Chapter 1060: The War Begins
Chen Ping'an asked, "Back then, deep within the earth vein in Yuzhou, what exactly happened?"
Bai Jing had already reverted to her marten-cap maiden appearance. Instead of answering directly, she asked, "You know the general cause and process of that Water-Fire Conflict back then, right?"
Chen Ping'an replied, "I've only heard some rough inside details, mostly fragments and scattered words. I barely know a few key points."
That truly earth-shattering Water-Fire Conflict was, of course, the most important fuse.
Because the incense and offerings "worshipped" by sentient beings could temper a deity's golden body, this led to an irreconcilable conflict between two gods, both ranked among the Five Supremes, causing their Great Avenues to wax and wane. It could be called an unprecedented conflict of Avenues.
According to Qing Tong, the result of that fight was that the "Heavenly Pillar snapped, the Earth's Cord broke," causing the entire Heavenly Dao to tilt, which in turn made the movement trajectories of the sun, moon, and stars more pronounced, giving rise to many later Dao lineages. At the same time, countless participating deities fell to the earth like shooting stars, seas of fire spread everywhere, living beings were ravaged, and dust and turmoil arose across the human world. The originally perfectly flawless Heavenly Dao developed many loopholes. This was a calamity for all sentient beings on the human earth, and for "Daoists," it was the second great opportunity after the "rain of sorcery falling upon the world."
Bai Jing clearly didn't buy this explanation. She glanced at the young mountain master and smiled, "Is that really how it was?"
Chen Ping'an laughed, "Let me catch my breath first. We'll travel after I rest a moment."
Riding the wind beyond the heavens was extremely draining on a qi refiner's mind and spiritual qi. Even an Earth Immortal cultivator would feel like drowning in it, unable to breathe easily for long.
Fortunately, this vast void still had some scattered, overflowing tidal currents of qi that Chen Ping'an could absorb. However, given his current wind-riding speed, if he wanted to return to the Haoran World, even if he went all out and had enough spiritual qi reserves, it would probably take him a month or two. So, after Chen Ping'an stabilized the Five Elements Lifebound Objects within him and his chaotic spiritual qi, he would still need Bai Jing to clear the path and Xiao Mo to lend a hand.
The three sword cultivators stood in the void. Bai Jing looked down on the meager tidal currents of qi nearby. To her, it was like casting a net only to catch a few small fish—why bother with the effort?
Bai Jing chuckled, "Being personally invited by Lesser Master this time to journey beyond the heavens, the mountain master didn't gain much profit but put in a lot of effort."
Chen Ping'an humbly replied, "No credit, just some hard work. It's not worth mentioning."
Bai Jing probed, "Those six hundred Gold Essence Coppers borrowed from Zheng Juzhong of White Emperor City and Fu Lu Yu Xuan—do you really have to pay them back?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mo rubbed his forehead.
Chen Ping'an said bluntly, "A debt must be repaid; that's only natural. There's no logic in borrowing money and not returning it."
Bai Jing quickly changed her tune, "Right, right, right. Borrow and return, and borrowing again won't be hard. That's the principle."
Originally, she had wanted to kindly suggest to Mountain Master Chen that the White Emperor City city lord looked like an extremely troublesome fellow, so that money definitely had to be repaid. As for Fu Lu Yu Xuan, well, she thought they could stall him. After all, no written contract had been signed. Let Yu Xuan wait until he achieved the Fourteen Realm stage. Once he reached the Fourteen Realm, would he still have the nerve to mention money to Chen Ping'an? If they dragged it out a few more years, maybe they could settle it with Gu Yu Coins.
"Luopo Mountain's Quanfu Hall still has a surplus of three hundred Gold Essence Coppers. I'll repay Old Immortal Yu Xuan later. If you're willing to run the errand with this huge sum, I'll thank you in advance now."
Chen Ping'an really didn't feel comfortable sending such a huge sum via flying sword message to Tianfu Mountain's Tianjin Peak.
The Dao arena of Fu Lu Yu Xuan was located on Tianjin Peak. As the founding patriarch of Tianfu Mountain, this mountain was currently the only one in the Haoran World to simultaneously have an orthodox sect, an upper sect, and a lower sect.
There were always some idle wild cultivators who liked to target flying message swords.
Throughout history, many cross-continent flying swords carrying important treasures or letters had simply vanished without a trace, leading to countless messy mountain court cases.
Bai Jing asked, "Are you sure you trust me to roam the Central Continent alone? Aren't you afraid I'll raise Luopo Mountain's banner, bully others by flaunting my powerful connections, and stir up trouble outside?"
Chen Ping'an laughed, "Considering your actions from entering from the Beiju Luzhou continent all the way south to Luopo Mountain, I think I can rest assured."
Bai Jing glanced at Xiao Mo. If Xiao Mo was willing to accompany her to the Central Continent, she wouldn't mind taking the long trip. They could drink some wine along the way, get a little tipsy—wine was the go-between for lust, hehehe.
Xiao Mo said, "Now that the young master is injured, I won't leave the Great Li territory without authorization."
Chen Ping'an suddenly asked, "How much of the qi tidal current near the overlapping formation's Qing Dao trajectory area remains?"
Bai Jing immediately understood. No wonder Chen Ping'an was riding the wind so slowly like a turtle crawling—was he planning a flanking attack all along?
Waiting for Li Sheng and his group to leave before going back to clean up the battlefield and salvage the situation?
Xiao Mo gave a general answer, "After gathering it all, it's equivalent to an Immortal's spiritual qi reserves."
Bai Jing rubbed her hands together, grinning, "I'm just afraid that old crone who's skilled in this might have already returned and beaten us to it. Mountain master, if we're going, we'd better hurry."
Chen Ping'an nodded. His form transformed into eighteen white rainbow sword lights as he retraced his path.
Bai Jing whistled, clicking her tongue in amazement. He didn't look like he was injured at all!
During the swift sword flight, Bai Jing couldn't help but send a heart-to-heart message: "Xiao Mo, Xiao Mo, what did your young master see earlier that made him so angry he almost couldn't hold back from hacking at the Barren Wastes?"
"A fake Zong Yuan appeared on the Barren Wastes land."
"Who?"
"Zong Yuan. He was the most powerful sword cultivator on the Sword Qi Great Wall after the Great Sword Immortal. If he hadn't died in battle, Zong Yuan would have long been a Fourteen Realm Pure Sword Cultivator. The young master suspects that in that great battle back then, the Barren Wastes demons' ultimate goal was only one: kill Zong Yuan to prevent the Sword Qi Great Wall from producing a second Fourteen Realm. When Zong Yuan was alive, he had an excellent reputation. The young master greatly admired this senior."
The Snow Wind Temple Sword Immortal Wei Jin had received a sword manual from Chen Qingdu, passed down from Zong Yuan. Wei Jin, whom the Great Sword Immortal considered the best candidate to inherit Zong Yuan's sword path, had been unable to gain the "favor" of those few strands of ancient sword intent precisely because a young demon sword cultivator from among the Hundred Sword Immortals of Tuoyue Mountain, while forging swords on the city wall, used "Lu Fayin"—or rather, Zhou Mi's secretly taught Water-Moon View and White Bone View—to try to carve out a brand new sword cultivator Zong Yuan.
However, thanks to the Great Sword Immortal's words and Wei Jin's sufficient sword heart clarity, the Barren Wastes and the Sword Qi Great Wall each gained something.
Zhou Mi's scheme still succeeded. The task was accomplished, and "Zong Yuan" reappeared in the world.
Wei Jin, on the other hand, inherited the four strands of sword intent left behind by Zong Yuan. According to the Flying Ascension City's ancestral hall register, Wei Jin was already considered a sword cultivator of Zong Yuan's lineage.
Truly, starvation frightens the timid, while boldness fills the bellies.
And that Barren Wastes crone with her walking stick—Bai Jing's prediction came true. When Chen Ping'an and his group arrived near the old Qing Dao orbit, the crone was already swallowing the qi tidal currents within a ten-thousand-li radius. At the same time, she was gathering the unique Dao intent from the shattered "Qing Dao" in that area. The spiritual qi was just a bonus; the latter was the real key for why the crone risked returning to the beyond-heavens.
Bai Jing didn't say a word. She simply slashed out a sword. A snow-white long line instantly tore through the pitch-black, vast beyond-heavens void. Perhaps this was the way ancient great demons greeted each other.
Guan Yi appeared out of thin air, blocking the crone. He reached out and grabbed that white line. His palm shook, and the white sword light wrapped around his entire arm. Electricity burst forth, crackling loudly. Eventually, the sword light shredded one of Guan Yi's snow-white arms. But Guan Yi's shoulder twitched slightly, and a complete arm grew back.
Bai Jing asked suspiciously, "Guan Yi, for her to skim off this bit of qi and Dao intent, you're an outsider. There's no need to make an enemy of me over this, is there? Have all your brains grown on your chest?"
Guan Yi smiled bitterly, "I have a favor to ask, so I had to lend a hand."
Any cultivator with half a brain wouldn't want to get tangled up with someone like Bai Jing.
Bai Jing extended a palm and crooked her finger. "One thing at a time. We can negotiate."
Without any hesitation, Guan Yi tossed an ancient branch with green buds at Bai Jing. This was paying to avoid disaster.
The crone's form dissipated, and Guan Yi disappeared along with her. Xiao Mo turned his head to look down at a certain spot. Chen Ping'an shook his head, "Forget it. They came prepared. It's not wise to pursue them."
Bai Jing looked around and said, "Just leftovers. There's not much qi left."
Chen Ping'an said, "A mosquito's leg is still meat. I'll trouble Miss Xie to help. Gather whatever we can."
Bai Jing was reluctant, but thinking about the treasure she'd just obtained, she put on a bright smile. She raised one arm as if setting up a banner, shook it vigorously a few times, and the qi surged toward her frantically.
Chen Ping'an estimated the haul. It was equivalent to the wealth of a Jade Pu realm cultivator's qi residence. If he put this qi into the Lotus Flower Blessed Land and dispersed it into the heavens and earth, it might not be particularly significant for the entire blessed land. But if placed separately in a single Dao arena or immortal mansion—like Gao Jun's Lake-Mountain Sect, a Great Mountain Lord's mansion, or as a gift to the retired emperor of the Nanyuan Kingdom who had turned to mountain cultivation—it would be a considerable income.
As for the three bursts of qi tidal currents he'd earlier drawn through the overlapping formation, Chen Ping'an planned to give one each to Luopo Mountain and the Green Ping Sword Sect, and the last one to Red Pine Mountain in the Furong Cave Heaven on Secret Snow Peak.
Bai Jing condensed this burst of qi into a bead the size of a green apricot and tossed it to Chen Ping'an, so the trip wasn't in vain. Chen Ping'an put it into his sleeve. The reason this precious bead appeared green was that it contained the Dao intent of the Qing Dao trajectory. Compared to ordinary qi beads condensed into physical form by great cultivators using secret arts, it was naturally more precious.
As they rode the wind back to the Haoran World, Chen Ping'an casually asked, "Miss Xie, what's the origin of that branch piece?"
Bai Jing laughed heartily, "Heaven knows where that hag Guan Yi picked it up. It's not worth much."
Chen Ping'an imitated Bai Jing, extending a palm and crooking his finger.
According to their agreement, they'd split the spoils.
Bai Jing, who had been thinking all along about how to muddle through, had no choice but to raise her sleeve high. She reached inside and fumbled out three green beads as big as fists. Their qi and Dao intent were even more abundant and "solid." Chen Ping'an stacked the three beads in his palm, weighed them gently, then turned to Bai Jing with a smile, "I heard from Xiao Mo that you often set up a stall in the mountain markets at Beiju Luzhou, but your business was never very good. You didn't earn many coppers. Could it be because of short measures?"
Xiao Mo, rare for him, spoke a fair word for Bai Jing: "Young master, Bai Jing didn't secretly skim any off the top. It's equivalent to the qi reserves of two ordinary Flying Ascendance realm cultivators."
From this, it could be seen that the qi tidal currents Chen Ping'an had labored to earn through one overlapping formation didn't even match the amount Bai Jing casually gathered by activating a few magic treasures.
Chen Ping'an looked genuinely surprised, "We agreed on a fifty-fifty split, and that's what it is. I didn't expect Miss Xie's traveling stall to be such an honest, fair-dealing operation."
Bai Jing rubbed her marten cap. She was touched. Xiao Mo was siding with her today!
Actually, Chen Ping'an had intentionally asked that question. It was essentially giving Xiao Mo a free favor. Chen Ping'an cast the line, Xiao Mo took the bait, and Xie Dog bit the hook—everyone was happy.
Chen Ping'an gazed into the distance at a "Haoran World." Besides the sun-moon cycle, there were still five auxiliary stars. Among them was the bright red Mars star, whose trajectory was the most unpredictable, anciently called "Great Fire."
The sun, moon, and five stars together illuminated the world, so they were collectively called the Seven Luminaries. Among them, Wood was the year star, the largest in volume. It completed one orbit every twelve years, matching the earthly branches, hence its name.
After the "joint execution," the Military Forefather was imprisoned within that star symbolizing slaughter. Since ancient times, the voluminous records of various dynasties' imperial observatories regarding terrifying and suspicious celestial phenomena were mostly related to this star. Every time the astronomical phenomenon of Mars guarding the heart occurred, it was an invisible great test for the mortal monarchs of the world.
Chen Ping'an said, "You went off-topic earlier, Miss Xie. Let's continue."
According to information he'd overheard from the Changchun Palace waterside pavilion, deep within the Yuzhou earth vein, the other six cultivators of the Great Li Earthly Branches lineage should have met up with Bai Jing.
"How can setting the scene be considered going off-topic?"
Bai Jing smiled, defending herself. Then she pulled a thick stack of paper from her sleeve. The paper was extremely thin, so there were a great many sheets. The content depicted scenes from ancient times. Each page could be considered a unique copy.
If bound into a book and flipped through quickly, it would look like a children's picture book sold in market bookstores.
Bai Jing tossed it to Chen Ping'an, "Consider this a loan, just so we're clear."
Chen Ping'an received the stack of paper depicting various celestial phenomena and smiled for no particular reason.
Actually, it looked more like the textbooks Little Coal Black had used when attending school. In the blank margins of each page, she would draw little figures.
The old cook had once secretly hidden one as evidence of Pei Qian's "hard work in studying," replacing it with another book. He'd even deliberately tried to draw identical little figures.
But Pei Qian was sharp as a tack. Somehow, she discovered something was off. At the time, she was frantically searching, worried her master might accidentally see it. In the end, Pei Qian couldn't find that "runaway" book despite turning the place upside down. She suspected a thief in the family, so with one hand gently tugging the ear of the Riding Dragon Alley Right Guardian and one foot heavily stomping on the tail of the Riding Dragon Alley Left Guardian, she forced them to confess and leniency would be given.
Chen Ping'an first glanced at all the "pages" whipping past in his hand, then looked through them again from the beginning, this time more slowly.
One page had two blank spots, one in the northwest and one in the southeast. One looked like a hole burned through by fire, the other was stained and soaked through by water.
From his earlier casual chat with Qing Tong, Chen Ping'an had used a very earthy but fitting analogy: it was like later generations burning and tilling the fields, turning barren land into fertile soil through the rich, abundant qi. The scattered corpses of many deities themselves became the source of heavenly and earthly qi.
In good years, the harvest was abundant. Countless cultivators found themselves amidst this, each encountering their own opportunities and creations. They occupied various favorable feng shui locations and established Dao arenas, gathering heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Across the human earth, "exposed" Daoist meridians were everywhere. As for later phenomena like Lei Han—originally secret "heavenly books"—they were countless. This was because, besides the golden body fragments of many fallen deities from the Water and Fire Departments of the Heavenly Court, the generals of the highly authoritative Thunder Department were inevitably swept up in this internal strife. To put it plainly, during that era when geniuses emerged in abundance and "Daoists" sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain, the opportunities on the ground were "there for the taking, no need to seek neighbors."
Bai Jing sighed deeply, "By the time the Heaven-Ascent Battle ended, the human cultivators had finally turned the tables and become masters."
"Then came that internal struggle that split everyone into two camps."
"The losing side had it rough. Nobody got any good fruit."
Why had she and the group of great demons like Xiao Mo slept for ten millennia? Wasn't it because they lost that fight and had to hide to heal their wounds?
But the worst off was naturally the Military Forefather, who had been a leader on one side. He could have directly established a school and become a patriarch. Back then, the Three Religions' Founders of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism had no objection to this. It was only because he wanted to occupy that ancient Heavenly Court ruins that the result was the "joint execution."
However, Bai Jing still greatly admired this man. He was completely worthy of being called a "true man"!
And this Military Forefather's ambition was completely unconcealed. He laid it all out openly without any trickery, and when he did something, he overturned the table!
So this time, although Bai Jing seemed to ditch her post and leave the Barren Wastes alone to find Xiao Mo and become Dao companions—which was, of course, the main reason—she also harbored a secret selfish motive: if this Military Forefather made a comeback and there was a similar fight, she had to be counted in again!
"After that, Lesser Master acted, cutting off heaven from earth."
But he left an invisible great door, or rather a passage, for later cultivators of the world—a step for advancement.
This was that, aside from things like refining the sun and worshipping the moon, qi refiners could also draw power from the celestial bodies scattered beyond the heavens—the corpses of deities—through their own fate principles and sorcery. From this, they absorbed heavenly and earthly qi, continuously strengthening the "One" of each world.
And it was Dao Ancestor who led the way.
The Three Religions' Founders by the riverside agreed to the ten-thousand-year period back then because Dao Ancestor had long seen this "One." After its constant expansion, they, as Fifteen Realm cultivators, would inevitably face an unavoidable "Daoization" in their respective worlds.
To put it precisely, it was a kind of assimilation.
Afterwards, Li Sheng, together with Bai Ze who had "betrayed" the demon race, jointly cast the Nine Tripods, leading to the later almost overflowing Mountain-Searching Charts.
Later, Master San Shan Jiu Hou was invited out of seclusion to jointly formulate the new rites.
Bai Jing turned her head to gaze into the deep beyond-heavens, sighing endlessly, "In the boundless beyond-heavens void, countless suns and moons are actually suspended. The Mars is the same."
Chen Ping'an nodded.
Bai Jing continued, "But even among sun and moon-type objects, there are levels of rank, just like the countless minor officials in the various nations of the Vase Bottle Continent today."
"Only a very few can become regional governors."
"That great sun I had my eye on had a good background and a relatively high rank. Ten millennia ago, I was set on opening it up as a Dao arena. According to the rules back then, it would become my personal territory."
Xiao Mo finally spoke to refute her: "You wanted to refine it into a Lifebound Object, didn't you?"
Bai Jing's cultivation aptitude was simply too good. On her cultivation path, she never had concerns about biting off more than she could chew. To make an analogy: in the same day's time, while Xiao Mo spent the whole day concentrating on sword refinement, Bai Jing might achieve the same result in half a day. Then, instead of idling away the other half, she would go learn to refine objects like Lan Qi or practice those heterodox paths that ancient Earth Immortals tried to access.
Perhaps the grinning "Xie Dog" before them was precisely the... dregs that Bai Jing had deliberately peeled away. That was why the marten-cap girl seemed so idle and irresponsible all day.
Bai Jing laughed heartily, "Xiao Mo knows me best."
Then she complained, "Don't interrupt, Xiao Mo."
"This great sun I carefully selected had the potential to develop sentience and transform into a Golden Crow. Even if I didn't eat it, keeping it as a pet—like that beautiful woman Wang riding that white deer, which was born from a bright moon—would be excellent for passing the time during cultivation breaks. But human plans can't compete with heaven's calculations. I cultivated there for centuries, and in the end, it was still affected by that internal war. It was hit square on by the vast Dao energy stirred up by Dao Ancestor's sleeve. *Pfft*, it fell to the ground. I barely managed to grit my teeth, muster my courage, and risk my life to escort it along its path, saving it from breaking apart. I made a pact with it early on: we would meet again if fated! Mountain Master Chen, you're a scholar. Come judge this fairly. Be honest—who does this great sun belong to?! How can the Great Li court fight me for it?! They know nothing but bullying a young girl who's far from home, alone, vulnerable, and frail—aren't they ashamed?!"
Chen Ping'an said, "When substance exceeds refinement, there is wildness; when refinement exceeds substance, there is pedantry. When refinement and substance are balanced, then one is a gentleman."
The marten-cap girl looked blank. "What does that mean? Is it a compliment?"
Seeing her feigning ignorance, Xiao Mo explained, "The young master is advising you to speak less nonsense, to be more concise, and to talk more about serious matters."
Chen Ping'an laughed, "You misunderstand. It was actually self-reflection."
Bai Jing nodded vigorously. "I know, I know! It's your Huaihuang County custom—curse yourself first, and you've already won half the argument."
Chen Ping'an didn't take her sarcasm to heart. "Don't get off-topic. How did you handle that great sun?"
Bai Jing replied, "What else could I do? Just like Mountain Master Chen—make peace and prosper. Smile when you're out and about, and don't hit a smiling face."
It turned out that Bai Jing had made a deal with the Great Li Song clan. She had essentially lent it to the Great Li court temporarily. Ownership belonged to Bai Jing, while usage rights belonged to the Great Li Song clan, and it was placed in that new blessed land.
However, she could open a Dao arena within the sun, and no other cultivator could touch it.
The lease period for this "Dao arena" was one thousand years, with payments settled every hundred years.
The down payment and subsequent interest needed to be settled in Gold Essence Coppers, delivered to her on time. If she wasn't at Luopo Mountain—for instance, if she had already returned to the Barren Wastes—the Great Li Song clan still had to find a way to meet her privately. Otherwise, she wouldn't hesitate to turn hostile.
Chen Ping'an said, "If Miss Xie isn't at Luopo Mountain, isn't giving it to Xiao Mo the same? What are you worried about? Are you afraid Xiao Mo might embezzle it?"
Bai Jing sniffed, feigning grievance, "We're not Dao companions. There's no clear relationship, just messy entanglements. People would laugh at us. I'm not that kind of casual woman."
Ignoring this, Chen Ping'an pretended to have a sudden realization, "So that means Miss Xie is actually quite well-off. You could casually pull out three to five hundred Gold Essence Coppers, no problem?"
Here it comes.
Bai Jing reached up to rub her marten cap and started playing dumb, even whistling.
As long as she was more shameless than Mountain Master Chen, then Mountain Master Chen couldn't do anything to her.
Actually, there was one matter Bai Jing deliberately left out, mainly because she was worried that the petty-minded Mountain Master Chen would settle the score later.
There was no need to bring up past events again, anyway, since nothing had come of it.
Deep within that earth vein, as compensation for allowing Li Xi Sheng to open the box, Bai Jing had proposed a condition. Since he liked taking things upon himself so much, she made that young scholar who claimed to have crossed worlds take one of her swords, as light as a goose feather.
And the guy actually stupidly agreed.
Not only that, but he actually took that sword strike without a scratch.
Although Bai Jing had worried that if she put her full power into a single strike, he would be finished, and she would be kicked out of Luopo Mountain by Chen Ping'an and Xiao Mo, even without her going all out, a "casual" sword strike from a Flying Ascendance realm consummate sword cultivator—how could a qi refiner who was barely fifty years old withstand it? Even if he didn't die, he should have lost half his life.
But to her surprise, after she delivered that sword, Li Xi Sheng was still full of energy. This greatly frustrated Bai Jing. How was it that every young man she met was so tough?
Had her Flying Ascendance realm swordsmanship become so worthless after ten millennia?
Or were cultivators in the Haoran World today just casually grasping the true meaning of the "No Realm"?
So, when she saw that Li Gou beyond the heavens, who was cut from the same cloth as Li Xi Sheng, she couldn't help but be furious.
How could Bai Jing know about the relationship between the young Confucian she had seen and the Great Master of the Jade Capital?
According to the Ultimate Sage, if Kou Ming had been born in ancient times, he might not necessarily have made it onto the list of the Ten Ancients, but he would definitely have secured a spot as an alternate.
And the distinction between the Ten Ancients and the alternates wasn't solely based on realm and cultivation level; it was more about the merit of "pioneering paths."
Take Lan Qi, who pioneered the path of object refinement. In terms of combat skill, despite her mountain of accumulated treasures, she was actually inferior to some of the alternates.
But that didn't prevent her from being one of the highly respected Ten Ancients.
Chen Ping'an asked, "Miss Xie, have you decided which path of union to take?"
Xie Dog glanced at Xiao Mo, her face full of resentment. She was utterly wronged. Did you have to tell outsiders about this kind of thing, Xiao Mo? Can't you tell who's one of us and who's an outsider?
Chen Ping'an continued, "A single spark of sword light is infinitely small. That inevitably means you can't bypass finding the smallest 'One' that makes up the world. It's too difficult. Lu Chen of the Jade Capital is a negative example. It's led to him still not finding a path to the Fifteen Realm outside of establishing a school and becoming a patriarch. So I think pursuing the infinitely large might have a higher chance of success."
He had to admit that in the depths of Chen Ping'an's heart, Lu Chen actually had a better chance of reaching the Fifteen Realm than that "True Invincible."
After all, no one had yet dared to claim they had found the smallest 'One' of all things.
The Dao Ancestor might have found it, but the Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao—speaking of it misses the point?
However, pursuing the infinitely vast world, though seemingly vague, was actually relatively simpler. Of course, this was only relative.
His two Lifebound Flying Swords, the Sparrow in the Cage and the Moon in the Well, were currently on this path of elevating their rank. Whether they could open new paths and gain new divine powers in the future could only be decided step by step.
Chen Ping'an smiled, "And this sword path, which strives for breadth and limitlessness, is perfectly suited to Miss Xie's personality."
Xie Dog hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, "Chen Ping'an, you're still thinking too simply."
"Why do you say that?"
"Many, many years ago, I once accidentally stepped into a great hall and saw that kind of concretized 'imagination.' It was a bizarre realm that couldn't be described in words. As long as you dared to think, it seemed anything could be realized. True and false, real and illusory, were completely reversed. No, I can't even say 'reversed'—the real and the illusory were already confused, with no boundaries at all. I don't know how many Earth Immortals were trapped within, their Dao hearts sinking like deep mud, unable to extricate themselves, gradually decaying and dying."
Hearing this, Xiao Mo finally spoke, "It is said that only the Buddha can fully suppress this realm. Even the Dao Ancestor and the Ultimate Sage could only retreat unscathed."
"The Buddha, sigh. He is the only transcendent existence who has truly broken free from all 'obstructions.' Indeed, he is unfathomably powerful."
Xie Dog's face was full of envy as she nodded vigorously, "It is said that the Buddha's manifestations are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, reaching the past, present, and future. No matter how powerful we sword cultivators are, we can't compare."
Chen Ping'an smiled, "Miss Xie, you still haven't said how you left that great hall."
Xie Dog scratched her face, showing a rare hint of embarrassment, "An embarrassing matter, better left unsaid."
After that, Chen Ping'an had Xiao Mo help, and their wind-riding speed increased dramatically. Along the way, they passed near the year star. The powerful turbulence and fierce astral winds would probably tear an Earth Immortal cultivator to shreds if they made a single misstep and got caught up in them. However, it was an excellent place for a Martial Arts Stop Realm practitioner to temper their body. The effect was as good as "striking the tide." But due to the rules of the Confucian Temple, Pure Martial Artists couldn't casually ride the wind beyond the heavens. This was probably related to the Military Forefather stationed on the Mars star.
Just as they brushed past this year star in the distance, Chen Ping'an suddenly sensed a trace of aura. He immediately turned to look and vaguely saw the faint figure of a man in Confucian robes.
Through the ages, who knows who played an iron flute, its clear sound piercing the air?
Chen Ping'an immediately had Xiao Mo stop the flying sword and bowed with clasped hands towards this unknown Confucian saint.
By the time Chen Ping'an straightened up from his bow, the figure had already dissipated in the celestial wind vortex, showing no intention of exchanging pleasantries with them.
After Chen Ping'an and his group continued on their way, Li Sheng appeared at the edge of a vortex on the year star. A scholar sat in the center of the vortex, a stone platform before him with two stacks of books: one stack of nine and one of fourteen. The top two books were inscribed with "Liuxia Prefecture" and "Zhu Prefecture." When the scholar saw Li Sheng, he did not rise to greet him; he simply addressed him as "Lesser Master."
The scholar asked, "Have you found helpers for the next decade?"
Li Sheng nodded, "Next time, we'll have plenty of manpower. We can even call along a group of young people."
The scholar looked into the distance and said, "The ten-thousand-year sentence is almost over."
Li Sheng said, "..."
Li Sheng asked with a smile, "Did you meet them?"
The scholar nodded, "As expected, this last disciple of the Wensheng lineage didn't mind the trouble to return beyond the heavens to scavenge. He really is good material for doing business."
Li Sheng said, "Vu Sheng once suggested letting Chen Ping'an secretly enter the Confucian Temple to serve as the God of Wealth for a while, using his expertise to handle the allocation of materials from the entire Haoran World into the Barren Wastes. But Old Scholar scolded him soundly, and that was the end of it."
Visitors here were few. Besides Confucians, the only qi refiners were the Wealth God Liu of the Aiai Prefecture and Merchant Fan.
As they neared the Haoran World, Xie Dog casually remarked, "Mountain Master Chen, that Pure Yang True Man showed off some rather impressive swordsmanship just now. Who did he learn that from?"
Chen Ping'an replied, "The Pure Yang senior was self-taught. He had no mountain master."
Xie Dog curled her lip, clearly not believing him. She then asked, "You seem quite afraid of that man surnamed Zheng?"
Chen Ping'an smiled, "I'll give you a piece of advice. If one day you sever ties with Luopo Mountain and still want to roam freely in the Haoran World, you can provoke anyone except that Mr. Zheng."
Xie Dog chuckled, "A Fourteen Realm cultivator. Who would dare provoke him?"
Xiao Mo said solemnly, "Bai Jing, even if Mr. Zheng were only at the Flying Ascendance realm, you must not pick a quarrel with him for no reason."
Xie Dog smiled sweetly, feigning shyness, "Xiao Mo, I've changed my name. From now on, call me Plum Blossom."
Ignoring this "flirting" between the ten-thousand-year-old enemies, Chen Ping'an suddenly said, "Let's take a detour. We'll enter through a different Heavenly Curtain Gate and go to the Central Continent first."
Xiao Mo simply nodded. Xie Dog rubbed her hands together, "What for?"
To cause trouble?
She recalled that just a while ago, the True Man of Pure Yang Daoist Title, together with Yu Xuan, had followed a lead and struck a sword down toward the Central Continent.
Could it be that Chen Ping'an was rushing off to demand an explanation? No overnight grudges? Mountain Master Chen, your temper is awful.
Chen Ping'an laughed, "What for? This mere Nascent Soul realm qi refiner is just borrowing power to bully others."
The accompanying sacrificial sage guarding one of the Central Continent's Heavenly Curtain Gates was a burly, bearded old man. When he heard that the group wanted to enter the Central Continent this way, he didn't say a word and simply opened the gate.
The young Hidden Official clasped his fists in thanks. Xiao Mo followed. Xie Dog actually lifted her skirt and performed a curtsy.
The old man found it awkward. That marten-cap girl had such light footsteps. Ha, she was truly virtuous, a lady of noble upbringing. Having such a fine match for Xiao Mo was truly... lucky for him!
After entering the gate, three brilliant sword lights streaked downward like falling lines, heading straight for the Yin-Yang Lu Clan in the Central Continent.
Three uninvited guests: two Flying Ascendance realm sword cultivators—one at the peak, one at consummation. The latter was already standing at the door, only one step away from the Fourteen Realm.
Of course, Xiao Mo had also briefly achieved this "consummate" state.
Chen Ping'an and Xiao Mo both dove headfirst in an inverted plunge. Xie Dog, however, crossed her arms over her chest, clutching the marten cap she had just taken off. She let the celestial wind blow through her hair, which spread out like an umbrella, revealing her smooth, full forehead.
Xiao Mo asked, "Young master, what about the Lu clan's grand formation down there?"
Chen Ping'an squinted and smiled, "If there's a formation, we break it. If there are people, we fight them."
Xie Dog grinned, "Mountain Master Chen, Master Chen, I find myself liking you more and more."
Chen Ping'an teased, "I'm a family man, Miss Xie. Don't get any ideas and break Xiao Mo's heart."
Xie Dog scratched her face, "Xiao Mo, don't worry. That definitely won't happen. I swore I'd like you for at least another ten thousand years."
Xiao Mo remained stone-faced, turning a deaf ear.
Perhaps in a good mood, Xie Dog suddenly accelerated. She shattered the Lu clan's layered grand formation directly with her feet, and the sound of shards of glass breaking echoed through the air.
By the time Chen Ping'an and Xiao Mo drifted down to the highest Lu clan restricted area, the Observatory Platform, Xie Dog had already bored a hole through the half-standing platform, her body slanted as she drove herself into the ground.
The marten-cap girl shook her shoulders, pulling her legs out of the ground one by one. Then, with a cry of "Ouch," she fell backward to the ground, holding her knees. She started rolling around, crying out in pain loudly.
Chen Ping'an expressionlessly, for no reason, recalled that "staged accident" during his early travels through the Mural City. And looking at Xie Dog now, her acting was just as poor.
Wearing a green long robe, hands tucked into his sleeves, he stood atop the half-standing Observatory Platform, looking down at the Lu clan, which covered an area as vast as a dynastic city.
Xiao Mo, with his yellow hat and green shoes, holding a green bamboo staff, sent a heart-to-heart reminder to Bai Jing: Stop pretending. Can you really squeeze some medical fees out of the Lu clan?
Chen Ping'an extended a hand, pointing to a heavily guarded area near the Observatory Platform—all sword qi had been deflected. "That's probably the Zhilan Office."
The Lu clan's ancestor had once been the Grand Diviner, one of the Six Officers of the Confucian Temple.
One of the extremely important duties of successive Grand Diviners of the Confucian religion was to guard that scripture known as the ancestor of all scriptures. Additionally, there were two auxiliary scriptures not shown to outsiders. One was kept in the Merit Forest's Lin Platform, under the daily supervision of the scripture scholar Xi Ping. The other great scripture, the first edition and first engraving, was hidden in this Yin-Yang Lu clan's Zhilan Office. Relying on this scripture, the Lu clan—known as "Master Zou discusses the heavens, the Lu clan discusses the earth"—was able to derive the Earth Mirror chapter, an important branch. Based on this Earth scripture, Lu clan experts blazed a new trail, different from Master Zou's theory of the Five Elements overcoming each other. Starting with the Gen hexagram, human fate principles were like continuous mountains. This allowed the Immortal Lu Wei, who had been hidden in the Pearly Bead Cave Heaven for years, to help his family establish a complete geomancy map using the secret methods of surveying the Three Primaries and Nine Fortunes, and the Six Jia Talisman Keepers. This map used Chen Ping'an as a coordinate, allowing a small group of hidden "Lu clan Sky Watchers" and "Observatory Platform Timekeepers" to observe the Dao through Chen Ping'an's mountain-and-river routes and growth trajectory.
The Lu clan's Observatory Platform and the Zhilan Office complemented each other.
Xiao Mo smiled, "I wonder if that Senior Lu will show his face tonight."
Chen Ping'an said, "In his own territory, he should at least have the courage to meet a couple of old friends, right? Compared to me, I'm sure our Senior Lu would rather not see you."
Indeed, during that last gathering in the Great Li capital's imperial palace, Lu Wei had suffered greatly at Xiao Mo's hands.
Xiao Mo's swordsmanship had spread like a white spiderweb across the entire capital, breaking through the cloaking technique. He had successfully dragged Lu Wei out of the earth, grabbed him by the neck, and sat him back down at the table.
Xiao Mo had also sliced off Lu Wei's head and placed it on the table.
Only then did Chen Ping'an have the chance to display his Thunder Formation, trapping Lu Wei's soul. The Immortal was forced to condense his mind into a single grain, witnessing many bizarre, kaleidoscopic scrolls of time.
Ultimately, unable to withstand the torment, he completely lost his mental focus. Lu Wei's previously nearly flawless Dao heart shattered into pieces. The Immortal, who had originally hoped to break through to the Flying Ascendance realm, thus fell to the Jade Pu realm.
Xiao Mo said, "It seems the Lu clan has withdrawn a few of their offensive formations."
Chen Ping'an smiled, "Otherwise, do you expect Yin-Yang family seniors like Lu Wei to launch an attack against you?"
Xiao Mo smiled knowingly.
Indeed, that Lu Wei was a paper-thin Immortal. His physical body was so ridiculously weak it was almost unbelievable. He was utterly useless against an attack.
Five people came out together from the Zhilan Office and stopped at the foot of the Observatory Platform.
These Lu clan cultivators had different appearances but shared one temperament: an air of cold detachment, like blue cranes.
These highly respected Lu clan experts stood in a row, but their heights varied greatly, resembling an uneven waterline.
The one in the center, possessing the highest seniority and cultivation realm, had the appearance of a young man. He was the current Lu clan patriarch, Lu Shen, with a strange Daoist title: "Edge of the Sky."
Among them was Lu Wei.
There was a barely noticeable green line at Lu Wei's neck.
Seeing that smiling green-robed swordsman again, Lu Wei appeared calm on the surface, but deep inside he harbored intense hatred!
He had almost been worn down and annihilated by this seemingly kind but actually dangerous young Hidden Official in that Thunder Formation's purgatory, also known as the "Heavenly Prison."
Xie Dog sat on the ground. Unfortunately, the place was spotless; if it had been covered in dust, she would have looked even more pitiful. She wouldn't settle for less than a hundred Gold Essence Coppers in compensation. She wasn't a beggar.
Lu Shen raised his head, clasped his hands, and said calmly, "Honored guests arrive. I apologize for not welcoming you from afar."
Chen Ping'an didn't pay any attention to this Lu clan patriarch at all. He simply flicked his sleeve, and a demon cultivator appeared beside him: Yin Lu, the vice governor of the Immortal Hairpin City, and the beloved disciple of the great demon Xuan Pu.
Chen Ping'an smiled, "Yin Lu, don't you recognize your old friend, Daoist Brother Lu? Aren't you going to say hello?"
Earlier, Lu Wei's consciousness had once arrived at the entrance of a house whose door was not closed. Inside, a fellow sat on the ground, diligently writing a book.
It was none other than Yin Lu, the vice governor of the Barren Wastes' Immortal Hairpin City. The young Hidden Official had captured one of his soul-hun and one of his soul-po, causing his true body to fall to the Jade Pu realm. This "clone" was locked up in the room by Chen Ping'an. According to the agreement, he couldn't "leave" for the rest of his life unless he wrote a million characters and ensured good quality.
So during this time, this "Yin Lu" had been racking his brains, meticulously recording the secrets and anecdotes of his home world, barely scraping together five hundred thousand characters.
This vice governor couldn't help but sigh daily. Writing a book was truly a difficult task.
Yin Lu, with a perfect imitation of a Daoist greeting, said, "Daoist Brother Lu, we meet again."
It was rare to be let out for some air, but he had to tread lightly. The qi refiners on the ground, if Yin Lu guessed correctly, were those undying fossils of the Central Continent's Lu clan.
Lu Wei could only pretend to be deaf and dumb.
He certainly couldn't start exchanging pleasantries with that Barren Wastes demon, could he?
Lu Wei was from the Lu clan's main lineage. The Confucian scholar Lu Hui, one of the Great Li Earthly Branches cultivators, was not a direct descendant of the main lineage. Unlike Empress Dowager Nan Zan, who had learned the truth through that string of Lingxi Beads, Lu Hui was still kept in the dark. In the Pearly Bead Cave Heaven, Lu Wei had bet on the Great Li Song clan, especially secretly fostering Cao Hang and Yuan Xie, who later became the two pillars of the Great Li revival. These two—one civil, one military—would later become door gods posted at the gates of every prefecture. This earned Lu Wei a steady stream of "dividends," and a crack appeared in his Immortal realm bottleneck. If he hadn't gone to the Great Li capital to plead for Lu Jiang, accidentally capsizing in the gutter, this Immortal Lu Wei would have achieved his merit and returned to the Central Continent Lu clan to go into seclusion and seek the Flying Ascendance realm.
Domestic shame should not be aired. Back at the Great Li imperial palace, whether because of long-suppressed grievances that he had to vent, or for some other ulterior motive, Lu Wei did pour some of his bitterness to Chen Ping'an. According to this Immortal, the Lu clan was simply too large. There were endless conflicts between the main lineage and its branches, as well as within the main lineage itself. It wasn't purely a matter of conflicting interests; there were also many subtle differences in their Dao paths. So, to an outsider looking in through a fog, the results of the Lu clan's ancestral hall meetings often seemed contradictory to the actual actions taken once people left the hall.
Lu Shen, who seemed to have been left hanging, remained composed. He simply continued on his own, "I'd like to ask Mountain Master Chen one thing. Was that six-character thunder seal with reversed characters crafted by one of my ancestors?"
According to the Lu clan register, someone as old as Lu Wei had to address Lu Chen as "Grandfather."
And this Lu Wei had been trapped by that seal, most likely personally forged by Lu Chen. He almost had his soul scattered, only managing to reshape his physical body through an ancestral hall life-sustaining lamp, starting his cultivation all over again.
Chen Ping'an asked knowingly, "An ancestor? The Lu clan genealogy is so thick. I'm an outsider visiting the Lu clan for the first time. How would I know which one you're referring to, Patriarch Lu?"
Among them, a young woman of average beauty standing beside the "young man" actually burst out laughing.
Even though they shared the same surname, she showed absolutely no face to the patriarch Lu Shen.
This showed that the internal factionalism within the Yin-Yang Lu clan was no exaggeration.
And she was indeed qualified to not give Lu Shen face, because the Lu clan had a Dao lineage whose importance was no less than that of the Sky Watchers' lineage.
It was responsible for assisting the Netherworld Capital, ensuring the separation of the living and the dead, and the distinct paths of the dark and the bright. This lineage of Lu clan "Land Officials" had a very close relationship with the Netherworld Capital and the City God temples across the world.
And she happened to be the founding matriarch of this lineage.
Lu Shen had taken the initiative to speak twice, and Chen Ping'an had ignored him both times.
The marten-cap girl sitting on the ground deliberately added fuel to the fire, "You can endure this? Are you an old turtle? They say don't hit a man's face. Being so humiliated by a young junior—you should roll up your sleeves and fight!"
Then Xie Dog cried out again, remembering she was still severely injured. She rubbed her knees, shuddered, and yelled about the pain. She was lame, she was lame.
A gaunt, tall old man with a refined appearance was deeply indignant. When had the Lu clan's ancestral land ever been treated so childishly and arrogantly by outsiders?
Even when the Confucian Temple's patriarch or libationer came to visit the Lu clan, they still followed the rites meticulously. The respect they showed was never lacking!
Chen Ping'an stepped to the edge of the Observatory Platform, gently stamped his foot, kicking half a green brick to the ground. He stared at the Lu clan patriarch, "If it weren't for my friend Lu Tai, I would definitely visit the Zhilan Office today and borrow a few books before leaving."
Last time, Chen Ping'an had reminded Lu Wei to pass a message to the Central Continent Lu clan: stop meddling in the Great Li's affairs from now on.
He had also been completely open with Lu Wei: your appearance, Lu Wei, was tantamount to the Lu clan striking the first sword. He, Chen Ping'an, and Luopo Mountain had officially received it.
For mountain cultivators, this was essentially a complete falling out.
Hearing an outsider mention Lu Tai, several old men looked displeased.
Because Lu Tai, a rebellious, unfilial descendant from the main lineage, had almost brought a catastrophic disaster upon the entire clan.
A reverse-hanging ancient well had appeared in the sky above the entire Observatory Platform, its mouth facing downward, blotting out the sun. Of all the Sky Watchers gathered on the platform, three fell in realm on the spot. And the rarity of each Lu clan Sky Watcher was unimaginable to outsiders. If it hadn't been for Patriarch Lu Shen immediately activating two heavy treasures enshrined in the ancestral hall at the onset of this celestial anomaly, barely blocking the descent of the well, the entire Observatory Platform, and even the Zhilan Office—which absolutely could not withstand the slightest turbidity—would have been affected.
As if a scar had been ripped open, that gaunt old man couldn't help but scold sternly, "A petty man who has achieved fame! How dare you speak such nonsense here!"
Xie Dog leaped to her feet. "Old thief! Who lent you the courage to speak so arrogantly to the young master of my Xiao Mo?!"
In an instant, Lu Shen swept his sleeve, drawing a circle before him. A brilliant Bagua mirror appeared in the air.
A snow-white sword light slammed into this Bagua diagram. Sparks flew in all directions. A crack gradually appeared in the mirror, and the sound of the surface cracking grew louder and louder.
At the entrance of the Zhilan Office, a lazy young man stepped out from between the painted door guardians, rubbing his eyes as if he hadn't woken up.
Xie Dog's sword pierced through his belly, pinning him to the door. Xie Dog, however, was grabbed by the head by the young man, who had allowed the sword to slice through his waist, and was spun around and slammed against the door.
The girl grinned.
The young man, seemingly successful, suddenly retreated backwards, putting his fingers together to form a seal. Clusters of blossoming sword light appeared before him, compressed within one zhang. If the sword light's power hadn't been suppressed by a secret technique, the entire Zhilan Office would have been destroyed.
The young cultivator sighed and stopped. This dharma form of his had already been sliced into pieces by countless invisible sword intents.
And he was precisely Lu Shen's out-of-body Yin Spirit. Fortunately, it wasn't an Yang Spirit avatar.
Lu Shen asked, "Mountain Master Chen, are you declaring war?"
Chen Ping'an withdrew the "Yin Lu" back into his sleeve and then called out to Xie Dog, "Let's go."
The marten-cap girl, crouching on the wall of the Zhilan Office, said "Oh," and turned into a beam of sword light, shooting into the air to follow Xiao Mo.
The trembling, gaunt old man ground his teeth, "A monumental humiliation!"
That woman, who seemed to relish chaos, chimed in, "Yes, yes. A monumental humiliation indeed. Just like that."
Lu Shen simply looked up at the half-collapsed Observatory Platform, his expression grave. He let out a soft sigh.
Back in the Heavenly Curtain on their way, Xie Dog complained that things had ended before she could get properly warmed up. It was far too unsatisfying.
Xiao Mo asked, "Young master?"
Because Xiao Mo noticed that his young master seemed distracted all along.
Chen Ping'an shook his head and smiled, "It's nothing. Just my mind wandering."
Ten thousand years ago, by a campfire on a mountaintop.
Among the "Daoists" that a single strand of Chen Ping'an's wandering consciousness recognized or guessed at were the Ultimate Sage, the Dao Ancestor, and the Buddha.
The first cultivator of the human world, Lan Qi; that ghostly being; the Sword Dao Supreme; the Shaman Priest; the Military Forefather.
Chen Qingdu, Li Sheng, Bai Ze, Master San Shan Jiu Hou.
A spirited woman raised her hand, shaking an object she had just forged. "Look! Just wait, this is going to be very useful!"
The young cultivator beside her reached out, smiling, "Let me see."
A burly, middle-aged scholar, his fists clenched on his knees, eyes closed, nodded or shook his head.
Beside him sat the Shaman Priest, whose words sounded like songs or chants. They discussed music and rhythm together with the future Ultimate Sage.
Lesser Master, the future Li Sheng, held a branch and drew circles and lines on the ground.
Bai Ze crouched nearby, resting his cheek on one hand, watching the "master's strokes."
A Daoist with the appearance of a boy, a section of gourd vine hanging at his waist, calculated with one hand, constantly changing gestures, while the other hand opened his palm, carefully examining the lines on it.
A seductive woman stood behind a robust man, her arms resting on his head. She lifted her chin towards the boy and said smilingly, "Stop provoking him. This silent gourd is the most petty and hot-tempered."
The man laughed heartily, "Who's afraid of him? When my fist technique is perfected, I'll be able to beat him with one hand."
The woman laughed heartily, while the boy simply twitched the corner of his mouth.
One person sat far from everyone else, surrounded by clouds and mist, his form blurred, his face unseen. He simply held a sword across his lap, gently flicked it, and then tilted his head slightly, listening intently to the sound of the sword's ring.
A young man with a gentle smile, a hairpin in his head, was adding firewood to the bonfire.
An extremely handsome boy lay on the ground, legs crossed, his eyes bright as he stared blankly at the sky.
Beside him was a sword cultivator with thick eyebrows and large eyes. By later standards, he was merely handsome. Without any teasing tone, he said seriously to the boy lying on the ground, "With that face of yours, you'll have trouble finding a Dao companion."
The young man gave a thumbs-up to himself. "When it comes to looks, you have to be like me, Chen Qingdu. You don't make the cut."
The handsome boy rolled his eyes. He took a roll of bamboo-woven Dao scripture from his bosom, held it high, and looked up to read it.
Three sword cultivators—Guan Zhao, Yuan Xiang, and Long Jun—together with the future Tuoyue Mountain Grand Ancestor and Chu Sheng, were gathered together drinking, seemingly on good terms.
Long Jun smiled, "It would be great if that Falling Treasure Shoal's Bixiao Cave Master were here. The wine he brews is truly delicious."
The Tuoyue Mountain Grand Ancestor suppressed a laugh, pointing at the boy Daoist, "Don't mention it. They fought for no reason at all and couldn't beat ours. I heard that Daoist Bixiao is sulking, throwing out a harsh warning for him to wait and see."
Chu Sheng joked, "If you can avoid fighting, then don't. Learn from our Lesser Master and be reasonable."
Someone suddenly asked, "What do you think the future will be like? A long time from now... say, a thousand years, two or three thousand years? What kind of world will it be?"
That Sword Dao Supreme, who almost never spoke, seemed about to say something, as if he was going to speak for once. But in the end, he said nothing.
Chen Qingdu squinted and smiled, his hands behind his head, muttering softly, "Everyone will be free and unrestrained, I hope. Those who can cultivate on the mountains will protect those who cannot."
The future Tuoyue Mountain Grand Ancestor's eyes sparkled. He suddenly straightened his chest, "It must be so!"
The burly scholar gave him a thumbs-up.
A middle-aged man who had kept his eyes closed all along opened them and smiled slightly, "Then let me tell you: Thus have I heard."
Upon hearing these words, after a moment of silence, they all burst into laughter.
This was the human world that once was.
And they were about to go to war for all of humanity against the Heavenly Court.