# Chapter 1995: The Distant Immortal of That Time
"AAAAAAHHHH!!"
Meng Jianzhou's throat tore open, blood-spattered screams flying everywhere.
A severed arm in an instant should not have been so excruciatingly painful, especially given his cultivation at the Half-step Divine Destruction Realm.
But the sword of a Sword Immortal lies beyond mortal perception.
A single wisp of green light—ten thousand layers of sword intent.
One layer severed his arm—ten thousand layers pierced his heart!
The gray-robed elder flipped his palm, releasing profound energy, but instead of sealing the wound at Meng Jianzhou's severed arm, it sealed off his overly disgraceful screams while forcibly pressing his posture down.
"Jianzhou's conduct is base, ignorant, and offensive. I thank... the Sword Immortal for disciplining him," the gray-robed elder finally managed to speak, but facing the one who had cruelly severed the arm of a Divine Venerable's son, his words were groveling.
His aged face dared not show even a trace of resentment or anger.
Meng Jianzhou's pupils dilated, his eyes full of shock.
He had heard the words "Sword Immortal."
A green shadow entered his dream, its face unseen, only vaguely discernible as a back figure: "This arm cannot be regrown for three years. Leave this place immediately."
Upon hearing these words, the gray-robed elder revealed an expression of overjoyed relief, hurriedly pressing Meng Jianzhou down to bow their heads together: "Thank you, Sword Immortal, for your leniency. We will leave at once and will never dare to disturb Divine Maiden Caili again."
The moment the words "Divine Maiden Caili" left his mouth, Meng Jianzhou's already maximally dilated pupils nearly burst from shock.
That legendary figure whose single glance could topple countless realms... the Divine Maiden of this generation of the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom... Hua Caili!?
A Sword Immortal's immortal shadow is rarely seen in a thousand years, and Divine Maiden Caili is like a distant dream...
And he was actually in this mere Linyuan Realm...
Meng Jianzhou's emotions nearly exploded along with his pupils.
He couldn't tell for a moment whether this was a heavenly disaster or a supreme blessing.
"Meng Jingzhe, go back and tell Meng Kongchan to discipline his son properly! At least he's a legitimate son—don't let him exhaust what little face the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom has left!"
The immortal voice grew distant, fading away in moments.
The green light in his vision finally dissipated, and the world regained its original colors and sounds.
It was as if he had suddenly fallen into a dream, and then suddenly awakened from it.
Only his severed left arm and his pierced soul clearly told Meng Jianzhou that none of this was an illusion.
"Let's go!"
Meng Jingzhe grabbed Meng Jianzhou again and quickly retreated into the distance.
Even though the green shadow was gone, he still dared not linger.
Because that was the Sword Immortal—Hua Qingying.
The pinnacle of the Divine Extreme Realm, the first beneath the Abyss God.
And Hua Caili was her one and only inviolable scale.
...
The main hall of the Worship Qilin Sect, the Suanni Hall.
Worship Qilin Sect Leader Ximen Borong stood upright, while Abyss Knight Ximen Boyun stood behind him. Behind them were all the hall masters and branch leaders, each with respectful expressions, every wisp of air around them taut with tension.
Like facing a great enemy.
Besides the Worship Qilin Sect, the sect masters, young masters, and core figures of the Rock Mystery Sect, Ten Thousand Ren Sect, and Blazing Sand Sect were also prominently present.
Their faces showed... perhaps the deepest gravity they had ever experienced in their lives.
One hour... three hours... ten hours...
Having their spirits strained for too long, even the most powerful profound practitioners would grow exhausted.
Finally, Rock Mystery Sect Master Zha Kexie could no longer endure and said in a low voice: "Brother Boyun, that Young Master Meng..."
"Wait." Ximen Boyun uttered a single word flatly.
Ximen Boyun knew well that Meng Jianzhou was not a good person, but if not for that, how could he have been so easily lured to Linyuan Realm by the bait thrown out?
Although his temperament was inferior, especially his extreme lust for women, he was still one of the more outstanding among the Weaving Dream Divine Venerable's descendants, and one of the only two (surviving) legitimate sons. At least on matters of deciding "vassal states," he should have enough say.
For such a figure to give them a show of force was the most normal thing in the world. If he had arrived on time, that would have been strange.
Another twelve hours passed.
Ten Thousand Ren Sect Master Wan Wei spoke up: "Has Young Master Meng really arrived? Could it be... that he was confused by the sandstorm and lost his way?"
Ximen Boyun said: "Hmph, a son of a Divine Kingdom would not be disturbed by a mere sandstorm."
After thinking it over, he still said: "Young Master Meng arrived two days ago. He is currently, just enjoying his own sightseeing. When he wants to show himself, he will. If he doesn't want to, rashly disturbing him would be a breach of etiquette."
No one said anything more.
This was the son of a Divine Venerable of a Divine Kingdom. His personal arrival was a heavenly grace. No matter how great his airs, they had to bear it.
If they could become a vassal of the Divine Kingdom through this, even if they lived under another's roof and bowed halfway through life, it would be far better than their current situation.
Another full day passed.
This time, even Ximen Boyun could no longer keep his composure.
Having already arrived, he had left them waiting for three full days. Even for a Divine Venerable's son, this was going too far.
Glancing at Ximen Boyun's expression, Ximen Borong whispered: "Brother Boyun, why not send a sound transmission to invite him again."
Ximen Boyun no longer insisted. He took out his Sound Transmission Jade, adjusted his tone, and sent a transmission to the "honored guest" who had long failed to appear.
Soon, he received a reply from Meng Jianzhou.
It was only one word, filled with extreme fury and disgust:
"**SCRAM!!**"
Ximen Boyun's face instantly darkened. Everyone raised their heads in shock, exchanging glances.
"This?" The three sect masters—Zha Kexie, Wan Wei, and Lie Qianhong—all changed expressions repeatedly.
Ximen Boyun, whose temperament had always been as calm as water, now had a face as black as the bottom of a pot, veins bulging on his forehead as if he had swallowed a lump of dead flies.
After all, he was an Abyss Knight serving the Abyss Emperor and Divine Officials. Even the son of a Divine Venerable should give him some face.
And this Meng Jianzhou actually...
"Un... be... liev... a... ble!" He ground out each word through clenched teeth, having lost the bearing of an Abyss Knight.
After all, it was he who had personally promised the Worship Qilin Sect and the three sects an "honored guest from the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom" and a "heaven-sent opportunity," leading the three sects to submit completely.
Now, a single word "scram" had not only completely dashed the hope of Linyuan Realm becoming a vassal of the Divine Kingdom, but also made him lose his authority and face in public.
He didn't know what Meng Jianzhou had encountered, nor did he know that Meng Jianzhou had taken out all his anger on him... He only felt that Meng Jianzhou was deliberately toying with and humiliating him.
Ximen Borong took a deep breath, then turned to face the people of the three sects. Looking at their uncertain expressions, he could tell with his toes what they were muttering in their hearts.
"It seems Young Master Meng encountered some unforeseen circumstances along the way." He maintained a calm demeanor: "Now that the Lin Divine Realm is about to open, the matter of aligning with the Divine Kingdom can be postponed for a while."
"Mm, it seems that's all we can do." Zha Kexie nodded, but his voice and posture had clearly lost their previous deference.
"Then, this Zha will return to the sect first to prepare for the Lin Divine Assembly. Farewell."
With that, Zha Kexie didn't wait for Ximen Borong to respond, directly flicked his sleeves, and turned to leave.
Wan Wei also left with the people of the Ten Thousand Ren Sect.
"Sect Leader Ximen, I heard that Helian still insists on participating in this Lin Divine Assembly. Perhaps he has some backing." Blazing Sand Sect Master Lie Qianhong "kindly" reminded him: "Don't let your Worship Qilin Sect fall."
"Sect Leader Lie, you worry too much." Ximen Borong smiled without mirth.
The three sects left one after another. Soon, a loud crash came from behind them, accompanied by Ximen Boyun's low roar of catharsis.
...
At the same time, ten thousand miles away from Linyuan Realm.
"This damn Ximen Boyun actually has the face to send me a sound transmission!"
Bang!
The Sound Transmission Jade was crushed to powder in Meng Jianzhou's remaining hand. His chest heaved as he panted heavily, his entire face twisted in terror.
Because he had been tortured by the Sword Immortal's soul-piercing sword intent for thirty-six hours straight.
He had just escaped from purgatory when he received Ximen Boyun's transmission. All his hatred exploded in an instant, and he wished he could personally grind this newly-promoted Abyss Knight to dust.
If not for him, why would he have stooped to come to this lowly place? And why would he have suffered such torment and humiliation!
If not for Meng Jingzhe ordering him never to approach Linyuan Realm again, he would have rushed back and wiped out that shitty Worship Qilin Sect in one go... Screw that Abyss Knight!
Finally free from the sword intent's torment, Meng Jianzhou could speak and move normally. He flicked away the fragments of the Sound Transmission Jade between his fingers and said to Meng Jingzhe: "Uncle Zhe, help me regrow my left arm."
"No!" Meng Jingzhe refused without any hesitation: "The Sword Immortal said it cannot be regrown for three years, so not even a single day earlier!"
Meng Jianzhou gritted his teeth and said in a low voice: "I am after all the son of the Weaving Dream Divine Venerable! Although she is known as the first beneath the gods, she is ultimately not a true god! With Father God here, why fear her!"
"Naive." This time, Meng Jingzhe did not indulge him. Instead, he sneered: "Even your Father God would be too ashamed to say those words."
Meng Jianzhou jerked his head up. The word "ashamed" in Meng Jingzhe's words was incomprehensible to him.
Meng Jingzhe said: "You are still young, so naturally you cannot understand the events of the previous era. Just remember this lesson well. You have now seen the Divine Maiden Caili of the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom. From now on, stay far away from her—the farther the better!"
"Provoking Hua Caili is provoking the Sword Immortal! And don't forget who her fiancé is!"
The fiancé of Divine Maiden Caili...
The Divine Son of the Senluo Divine Kingdom, also the first Divine Son of this generation... Dian Jiuzhi!
The marriage between the two was personally bestowed by the Abyss Emperor, known to all the world.
Meng Jianzhou's heart twitched violently, cold sweat pouring down his head, and his hatred for Ximen Boyun surged again.
After calming down for a while, he finally asked: "I don't understand. Why did you say that my Father God is... afraid of the Sword Immortal? Is it just because she is the younger sister of the Heart-Painting Divine Venerable?"
The Heart-Painting Divine Venerable is Hua Fuchen, the Divine Venerable of the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom, one of the Six Divine Kingdoms.
"It's not exactly fear." Meng Jingzhe hesitated for a moment before saying: "When your Father God was still a Divine Son, he was brutally defeated by her sword."
"!!" Meng Jianzhou's heart shook violently.
That god-like—no, that was a god—his father, was described by Meng Jingzhe with the words "brutally defeated."
"Not just your Father God." Recalling the distant past, Meng Jingzhe's heart was filled with endless melancholy: "At that Pure Land gathering, none of the Divine Sons and Divine Maidens could match her sword."
"And they are the current... Jue Luo Divine Venerable Dian Luohou (Senluo Divine Kingdom), Wuming Divine Venerable Shen Wuyanye (Eternal Night Divine Kingdom), Tianxing Divine Venerable Wu Shenxing (Star Moon Divine Kingdom), Qiongyue Divine Venerable Wu Shenyue (Star Moon Divine Kingdom), Wumeng Divine Venerable Meng Kongchan (Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom), and Qiheng Divine Venerable Pan Yusheng (Xiaodie Divine Kingdom)."
"Wha... wha... wha... what!?" Meng Jianzhou's eyes bulged, his tongue seemingly tied in knots.
Meng Jingzhe continued: "Now, they are all supreme Divine Venerables ruling their respective Divine Kingdoms, and their past defeats have become taboos. Naturally, your generation finds it hard to know."
"..." Meng Jianzhou was so stunned he could hardly speak.
Meng Jingzhe half-closed his eyes, thinking of a past he could not share with his juniors.
Senluo, Weaving Dream, Xiaodie... back then, three Divine Sons simultaneously pursued Hua Qingying—that was the biggest talking point of that era.
Unfortunately, Hua Qingying cultivated the Heartless Sword of the Heaven-Breaking Sword, having long severed desire and emotion, and she dismissed all three Divine Sons with disdain.
Now, the three Divine Sons of that time have all become Divine Venerables of their Divine Kingdoms, but that green shadow may never be erased from the depths of their souls.
The title "Sword Immortal" is not because she is the immortal of the sword, but because she is the distant immortal dream of too many, forever unreachable.
Jue Luo Divine Venerable Dian Luohou had strongly promoted the alliance with the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom, perhaps also to slightly fulfill that ethereal dream.
When he was the Divine Son of Senluo, he could not earn even a momentary glance from the Divine Maiden of Zhe Tian, so let his son fulfill this wish for him.
"If... if she is so powerful, why is the Divine Venerable of this generation of the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom Hua Fuchen?" Meng Jianzhou asked in extreme confusion.
Meng Jingzhe said slowly: "Back then, the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom was blessed with twin stars—Hua Fuchen with an eight-part Divine Rank, and Hua Qingying with a nine-part Divine Rank."
"The previous generation of Zhe Tian Divine Venerable did not choose one over the other, but established both as Divine Successors. Thus, the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom had one Heaven-Breaking Divine Son, Hua Fuchen, and one Heaven-Breaking Divine Maiden, Hua Qingying."
"But Hua Fuchen back then was different from all the other ambitious Divine Sons. He was wild and unrestrained, did not follow worldly conventions, disliked any restraint, and was extremely resistant to becoming a Divine Venerable. Coupled with the fact that his cultivation and sword path were always crushed by Hua Qingying, everyone firmly believed that the one to inherit the position of Divine Venerable of the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom would surely be Hua Qingying."
"Until... Hua Fuchen had his first child, the current Heaven-Breaking Divine Maiden Hua Caili."
"It was also because of this child that Hua Qingying gave up the Divine Succession, handing the position of Divine Venerable to Hua Fuchen. That is how we have the current Heart-Painting Divine Venerable and Sword Immortal."
"Why?" Meng Jianzhou was even more puzzled.
Meng Jingzhe glanced at him but did not continue to explain: "The reasons for this are also unclear to me. You don't need to ask further. You only need to know that even your Father God would not dare to look down on the Sword Immortal."
In fact... he might not even speak fluently when meeting Hua Qingying.
Even if one has become a true god, one is still a man at heart.
And the thing that inflicts the greatest damage on men... is often the moonlight in their hearts.
"But that's not right." Meng Jianzhou very naturally noticed a huge inconsistency: "The Heart-Painting Divine Venerable has been in power for at least ten thousand years. If Hua Caili was born before he became Divine Venerable, then she should be at least ten thousand years old."
"But that Hua Caili looks... like a little girl who hasn't fully grown up yet. And the time when the title of Divine Maiden Caili appeared..."
"I said, don't ask further." Meng Jingzhe cut him off, then warned: "I only vaguely know that this matter seems to involve a secret that the Abyss Emperor does not wish to be publicized. As for the true reason, I'm afraid even your Father God doesn't know the details."
When "Abyss Emperor's secret" was mentioned, Meng Jianzhou was not stupid enough to continue, so he quickly shut up obediently and dared not ask further.
*"If there is anyone in this world who can become a true god without divine inheritance, by their own strength alone—it would be Hua Qingying."*
This was a light murmur from the Pure Land High Divine Official back then... Meng Jingzhe, and everyone else present, had it engraved in their hearts, never forgotten.
This trip to Linyuan Realm, when he realized that the person Meng Jianzhou had provoked was most likely Divine Maiden Caili, he was truly scared out of his wits.
"Even if you lost an arm, you cannot cut short this training." Meng Jingzhe said seriously: "On the contrary, if you go back just like this, when your Father God learns the reason for your severed arm, he will be thunderously furious and will be even more disappointed in you."
"Disappointed?" These two words deeply stabbed Meng Jianzhou's nerves. He gritted his teeth heavily: "Am I still afraid of his disappointment? Aren't those the only two words he always has for me... No matter what I do, no matter how much effort I put in!"
Meng Jingzhe tried to console him: "Then train well. If you can successfully break through to the Divine Annihilation Realm, your Father God will definitely view you differently. Even if he finds out about this matter, it will lessen his anger."
"It's useless." Meng Jianzhou let out a low laugh: "With Meng Jianxi around, how could he still see me? Even if I achieve demigod status, it would at most... earn me one more glance!"
Meng Jingzhe said coldly: "That is heavenly fate. You and Jianxi can never be compared."
Bang!
Meng Jianzhou slammed his fist heavily into the ground.
"Why! What right does he have!! I spent so much effort to kill [Meng Jianyuan], and that Meng Jianxi, who was the dullest when young, actually awakened his Divine Rank... Ugh!"
A withered old hand clamped tightly over Meng Jianzhou's mouth, forcefully cutting off his resentful words. Meng Jingzhe hurriedly looked around, hastily forming a barrier of isolation. He said fiercely: "Are you crazy! That name... that matter can never be mentioned again! Not a single word!!"
"If it's exposed, even if you are your Father God's legitimate son... we will both die without a burial place!"
Meng Jianzhou rolled his eyes upward, broke out in cold sweat all over, and nodded frantically.
---
[Remember the name "Meng Jianyuan" — it is ve~~ry~~ important.]