Chapter 880: Sitting in Seclusion
This private drinking party, euphemistically called a welcome feast, was set up inside a flower garden. Flowers clustered all around, their fragrance assailing the nose and refreshing the heart.
A small round table of white jade had been brought over early. Chen Ping'an and the Great Li Empress Dowager sat facing each other.
A conspicuous wooden box rested on the table. Nan Zan, being from Yuzhang Commandery, recognized at a glance that it was a food container made from the timber of her hometown.
A pot of wine, two pairs of green bamboo chopsticks, a few cheap pastries as garnish to accompany the drink.
Nan Zan frowned. What, a mud-legged brat from a back alley in a small town, now that he's a mountain ascendant, does he love making a mystery out of everything like this?
That young cultivator, whose identity was still as hazy as clouds and moons, sat between the two of them.
It was like a long-grudge conflict in the martial world; the wheel of fortune turns. Now the weaker side at a disadvantage neither dared to tear off all pretense and really fight to the death, nor wanted to lose too much face, so they had to find a way to save face by inviting a respected figure from the martial world to mediate in the middle.
As for that young man in yellow hat and green shoes, even though there was an empty seat, he didn't sit down. Instead, he stood behind Chen Ping'an, hands folded over his abdomen, smiling.
Chen Ping'an took out a Lamp-Lighting Talisman from his sleeve. Ordinary material, he lightly twisted the yellow seal talisman paper between two fingers, then placed it on the food container. The talisman began to burn slowly, reminding the Great Li Empress Dowager that her time to play dumb was limited.
Nan Zan raised an eyebrow, squinting her peach-blossom eyes.
Suddenly rich and powerful, getting carried away, showing off at the Cloud-Speaking Tower was one thing, after all it was the place where Cui Chancellor taught. But a native cultivator of Great Li, with the whole mountain's registered disciples and pure martial artists needing to be registered with the Song Clan court, dared to be so aggressive even inside the Great Li imperial palace?
She was about to mentally speak a few words to that old ancestor of the Lu Clan.
But he had already sensed Nan Zan's intention and immediately shook his head, indicating with his eyes that she shouldn't be so rash.
Once he decided that you, Nan Zan, had given an answer, there would be nothing left to discuss.
This young man Chen Ping'an was far too skilled at feigning weakness. At the moment, he just looked like a Golden Core realm qi refiner? A Far Traveling realm martial artist? Fooling ghosts.
And that earlier Fourteen Realm aura was far too sinister, with an improper origin. So if Nan Zan communicated mentally with him, it was highly likely to be eavesdropped on.
Today, Chen Ping'an's visit to the Great Li palace, naming Empress Dowager Nan Zan, clearly showed he had run out of patience.
Chen Ping'an put his hands in his sleeves and actually began to close his eyes and rest.
The young cultivator smiled and said, "Let me introduce myself. Surname Lu, given name Wei, the character for 'tail' as in 'attached to the tail of a horse.' Lu Jiang, Lu Tai, and I all come from the main branch of the Lu Clan."
This self-introduced old ancestor of the Lu Clan continued, "As Mountain Lord Chen said on the road here, I did indeed cultivate for many years in Lizhu Cave Heaven, even longer than my early years cultivating with the clan, so you and I can be considered half-townsmen."
Nan Zan felt a bit more settled.
The existence of this Lu Clan old ancestor was both a deterrent from that behemoth clan, forcing her to first be Lu Jiang of the main branch and then Nan Zan of Yuzhang Commandery, but he was also her current greatest pillar of support, her backing.
Although Lu Wei was not the head of the Central Continent Lu Clan, he was a grandmaster of the Yin Yang School only half a step away from ascending to the Flying Ascension realm. The depth of his cultivation and the height of his killing power lay not in offensive magic treasures or techniques, but in seizing the initiative.
If she had the choice, Nan Zan naturally wouldn't want any connection to the Lu Clan. A puppet on strings, life and death not in one's own hands.
Nan Zan wished she were just a legitimate daughter of the Nan Clan of Yuzhang Commandery, with some aptitude for cultivation, married to a good man, and had two good sons.
Day after day, she had finally managed to endure from daughter-in-law to mother-in-law, enduring until the disappearance of that Embroidery Tiger, enduring until her two sons became one emperor and one prince. She had smoothly transformed from the low-key Great Li empress into an empress dowager who could issue edicts and participate to some extent in Great Li court politics, unlike that naturally seductive daughter-in-law of hers, whose so-called empress identity only allowed her to chat about domestic trifles with some title ladies.
Chen Ping'an opened his eyes and asked, "That Great Li Earth Branch cultivator and Confucian scholar Lu Hui, is he also a legitimate son of your Central Continent Lu Clan's main lineage?"
Lu Wei smiled slightly. Truly a clan leader who started from scratch, his mind as swift as a flying sparrow, habitually thinking of what ordinary people couldn't.
Ordinary people, even knowing the rise of this Mountain Lord Chen, might pay more attention to his immortal opportunities.
But Lu Wei was far too familiar with the customs and inner secrets of Lizhu Cave Heaven. He knew deeply how difficult it was for an alley orphan with no support or roots to reach this point.
Lu Wei was very sincere in playing the mediator today, without any concealment. He shook his head and said, "That child Lu Hui is just a concubine-born from a side branch. He's different from Her Highness the Empress Dowager; even now he doesn't know his own origins."
Chen Ping'an said, "If I were that fisherman casting nets at the river's edge, I might recite an old saying several times a day: 'Heaven's net is vast and wide, it misses nothing.'"
Lu Wei nodded. "Excellent words of gold and jade. I deeply agree."
The old coachman who earlier drove the empress dowager to the alley to find Chen Ping'an had his main bet on Ma Kuxuan of Apricot Flower Alley, who later went to cultivate at True Martial Mountain.
And that woman Aunt Feng, though she and the old coachman both originated from ancient deities, had no real stance; she offended no one and cultivated good relationships everywhere.
Lu Wei and that Dragon-Boosting Scholar who had yet to appear before Chen Ping'an had once together bet on the Great Li Song Clan, which was then just a vassal of the Lu Clan.
As for Lu Wei's most proud move during his incubation in Lizhu Cave Heaven, it wasn't the behind-the-scenes help he gave the Great Li Song Clan's late emperor in planning the site selection for the old Five Sacred Mountains. Rather, it was earlier: Lu Wei personally cultivated two young men from Lizhu Cave Heaven, meticulously teaching them knowledge. Later, these two became the most famous restoration ministers in Great Li Song Clan history: Cao Hang and Yuan Xie, one civil and one military, the pillars of the state, helping Great Li survive its most perilous years, saving it from being completely annexed by the Lu Clan dynasty.
However, to hide his traces, Lu Wei had Aunt Feng take action to send the two out of Lizhu Cave Heaven.
And the fact that the doors of the entire continent were plastered with the door gods Yuan and Cao allowed Lu Wei to share a great deal of mountain and river qi luck, immensely benefiting his Dao, finally giving him a hint of loosening in the bottleneck of the Immortal realm.
Earlier at the Fire God Temple, Aunt Feng teased the old coachman, saying if push came to shove, to save himself, he might as well expose someone's background.
The someone Aunt Feng referred to was Lu Wei.
The old coachman was still quite stubborn, unwilling to lose face in front of Chen Ping'an, a mud-legged brat he once wouldn't even glance at, so he didn't do it.
But the bigger reason was that the old coachman had always believed that all four of the so-called "hard-to-deal-with ghosts" on the mountains combined couldn't compare to one fortune-teller.
Seeing the two of them chatting amiably, Nan Zan began to feel uneasy.
Was she going to be discarded as a pawn by the Lu Clan old ancestor? Or would she be used as a bargaining chip in a deal?
Lu Wei suddenly shifted his gaze, looking at that strange retainer behind Chen Ping'an, and asked with a smile, "Mountain Lord Chen, this Daoist friend who goes by the alias 'Mosheng,' he isn't from our Haoran homeland, is he?"
Even he couldn't discern the Dao origin or depth of cultivation of this qi refiner. At minimum, he started from the Immortal realm.
During the guidance earlier, Lu Wei had quietly performed some deductions, but it was a tangled mess with no trace.
Lu Wei also didn't dare to deduce excessively, afraid of alerting the enemy and causing himself unnecessary trouble.
But instinctively, Lu Wei always felt that this "Mosheng" of unknown origin, behind that gentle, respectful, thrifty, and humble smiling face, hid great murderous intent.
Chen Ping'an introduced, "Old Senior Lu is highly respected on the mountains, and with his years of cultivation, you can just call him Xiao Mo. Monks don't speak names, Daoists don't speak age—each has their rules. As for Xiao Mo's origin, where he cultivates, well, Xiao Mo is a drifting mountain-and-marsh wild cultivator; he doesn't discuss his masters."
Lu Wei shrugged it off with a laugh. He could only make some useless guesses based on a trace of wildness on the other's person—either an old sword immortal from the Sword Qi Great Wall who had hidden in the wildlands for many years and absorbed too much foreign qi luck, or simply an... demon cultivator who voluntarily surrendered to the Sword Qi Great Wall!
Similar to that old deaf man.
And the Flying Ascension and Immortal realm demon grandmasters of Haoran were almost all known at the mountain peaks, such as Guo Outing of Iron Tree Mountain with the Dao name Youming, and Liu Daochun, junior brother of Zheng Juzhong of White Emperor City, though he had now changed his name to Liu Chicheng. Lu Wei didn't think any of them matched the image of this "Mosheng." One must know that Lu Wei was among the top aura-viewing masters in the world. The so-called mountain-and-river concealment techniques of ordinary Immortals had no effect in Lu Wei's eyes.
Since Chen Ping'an had served as the final Hidden Officer for many years, both publicly and privately, he should indeed have such a sword-wielding retainer to stand for him, living or dying.
"The sun and moon shine together, all are fellow travelers."
Xiao Mo smiled warmly, his voice mellow, speaking in the most authentic Central Continent High Elegance speech: "So Old Lu doesn't need to distinguish between homeland and foreign lands. Just treat me as a junior on the path of cultivation."
Lu Wei looked at Chen Ping'an and sighed emotionally for no reason, "Sages and worthies are the substitutes of heaven and earth."
He raised his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. "Heroes and gallants are the manifestations of the stars."
Chen Ping'an paid no attention. He just glanced at the slowly burning Lamp-Lighting Talisman, then suddenly took out a mountain incense stick from his sleeve with two fingers—Yunxia Incense, recently bought from Cai Jinjian of Cloud Cloud Mountain.
He lightly tapped the incense stick on the stone table, as if standing it up in an incense burner. It was more like... offering incense to a grave for this Lu Wei sitting close at hand.
It was a reminder to this old senior of the Lu Clan who had been dormant in Lizhu Cave Heaven for many years: your so-called "half-townsman" sentiment, this incense friendship, amounts only to this much.
From now on, whether Lu Wei planned to reason with emotion, speak nonsense with a straight face, or manipulate some mysterious fate, it only took the time of one incense stick.
Once the time was up, don't let me see Old Senior Lu's face again.
Otherwise, it would be equivalent to a sword challenge.
Lu Wei remained calm and unconcerned.
The old immortal's qi-nurturing skill was indeed profound.
Nan Zan, however, was annoyed enough that her pretty face flushed slightly red, her eyes wide open as if she was about to blurt out curses.
But inwardly, she was secretly pleased. If she could drag the entire Central Continent Lu Clan into the water, she truly didn't believe this Mountain Lord Chen would still dare to act on impulse.
In her view, all vested interests would fight to the death to protect what they had gained. This was a simple, straightforward truth.
All protective talismans are simultaneously shackles. The more identities and titles Chen Ping'an had, according to common sense, the less likely he would be to risk a fight to the death with anyone.
Lu Wei said, "The Lu Clan is far too large, with branches flourishing. Let alone the different Daos and conflicts of interest between the main branch and the other branches, even within the main branch there are constant disagreements. That's why outsiders say that the Lu Clan's ancestral hall discussions must be the most mentally exhausting."
The first half of Lu Wei's words was not an exaggeration, and the second half wasn't insincere. The Lu Clan's single family scholarship occupied half of the Yin Yang School. At the clan's peak, it had one Flying Ascension and three Immortals. If not for Master Zou, whose divine dragon showed only its head and not its tail, the Lu Clan's status in Haoran would be even higher.
Master Zou speaks of Heaven, the Lu Clan speaks of Earth.
For example, in the last two hundred years in Bottle Gourd Continent, Li Tuanjing of Wind and Thunder Garden single-handedly suppressed all the sword cultivators of various peaks on Zhengyang Mountain.
The sun, moon, and stars guide celestial timing; mountains and rivers stir terrestrial qi. Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang interact, the two qi mingle, and myriad things grow within. Heaven sends down signs, sages choose them. Kan is the Way of Heaven, Yu is the Way of Earth, so geomancy is the foremost study of Heaven and Earth. The two qi of Heaven and Earth scatter with wind and stop at water boundaries, hence Feng Shui. Thus, Feng Shui is the ultimate in terrestrial studies.
In fact, the Lu Clan's geomancers and aura-viewers were no less skilled in observing celestial phenomena and gathering wind and water.
Moreover, the Yin Yang Lu Clan had an extremely hidden duty: to assist the City of Fengdu, ensuring that people dwell in brightness and ghosts dwell in darkness, keeping the two realms separate so they don't interfere with each other.
A hint of regret showed on Lu Wei's face. "So, many things seem inexplicable and often contradictory to outsiders."
"For instance, regarding the matter of the Great Li late emperor, in my view, that Lu Clan member from a side branch acted too hastily back then. And that person's rebuilding of the stone arch bridge into a covered bridge was even more against the Way of Heaven and contrary to human ethics."
Back then, that Yin Yang cultivator from Central Continent had ostensibly helped the Great Li dynasty construct an imitation of the White Jade Capital alongside the Moist Clan branch where the wandering swordsman Xu Ruo belonged.
The Great Li late emperor secretly cultivated, violating the rules set by the Sage Temple, becoming an Earth Immortal, and almost turned into a puppet. After the matter was exposed, that Yin Yang cultivator tried to flee but was killed by Prince Song Changjing within the capital.
Chen Ping'an laughed. "Seems like we're missing an 'it's come to this'? When fruit is ripe, it must be put in a basket, or it rots on the ground. So that person acted on his own and created disaster, and you're cleaning up the mess, making up for the fault in the end. That's the logic, right? This way of distancing yourselves, I've learned."
He reached out from his sleeve, a finger pressing on one of the green bamboo chopsticks on the table, sliding it gently toward the edge. The chopstick was slightly suspended in the air before Chen Ping'an stopped his motion and sneered, "Everything done at the time was wrong; in hindsight, it all makes sense. You Central Continent Lu Clan are so good at picking vegetables, why not become chefs?"
Lu Wei glanced at the chopstick, his eyelids trembling slightly.
In that split second, just that movement made Lu Wei's heartstring tighten.
This was absolutely not the aura of a Jade Pure realm sword cultivator.
The problem was, according to the clan's secret letter, Chen Ping'an had already returned that set of Fourteen Realm Dao techniques, and after his distant travel back to the city wall, he seemed to be seriously injured.
Nan Zan gritted her teeth, truly fitting the image of Lu Jiang.
Lu Wei sighed. "Regarding the Destiny Porcelain, Lu Jiang can make one more concession. If Mountain Lord Chen agrees to a small matter, Nan Zan will hand over the fragments and return them to their rightful owner."
Chen Ping'an's expression was blank. He glanced at Nan Zan, whose acting wasn't refined enough, then cast a sidelong look at Lu Wei, speaking indifferently, "From the sound of it, you plan to take full responsibility today?"
Chen Ping'an knew exactly what the Central Continent Lu Clan was scheming. He had seen through it earlier in the capital.
Don't forget, Chen Ping'an borrowed his set of Dao techniques from whom, and wore Lu Chen's Lotus Crown on his head.
Do you, Lu Wei, think you can imitate Master Zou?
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Shouldering all the burdens—can you, Lu Wei, bear them? If you can't eat it, you'll have to take it away. Can your Central Continent Lu Clan handle it?"
No matter how good Lu Wei's nurturing skill was, hearing this, his expression turned somewhat unnatural.
Mainly because these words touched one of the biggest sore spots in Lu Wei's life: in Lizhu Cave Heaven, he had once been driven to the point of begging for death by a scholar.
Lu Wei still seemed unwilling to give up. "Whether it's the Great Li dynasty or Bottle Gourd Continent, I am ultimately an outsider, just a passerby. Mountain Lord Chen is not the same."
"If a trivial matter that could have brought mutual benefit, a purely unnecessary conflict of pride, leads to a massive war, armies clashing, mountains and rivers shattered, living beings suffering—then what? Moreover, with the war between the two worlds imminent, if Great Li's situation changes, Bottle Gourd Continent changes. If Bottle Gourd Continent has any accident, one move affects the whole board. Things have their forms, people have their words. Our Lu Clan has a book called 'Earth Mirror Chapter': a spring fall leads to great floods, fish travel on human roads; an autumn fall leads to armies rising and kingdoms splitting, humans travel on bird paths. The consequences would be unthinkable. Does Mountain Lord Chen want to turn Bottle Gourd Continent, which now has no external troubles, into a second Tongye Continent?"
Lu Wei's expression was sincere as he sighed emotionally, "The ones who saved Bottle Gourd Continent from collapse are Mountain Lord Chen's two senior brothers."
Staring intently at this young man, Lu Wei said solemnly, "And the one who continued the incense fire of the Sword Qi Great Wall is the final Hidden Officer, Chen Ping'an!"
Finally, Lu Wei shook his head to himself. "Such a great situation, why let it fail at the last step? Such a bright future, why destroy it in a day?"
Chen Ping'an asked, "From the look of it, you seem to have taken the position of Great Li's new National Teacher for granted."
Lu Wei gave a dry laugh. "I wouldn't dare."
Chen Ping'an laughed. "Did I agree?"
Lu Wei had nothing to say.
At that moment, Lu Wei was somewhat dazed.
This young man in green robes seemed to have two images overlapping simultaneously.
Xiao Mo immediately chimed in, "Old Immortal Lu didn't ask about this matter, and my master didn't agree."
Chen Ping'an leaned forward slightly, actually reaching out with two fingers and snuffing out the mountain incense stick standing on the table.
In an instant, a beam of green sword light descended straight down.
Nan Zan closed her eyes almost instinctively.
When she opened them again, she saw a golden talisman cut in two fluttering down to the ground where the Lu Clan old ancestor had been sitting.
At the same time, Nan Zan noticed that the green chopstick had disappeared from the table beside Chen Ping'an.
Chen Ping'an wasn't surprised at all.
This was one of the great talismans pioneered by the Central Continent Lu Clan, called the "Truth Talisman," also known as the "Sever Corpse Talisman." It was a cut above the puppet talismans and substitution death talismans in the mountain talisman arts, because when a cultivator activated this talisman, it was almost identical to their true form, only costing a drop of one realm.
However, there were two limitations: the number of such talismans would not exceed three at once, and the cultivator's true body could not be too far from the talisman. With Lu Wei's Immortal realm cultivation, he couldn't go far.
Xiao Mo stood with one hand behind his back, the other lightly shaking his wrist, condensing a bright white long sword from sword qi. As he looked around, he couldn't help but sincerely praise, "My master's sword has already transcended the rut of sword techniques, nearly approaching the Dao."
These words were Xiao Mo's genuine opinion.
Any technique that can break through realm limitations is close to the Dao.
"Xiao Mo, find Lu Wei's true body."
Chen Ping'an beckoned, grabbing the split talisman in his hand. It was indeed made by smelting gold essence copper coins, imitating some innate divine ability of an ancient god.
Xiao Mo nodded, twisting his wrist, and the long sword instantly turned into millions of snowy white threads that vanished in a flash, as if spreading an invisible huge net over the entire Great Li capital.
Nan Zan saw that the young retainer beside Chen Ping'an was still smiling, now appearing to be listening intently. When he noticed her gaze, this "Xiao Mo" even nodded at her with great courtesy.
This gave the chilled Nan Zan goosebumps.
Chen Ping'an put the two halves of the talisman together on the table, and while the talisman's spiritual essence had not yet dissipated, he lowered his head to examine it carefully, not forgetting to remind the Great Li Empress Dowager, "Drinking wine can bolster courage."
Around the Great Li capital, talisman lights flashed one after another, fleeing in four directions as fast as rainbows.
It seemed to be one true body and three talismans, appearing in sequence, fleeing at different speeds—all misdirection.
Xiao Mo, however, ignored them all. Instead, he crouched down, bent his fingers, and knocked on the ground, laughing, "Come out."
His five fingers hooked like claws, and with a sudden yank, he grabbed Lu Wei's true body by the neck and dragged him out of the ground.
These Yin-Yang school qi refiners with their mystical arts were really too inept at fighting.
The sound of his heartstrings was as loud as thunder in Xiao Mo's ears.
And the key was, this guy had the audacity to use an earth-escape technique. What a joke.
Otherwise, it might have taken a few more blinks to find this Old Senior Lu's true body.
Xiao Mo carried an old immortal, walking slowly back to the latter's original position, then let go and gently set the old senior down.
Standing behind Lu Wei, Xiao Mo placed both hands on his shoulders and complained, "My master didn't let you leave, senior, so don't act on your own. Don't let it happen again."
Then Xiao Mo pressed his two fingers together and gently twisted. The four talismans that had already fled thousands of miles were all retrieved, as if pulled back by a single thread from Xiao Mo.
He glanced at his master. Chen Ping'an let the talisman on the table dissipate on its own, then looked up and laughed, shaking his head, "No relation, and it's not a festival. Forget the gifts."
So Xiao Mo had to bend down, lift one of the old immortal's sleeves, and casually tossed the four talismans inside.
If his master weren't present, Xiao Mo would have made Lu Wei eat them all back.
Lu Wei scowled and said, "At worst, it's just a matter of a lamp in the Lu Clan ancestral hall to prolong life. From now on, I hope Mountain Lord Chen will take care of himself."
In reality, within this Lu Clan old ancestor's small human-world, thousands of strands of sword qi were wreaking havoc.
Nan Zan's forehead beaded with fine sweat.
Chen Ping'an chuckled. With his left hand, he picked up the remaining chopstick, then extended his right hand, pressing five fingers lightly under the table surface. With a sudden lift, the table flipped in mid-air, and he reached out to press it down.
The food container and pastries scattered on the ground, the wine pot broke, and wine spilled everywhere.
Chen Ping'an's action of "overturning the table" startled Nan Zan greatly. Her panicked expression was no longer feigned.
Chen Ping'an asked, "Mountains and rivers shattered? You two, are you overestimating yourselves?"
Looking at the Great Li Empress Dowager across from him, who had finally stopped acting, Chen Ping'an said, "Actually, you aren't the one who's truly suffering. The ones who truly suffer are your two sons who exchanged names."
He shifted his gaze, staring at Lu Wei, and asked, "Really want to die once? Think it over carefully. But when you speak next time, remember to speak properly."
Nan Zan was silent.
Lu Wei was likewise.
The reason they held this drinking party today was that they had made a meticulous deduction and listed a long string of names.
Patrol Envoy Cao Ping. Guan Yiran. Liu Xunmei. Yuan Huajing and his Yuan Clan members, who were also Earth Branch cultivators. Nan Zan's daughter-in-law Yu Mian, and that absent-minded little girl Yu Yu.
Liu Jia, Zhao Duanming, and the Tianshui Zhao Clan.
The Great Li military might not recognize the closed-door disciple of the Wen Sheng lineage or the sword immortal mountain lord of Downfall Mountain.
But they recognized that "Hidden Officer" title. They did. Because both sides had crawled out of piles of dead people.
There was an even simpler truth: without the Sword Qi Great Wall's obstruction and delay, the Great Li iron cavalry would have lost even more people. Even if all the big trees in Yuzhang Commandery were felled for coffins, it wouldn't be enough.
Plus, when Chen Ping'an first arrived in the capital earlier, he had gone out of the city to lead the battlefield heroes back home. Both the Great Li Ministry of Rites and Ministry of Justice, even if they said nothing, had their own scales. Was that Sword Immortal Chen putting up a virtuous front, a hypocrite? Trying to win the favor of the two ministries? Both the Great Li court and battlefield sincerely promoted the doctrine of practical achievements.
And there was also Piyun Mountain, which was thick as thieves with Downfall Mountain, the Northern Sacred Mountain Lord Wei Bo, the Southern Sacred Mountain Lord Fan Junmao, and the Old Dragon City Sun Clan.
Yuan Tianfeng of the Imperial Observatory had, in his own way, already expressed his stance.
And that cunning Chief Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial was a close friend of Lord Guan of the Ministry of Personnel. Both had been scholars at Great Li's Old Cliff Academy.
The military officer at the guard post blocking the way at the main gate of the imperial city was from the Poyang Ma Clan, a pillar of the state. Though he wasn't a major figure of the Ma Clan, his attitude toward that young sword immortal largely represented the Ma Clan's attitude toward Downfall Mountain.
The female Earth Branch formation master, Han Zhoujin, though from the Clear Pond Blessed Land under the jurisdiction of the Shengao Sect, had her backing from the Yan Clan of Zizhao. The Zizhao Yan Clan had invested a great deal of incense connections and heavenly treasures in Han Zhoujin.
The middle-aged Daoist from the Chongxu Bureau in the Great Li capital came from the White Cloud Temple of the Qingluan Kingdom.
The Minister of Rites in the secondary capital, Liu Qingfeng. Wei Liang. The True Realm Sect in Letter Sea. Liu Laocheng, Liu Zhimao, Li Fuqu. Wind Snow Temple. Wind and Thunder Garden...
There were actually even more figures from the imperial court, mountain immortals, and battlefield generals, all caught up in this "huge net" spreading from Downfall Mountain.
If you added other continents, the Central Continent Sage Temple, the Flying Ascension City in the Colorful World... then the chessboard would be even larger, and the pieces even more numerous.
In fact, the table in front of Lu Wei and Nan Zan was a chess game encompassing the entire Great Li Song Clan.
The chess player.
A green-robed man sitting in seclusion.
At that moment, Nan Zan had a strange illusion: it seemed that young man across from her was saying that from today on, he was the Great Li National Teacher.