On the street within the city, the clash had been earth-shattering from the very first exchange.

Even now, the battle raged fiercely.

A glazed flying sword, as if possessed of sentience, was able to relentlessly entangle the knife-grinder Liu Zong with its swordplay alone.

Liu Zong’s world-renowned boning knife, which he had used for a lifetime without so much as a scratch, had already suffered several nicks from the flying sword, without even grazing a single thread of Yu Zhenyi’s clothing.

Liu Zong had no time for heartache.

A moment’s distraction could mean death.

The flying sword was swift and fierce, its sword aura filling a radius of several dozen feet, leaving Liu Zong feeling restricted and constrained.

The Lake Mountain Sect Leader, Yu Zhenyi, truly deserved to be called an immortal.

He was at least equal to two knife-grinder Liu Zongs.

And Liu Zong was ranked fifth in the world.

Moreover, judging from the corner of Liu Zong’s eye, there were quite possibly two Imperial Preceptors, Zhong Qiu.

Yu Zhenyi had already landed on the ground, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, allowing Zhong Qiu to strike him with his fists. However, none of the punches could fully penetrate his invisible protective aura. Only a few punches came within an inch of touching Yu Zhenyi’s face, causing his eyebrows to twitch and his sideburns to flutter slightly, but that was all.

Zhong Qiu continued to throw punches relentlessly, each one missing its mark. His expression remained calm, his eyes bright, showing no signs of defeat or discouragement. The Imperial Preceptor Zhong was still the same.

But the more he was like this, the more heartbreaking it felt.

It was as if the world shouldn’t be this way, easily stirring up a sense of frustration and resentment.

Zhong Qiu only threw punches.

Yu Zhenyi strolled leisurely forward, as if taking a walk. At most, he would bypass the battlefield between Liu Zong and the flying sword, walking along the street lined with shops, glancing up at the shop signs, and examining the Spring Festival couplets that had survived this year’s spring rains.

Yu Zhenyi smiled and asked, “Do you regret not accepting that immortal sword back then?”

“The path you chose is only suitable for mortals. In cultivation, you will never reach the highest peak. Even if you were given another thirty years, you would still have nowhere to go after reaching the summit. You would only regret it even more.”

“Zhong Qiu, from childhood to adulthood, you have only cared about things that the world ignores. In my eyes, that is not called standing out from the crowd, it is called foolishness.”

Zhong Qiu remained silent.

The scene was strange. While taking a beating, Yu Zhenyi had already turned onto the wide Imperial Path. Further ahead was the imperial city of the Southern Abode Kingdom, the palace city, and the magnificent hall that dwarfed even the Pine-Lull Kingdom’s imperial palace. On each of the eight ridges, there stood ten strange-looking immortals and mythical beasts. Leading the way was the Immortal Riding the Wind, followed by the dragon, phoenix, lion, celestial horse, sea horse, Suanni, pressed fish, Xie Zhi, Dou Niu, and Hang Shi.

Some high-ranking emperors and generals could see the real objects, but some they could not.

Yu Zhenyi pointed ahead and said, “Do you remember when we were young, you saw the descriptions of those ten objects on the ridges in a book, and you were so curious that you said you must see them with your own eyes one day? So you lived outside the palace for decades. Haven’t you seen enough yet?”

Zhong Qiu finally spoke, “Yu Zhenyi, don’t always think you’re so amazing. Just because you cultivate immortality doesn’t mean you’re not human anymore. You look down on everything and think of people and things in terms of remembrance and nostalgia. You should pay more attention to the joys and sorrows of the human world… But of course, you won’t listen to any of this.”

Yu Zhenyi nodded, “The views of a commoner. To hold a position is to seek its administration, and cultivation is the same. Zhong Qiu, it’s not that your principles are wrong, it’s just that they are not high enough, because you stand too low.”

A hint of sadness flashed in Zhong Qiu’s eyes.

He stopped throwing punches and looked toward the palace.

Yu Zhenyi also stopped walking and smiled, “Such a weak punch. Zhong Qiu, have you not eaten for several days? Or should I wait for you here for half an hour, and you can eat your fill before coming back?”

Zhong Qiu cursed for the first time in a long time, “I’m afraid I’ll punch the crap out of you!”

Zhong Qiu was still Zhong Qiu after all. No matter how much he read, when truly pushed, wasn’t he still the mud-legged peasant from Juilan County, Zhuojun Prefecture of the Pine-Lull Kingdom?

Yu Zhenyi patted his stomach and laughed, “Having studied the Heavenly Book, learned immortal techniques, walked the Bridge of Longevity, and cultivated supreme Dharma, I have been in seclusion for many years and have abstained from grains. I really don’t have such things as feces and urine.”

Zhong Qiu sighed, “You are actually waiting for that battle to be decided?”

Yu Zhenyi nodded, “What if you see through the truth? You can’t break my protective aura anyway.”

Then he shook his head and said, “It’s not about who wins, it’s about waiting for that young man named Chen Pingan to die.”

Zhong Qiu suddenly turned his head, looking down at his childhood friend who looked like a child, a strange smile on his face.

Yu Zhenyi looked up and asked, “What is it?”

Zhong Qiu said, “Do you remember that time outside the Ma County Magistrate’s wall?”

Yu Zhenyi thought for a moment, his expression suddenly dawning, “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I really wouldn’t have remembered.”

Back in their hometown of Juilan County, Yu Zhenyi was the son of a minor clerk who was not even ranked in the imperial court, and Zhong Qiu’s family was even more humble. However, the two had become best friends at a very young age. Yu Zhenyi yearned for the martial world, while Zhong Qiu admired scholars. Both were rebellious at heart. When they were young and energetic, Zhong Qiu admired the daughter of the county magistrate, Ma, and Yu Zhenyi helped him with a basket of bad ideas. The girl never liked Zhong Qiu, and later she became even more distant and disgusted with him. One night, after getting drunk, the two of them urinated against the wall of the county magistrate’s backyard. Unexpectedly, the girl and her maid had just secretly left the house to meet a traveling scholar. As soon as the courtyard door opened, the two girls bumped into the scene.

The county magistrate’s daughter was shy, and the maid was fierce. She even glanced at Yu Zhenyi and Zhong Qiu’s crotches and said with disgust, “Two little earthworms, what are you swinging around in the middle of the night?”

After that, Zhong Qiu and Yu Zhenyi never went near the county magistrate’s office again.

Having been reminded by Zhong Qiu, Yu Zhenyi, after recalling these memories, did not find them interesting.

He simply wondered why Zhong Qiu had mentioned this, could there be some hidden meaning?

Zhong Qiu smiled, “Immortal Yu, you are not even as good as an earthworm now.”

Yu Zhenyi’s expression remained unchanged, but his eyes turned cold, “Imperial Preceptor Zhong, is the reminiscing over? Or should we exchange some blows?”

Zhong Qiu dismissed it with a smile.

Yu Zhenyi sneered, “We might as well bet. If Liu Zong can avoid death, will he, like you, take the initiative to seek death?”

Zhong Qiu nodded, “Alright, then I bet he won’t leave alone.”
Yu Zhenyi was about to raise his hand and wield the shimmering immortal sword, but he quickly lowered his arm, smiling faintly. “I just don’t feel like giving that Liu Zong a chance to live.”

Zhong Qiu remained silent.

The two stood shoulder to shoulder.

Just the National Preceptor Zhong of the Southern Garden Kingdom and Yu Zhenyi of the Pine Lull Kingdom.

Yu Zhenyi suddenly spoke, “You’re mistaken. My true killing power isn’t in that sword. I was only being lenient because I thought there might still be hope for you, Zhong Qiu. Just like back then, when I was growing up, I was always willing to give way to you and care about your feelings.”

Zhong Qiu, however, uttered a strange, unrelated comment. He turned his head to look at the southern city wall, and softly said, “Yu Zhenyi, your position is the most awkward. You’re neither the blazing sun nor the gentle moon. The world wouldn’t be incomplete without you.”

The skinny little girl, carrying her small stool, walked to the only house with an open gate. She saw Cao Qinglang, who was clutching his head and crying.

She knocked on the gate and stepped over the threshold, deliberately asking, “Hello? Anyone home? If not, I’m coming in.”

When Cao Qinglang finally looked up, his face filled with vigilance, she casually tossed the stool on the ground, looking around with a nonchalant air. “Is this your house? I’m just returning something.”

Cao Qinglang grabbed the wood-chopping knife from the ground, holding it defensively in front of him. “Who are you?!”

She continued to look around, saying impatiently, “I’m with that rich guy in the white robes, not with that guy wearing the floral hat.”

She spotted the side room, then turned to Cao Qinglang, saying, “Earlier, I saw a couple of lovers carrying four heads outside. They dumped them in the street, with blood all over the place. I kindly put the heads together. Are they anyone you know? Shouldn’t you go take a look?”

Tears immediately welled up in Cao Qinglang’s eyes, and he bolted towards the gate.

She suddenly blocked his path, glaring at him. “Hold it!”

Cao Qinglang looked bewildered.

She asked, “Aren’t you going to thank me?”

Cao Qinglang hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping, his face streaked with tears. He ran out.

She didn’t dare to stop someone wielding a wood-chopping knife. She pursed her lips, stepping aside, muttering, “Ungrateful wretch, deserves to be an orphan.”

She pushed open the door to the room, which was Chen Pingan’s residence.

The bedding was neatly arranged on the bed, and the books on the table were in perfect order.

Everything was spotless.

There was also an empty sword sheath on the table.

She couldn’t find anything to eat, nor any copper coins or silver fragments.

Enraged, she walked to the table and swept the stack of books off it, scattering them across the floor.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She could sell the books for money! Then she stared at the sword sheath, sighing. Forget it. The white-robed guy probably wouldn’t do much to her if she secretly sold the books, but if she sold the sword sheath, he’d probably give her a good thrashing. Being young wouldn’t help then.

She gathered up the books and ran outside.

She had already made up her mind. After exchanging them for a large pile of copper coins, she’d quickly spend them all! Only if they became food in her stomach could he not take them back!

Zhou Fei, carrying Zhou Shi and Ya’er by their shoulders, found Lu Fang again. He was still drinking at the same tavern. Not only was the corner tavern deserted, but the entire street was empty. It was likely that the Southern Garden Kingdom’s court had long issued a strict decree that whenever there was a battle between Grandmasters, the surrounding area would be sealed off. These rules were probably based on historical curfews, undoubtedly the work of the National Preceptor Zhong Qiu.

The beautiful woman who had once been a disciple of the same master as Lu Fang was slumped limply on the table.

The head and sword, Great Camphor, of Smiling Face Qian Tang were placed on the neighboring table.

Zhou Fei released his grip, letting the two go. He strode inside, taking a seat and laughing. “All you did was get her drunk?”

Lu Fang poured him a bowl of wine. “What else?”

Zhou Fei sized up Lu Fang. “At least I didn’t waste my efforts. There’s been a little progress.”

Compared to their last meeting, where he was utterly despondent, Lu Fang had recovered a bit and even possessed a faint but tangible mental strength. He was just short of reversing the knotted rope. This was enough for Lu Fang to live another sixty years in the Lotus Blossom Paradise. Perhaps he’d even have the chance to ascend in his physical body, a blessing in disguise.

As for the flow of time in the Lotus Blossom Paradise and the Great World, it was quite interesting. It still depended solely on that fellow’s mood.

If that person found it interesting, sixty years in the Lotus Blossom Paradise might only be five or six years in the Great World. But if he found it dull, things would go badly. The most infamous case in history was when someone in the Paradise had finally endured countless hardships and ascended, only to discover that they had returned to the Great World three hundred years later, almost losing their Dao heart on the spot.

After all, even for cultivators, three hundred years was enough for things to change drastically. Perhaps the people they wanted to see were long gone, while those they wanted to kill had already died after enjoying wealth and honor.

Zhou Shi and Ya’er chose a table to sit at, each with their own thoughts. Zanhua Lang went to fetch a jar of Southern Garden Kingdom’s specialty bamboo leaf wine. Having survived a disaster, he should have a drink with the woman he admired. As for the sixty-year agreement, Zhou Shi, determined to reach the top ten or even the top three, was still Zhou Fei’s son, and the Spring Tide Palace was at the summit of the Lotus Blossom Paradise. Zhou Shi didn’t lack the intelligence and confidence to reunite with her after sixty years and then travel to his father’s homeland together.

Zhou Shi couldn’t guess what Ya’er was thinking, but there was no need to. Zhou Shi had absolute faith in his father’s methods and foundations, especially after ascension, when he would be like a dragon returning to the sea or a tiger returning to the mountains. The Lotus Blossom Paradise was just an ordinary paradise, but the Jade Tablet Sect’s Jiang family, that is, his father “Zhou Fei,” controlled the Cloud Cave Paradise, the top paradise in the world.

Zhou Fei’s skill in cultivating, training, and taming women’s hearts was something Zhou Shi had never been able to learn. Zhou Fei had once joked that it was called “False Body, True Heart,” a celestial power. You, Zhou Shi, can only learn a little bit, which is not surprising, but it’s enough for you to roam freely among the flowers of this world.

Lu Fang asked, “What’s happening over there?”
Zhou Fei raised his wine bowl and clinked it with his good friend’s. He took a sip of the wine, the taste of which was truly terrible, and quickly put it down. He explained, “It was a chaotic battle. Feng Qingbai was slain by his good friend Tang Tieyi. Cheng Yuanshan ran away without even uttering a word. Zhong Qiu played it smart and didn’t fight Chen Ping’an to the death. After discerning the superiority of their fist techniques, it was more like they sparred. He helped Chen Ping’an stabilize his realm because that fellow’s martial path was a bit strange, almost breaking through to the sixth realm bottleneck in one go. Zhong Qiu saw some clues and slowly, punch by punch, beat Chen Ping’an’s martial realm back to the fifth realm. During the exchange, Zhong Qiu also, through Chen Ping’an’s stances, likely verified some martial arts ideas. If this person can leave the Lotus Flower Paradise, a ninth-realm martial artist in the future is a certainty.”

Zhou Fei subconsciously reached for the wine bowl, but remembering the taste, he sighed and, holding his nose, gulped down a mouthful of the wine. “Then Ding Ying and Yu Zhenyi appeared. One blocked Chen Ping’an, and the other intercepted Zhong Qiu. I think these two fights are the most dangerous, a matter of life and death.”

Lu Fang casually pointed at the flower-adorned gallant and Crow Child at the table behind them, “Golden Vajra Ma Xuan, the Pipa Concubine, and… Smiling Face. Chen Ping’an didn’t really have much of a desire to kill them, but those two children, I believe that fellow will definitely kill if he gets the chance. Heh, with such a temperament, he is even more like an ancient chivalrous hero than Feng Qingbai.”

“Putting aside you and Tong Qingqing, among the people in this world, only Ding Ying and Yu Zhenyi catch my eye. The rest are just so-so. Even Zhong Qiu, granted he becomes a ninth-realm martial artist in forty or fifty years, so what?”

Zhou Fei waved his hand, “I don’t care about any of that. This time, I’ll just sit here and wait for the second drumbeat from Bull Mountain. I’ll only take the little lass called Crow Child behind you. So for the next sixty years, this useless Zhou Shi will need you to take care of him.”

Lu Fang nodded in agreement and curiously asked, “You don’t plan to recruit Yu Zhenyi? Sixty years of proximity is still more advantageous than the Tongye Sect. And according to you, you’re at the bottom of the list, only able to take one person, which is this demonic cult’s Crow Child. Yu Zhenyi can take at least three people: Wei Xian, Lu Baixiang, Sui Youbian, and Zhu Lian, all of whom are stunningly talented freaks. The Li Pearl Grotto Heaven of Bao Ping Continent is full of suitable candidates for cultivation, while this Lotus Flower Paradise is a breeding ground for martial arts geniuses. If you recruit Yu Zhenyi, it’s equivalent to having three Zhong Qius under the Jiang Clan.”

Zhou Fei pointed a finger at Lu Fang, “Your conscience, Lu Fang, hasn’t been completely eaten by dogs after all. You still know to consider some things for me.”

Crow Child spoke up for the first time, timidly asking, “Palace Master Zhou, Sword Immortal Lu, who exactly is Tong Qingqing?”

Zhou Fei and Lu Fang both ignored her.

Because Crow Child simply didn’t know the weight of a Jiang Clan Head of the Jade Tablet Sect, the master of the Cloud Cave Paradise, and a sword cultivator who had the potential to reach the eleventh realm.

If Crow Child were among the ten people of the Lotus Flower Paradise, she might have some qualifications to speak with them.

Of course, it also had to do with Zhou Fei and Lu Fang’s own cold and aloof natures.

If it were a banished immortal like the chivalrous hero Feng Qingbai, he wouldn’t make people so difficult to approach.

After Chen Ping’an’s sword on the city wall.

At the westernmost end of this straight military road, an old man’s chest was torn open, his robe ripped, revealing a bloody gash.

The old man made an unexpected move. He raised his arm, took off the lotus crown, and casually threw it on the ground nearby.

As for whether the flying sword would break free from its restraints and return to its master, making the enemy even stronger.

As for whether the lack of protection from the immortal treasure of the Daoist crown would mean one less winning move in a balanced and fierce battle.

Ding Ying didn’t care.

Ding Ying rolled up his sleeves, his movements slow and meticulous.

He thought about it, glanced down at the lotus crown, which was already one of his bargaining chips, and with a wave of his sleeve, tossed it far away towards the Imperial Road within the capital of the Southern Garden Kingdom.

Ding Ying slowly moved forward, his steps no different from ordinary people.

No longer was there a mountain-like divine man of primordial energy. Ding Ying even abandoned his silver Daoist crown.

Empty-handed, he walked towards Chen Ping’an.

Ding Ying felt relaxed, his condition never so peak.

To fight someone should be like this!

Defeating the second person in the world would naturally make one the first, a very simple principle.

But no matter how much outsiders valued such a principle, how unattainable it seemed, Ding Ying still felt it was too small, too light.

Ding Ying simply looked down on it!

The power of one person surpassing the combined strength of the remaining nine of the top ten in the world, that was the invincibility that Ding Ying truly desired.

So, in the long years, the solitary Devil Ding would study the strengths of all schools, elevating the martial arts of various grandmasters, not because Ding Ying needed it as a protective charm, but because Ding Ying had long prepared himself to easily break through the strongest techniques of grandmasters like Yu Zhenyi, Zhong Qiu, and Liu Zong with a casually acquired move.

It’s just that a huge accident has emerged now.

But Ding Ying felt that this was how it should be.

He didn’t need those flashy moves anyway, they were too slow.

On the road ahead, without strong enough opponents, even if Ding Ying stood still and waited, even if Ding Ying looked back, he couldn’t see a second person’s shadow, no one could catch up to Ding Ying, no one could stand shoulder to shoulder with him, so there was only the emptiness of heaven and earth, with only Ding Ying to compete with the heavens.

That banished immortal called Chen Ping’an came at the right time. With this stepping stone, I, Ding Ying, will only get closer to the heavens!

Ding Ying strode forward, laughing heartily.

Chen Ping’an gripped the long sword in his hand, his palm burning, yet not scorched by the sword energy. He felt that this second sword could be faster.

Above the city walls on the south side of the Southern Garden Kingdom.

From a huge gap in the city wall to the westernmost side, the entire military road was filled with a snow-white flood of sword energy, surging forward.

And on the western city wall was Ding Ying, delivering punches one after another, like celestial gods hammering mountains, each punch scattering the oncoming sword energy. Ding Ying was moving against the current, unstoppable.