemingly miraculous magic power had appeared and said he would take him as his first disciple.

Then that guy died, replaced by this "Sun Taoist" in front of him, who said he wanted to take disciples.

How much good karma had he, Di Yuanfeng, accumulated in his previous life?

But Sun Taoist didn't reveal the heavenly secret to Di Yuanfeng. The matter of karmic connection with their lineage was something that should be revealed later rather than sooner.

His junior brother had once walked the world in straw sandals and carrying a bamboo staff.

But the Dao was unpredictable; he ended up dying, his body and Dao destroyed, receiving the full-force sword strike from that second senior of the White Jade Capital.

Throughout the entire Qing Ming World, everyone said his junior brother died with honor—that making the Second Senior use all his strength was an unprecedented event in three thousand years.

Sun Taoist didn't want to bother with these seemingly good but actually mixed words.

The reason that monster had taken a liking to Di Yuanfeng was precisely this. It wasn't really nostalgic for that surnamed Song Daoist, but rather sought a good omen.

As for the young girl Liu Guibao, she, like Zhan Qing, was a cover trick Sun Taoist had improvised. But for them, karmic fate was still karmic fate, and not a small one at that. Their future fortunes would be a matter of the master leading them and their own cultivation, Di Yuanfeng included. In fact, the Peach Blossom Ferry and Peach Blossom Water of Colored Sparrow Manor, where Liu Guibao belonged, had a tenuous connection to Sun Taoist's sword immortal lineage. No matter how small the worldly karmic fate, it was still karmic fate.

These three people's Dao hearts could be slowly carved. Their current realms, or even the heights of their cultivation in this life, might in the long run be just a green brick on the steps of the mountain.

The girl hesitated.

Sun Qing tried to use heart-to-heart communication to tell this disciple that such a great karmic fortune was right in front of her; if she didn't reach out and grab it, she might regret it in the next moment.

But Sun Qing was sent flying backward, bleeding from seven orifices, her mind in turmoil, her soul tormented—a painful experience.

Sun Taoist looked at Liu Guibao and shook his head. "Your aptitude is better than Zhan Qing's, but unfortunately, your disposition doesn't match the Dao. Never mind."

In an instant, the girl felt an emptiness in her heart.

Unable to control herself, tears streamed down her face.

But she still gritted her teeth and said nothing, standing there without a word.

Sun Qing struggled to get up, wanting to exhort her disciple a few more words, to tell that little fool that it was she, the manor lord of Colored Sparrow Manor, who was expelling her from the ancestral hall, not Liu Guibao rebelling against the ancestors.

Even if it were betraying the master and destroying the sect, what of it? On the path of cultivation, could such a karmic fortune ever be encountered a second time, even after a thousand reincarnations?

On the cultivation path, many profound and mysterious great opportunities were truly only once in this life; miss it once, and it would never be possible again, life after life.

Sun Taoist glanced at the young Golden Core cultivator, slightly surprised, and laughed. "You have a rather good disposition, but unfortunately your aptitude is too poor. With better luck, you might at most stop at the Nascent Soul stage."

The words might have been harsh.
But they were the truth.

Sun Taoist said, "Then I'll only take two. Di Yuanfeng, Zhan Qing, both of you stand up. In the future, with me, there's no need for such master-disciple formalities."

Sun Taoist pondered for a moment, then brought the Jade Pure Realm monster, which had been cut in two, to the mountain peak. "Like to play dead? Want me to send you off?"

The corpse came together, knelt on the ground, and said nothing, just silent.

Sun Taoist sneered coldly. "My junior brother led you onto the path of cultivation back in the day. Although our lineage has always been indifferent to matters of kindness and resentment, for you, an animal, not to show even a little gratitude—that's an entirely different matter."

The great monster trembled.

Sun Taoist nodded. "I couldn't save my junior brother back then, but at least I can help him clear this karmic entanglement."

Playing with people's hearts? Was it fun? Not even knowing your own true heart, making mud dolls in a pile of filth—aren't you afraid of making people laugh their teeth out?

Staying by his junior brother's side for so many years, yet he had read all those books from the Three Teachings and hundred schools in vain.
He only knew the superficial meaning of "seeking truth," but not the essence of "caution."

Sun Taoist reached out and patted the great monster's head. With a light tap, the latter didn't even have time to struggle before its primordial spirit was instantly extinguished without even a cry of anguish. Instead, two things popped out and fell to the ground.
A tattered book, and a token—a cunyi item.

Sun Taoist glanced at them and didn't look again. He smiled and waved in one direction.

At the same time, Di Yuanfeng and the other four had already returned to the river of time, unaware of what had happened.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Ping'an found himself at the mountain peak, as if he had used the Mountain and River Shortening technique himself. He landed gracefully, no longer needing any disguise or concealment.

Sun Taoist was slightly surprised. "You've walked through the river of time quite a few times?"

Chen Ping'an answered honestly, "Not too many times, but for a long duration."

Sun Taoist smiled. "Since you've seen the scenery at higher places, cherish it. Don't learn from that Huai Qian, not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth. Ordinary city folk know to post door gods to ward off evil, but this kid instead insisted on sticking the word 'seeking death' on his forehead. I endured it when a strand of sword qi left by someone took a liking to him. But seeing someone so determined to die, I always grant their wish."

Chen Ping'an hesitated.

Sun Taoist said, "That Huang Shi? He isn't seeking death; he's struggling to live. In my eyes, you and Huang Shi have the same way of living, just different paths. As for whether your paths have any difference in nobility, that's not for me to say. The path is not in height but in length."

Chen Ping'an had no more small questions to ask.

But he did have a big question he very much wanted to ask.

Sun Taoist continued, "You take matters of good and evil in people's hearts and karmic retribution in the world too seriously, yet you still see them too superficially, which is why your state of mind is so fatigued. Many things, once done, are ultimately useless. Heaven and earth are not dead things; they will correct human affairs on their own. But when you reach a high enough realm, there is still a faint possibility of truly changing some fixed numbers. Does thinking about it more make everything seem dull? Indeed, from the very first day a person lives between heaven and earth, it hasn't been a very interesting thing. But nowadays, few people in the three worlds are willing to remember this."

Chen Ping'an's expression darkened.

Sun Taoist actually teased, "Brother Chen, it seems your mind cultivation is still insufficient."

Sun Taoist shook his sleeves, and many heavenly materials and earthly treasures, as well as immortal artifacts, turned into mustard seeds and flew into his sleeve universe.

Even parts of the contents of the cunyi items belonging to Huan Yun and the old supplicant from Cloud City obediently left and went into Sun Taoist's sleeve.

But that "Sun Taoist" who had been lying on the ground turned to ashes.
That was just an abandoned "Outer Self" of the Yang Spirit, a useless skin bag.
All the entanglements in the Haoran World over the years were on that skin bag.
They wouldn't be taken away.

Next to the Taoist temple ruins on the mountain peak, that "treasure mountain" now only had a few sparse small bundles.

Then, in the next moment, everyone left the mountain peak and came to the open space outside the white-jade arch bridge.

And the green mountains and clear waters, as well as the many mountain peaks painstakingly refined by the great monster, were all collected by Sun Taoist into his sleeve.

It suddenly seemed as if the sky were higher and the earth broader, misty and vast.

Sun Taoist slowly smiled. "Besides what you've already obtained, I'll leave thirty percent of the opportunities in the mountains here. After they wake up, they can fight or kill, be sad or happy—everything will remain as before."

Huai Qian's corpse, the cyan talismans, and the golden ball were all gone.

A Daoist scripture, overflowing with treasure light, flew out and hovered in front of the girl Liu Guibao. "Even though we can't be master and disciple, I'll still give you this scripture."

The Golden Core cultivator Sun Qing of Colored Sparrow Manor also received a karmic fortune—the token cunyi item.

Chen Ping'an wanted to say something but stopped.

Sun Taoist glanced at this young man, smiled, and then the two bundles Chen Ping'an had buried in the mountain fell at his feet.

Even someone as thick-skinned as Chen Ping'an blushed a little, but that didn't stop him from bending down to pick them up and sling them over his body.

Sun Taoist seemed to see through people's hearts, or maybe he knew beforehand. "Brother Chen, you're quite thriving as both a mountain-wild rogue cultivator and a 'bundle peddler,' aren't you?"

Chen Ping'an quickly said, "I'll borrow the blessing of Senior Sun's words!"

To hell with it! Who knows if these Daoist old immortals have the power of prophetic words? He'd take the blessing first. If nothing came of it, no loss; if something did, pure profit!

Sun Taoist found it amusing and laughed. "A Dao cultivator with a mind so shattered it's worse than a repaired Longevity Bridge—are you a farmer wielding a hoe here and carrying a manure basket there, or a qi refiner practicing the art of long life and eternal vision? It's not that I have a higher realm and am trying to boss you around. But this path of your mind does have a Great Way, yet it has too many forks, rugged and winding. If you keep going like this, even if you become a sword immortal of the Haoran World, you'll find it hard to cut off the threads of karma with a single sword strike. The more you cut, the more tangled it gets."

Chen Ping'an smiled wryly. "I can only take it slowly."

Sun Taoist asked, "Doesn't it make you feel uncomfortable in your heart?"

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment. "It should be so."

Sun Taoist shook his head. "Then you really should read more Daoist scriptures and learn what it means to 'ride in an empty boat and tread on emptiness.'"

Sun Taoist casually waved his sleeve, and the clouds scattered, then gradually stopped. He asked, "Has the world changed?"

Chen Ping'an kept silent, seriously pondering the deep meaning in this.

Sun Taoist stomped his foot, making the earth tremble. "Feeling that now, after all this, the world should have changed a bit, right?"

Chen Ping'an remembered what Sun Taoist had said earlier—that heaven and earth would correct human affairs on their own—so he asked back, "Then what should we do?"

Chen Ping'an had repeatedly recognized from his childhood observations of the world that the world was ruthless, but this kind of ruthlessness had its own fairness. However, the more Chen Ping'an saw of the world later, the more he felt that fairness was something that fragile things needed. The world itself didn't need it. The so-called great way, heaven's judgment, and the three teachings' rules were all artificially made barriers. The most primitive world had no need for all of this—it devoured everything, digested everything, and gave nothing, not even a cold glance.

The great principle Sun Taoist was about to reveal was actually contrary to some fundamental belief Chen Ping'an had always held, but Chen Ping'an was willing to ask more and think more.

Sun Taoist showed a hint of approval and nodded. "Exactly."

Chen Ping'an was baffled; he didn't even know what he was right about.

Sun Taoist had already changed the subject. "Aren't you going to ask whose sword strike could make even my junior brother die, his body and Dao destroyed?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "I don't dare ask, and even if Senior Sun said it, I wouldn't dare listen."

Sun Taoist nodded. "Good. You didn't ask, so now I'll ask you: As a Dao cultivator, what is 'caution'?"

This time, Chen Ping'an didn't hesitate. He said solemnly, "Hold reverence for heaven and earth, and regard oneself as the greatest enemy in life and death."

Sun Taoist paused for a moment, then laughed heartily. "Fine, fine! You've covered both the great outer world and the small inner world of the body. Who taught you such a great principle?"

Chen Ping'an said, "I figured it out myself. Like Senior Sun said, a principle too great becomes vague. I haven't done well enough in many of the small matters that support this principle."

Sun Taoist was somewhat moved.

Back then, his junior brother had similar thoughts, always saying that the Dao was lofty, vast, and great, and must be approached from the smallest details. Otherwise, as the world changed and customs shifted, not only would the foundation of their lineage's Dao method shake, but even that White Jade Capital would become untenable. The higher it rose, the greater the calamity when it fell. How his junior brother thought—since there was the Dao foundation of "cultivating the Dao and nurturing virtue," no one could fault him at all. So that wasn't the problem. The key was that his junior brother, as a key figure in the Daoist sword immortal lineage, had done many written works that he shouldn't have done. Apart from those great feats and grand undertakings that caught the world's attention, he had also been consistently doing a small thing during this time. That great monster that liked to refine mountains had actually been infested by an external celestial demon without knowing it, and his junior brother had tried to transform that demon with the Dao.

Unfortunately, one of the White Jade Capital's ill-tempered individuals, breaking precedent, wore a dharma robe, carried a sword, and visited the Taoist temple.

Not only that, but the last closed-door disciple his junior brother had secretly taken in, Song Maolu—a figure who had burst onto the scene—even in his senior uncle's eyes, was a stunning talent. He had built a Dao lineage similar to the Dragon Tiger Mountain in Middle Earth, with a booming reputation, but his fate was hardly any better. Fortunately, several of this junior nephew's disciples, when Sun Taoist left the Qing Ming World, were doing fairly well, each with branches of the Dao lineage still being passed down.

In his home world of Qing Ming, the three masters of the White Jade Capital under the Dao Ancestor took turns governing it. Usually, when the Dao Ancestor's eldest disciple was in charge, the world was peaceful, with little conflict and great stability.
When the Dao Ancestor's youngest disciple, Lu Chen, was in charge, heroes rose, chaos flourished, but amidst the chaos, there was vitality.
When that Second Senior returned from beyond the heavens, well, upper-five-realm cultivators died quickly and in great numbers—not just outside the White Jade Capital, but inside it too, people died.

Sun Taoist looked around and extended his hand. From all directions, a faint green firefly light flew out from between everyone's brows, like the legendary fire in water. Except for Chen Ping'an, Di Yuanfeng, and Zhan Qing, not even Liu Guibao, Sun Qing, or Bai Bi were exempt.

Sun Taoist smiled. "Some things are better not known. When Huai Qian spoke of seeking death, these people will lose their memories. Next, the treasures and opportunities I leave you all—neither too many nor too few—will be considered your existing fortunes. I reckon I'll have to witness another contest of hearts."

Sun Taoist asked, "Do you want to intervene? Help everyone seek harmony and wealth?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "I'll just watch. There's no need to intervene."

Sun Taoist nodded, and the tattered book on the ground floated over to Chen Ping'an. "Then watch more of the human heart. 'Stones from other hills may serve to polish jade.' This book, in someone else's hands, would be just entertainment. For you, it's quite useful."

Chen Ping'an put the book into his sleeve and thanked him.

Sun Taoist laughed. "A Dao cultivator—a Dao cultivator. Who in the world is more qualified to talk about the Dao than a Daoist? Young man, the Dao is very profound; it's worth more of your study."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "I will."

Sun Taoist stroked his beard and smiled. "Brother Chen, are you still going to visit mountains, seek mysteries, and diligently pick up bargains?"

Chen Ping'an's expression wasn't good. He wiped his face hard. "Not for the time being."

This time it was Huai Qian who met Senior Sun; next time, it might be Chen Ping'an meeting someone else.

Sun Taoist said, "After I leave, don't overthink. Just do as you will. Whether you're a rogue cultivator or a bundle peddler, rely on your own abilities; fortune and calamity are self-invited."

Chen Ping'an began to consider how to wrap things up.

Sun Taoist smiled at Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an was a bit confused.

Sun Taoist, with a slightly teasing tone, said something he had said before. "Brother Chen's Dao-seeking heart isn't firm enough."

Chen Ping'an immediately understood and blurted out, "Senior Sun, Senior Sun."

Same "senior," different tones.

Sun Taoist stroked his beard and smiled, nodding slightly, very satisfied, and reminded, "In half an incense stick's time, the river of time will flow again."

Sun Taoist then put both Di Yuanfeng and Zhan Qing into his sleeve universe, turned into a rainbow, and broke through the sky, departing.

This was probably what it meant to "ascend to heaven with one's chickens and dogs."

Collided by that brilliant rainbow, the dome of the entire immortal abode's small world cracked open, forming a large door. Then from that hole, it slowly expanded, and the mountain and river restrictions gradually dissipated. But after the white rainbow left the small world, it instantly vanished without a trace.

Chen Ping'an was stunned for a moment, then withdrew his gaze and started sprinting.

For now, he would stay far away from the scene of trouble.

As for those few bundles containing treasures on the ground, Chen Ping'an didn't even glance at them. But after the dust settled, he could, with caution, make another calculation.

Half an incense stick later, Chen Ping'an had long since run out of sight.

The mountains undulated, returning to normal.

He just didn't know where Huang Shi and Jinshan were.

But Chen Ping'an took a "detour" on the way to the caisson grating site. It was still there, its spiritual energy still abundant—unfortunately, it was yet another object that could be moved but not taken away.

Wait a moment.

It wasn't the same as the stone table and green bamboo earlier.

Now that the small world's restrictions were gone, why couldn't he take it away? It would just take a bit more effort.

So Chen Ping'an started digging, and finally, carrying a caisson grating as big as a huge millstone, he sprinted away, not forgetting to paste a Tuobei Talisman on his forehead.

Pasting it straight on his forehead inevitably blocked his vision; pasting it sideways would have been better.

He had learned this from his first disciple.

At the dome of the Haoran World, Sun Taoist looked back at this stretch of human mountains and rivers below and clicked his tongue. "Leaving nothing behind, leaving nothing behind."

An old scholar in Confucian robes, with a golden jade token hanging at his waist, said calmly, "The abbot may leave now."

Sun Taoist smiled. "Then open the door and send off the guest."

On the mountains and rivers of the Northern Ting Kingdom territory.

Huan Yun, Sun Qing, and Bai Bi were the first to wake up, all dazed for a moment, then frantically stabilized the spiritual energy in their key qi mansions and carefully checked the movements of their natal objects.

But Sun Qing immediately stored the token into her sleeve. Seeing her disciple Liu Guibao still staring blankly, she also put away the Daoist scripture for safekeeping.

Although she had no idea what had happened, with something so easily obtainable right in front of her, if she, Sun Qing, still didn't dare take it, what kind of cultivator was she?

Huan Yun frowned. "We should have already left that immortal abode ruin."

Then the old true man was shocked to find that in his cunyi item, which had been full of heavenly materials and earthly treasures and immortal artifacts, only a few items remained.

Liu Guibao noticed that bastard named Huai Qian had disappeared.

Good heavens, he had even fooled her all along the way. The girl gnashed her teeth in anger.

Bai Bi also sensed something was wrong. Where was Zhan Qing?

But Liu Guibao's disposition was excellent—it was obvious when she was the first to notice those few bundles on the ground and regarded them as opportunities to be contested.

However, Bai Bi also noticed this, and Gao Ling, that Golden Core Realm martial artist, had also woken up.

Liu Guibao, together with her master Sun Qing and Bai Bi, immediately allied with Gao Ling, each snatching one of the heavy bundles filled with immortal abode treasures.

Everyone grabbed their treasures, both sides wary of each other, so they kept their distance.

As for the remaining bundle, it was spotted simultaneously by the Dragon Gate Realm rogue cultivator and the martial grandmaster standing shoulder to shoulder. They both reached for it, tearing the cotton bundle apart. The mountain treasures inside clattered to the ground—over a dozen items. The two, being nearest, each picked up three or four, while the rest were taken by Huan Yun, Sun Qing, and Bai Bi, who each snatched them up in another well-coordinated division.

If it had been a mountain-wild rogue cultivator, their uncontrollable first thought would likely have been to injure others and then seize the treasures, seeking wealth at the risk of their lives.

The others who had survived the half-month ordeal and were still alive didn't dare linger any longer and scattered in panic.

This cursed place was enough to chill anyone's heart after just a moment more.

Huan Yun's expression changed slightly. Feeling something was amiss, he quickly rose on the wind, sending his talismans flying out of his sleeves. While investigating the four directions, he also needed to confirm the safety of Shen Zhenze's two direct disciples from Cloud City. That Dragon Gate Realm supplicant surnamed Xu, once he too discovered that the restrictions had suddenly disappeared, would surely take the cunyi item—the white jade writing brush tube—and flee far away. Guessing that he wouldn't return to Lotus Kingdom or Cloud City until he had reached the Golden Core realm.

Fortunately, a dozen miles away, the young male and female cultivators were safe.

At the same time, one of his talismans, a Thousand-Mile Flying Sword Talisman that was already a hundred miles away, was broken.

The old true man sneered coldly.

In the end, he intercepted the Cloud City supplicant. The latter said in exasperation, "Huan Yun, do you really want to kill us all?!"

Huan Yun said, "Come back to Cloud City with me and let your city lord Shen Zhenze decide your fate."

The old supplicant raised his hand, gripping the cunyi item tightly. "Do you believe I'll shatter this thing right now?"

Huan Yun said calmly, "The two karmic opportunities inside are not small. It's possible that even if the cunyi item shatters, it won't destroy the transcendent's remains and dharma robe. But take my advice: if you do that, I'll make you die on the spot, and then I'll go alone to apologize to Shen Zhenze."

The old supplicant's expression shifted. "Huan Yun, I will absolutely not go to Cloud City with you. I know Shen Zhenze's temperament well; falling into his hands would be worse than death."

Huan Yun said angrily, "If you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place! If you hadn't coveted the treasures in the mountains, bullying two juniors with low realms, treating them like puppets at your mercy, you would be a hero of Cloud City now!"

The old supplicant said, "I can give the cunyi item to you. Huan Yun, take out all your Suodi Talismans and give them to me as exchange. Finally, a small request: when you see those two kids, tell them you've already killed me."

"Deal!"

Huan Yun immediately took out a stack of Suodi Talismans. Opening them slightly, they were all indeed Suodi Talismans. Two of them were even made of golden material.

Huan Yun said sternly, "Trade item for item. Surnamed Xu, if you try any tricks, don't blame me for striking without mercy."

The two simultaneously tossed out their talismans and the white jade brush tube. After catching the stack of talismans, the Dragon Gate Realm supplicant directly activated one of the golden ones and instantly vanished over a hundred miles away.

Huan Yun sighed, turned back, found the two young people, and handed them the white jade brush tube. According to his agreement with the Dragon Gate Realm supplicant, he said, "Supplicant Xu is dead."

The young man carefully took the white jade brush tube, which seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. His fingers trembling, he stored it in his sleeve, then bowed deeply to the old true man, sobbing uncontrollably. "Old true man's great mercy in saving my life, protecting the Dao, and seizing treasures—this junior has no way to repay you!"

The young woman wept even harder, covering her face with her hands. Truly, as the old saying goes, after surviving a great disaster, there must be great fortune. She couldn't contain her emotions.

The brutal experience of this treasure-seeking mountain visit would haunt her nightmares for the rest of her life.

Huan Yun smiled. "You are far from the others. Take this opportunity to leave here quickly. When you return to Cloud City, don't speak a word of this."

Huan Yun, of course, still wanted to search again to see if there were any missed opportunities.

After the two young Cloud City cultivators had gone far away.

Huan Yun felt that something seemed to be wrong, but he hadn't noticed it yet.

That Cloud City supplicant must have forced the opening secret of the cunyi item out of someone—that wasn't surprising. But Huan Yun was sure the other party couldn't have taken the transcendent's remains out of the cunyi item and hidden them somewhere, nor could he have wrapped the dharma robe and hidden it on his person. Huan Yun had enough discernment for that. So that old supplicant's trip had been a loss—he had gained only that stack of talismans but lost his position as Cloud City's chief supplicant.

Huan Yun suddenly sighed and smiled bitterly.

The old true man had finally figured something out.

He understood why that young man had shown a hint of strangeness.

His own cunyi item had inexplicably lost most of its heavenly materials and earthly treasures and mountain artifacts—so what about the white jade writing brush tube?

What if the transcendent's remains and the dharma robe were both gone?
Or perhaps only one of them was left?
What would Shen Zhenze think?

Huan Yun felt some emotion. That young cultivator was truly a good seedling.
Too bad.
Killed by that Supplicant Xu.
He, Huan Yun, had failed to protect the Dao; all he could do was bring back a cunyi item for Cloud City.

Huan Yun's gaze turned icy, and he gave chase.

The old true man began to hope that there might still be one immortal treasure left inside.

If not, he would return the white jade brush tube to Cloud City; if there was one, it would be his own karmic fortune.

Bai Bi, together with Gao Ling and that Lotus Kingdom royal supplicant, all left.

They all felt heavy-hearted.

The little marquis of Northern Ting Kingdom and his family supplicant—some were lost, some dead.
It would be hard to account for.
Hard to account for to the Northern Ting Kingdom marquis's mansion, hard to account for to Zhan Qing's Nascent Soul master, and hard to account for to the Water Dragon Sect's ancestral hall.

Bai Bi could only hope that the treasures might compensate somewhat.

Gao Ling said, "Those two can be killed."

Bai Bi smiled. "Indeed. You two can split their opportunities equally."

Gao Ling, using the martial artist technique of concentrating sound into threads, asked Bai Bi, "His Majesty will ask many questions. Later, Miss Bai's sect might start to wonder."

Bai Bi said, "Then kill one more."

Gao Ling said no more.

Bai Bi added, "Gao Ling, I promise you can become the top military general of Lotus Kingdom."

Gao Ling hesitated for a moment, then suddenly said, "I want to sit in a chair that a qi refiner can't sit in, but a martial artist can. If I sit in it, perhaps not just one Lotus Kingdom, but including Water Cloud Kingdom and Northern Ting Kingdom, Miss Bai could have them all at her disposal."

Bai Bi smiled and agreed. "Quite an appetite, but I think Gao Ling can sit steady in that chair."

The next moment, that Lotus Kingdom supplicant was punched by Gao Ling, his head rolling away in the distance. Bai Bi, expression unchanged, immediately used magic to destroy the corpse and eliminate traces.

No verbal communication was needed.

Colored Sparrow Manor seemed to have become the biggest winner, at least one of them.
Three came, three left, all in one piece, and none of them were particularly injured.
They had taken plenty of treasure opportunities.

Wu Qun suddenly said, "Will that black-robed old man, who appeared first and second on the scroll, come looking for trouble with our Colored Sparrow Manor?"

The dharma robe on the other party had allowed Wu Qun to recognize his identity.

Sun Qing smiled. "Someone who can be friends with Liu Jinglong wouldn't stoop so low."

Wu Qun was still a bit worried.

Sun Qing had roughly determined the grade of that Daoist scripture and the token just now. The latter was a top-grade cunyi item that ordinary upper-five-realm cultivators could possess.

After this ordeal, besides Sun Qing and Liu Guibao, Wu Qun couldn't trust any outsiders.

At the root, what Wu Qun no longer believed in at all was the heart of people in this world.

Not only that, but at the bottom of Wu Qun's heart, there was a thought—a terrifying idea even to herself. When Wu Qun asked herself, if she possessed the skills and cultivation of that young sword immortal, would Sun Qing, whose cultivation aptitude and Dao fortune were so enviable, and Liu Guibao, be able to return alive to Colored Sparrow Manor?

Wu Qun didn't know the answer.
She didn't dare think about it too much.

——
Chen Ping'an, alone in the deep mountains with no one around, hid the caisson grating under a deep pool.

He changed his appearance, stripped off all dharma robes, and put on ordinary blue clothes, looking like a young boy. He carried a large bamboo backpack with four bundles inside.

After walking a dozen miles, he found an old acquaintance standing on a high branch beside a wild mountain path—the Golden Core Realm martial artist Huang Shi, carrying a large travel bag.

Huang Shi smiled. "I know it's you."

Chen Ping'an said, "Then why aren't you hiding far away?"

Huang Shi laughed. "It's ridiculous to say, but even I can't figure it out. After leaving that strange place alive, I feel safer staying by Brother Chen's side."

Huang Shi had completely lost confidence in judging others' cultivation levels and magical depth.
The only thing he still barely trusted was his ability to judge good from evil.

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Don't mess with me. Let's each go our own way. Let's both cherish our fortune."

Huang Shi jingled his very conspicuous large travel bag. "Brother Chen is the expert with so many disguises. I'm far behind. Next, Bai Bi and Gao Ling and the others might come looking for me. Maybe they'll even frame me. Carrying so many things, I might not even be able to leave Northern Ting Kingdom."

Chen Ping'an asked, "Earlier you mentioned revenge. What revenge?"

Huang Shi said calmly, "Back then, it was my fault for acting impulsively. But I didn't expect that although I didn't die, my entire family of over forty people—old and young, men and women—was skinned by cultivators, who then changed into their skins and wore them on the dead."

This pure martial artist spoke flatly, as if telling a story he had read in a book.

True suffering in the world—those who bear it don't have the heart-wrenching, loud wailing that others imagine. Even if they do, often after one or two times, they become increasingly silent.

Chen Ping'an said nothing.

Huang Shi twitched the corner of his mouth. "Whoever you are, I still trust you somewhat. Or maybe I'm just taking a big gamble while my luck holds. I'm willing to sell most of the items in my bag to you. I only accept spirit money. Once I've gathered enough, I'll buy a soldier's core pellet—not a Divine Dew Armor, but a set of Golden Crow Latitude Armor—and then a dharma blade I've had my eye on. Then I can do what I need to do."

Chen Ping'an took a few Tuobei Talismans from his sleeve and tossed them to Huang Shi. "These talismans are best for concealing your form and aura. You're a Golden Core Realm martial artist; you can further hide your traces. As long as you travel by night and rest by day, and be careful, they'll be enough for you to secretly leave Northern Ting Kingdom territory."

Huang Shi was stunned for a moment. He didn't immediately take the talismans. Back in the rear mountain of the immortal abode ruin, the same method had been used to punch his opponent until he coughed up blood.

But back then, he had been more testing the other party's depth.

By the time the talismans drifted off into the distance, Huang Shi had snapped out of it and controlled them into his hand. After a long silence, he asked, "What exactly are you after?"

Chen Ping'an was already moving on, tossing back a sentence: "When suffering befalls the world, we dare to be angry and dare to speak out."

Just a stranger, an outsider, with a casual remark.

But Huang Shi, a martial artist with a heart of iron and ruthless methods, found his lips trembling. His fists clenched, then he loosened one, took a deep breath, and wiped his face.

Huang Shi suddenly shouted, "Hey, Brother Chen, please stop."

Chen Ping'an turned and cursed, "I don't have many of those precious talismans left myself! I'm just a bundle peddler who works hard from dawn to dusk to earn a meager living, not some Child of Wealth. Damn it, you're pushing your luck! Being so unkind—the old scores in the mountains haven't been settled yet! That punch of yours weighed ten thousand pounds nearly shattered these old… these young bones of mine!"

Huang Shi's mouth twitched. He almost wanted to take it back, but then he laughed. He opened one corner of his travel bag, shook it vigorously, and finally tossed three items over. "I may not be half a good man, but I don't like owing favors."

That "young boy" immediately changed his expression, beaming as he took the three items and put them into his bamboo backpack.

Chen Ping'an rubbed his chin, thinking maybe they could sit down for a little drink and slowly discuss business.

Huang Shi laughed. "With these talismans, why would I sell to you? With your business sense, how could I not lose money?"

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Too kind, too kind."

With that, they parted ways.

Huang Shi suddenly asked, "Your name? Can you tell?"

The man didn't turn around but raised an arm and lightly made a fist. "I go by the same name wherever I go: Chen Haoren."

Huang Shi couldn't be bothered to respond anymore.

To hell with your "Chen Haoren" with a name like that.

But the man was truly a good person.

The man suddenly turned around, shook his sleeves, and produced two thick stacks of talismans. He said seriously, "Actually, I still have some offensive talismans here. To be honest, every single one is a supreme treasure—good quality and low price..."

Huang Shi had already pasted on the Tuobei Talisman. Before the man could finish, he flipped him off, then touched his toes and flew away.

Chen Ping'an sighed regretfully. "Everyone's too shrewd. Business is hard."

——
Chen Ping'an walked alone through the towering mountains. Suddenly, he looked up.

A man and a woman were desperately flying on the wind, then their figures suddenly shot down into a forest like arrows, vanishing without a trace.

It was the two direct disciples of Shen Zhenze from Cloud City.

The young man had been cautious, taking the woman on a different route.

To avoid the one-in-a-million chance.

Earlier, after receiving the cunyi item from the old true man, he and his junior sister flew away on the wind. As soon as his mind sank into it, he found that besides a few unfamiliar immortal artifacts inside—probably the Supplicant Xu had treated the cunyi as his own treasure trove and had found them himself—the most important transcendent's remains and dharma robe were both gone.

Old True Man Huan Yun had said Supplicant Xu was dead.

Had he forced the opening method of the cunyi out of Supplicant Xu's mouth and taken the two priceless treasures?
Why would Huan Yun be so redundant as to return the white jade brush tube? Did he think they wouldn't dare report this to their master?

Once suspicion arose, everything became suspicious.

And wasn't Old True Man Huan Yun the same?
In fact, both sides were clever and somewhat good people. During this mountain visit, even though Huan Yun had had some thoughts, he hadn't ultimately done anything against his conscience.

But in the end, the direction of people's hearts took a sharp turn for the worse, collapsing like an avalanche.

Huan Yun, traveling like a rainbow, tracked them down and landed, staring at the two young disciples with a cold expression. "What is the opening incantation of the cunyi item?"

The young man pulled the woman behind him and said, "Old true man, why ask when you already know?"

Huan Yun said angrily, "If that were the case, why would I add unnecessary embellishment?"

The young man smiled bitterly. "How could I guess the thoughts of you lofty immortals?"

Huan Yun then explained the whole story.

The young man was stunned for a moment, then said bitterly, "If that's the case, why does old true man ask for the method to open the cunyi?"

Huan Yun said, "So you can die clearly."

The young man asked, "Can we defect from Cloud City and follow old true man in cultivation?"

Huan Yun looked at the man behind him, expressionless. "You need to prove yourself."

The young man suddenly burst out laughing and spat. "Fucking true man! You're even worse than the mountain-wild rogue cultivators!"

The young man felt a cold sensation at his back—a small sleeve knife had been thrust into his back. He staggered forward a step, then slowly turned around, bewildered.

The woman behind him had already retreated a dozen steps, trembling all over.

But strangely, she was clutching her wrist, as if she were injured.

Huan Yun smiled. "Very good."

The man, now severely wounded, kept looking back at the woman with a pale face and guilt-filled eyes. Tears streamed down his face, but there was no anger—only disappointment and heartache. He said softly, "You fool, we were both going to die anyway."

Huan Yun chuckled. "You're the clever one."

Huan Yun turned his head. "Fellow Daoist, since you're willing to save someone, why skulk in the shadows?"

Chen Ping'an stepped out from behind a tree, glancing at the woman, whose remorse had already turned into a harsher ruthlessness.

At least he was in time—the young man wasn't dead yet.

Chen Ping'an looked at the old gentleman. "Meeting a ghost in broad daylight—an eye-opening experience."