The gathering of heroes finally dispersed. Cui Dongshan leaned against the wall, sitting cross-legged, and chatted with Chunqing in his mind, “Why didn’t Madam Qingshen Mountain wait a dozen years, at least until you reached the fifth realm or even the peak, before letting you leave the Bamboo Sea Grotto-heaven? These days are so chaotic, geniuses are the least valuable, gone in the blink of an eye. Madam has given me a big problem. Let’s make it clear in advance, you must live well and return to the Central Earth Divine Continent. Don’t fall in realms easily, and especially don’t die casually.”

For both public and private reasons, and out of both emotion and reason, Cui Dongshan was unwilling to see the only direct disciple of Madam Qingshen Mountain perish in Treasure Bottle Continent.

Cui Dongshan still respected and trusted that Madam Qingshen Mountain. Back then, when Old Bastard Wang became the public enemy of the entire Great Downy, the Yu Family of Central Earth, the Liu Clan of Snowy Continent, and the Bamboo Sea Grotto-heaven had all extended a helping hand. Moreover, Yu Panshui and Liu Jubao inevitably had some human feelings and selfish motives, hoping that Embroidered Tiger would be both a friend and an assistant. Only Madam Qingshen Mountain asked for nothing, she just saw a friend in trouble, and her own mountain happened to have enough wine, that’s all.

Chunqing squatted aside, “Mountain Master Shifu said that in the art of combat, even if a martial artist at the pinnacle realm helps to feed punches, no matter how ruthless and heavy they are, people won’t die. So it’s better to fight a peak realm expert to the death. Don’t worry, before I left my hometown, Shifu made an agreement with me. Either I go back alive and inherit the Qingshan Divine Temple in the future, or I die outside, and Shifu will pretend she never had a disciple like me.”

Cui Dongshan nodded, “That makes sense. If you face my teacher, it’s just two swords and a punch from my teacher. And my teacher has also met some like-minded people on the battlefield of the Sword Qi Great Wall, such as the demon sword immortal Shou Chen, who is expected to reach the throne, and Fei Ran, the head of the hundred sword immortals of Tuoyue Mountain. Both sword cultivators are good at peeling away layers of skin, exchanging injuries for death, and specializing in so-called young geniuses.”

Chunqing asked, “Is the gap between me and your teacher that big?”

Hidden Official Chen Eleven. The last of the young ten. But one thing is universally recognized in the Central Earth Divine Continent, there is an insurmountable gap between the young ten and the candidate ten.

Chunqing was already a distant journey realm martial artist, and also a nascent soul realm bottleneck qi refiner. She was proficient in the five elements spells, thunder magic talismans, sword and saber combat, divination and summoning, and controlling ghosts and commanding deities. Moreover, she was also a highly accomplished array master, so she was good at one-on-one combat, tracking, concealment, and escape, excelling at everything. Madam Qingshan Shen treated the girl Chunqing as her own daughter and cultivated her personally. Moreover, because the Bamboo Sea Grotto-heaven had friends at the peak realm all over the world, as many as four pinnacle masters had guided her disciple Chunqing in martial arts combat in just over a decade.

The most terrifying thing was that Chunqing was only in her early twenties now. When she first entered the ranks of the young candidate ten of the world, she was only fourteen years old, the youngest among the young ten and candidate ten.

Cui Dongshan smiled and said, “The gap between you and my teacher is actually not in the realm. To be precise, if the realm is just arithmetic on paper, you were slightly higher when you were on the list. However, on the mountain, the difference is often immediately apparent, and life and death are instantaneous. It’s naturally a good thing that Miss Chunqing has learned so much and is proficient in so many things. Fighting people to the death can eliminate many accidents. Unfortunately, if you meet my teacher, who likes to ponder the word ‘what if’ the most, Miss Chunqing will still die. I’m speaking bluntly, don’t be angry.”

Chunqing shook her head and said, “I’m not angry, just a little unconvinced.”

Cui Dongshan smiled cheekily and said, “I like Miss Chunqing’s straightforward temper. Why don’t we become sworn siblings? We can slaughter a chicken and burn yellow paper here. We’ve prepared everything. When we travel the world, we can’t lack this etiquette.”

Chunqing still shook her head, “Wouldn’t that lower Hidden Official’s seniority? It’s not worth it.”

Cui Dongshan patted his chest and said, “It’s easy. We’ll recognize each other as siblings.”

Chunqing couldn’t help but turn her head to look at this “young man” with a sincere look on his face. She was full of doubts and incomprehension. Was he stupid, or did he think she was stupid? But how did a fool attain the immortal realm cultivation? If it wasn’t for the reminder from the old military ancestor Jiang Taigong in her mind before she left, that this person was a true immortal realm cultivator, Chunqing would have mistaken him for just a terrestrial immortal. However, on the way from the Southern Mountain Ancestral Mountain to Caizhi Mountain, Cui Dongshan was frank and scolded a certain someone and Embroidered Tiger for their early misdeeds in the Bamboo Sea Grotto-heaven. The young girl felt somewhat close to him. As for why Cui Dongshan kept emphasizing that Cui Chan’s peak of life was only in his youth, Chunqing couldn’t understand it at all.

Chunqing looked at Cui Dongshan for a long time, but the young man just looked at her with clear eyes. Chunqing had to withdraw her gaze and change the subject, “I hope I have the opportunity to exchange sword skills and fist techniques with your teacher in the future and decide a victory.”

Cui Dongshan nodded vigorously like a chick pecking rice, “It’s good to exchange skills. You don’t know, my teacher is famous for being gentle, kind, respectful, thrifty, and yielding, a modest gentleman, a graceful young man. Especially when exchanging fist techniques and Taoist arts with women, he always follows the rules and stops at the point. But my teacher is very busy, and he hasn’t returned home yet. Even if he does, he still doesn’t act easily. He likes to reason far more than to act. Ordinary people can’t even think about exchanging skills with my teacher, but what is my relationship with Miss Chunqing? So asking about swords and fists is no problem. As my teacher’s most valued and admired proud disciple… one of them, I can still help say a few words.”

Chunqing cupped her fists in thanks and asked doubtfully, “Stop at the point? Isn’t that necessary? I don’t dare to say too much, but I’m quite resistant to being beaten. You can let your teacher just go all out, as long as no one dies.”

Cui Dongshan looked strange and raised his sleeve to wipe his face.

Cui Dongshan was unwilling to give up and continued, “I’ll take you to Solitary Mountain later, and then get you a honorary position, wouldn’t that be wonderful. Moreover, my neighbor, Cloud-Draped Mountain, actually has some connection with the Bamboo Sea Grotto-heaven. The mountain lord Wei Bo has a bamboo forest, which is touted as half of the Bamboo Sea Grotto-heaven, and even has the reputation of Little Qingshen Mountain. I persuaded him to restrain himself, but to no avail. Mountain Lord Wei just said that his bamboo forest has a myriad of sights, and calling it half of the Bamboo Sea Grotto-heaven, how is that not true to its name.”

Chunqing didn’t care too much about the so-called half of the Bamboo Sea Grotto-heaven, or Little Qingshen Mountain, but asked, “Is that the Mountain Lord Wei who likes to host night banquets?”
Cui Dongshan spoke up righteously, “Nonsense! What ‘likes to host night banquets’? Don’t you dare slander my Lord Wei! Hosting night banquets, is that a matter of liking or disliking? Which time wasn’t it the mountain and water deities of the Northern Mountain domain, the registered immortals, begging to congratulate Cloud-Draped Mountain? What could Lord Wei do? He couldn’t refuse their ardent requests. Was he supposed to value his own reputation and prestige, regardless of chilling the hearts of his officers and soldiers?”

Cui Dongshan waved his wide sleeves, speaking with impassioned fervor, “Lord Wei of Clear Sleeves, accepts meager gifts for his night banquets, a reputation well-deserved!”

Chun Qing whispered, “Do you have a grudge against Lord Wei?”

Cui Dongshan turned sideways, leaning back with a look of feigned panic. “What are you saying? Did Miss Chun Qing misunderstand me?”

Chun Qing said, “I can see it now. You’re not a truthful person.”

Cui Dongshan let out a mournful sigh, then suddenly pressed his ear against the wall. Chun Qing asked curiously, “That mountain-moving patriarch of Zheng Yang Mountain, the one with the aura of swallowing mountains and rivers, hasn’t he already broken ties with Clear Wind City? What are you still eavesdropping on?”

Cui Dongshan muttered, “Before, it was treacherous dealings between brothers; now, it’s heartfelt honesty behind closed doors. Both are fascinating. They didn’t say I couldn’t eavesdrop. Why not listen if I can?”

Chun Qing said, “That’s not right.”

Cui Dongshan feigned grievance. “How could you say that? Go ask Gao Cheng of Jingguan City, my old brother Gao. If I weren’t upright, how could I have helped him find his long-lost younger brother?”

Chun Qing was skeptical but said, “The old trick, you lend me your divine ability to observe. It is indeed quite interesting.”

Cui Dongshan grinned, bringing his index and middle fingers together as if pinching something from the air, and handed it to Chun Qing. He released it gently, and she opened her palm. Inches above her palm hovered faint ripples of mountains and rivers. By sending a mustard seed of her mind to travel within, she could hear and see for herself, as if she were there, and furthermore, she could observe together with Cui Dongshan, sharing their focus between two viewpoints.

The various deities lodging in this mansion were mostly candidate mountain peaks for sects like Zheng Yang Mountain and Clear Wind City, or second-rate immortal factions that were only a step away from being top-tier sects. However, in this vast, secluded courtyard, the highest cultivation level belonged to Xu Hun of Clear Wind City, a newly minted Jade Purity Realm cultivator. Xu Hun was known throughout the continent solely for his immense killing power; his other arts, divine abilities, and unorthodox methods were not his forte. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to detect the secret eavesdropping of an Immortal Realm cultivator. Furthermore, one of Cui Dongshan’s preferred public identities was that of a Second-Class Spy from the Great Li Green Wave Pavilion, complete with official documents and tokens. Besides that, Cui Dongshan actually held a plethora of titles, such as an offering of the Old Dragon City Fu family, a guest of the Yunlin Jiang clan, and a incense emissary of the Northern Mountain Crown Prince Mountain. He had everything he needed, lacking nothing. Even if Cui Dongshan was asked to produce a registered identity for a shrine attendant from Herb-Gathering Mountain within the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Cui Dongshan could produce it, and the Mountain God Wang Juan would present it with both hands.

The Crown Prince Mountain beneath their feet was called Herb-Gathering Mountain. The Mountain God Wang Juan had once been a Great Mountain Lord of the Southern Mountain in a kingdom. After becoming a tributary state of Great Li, Herb-Gathering Mountain was demoted to Crown Prince Mountain, which seemed like a demotion but was actually a tremendous promotion within the mountain bureaucracy. Within the Southern Mountain domain of the continent, it was above tens of thousands of mountains beneath a single mountain. Herb-Gathering Mountain produced a type of ten-thousand-year-old soil called Dark Earth, an excellent material for Yin creatures and heroic spirits to establish their own dojos, and a treasured item sought after by cultivators who practiced the art of raising ghosts.

A middle-aged Sea Gazing Realm qi cultivator, hurrying past the corner of the wall, noticed the young man and woman squatting there. He slowed his pace, turning his head several times, his brow furrowing increasingly. They were so oblivious to the taboos of the mountains, wearing neither the Peace Talisman issued by the Great Li Ministry of Justice nor the Rain-Summoning Pendant forged by Old Dragon City and distributed by the vassal residences. Could they be direct disciples of some small mountain peak, sent down the mountain for training? But Herb-Gathering Mountain was under such strict regulations, and this Deer Cry Mansion was a gathering place for pinnacle immortal masters of the continent. How could they be so reckless? How did their masters usually discipline them, allowing two children to run wild?

This cultivator from the Great Immortal Mansion of Floating Cloud Hall stopped, his face displeased. “What are you doing here? Which mountain peak do you come from? Do you even understand the rules? Are you going to report your names yourselves, so I can inform the steward of Deer Cry Mansion? Or should I drag you to see the Chief Steward Chu?!”

Cui Dongshan, while eavesdropping, glared at the Sea Gazing Realm old immortal.

Chun Qing pointed at Cui Dongshan, indicating that the white-robed youth should make the decisions. Then she stood up and squatted on the other side of Cui Dongshan.

Cui Dongshan didn’t lift his buttocks, but shifted half a circle, putting his face against the wall and his rear end towards the old immortal from Floating Cloud Hall. The first three generations of patriarchs of Floating Cloud Hall were immortals with unyielding bones. Their cultivation levels weren’t high, but they dared to fight, dared to curse, and dared to fall in cultivation, similar in style to the Invincible Divine Fist Gang. But the world’s customs were deteriorating, with each generation worse than the last. Now, every registered immortal, from the hall master to the offerings to the direct disciples of the ancestral hall, were notorious opportunists. They had attached themselves to an old sword immortal of the Crimson Glow Dynasty who was unparalleled in sword techniques and flying swords. Now it seemed they were thinking about latching onto Zheng Yang Mountain, relying on throwing money, begging people, and the incense affection accumulated by their ancestors, shamelessly moving into this Deer Cry Mansion.

And that Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator who fled all the way from Scroll Lake, in fact, just happened to die at the hands of Ruan Xiu and Cui Dongshan.

The Floating Cloud Hall Sea Gazing Realm cultivator was infuriated, but didn’t shout or threaten to kill. He intended to report them to Chief Steward Chu, who was the shrine attendant of the Herb-Gathering Mountain God Temple. Chun Qing glanced at him, and then she vanished without a trace. There wasn’t even the slightest ripple of qi, which was very strange. Chun Qing only saw Cui Dongshan flick his sleeves. It was estimated that she was taken into the unique Sleeve Universe possessed by cultivators above the Fifth Realm. Chun Qing asked curiously, “How did you do that? Usually, when an Immortal Realm operates divine abilities, I can detect something of it.”

Cui Dongshan only slightly raised that snow-white sleeve. Chun Qing focused her eyes and saw two strings of minuscule characters, like tiny water plants swaying in the water, “The sun and moon caged birds, the universe duckweed on water.”

Chun Qing had also studied the art of talismans and was invigorated. She asked, “Did you use a talisman formation to detain him just now?”

Cui Dongshan smiled and said, “No, capturing a Sea Gazing Realm to temper his Dao heart doesn’t require such a commotion. I was just showing off my robe to Miss Chun Qing. It’s not inferior to that green bamboo dress you’re wearing, right?”

Chun Qing didn’t say anything more.
After the departure of the three from Zheng Yang Mountain, Xu Hun remained seated in his study, eyes closed in contemplation, neither berating his wife nor uttering a word.

The warty armor he wore, often mistaken for a divine dew-collecting artifact, was in reality a far cry from a defensive treasure. It was a weapon of profound and esoteric power, solidifying Xu Hun’s reputation as the foremost cultivator below the Upper Five Realms before even reaching the Jade Pure Stage.

His eldest son, Xu Binxian, leaned back in his chair, engrossed in a widely circulated travelogue, rereading it with undiminished interest.

The Xu matriarch slowly rose, hesitant to speak.

Xu Hun opened his eyes, and without any visible action, a sharp slap echoed through the room, leaving a red welt on her cheek.

Xu Binxian glanced at his parents before returning to his book.

This young cultivator, with no recorded history of combat, wore a short sword and a magical saber at his waist, connected by a purple ribbon.

The Xu matriarch covered her cheek, showing no sign of anger. Instead, she softly reminded her husband through mental communication, “We should isolate the space, lest the old ancestor of the Tao family from Zheng Yang Mountain eavesdrop. Zheng Yang Mountain is fond of clandestine actions, utterly unscrupulous; there’s nothing they wouldn’t dare to do.”

Xu Hun scoffed, “Do you take my Jade Pure cultivation for mere decoration? That old thief Tao is only a nascent soul; you may be foolish, but he is not.”

Xu Binxian continued to turn the pages. “Better safe than sorry. I always feel that Zheng Yang Mountain is unsettling.”

Xu Hun considered it and cast a unique Qingfeng City spell to erect a barrier. He then fixed a dark gaze on his wife. “A Fox Kingdom is equivalent to half of Qingfeng City’s wealth. Pei Xiang is also a nascent soul cultivator. Besides the money earned from fox pelt talismans, she also secures connections with cultivators for Qingfeng City. Moreover, the true significance of the Fox Kingdom, you surely understand. The literary fortune accumulated over centuries… Xu Binxian’s elder sister is still at the Yuan clan, eagerly awaiting this fortune!”

The Xu matriarch remained silent, secretly shedding tears.

The Xu clan had married their eldest daughter to a concubine’s son of the Yuan clan, a family serving as a Pillar of the Nation, harboring great ambitions, aiming to seize both the family name of a scholar Pillar of the Nation and the position of a martial Grand Inspector.

Xu Hun sighed, his expression softening. “Sit down and let’s talk. Your senior brother, Chai Bofu, just vanished into thin air?”

Qingfeng City nominally had two nascent soul cultivators guarding it: Xu Hun and Pei Xiang, the ruler of the Fox Kingdom.

In reality, the Xu matriarch had a senior brother with a peculiar temperament and concealed identity, Chai Bofu, known as Dragon Lord, a wild cultivator of the mountains and marshes, an elusive old nascent soul with seniority and high cultivation. He was particularly skilled in water-based arts, capable of contending with Liu Zhimao of Shujian Lake, nearly fighting to the death over a copy of the “Scripture of Interception.”

This man was exceedingly arrogant and skilled in illusions. Throughout the history of Treasure Bottle洲, he had appeared in various guises and roles. Chai Bofu indeed had the prowess to be arrogant, as few cultivators in Treasure Bottle洲 could have faced Liu Zhimao, Liu Laocheng, and Li Tuanjing consecutively and lived to tell the tale. The jade belt with a dragon pattern that Chai Bofu wore, adorned with jade pendants and various bottles, was mostly for illusion. His true trump card was the jade belt itself, which was in fact a dormant miniature dragon from an ancient Shu Kingdom immortal cave. It was precisely because of this opportunity that he became sworn enemies with Liu Laocheng. Chai Bofu even dared to assassinate several direct disciples of the Ancestral Hall of Gongliu Island, bold and ruthless, possessing even more life-saving methods.

It wasn’t difficult for Xu Hun to defeat him, but it was hard to kill him. Chai Bofu had secretly met with his wife multiple times and even dared to impart knowledge to Xu Binxian without permission. Xu Hun had considered killing him. This renowned wild cultivator, known as Dragon Lord, was genuinely a senior brother to his wife. They had joined forces to kill their master early on, each taking what they needed before betraying the sect. However, their master was not a virtuous individual either. Eventually, Chai Bofu embarked on the path of a carefree wild cultivator, while his junior sister married into Qingfeng City.

If it weren’t for the water-based arts Chai Bofu imparted, which greatly benefited Xu Binxian’s cultivation, Xu Hun would never have turned a blind eye to him.

Moreover, Chai Bofu was akin to a part-time guest elder of Qingfeng City. For example, when Xu Hun once entered seclusion, coinciding with turmoil in the Fox Kingdom, Chai Bofu contributed significantly; otherwise, the Fox Kingdom would have been in a dire state when Xu Hun emerged from seclusion.

The matriarch nodded. “Senior brother has always been cautious. Since our separation to pursue our own paths of cultivation, until our reunion in Qingfeng City, I have never actually seen his true face.”

In fact, that Dragon Lord who followed Liu Chicheng had considered leaving clues for Qingfeng City to seek assistance, but without Liu Chicheng, who deliberately turned a blind eye, even needing to act, Gu Can caught him twice.

As for his fate, it was predictable. Falling into the hands of Gu Can, who was even more like a wild rogue, was definitely not easier than falling into Liu Chicheng’s hands. Therefore, during the intercontinental journey, that Dragon Lord was practically lying in wait, pretending to be dead. Liu Chicheng and Gu Can, you damned brothers, either kill me, Chai Bofu, once and for all. Otherwise, a drop in cultivation level is nothing to me; isn’t the purpose of our cultivation to ascend to and then fall from realms?

Xu Hun suddenly asked, “Ignoring the truthfulness of the contents, based solely on the descriptions in this travelogue, where is this Chen Ping’an currently, and what is his realm?”

The Xu matriarch softly said, “At Qingzhu Lake, or rather, Shujian Lake, Chen Ping’an indeed worked as a bookkeeper on Qingxia Island for a few years. I estimate that his combat power at that time was roughly equivalent to that of a golden core cultivator.”

Xu Hun frowned. “A sword cultivator?”

The Xu matriarch hesitated. “Whether to regard him as a golden core sword cultivator is currently difficult to say. However, this person, at a young age, is deeply calculating and skilled at concealing his abilities. Such a character is definitely not someone to be trifled with. Back then, I felt that he was more dangerous than Liu Xianyang, and should not be allowed to live. It’s just that Zheng Yang Mountain was too conceited, especially that guardian ape, who looked down on a cripple with a broken Life-Bound Bridge and was unwilling to eradicate the threat.”
“Liu Chongrun of Zhuchai Island has now achieved the Golden Core stage,” one said, “and Fallen Phoenix Mountain seems to treat him with great respect. Logically, we could deduce something about Fallen Phoenix Mountain’s hidden strength, but it’s highly likely this is just a smokescreen. The only certain piece of information is that Fallen Phoenix Mountain had a clash with the Jade Liquid River Water God’s Shrine a few years ago. Apparently, Mount Piyi was very displeased, and Wei Bo used his official skills to suppress the Water God’s Shrine considerably from then on. According to the River God Li Jin of Chongdan River, in a drunken slip of the tongue at the state city God’s banquet, Fallen Phoenix Mountain has a pure martial artist guarding the mountain, a grandmaster with hopes of reaching the Distant Excursion Realm, who is responsible for teaching the younger generation boxing techniques. Moreover, the Jade Liquid River Water Goddess has also privately expressed much resentment towards Fallen Phoenix Mountain, saying that if not for the protection of Mount Piyi’s Mountain Ruler Wei, she would have certainly suffered damage to her merit and would have flooded Fallen Phoenix Mountain.”

Suddenly, Xu Binxian interjected with a smile, “What if these two River Gods, plus that Dragon Province City God, have already been bought off by Fallen Phoenix Mountain, deliberately putting on a show for us? Wouldn’t Qingfeng City, and Mount Zhengyang, which boasts the Ten Great Sword Immortals, be constantly running into dead ends?”

The woman laughed, “Old Ape has a point. In just over twenty years, no matter how many opportunities a young man whose Longevity Bridge was severed encounters on his cultivation path, no matter how smooth his journey, how powerful can he become? We worry, but we’re just scaring ourselves. Dead ends? If that Mountain and Water Travelogue is even half true, this Mountain Lord of Fallen Phoenix Mountain has been wandering aimlessly around Treasure Bottle Continent like a headless fly, and is actually the one running into dead ends. He wants practical benefits, empty fame, and romantic encounters. He wants everything and is unwilling to give up anything along the way. Such a person won’t achieve great heights.”

“Regardless, Qingfeng City’s advancement to a sect of the ‘Zong’ level is the most important thing.”

Xu Hun stared intently at the woman, even with the restrictions in place, he still spoke to her telepathically, “Besides that, regarding what’s happening with Pei Xiang of the Fox Kingdom, I’ve never asked about it, but that doesn’t mean I’m being kept in the dark. Before this great war, any Nascent Soul Realm cultivator in Treasure Bottle Continent was incredibly valuable. Even if she were living under someone else’s roof, Pei Xiang wouldn’t be so wary of a Dragon Gate Realm cultivator like you!”

The woman’s face paled slightly.

Xu Hun waved his hand, “I only look at the results, not the process.”

Back at his own elegant courtyard in Mount Zhengyang, Ancestor Tao immediately used his supernatural powers to isolate the heavens and earth.

The white-clad old ape escorted Tao Zi to this place and then left on his own.

As Mount Zhengyang’s sole Mountain Guardian Supplicant, his status was revered. Even old Sword Immortals like Ancestor Tao, who sat in the top few seats in the Ancestral Hall, still had to treat him with respect. Moreover, everyone on Mount Zhengyang knew that this white-clad old ape doted on Tao Zi the most. He was practically the Mountain Guardian Supplicant for the Tao family’s mountain peak. Ancestor Tao naturally felt quite proud of this.

Tao Zi had grown from the little girl who first traveled to the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven into a graceful young woman. As the white-clad old ape took his leave, she stood up again as soon as she sat down and escorted him to the courtyard gate. The burly old ape reached out and patted Tao Zi’s head, indicating that she didn’t need to be so polite. The girl’s autumn-water eyes narrowed into crescent moons. Tao Zi was truly close to this Ape Grandfather, who had protected her since she was little, regarding him as her own elder. In fact, she could confide in Ape Grandfather without any reservations, even about things she might not say to her own ancestor.

Without Ancestor Tao needing to “open the door,” the white-clad old ape pushed open the mountain and water restriction with one hand and strode away.

The look in the old Sword Immortal Tao’s eyes was dark and unfathomable. While closeness was good, this Mountain Guardian Supplicant was a rare and natural ally for his lineage, but this old ape was indeed too unceremonious outside of Tao Zi, showing no regard for human relationships.

After the white-clad old ape left, Tao Zi returned to her seat and said softly with a smile, “Once Ape Grandfather successfully breaks through, he’ll definitely have an extra share of immortal fate on him. It’s a great thing.”

Ancestor Tao smiled and nodded.

For example, Liu Laocheng was the only untamed cultivator above the Fifth Realm in Treasure Bottle Continent, and he would naturally have that fortune to protect his Great Dao. Now it had indeed come true, and he had become the Chief Supplicant of True Realm Sect. Rumor had it that reaching the Immortal Realm, following in the footsteps of Grand Heavenly Sovereign Qi Zhen of Upper Divine Edict Sect, was only a matter of time. Wei Jin of the Wind and Snow Temple was an excellent example of seemingly monopolizing the fortune of the Sword Dao. In this light, it seemed that Li Tuanjing of Wind Thunder Garden was plagued by romantic troubles for hundreds of years, a truly wasteful squandering of his talents, far too ignorant of cherishing good fortune. Otherwise, as long as Li Tuanjing broke through the Nascent Soul bottleneck, the first native Immortal Realm Sword Immortal in Treasure Bottle Continent’s history would have been within easy reach. But if that were the case, the one suffering would have been Mount Zhengyang, and their so-called development of ten sword paths to the summit would have become the biggest joke in Treasure Bottle Continent.

Otherwise, Li Tuanjing only needed to control his sword and ascend to the peak of Mount Zhengyang alone. Who would dare to go up and die then?

The white-clad old ape planned to go to the highest point of the mountain shrine to enjoy the scenery.

Outside the gate of Luming Prefecture, near the base of the wall, Chunqing asked, “What do you say?”

Cui Dongshan immediately stood up and said solemnly, “Since we cannot defeat them head-on, we can only avoid their sharp edge!”

The two slipped away together.

At a viewing pavilion overlooking the cliff, Chunqing stood on tiptoe, looking into the distance. Dust billowed, and yellow sand stretched for thousands of miles, sweeping in like a tide. Chunqing frowned and said, “The Wilderness World wants to disrupt the Southern Mountain battle formation. The Wind Controlling Cultivators that Dali has stationed might not be able to completely block their charge.”

Cui Dongshan stood on the railing, his gaze sweeping over those behemoths revealing their demon bodies, mostly Earth Immortals. There were also some mountain and swamp monsters with naturally huge bodies, but the truly tricky one was a remnant of an ancient god trailing brilliant light behind him in the far distance. Even Cui Dongshan wouldn’t dare to say he could stop that being’s advance. In a war involving both mountain cultivators and earthly cavalry, the key was for both sides to overwhelm each other, not allowing any exception. For example, if Cui Dongshan were to appear on the battlefield, he would inevitably attract the deliberate targeting of Sword Immortals like Shou Chen. Just like before, when Concubine Fei took action, operating her natal divine ability to move the sea and impact Old Dragon City, Treasure Bottle Continent had Wang Zhu appear in his true form to confront her, dispelling most of her water-based divine abilities. Previously, Bai Ye holding his sword in Floating Continent was the biggest exception, so Wen Hai and Zhou Mi would choose to besiege Bai Ye at any cost. Before that, Bai Ye’s sword killing the King’s Seat Yao Jia, and Yao Jia killing Zhou Shenzhi, followed the same principle.

In a war involving the trends of the world, no matter if you were a Ascension Realm cultivator, or even a Fourteenth Realm Great Cultivator, no one could turn the tide single-handedly.
Ultimately, the outcome of this battlefield hinges on two crucial elements: the celestial beings on the mountains and the iron cavalry below. Neither can be lacking.

Chun Qing, almost unconsciously, pinched the hem of her azure robe with two fingers, gently twirling the fabric. “In this way, the demon race will suffer tremendous casualties, paying a heavy price. However, as long as they disrupt the formation of the Great Army at the foot of South Mountain, the Barren Desolate World still stands to gain.”

Cui Dongshan chuckled, “That old tortoise still has a few tricks up his sleeve.”

The white-robed old ape, not approaching the white-clad youth and azure-robed maiden, went to the mountain peak alone. There, he saw three pure martial artists, one of whom was a young woman. Frowning slightly, he stood apart, gazing towards the southern battlefield.

He recognized one of them, Li Er from the old Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven, rumored to have once fought with Song Changjing.

As for the other two, the white-robed old ape did not recognize them.

One was Pei Qian, going by the alias Zheng Qian, and the other was Wang Fusuo, the oldest martial artist of the Northern Ju Lu Continent, a realm cultivator who had once suffered a qi deviation.

The white-robed old ape scoffed.

Li Er turned his head.

The white-robed old ape ignored him.

Wang Fusuo tsked and said, “Li Er, someone’s not giving you any face. Back in our Northern Ju Lu Continent, this would definitely be a challenge!”

Li Er said, “A… person?”

The white-robed old ape finally turned his head.

However, the white-robed old ape’s expression suddenly changed drastically, becoming uncertain and volatile.

He could no longer be bothered to argue with a boorish martial artist like Li Er.

Because the fortune of an entire continent had undergone a sudden change. First, a divine being clad in armor, tens of thousands of feet tall, appeared, bearing the martial fate of the entire Treasure Bottle Continent. The figure was ethereal, and in an instant, it traversed from the Great Li’s secondary capital to the South Mountain region, each step trampling the void, drifting towards the south.

Meanwhile, Cui Dongshan, speechless with shock, suddenly began to curse Cui Chan as a bastard.

It turned out that another scholar with a blurred face had emerged from the Qi Du Ancestral Temple, clad in a green robe. Initially, his figure was the same size as an ordinary man, but in a single step, he traversed half the continent, suddenly becoming tens of thousands of feet tall. He manifested directly above the ruins of the old Dragon City, one hand pressing down on the head of that ancient, high-ranking deity, and smiling faintly, he said, “When in doubt, ask me, Spring Breeze.”