Azure Bottle Continent. At the summit of the Southern Mountain, outside the Mountain God Shrine, a makeshift camp resembling a military encampment had been erected. Officials from the Great Li’s civil and military secretariat, along with generals from various tributary states, bustled about, their footsteps hurried. Each person wore a jade pendant, temporarily regarded as a pass, modeled after the Dragon-Breathing Rain Jade of the Fu family from Old Dragon City. In a relatively secluded area, four figures, old and young, leaned on a railing, gazing at the southern battlefield. All hailed from the Central Earth Divine Continent. One of the elders, clutching two military scholar’s armor-piercing pellets, gently rotated them, like a martial artist from a small country playing with iron balls. He grabbed the Rain Jade, and chuckled, “Good Embroidered Tiger, adept at earning, saving, and spending money. Old Jiang, have you learned how to save money? Within and without the Great Li battlefield, we roughly calculated about three thousand six hundred matters, large and small. Most involved earning and spending, with only two hundred seventy-three related to saving. These small matters, like this jade pendant, truly reveal the Embroidered Tiger’s skill. In the future, Old Jiang, when you lecture at the Ancestral Mountain, you can emphasize this point.”

The other elder, addressed as “Old Jiang,” wore coarse linen clothes and a small fishing basket at his waist. He nodded and, looking at the layered and intricate formations on the distant battlefield, sighed, “Attack has its formations, defense has its strongholds. They are interwoven and well-organized, all in accordance with military principles. Moreover, there are matters beyond military texts, yet within military strategy, such as nurturing talent for the nation and forming alliances. We can see familiar traces, the lines are clear. It seems the Embroidered Tiger greatly admires Fellow Daoist Wei. No wonder it is said that during his travels, the Embroidered Tiger repeatedly wore out three books, one of which was Fellow Daoist Wei’s military treatise.”

The elder surnamed Wei stroked his beard and smiled, “The other two books are a bit superfluous, probably just additions, like two side dishes. My military treatise is the true fine wine.”

It wasn’t that this elder cultivator from the Central Earth couldn’t handle praise. In fact, the elder surnamed Wei had received enough accolades in his life, both in books and in reality.

The elder then sincerely added, “In the past, I only thought Cui Chan was too clever, with a deep mind. His true talent lay in self-cultivation and academic pursuits, more than sufficient to be a vice headmaster of the Confucian Temple. But when it comes to matters beyond military strategy, involving actual combat, he might be all talk. Now it seems I underestimated the Embroidered Tiger’s ability to govern the country and pacify the world. The Vast Embroidered Tiger truly possesses heaven-reaching skills, very good indeed.”

The two elders both came from the military scholar’s ancestral grounds in the Central Earth Divine Continent. According to the rules, they belonged to the upper sects of the Wind and Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain. That ancestral mountain, deeply connected to military fortune and of profound origin, was the true orthodox origin of all military scholars. And the elders surnamed Jiang and Wei were undoubtedly the venerable patriarchs of the military scholars. However, Jiang and Wei could only be considered two revivers of the military scholar lineage, after all, the old almanac of the military scholar family had many blank pages.

Beside the two elders were a young man and woman. The young man was Xu Bai, known as “Young Jiang Taigong” and “Xu Xian” due to his mastery of chess.

The young woman, with a beautiful appearance, was named Chunqing. She wore a finely woven green robe made of bamboo silk. Her single braid was slung over her shoulder, hanging in front of her. A bamboo knife and sword hung at her waist. Chunqing came from the Bamboo Sea Grotto-Heaven, and was the only direct disciple of Lady of Azure Mist Mountain, both her first and last disciple.

Xu Bai softly asked, “The world above and below the Azure Bottle Continent is so orderly, is it truly that the hearts of the people can be greatly utilized? We traveled all the way from north to south, even taking a special journey along the coast for ten thousand miles. It seems there aren’t even any cultivators trying to escape the Azure Bottle Continent. Isn’t that strange? Not to mention the Tongye Continent, even the Fuyu Continent and Golden Armor Continent, which are considered daring and combative, don’t have such exaggeration. There are many groups of wandering cultivators secretly leaving the continent.”

The elder surnamed Jiang smiled, “The reason is very simple. The cultivators of the Azure Bottle Continent dare not, cannot, and are unwilling. They dare not because the laws of the Great Li are strict, and the existence of various coastal battle lines itself is a deterrent. The heads of immortal cultivators are no different from those of ordinary Confucian scholars, desertion without permission will be met with death. This is the current rule of the Great Li. They cannot because the various tributary courts, the mountain and water spirits, along with their ancestral halls and the local rogue cultivators who act as informants, are all watching each other. No one wants to be implicated. They are unwilling because this battle in the Azure Bottle Continent is destined to be more tragic than the three continents’ battlefields, yet it can still be fought. Even the ignorant children in rural schools and the idle ruffians in the streets don’t think that the Great Li, or rather the Azure Bottle Continent, will certainly lose this war.”

Xu Bai looked at a battlefield on the land and found a general in iron armor, softly asking, “He’s already the highest-ranking military general of the Great Li, does he still have to die? Is it his own will, or does the Embroidered Tiger require his death, to serve as a model for the Great Li border army, to pacify the hearts of the tributary states after the war?”

The elder surnamed Jiang smiled, “Which general of the Great Li border army hasn’t risen from the dead? From Song Changjing to Su Gaoshan, Cao Ping, they are all the same. If they become unwilling to die as their official hats get bigger, if their lives become too precious to sacrifice, then the Great Li iron cavalry wouldn’t be so strong. Xu Bai, have you considered this point? The Great Li’s Pillar of State can be inherited, and in the future, it will increasingly tend towards a civil official title. What about the position of Grand Inspector, the highest military rank? The Great Li emperor has never mentioned this matter, naturally because the National Preceptor Cui Chan has never brought it up. Why? Of course, it’s because a Grand Inspector, whether it’s Su Gaoshan or Cao Ping, the commander of the Eastern Front, must die heroically in battle. Only then can the Embroidered Tiger bring up the matter with justification. General Su Gaoshan must be very clear about this…”

Xu Bai couldn’t help but say, “But Su Gaoshan is only in his fifties now, to force him to die on the battlefield, even if it’s to bestow benefits upon his descendants for generations, how can he ensure that the military honor of the Grand Inspector will be inherited for several generations? It’s only human to worry…”

At this point, Xu Bai nodded to himself, “I understand. After dying in battle, he will be promoted to a hero in the Martial Temple, like the Yuan and Cao Pillars of State. With Gao Cheng and Zhong Kui wielding their divine powers, not only can he continue to lead ghost soldiers on the battlefield, but even after his death, he can still look after his family to some extent.”

Chunqing said, “Mr. Cui possesses both great talent and a deep understanding of the human heart.”
In his younger days, the Confucian scholar Cui Chan harbored some “grievances” with Bamboo Sea Grotto-Heaven. However, Chun Qing’s master, the Azure Peak Goddess of Bamboo Sea Grotto-Heaven, held a favorable view of Cui Chan. Therefore, although Chun Qing was too young to have ever interacted with the “Embroidered Tiger,” her impression of Cui Chan was quite positive, leading her to sincerely address him as “Master Cui.” According to her Mountain Lord master, a certain swordsman was of extremely poor character, but those whom that swordsman considered friends were certainly worth befriending, and the Azure Peak Goddess could spare a few jars of wine.

Xu Bai suddenly widened his eyes.

A white-clad youth was swiftly approaching from afar, seemingly leisurely swimming, yet with lightning speed. The heavily guarded Southern Mountain peak appeared unfazed, deliberately ignoring this person. Xu Bai immediately recognized his identity as an elusive and mysterious figure, a leader of the Great Li’s southern spies, and the mastermind behind the construction of the Great Li’s central secondary capital and a grand waterway. He held no official position in the Great Li government, yet he was an extremely crucial and influential figure.

The youth continued to swim near the group of four, feigning surprise and exclaiming, “Oh my, isn’t this old man Jiang, the unrivaled strategist of Elephant Game? Still dressed so plainly, fishing, eh? No problem, no problem, this pond is teeming with fish and shrimp. There’s that old woman Scarlet Consort, a truly huge fish, and with Old Ancestor Wei helping to cast the net, catching Scarlet Consort should be a cinch, right? The only worry is whether old man Jiang’s little fish basket can hold her…”

A gray-haired old Confucian suddenly appeared, placing his hand on Cui Dongshan’s head to stop him. The white-clad youth crashed to the ground with a thud, feigning anger and attempting a carp-like flip, but failing to get up. He floundered a few times, collapsing back to the ground repeatedly, like the most unskilled martial artist from a cheap martial arts school, overreaching himself. Finally, Cui Dongshan had to reluctantly get up, leaving the ever-proper and respectful Xu Bai somewhat bewildered. It seemed the Great Li Embroidered Tiger hadn’t cast any spells or restrictions, so why was the youth so clumsy?

Cui Chan, in his guise as a Confucian scholar, bowed respectfully to the two old ancestors of the Military School.

The two previously lighthearted elders also solemnly returned the greeting with clasped fists.

Respect is not something that can be demanded, but once it arrives, it cannot be stopped.

Cui Chan smiled. “Ancestor Jiang, Master Wei, would you care to take a walk with me and chat for a while?”

The two old ancestors of the Military School followed Cui Chan into the distance, leaving behind three young people who appeared to be of similar age. Cui Dongshan’s “actual” age, calculated from when his soul was separated and entered the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven, was indeed similar to that of Chun Qing and Xu Bai.

Cui Dongshan leaned on the railing. Roughly ten thousand miles away lay the southernmost tip of Treasure Bottle Continent, where land met the sea.

Currently, besides Old Dragon City, the entire Southern Mountain region had become the second battlefield on Treasure Bottle Continent, where battles were fought. War with the endless stream of demon armies from the Savage Desolate World was imminent.

The vast battlefield south of Southern Mountain had been completely cleared of mountain peaks. The elite forces of the Great Li and its affiliated states had already assembled there. The Great Li’s direct lineage iron cavalry numbered 300,000, with 250,000 light cavalry and 50,000 heavy cavalry. Both rider and horse in the light cavalry were uniformly clad in Water Cloud Armor, each set of armor inscribed with water flower and cloud patterns by talisman cultivators, without meticulously pursuing perfection in the details of the talisman inscriptions.

The Great Li’s 300,000 iron cavalry were commanded by General Su Gaoshan.

Su Gaoshan rose from humble origins within the Great Li Dynasty. With his distinguished military exploits, he successfully ascended to the newly created position of Patrol Envoy, a position of equal rank to the Great Li’s old Pillar of State title.

Eight hundred thousand infantrymen were divided into five major formations. Although the formations appeared to be tens of miles apart, this distance was negligible in the context of this war and this battlefield.

A full 800,000 heavily armored infantrymen were drawn from the various vassal states of southern Treasure Bottle Continent, including the former White Frost Dynasty. All were uniformly clad in heavy armor. Depending on their respective garrison positions, the soldiers wore Mountain Pattern Five Peaks Armor of different colors, corresponding to the Five-Colored Earth of Mountains and Rivers of the Boundless World. All the Five-Colored Earth came from the mountains and crown prince peaks of the vassal states. Under the supervision of the Great Li border army, without harming the national fortune or the fate of the mountains and rivers, thousands of mountain-moving sprites, Moist creations and talisman golems worked together to excavate mountains large and small, entrusting them to the Great Li and the various vassal state departments of industry. Countless laborers from the vassal states were mobilized, led by mountain cultivators, to forge Mountain Pattern Five Peaks Armor day and night.

The 300,000 cavalry were divided into five cavalry armies, with a ratio of three light cavalry to two heavy cavalry, positioned within the gaps between the infantry formations, forming a landscape-dependent battlefield pattern with the five major heavy infantry formations.

General Su Gaoshan was positioned within the ranks of the great army, a steel spear in hand.

Thirty years of military service had transformed him from an unknown border soldier into the highest-ranking military official of a continent equivalent to a nation.

Su Gaoshan sat high on his horse, glancing back, regretting that the high mountains of Southern Mountain obstructed his view. Otherwise, gazing north, the magnificent rivers and mountains would be fully visible. All that could be seen was the mountains and rivers of my Great Li domain. For a commoner, to have reached this point in life, one could say that he was born in the right era and would die in the right place.

Su Gaoshan lightly patted the hilt of his saber with one hand and heavily patted his helmet with the other. This Patrol Envoy, the only one of humble origins in the Great Li border army, had a determined look in his eyes as he solemnly whispered, “Let Su pave a broad and bright path for all future descendants of humble origins.”

Ahead of the cavalry and infantry, at the very front of the battlefield, was a line of chevaux de frise, formed by the most physically powerful and brave border soldiers from the vassal states, numbering as many as 80,000. Behind them, the second line of defense was armed with enormous horse-chopping swords. Both sides signed military pledges with their respective courts, serving as suicide squads, constructing an unprecedented chevaux de frise and horse-chopping barricade.

Located between the cavalry and infantry and the sword formation was the Great Formation of mountain cultivators from Treasure Bottle Continent, along with 120,000 archers and crossbowmen, and 12,000 trebuchets, arranged in a roughly crescent shape. In addition, there were 3,000 ballistae alone, each crossbow bolt as large as an iron spear, moving with the force of thunder, no less powerful than the flying swords of middle-five-realm sword cultivators outside the Land Immortal stage.
On this war front, the military strategists from True Martial Mountain and Wind and Snow Temple, two ancestral grounds of military strategy in Treasure Bottle洲, served as the main commanders. True Martial Mountain cultivators were most adept at battlefield formations, often having already joined the ranks of Great Li and various affiliated states, mostly as mid-to-high-level military officers. Arrayed among them, they not only charged into battle but also commanded troops. Wind and Snow Temple cultivators, on the other hand, had a more rogue-like fighting style, mostly cultivators attached to various countries’ border armies. Among them, Ma Kuxuan, one of the young hopefuls, stood on this battlefield, issuing decrees to a dozen True Martial Mountain ancestral deities, standing shoulder to shoulder on either side.

The female Sect Leader of the Hemp Robe Sect, Immortal Master Zhu Quan of Guo Chi, wore a saber engraved with the seal script, “Majestic Heavenly Power, Shaking and Killing Ten Thousand Ghosts.”

She stood shoulder to shoulder with a white bone sword cultivator from the Skeleton Beach Ghost Domain Valley, the swordsman Pu Rang. The latter was slender, dressed in a pitch-black mage robe, displaying a facade of growing flesh on bones, revealing for the first time her true appearance, a spirited and heroic young woman.

Zhu Quan chuckled, “Pu Rang, so you were born so beautiful, a beauty, a great beauty. That bald donkey from the Great Circle Moon Temple must be blind. If we can survive and return home, I will stand up for you. You are reluctant to scold him, but I, an outsider, will find an excuse to scold him a few times, to make that bald guy even more confused.”

Just as Zhu Quan finished speaking, a monk and a Daoist, each with a Great Li Ministry of Justice first-class Peace Talisman hanging from their waists, arrived together riding the wind, landing on either side of Zhu Quan and Pu Rang.

It was none other than a True Person from Little Profound Capital Temple, and the monk who could not resolve his inner knot at the Great Circle Moon Temple and could not achieve Buddhahood.

The monk stood next to Pu Rang, who then removed the facade, revealing her white bone face to the world once more.

The monk simply turned to look at her and said softly, “Those who become Buddhas become Buddhas, those who pity you pity you. If I cannot become a Buddha because of this, and there must be a mistake, then I can only mislead my Buddha Tathagata.”

Pu Rang simply turned her head first, then her body, actually facing away from the monk, as if afraid to see him.

Zhu Quan stomped her foot and said, “Mother, it’s so sickeningly sweet.”

The old True Person laughed, “Sect Leader Zhu is such a spoilsport.”

Zhu Quan held her hand on the saber hilt, looked up high towards the south, and sneered, “Bullshit! This old woman, Li Cai, plus Pu Rang, we women of Northern Entirety Continent, whether we are sword cultivators or not, whether we are human or ghost, are scenery in ourselves!”

A large group of cultivators were stationed on the mountains of the Southern Mountain Range. The vast majority of Qi Refinement cultivators with relatively low cultivation levels were located in the Southern Mountain Ancestral Mountain, spreading from the foot of the mountain all the way up to the mountainside. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth was so rich and abundant that it directly condensed into a vast mist, making some Qi Refinement cultivators below the fifth realm feel as if they were “drunk.”

Further up were floating sword ships.

The feudal lord Song Mu, wearing a python robe, personally sat in the military tent outside the Southern Mountain Peak Divine Shrine.

During the battle of Old Dragon City, Song Mu retreated very late.

The feudal lord guarded the gate of the country.

Halfway up the Southern Mountain, the heroic spirit of Jingguan City, Gao Cheng, and the ghost Zhong Kui, a gentleman from the academy of Tong Ye Continent, stood next to an old monk who was touching his own bald head.

Behind Gao Cheng was a child, looking at Gao Cheng’s back, calling out “Brother,” and then telling Gao Cheng that Master Cui Dongshan had arrived at the Southern Mountain.

Gao Cheng ignored it.

On Southern Mountain Crown Prince Mountain, two tenth-realm martial artists, Li Er and Wang Fusuo, stood shoulder to shoulder. In addition, there was Zhou Mi, the Mountain Chief of the Fish Cormorant Academy, also from Northern Entirety Continent, whose name was the same as the demon 文海 from Mount Support-the-Moon. Therefore, Mountain Chief Zhou left a curse at the academy and led a large group of academy Confucian scholars south to Treasure Bottle洲. However, Zhou Mi left the academy disciples in the central capital, going south alone, and was now responsible for guarding Southern Mountain Crown Prince Mountain with his friends Li Er and the old brute Wang Fusuo.

On this Southern Mountain Crown Prince Mountain, in an immortal mansion located at a height second only to the Divine Shrine on the peak, the major Old Dragon City families were currently residing. Besides the Fu family of Old Dragon City, there were also the Sun and Fan families, as well as several great sword immortals and old sword immortals from Zheng Yang Mountain, and the City Lord of Qingfeng City, Xu Hun, were all currently staying in different elegant courtyards. The young city lord of Old Dragon City, Fu Nanhua, was reminiscing with Yuan Ying Ancestor Cai Jinjian of Yunxia Mountain.

Several major families of Old Dragon City had already moved out of the city. However, the losses were still immeasurable. Fortunately, the foundation accumulated through several trade routes before the war was substantial. Even if they were badly injured, they would not be completely defeated. As long as Treasure Bottle洲 could be defended, everything would be fine. This was inherently a high-stakes gamble where you either win big or lose everything. Furthermore, Great Li would not allow Old Dragon City to refuse.

Moreover, as the leader, the Fu family of Old Dragon City showed their utmost effort. The several affiliated families naturally had to swallow their grievances, squeeze out smiles, and pretend to be nonchalant, not daring to show any resentment. After all, if they really won this war, the profits would be enormous.

As for the several transcontinental ferry boats of Old Dragon City, including Osmanthus Island and the Mountain Sea Turtle, they had all migrated to the northern part of Treasure Bottle洲.

Xu and his wife, along with their嫡son Xu Binxian, were secretly discussing matters with the Old Ancestor of the Tao family of Zheng Yang Mountain, the Mountain Guardian, and the woman Tao Zi.

City Lord Xu Hun was now a Jade Purity Realm military strategist, wearing a wart-studded armor.

Xu Binxian was Xu Hun’s 嫡son. Years ago, a graceful Daoist nun traveled to Qingfeng City and personally bestowed a name upon Xu Hun’s嫡son, meaning “both cultured and martial, a man of the mountain.”

The relationship between Zheng Yang Mountain and Qingfeng City was not just that of allies; the people sitting in the study were even more closely connected, sharing both honor and disgrace.

Xu Hun looked expressionless at the uneasy woman who had come to plead guilty, his tone not appearing particularly harsh, “The Fox Kingdom is not just a city. Closing the gates and activating the city protection formation cannot isolate all news. Such a large territory, occupying thousands of miles, cannot disappear into thin air without any news coming out. The pieces that were arranged earlier, have they not sent back any news to Qingfeng City?”

The Xu woman shook her head, “For some reason, no news has been sent out.”

Xu Hun frowned slightly, “That outsider named Yan Fang, is he really a remnant of the Dugu family of the Vermillion Glow Dynasty?”

The Xu woman said cautiously, “The Vermillion Glow Dynasty has been destroyed for many years, the situation is too chaotic. That dynasty of sword cultivators was famous for its intertwined mountains and mountains, and its reclusive scholars, each with obscure identities. This guy who goes by the name of Yan Fang is acting too suspiciously. Many clues about the Vermillion Glow Dynasty are intermittent and fragmented, unable to piece together the truth, so it is still difficult to determine whether he belongs to the Dugu remnants.”
It wasn’t the woman’s sophistry. For instance, regarding the lands of the fallen White Frost Dynasty, the Daoist named Cao Rong, who descended from the mountains, appeared on the battlefield of Old Dragon City. Subsequently, the numerous profound and mystical abilities he displayed astonished the cultivators of Treasure Bottle洲. They were amazed that there could be such a powerful and enlightened master. Although his specific cultivation realm remained difficult to gauge, the profundity of his methods and the sublimity of his arts could be considered the equal of an immortal.

His Daoist arts were in no way inferior to Qi Zhen, the newly ascended Grand Heavenly Sovereign of the Divine Edict Sect within Treasure Bottle洲.

This shocked Treasure Bottle洲, but more than that, it filled them with a sense of pride. “Our Treasure Bottle洲,” they thought, “truly hides dragons and crouching tigers. Its mountains are too high to climb, and its waters are too deep to measure.”

Therefore, even though Old Dragon City had been reduced to a battlefield ruin and temporarily fallen into the hands of the beasts from the Savage Desolation, the hearts and morale of the Daoists on the mountains and the Iron Cavalry frontier troops below not only didn’t diminish, but actually increased.

Even if many lives were lost in such a war, there was no sense of frustration or humiliation. Therefore, they could fight, and they could win!

As for that Tongye洲, it was a rotten mess that would collapse with a single poke. It was a pity that they had regarded their own Treasure Bottle洲 as a humble dwelling in the past, always thinking how impressive the wealthy neighbor to the south was. As a result, many landscape gazettes frequently mentioned that a Golden Core cultivator from Tongye洲 could kill a Nascent Soul cultivator from Treasure Bottle洲. Indeed, many Qi Refining cultivators believed it, and they believed it deeply. It turned out that their own land was the one with the profound foundation and vast ambition.

However, for Qingfeng City now, half of its financial resources had been inexplicably cut off and plundered, and they couldn’t even find a relatively accurate trace of it, so naturally, they were in no good mood.

“Even with the help of Righteous Sun Mountain, who sent some native sword cultivators from the Central Peak region to search for clues, it’s still difficult to dig out the roots of that Yan Fang.”

The woman was on the verge of tears, and she took out a handkerchief to wipe the corners of her eyes.

Xu Hun waved his hand. “Then we’ll discuss it again.”

Certain true secrets were better discussed behind closed doors among family members.

The Old Ancestor of the Tao family chuckled and said, “Up until now, no one from Fallen Mountain has appeared on the battlefield.”

“Perhaps there is, but they haven’t gained any fame.”

Xu Binxian smiled and said, “It seems they gave the Great Li military a dragon-boat ferry, is that considered a contribution? They’re just pretending to be benevolent and righteous. They’ve been in business for so long that they know how to win people’s hearts. It’s a good strategy. They’ve benefited from Grand Mountain Monarch Wei of the Piyi Mountain and, through a Buffalo Horn Mountain ferry, they’ve gotten on the good side of the Celestial families like the Hemp Robe Sect and the Spring Dew Garden of the Northern Club Reed洲. Now, they’ve actually become the biggest landowners in the former Lizhu land, and the number of affiliated mountain peaks has already exceeded that of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect.”

The old ape from Righteous Sun Mountain, clad in white and with a burly frame, crossed his arms and mocked, “What a stroke of good luck, making a nobody famous and powerful.”

Xu Binxian couldn’t help but say, “The Piyi Mountain of the Northern Peak is indeed terrifyingly deep-rooted. However, Wei Bo was clearly abandoned by the Great Li, and his previous divine position was just the Land Deity of Chess Mound Mountain. His rise has been too strange. Who would warm such a cold stove? Fallen Mountain has good fortune.”

The Xu family woman said timidly, “I just wonder why the young mountain master hasn’t been heard from in so many years.”

The white-clad old ape twitched his lips. “A lowborn from Mud Bottle Alley, how much trouble can he cause in less than thirty years? I’m begging him to come and take revenge. He didn’t dare to come when I was at Righteous Sun Mountain, and now that I’ve left Righteous Sun Mountain, he’s still hiding. Such a cowardly fellow isn’t even worthy of Madam Xu mentioning his name.”