Chapter 721: Bai Ye Departs
First, the true dragon Zhi Gui revealed her true form, voluntarily left the Ascending Dragon Platform, and engaged in a sea battle. She fought a dragon-snake struggle that could truly move the seas against the throne great demon Fei Fei, who had a conflict of great dao. Then Cui Chan's twelve flying swords of the White Jade Capital rushed to the battlefield, rescuing Zhi Gui from her predicament. Then Yuan Shou struck the true dragon's head with one staff, shattered the Old Dragon City's landscape formation with another, and smashed it toward the princely manor. Finally, Xu Ruo, the wandering knight of the Mohist school, drew his sword halfway out of its sheath and blocked the remaining half of the peak great demon Yuan Shou's staff strike.
On the battlefield of Old Dragon City, the demon army continued to land and attack the city, while cultivators of Bottle Gourd Continent continued to die. After those battles atop the peaks, the Barren Wilderness Heaven instantly laid out new long bridges and divine path steles on a grand scale. Massive silk ribbons and colored banners were pulled open. The great demons took mountain peaks that had been moved from Parasol Leaf Continent and refined into miniature objects, threw them into the sea, then used their divine powers to abruptly raise them from the sea. The mountain tips pierced into the seabed adjacent to the land near Old Dragon City, hanging upside down in the sea, constructing flat sea battlefields. Still vast cloud seas spread out over the ocean surface, like white clouds filling mountain valleys.
Fei Fei was in far better condition than the young true dragon who could only lie on the Ascending Dragon Platform nursing injuries. After receiving a secret order from the Sixty-Year Tent, she waited a moment. Then, along a line running east-west on the sea surface where she stood, countless huge ice spikes appeared out of nowhere, slanting toward the Old Dragon City that had been blocking the way for so long. The ice spikes were arranged in sequence, like tens of thousands of catapults. Within these ice spikes, there were more than a dozen demon cultivators seemingly in deep slumber, sealed inside ice prisons. Most were plague gods, and two were passersby. Additionally, a large group of demon cultivators were atop those ice spikes that held the plague gods and passersby, sparing no expense in carving talismans, afraid of provoking the irritable Fei Fei into freezing them all on the spot and tossing them into Old Dragon City. Of the two successive masters of the Sway River in the Barren Wilderness Heaven, to be honest, Yang Zhi was still relatively gentle—relatively speaking. For these throne great demons, no matter how good their temperaments, how good could they truly be? Except for Liu Cha, who liked to style himself as a swordsman and wander the world, and Zhou Xiansheng, who rarely showed his face, the most exceptional ones.
Fei Fei turned her head and smiled charmingly, softly addressing him as "young master" through heart voice. A young man in black robes with a snow-white silk ribbon tying his hair, a sword-carrying cultivator from the Jiashen Tent named Yu Si, hurriedly arrived at the rear of the battlefield and found Fei Fei. Yu Si was still worried about her safety, even though she was a throne great demon of the Barren Wilderness Heaven. Yu Si asked, "Are you all right?"
Fei Fei shook her head. "That little one is too inexperienced. Relying on a bit of true dragon destiny and some waterways protection of the Righteous, she only has a certain resilience of body and is nothing of significance. Her water-based divine abilities are still unrefined. Even if she successfully completes her breach, she won't even reach the Flying Ascension stage. Not very capable, but quite temperamental. In this battle, that little one won't have many opportunities. Before that old woman Yang Zhi gets her, I'd better eat her quickly. Even if it means accompanying you, young master, to the coast of the Central Plains Divine Continent for a pleasant stroll, that would be fine."
Only in front of her young master Yu Si was Fei Fei willing to speak so much.
The Bone Throne great demon Bai Ying had secretly traveled to Golden Armor Continent after the great battle of Parasol Leaf Continent concluded. Zhong Kui, the gentleman of Parasol Leaf Continent, had previously prevented Bai Ying from fully exerting her abilities. And this Zhong Kui, along with Jiang Shangzhen, were the two most damned but still alive beings. As for the others, they had already received Zhou Xiansheng's secret orders. For one thing, she was too tied up on the Old Dragon City battlefield; besides, she wasn't willing to join in that enormous spectacle.
After all, this time, using the entire Blessing Shaking Continent as a hunting ground, the one they planned to surround and kill was Bai Ye, who had slain a throne great demon with three sword strikes. Although the situation had now reversed, with them having the advantage of time, place, and harmony, Bai Ye was still Bai Ye after all.
Yu Si sighed softly, "Mu Ji has already been the first to receive Zhou Xiansheng's bestowed surname and given name—Zhou Qinggao."
Fei Fei smiled and comforted, "Becoming Zhou Xiansheng's closed-door disciple still can't compare to your noble status, young master."
Yu Si shook his head. It was always so hard to talk with her.
Fei Fei knew her young master was concerned about the battlefield's progress, so she considerately activated her divine ability of Palm Viewing Mountains and Rivers, allowing Yu Si to clearly see the fighting dynamics of the Old Dragon City battlefield.
Over at Old Dragon City, the first counterattack by cultivators leaving the city in nearly a month had begun, on a massive scale. There were actually more than three hundred qi refiners, all rushing out through one of the three main gates, charging toward the sea.
Yu Si was taken aback. "Great Li is very pragmatic, not like the character of the vassal king Song Mu. Logically, they wouldn't engage in such a battle of pride."
As long as Bottle Gourd Continent cultivators left the Old Dragon City landscape formation, especially once they were on the sea away from land, they lost the protection of the other two formations.
Fei Fei smiled and explained, "It's one of those strange spell arts of the Righteous Heaven again. They're all paper dolls—basically harmless—just meant to bluff."
Yu Si nodded. "That must be the unique divine ability of the Home Letter cultivators. After all, they can write out all kinds of human landscapes. Drawing a few hundred qi refiners that look real isn't surprising. I've heard about it before from Liu Bai in the Jiashen Tent, and I was curious. I hoped to one day personally visit the White Paper Blessed Land. But Old Dragon City's move isn't entirely for show. This Song Mu really knows how to manage his household. No wonder Cui Chan dares to place him here."
Just as Yu Si thought, the batch of paper cultivators that had rushed out of the city was used by Old Dragon City to trick the demon cultivators into wasting their spells and to lure out certain hidden offensive treasures. Even if it only consumed a bit of the demon earth immortal cultivators' qi, that would be good. Immediately, Great Li cultivators in charge of supervising the battle and inspecting the battlefield would record every detail. On the battlefield, Old Dragon City would let no small advantage slip by.
Such measures, large and small, brought new tricks every day, and both sides were the same.
Zhou Mi never personally dispatched or directed the various military tents. Cui Chan was the same, letting the vassal king Song Mu take full responsibility for all matters in Old Dragon City.
As for personally joining the battle, even less so. One wrong move, and you could truly die by a million-to-one chance.
And the fact that Zhou Mi and Cui Chan rarely made a move was in itself a great protection for the top combatants of their respective camps.
What "We're all fighting to the death—why can you two great figures not die?" Anyone who said that would probably die.
A female great demon who had once displayed a River-Water Scroll Painting on the Sword Qi Great Wall battlefield sneered when she saw the Old Dragon City battlefield again descending into chaos. She offered up a painting of mountains, where peaks were like sword clusters. The painting flashed and vanished. First, it broke through the Old Dragon City protective formation, but half of it was pierced through by multiple sword immortals with flying swords, and another part was smashed by other qi refiners' spells. The remaining half of the mountain painting still managed to unfurl above Old Dragon City. The painting faced downward, and the peaks instantly fell together, like enormous flying swords crashing down on the second layer of the formation that protected the princely manor.
Great Li had sword boats?
Hundreds of peaks like giant flying swords, like a torrential rain pounding small round lotus leaves.
When Song Mu learned of this in the council hall, he only nodded and continued to focus on discussing battlefield layout details with the Great Li stationed generals and numerous civil secretary officials.
I am a Great Li vassal king, not an Upper Five Realm cultivator. Whether I protect Old Dragon City by withstanding through the manor formation, or follow certain private agreements and have immortals help from the side, it has nothing to do with me, Song Mu.
The reclusive true man Cao Rong, who had taken the alias Cao Rong in White Frost Dynasty, sighed. The moment he saw that female great demon shake out the painting scroll, he almost simultaneously took out a treasured item he had kept hidden for most of his life. Heartache, truly heartache. It was a landscape and flower-bird album, with four seasonal landscapes and four flower-bird paintings. All were personally hand-painted by him, and he was quite proud of them.
The album's extreme rarity was not in the paintings themselves, but in the collector's seals stamped on each one. The three chief patriarchs of the White Jade Capital in the Azure Heaven had all left their seals on this album, which belonged to this Daoist high true man, not a native of Bottle Gourd Continent's Upper Five Realms. It seemed they "covered everything."
The chief patriarch of the White Jade Capital, who took disciples on behalf of his master, had stamped "Dao Scripture Master." The second patriarch, Cao Rong's second uncle-master, the truly invincible Dao Second, had exceptionally produced a private seal he rarely used: "First in Letters, Second in Arms None." The third patriarch of the White Jade Capital, Lu Chen, who was also the true man's master, had stamped "Stone Still Here." The old abbot of the Great Profound Observance Abbey, Sun Huaizhong, had stamped "Peach Blossoms Bloom Again."
These four landscape paintings were all obtained by Cao Rong's master, Lu Chen, on his behalf. Otherwise, relying solely on Cao Rong's identity as a direct disciple of Lu Chen, and having been away from the White Jade Capital in the Azure Heaven for so long, how could he have such face? The chief patriarch might be easy—maybe he would have given them if asked—but the proud second uncle-master and the old abbot Sun, who was most at odds with the White Jade Capital, would have refused completely.
The remaining four flower-bird paintings were sealed by the old true man himself at his own request. The Grand Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain in the Central Plains Divine Continent had stamped a private dharma seal, "Young Phoenix." The Talisman Saint Yu Xuan had stamped "Startling the World with a Single Cry." These two were both old mountain-top deities among the ten of the Central Plains Divine Continent, highly virtuous and of extremely high Daoist cultivation. The seal of Fire Dragon True Man from North Julu Continent was that the old mountain deity found it hard to refuse. Since he had no collector's seal at hand, he temporarily carved one, engraving "Chirping Endlessly." The last one bore the private stamp of Embroidery Tiger Cui Chan: "White Eye."
True Man Cao Rong tore off four landscape images one after another, picked up one and threw it out, pasting it onto the princely manor's landscape formation. Then the four seasons cycled, like a small realm of a Daoist field. This small realm was actually quite large. Especially the four seals—the smallest no bigger than a thumb, the largest no larger than a palm—suddenly enlarged, with precious light flowing and Dao power exuding. Among them, the three characters "Dao Scripture Master" had a mild atmosphere. The old abbot of the Great Profound Observance Abbey's four characters opened peach blossoms throughout one quarter of the realm, both real and fake. Cao Rong's master's "Stone Still Here" had a sense of mainstay firmness. Especially Cao Rong's uncle-master, Dao Second's eight golden characters: they were fierce and extremely sharp, and the only seal script that actively attacked the great demon's peak flying swords.
Cao Rong carefully tucked the remaining half of the landscape and flower-bird album into his sleeve and smiled bitterly. "I really have no face to see my master."
The old monk teased, "Looks quite valuable."
Cao Rong laughed. "In the eyes of a renunciant, what's money or no money?"
The old monk replied, "Having is having, not having is not having. First having, then not having, and then having again—that is true not-having."
Cao Rong praised, "Good Dharma!"
The old monk sighed helplessly. "This... indeed, this old monk is not suited for profound banter with exalted people. I always lose more than I win."
Within the painting of one of the four seasonal landscapes, clouds parted at a cave dwelling, and a jade maiden goddess seemed to walk out. Heavy snow filled the sky, countless jade flakes.
The old monk said, "Such hidden treasures, even Great Li may not have them recorded in their registers..."
As he said this, the old monk fell silent. That Embroidery Tiger calculated heaven, earth, and human hearts—it was really hard to say. Of course, the old monk had not seen the "White Eye" inscription on the last flower-bird scroll. He was only speculating based on common sense.
Cao Rong smiled. "Now my half senior brother is inside Old Dragon City catching up with Lady Laurel. As the junior disciple, it wouldn't be good for me to lose face for my senior brother."
The old monk suddenly understood. "Old Boatman of the Fan Family's Osmanthus Island, often passing by Dragon Flood Gully."
Cao Rong nodded. The reason he was called "half senior brother" was that his master had never recognized that person as a direct disciple. However, back in the day, when his master traveled across the seas to all quarters, the old boatman punted the boat and journeyed with his master. Even if he had no great merit, he had toil. So all the direct disciples recognized that old boatman as senior brother. The senior brother, Old Boatman, had many aliases; one of the most famous was Gu Qingsong. In the Central Plains Divine Continent, he once had a mountain-world epithet of "Feigning Ease," known for his unyielding temper. No matter whom he fought, whether their realms were far apart or great the opponent's background, Gu Qingsong had never been intimidated, and he also almost never won. Yet each time, he still managed not to die. A Liang, the Lord of White Emperor City, Fire Dragon True Man—Gu Qingsong had provoked all of them. Later, he left the land again and returned to the sea to become a punting boatman. It was said that he truly could not provoke any more, lest later generations of young people find it impossible to catch up.
With Cao Rong's protection of the formation, both Old Dragon City and the princely manor were safe.
Song Mu in the council hall suddenly remembered something and said sternly, "All cultivators who die outside Old Dragon City—even if they left their designated battlefields without authorization, even if they violated regulations by attacking carelessly—dead is dead. Go remind all supervising cultivators that when recording these qi refiners' military merits in the Great Li Ministry of War and Ministry of Punishment archives, there must be no deduction whatsoever!"
A literary secretary official said, "This violates the rules established by the National Teacher."
Song Mu turned and stared hard at him. "In Old Dragon City, I am the one who decides! You just do as I say. If the National Teacher wants to hold the manor accountable, let him come to Old Dragon City and find Song Mu!"
The literary secretary's eyes shone, and he clasped his fists. "Orders received!"
This young official, whose spirits were stirred, immediately sent a flying sword message regarding this matter. This descendant of the Yichi Lane clan, which shared the same surname as the Great Li pillar state, for the first time genuinely acknowledged Song Mu's status as a vassal king.
A young gentleman from the Great Sui Mountain Cliff Academy was stationed behind one of the huge breaches in the Old Dragon City formation. In total, three battle lines had been divided, showing the sheer size of this gate. Besides helping the Great Li army cultivators arrange troop formations, whenever he accumulated enough qi, he would exert all his strength in one attack. This time, the young gentleman's "words become law" was to silently murmur, "Green cavalry arrayed three million strong." The so-called "green cavalry" were actually willow branches. They were densely packed and quite imposing. They were adequate for killing the suicidal demon non-cultivators, but mainly used to impede the demon army's advance.
A lackadaisical worthy man from Guanhu Academy, Zhou Ju, had finally managed to return to the rank of gentleman in recent years, only to lose it again on the Old Dragon City battlefield due to his contributions, reverting to worthy man. When would the ups and downs end? Zhou Ju had already made several moves before this, even more exaggerated than the gentleman from Mountain Cliff Academy. At the moment, he was squatting next to the Mountain Cliff gentleman, munching on spirit coins—crunchy, making them taste like a delicacy.
A young army-attached cultivator from Snow Wind Temple, a military cultivator responsible for protecting this frail academy gentleman, knew that if the latter fell into a deadly situation, he would have to step up first. It was nothing unusual—commonplace for army-attached cultivators on the Great Li border battlefields. Although he was extremely steady in combat, his natural temperament was quite wild. Turning to the kindred-spirited worthy man Zhou Ju, he laughed, "Great Saint Zhou, three million? How about three thousand? Did you add an extra 'hundred'?"
Zhou Ju said seriously, "The essence of literary arts is first to intimidate the opponent with the aura of blades and soldiers on the page. To subdue the enemy without fighting. As the foremost absolute expert of Snow Wind Temple, if you don't understand even this, you're lacking. Why not come hang out with me at Guanhu Academy for a few days?"
The Mountain Cliff Academy gentleman, after speaking a single line and sending out the "green cavalry" army of willow branches to the battlefield, immediately sat cross-legged, his face somewhat pale. He smiled, "That's enough, you two. Don't get addicted."
Guanhu's Zhou Ju and the Snow Wind Temple military cultivator's greatest leisure entertainment was teasing this gentleman, addressing him as "future Saint of the Academy." But the gentleman knew well that the mountain chief of Great Sui Mountain Cliff Academy had already been replaced from Mao Xiaodong to National Teacher Cui Chan. Who could become the next mountain chief in the future was unimaginable. Who dared to guess the unfathomable thoughts of that Embroidery Tiger?
Zhou Ju suddenly stood up and said seriously to the army-attached cultivator, "Protect the gentleman!"
His figure flickered and vanished. Near the gate, there was a little demon girl in a wide black robe with strangely bizarre abilities. Her body instantly turned into countless birds, wiping out all those willow green cavalry. Zhou Ju was going to have a go at her! Find an opportunity to twist off her head and then say to her, "What a pity, such a beautiful woman."
On another battlefield, the situation was even more perilous. Even with the North Julu Continent sword immortal pressing the lines, dangers were everywhere. The beasts of the Barren Wilderness Heaven poured into the gate like a swarm of locusts. All cultivators in Old Dragon City had to admit that these demons truly had no fear of death. The demon cultivators also matched Old Dragon City's use of suicide warriors, exchanging courtesies.
At first, the frontline cultivators of Old Dragon City suffered heavy losses. Only after the literary secretary of the princely manor desperately and quickly examined a large number of secret records, finally verifying the identities of the enemy's suicide demon group—"Nightmare" and "Face-Stealer"—did the manor quickly find a countermeasure. They sent flying sword messages to all sword cultivators, informing them of traces of these two strange cultivators, and thus reversed the battle situation.
A small thunder pool appeared out of nowhere above the battlefield. Within dozens of miles, lightning was drawn, electric light like white flood dragons, five kinds of thunder like colored snakes, flickering and erratic, whipping the ground.
A demon cultivator with sleeves of red and black respectively controlled a fire dragon and a water python, charging toward the gate. On the distant sea surface outside this gate, a great demon appeared for the first time: a golden-armored general on horseback, holding a spear, galloping over the waves toward Old Dragon City. Although it was not a peak fierce great demon in terms of realm, this rider had been extremely conspicuous on the Sword Qi Great Wall battlefield in the past. Its golden armor was incredibly difficult to break, to the point that the Summer-Residence Palace's Hidden Official lineage had listed it as a must-kill target. On the Sword Qi Great Wall, this rider had been formidable; on Old Dragon City, what would it be like?
A Daoist talisman sect true man, not high in realm—at the golden core bottleneck—yet proficient in the Dao of written talismans, now coordinated with a great gentleman of the academy's "mouth holding heaven's mandate." Above the South Sea, stroke by stroke, characters formed. They were the writings of sages and worthies.
A female demon sword cultivator, one of the hundred sword immortals of the Raising Moon Mountain, had a youthful appearance with faint traces of her demon true body features on her forehead and cheeks. She actually advanced even faster than that golden-armored general on horseback. She did not ride a flying sword; each time she jumped, a white jade step appeared under her feet. Behind her, precious light was like a moon halo. It was shattered by a single strike from Old Dragon City's flying sword or spell, becoming a fragmentary mirror, but it immediately closed again. She had cultivated for several years on the Sword Qi Great Wall guarded by the Dragon Lord, obtaining a sword intent called "Burning Flowers," a flying sword called "Broken Mirror," a lifebound divine ability called "Reunion." Both her flying sword and her body were like this—hard to kill. Of course, on such a battlefield, she could still die, but as a sword cultivator, how could you be a sword immortal if you always flinched from battle? Besides, she had already fought for years on the Sword Qi Great Wall battlefield; she really didn't think she would die in such a small place. In the future, if she could go to the gate of the Central Plains Confucian Temple and deliver a sword strike before dying, that would be barely acceptable!
An earth immortal old cultivator of Old Dragon City, who had been hiding his strength, suddenly rose and killed a large swath of enemies. Just as he was about to get what he wanted and accumulate enough battle merit to leave the battlefield and return to his sect in the hinterland of a state to continue as an ancestral master, someone stood up from a pile of corpses behind him. Even though it was a familiar face of a Bottle Gourd Continent cultivator, it clawed out his heart, put it and his golden core into its mouth, and chewed vigorously. Then the puppet slumped to the ground, still with a mouthful of blood. An old sword cultivator nearby, at the nascent soul stage—undeniably a sword immortal senior of Bottle Gourd Continent—could not find the true trace of the sneaky demon cultivator, so he settled for the next best: he offered up his lifebound flying sword, "____", and enveloped the pile of corpses with a vast circle of majestic sword light. Then the sword light plummeted heavily, blasting most of the corpses to pieces, leaving few intact bodies.
Unexpectedly, that puppet still rapidly fled far away. The old sword cultivator's flying sword went straight after it. But then the corpse of the cultivator whose chest had been ripped open suddenly teleported far in the opposite direction. At the same time, the earliest manifested puppet's body softened, about to fall into the sea. In the blink of an eye, the old sword cultivator was clearly caught off guard. Instinctively, he slightly retracted his sword intent, cutting the puppet in two, then immediately withdrew his flying sword and turned to kill the heartless corpse first. The demon's true body must be on the latter. The sword light flourished, its momentum magnificent.
Li Cai was speechless. "What's all this flashy nonsense?"
Even though this female sword immortal from a foreign land was already exhausted, she still strained to offer her flying sword, completely smashing the puppet that had just been cut in half, and annihilating the demon earth immortal soul truly hidden within that human cultivator's flesh shell. She glanced at the old fellow. Li Cai couldn't be bothered to speak. She needed to return to Old Dragon City for a few jugs of good wine to lift her spirits. "I'll first have a nice, long sleep, then fight again."
As for that sword cultivator, he looked very old. Judging from his nascent soul aura, he was a newcomer, though his ordinary-grade golden core had been polished for many years. How was it that his battlefield experience was like a rookie's? It seemed he was an "old sword immortal" from Zhengyang Mountain? My dear mother! In terms of vision, depth, and decisiveness in striking, not only was he far behind my sly little apprentice Chen Li, but even that girl Gao Youqing would outclass him.
Just then, that old sword cultivator of Zhengyang Mountain bowed at a distance to the famous North Julu Continent female sword immortal in thanks.
Truly worthy of being Sect Master Li of Floating Duckweed Sword Lake! Cultivators across two continents had come to know this great female sword immortal's fame. What a fine sword immortal! Her sword technique was truly exquisite, and her lifebound flying sword never missed—every shot brought great gains! If in the future he could visit the ancestral hall of Zhengyang Mountain as a guest, he would insist on observing half a disciple's etiquette and consult Sect Master Li on the Dao of the sword.
Li Cai nearly rolled her eyes in return. She barely restrained herself and didn't say much. It was hard to hit a smiling face. "If this damn look of yours were on the Sword Qi Great Wall and someone saw it—forget the Hidden Official—even our young Hidden Official would be rolling on the ground laughing."
The Sword Qi Great Wall had many oddities. One less noticeable one was that the young Hidden Official, every time he fought those mountain-moving demons on the battlefield, seemed especially energetic. Li Cai had once asked him privately if he had some enormous grievance with Yuan Shou. Since his realm was insufficient, he could only temporarily vent his anger on Yuan Shou's disciples and grand-disciples? At that time, Chen Ping'an had given a reason that Li Cai only took as a joke. He said, "The first time Ning Yao and I risked our lives to fight together, we still couldn't gain much advantage." Li Cai only wondered: had Yuan Shou ever made a move against Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao? Or had he encountered some flying ascension great demon of the mountain-moving kind on the battlefield but not fought a world-shaking battle? Like when the young Hidden Official crossed paths with Fei Ran for a brief exchange and then passed by?
Li Cai flew her sword back to Old Dragon City's inner city to drink. By now, her sword-riding posture was already wobbling, as if she were already drunk. "To hell with the immortal realm. Now I've really blown it. The last chance I had, I wasted myself. Who can I blame? The wine, I guess."
On the Ascending Dragon Platform, which was still not part of the Old Dragon City battlefield, Wang Zhu had recovered a bit and could sit up. Her dharma robe was of an ancient dragon robe style, quite different from later imperial dragon robes. It had once been the half-immortal soldier sea of clouds above Old Dragon City, and after being fused with the remnants of a flooded corpse, it became a true immortal soldier. At the foot of the steps, the yellow-robed boy who had been sitting in a daze suddenly stood up and said sternly, "Ma Kuxuan, please stop!"
Besides Ma Kuxuan, who had a cat on his shoulder, there were also his personal maid Shu Dian, and a direct disciple he had taken in recent years, whom he had named Wang Zu. The yellow-robed boy was most displeased about this. "Wang Zu? That sounds somewhat like one of my master's aliases, 'Wang Zhu'?"
Ma Kuxuan smiled and asked, "Little reptile, back in Muds Vase Alley you could only run around on the ground. Finally, you can talk. Cherish it. Don't seek death."
The yellow-robed boy said, "Strike the snake by looking at its master."
Ma Kuxuan looked at that horned four-legged snake from the days of the Pearl Radiance Grotto-Heaven. The latter stepped back, his heel hitting the step. At the top of the steps, Wang Zhu waved her sleeve, sending the useless bodyguard flying. She looked down at Ma Kuxuan of Muds Vase Alley. "What are you doing here?"
Ma Kuxuan was about to step forward toward the Ascending Dragon Platform when Wang Zhu narrowed her eyes. "Think carefully first."
Ma Kuxuan wasn't afraid of her. Her Flying Ascension realm body wasn't the same as a Flying Ascension cultivation base. Ma Kuxuan was always seen as someone skilled in fighting, but in fact, his life-preserving skills were his best. Ma Kuxuan just didn't want to anger her. Wang Zhu was already in a bad mood; there was no reason to make it worse for him. So Ma Kuxuan simply looked up at her and asked, "I'll try to help you get some face back—but only try."
Wang Zhu gave a cold smile. A young alternate for one of the ten, but his tone was even bigger than that of one of the ten from the Central Plains Divine Continent.
Ma Kuxuan smiled. "I didn't say I'd kill Fei Fei. I'm the last person to dream."
That old sword immortal Zhou Shenzhi, one of the Central Plains Divine Continent's ten, had been beaten to death by a throne great demon. Of course, this had much to do with Zhou Shenzhi's consecutive battles in the Landscape Cavern, but in a fight between Flying Ascension cultivators, defeating an opponent and killing an opponent were vastly different—too different. Fei Fei was also one of the fourteen thrones of the Barren Wilderness Heaven. Ma Kuxuan wasn't stupid. He wouldn't go to the battlefield to die. He would find an opportunity to attack from a distance.
On the current battlefield, certain individuals that Embroidery Tiger and Zhou Mi cared about would likely die as soon as they made a move or showed themselves. Hadn't this Muds Vase Alley Wang Zhu just taken a full-strength staff strike from Yuan Shou?
Ma Kuxuan actually received a lot of criticism in Old Dragon City. Some thought that since he was one of the young alternates for the ten across several heavens and could command spirits to attack the celestial curtain, he should be fighting on the front line of Old Dragon City, earning battle merits befitting his status. Others thought that Ma Kuxuan, as the number one young cultivator of Bottle Gourd Continent, was too solitary and should learn from the Snow Wind Temple sword immortal Wei Jin, who dared to challenge the strong every time. Ma Kuxuan generally didn't mind unless he heard them with his own ears. Once, in the outer city of the Old Dragon City manor, he happened to overhear such talk. He just said to them, "The title of alternate for the ten isn't worth anything. I'll give it to you. Then you go die."
Wang Zhu did not speak again, only turned her head to look north. Around the entire Southern March region, the mountain-moving apes, mountain-chasing hounds, talisman sect's yellow-clad and silver-armored warriors, and the Mohist mechanism masters' puppets were tirelessly constructing layered battle lines. As long as Great Li had money and North Julu Continent as support, manpower and materials were not an issue.
Scorched earth policy? Not needed. When Old Dragon City fell, nothing would be left for the demons—only a complete ruin. After that, even if the demon army pushed all the way to the foot of the Southern March, the same would happen.
Ma Kuxuan quietly watched the cold, indifferent woman. Good. Back in the Pearl Radiance Grotto-Heaven, she had been the most different. Fortunately, she still was. She was in Muds Vase Alley, he in Apricot Flower Lane. They didn't meet often. Most often, early each morning by the iron lock well, he watched her pretend to struggle drawing and carrying water—he thought it was adorable. Sometimes she would oversleep and come out later for water, and he would wait a little longer. He always saw her.
Ma Kuxuan suddenly communicated via heart voice, "Is that Hidden Official Eleven your true marriage partner?"
Wang Zhu seemed suddenly in a very good mood. Smiling radiantly, she said, "I didn't kill you before. Maybe I will later."
---
Parasol Leaf Continent.
Parasol Leaf Sect had imprisoned a large group of young cultivators—without exception, the most outstanding genius disciples of the sect. Those who were less exceptional were dead, killed by the hands of their own ancestral hall's old masters, honored elders, and guest elders. Otherwise, there would be no way to explain to the Sixty-Year Tent.
It was said to be imprisonment—and it was real, including immortal tortures. But six of the best were confined in the shattered ruins of the Parasol Tree Grotto-Heaven of Jade Gui Sect. Li Wanyong, Qin Shuihu, Du Yan, Yu Xin, Fu Haizhu, and a foreigner who somehow became a direct disciple of Jade Gui Sect's ancestral hall, Wang Shizi, a golden core bottleneck sword cultivator who would soon break through here.
These young people were the "rebellious disciples" of Jade Gui Sect who had insisted on retaining Zuo You at all costs. Even Li Wanyong, whose sword heart had nearly collapsed because of Zuo You back then, made the same choice. As for the Jade Gui Sect master, the immortal realm sword cultivator Fu Lingqing, she had long since died in battle. If not for that, probably the Jade Gui Sect ancestral hall incense fire would be completely extinguished by now, and the sect wouldn't even have a good name that might last a few years.
The new head discipline elder of Jade Gui Sect opened the landscape prohibition and entered the shattered ruins, which covered an area of only a few dozen miles. Compared to the complete minor grotto-heaven of the past, it was heartbreakingly impoverished. The old man did not continue forward. Among the six young people, some continued to focus on practicing the sword, while others looked up at him with hatred, grief, or confusion in their eyes. The old man did not explain a word. Instead, he deliberately put on an unfriendly expression, as if he had only come to prevent these sect traitors from plotting anything improper. He just glanced around a few times and then quickly left.
A sect had completely split: one side was the old immortals who cherished their lives, the other side were young people who did not fear death. They confronted each other, even to the point of mutual slaughter. This was a considerable joke observed by both the Righteous Heaven and the Barren Wilderness Heaven. But ever since the sect's reviving ancestor Du Mao died and his Dao vanished, Jade Gui Sect had been the butt of many jokes. They were used to it.
The old man was actually quite different from many of Jade Gui Sect's old cultivators. He was not so afraid of death. His realm bottleneck was hard to break, his fleshly body decaying, his soul like a candle in the wind. Since he was not afraid of death, he had to do something even less fearful—like leaving some incense fire that could truly bear the word "heritage" for Jade Gui Sect. Those behind him were that. But for them to live, he had to first draw a clear line. If the Barren Wilderness Heaven later won and conquered the entire Righteous Heaven, then these children would still have a chance to come out again and redeem themselves. Even if all else failed, they could cultivate peacefully in Parasol Leaf Sect and have a stable mountain life. The demons of the Barren Wilderness Heaven revered the strong. If they reached high realms, the sky and earth would be vast; perhaps they would cultivate even more freely than in the Righteous Heaven. But if the Barren Wilderness Heaven lost and retreated to the barbaric land south of the Sword Qi Great Wall, the children would still have choices. I, the oldest in this Parasol Leaf Sect ancestral hall, a dying man, can only do this much for those hanging portraits of ancestors. These young people who are willing to die generously for the sect's honor—they must not die!
In southern Parasol Leaf Continent, Jade Gui Sect—which had been the leader of the continent's immortal cultivation families for only a short time—the head discipline elder had already died in battle, as had the once-lovely little Liu girl, who later became Sister Huamao, also died. Even if the ancestral hall remained, how many would still scold him? Wouldn't it be lonely? I, Jiang Shangzhen, would surely be lonely to death!
A figure suddenly appeared, took a full-force blow from a Flying Ascension great demon that had been lying in ambush, slammed heavily into the sect's last landscape formation, then rose and sped toward Nine Chess Peak. Taking advantage of the fact that no one lived there temporarily, it was just right for practice. Jiang Shangzhen spat out a mouthful of blood. "Old bastard, I'll raise my sword to welcome guests!"
Nine Chess Peak collapsed and split, eventually revealing countless chess pieces, nine sword formations, and nine flying swords. Old Man Xun, and the even older ancestors who had eaten more incense ash above—don't blame me for being wasteful. The old ones are almost all dead. Our young people can't hold on any longer!
Bottle Gourd Continent.
The Snow Wind Temple sword immortal Wei Jin, together with Bai Shang, the first sword cultivator of the northern lands of North Julu Continent, and He Xiaoliang, the sect master of Qingliang Sect, headed toward the Western March border region. As for He Xiaoliang's half senior brother, the old boatman, he had already taken his leave and gone alone to Old Dragon City. Under the arrangement of the Great Li dynasty, this group of top combatants was responsible for helping Bottle Gourd Continent defend the Western March region, holding their ground against the great demons.
These three had delicate relationships: Wei Jin and He Xiaoliang, He Xiaoliang and Bai Shang. Especially Wei Jin, who had not drunk alcohol for years but had now secretly started drinking the wine brewed by Snow Wind Temple again, as if he had become the wandering swordsman riding a donkey with a wine gourd again. As for He Xiaoliang's Qingliang Sect, because of a certain Xu Xuan and the conflict with Xu Xuan's master Bai Shang, the two continents knew all about it. Bai Shang had once declared that He Xiaoliang should forget about reaching the Flying Ascension stage. This made the relationship between Wei Jin and Bai Shang—two sword immortals who originally had nothing to do with each other—also become somewhat delicate. Wei Jin couldn't help but curse that Embroidery Tiger: "What the hell are you thinking? You have to put the three of us together?"
After their reunion, He Xiaoliang maintained perfect etiquette toward Wei Jin, never deliberately keeping her distance. But the more she did so, the more Wei Jin wanted to drink. Bai Shang, who had originally been in a mediocre mood, actually became somewhat amused and felt better when he saw this.
In the Central March region, Mountain Lord Jin Qing, aside from manifesting a majestic golden body dharma aspect to protect the formation for the National Teacher's White Jade Capital, often dealt with Ruan Qiong, an old friend. The Scarlet Fire Dynasty had once been the place with the most sword cultivators in Bottle Gourd Continent. Ruan Qiong, as the continent's foremost sword forger, was certainly no stranger to Jin Qing, who had been a mountain lord himself. As the chief honored elder of the Great Li dynasty, Ruan Qiong had long ago taught his signature sword-forging techniques to Great Li's sword forgers without holding back. But now he still needed to forge swords himself—to forge suitable swords for the earth immortal sword cultivators, without too much pursuit of rank. Additionally, he had to devote half his energy to going to various sword furnaces and pointing out flaws for other sword forgers. These forgers, equivalent to unregistered disciples, crafted swords for all mid-Five Realm sword cultivators. As for those still in the lower Five Realms, they were not qualified to go to the battlefield. Moreover, the Great Li dynasty strictly ordered these sword cultivators not to leave their respective sects, and without exception, their elders directly confined them at home. They already didn't want them to die, plus it followed Great Li law—why not?
The sword cultivator seedlings of Bottle Gourd Continent—which had been mocked by North Julu Continent as "gold nuggets in a straw nest"—truly could not compare to North Julu Continent's "generous hand." However, by now, the mountain cultivators of Bottle Gourd Continent truly submitted to North Julu Continent. In fact, the cultivators of North Julu Continent, especially sword cultivators, had also greatly changed their impression of this small Bottle Gourd Continent, which they had originally thought was only slightly better than Snowy Continent. They were truly daring to die and able to fight. Before, they had never discovered that this southern little neighbor was so... like North Julu Continent! The most similar in the entire Righteous Heaven, and no other!
True Realm Sect in Book Canal Lake, Sect Master Wei Ying, chief honored elder Liu Laocheng, honored elder Liu Zhimao—a single sect with three Upper Five Realm cultivators—departed together for Cloud Grove Jiang Clan. In addition, Daoist Heavenly Lord Xie Shi, leading a large group of North Julu Continent qi refiners who were not sword cultivators, was already at Cloud Grove Jiang Clan. Among them was Yuan Lingdian, who, even in that home continent teeming with sword cultivators, was recognized as "Jade Pure Realm combat power equivalent to Immortal Realm." He was a high disciple of Fire Dragon True Man and the founding patriarch of the Pointing Mystic Peak lineage. There was also an immortal sect that ironically had a "Invincible Divine Fist Gang" nickname in the jianghu. The old gang leader encountered his old friend Liu Laocheng, who had once been the only wild Jaded Pure Realm cultivator in Book Canal Lake but had now become a registered immortal master of True Realm Sect. The world is unpredictable, no more so than this.
When the old gang leader met his friend Liu Laocheng again, he still had the spirit of the jianghu. They drank a few times. The last time they drank, Liu Laocheng couldn't help but say, "Old Xun has passed away just like that."
The old gang leader, Gao Mian, took a big gulp of wine. "That One Foot Lance—not much skill, but no lack of guts, and unlucky to boot. What can you do?"
The old man was silent for a long time, then raised his wine gourd and poured wine to the south, muttering, "Little brother, you, the One Foot Lance of Parasol Leaf Continent, were never tough in front of me, the Jade-Faced Little Gentleman. I never expected you to die so tough. If I'd known, I would have given you more smiles back then and said more nice words."
Great Li Capital.
The Central Mohist sect, which had entered the game earlier than the merchants—both its main line and its branches had successively bet on Bottle Gourd Continent. Mohist cultivators were still building huge mountain ships and sword boats for the Great Li dynasty. The Great Li dynasty had a knack for generating wealth, and Master Fan was even more skilled at it.
The Minister of Revenue of Great Li, who had formerly been known as the best goody-two-shoes and was mocked as a pushover whom anyone could squeeze, had become the worst-tempered person in the Great Li court. He dared to scold even the Minister of War. And judging by the look of things, he regarded the Minister of Works as an enemy—not just scolding, but ready to hit. Every time he met with the Minister of Works, who held the same rank, he would first scold him bloody. After the meeting, he would scold him again. But the latter usually stood up and left quickly before that.
The six ministries of the Great Li capital, originally only on the same street, had long since temporarily opened up a large area, gathering all the ministries close together and interconnecting them. Officials from various departments could freely go from door to door without hindrance when on official business.
Liu Qingfeng and Guan Yiran, who had once been supervisors of the Great River dredging project, could often meet again. As the great-grandson of Old Master Guan, Guan Yiran only held a supplementary position in the Ministry of Revenue, without promotion—and according to Great Li court rules, it didn't even count as an apparent promotion but actual demotion. So there was a large group of civil and military officials who felt wronged on behalf of the Guan clan. However, Liu Qingfeng, who came from a vassal state as a civil official, had been promoted to the right vice minister of the Ministry of Works. But Guan Yiran, who was both from the Great Li Guan clan and a dual-status army-attached cultivator, only held a supplementary post in the Ministry of Revenue. Moreover, it seemed that once Old Minister Guan left, Guan Yiran deliberately cut off all relations with the Ministry of Personnel. Over the years during festivals, he never took the initiative to visit his uncles and elders who held important positions in the Ministry of Personnel. He even put on a great air with the elder generation, still not paying visits. It was said that a former vice minister who had left the Ministry of Personnel more than twenty years ago and had even served as a minister in another ministry for three years before retiring, had always treated Guan Yiran like his own grandson. He had retired in the capital for many years. Guan Yiran, that heartless little rascal, still didn't visit. The old man was so angry that on the second day of the first lunar month last year, he waited at his own gate for a long time, but still didn't see that young man who liked to laugh and joke around. The old man banged his cane hard on the floor, cursing that Guan Yiran was a worthless thing, a little bastard without a conscience. When the old man turned away, he complained in his heart that Old Minister Guan was too heartless, too heartless. How could you bully your own child like this?
In Yichi Lane, an old man who had been out of office for many years was busy enjoying his grandchildren. At least a few younger members of the family were somewhat accomplished and not embarrassing. He could walk in Yichi Lane and Chier Street without lowering his head or shrinking his neck. Today, the old man was strolling in the garden with his grandson. The child, who had just started learning to read with the family tutor, said in a childish voice, "Grandpa, we have so many mountain deities. The beasts of the Barren Wilderness Heaven also have so many great demons. Can't they just fight in the sky, the deities above, and then after the sky battle, fight on the ground? When the ground battle starts, I'm too small to help. But isn't the Ministry of Revenue short of money? I'll donate my New Year's money. My dad often gets scolded by the Ministry of Revenue officials. If we give money, they shouldn't scold my dad anymore, right? Twenty taels of silver!"
There was too much deep meaning in this, so the old man could only pick things the child could understand. "War is not a game. Not only can the deities on the mountains not be afraid of death, but those below cannot be either. No one can be afraid of death. Otherwise, it will be a second Parasol Leaf Continent. Then you and I will have to move." It could be a real move—packing some belongings and some books of the sages—but it could also be a beheading. But the last sentence—how could he say it to a child? Not only would the child be scared, but he himself was scared every time he thought of the worst outcome. He had to drink some old wine to calm down.
Now, Great Li permitted officials to resign from office by handing over half of their family assets. With the remaining half, if it was enough to pay for an intercontinental ship, they could go north to North Julu Continent to take refuge as they wished. Great Li would not stop them. If the money was not enough, they could borrow. Ministry of Revenue officials and army-attached cultivators would personally visit to audit all account books. Those who dared to conceal or underreport by more than ten percent of their real assets would have all assets confiscated. Regardless of age, the entire clan would be exiled. At present, Great Li was in need of money and people—short of both.
In various parts of Bottle Gourd Continent not yet affected by the war, in the jianghu and among the common people, anyone who incited a group fight of ten or more people, regardless of the reason on either side, would be summarily executed. Any cultivator who caused unrest would also be summarily executed.
For unrest on the mortal level without the participation of cultivators or demons, local government offices that handled it poorly would be subject to collective punishment, and the minister of punishment of the vassal state would be sent in chains to the nearest Five March or crown prince mountain.
For any fights involving cultivators and demons, according to the ranks of different sects and immortal mansions, all immortal mountains would be divided into three grades, from low to high, governing a surrounding area of three hundred li, a thousand li, and three thousand li respectively. Whether they saw the unrest or not, if they failed to immediately capture or execute the troublemakers, they would also be subject to collective punishment. Afraid of undeserved disaster? Then dispatch all registered immortal masters from the sect to keep watch day and night over the vicinity of their own sect! If they didn't have to go to the battlefield to fight, could they not even maintain peace and stability at their own doorstep? Such mountain deities were not worth keeping.
All wild cultivators of mountains and swamps on the continent could receive a patrol token engraved by the Great Li Ministry of Punishment from the Five March, the crown prince mountain gods, or the vassal states' ministries of rites. Regardless of their realm, those who obtained such jade tokens could move freely within their respective jurisdictions according to their realm, and could also help the registered immortal masters to fill gaps. If they had achievements, they could receive spirit coins. If they accumulated enough merit in the secret archives, they could exchange it for Great Li military credit. Then they could either get an official position in the ministry of rites of a vassal state or use it to retreat to North Julu Continent—all at their own discretion.
The Great Li iron cavalry and various vassal states were not allowed to force wild cultivators who were unwilling to go to the battlefield. However, mountain and water deities who dared to desert their posts would be punished according to the law, along with the entire vassal state lord and ministry of rites.
If registered immortal masters privately operated and deliberately removed names from the registers, once discovered by Great Li and the vassal states, the entire ancestral hall of the sect would be collectively punished, the discipline elder would be summarily executed, and all other cultivators would be exiled to the Southern March region.
Great Li Emperor Song He. A small court had just ended. He was quickly resting with his eyes closed in the imperial study, but soon he would have to receive a stream of ministers from the six ministries, each with important matters needing his final decision before issuing imperial decrees to the Great Li court and the people. Song He remembered the words of Cui Chan, who was both his teacher and the National Teacher: "The current Great Li Cui Chan's lack of sympathy and harshness toward the vassal states—when Your Majesty later relaxes the policies a bit, that will be where the hearts of the people and popular sentiment of the future Great Li Song clan will turn. We cannot let Your Majesty lose at least half of the continent's territory and still not get a few good words in the histories of the various nations. Inside and outside the books, all praise—rest assured."
Near the Rouge Prefecture of Colorful Garment Kingdom, a Great Li vassal state.
A former haunted house on a rainy night, now a place of beautiful landscape and an immortal mansion. She reached out and tugged at his sleeve, gently shaking her head. She couldn't voice that selfish thought, those reasons she knew were wrong. But she just didn't want him to go to Old Dragon City.
He comforted her: "With this humble cultivation of mine, is it even enough to matter? Not even enough for a great demon to fill its teeth. I'm just going to do odd jobs, help a little, and set my mind at ease. How could I bear to go and not return, leaving you alone? I'll come back. I will."
Only then did she nod, just gently holding his hand. Even if she hadn't nodded, she couldn't have stopped her husband.
In a small vassal state lucky enough to be in the central hinterland of Bottle Gourd Continent, an old scholar who had shut his door to visitors for many years actually went out to sun himself today. But this usually refined old man was actually cursing today, saying, "Such tyranny, such oppressive governance! Those who destroy my homeland are not far from ruin!"
A group of young street thugs and loafers passed by. The leader asked their dog-headed advisor, who had studied a few years in a village school, "What is Old Master Jiang shouting about? He's rarely seen outside—why does he look like his precious son got beaten?" The young man who had studied said softly, "The old master is cursing that the Great Li barbarians are too controlling and like to kill people at the drop of a hat." The questioning young man asked doubtfully, "Is there any truth to his curses?" The young man who had studied but could not by any means be called a scholar seemed not entirely sure. He said only, "Maybe. Our Old Master Jiang is very learned."
Thinking about this, the young man glanced at Old Master Jiang's retreating back. The old master was very learned, but his son was truly worthless—loved gambling, feigned death when he owed money. Once, the gambling den got really anxious, gave him a good beating, and tied him up. The young man had gone to plead for him and pay his gambling debts. Because one of Old Master Jiang's students happened to be his own schoolteacher. He couldn't make anything of his studies, but he still respected that schoolteacher very much. In those days, the teacher had scolded and beaten him a lot. As a youth, he had been quite indignant, resenting the teacher for being too strict. But as he got a little older, he increasingly felt sorry for his teacher, and by extension, he respected the teacher's teacher a bit more. But that Old Master Jiang's son was truly worthless. He helped him with good intentions, and later the son mooched off him.
The leading thug finally nodded to himself, saying, "Yeah, it's true. Now when we walk the streets, those officials who used to call us brothers when we bought them drinks now look at us like we're thieves. It's really stifling."
---
Golden Armor Continent.
Yu Xuan was at the height of the continent's celestial curtain. At this location—which should have been the station of a Confucian Temple sacrificial sage—Yu Xuan was present. As for the native Flying Ascension old cultivator on the land below, Wanyan Laojing—he was a Flying Ascension cultivator, yet he had to be like an old man in the marketplace, decrepit, watching the water of time drip away drop by drop. "Old and dead"—worse than any marketplace elder.
Wanyan Laojing, as the number one cultivator of Golden Armor Continent, had long been famous. But before emerging from seclusion, he had been in seclusion for five hundred years. Almost every hundred years, a rumor spread across the continent that the founding ancestor was about to break through his bottleneck and resonate with heaven and earth. But after too many times, no one paid much attention. Following Fire Dragon True Man of North Julu Continent, Chen Chun'an of Southern Brahman Continent, and the Liu Family Financial God of Snowy Continent, Wanyan Laojing of Golden Armor Continent was once the most promising among the Righteous Heaven's Flying Ascension cultivators to be considered one of the ten of the Central Plains Divine Continent—a peak cultivator. As for why he, instead of fighting a Flying Ascension great demon of the Barren Wilderness Heaven on his home battlefield, where victory or defeat was uncertain, or charging into the demon army with a bang, was instead indiscriminately slaughtering Upper Five Realm cultivators of his own homeland—who knows?
Was it because his great Dao was cut off, his spirit and flesh decayed, and he could only wait for death, causing his Dao heart to collapse and heart demons to arise, attracting some outer demons to occupy his lake of the heart? Was it because he had long harbored resentment against the great constraints of the Central Plains Confucian Temple? Or some other old grudges from who knows how many years ago? In any case, it was destined to become an unsolved mystery, the truth forever unknown. Yu Xuan didn't even bother to get to the bottom of it. Wanyan Laojing had always been a stubborn old thing. The grievances between them were no small matter. If not for those annoyingly rigid rules of the Confucian Temple, Yu Xuan would have crossed continents to visit Golden Armor Continent long ago. "Love seclusion? Then never come out."
Yu Xuan looked down and glanced back at the north-central part of Golden Armor Continent, sighing ruefully. "What a formidable means of that Jia Sheng. When scholars turn bad, truly terrifying." The mirror-water reflection of Parasol Leaf Continent clearly showed the scenes in the north-central region of Golden Armor Continent—the gates of several sect-level immortal dwellings—presenting the myriad states of the people of Parasol Leaf Continent.
Yu Xuan descended to the mortal world. He dared not even travel via yin spirit to far places. On this Golden Armor Continent, where most of the territory had already returned to the Barren Wilderness Heaven, that would be asking for death. He, Yu Xuan, knew a thing or two about talismanic arts, a minor skill, and was one of the ten of the Central Plains Divine Continent—so what? That Jia Sheng wanted to kill even Bai Ye!
The Central Plains Divine Continent, which occupied half of the Righteous Heaven's territory, boasted the world-renowned "Ten of the Central Plains."
The Most Proud in the World, Poet Immortal Bai Ye—unique.
The other nine could be roughly divided into three tiers. Not necessarily accurate, but the most widely circulated.
The Grand Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain. The Pillar of the world's military cultivators. Talisman Saint Yu Xuan.
Zheng Juzhong of White Emperor City, Female Martial God Pei Bei, and a great demon who founded a sect.
The Mohist Master, hailed as a special existence capable of besieging a city single-handedly. It was said that without one of the ten stationed there, any sect-level immortal dwelling could be destroyed in an instant.
Old Sword Immortal Zhou Shenzhi.
Huai Yin.
This list naturally deliberately omitted the Central Plains Confucian Temple.
Additionally, there was the "Ten of Righteous Heaven." But the busybodies had argued themselves hoarse, annoying to no end. Even Yu Xuan found it too tedious.
The Saint of Ultimate Sanctity, the Ritual Saint, the Second Sage. Bai Ye. The old abbot of Guan Dao Abbey in the East Sea. The Grand Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain.
These few were relatively accepted by the truly peak great cultivators like Yu Xuan.
Beyond that, there were ups and downs, comings and goings. The Ten and its alternates were subjects of numerous opinions, each with their own biases and preferences. For example, the Second Sage's lineage had the swordsman A Liang, whose sword intent was at its peak, his sword Dao lofty, his strikes most magnificent. Another example was the Literary Saint's second disciple, Zuo You, whose swordsmanship was unrivaled in the world.
Yu Xuan noticed that that Flying Ascension great demon had already fled, and neither of the two young martial artists had any problems. Instead, Yu Xuan was somewhat worried: "What, am I really going to make a wasted trip and slink back to the Central Plains Divine Continent with my tail between my legs? Killing or severely wounding a Flying Ascension great demon outside the fourteen thrones would at least make my conscience feel a little better." As for Blessing Shaking Continent, Yu Xuan really didn't want to wade into those muddy waters. Too deep. "I, Yu Xuan, am short in stature!"
Yu Xuan was indecisive, so he planned to chat with the two young martial artists for a bit to ease his mind. Unexpectedly, Cao Ci smiled politely, thanked him with a fist-and-palm salute, and took his leave—looking quite calm. As for the dark-skinned but pretty little girl, she was more courteous. She thanked him with a fist-and-palm salute and didn't leave immediately. Yu Xuan couldn't help but look south.
Blessing Shaking Continent was no longer part of the Righteous Heaven; it had become part of the Barren Wilderness Heaven's territory. You, Bai Ye, might not mind whether you are in the Righteous Heaven, but those six beasts on the other side are stepping on their own territory. The Twenty-Four Solar Terms grand formation of Bottle Gourd Continent—though seemingly ethereal and not very useful—had its most subtle aspects that ordinary people couldn't see. How could you, Bai Ye, not know? One part of heavenly destiny. One side's gain, the other's loss. A battle with no hope for Bottle Gourd Continent cultivators would suddenly gain a tenth of a chance. Important? A dead-even battle, originally fifty-fifty, becomes sixty-forty? Critical? A ninety-percent chance becomes a hundred? Would the opposing demon cultivators not tremble with fear?
Bai Ye's sword landing on Blessing Shaking Continent was no different from choosing to stand alone and await a siege. However, the number of great demons besieging Bai Ye, and their realms, would probably surprise even Bai Ye. But Bai Ye is that kind of person—surprise is just surprise. It doesn't stop him from drawing his sword.
Old Huai, who loved to take advantage and seek fame, had gone to Southern Brahman Continent, where Chen Chun'an was stationed. Zhou Shenzhi, that bad-tempered old man, had left the Central Plains Divine Continent for Blessing Shaking Continent. How was that? Heroic or not? Very heroic! In the Landscape Cavern along the coast of Blessing Shaking Continent, was killing demons satisfying? Very satisfying! And then what? Nothing. One of the ten of the Central Plains Divine Continent—gone just like that. Bai Bai let Huai, the abacus, move up from the bottom tenth to the ninth. Zhou Shenzhi, when he was alive, used to say, "As long as I live one more day, I will sit firmly in the ninth seat. Even if I'm offered the eighth, I won't take it. I want that Huai abacus to be stuck at the bottom forever. I want to shit and piss on his head."
Six great demons.
What if there was a seventh?
The hell with "what if"—there definitely is!
At the northern ferry of Parasol Leaf Continent, Zhou Mi silently calculated with his fingers.
Blessing Shaking Continent. Good name. Just right for Bai Ye.
Liu Cha would be the seventh.
Liu Cha was indeed on his way to Blessing Shaking Continent, and he did not deliberately conceal his sword aura. Right in the sight of the peak cultivators of Southern Brahman Continent, he transformed into a ray of sword light and traveled far. Zhou Xiansheng had previously given this great bearded wanderer of the Barren Wilderness Heaven two choices: to cooperate with the Dragon Lord and kill a junior on the Sword Qi Great Wall, or to send Bai Ye off on his final journey on Blessing Shaking Continent. A swordsman seeing off a swordsman. Better than Bai Ye dying miserably under magical spells—at least it would be a more fitting death.
"Like being the first bird to stick its neck out, then be shot." Zhou Shenzhi was just the first. The deranged Flying Ascension Wanyan Laojing was a completely opposite extreme. It was just as the Grand Ancestor of Raising Moon Mountain had said at the site of the Inverted Mountain ruins, proclaiming to all the world: "You of the Righteous Heaven have not had freedom for too long." Who made it so that mountaintop Dao cultivators were not free? Naturally, the Confucian rules. The most hateful part was that the higher the realm, the heavier the constraints. Flying Ascension cultivators had to greet the Confucian Temple sacrificial sages stationed at the celestial curtain to get permission for intercontinental travel. Not to mention the Barren Wilderness Heaven—even in the Azure Heaven, where the Daoist school ruled supreme, there were no such rules. Yet it was precisely the Righteous Heaven, with its hundred schools contending, that imposed all kinds of rules to restrict immortals and Flying Ascension cultivators.
Liu Cha chose the second option. He hadn't exerted much effort in the Barren Wilderness Heaven out of respect for Chen Qingdu and those sword cultivators. Having come to the Righteous Heaven, he couldn't just ask Chen Chun'an for one sword strike and then not draw a few more swords. Bai Ye was always, along with A Liang, the person Liu Cha most wanted to ask for a sword duel. Even if he couldn't fight him alone, so what? Liu Cha wanted it to be otherwise, but in the end, it couldn't be. Zhou Xiansheng said two final sentences. The first: "I trouble Mr. Liu to remember where his hometown is." The second: "Raising Moon Mountain requests Liu Cha to draw his sword." Beyond this, Zhou Xiansheng had also taken the opportunity to scheme against Chen Chun'an and the entire Southern Brahman Continent. Zhou Shenzhi had died and his Dao vanished; Blessing Shaking Continent and Parasol Leaf Continent had fallen into the hands of the Barren Wilderness Heaven. Only Southern Brahman Continent, closest to the Inverted Mountain and the Sword Qi Great Wall, still saw little large-scale fighting, not even a scratch. Once Bai Ye died on Blessing Shaking Continent, what about the pure Confucian Chen Chun'an? Southern Brahman Continent now had Old Huai leading reinforcements, and also Lu Zhi—one of the top ten peak sword immortals of the Sword Qi Great Wall—supporting from the side. Chen Chun'an had it easy—truly sitting on a fishing platform, unruffled.
Zhou Mi stopped his mental calculations, lightly shook his sleeves, and said to Cui Chan with a smile, "We just wait for Zuo You to draw his sword and repel Xiao Xun, then as a student, beat half the life out of my master, and then go to Blessing Shaking Continent."
Cui Chan was silent.
That was what Zuo You would do. If Zuo You didn't do it, Old Scholar would force Zuo You to bow his head and draw his sword.
Cui Chan's gaze went further south of Zhou Mi.
Soon, a towering tree and a majestic tower would stand there.
Old Scholar had given something, and Liu Shiliu helped deliver it to Parasol Leaf Continent.
Guan Dao Abbey, Parasol Leaf Continent, Parasol Tree Tree.
You scheme your schemes; I scheme mine.
I, Cui Chan, don't care whom you scheme against—whether it's Bai Ye's life or death, or even the Old Scholar and Zuo You's life or death—I still don't care. Even less need to mention Chen Chun'an, who comes from the Second Sage's lineage. None of these require me, Cui Chan, to worry.
But my, Cui Chan's, little schemes—courtesy calls for reciprocity. Let's see whether you, Jia Sheng, dare to be indifferent, whether you can afford to be indifferent.
Across three battle lines, people were dying. The Great Li National Teacher remained calm and composed throughout. Apart from controlling the White Jade Capital and flying swords to kill great demons, he simply told those Confucian students about the exquisite principles of the various schools of thought. Besides mental calculations, he also diverted his attention to answering the Confucians' questions. A spirited Guanhu Academy Confucian somehow brought up the topic of "having no national boundaries for the heart that cares for the world."
Cui Chan said blandly, "To hell with no national boundaries."
The entire hall fell silent.
The one who said this was not Cui Dongshan, but National Teacher Cui Chan.
On Blessing Shaking Continent, Bai Ye, carrying his sword, left a remote school far from the war. He had been sitting in on a lesson where an old gentleman, with a thick local accent, was passing on knowledge and resolving doubts for children. Bai Ye looked around and smiled calmly.
"I wonder if the plum blossoms in my hometown are as white as I am."
"After my father and mother left, I have been traveling far."
"As a scholar, Bai Ye owes nothing to this life or to Righteous Heaven."
"Then, Bai Ye now takes his leave."