On Upside-Down Mountain, the previous disappearance of the entire plum blossom garden became a widely discussed tale of immortals and strange happenings. Then, one day, a large group of sword cultivators from Ape-Ravage Manor arrived, led by two Sword Immortals: Sun Juyuan, known for his extensive friendships, and Mi Hu, rumored to have ascended to the realm of immortals. They arrived on foot, but departed with a continuous stream of carriages, horses, and talismans, making a lively spectacle in the sky and on the ground. However, the native inhabitants of Upside-Down Mountain pretended not to notice the sword cultivators’ display, and those from afar dared not approach for a closer look.

If one were separated from the Sword Qi Great Wall by thousands of mountains and rivers, which Sword Immortal would one not dare to criticize?

But once one was in close proximity to the sword cultivators, what else could one do but remain silent?

Only a pedigree immortal master who had traveled here did not believe in this deference. He secretly used the divine power of “Palm Gazing at Mountains and Rivers” and saw a horrifying scene within Ape-Ravage Manor. Pavilions and buildings had been completely demolished. The Nascent Soul old cultivator from皚皚洲 (Ái’ái Continent) knew something was wrong. Just as he was about to retract his hand and withdraw his divine power, a dazzling sword light arrived from the night sky, piercing through the old cultivator’s hand. The sword light flashed again, piercing through his left cheek and exiting from the right. The sword light vanished in an instant, and the flying sword had returned to Ape-Ravage Manor.

The old cultivator, in great pain, understood: eyes must not see, mouths must not speak.

But having suffered such a great humiliation, he could not help but resent the Sword Immortal’s overbearing behavior. In his hometown, how could a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator suffer such an insult?!

The sword cultivators emptied Ape-Ravage Manor, the property of the Liu family of皚皚洲 (Ái’ái Continent), and returned to the Sword Qi Great Wall that very night. Over the past few months, the bustling mirage market of the Sword Qi Great Wall also gradually declined. Shops and goods were constantly being moved, relocating to Upside-Down Mountain one after another. If one did not have an ancestral foothold on Upside-Down Mountain, one could only return to one’s respective sect in the various continents of the Vast World. After all, land on Upside-Down Mountain was as expensive as gold. Moreover, with the city of the Sword Qi Great Wall now as the boundary, everything to the south was forbidden territory, and a grand mountain and river formation had been activated, creating an illusion. Therefore, the towering city wall of the Sword Qi Great Wall was no longer a scenic spot for travel, making business on Upside-Down Mountain even more desolate. Today, the ferries traveling between Upside-Down Mountain and the Eight Continents had very few passengers and mostly carried cargo. Consequently, many intercontinental ferries sailing on the water were heavily laden, and the original wharves of places like Osmanthus Island in Old Dragon City were completely submerged. And many intercontinental ferries that pierced through clouds and rain were also a bit slower.

The war was urgent, and the situation was perilous. Upside-Down Mountain was well aware that the Barbarian World’s attack this time was unusual. However, the Sword Qi Great Wall had closed its gates like this more than once or twice in history, so there was no need to be too alarmed. In the past, there were many pedigree immortal masters who had sold their immortal land deeds, shops, and residences at low prices whenever the Sword Qi Great Wall was closed, only to later feel remorse and regret.

The Water Crystal Palace, one of the four great private residences on Upside-Down Mountain, was presided over by a Jade Purity Realm female cultivator named Yun Qian, one of the founding ancestors of the Rain Dragon Sect. One of her direct disciples, blessed with great fortune, had taken a liking to a down-on-his-luck wild cultivator named Fu Ke. The latter had the opportunity of the Fish-Dragon Transformation, and his progress was unbelievably fast, making him a standout even in the Rain Dragon Sect’s history of talented individuals.

Yun Qian considered things further. In addition to the future of her own Rain Dragon Sect, she was also worried about the war at the Sword Qi Great Wall. After all, the Water Crystal Palace was not like the Spring Pennant Shop or the Plum Blossom Garden, which could be refined and carried away. Nor was it like the Liu family of皚皚洲 (Ái’ái Continent), a wealthy entity for whom a priceless Ape-Ravage Manor was merely dispensable.

But now, the Sword Qi Great Wall was heavily guarded, especially by the current ruling Hidden Official lineage. The sword cultivators acted meticulously and ruthlessly. All cultivators who broke the rules, whether intentionally or unintentionally, would never return. Several people had come to the Water Crystal Palace one after another, all of whom had some connections with the Rain Dragon Sect, including two Nascent Soul cultivators and an old Jade Purity Realm celestial master from the talisman school. They all hoped that she could help mediate, say a word to the Celestial Sovereign of Upside-Down Mountain, or plead with a Sword Immortal familiar with the Sword Qi Great Wall. The Celestial Sovereign had already entered seclusion, so Yun Qian went to the Isolated Peak to find the old True Lord who refined the dragon’s whiskers into a duster brush immortal weapon, but she was turned away. She then tried to entrust someone to send a letter to the Sword Immortal Sun Juyuan, with whom she had always had a good relationship in the past, but the letter disappeared without a trace, as if Sun Juyuan had never received it.

Yun Qian, residing in the Water Crystal Palace, felt uneasy and could no longer concentrate on her cultivation. She then rushed to the ancestral hall of the Rain Dragon Sect and convened a meeting, proposing a relocation of the sect. As a result, she was met with ridicule. Although Yun Qian was prepared and knew that this matter was not easy and too fantastical, she could not help but feel disheartened when she saw everyone in the ancestral hall changing the subject to discuss various business ventures.

As the sword cultivators left Ape-Ravage Manor, a Spring Pennant Shop’s transmission flying sword quietly arrived at the Water Crystal Palace.

After Yun Qian opened the secret letter, there were only two words on the paper.

“Northern Migration.”

The letter bore the signature of Sword Immortal Sun Juyuan, with which Yun Qian was very familiar.

There were also two ancient seal characters, “Hidden Official.” Yun Qian had heard of it for a long time, but this was the first time she had seen it in person.

The Hidden Official seal characters were above, and the Sword Immortal’s signature was below.

It was very proper.

It should not be fake.

Yun Qian did not dare to be negligent. She quietly left Upside-Down Mountain again and hurried back to the Rain Dragon Sect, this time only finding her sect master senior sister.

Unexpectedly, her senior sister casually threw away the letter and sneered, “What? Demolishing Ape-Ravage Manor wasn’t enough, so now they want to demolish the Water Crystal Palace? The young Hidden Official has a good plan. Yun Qian, do you believe that as soon as you go to the Spring Pennant Shop, Shao Yunyan, who is now a confidant of the Hidden Official, will discuss the ownership of the Water Crystal Palace with you?”

Yun Qian was skeptical, but she did not forget to control the letter paper and carefully put it into her sleeve.

Seeing this action, the sect master became even more angry and emphasized her tone, “Now, the Rain Dragon Sect’s ancestral heritage has not come easily. You and I know the hardships involved best. Yun Qian, you and I are simply without achievements in opening up new territories. Can’t we even defend what we have now? Have you forgotten why you were demoted to the Water Crystal Palace in the first place? Even those Nascent Soul offerings dared to point fingers at you. Wasn’t it because you provoked everyone in the ancestral hall? You couldn’t even take down the small Reed Flower Island. Now, if even the Water Crystal Palace is lost by you, how will you face the past ancestors of the Rain Dragon Sect afterward? Do you know what everyone is saying about you behind your back? A woman’s kindness! A Jade Purity Realm immortal master, do you think you’re being reasonable?”
The Sect Master did not wish to overly belittle this junior sister, after all, Water Essence Palace still needed Yun Qian to personally oversee it. If the stubborn Yun Qian, in a fit of pique, concocted some excuse about venturing out to sea to seek immortals, or perhaps wandering the Tongye Continent to relax, even as Sect Master, she couldn’t easily stop her. Thus, she softened her tone, saying, “Also, don’t forget the deal we made with the Mountain and Water Cave’s founding ancestor in Fuling Continent. That’s an old debt recorded on the Sword Qi Great Wall’s ledger. The new Hidden Official now wields great power. What has become of that vast Mountain and Water Cave in Fuling Continent? Is the Ancestral Hall still standing? Yun Qian, are you trying to lead Rain Dragon Sect down the same path? This Hidden Official’s methods are like needles hidden in cotton, not to be underestimated, especially adept at using external forces to pressure others.”

Yun Qian nodded slightly.

The Sect Master once again emphasized, “Junior Sister Yun Qian, let me say this one last time. The Sword Qi Great Wall has old grudges with our Rain Dragon Sect. Does this new Hidden Official have even the slightest friendship with you, Yun Qian? Why would he so diligently plan a way out for our Rain Dragon Sect? Is it truly a noble act of repaying evil with virtue?! Yun Qian, I’ve said all I can say. Consider this carefully!”

Yun Qian left Rain Dragon Sect in a somber mood, returning to Water Essence Palace. In truth, she had taken her Sect Master sister’s words to heart. The machinations of the immortals on the mountain were indeed a cause for caution. Yun Qian had suffered greatly from them on her path of cultivation. She had faced three major tribulations in her life, and aside from one natural disaster, the rest were caused by human malice, and by those closest to her. However, she was still unwilling to give up and made a trip to Spring Pennant Abode. The Sword Immortal Shao Yunyan seemed to have anticipated her visit, and handed her another secret letter, saying that the Hidden Official had gone through Rain Dragon Sect’s archives and greatly admired Immortal Yun Qian’s womanly compassion. Yun Qian frowned, and Shao Yunyan smiled, saying that the Hidden Official didn’t expect Immortal Yun Qian to heed his advice. He merely requested that she read the secret letter and destroy it on the spot, otherwise it could lead to unnecessary complications, which would be bad for both the Hidden Official and Immortal Yun Qian.

Yun Qian returned to Water Essence Palace, and spent a sleepless night reading the detailed content of the letter, which ended with eight words: “The sect divides north and south; firewood remains on the green hills.”

At Spring Pennant Abode, after Yun Qian departed, Mi Yu and Nalan Caihuan simultaneously appeared. Mi Yu asked with a smile, “Brother Shao, do you think Yun Qian will lead people north? If she truly has the courage and means to do so, how many Rain Dragon Sect disciples will she be able to save?”

Shao Yunyan said, “Sect-based immortals are consistently divided into cliques. Yun Qian, accustomed to making deals in Rain Dragon Sect, possesses only a high cultivation realm, but is not well-liked. Therefore, even if she is willing to move, she won’t be able to take many people with her.”

Mi Yu said, “Those Yun Qian can’t take away are not meant to be taken away in the first place.”

Nalan Caihuan looked displeased, “And you still dare say that Yun Qian has womanly compassion. Do you believe that if Yun Qian really moves north and splits Rain Dragon Sect, the surviving fleeing immortals in the south will instead resent Sword Qi Great Wall for not offering salvation, especially our bodhisattva-hearted Hidden Official? If Yun Qian makes a slip of the tongue and reveals the content of the two letters, it will backfire.”

Shao Yunyan nodded, “That’s why Yun Qian was asked to destroy the secret letter, which should have anticipated the unpredictability of people’s hearts. Even if Yun Qian is solely focused on cultivation, she should still be able to comprehend these gains and losses.”

Mi Yu laughed, “What if Yun Qian can’t comprehend it? Does our Hidden Official care about these things?”

Shao Yunyan sighed, “I fear that in Rain Dragon Sect, which believes that everything in the world is just a matter of a deal, more than one high-ranking figure in the Ancestral Hall harbors the ambition of becoming a minister who assists the dragon, still believing it to be a matter of a deal.”

Nalan Caihuan sneered, “Without the Hidden Official’s mind, how dare they speak of deals under the grand scheme of things?!”

Realizing she had spoken out of turn, the woman excused herself and continued to balance the accounts.

Shao Yunyan and Mi Yu exchanged smiles.

At the Upside-Down Mountain ferry, a cross-continental ferry from North Ju Continent had just arrived with sixty-two sword cultivators. They were taciturn and went straight to the gate, heading to the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Inside the suspended structure that resembled a pavilion, Chen Pingan sat cross-legged on the ground, his fists resting on his knees, breathing evenly.

What he was sitting on was the bamboo mat he had picked up from the Plum Blossom Garden. It could help cultivators focus their minds, and it also had other wonderful uses. It allowed Chen Pingan to refine those emerald green water droplets, which were abundant in water essence, more quickly. Not only that, perhaps due to the material of the bamboo mat, the Water Mansion benefited the most, and the Wood Residence also benefited significantly. The excess water essence spiritual energy from the water droplets that Chen Pingan refined could be directed to the Qi Mansion where the Wood Residence was located. A continuous stream of water essence, like a long thread, flowed all the way, nourishing his organs.

Cultivating on the mountain required such immortal objects. They might not be of high rank, but they were essential. Little by little, they accumulated, and after two or three years, the effects might not be obvious, but if one cultivated diligently, staying in the mountains for decades or even hundreds of years without asking about the seasons, there would be a world of difference. Therefore, as Lu Tai said, the recorded immortals of the great sects must have a similar natal object to aid their cultivation. If they had enough immortal coins, they should also seek other objects in addition to their natal object, all to achieve a long and distant path of the Great Dao, with a foundation as solid as a skyscraper built from the ground up.

Depending on the time of day, the immortal cave, and the corresponding cultivation realm, one had to constantly change objects, with many intricacies.

That outer heavenly demon floated around the building, without saying a word, as if the young man was more worthy of exploration than the cloud-shrouded Execution Official Sword Immortal.

The young Hidden Official had just returned from a secret realm. Otherwise, he would not be so relaxed and comfortable at the moment. Previously, Nian Xin had grabbed him by the neck and dragged him to that place, that world refined from the corpse of an ancient deity. In the heart region, there was a forbidden area that the Old Deaf Man, the outer heavenly demon, and the Seamstress could not enter. There was a small door with a symbolic lock hanging on it. The Old Deaf Man could only take out the key to go through the motions, and then let Nian Xin throw the young Hidden Official into it.

It was a golden pond, with magma boiling within, and the secret chamber filled with dazzling golden light.

Each time Chen Pingan was thrown into the golden magma by the Seamstress, he would be able to recover within a few hours at most, and his injuries would be completely healed after walking out of the small door.

Only the Close-at-Hand Object and the Sword Nurturing Gourd had to be left in the pavilion.

Chen Pingan asked, “Did the ancient deities also have Qi Mansions and Apertures, with a similar structure to us humans?”
The white-haired child halted, “Generally speaking, it’s about right. It’s just that you humans are ultimately not as intrinsically connected to the heavens and earth as the deities are. After all, you were created as puppets. What they seek is nothing more than incense offerings. The small world within your human bodies is naturally not as exquisite as theirs. However, compared to other beings, you are already considered favored by heaven. Otherwise, why would mountain spirits, goblins, and even the demon races of the desolate wilderness tirelessly strive to transform into human form?”

Chen Ping An caught a key word, “Intrinsically connected? Is that related to the Daoist pursuit of immaculacy?”

The extraterrestrial demon rotated slowly, answering a different question, laughing, “A swordsman’s flying sword can shatter ten thousand laws. A commoner’s firewood knife can also cut melons and vegetables, and chop firewood. But what exactly did the flying sword shatter, and what did the firewood knife’s edge cleave? Do you understand the underlying principle?”

Chen Ping An shook his head.

Only the student Cui Dongshan might understand the reason behind it.

Chen Ping An finally opened his eyes and asked, “In exchange, I additionally agreed to let you enter my mindscape three times. What did you see each time?”

The white-haired child, the manifestation of the 珥青 serpent, sat cross-legged, flew into a rage, gnashed his teeth, and refused to speak.

He had done four deals with this person, helping to build structures, gifting the remains of a female sword immortal, plus two short swords. He had suffered a great loss!

Chen Ping An was curious, picked up the sword-nurturing gourd on the ground, and took out a short sword, “If you are willing to talk, I will return the short sword to you.”

Inside the sword-nurturing gourd was still the natal flying sword “Celestial Sound” of the Zheng Rong Sect swordsman, being gently nourished.

The white-haired child grabbed the short sword, attached it to his waist, leaving one behind, still being nurtured in the mediocre sword-nurturing gourd, and said, “The first time I visited, I saw a middle-aged Daoist priest who wanted to spar with me in Daoist arts. This grandpa was almost scared to death by him.”

“The second time, I didn’t go to that shabby house, and I ended up seeing an old man with a young face but a gloomy air. He was wearing straw sandals, a firewood knife hanging from his waist, traveling the world. As soon as we met, he wanted to talk to me about Buddhist teachings. As soon as he said the words ‘Please sit,’ this grandpa was given another fright!”

After recounting the two journeys, the white-haired child fell silent for some reason.

Chen Ping An asked, “What about the last time?”

The white-haired child countered, “Do you like to lecture so much?”

Chen Ping An was puzzled, “What do you mean?”

The white-haired child jumped up and cursed, “There was a guy who, according to the different speeds of the flowing rivers of time, lectured this grandpa for the equivalent of several years, and wouldn’t let me leave! And I really couldn’t leave!”

Chen Ping An smiled, “So, I’m so annoying that even an extraterrestrial demon can’t stand me?”

The white-haired child glanced, intentionally or unintentionally, at the four pillars supporting the structure.

After that, Chen Ping An continued his cultivation, and the extraterrestrial demon continued to wander, both remaining silent.

One day, Chen Ping An took off his upper garment, exposing his back.

Nian Xin casually extracted the spinal column and began skinning it to use as cloth. Then, using several ancient seal scripts, including the Nine-fold Seal Script, she inscribed “True Names” one by one on the young man’s spinal column and the skin on both sides. Each name belonged to a great demon that had died under the swords of sword immortals, all ancient, ferocious creatures closely related to the imprisoned demons. The closer the relationship, the greater the karma, and the better the sewing effect. Of course, the suffering endured by the young man would be greater.

To prevent the young Hidden Official from collapsing under the pressure, his Dao heart crumbling, and his flesh melting away, ultimately leading to failure, Nian Xin had no choice but to impart a unique secret technique to Chen Ping An, allowing him to slightly divide his attention.

This was actually a last resort. After all, Chen Ping An had not yet reached the Distant Wanderer Realm. Even after being tempered by that golden magma, Chen Ping An’s martial arts physique was still unable to bear too many True Names of great demons. Nian Xin’s limit was to inscribe three each time.

The young man was left with only one hand to control. In fact, in the later stages of the sewing, after Nian Xin inscribed the second True Name of a great demon, Chen Ping An dared not even move a single thought. But even without any thought to support him, his fingers were still writing two words in the air repeatedly: Ning Yao, Ning Yao…

Nian Xin, being in the prison, never asked about the affairs of the Great Wall of Sword Qi, so she did not know who this Ning Yao was.

During occasional breaks, Nian Xin would glance at the young man’s handwriting, inevitably curious. Which woman could make him so fond? Was it really worth being this fond?