Eleventh fist, lightning quick.

The true power of the Divine Smith’s Hammering Fist lies in the fact that as long as the fist wielder’s physique and spirit can withstand the intense pain brought by the qi circulation within the body, successfully delivering a new fist will result in cumulative force, capable of shaking mountains and shattering cities, not merely an idle dream!

Chen Ping’an’s fist sent that “Exquisite” mountain, as large as a house, staggering back several zhang.

Without a word, he stomped the ground and launched another upward fist.

The tall-crowned old man’s expression turned solemn, abandoning any playful intent. He muttered an incantation and used two fingers together, making four consecutive strokes near the Five Peaks Crown.

Even if it consumed a lot of spiritual qi, causing the Five Peaks Crown to temporarily lose its supernatural powers, he was determined to kill this troublesome youth in one fell swoop.

As a mountain hermit who relied on no one and had no backing, this Five Peaks Crown was the only magical treasure the old man possessed. He obtained it in a secret realm, and to monopolize it, he turned on his sworn brother during the distribution of loot, killing him. The brother, as he died, begged him to take care of his children, promising them a hundred years of worldly prosperity. The old man nodded in agreement, only to secretly eliminate the entire household of over a hundred people with a small trick.

Back when he was chased down for tens of thousands of miles by a young Golden Core cultivator from Mount Taiping, this priceless Five Peaks Crown remained intact, with only minor damage. After a century of repairs, it had been restored to its peak condition. Unfortunately, after countless searches through ancient texts, the old man still hadn’t found the essence of the Five Peaks True Form Diagram engraved on the Five Peaks Crown, limiting him to only half of the treasure’s full potential, a great regret. Otherwise, when he encountered that little bastard from Mount Taiping, it would have been hard to say who was chasing whom.

Two mountains, stacked one on top of the other, descended with the speed of thunder.

Chen Ping’an’s swiftly launched thirteenth fist only managed to raise the bottom Mount Tai a little over ten feet.

Soon, another mountain descended.

Which was superior, the weight of the mountains or the height of the fists?

The Five Peaks Crown on the old man’s head had dimmed, and the melodious crane cries and pine breezes were gone.

Chen Ping’an’s qi and blood surged, showing no signs of exhaustion yet. However, he didn’t want to be trapped by these three mountains. Who knew what other mountain techniques the tall-crowned old man possessed? Taking advantage of the temporary connection provided by the Divine Smith’s Hammering Fist, he prepared to retreat from the training ground, shift the battlefield, and quickly deliver his fourteenth fist.

However, Chen Ping’an, who had prepared the Pocket Talisman long ago, was surprised to find that within the shadow of the descending mountains, he felt as if he were in a “lawless land” as described by those scholars. The Pocket Talisman, which had contributed greatly in several battles, showed no reaction whatsoever.

Forced, the twin flying swords “First Day” and “Fifteenth”, from his Sword Nurturing Gourd, dispersed to the left and right, soaring high into the sea of clouds.

Chen Ping’an had no choice but to deliver a new fist, slowing the mountain’s descent slightly, then charging forward, trying to leave the mountain’s shadow.

The tall-crowned old man laughed loudly, “Want to run?!”

He pressed down with a palm, and the fourth mountain crashed down.

The four peaks stacked together, rumbling down on Chen Ping’an’s head. Moreover, the “foot” of the school training ground was suppressed by immense spiritual energy, slowing Chen Ping’an’s forward movement.

The golden-robed youth with the astonishing fist technique was finally successfully suppressed by the mountains.

After succeeding, the tall-crowned old man was slightly taken aback, “Since when could a pure martial artist wield natal flying swords?”

High mountains are often accompanied by flowing rivers.

The old man sensed the approaching flying swords and “plucked” two rivers from the Five Peaks Crown. Manifested, they were as slender as a woman’s waist, one muddy and yellow, the other clear and green, flowing around the old man’s futon, repeatedly blocking the fierce attacks of the two flying swords. Water splashed everywhere, and the volume of the rivers steadily decreased.

The tall-crowned old man focused more on the school training ground.

At this moment, the sea of clouds was only twenty feet above the ground.

The old man’s futon was almost touching the summit of the fourth mountain, obscuring his view. He extended a finger, tapped his forehead, and silently chanted “Open.” His eyes were filled with darkness at first, then, like the clouds of night dispersing, revealing the true face of the moon, the world became clear. The tall-crowned old man successfully saw through the four stacked mountains, seeing the figure of the golden-robed youth.

Good heavens, like a loach, he still wants to slip away!

The youth first lowered his head and bent his back, using his shoulders to bear the weight of the mountains, running forward. As the four mountains descended, the youth then simply hunched over and charged forward, using his back to support the mountains. The golden robe he wore displayed astonishing results, helping the youth gain precious time in the nick of time, allowing him to roll away just as the mountains were only four feet from crushing him into minced meat.

The tall-crowned old man sneered in his heart, “As the Dao is one foot high, the devil is ten feet high. I was just waiting for you, kid, to mistakenly believe you had escaped!”

The fifth mountain, which had been accumulating power, was the most revered Mount Song, its true form faintly visible, revealing its treacherous terrain.

The youth being able to withstand four mountains was already beyond the tall-crowned old man’s expectations. He had thought that the stacking of three mountains would be enough to crush this little guy.

That fist technique, with its seemingly endless increasing power, was truly strange!

If a fist technique manual could be left behind after the youth’s death, it might not be inferior to that golden robe.

The old man shouted softly, “Go!”

Mount Song struck directly at Chen Ping’an, who was rolling on the ground.

At the same time, the previous four mountains began to scatter, surrounding Mount Song, “taking root” downwards. Some crushed buildings in the school training ground, some collapsed high walls, and some fell outside the school training ground, onto the streets, or smashed into a private courtyard next door.

Once the four mountains stood firmly on the ground, with Mount Song sitting in the center, a natural formation would be formed.

The two flying swords above the sea of clouds seemed to be connected to the youth trapped in a desperate situation, attacking the true meaning of the two rivers with increasing ferocity.

The tall-crowned old man laughed heartily, “Afraid of you two little things? Very well, very well, this old man will play hide-and-seek with you. When your master dies, let’s see what you two will do.”

The old man reached out with both hands, grabbing two wisps of black mist, then clapped his hands heavily. Clouds and mist shrouded him, and the old man’s figure disappeared.

Chen Ping’an, besieged by the Five Peaks, was on the verge of life and death.
Though formidable with its sword Qi, Chu Yishiwu was helpless against the hidden, high-crowned old man, only managing to weaken the black sea of clouds.

Even when Chen Pingan unleashed the demon-binding cord crafted from an old Flood Dragon’s whiskers, its golden radiance transforming into a massive, golden dragon coiling around Mount Zhongyue, forcibly elevating it several zhang to prevent it from crushing the earth and halting the formation of the Five Peaks Array, the cord’s constant contraction, causing rocks to crumble and fall, could only slow the mountain’s descent.

Meanwhile, above the Flying Eagle Stronghold, the cloud sea hovered a mere ten zhang above ground.

Anyone standing on the main building’s observation deck would feel as if they were atop a mountain thousands of zhang high, witnessing a magnificent scene of turbulent clouds and crashing waves.

Inside the main building, the whisk-wielding man, trapped within the circle drawn on the floor, was desperately fleeing from the relentless pursuit of the two natal flying swords, one large and one small.

The Heng family members of the Flying Eagle Stronghold truly witnessed the dazzling power of the mountain immortals.

While relieved, they couldn’t help but feel despair, realizing the insignificance of江湖 martial artists before these神通廣大 celestial masters.

Lu Tai did not simply observe. Instead of allowing the needle-point and wheat-awn swords, both of exceptional quality, to slowly exhaust the Sea Gazing cultivator, he retrieved various magical treasures and artifacts from his colorful sash, sending them through the gaps in the sword-formed cage to launch insidious attacks on the man who had transformed his whisk strands into white snakes, adding insult to injury for the beleaguered cultivator.

The tall man initially begged for mercy, pleading with Lu Tai to be reasonable, promising to surrender all his possessions and allow Lu Tai to manipulate his spirit.

Seeing Lu Tai unmoved, the man, now only holding the iron handle of his whisk, began to threaten fiercely, vowing to perish together with Lu Tai’s natal flying swords, ensuring Lu Tai would suffer spiritual damage and hindering his future cultivation.

Lu Tai, leaning against the Stronghold Lord’s wife’s chair and fanning himself with a folding fan, ignored the struggling Sea Gazing cultivator. He had forcefully opened the main hall doors, providing a clear view of the Flying Eagle Stronghold’s surroundings.

The sky was dark and the earth was dim.

The hundreds of people in the Flying Eagle Stronghold would likely never forget this day, the feeling of powerlessness etched into their bones.

This experience would have a profound impact. If they survived, the tale of immortals fighting and mortals suffering would be passed down through generations.

If the Nine Continents of the Great Harmony were all this unrestrained, they would have descended into utter chaos long ago.

Hence the establishment of the Three Academies and Seventy-Two Colleges of Confucianism.

Their purpose was to prevent mountain immortals from casually smashing mountains and rivers with a single punch or destroying human cities with a single magical artifact.

After all, those on the mountains originated from the mortal realm.

Without the mortal realm, what would become of the mountains?

This served as a dividing line, distinguishing between righteous and evil, good and bad.

Some cultivators, seeking the carefree transcendence of the Dao of Longevity, cared not for the lives of mortals once they stood on the mountains.

Other cultivators, either pure and detached from worldly affairs or upholding regulations, were willing to sacrifice their own comfort for the peace of the mortal realm, refraining from pursuing absolute freedom.

The world was filled with diverse desires, right and wrong blurred.

Too many people used principles only for others, not to restrain their own hearts.

The same held true for both the mountains and the mortal realm.

Lu Tai, a disciple of the Lu family of Yin-Yang masters, had a deeper understanding of human nature.

Moreover, both his family background and his own nature were peculiar. He was not a sword cultivator, yet he nurtured two natal flying swords with ease. Nor did he acquire the strange colored sash from a casual visit to the family ancestral hall in his youth.

Lu Tai’s existence within the Lu family of the Central Earth Continent carried a sense of taboo. To the taciturn and somber Lu family ancestors, this junior felt too “awkward,” yet he also inspired awe, as if he were born in accordance with the Dao, unprecedented in history. Consequently, the vast Lu family held an ambiguous attitude towards Lu Tai.

Sages have said: Great men change like tigers; lesser men change their faces; noble men change like leopards.

Lu Tai’s body was like a magical treasure in itself, even more wondrous than the stolen body that Cui Chan, Chen Pingan’s “student,” had acquired in his youth.

Lu Tai watched the cloud sea outside the building, seeking the opportune moment to strike.

The scene within the main hall was sealed off, making it impossible for the whisk-wielding man to send out any information.

The Stronghold Lord’s wife softly said, “Immortal Master, I have made my decision.”

Lu Tai looked down, puzzled, and asked, “What is it?”

The woman’s face was sorrowful, but her eyes were resolute. She covered her heart and said, “Can he survive?”

Although she was not a cultivator, the strange sensation in her heart had persisted for years. She was not foolish; connecting the Flying Eagle Stronghold’s misfortune with the conversation between the whisk-wielding man and Lu Tai, she had already figured things out.

Lu Tai shook his head and said, “The little thing is born contrary to the Great Dao, inherently violent, cruel, and bloodthirsty. Even if it survives after your death, it will still be a scourge. A small Flying Eagle Stronghold wouldn’t even be worthy of being buried with it. It could even endanger the entire Sunken Fragrance Kingdom…”

The woman cried sorrowfully, “But I want it to survive. I can feel its existence. It’s like my child after all…”

Lu Tai was neither moved nor contemptuous, but simply smiled faintly, stating a fact to the pitiful woman: “Do you know that the little thing has already developed its intelligence? That’s why it deliberately sends you false emotions. It may even instinctively influence your mind as its host. Otherwise, why would you knowingly feel the strangeness in your body but never speak clearly to your husband about it?”

The woman desperately covered her heart with one hand and quickly raised the other to her mouth, her face filled with pain. She was lost and confused, only shaking her head at Lu Tai.

The woman silently endured the heart-wrenching pain, looking at Lu Tai with pleading eyes.
Lu Tai sighed, “Why must you do this? Are you truly willing to abandon the lives of hundreds within Flying Eagle Fortress? Think of your husband, Huan Yang, your children, Huan Chang and Huan Shu, and this very fortress that birthed and nurtured you – will you forsake them all for this unformed, yet inherently wicked abomination?”

The woman merely shook her head, tears streaming, as she lowered her arm. A torrent of black, viscous blood gushed from her mouth, a ghastly and unsettling sight. Disregarding her composure, her mind already fractured and her gaze unfocused, she pleaded with Lu Tai, “Let it live, I beg you, Immortal Master. What wrong has it committed? It has only taken its mother’s life; I do not blame it, not in the slightest. Therefore, Immortal Master, I implore you to guide it, to teach it to be benevolent, to prevent it from straying down a dark path. Immortal Master, your Taoist arts are boundless, your power limitless; you can surely achieve this. My child will surely become a good person…”

The woman was like a shattered porcelain vessel, her heart trembling violently, unable to bear the strain, finally breaking apart completely.

Yet, she kept her gaze fixed upon Lu Tai’s face.

Lu Tai smiled faintly and nodded, “Very well, it shall live.”

Only then did the corners of the woman’s mouth twitch as she slowly closed her eyes. Alarming black blood continued to flow from her eye sockets, for her eyelids had shattered, and her eyeballs had fallen before her, rolling from her dress to the floor, coming to rest behind the chair.

Silence descended upon the hall; none dared utter a sound. Only Huan Yang, the lord of Flying Eagle Fortress, his five senses sealed, remained bound to his chair, his eyes bloodshot, filled with a deep-seated rage towards the woman who had shared his pillow.

How could she be so selfish!

She must have been possessed by a demon, succumbed to a cultivation deviation!

Her death was no injustice; she should perish alongside that little bastard, that monstrous thing within her!

Lu Tai approached the deceased woman, bent down, and gazed at her blood-soaked chest, murmuring, “Your mother sacrificed so much for you, gave you everything, even abandoned her own humanity. And you? Still frantically absorbing the spiritual energy and soul of the corpse? You tormented her enough while she lived; can you not grant her a moment of peace in death?”

The woman’s chest, which had been rising and falling erratically, suddenly stilled. It seemed that a faint, tiny wail, like the cry of any infant entering the world, echoed in the air.

Born crying.

“Too late.”

Lu Tai abruptly thrust his bamboo fan, piercing the woman’s heart and pinning it to the chair back, his expression devoid of emotion. “The mortal realm is a dreary place; better never to have arrived at all.”

A piercing shriek, enough to rupture eardrums, suddenly echoed throughout the hall. The candlelight flickered and died. Cracking sounds reverberated as the pillars of the hall splintered one by one.

The hearts of all present were filled with terror.

Only Huan Yang felt a sense of relief, followed by a wave of despondency. His gaze was vacant as he stared blankly at the chair beside him.

The gentle woman, his childhood sweetheart, had died in a most hideous manner.

Unknown to himself, the man who was consumed with bitterness and resentment was already weeping, his face awash with tears.