Chapter 733: The Sword Bearer
Above the vast battlefield between the Guardian Mountain Range protective array of the Jade Gui Sect and the military encampments of the Barren Wasteland World, a soaring realm great demon named Chong Guang hovered in midair, clad in a bright red dharma robe. The robe, called "Sinking Colors," had become even more vivid after he came to the Haoran World, where he oversaw the war efforts of three military camps. On the Tongye Continent, he had refined countless battlefield souls, making the robe increasingly bright. Upon closer inspection, whenever the robe's surface rippled slightly, it revealed the gruesome scenes of a small world—a vast river of blood rolling, millions of souls trapped like in a hellish cauldron, being boiled by a refining method akin to a great fire. This robe was the object upon which Chong Guang sought to reforge a "Yin Ming Time" and was the key opportunity for him to eventually ascend to the fourteenth realm.
Now that there was no fighting elsewhere on Tongye Continent, he had set his sights on the Jade Gui Sect. The Jiazi Tent had promised that if Chong Guang could kill Jiang Shangzhen, his war merits would equal those of killing a soaring realm cultivator—similar to how Xiao Xun had beheaded the previous sect master of the Jade Gui Sect, the soaring realm Xun Yuan.
Moreover, because the young Hidden Officer of the Sword Qi Great Wall wore a robe of the same color, Chong Guang had earned the nickname "Old Hidden Officer," which he found rather flattering.
The great demon Chong Guang, waiting for the Jade Gui Sect's destruction, suddenly looked up. Without hesitation, he employed his innate divine ability, letting a river of blood flow from his wide sleeve. With the robe's restrictions gone, the wails of hundreds of thousands of broken souls within the river echoed across heaven and earth. The mighty river surged toward a golden talisman the size of a cattail cushion. The talisman appeared abruptly, carrying a righteous Dao aura that made Chong Guang's heart tremble. He dared not be negligent, but before the river of blood could strike that tiny talisman, hundreds upon hundreds of talismans appeared—landscape talismans. The five sacred mountains of various nations on Tongye Continent, great rivers, and ancestral mountains of various immortal caves manifested on the talismans: mountains standing, waters winding, mountain ranges stretching, rivers meandering—the entire continent's landscapes intertwined.
Could it be Yu Xuan, the talisman master from the Central Continent?
Chong Guang hesitated slightly, then commanded the powerful ghostly spirits within the blood river to withdraw slightly to the tail end of the river. After all, on this battlefield, the throne demon Yuan Shou was overseeing the army. Privately, Chong Guang had an agreement with Yuan Shou: Chong Guang only wanted Jiang Shangzhen's life; everything else—every mountain, every cultivator of the Jade Gui Sect—belonged to Yuan Shou.
A young Daoist with an ancient, elegant bearing appeared on the southern battlefield of Tongye Continent using his self-created cross-continent landscape talisman. This young Daoist, wearing a yellow-purple Dao robe, held a five-thunder dharma seal in one hand and formed a sword finger gesture with the other. A white rainbow light suddenly blazed between heaven and earth, making it impossible to tell whether it was talisman art or an immortal sword, instantly cutting the river of blood in two.
Chong Guang was utterly horrified and inwardly lamented. He dared not show off his yin-ming divine abilities in this person's presence and desperately tried to gather the scattered blood river back into his sleeve. But unexpectedly, that honored guest from the Dragon Tiger Mountain Heavenly Master Mansion formed another Dao gesture with one hand. Within a hundred li radius around the great demon Chong Guang, a landscape restriction appeared, fusing heaven and earth into a square prison, as if trapping Chong Guang inside a seal of condensed Dao emptiness. Then, raising that hand high, the seal suddenly grew to the size of a mountain and smashed down onto the head of a soaring realm great demon.
Chong Guang had no choice but to reveal his true form, but he still couldn't break through the seal. Furthermore, under the pressure of the seal, he fell straight to the ground.
The great demon's true form was pressed directly into the ground. Unwilling to give up, he tried to push the seal off with his hands and arch his back.
Chong Guang not only excelled at attrition warfare, but his innate escape technique was also unparalleled in the Barren Wasteland World. Therefore, even against a great sword immortal, he was unafraid. For example, among the Ten of the Central Continent, even if Zhou Shenzhi and Huai Qian joined forces, Chong Guang, though his chances of defeating either were slim, could still retreat if he wanted—just a bit embarrassingly and at the cost of some external possessions. But what he feared was someone like Yu Xuan, an old immortal who was even better at attrition, and even more so, he feared the legendary Zhao Tianlai of Dragon Tiger Mountain, who wielded the Heavenly Master Seal in one hand and the immortal sword "Ten Thousand Laws" in the other!
The young Daoist landed on the seal. As his feet touched its surface, the seal plummeted with irresistible force, crushing the struggling great demon back down. In an instant, dust flew up on the battlefield, blotting out the sky.
In addition to the seal pressing down on the great demon, more than nine thousand lightning whips sizzled with spectacular force, like four waterfalls pouring onto the mortal world, trapping the great demon who, unable to break the seal, tried to escape through the earth. The seal not only suppressed the demon but also intended to refine it on the spot.
A staff came crashing down with full force, carrying the momentum of creating heaven and earth.
The young Heavenly Master's true form remained motionless. However, on top of the seal, a dharma image appeared, wearing a Dao robe with fluttering sleeves and exuding yellow-purple Dao energy. It raised a palm to block the staff, while simultaneously forming a hand seal—a gathering of five thunders, creating endless transformations. Finally, the dharma image extended two fingers together, sending a Five Thunder Righteous Dharma as a return gift to the throne demon Yuan Shou. The thunder exploded right in front of Yuan Shou's eyes.
The thunder struck Yuan Shou, who wielded a staff and sword, making his eyes see stars. He had to drag his staff and retreat, stumbling backward on his flying sword, withdrawing dozens of li before regaining his balance.
What a fine Daoist! What fine thunder dharma! Truly worthy of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Great Heavenly Master.
Although Yuan Shou didn't particularly care about the life or death of the soaring realm demon under the seal, if Chong Guang died right under his nose, it would be hard to explain to the Jiazi Tent—especially that bastard Zhou Mi, whom Yuan Shou now feared immensely. After consulting with Yang Zhi, they both decided it was best to stay away from Zhou Mi. That's why Yuan Shou came to the southernmost battlefield of Tongye Continent—the Jade Gui Sect—while Yang Zhi went to the Southern Bodhi Continent battlefield.
Zhao Tianlai's dharma image gathered yellow-purple Dao energy in the three dantians, like three rotating stars, orderly yet complex.
With one hand blocking the staff and one Dao gesture repelling the throne demon, Zhao Tianlai's true form looked around, smiled slightly, and raised a palm as white as jade, crystal clear, flickering between substance and void. Finally, he fixed his gaze on a spot, and his eyes faintly shimmered with the radiance of the sun and moon. He then softly commanded, "Still!"
My dharma is steadfast, my spirit concentrated, my qi united with the body—this specializes in countering escape techniques.
Ten thousand ghosts and spirits, demons and monsters, though they can change shape and hide, cannot alter their image in my mirror by even a fraction.
The Dragon Tiger Mountain Great Heavenly Master, with his masterful Mirror Gesture, froze the great demon Chong Guang—who had seemingly "shed his skin" to leave his true form, not merely sending out his yin spirit—within a frozen river of time.
Chong Guang roared, "Yuan Shou, save me!"
"Worthless creature, always yapping!"
Yuan Shou cursed, but still chose to save Chong Guang. His stature suddenly soared to a thousand zhang. He smashed his staff toward the Heavenly Master dharma image. The latter's fingers on both hands closed into a fist, the five thunders gathered into a righteous dharma, the thunder dharma radiating five colors—this was one of the secret techniques of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Heavenly Master Mansion: the Five Thunder Finger Dao gesture.
Mortals only know that wherever demons haunt, there must be a peachwood sword-wielding Heavenly Master.
But they don't know that when entering mountains, crossing rivers, curing illnesses, exorcising evil, summoning gods, commanding ghosts, the Dragon Tiger Mountain Heavenly Master always forms hand seals and draws talismans. The thunder dharma is vast and mighty; evil spirits flee in terror. The awe-inspiring heavenly might shakes and kills all ghosts.
Ordinary honored guests of the Heavenly Master Mansion, when forming this finger gesture, would have their words manifest as law and execute thunder dharma. But this Great Heavenly Master's dharma image changed the Dao gesture again. The five thunders coiled around his wrists, then he placed his hands behind his back, right hand above left, linking the middle and ring fingers of both hands. The left hand rotated outward. Finally, both palms faced upward, containing myriad creations, as if thunder rumbled within. At the same time, index fingers hooked index fingers, little fingers hooked little fingers. In one smooth motion, the lightning interwove, instantly forming a Reverse Heaven-Overthrowing Seal.
Combined with the previously prepared Five Thunder Finger, Zhao Tianlai's dharma image now held two seals in hand, the Dao dharma imbued in both hands, like a thunder tribulation hanging high above the battlefield.
But this young Daoist, who had traveled from afar, was still not satisfied. In a flash, he formed the Purple Tenuity Seal, then performed another mysterious divine ability: using one dharma to generate ten thousand dharmas. The Purple Tenuity Hand Seal remained motionless, but the dharma image's illusory hands slightly altered the finger gestures, and in one breath, they formed the Demon-Subduing Seal and the Heavenly Dipper Seal.
Then, using the Three Pure Ones Finger, he transformed it into the Three Mountains Gesture, then into the Five Peaks Seal, and finally settled on a secret transmission of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Heavenly Master Mansion: the "Thunder Bureau."
One dharma gives birth to ten thousand dharmas; ten thousand dharmas return to the thunder dharma.
Moreover, a Bagua diagram slowly rotated outside his hands, plus the three rotating stars representing the vast cosmic phenomena, and the five thunders gathered in one palm's creation.
This young Daoist, who had arrived on the battlefield without saying a single word and intended to kill a soaring realm demon, not only had the seal under his foot already suppressing the great demon Chong Guang, but he also seemed ready to fight the throne demon Yuan Shou to the death.
This Dragon Tiger Mountain Great Heavenly Master appeared to want to unravel all the true meanings of the Heavenly Dao by himself.
One after another, finger gestures, hand seals, thunder formations—all within a snap of the Great Heavenly Master's dharma image's fingers. Even a Jade Pu realm cultivator couldn't see how many Dao gestures Zhao Tianlai's Heavenly Master dharma image had formed, let alone how he manipulated the gestures. Moreover, Zhao Tianlai seemed to have no need for mantras to stabilize his Dao dharma's true meaning, so this wasn't merely the mysterious "words manifest as law," but rather what top cultivators called "the mind rises and the Dao is born; ten thousand dharmas return to one."
Finally, the Heavenly Master dharma image concluded the gestures, merging all Dao gestures and hand seals into a single sword gesture.
It was like holding a white sun in hand, radiating boundless light, as if ninety thousand swords were shooting out simultaneously.
Cultivators of the Jade Gui Sect and the attacking army of the Barren Wasteland World, whether near or far, had no choice but to immediately close their eyes, not daring to look even once.
After a moment, heaven and earth fell silent.
Could it be that the thunder was loud but the rain was small?
But on second look, the throne demon Yuan Shou was actually holding a sword in one hand—unprecedentedly—standing a hundred li away, dragging the great demon Chong Guang, whose dharma robe was mostly torn, with blood and flesh visible all over his back. Despite the tough physique of a soaring realm demon, there was no sign of healing.
Chong Guang, barely alive, gasped, "Thank you, Ancestor Yuan, for saving my life."
Yuan Shou looked down, suddenly released his grip, and stomped through Chong Guang's chest, twisting his ankle to grind the wound even more. He raised his sword and pressed its tip against the bastard's forehead, furious: "What a piece of work! You've been pretending to be dead all along?! Do you think my life-bound object is worthless?!"
Chong Guang let Yuan Shou vent his anger. The injuries from Yuan Shou's foot were nothing compared to the turmoil caused by Zhao Tianlai's seal and Dao intent in the blood sea of his life-bound robe. This inexplicable battle almost made Chong Guang lose all his Dao gains on Tongye Continent. Still, since Yuan Shou was willing to draw his sword to cut through the sword gesture and save him, Chong Guang was deeply grateful. He didn't dare to push the sword tip away even slightly. He said helplessly, "Ancestor Yuan, that Dragon Tiger Mountain Great Heavenly Master—his sword and seal are naturally the best counters to my techniques. For your loss today, I will repay you double."
Yuan Shou stretched out his arm, and another staff appeared in his hand, inscribed with the words "Calming the Seas." But it was even more damaged than before. After two great battles—one against Bai Ye and one against Zhao Tianlai—this staff was already in name only. Unless he could later refine an entire great river, it couldn't be restored. But the nearest one, the Qi Crossing in Bottle Gourd Continent, or the further Ji Crossing in Northern Ju Luzhou—Yuan Shou was now reluctant to approach any of them.
Zhao Tianlai had already put away his seal and arrived at the ancestral mountain of the Jade Gui Sect, where he made a Daoist salute to the waiting sect master, Jiang Shangzhen.
The Dragon Tiger Mountain Heavenly Master Mansion's young attendant, Dao name Wu Lei, was left to mind the house. He sat cross-legged outside the Demon-Subduing Hall, staring at the talisman cover that had been reinforced by successive Great Heavenly Masters over generations.
As for the sheath of the immortal sword "Ten Thousand Laws," the young attendant had placed it by the well.
Jiang Shangzhen returned an unconventional Daoist salute, which was a great courtesy. However, Jiang Shangzhen was the kind of person who ignored all rules. If this Great Heavenly Master, who had just saved his sect from imminent danger, was willing, Jiang Shangzhen would even rub his shoulders and back.
Jiang Shangzhen smiled and said, "Great Heavenly Master, your techniques are unparalleled, and you can control them with ease. I didn't even have a chance to unsheathe my flying sword. So indeed, the difference of one realm is more than just the difference between heaven and earth."
Zhao Tianlai smiled and shook his head, then sighed emotionally, "What a bitter, deadly battle. The Jade Gui Sect has it hard."
Jiang Shangzhen replied, "Compared to that Tongye Sect, which claims to lead the continent, the bones of the Jade Gui Sect cultivators are indeed a bit harder."
The Tongye Sect in the north of Tongye Continent had already surrendered to the Jiazi Tent. A bunch of old bastards, like corpses, had become traitors selling out their continent.
Thus, the entire continent, which was two and a half times the size of Bottle Gourd Continent, only had the Jade Gui Sect still resisting tenaciously. After the Tongye Sect defected to the Jiazi Tent, the Jade Gui Sect's situation became increasingly precarious. If not for the return of the wandering sect master Jiang Shangzhen, by now there might truly be no war left on this continent.
Jiang Shangzhen had been forced to show himself and return to his sect due to the dangerous situation. He was indeed somewhat annoyed. If the Jade Gui Sect hadn't been on the verge of falling, he wouldn't have been able to continue his carefree wandering. Otherwise, he would have preferred to be a rat scurrying everywhere, free and unfettered, earning war merits on the sly.
Sure enough, the sect master's seat in the Ancestral Hall was too hot. If he had known, why be a sect master at all? Better to be like that wandering Brother Zhou Fei, secretly throwing a sword and then fleeing immediately. Wouldn't that be more satisfying?
In the Ancestral Hall of the Jade Gui Sect, which was once packed with upper-five realm cultivators, many chairs were now empty. Not only were the founding ancestors and registered direct descendants gone, but even the visiting elders and guests had died in large numbers.
That was bad enough, but what was worse was that so many young faces of the Jade Gui Sect were gone, just like that. Each one didn't cherish their life, dying spectacularly, thinking they had died a worthy death. How stupid were they? Even Jiang Shangzhen, who considered himself stone-hearted and ruthless, couldn't help but feel an almost heart-wrenching sorrow.
Jiang Shangzhen asked, "Heavenly Master, is Bai Ye really dead?"
Zhao Tianlai nodded. "If we're talking about the fourteenth realm Bai Ye, then he is truly dead. There is no longer an immortal sword 'Tai Bai' in this world."
Jiang Shangzhen sighed. "This war... anyone can die."
Zhao Tianlai said, "Previously, mountain cultivators in the Haoran World, especially in the Central Continent, thought that the so-called fourteen thrones of the Barren Wasteland World were at best comparable to the lower ranks of the Ten of the Central Continent. Now that Bai Ye is dead, they think that the entire Ten or Fifteen of the Haoran World cannot match the fourteen thrones."
Jiang Shangzhen said helplessly, "When it comes to fighting, do the beasts of the Barren Wasteland World have what it takes? Does the Central Continent have any idea?"
Then Jiang Shangzhen answered his own question: "Of course they don't. The Sword Qi Great Wall knew, but the Haoran World didn't."
The nine sword formations on Nine Chess Peak had long been obliterated. Apart from the great demon Chong Guang, the demon Yuan Shou had also personally appeared at the Jade Gui Sect. In addition to ostensibly helping Chong Guang direct the demon attacks on the mountain, he would also occasionally reveal his mountain-moving true form, smashing the mountain and water arrays with his staff. Yet he didn't go all out, nor did he specifically target cultivators or the ancestral mountain. He just said, "Since your sect is rich and well-funded, let's see how many immortal coins you have!"
Yuan Shou had even once declared, "Your grandpa here killed even Bai Ye. A mere immortal realm Jiang Shangzhen is just a fart."
Before the Golden Armor Continent was completely destroyed, a military tent of the Barren Wasteland World once again used the mirror-flower-water-moon technique. A single image played repeatedly: Liu Cha's sword killing the fourteenth realm Bai Ye. The Haoran World no longer had the most proud poet, no longer had the invincible verse.
This dull yet heart-stopping image had also been seen by the cultivators of the Jade Gui Sect. Jiang Shangzhen, if not for the personal confirmation from the Dragon Tiger Mountain Great Heavenly Master, had always refused to believe, or didn't want to believe, that Bai Ye was dead.
So earlier, Jiang Shangzhen had been extremely agitated, to the point where he once left the mountain and river array, found that soaring realm beast, and had a proper one-on-one fight.
Both sides used every last trick they had, fighting with such intensity that the world turned upside down. Not only the demons, but even many relatively young registered immortal masters of the Jade Gui Sect didn't know the true depth of Jiang Shangzhen's combat strength. They had only heard hearsay from senior masters and founders. Earlier, they only knew that the dashing yet infamous Jiang family head had the best escape skills in the world. So, whenever Jiang Shangzhen acted, fighting against higher realm cultivators, he was sure to survive; against lower or equal realm cultivators, the opponent would surely die.
After witnessing that battle firsthand, they realized that Sect Master Jiang was truly formidable. A single willow leaf could kill an immortal—so sharp and unmatched.
Zhao Tianlai said apologetically, "The immortal sword 'Ten Thousand Laws' must stay on Dragon Tiger Mountain, because there might be unexpected situations."
Jiang Shangzhen, for the first time, didn't show his usual rogue demeanor or utter shameless words. Instead, his face was serious, and his eyes sincere. He nodded and said, "Heavenly Master, your crossing continents to come here and subdue demons is already the utmost kindness. Our Jade Gui Sect won't be so ungrateful as to hope for more."
This was the ease of dealing with truly intelligent people.
Jiang Shangzhen crouched at the edge of the cliff and said softly, "Heavenly Master, please rest a bit. It would be best if you could protect that parasol tree—it's the central hub of the Demon-Suppressing Tower array. The Jade Gui Sect can hold out for a while longer—at longest half a year, at shortest three months. But I kindly ask the Heavenly Master, when you leave, to help take away a Cloud Nest Blessed Land. Some of the younger ones will be forced into the blessed land. As for the older ones with higher status, if they want to stay, let them stay."
Zhao Tianlai said, "Since things have come to this, why not have everyone relocate together? If people survive and land is lost, there's still hope to have both. But if people die and land remains, you will surely lose both."
Jiang Shangzhen shook his head. "Like the Taiping Mountain and the Fuji Sect, we of the Jade Gui Sect really can't learn from them. But if we must learn from someone, we should never learn from the Tongye Sect. No matter how shameless Jiang Shangzhen is, I still need to keep some face. If I weren't the sect master, I could go anywhere. But since I am, even if I get slapped in the face, I have to take it. Besides, if I leave, the spirit that the Jade Gui Sect's generations of cultivators have built up over thousands of years will be destroyed by me. The future Jade Gui Sect, even if it appears to have thriving incense and many registered immortal masters, will just be an empty shell of bamboo and paper."
Zhao Tianlai smiled and nodded, looking at Jiang Shangzhen with newfound respect.
Legends on the mountains were mixed with truth and falsehood. In the landscape gazettes, some words that were full of righteousness and conviction were often just that. Some truths only moved further away from the truth. But certain casual mentions actually contained endless righteous qi.
Jiang Shangzhen somehow produced a blade of grass and chewed on it. Suddenly, he laughed, looked up, and said, "Years ago, I brought a sister named Nine Niang from the Daquan Dynasty home. I heard she has some connection with that Heavenly Fox senior of Dragon Tiger Mountain. Nine Niang has high pride and never gave me, this showy sect master, the time of day. But she has always admired the Great Heavenly Master. Why not take this opportunity to let her come close to the Heavenly Master and soak up some immortal aura? Maybe she'll give me a nicer look in the future. Debts don't weigh me down, so Great Heavenly Master, don't begrudge me this, eh?"
Zhao Tianlai smiled and said, "Of course."
The shopkeeper Nine Niang at the Daquan Dynasty border inn was actually the Huan Sha Madam, a nine-tailed celestial fox.
But the Dragon Tiger Mountain Heavenly Master Mansion's world-renowned mountain-protecting elder, Lian Zhen, was a ten-tailed celestial fox.
After receiving a "decree" message from Jiang Shangzhen, Nine Niang immediately rode the wind from Jiang Shangzhen's old cultivation site. She landed a good distance away from the two, then walked quickly toward them, curtsying to the Dragon Tiger Mountain Great Heavenly Master. Zhao Tianlai returned a Daoist salute in response.
Jiang Shangzhen pretended not to see, just crouched at the cliff's edge, gazing into the distance. For no reason, he thought of that Ancestral Hall meeting originally meant to celebrate the old sect master's breakthrough; for no reason, he recalled old man Xun staring blankly at the white clouds gathering and dispersing outside the gate. Jiang Shangzhen knew that old man Xun didn't like poetry much, but he had a particular fondness for that lyrical piece with the phrase "Return! My fields are going to waste." The reason was strange: just the three words of the opening preface had made old man Xun love it all his life.
"My family is poor."
Old sect master Xun Yuan was actually born in the mountains, with no worries about food or clothing, no worries about cultivation. His path of the Dao was smooth sailing. So even Jiang Shangzhen couldn't understand why that old man Xun was so enamored with those three words.
Jiang Shangzhen remained crouched there, letting Nine Niang ask the Heavenly Master about cultivation barriers. Jiang Shangzhen chewed the grass root until it was gone, but his teeth still moved instinctively.
"My family is poor."
"I shall borrow a green bamboo staff from you, and from then on, go deep into the white clouds. With straw sandals worn out, no one cares."
"My fields are going to waste—why not return?"
Jiang Shangzhen leaned back, hands behind his head.
The Lotus Root Blessed Land, where he served as an offering elder of the Fallen Mountain, had been upgraded to a top-grade blessed land. Jiang Shangzhen would definitely not be able to attend the ceremony. So, when he held the blessed land earlier, taking in refugees from Tongye Continent, he had left several gifts in the blessed land early on. Besides necessary heavenly materials and earth treasures and immortal coins, Jiang Shangzhen had casually planted willows to create shade, marking out a private territory in the blessed land—finally acting like an offering elder of the Ancestral Hall should.
But for some reason, by the willow tree and water's edge, the man had personally planted the most common wild grass called hengwu.
Willows provided shade, and flowers bloom.
He only hoped that one day, his beloved would go far away, yet the one he missed would still be there, enjoying the willow shade and watching the flowers bloom.
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A bright red dharma robe floated quietly in the air several zhang above the city wall, both sleeves hanging down. When a breeze passed, it would flutter in the wind, like a duckweed on a river or a solitary red cloud above the city wall.
Accustomed to the isolation of heaven and earth, Chen Ping'an felt uncomfortable when Zhou Mi inexplicably removed the restrictions of the Jiazi Tent. But this feeling wasn't unfamiliar. Back in the day, after practicing boxing for a long time in the bamboo tower and being fed punches, when he traveled down the mountain, he also felt out of sorts.
After that, some truly fearless demon cultivators, yelling and shouting, swaggered through the air as if the young Hidden Officer beneath them didn't exist.
They didn't dare to land on the city wall to enjoy the view, because those sword immortals' heroic spirits, which couldn't be killed and were equivalent to earth immortal sword cultivators, still stood guard at various points on the wall.
At first, Chen Ping'an worried it was Zhou Mi's scheme, so he gritted his teeth and let one demon cultivator after another fly over the city wall from above.
He would graciously detain a great demon of his own realm, exchange pleasantries, let the other come to "deliver gifts"—a storm of techniques raining down, making for a hearty beating. Chen Ping'an obediently took the beating while asking some questions in a Barren Wasteland World Greater Elegant Speech that was even more standard than the demon's. Unfortunately, the demon's answers were all too familiar, as if he were a valued guest, offering no useful information. In the end, Chen Ping'an had no choice but to disperse his form. The golden core realm great demon laughed heartily. Then the Hidden Officer, crouching behind the demon on the city wall, rubbed his chin and watched that heroic demon from afar, unsure whether to laugh along with it or send it on its way.
How could it not be a real man?
Except for the first unlucky demon that had crossed the border and was dragged down by Chen Ping'an, killed on the spot with his pseudo Jade Pu realm strength.
Other than that, the one throwing punches was the former Hidden Officer Xiao Xun. The one using the sword was the throne demon Dragon Lord. The one competing in techniques and divine abilities was the young Ten member She Yue.
Did anyone think they could just kill the Hidden Officer?
So, as a gesture of hospitality, Chen Ping'an twisted off the golden core great demon's head, ignored the headless corpse, and tossed the head high into the air, spinning around and kicking it several hundred zhang away.
With the restrictions gone, there were many strange and amusing occurrences.
Some demon cultivators dared not fly over the city wall; they would just rise into the air at a short distance to admire the inscriptions on the wall.
On the opposite city wall, a young demon martial artist who had climbed to the top declared he wanted to spar with Chen Ping'an—but only after he had practiced martial arts for another thirty years.
There were also three demon sword immortals from the southernmost region of the Barren Wasteland World who came to tour this place together on their swords, but they didn't go to the Haoran World; they just admired the view here and then turned back home.
Another group of young female demon cultivators, probably from a major sect, were very bold. They stood on a massive carriage pulled by several white cranes and green luan birds, chattering endlessly like a flock of birds. One of them used the divine ability of "holding mountains and rivers in the palm" to search for the young Hidden Officer's figure. After finding the young man in the bright red robe, they all jumped for joy, as if they had spotted their ideal lover.
Well, well. Big and small, male and female, they all treated this as a remote tourist attraction, did they?
Chen Ping'an raised a palm, gathering the five thunders, and sent a thunder technique hurtling forward with astonishing force.
The palace-dressed woman who had used the divine ability, as if her brain was full of water, didn't dispel the thunder technique but instead used her upper-five realm "world in a sleeve" divine ability to stuff the thunder technique directly into her sleeve, blowing apart most of the sleeve. Instead of feeling any regret, she lifted her hand, shook her sleeve, and looked utterly pleased, showing off to her friends.
Chen Ping'an stood on the city wall, smiling as he waved to the carriage full of shimmering treasure light. Want some thunder? Come closer. There's plenty. Since you look like ladies, I—notoriously gentle with the fairer sex—can give you more. In return, you can just leave that phoenix carriage behind.
From the look of it, it was undoubtedly an emperor's carriage. Not only were there several immortal birds, but the wheels were refined from a bit of moon essence and sun essence. The carriage's ornaments were extremely lavish, with a curtain hanging in front depicting the Yu Luo Xiao Tai, Yu Jing Dan Que patterns. If this was just a dharma treasure boat and not a half-immortal artifact, then Chen Ping'an's years as a "bundle merchant" would be wasted.
But the carriage remained hovering motionless, while those female cultivators stared with sparkling eyes, suddenly quiet, fixated on the young Hidden Officer in the "mountain and river" painting in their palm. They whispered to each other, as if commenting on the famous Hidden Officer.
Times had changed. Back then, only Chen Ping'an had the power to disgust the Dragon Lord and Li Zhen. Now, karma had come back to bite him.
A gust of pure wind swept over the city wall, and that conspicuous red robe fluttered again.
Demonic cultivators came to the Sword Qi Great Wall for sightseeing in an endless stream, a messy lot. But actual great demons who came to the city wall to seek death became fewer and fewer.
Chen Ping'an seemed to be in a deep sleep, hands folded on his abdomen, breathing long and deep, leaning against the narrow saber "Slaying the Defects." But the saber was hidden by the wide robe.
His thoughts traveled ten thousand li, some intersecting, some arising simultaneously, some colliding in chaos. Chen Ping'an didn't deliberately restrain them.
All dharmas are equal; none are superior or inferior. The mind has no hindrance; without hindrance, there is no fear; far from inverted dreams.
The Confucian sage stationed on the city wall had once told someone that he was thinking about the debate between human desires and heavenly principles but had never been able to come to a conclusion. He just felt that the existing verdict was not quite appropriate.
The objects on the "Heavenly Street" of the Fuji Sect were indeed good, but the prices were really high.
When Yue Qing and Mi Hu died in battle, the city's soaring realm had already departed. Those wandering sword cultivators couldn't see the two great sword immortals' final strikes.
Two great sword immortals, candidates for the Sword Qi Great Wall's peak ten, just left like that, without even a greeting, without leaving behind a single grand declaration.
If even I die here, in the end, who will tell the world what kind of sword immortals you were, how you were heroes who killed thieves without being recorded in books?!
Damn it! All of you, come back to life! I want to challenge you with my sword! I'll challenge you, a whole group of sword immortals—Yue Qing, Mi Hu, Sun Juyuan, Gao Kui, Tao Wencai—all of you! If I even frown, I'll change my surname to match the Great Sword Immortal's!
Besides sword immortals, there were even more sword cultivators who were not sword immortals—old and young, countless of them perished. They remained on the battlefield, died on the battlefield.
I haven't yet been to Taiping Mountain. Nor have I seen the mirage city after snowfall—what kind of glass wonderland it would be.
One of the three sages guarding the heavens is the city lord of the Shenxiao City in the Jade Capital of the Qingming World. I wonder if the wandering sword cultivators in the Qingming World, like Dong the Charcoal and Yan the Fat, will go to visit.
I wonder how the Third Sect Leader of the Jade Capital, who wears a lotus flower crown, is doing with his Five Dreams and the physical manifestations of his Dao's seven objects.
Earlier, I saw the Sweet Dew Armor on She Yue, like wearing a seven-colored coat. It's hard not to think of that female sword immortal Zhou Cheng, who used to swing on a swing on the city wall. Her life-bound flying sword "Seven Colors" had a sword light that also split into seven colors, like having seven life-bound flying swords. There are far too many such regrets.
Liu Cai. Lu Tai.
Being a qi refiner yet afraid of heights. And that mysterious physique—Lu Tai, as a direct descendant of the Lu clan, wasn't high in realm. Although Lu Tai had many dharma treasures to lean on, which could allay many doubts, he had no protector. He dared to travel across continents to Bottle Gourd Continent, Inverted Mountain, and Tongye Continent. They first met on the Old Dragon City's Fan family ferry boat "Osmanthus Island." Later, Chen Ping'an privately had Wei Wenlong look through the boarding records of the past thirty years at the Spring Scarf Studio. Lu Tai hadn't boarded mid-voyage; he had indeed boarded at Old Dragon City. Yet Lu Tai never spoke about his travels in Bottle Gourd Continent. At that time, though, Chen Ping'an didn't trust the Yin-Yang Lu clan of the Central Continent, not Lu Tai himself. In fact, Chen Ping'an had long considered Lu Tai a true friend, just like the gentleman Zhong Kui.
But at the Flying Eagle Fort, Chen Ping'an had a strange feeling and met someone. Lu Tai had said he had two masters. Later, Lu Tai could actually possess a woman's body, hinting that he was already in a cave heaven blessed land. The old abbot of the Eastern Sea Observation Daoist Temple, as one of the few fourteenth realm cultivators, was very strict about rules. So Lu Tai, relying only on himself, definitely couldn't break the rules of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. Given the old abbot's status and background, he absolutely wouldn't sell the Central Continent Lu clan such a big favor.
Thus, Chen Ping'an desperately hoped that the cotton-clothed, round-faced girl who visited the Sword Qi Great Wall was that "if," was Liu Cai.
That's why She Yue was puzzled and annoyed when Chen Ping'an confirmed she wasn't Liu Cai.
Chen Ping'an wasn't angry that Lu Tai was that "one." He was angry at the mastermind behind the scenes that gradually turned Lu Tai into that "one."
Chen Ping'an had even imagined countless possibilities—like, if they ever met again, would Lu Tai walk toward him, smiling, holding a string of sugar-coated hawthorns?
What to do? Only wait. What else could he do?
After the age of four, years of hardship and a sudden life of utter despair had turned a stubborn boy, who was used to having nothing and feeling that even if he had something, it wouldn't last, into a different person. The Dao shouldn't be so narrow. Walking through the world, he had never encountered an obstacle and just bypassed it...
Chen Ping'an, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes, flipped his sleeve, and in an instant stood on the edge of the city wall.
A group of sword cultivators from the Barren Wasteland World who were not among the Hundred Sword Immortals arrived one after another on the opposite city wall, mostly young faces, and began to concentrate on forging their swords.
But without the Dragon Lord sitting on the city wall and without the Jiazi Tent's mountain and water restrictions, the hundred-odd sword cultivators kept far away from the cliff's edge, lest the guy across from them casually chop off their heads with a single sword.
When a young demon sword cultivator obtained a wisp of pure sword intent, the young Hidden Officer in the bright red robe just stood at the cliff's edge, hands resting on his saber, staring at the opposite shore, motionless.
That young sword genius, young in both face and age, before flying his sword toward the Haoran World, slightly altered his trajectory, but still remained very cautious. Finally, he grinned at the young Hidden Officer.
Chen Ping'an turned his head to look south.
From far in the distance, a rainbow light shot over, stopping abruptly, and landed on the city wall. It was a gaunt, elderly man in a Daoist dharma robe, wearing an outer cloak, with a bamboo flute hanging from his waist. The bamboo was a vivid green, as if dripping with moisture—clearly a valuable item with some age.
The old man looked around but didn't see the young man's figure. There were some traces, shifting and uncertain. He smiled and asked in the Greater Elegant Speech of the Haoran World, "Where is the Hidden Officer?"
Chen Ping'an slowly appeared on the opposite city wall, the two separated by a street along the wall. He smiled and asked, "Old senior, you cut quite a figure—wearing a dharma robe and an outer cloak, with a pure demeanor and sharp features, looking quite the immortal. Have you come to replace the Dragon Lord?"
The old man paid no mind to the innuendo, smiled, and shook his head. "This old man has used the alias 'Lu Fayen' for many years because I once wanted to visit your homeland and meet this Lu Fayen. As for my true name, coincidentally, it is carved on your body."
Chen Ping'an suddenly understood. "So that's it. Old senior, you must indeed be quite old, otherwise you couldn't be the teaching master of the Qie Yun system."
"Hidden Officer, your knowledge is indeed eclectic, and you have quick wit."
The old man smiled. "But those doggerel poems of yours don't conform to rhyme, and their tonal patterns are atrocious. Even hearing about them from others makes me wince."
Chen Ping'an asked curiously, "Have you been to the fourteenth realm?"
The old man nodded.
Chen Ping'an nodded in turn. "Very impressive. If I live to your age, I'll at most reach the twenty-eighth realm."
This throne demon Qie Yun and Fei Ran's master chuckled. "So young, yet you live like a young boy under the Medicine King's command. Indeed, you can say some absurd things."
Chen Ping'an said with righteous indignation, "Old senior, if you keep being so sarcastic, don't blame this junior for breaking precedent and cursing."
The two seemed to be reminiscing.
But if this were any other place, as long as it wasn't this city wall where he had merged with the Dao, Chen Ping'an would probably either have been smashed into soul fragments by a single slap or be worse than dead.
Now, facing a soaring realm great cultivator who had once reached the fourteenth realm, Chen Ping'an truly couldn't fight.
The old man asked, "Do you want to know what the sword cultivator Dragon Lord said to Chen Qingdu's sword at his last moment?"
Chen Ping'an sighed. "What else? Probably cursing? The Dragon Lord, that old thief, was indeed good at that. Over the years, I've suffered a lot from him."
The old man shook his head. "Wrong. He said four words: 'Dragon Lord receives the sword.'"
Chen Ping'an sighed again. Indeed, it was as he thought.
Then the old scores were wiped clean.
The old man asked, "What are you aiming for?"
Chen Ping'an put his hands in his sleeves and smiled. "Just for this: I stand here for many years, and the throne demons come one by one and go one by one, but I am still standing here."
"My disciple Yun Qing died by your hand? Dead is dead, after all, he couldn't convince that old deaf man to betray the Sword Qi Great Wall."
The old man suddenly said, "Does Yun Qing have any belongings left behind, like that half-immortal artifact bamboo flute called 'Exiled Immortal'?"
Chen Ping'an remained silent.
That bamboo flute of Yun Qing's, besides the name "Exiled Immortal," also had a line of small characters. The characters and the prose were both extremely beautiful: "Once given a voucher for dew and wind."
Now that the Dragon Lord was dead, the objects in his personal space seemed accessible, but precisely because of that, Chen Ping'an had no intention of touching them.
As for the five upper-five realm demon cultivators once imprisoned in the cages—Yun Qing, Qing Qiu, Meng Po, Zhu Jie, Hou Changjun—only Yun Qing had a rather good relationship with Chen Ping'an. Chen Ping'an even used to visit Yun Qing often for casual chats.
Chen Ping'an glanced again at the bamboo flute hanging from the waist of this gaunt, elegant great demon. The seven small seal characters were slightly larger: "Qizhou water celery needs no wine."
It was nearly identical in style to Yun Qing's bamboo flute. There was also a line of running script inscription: "Blue water and azure sky, both uniquely marvelous; old flute, new sorrow, bamboo about to crack."
Chen Ping'an suddenly asked out of the blue, "Are you now considered... Zhou Mi's yin spirit roaming far? A former fourteenth realm, reduced to such a state? Isn't that too tragic? Doesn't your Tuoyue Mountain Great Ancestor care?"
If he had asked, "What is your relationship with Zhou Mi?" he probably wouldn't get any answer.
The old man sighed. "Mr. Zhou was not mistaken—you indeed need to read more."
Chen Ping'an couldn't help but laugh. "You like praising yourself so much, Mr. Zhou? Did you learn that from me? Did you pay your respects as a disciple?"
He was certain that this person was one of Zhou Mi's incarnations.
Chen Ping'an continued, "Now, my Dao heart is easily shattered, because I accept the general trend, and even the worst major events can't crush me. So, earlier you deliberately opened the restrictions and let the demon cultivators run wild. Was it to take advantage of me when I was drinking or retrieving something, to break my personal space? Or were you after my hairpin?"
The old man smiled and nodded. Unfortunately, this guy was still very cautious.
Zhou Mi's yang spirit external body was the throne demon Bai Ying, who had cultivated his own Dao and gradually ascended to the throne. But his yin spirit had merged with this fourteenth realm flesh. This heaven-changing method, however, received no help from the Tuoyue Mountain Great Ancestor, who just watched coldly. So, Zhou Mi had forcibly seized it using the usual methods of the Barren Wasteland World.
Looking at this young Hidden Officer, who was almost forty years old without confusion, Zhou Mi formed a secret gesture in his sleeve, first isolating the heavens and earth, then controlling the river of time above the city wall. Slowly, he said, "Chen Ping'an, I've changed my mind. The Armor Bearer will still be Li Zhen, but the Sword Bearer... I can replace Fei Ran with you."
The young Hidden Officer jumped up and spat, "You're so damn impressive, why don't you go fight the Supreme Sage, the Dao Ancestor, or the Buddha?!"
Zhou Mi smiled, reversed the flow of time, and retracted those words. Then Chen Ping'an laughed, "My apologies, my apologies—I must have cursed just now."