Entering the grand hall, Chen Ping’an, temporarily drafted by Ning Yao, approached a chair but didn’t sit, instead lightly pressing on the chair’s rim.

Cao Gun was about to speak, but Xuan Can beat him to it, roughly explaining the situation to the Honorable Hidden Official.

Song Gaoyuan couldn’t help but smile, instantly feeling like he was back at the Summer Retreat Palace.

However, one thing had to be admitted: with the arrival of the young Hidden Official, they were all much more at ease. Chen Ping’an, having heard a rough outline of events, chuckled and said, “When you get down to it, this matter is a muddled mess. You could say you were wronged, and you could say you weren’t. Because the one who struck with a sword against Wang Jia was a venerable offering of my Fallen Mountain. She overheard Wang Jia and the Emperor of the Golden Jade Dynasty having a few drinks and chatting about things that weren’t particularly pleasing to the ear. Her temper isn’t exactly the best, and on Fallen Mountain, she holds the status of ‘offering’ in the highest regard. So, she couldn’t help herself and secretly delivered a sword thrust, which is the root of today’s misunderstanding.”

Cao Gun finally found an opening, and said with a smile: “To think this matter would come to this, we are simply causing the Honorable Hidden Official trouble.”

Even Xuan Can, as sycophantic as he was, couldn’t bring himself to utter such blatant flattery, so he changed his approach, “We must properly thank Senior Xu Jun, for allowing us to meet with the Honorable Hidden Official.”

Song Gaoyuan looked around, feeling as if he were revisiting an old haunt, familiar faces emerging in his mind.

The Ascendant Realm cultivator was still pinned to the wall, his back to everyone, making it impossible to see his face or expression.

Ning Yao knew Chen Ping’an well.

The fact that he had said this much indicated that they were far from resolving the matter amicably. Otherwise, he would have already had her remove the twelve sword energies that had pierced Wang Jia’s vital energy center.

Xie Songhua was perplexed, asking in a mental voice, “Has Ning Yao become so powerful? Is she particularly strong because she’s the number one person under the heavens?” He remembered that the last time they parted, Ning Yao was still a Nascent Soul Realm sword cultivator. Although news of Flying Ascension City and the Five Colors Heaven had spread throughout the mountain peaks, everyone knew that Ning Yao had broken through realms all the way to becoming a legitimate Ascendant Realm sword cultivator, the undisputed number one under the heavens.

Song Pin put two fingers together, passed them around his shoulder, and lightly touched the sheath of the longsword “Soaring Wind” on his back, replying, “Hard to say.”

In truth, she was the first sword cultivator to sense Ning Yao’s presence, thanks to her sword being linked to the fortune of Soaring Wind Continent. It was a subtle connection, a kind of mutual suppression.

Only Ascendant Realm cultivators could be described in terms of strength and weakness. The so-called weak Ascendant, Nan Guangzhao, was beaten down by the Young Daoist at the Mandarin Duck Isle in the Literary Temple, and then had his head chopped off at his own doorstep by the Execution Official, Hao Su.

Strong Ascendants, however, could be further divided into two types. Sword cultivators, upon reaching the Ascendant Realm, were undoubtedly strong Ascendants, without exception for ten thousand years. The second type included those who had far surpassed other cultivators of their generation on the path of cultivation, such as Wei She of Blanched Continent, and Zhao of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master’s Residence, and the Fire Dragon True Man of Prone Earth Peak. These Ascendant Realm cultivators had a flattering title: Fourteenth Realm candidates.

Chen Chun’an, the Confucian scholar from Southern Poso Continent who carried the sun and moon on his shoulders, was naturally among them. Above Nan Guangzhao, and below the Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, were cultivators like Du Mao and Xun Yuan of Tung Leaf Continent, and Wan Yan the Elder of Golden Armor Continent, who were considered “average” Ascendant Realm cultivators. Not weak, but their strength was limited. There was a clear gap between them and the Fire Dragon True Man.

This newly ascended cultivator from Soaring Wind Continent, whose Daoist title was “Xu Jun,” was naturally of the same “generation” as Nan Guangzhao. Chen Ping’an, however, knew more of the behind-the-scenes details than Xie Songhua and the others. Nan Guangzhao’s Ascendant Realm was not as weak as they imagined. He would certainly lose in a duel with the Young Daoist, but if he were to fight with his life on the line, Nan Guangzhao wouldn’t have lost so miserably. Furthermore, Hao Su had meticulously prepared a series of trump cards specifically for Nan Guangzhao. The fact that a seasoned Ascendant Realm cultivator, sitting in his own Daoist temple, could still be beheaded was truly inconceivable. This was what cemented Nan Guangzhao’s reputation as a weak Ascendant. Unfortunately, the dead cannot speak for themselves.

While the killing power of an Ascendant Realm sword cultivator was high, and they could easily defeat an Ascendant Realm cultivator, actually killing one was very difficult. Chen Ping’an tucked his hands into his sleeves, leaned against the chair’s rim, and smiled, “Fellow Daoist Xu Jun, no need to hide your true strength. You’re going to a lot of trouble pretending, and it’s just as tiring for us to pretend we don’t know. Since we’re all clever people, let’s not treat each other like fools.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Jia seemed to weigh the pros and cons for a moment, before making a decision. He employed some kind of divine power, transforming his body into an illusion. Despite the precarious situation of his true form, Yin spirit, and Yang spirit all being pinned down by sword energies, he still managed to create an additional body, allowing him to turn and face the dozen or so sword cultivators. This person was a middle-aged man, wearing a golden crown adorned with over two thousand precious pearls, with ten jade trees standing, each topped with a miniature golden crow.

Wang Jia said calmly, “Now that the misunderstanding has been clarified, why not call it quits?” He came from a humble background, never engaged in labor, and loved to associate with friends. From a young age, he had a heroic spirit and lofty ambitions. It was said that when Wang Jia was born, a passing diviner saw his thatched cottage filled with royal aura and told his parents that this child would surely become a noble person in the future, possessing the qualities of a half-dynasty emperor.

Chen Ping’an asked with a smile, “What if I don’t call it quits? What can you do?”

Wang Jia smiled and said, “You dare not kill me, so what’s the point of detaining me like this?”

Chen Ping’an answered with a non-sequitur, slowly saying, “I heard my offering say earlier that Fellow Daoist Xu Jun predicted I would become the Grand Tutor of the Great Li Dynasty, and even confidently stated that the day I took office would be the beginning of the Great Li Dynasty’s decline, simply because I have a soft heart beneath my fierce exterior. Dealing with cultivators on the mountains is something I can handle with ease, but I would never dare to launch a large-scale military campaign against any nation south of the Great River, or arbitrarily provoke border conflicts, because I can’t stand the sight of people dying, and dead people. From the moment I leave the Sword Qi Great Wall, I will drag down the Great Li iron cavalry, turning them into useless trash.”

“Indeed, I said that.”

Wang Jia generously admitted this, nodding and saying, “Since the Honorable Hidden Official dares to admit that it was his offering who struck with a sword and injured me, and I was merely an onlooker from across the continent who made a few comments, what is there to deny?”

Song Pin frowned, and Pu He asked in a mental voice, “Could that really be the case?”

These foreign sword cultivators, who had emerged from piles of corpses, were long accustomed to the Summer Retreat Palace’s dispatching of troops and battlefield arrangements, and had never even considered such a thing.
Situ Jiyu’s face was dark. “Damn it, if we keep chatting like this, it seems like there’s really no chance to chop him to death.”

Chen Ping’an suddenly straightened up and clapped his hands, laughing. “Fellow Daoist Xujun, you are my kindred spirit! This matter has truly troubled my Dao heart for a long time.” Wang Jia was slightly taken aback, obviously not expecting him to come out with this, but he quickly recovered. Wang Jia looked out of the hall and said to himself, “My Fuyun Continent, such beautiful rivers and mountains, strategic locations, and lands of pleasure, all reduced to ashes in the catastrophe.”

“At that time, as a Qi Refinement cultivator in the Immortal Realm, I had to avoid a destined military calamity in order to have the hope of proving the Dao and ascending. Naturally, I couldn’t accomplish that most impressive feat in the human world, and of course, I couldn’t learn from the old True Master’s intercontinental rescue. The reason? Of course, I couldn’t bear to die and have my Dao extinguished, earning a false reputation that would be scattered with the ashes of the calamity and forgotten by everyone after a hundred years!”

“So what if I was afraid of death and avoided battle, closing myself in retreat to escape the calamity? What can you do to me? To put it bluntly, the Ascended Realm Jinghao and Immortal Onion of Liuxia Continent, which one isn’t a ‘Wang Jia of Fuyun Continent’?” “Now that I’ve emerged from the calamity, I’ve already ascended. Kill me? You, the Hidden Official Chen Ping’an, really think you’re the lone wolf Xingguan Hao Su, able to leave whenever you want? Are you willing to abandon that Fallen Mountain, that Azure Ripple Sword Sect? Are you willing to not continue the declining legacy of the literary Dao tradition? You don’t dare to kill me, does Ning Yao dare to? Heh, the number one person in the Five Colors Heaven, a terrifying title, an enviable realm. If I’m not mistaken, Ning Yao is already in the Fourteenth Realm, right? But so what? Coming to this Fuyun Continent, she will clash with Song Pin’s sword, ‘Fuyun Continent’. Ning Yao, just wait and see how many more times you can wield your sword and rush to the vast world, and how many days you’ll be able to linger in the future.”

Pu He let out a surprised sound. This guy is shameless with such justification, no wonder he can reach the Ascended Realm. He himself is just lacking in Daoist cultivation, so he fell instead of rising, regressing to the Nascent Soul Realm? Song Pin suddenly said, “The debt of killing Wang Jia, count it on my head. If the Wen Temple investigates afterward, I can bear it alone. The reason is simple, he is an Ascended Realm cultivator, wanting to become the leader of the Immortal Masters of a continent, while I need to rely on the Fuyun sword to absorb and refine the fortune of a continent. It is a life-and-death struggle of the Great Dao. As for the fate and destiny in the dark, I don’t care about it, anyway, I can’t control it even if I want to. Hidden Official and Ning Yao, you bear it yourselves.”

Xie Songhua said, “Count me in, helping Song Pin share the burden. But I won’t go to the Hall of Merit for tea, so Ning Yao must promise one thing, send me to the Five Colors Heaven to hide.”

Wang Jia shook his head, laughing in anger. “Did you two women get water in your brains? Are you so determined to kill me, what exactly are you plotting?”

Yu Yue said indifferently, “We sword cultivators do not engage in emotional disputes, why cross the Upside Down Mountain.”

Pu He raised his thumb. “You old bastard, you haven’t done anything great in your life, only this sentence is said so brightly, I admire you. In the future, if I can’t help but scold you again, you can retort a few words.” Wang Jia took out a scroll with a white jade shaft from his sleeve and suspended it in front of him, slowly unrolling it. It was a landscape painting of a celestial mountain, with winding mountain roads and figures the size of mustard seeds entering the mountain to visit immortals in an endless stream. Wang Jia then pinched his two fingers together, picked up those figures in the painting one by one, like pinching peanuts, and slowly chewed them in his mouth, greatly replenishing his Daoist cultivation. His body, which had been continuously injured by Ning Yao’s sword energy, gradually became perfect. Wang Jia, who had regained his radiance, smiled and said, “I know you’re not bluffing, you can really do it, but unfortunately, you miscalculated one thing. You thought this young Hidden Official would allow you to pay such a big price? Then he wouldn’t be Chen Ping’an.”

Song Pin was too lazy to waste words with him, and the Fuyun sword behind him was about to be unsheathed, but Chen Ping’an pulled his hand out of his sleeve and pressed it down twice, instantly pushing the long sword back into its sheath. Wang Jia let out a satisfied burp and put away the celestial mountain painting, which had a great origin. “Today’s misunderstanding, everyone might as well think about it carefully. From the moment I walked out of my mansion to coming to this hall, what have I ever done? Could it be that Chen Ping’an dares to kill a native Ascended Realm cultivator of the vast world just because he heard a few harsh words, at most, coupled with Cao Gun and others seeing through a bit of my petty thoughts? Then he wouldn’t be the closed-door disciple of the Wen Sheng lineage.”

“How straight do I have to say it for you to understand a principle? Wang Jia, the Ascended Realm cultivator of Fuyun Continent, although he has no merit or contribution to Fuyun Continent, he has no fault or demerit in the vast world.”

“To be honest, I admire you sword cultivators, but I don’t think you have anything extraordinary besides being powerful in killing.”

“Let’s be frank, since we’ve reached this point, then I’ll be frank with you about one more thing? Actually, I am also a sword cultivator. I just won’t go to the Sword Qi Great Wall.”

Ning Yao turned her head and glanced at Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an seemed to be lost in thought for some reason.

So she didn’t draw her sword.

Even if Wang Jia exposed his old bottom and admitted that he was a sword cultivator.

But Ning Yao can now even kill that Fourteenth Realm candidate ghost. Killing a sword cultivator who has just entered the Ascended Realm is even simpler.

No matter what Fourteenth Realm candidate you are, compared to the real Fourteenth Realm, even if there is only half a step away, it is still a chasm.

If you haven’t personally been in this realm, you won’t know the mystery and magic of this realm. Just talking about the matter of vision, for example, ordinary scholars in the human world look up at the moon, a blur, becoming Qi Refinement cultivators, they can vaguely see the mountain ranges on the moon, and when they reach the Land Immortal realm, in clear weather, they can see the outline of the palaces if they try their best. Entering the Upper Five Realms, slightly holding their breath and concentrating, they can see no changes in the moon phase, and there is no difference between the waxing and waning of the moon. When they prove the Dao and ascend, looking up, a huge moon hanging in the sky seems to be close at hand, within reach, and the old palaces and mountains on the moon are clearly visible.

But once they harmonize with the Dao and become a Fourteenth Realm cultivator, there will be a path in the world that belongs exclusively to them.

Dream interpreters can see billions of dreams in the human world. Those whose Dao involves marriage can see countless red threads hanging in the sky.

Chen Ping’an’s eyes shone with bright color, and he suddenly asked in a voice transmission, “Fellow Daoist Xujun, are you familiar with Tian Wan from Bao Ping Continent, Lou Miao from Northern Ju Lu Continent, and Han Yushu from Tong Ye Continent? Have you ever done business together?”

Wang Jia was too lazy to answer, what is this all about?

Chen Ping’an asked with a smile, “Fellow Daoist Xujun, you say you are a sword cultivator, and you are a sword cultivator? Is there such a good thing in the world?”
“If I had met you sooner,” Chen Ping An mused, “why would I have suffered so much in the Sword Qi Great Wall prison before becoming a sword cultivator?”

Wang Jia was about to speak.

Chen Ping An waved his hand, “Seeking something, trickery, and deception, who doesn’t know how? Fellow Daoist, I am an old hand in the Jianghu. When it comes to experience, even if you combine Song Gaoyuan and those other youngsters, they wouldn’t measure up to me.”

Ning Yao, who seemed to be resting with her eyes closed, lowered her gaze and quickly rolled her eyes.

Cao Gun and Xuan Shen exchanged a look. What virtues did Song Gaoyuan possess that his name could appear before the word “several”?

However, the newly minted nickname “Fellow Daoist” did sound quite pleasant. If Wang Xinshui were here, he would surely say that the Hidden Official lived up to his reputation! “Logically speaking, judging hearts and actions, especially when it involves right and wrong, it seems that it has always been an unclear mess. But when I was wandering the Jianghu alone, I heard someone say a rather far-fetched principle: don’t ask about past merits or sins, but look at the present for what is righteous or evil.” After a moment of silence, Chen Ping An subconsciously tapped the armrest of his chair. After some deliberation, he shifted his gaze slightly, looked towards Situ Jiyu and Pu He, and asked with a smile: “After hearing the sincere words of Daoist Xujun, even if you are angry in your hearts, if you put yourselves in his shoes, wouldn’t it seem somewhat reasonable? At most, he’s just a true villain, not some heinous evildoer?”

Situ Jiyu nodded. The principle was sound, but even if they didn’t get rid of Wang Jia today, his disciples and grand-disciples would have to be careful when they went down the mountain in the future.

Pu He pressed his palms together, rubbing them incessantly, and said, “Understanding is one thing, but my hands are itching even more.”

Chen Ping An then looked at Cao Gun and the other two, “So this setup is very elaborate, and the timing is excellent because it is specifically targeted at intelligent people.”

“The effect Wang Jia wants is something that is unreasonable but feels justifiable.”

“If Sword Immortals Xie Songhua and Song Pin weren’t present, Wang Jia might not have taken this risk, because while you are intelligent, your Golden Core realm is still a limitation. Your swordsmanship is still not high enough.”

Hearing this, Cao Gun asked, “Is this Wang Jia deliberately seeking death?”

Xuan Shen wondered, “Even if we fall into his trap and, in our fury, join forces to kill an immortal, that’s not difficult. But killing a Flying Ascendant seems very difficult.”

Song Gaoyuan said, “Of course, it’s difficult, but not without a chance. Xie Songhua delivers the first sword, Song Pin’s soaring technique follows, and then Pu He and the others join in. There’s at least a sliver of opportunity.” Chen Ping An nodded, “That’s right. What Wang Jia wants is this bit of possibility, to constantly accumulate until you are all willing to pour your energy into delivering a sword strike. If Ning Yao hadn’t appeared, he would have had even more methods to provoke you, interlocking one after another, seemingly retreating on the surface but actually leading you by the nose. If he accidentally injured one or two Golden Core sword cultivators in the room, especially when the fighting here affected those children elsewhere, the two sides would be locked in a life-and-death struggle. At that moment, Wang Jia’s goal would finally be achieved.” “He is not a sword cultivator. The reason he said that is probably because he saw that the situation was not right and felt that the Hidden Official of Summer Palace, who had fortunately established an unprecedented achievement, truly lived up to his name, with a broad mind, generous demeanor, and the ancient style of letting slander die on its own, compared to some young people who are all talk and no action…”

Ning Yao coughed upon hearing this.

Reminding someone that they rarely reunited.

Chen Ping An had to withdraw a certain innate divine ability that he rarely used. There was no way; seeing Cao Gun and the others always made him feel like he was in the Summer Palace. He couldn’t help it; it had become a habit.

“In short, Wang Jia is deliberately provoking me, Ning Yao, and all of you. It’s possible, and I’m only saying possible, that he is not a true Flying Ascendant, but only a fake realm that is good enough to deceive.”

“Right, Fellow Daoist?”

Wang Jia shook his head upon hearing this and sneered, “Nonsense, utter lies! Chen, do you want me to unleash my natal flying sword?”

Cao Gun laughed, “Fellow Daoist, why are you getting so agitated? If you’re a sword cultivator, you’re a sword cultivator. Everyone in the room is a sword cultivator.”

Xuan Shen retorted, “Cao Gun, you’re tainted by that accent. You’re not fierce at all when you scold people.”

Song Gaoyuan said with a grin, “It’s not really scolding. He’s just imitating the Hidden Official. Unfortunately, his talent and skill are not enough, and he hasn’t learned the essence. He’s several *mi men shen* short.”

Ning Yao rubbed her temples. She knew she shouldn’t have stopped Chen Ping An.

Although she still held the title of Hidden Official in Flying Ascention City, she had never been to the Summer Palace where Chen Ping An was stationed. Even though she had heard about the atmosphere there in the early years, it was not as good as seeing and hearing it for herself today. Chen Ping An walked around the chair, clasped his hands in his sleeves, and began to pace, muttering to himself: “I once visited the Yin Yang School’s Lu Clan in the Central Earth Divine Continent. We hit it off right away and had a pleasant conversation. Since I was passing by, I asked Lu Shen a rather crucial question, that is, Lu Clan’s head with the title ‘Sky’s Edge’, asking him if the sudden emergence of this mine in Flying Ascention Continent was a contingency plan left by the barbaric Wen Hai in the mortal world. Fellow Daoist Lu was much more generous than Fellow Daoist. He told me everything he knew. He didn’t hesitate to expend a lot of energy to seclude himself and perform a divination specifically for this. Of course, it was also possible that I had two Flying Ascendant sword cultivator bodyguards with me at the time, and I was in a hurry to leave anyway. When Daoist Lu emerged from seclusion, his spirit was weak. He said that Flying Ascention Continent was extremely chaotic due to Bai Ye single-handedly challenging eight thrones back then. Because the mountains and rivers were shattered everywhere, the terrain was also subject to many variables, and unexpected complications were everywhere, causing him to lose a hundred years of cultivation. He could only deduce a very vague fact, that even if the barbaric Wen Hai had personally buried the groundwork for Quan Jiao Mountain back then, it… had no intention of harming people. As for whether it was auspicious or ominous, he had no conclusion for the time being. These words were too general, equivalent to saying nothing. How can a local fact be qualified to talk about the truth.” “Benefiting from the dual identities of Hidden Official and a closed-door disciple of the Wen Sheng lineage, I can freely browse the archives of the Summer Palace and the Wen Temple’s Merit Forest. Furthermore, thanks to another Fellow Daoist Lu, I dare say that my understanding of the Flying Ascendant realm is more thorough and comprehensive than that of the Flying Ascendant themselves.”
Chen Ping’an paused for a moment, then turned to look at the fake sword cultivator and pseudo-ascension realm cultivator leaning against the wall, “Wang Jia, are you relying on a sword from a sword immortal to help you dissolve your corporeal form and escape your tribulation, to truly ascend to the ascension realm?”

Wang Jia remained silent.

After all, words were useless.

The azure-clad guest who had traveled from afar was superior to Cao Gun and the others in terms of realm, vision, and shrewdness. “That far-sighted Barbarian literary giant views this Fuyu Continent mine as serving only two purposes. One is to strike towards the area north of the Aquarius Continent’s great rivers, allowing the Barbarian demon race to advance on two fronts, attacking the Northern Ju Continent and the Flowing Radiance Continent respectively. They can slowly gnaw away at the former, a tough nut to crack, while the latter, the Flowing Radiance Continent, is as fragile as paper, far less challenging than Fuyu Continent and Golden Armor Continent. This mine, rich in jade, can then be relocated to Golden Armor Continent by beasts like the Zhu Yan, to be distributed as rewards based on merit among the Barbarian military camps controlling the western front, or used to build bridges across the sea, all of which are meaningful.”

“The second is to scheme against my master who is in harmony with three continents. Of course, what he truly desires to scheme against is me, Chen Ping’an, and Ning Yao, the one with the five-colored world.” “Since he wishes to deceive the heavens, he needs to borrow a knife to kill. To borrow a knife, he needs a good one. Hiding an ascension realm great demon on Fuyu Continent, in this palm-sized area of Quan Jiao Mountain, is too conspicuous and may not escape the scrutiny of the Confucian Temple or the divination of the Yin Yang School. A cowardly and fearful native immortal is just right.” “Before seeing you, I indeed had over a dozen conjectures, but no matter how I deduced and calculated on the chessboard, even with Lu Zhi, Xie Gou, and Liu Xu secretly sending back information from Luo Po Mountain, I didn’t think you could succeed. But the moment I saw you, it all became clear.” “Because you intend to use the dissolution of your corporeal form to break through your tribulation, and ascend to the ascension realm. The moment you do so is the moment the mine activates its formation. Only an ascension realm qi refiner, acting like a madman, self-destructing without care, can cause half of a continent’s mountains and rivers to shatter and sink.”

Cao Gun and the others were alright; they had seen the world in the Summer Palace.

The few earth immortal sword cultivators in the room, who had never been to the Sword Qi Great Wall, felt a chill run down their spines as they listened to the young hidden official’s casual explanation.

Wang Jia said with a wry smile, “To condemn someone, one can always find a pretext.” Chen Ping’an sneered, “Do you know the biggest problem with intelligent people, whether they are generally clever, enough to fool fools, or exceptionally clever, able to deceive all intelligent people? It lies in the fact that everything we do is for a purpose, unwilling to fail.” Wang Jia sighed, “Chen Ping’an, no matter how eloquently you explain… I admit, I’m afraid of you! Whether you believe it or not, I want to clarify one thing: there are no messy schemes like that. I admit that I am indeed not a sword cultivator, and as you expected, I need to forcefully dissolve my corporeal form with external assistance to overcome the last of the three tribulations in my destiny: a continent’s ash, the destruction of my mountain gate, and the dissolution of my corporeal form. The arrival of Xie Songhua and Song Pin was indeed a pleasant surprise. I even deliberately summoned the emperor of the Golden Jade Dynasty, all intentionally done. Even if I wasn’t cut by that offering from Luo Po Mountain, I had my own means to clash with Cao Gun and the others.”

Damn it, relying solely on Chen Ping’an’s glib tongue, even if I wasn’t killed by Ning Yao’s sword or Xie Songhua’s chaotic swords, I would definitely be eating prison food in the merit forest tomorrow!

I have to admit, if I weren’t myself, but an eavesdropper, I would believe it to some extent.

Chen Ping’an, that fellow, is truly vile!

No wonder he could be the last hidden official of the Sword Qi Great Wall. I underestimated him too much.

Wang Jia was truly afraid. If he didn’t confess a bit, he was likely to die and be extinguished without transcending the tribulation today.

He noticed Chen Ping’an looking at him with a pitiful gaze.

Then Chen Ping’an asked a strange question, “Jade Simplicity Wang Jia, perhaps knows that he is himself, but does the immortal jade simplicity truly know itself as well?”

Wang Jia was shocked, as if belatedly realizing the most terrifying situation. His eyes were filled with pleading, as if saying, “Hidden Official, save me!”

Chen Ping’an had actually already summoned a lifebound flying sword, Cage Bird. Every step from the door of the hall, even touching the chair ring, every gentle tap, was operating the five elements of his lifebound objects. The mixed bag of registered cultivators and wild cultivators within Quan Jiao Mountain, as well as the mortals who came to try their luck and do some small business, the former were all thrown out of the mountain, and the latter were all moved away, both groups of people were either falling to the ground like dumplings or having their standing positions changed in the air, far away from Quan Jiao Mountain.

During this time, there were also some earth immortals who used their methods and refused to move. But when a flying sword pressed against their brows, they understood. Not daring to trouble the sword immortal to escort them out, they hurriedly ran away themselves. After all, everyone heard the ruthless words and reminders that the sword immortal had left in their hearts, “Dare to rob my money and territory? Are you all tired of living? Do you think you can meddle in the fighting between ascension realms?!” “Gather on that mountain, and don’t forget to bring the mortal scholars along, using the wind to float in the air. Use the talisman boats if you have them, and remember not to set foot on the ground. Run as far as you can. Whoever leaves out any mortal scholars, I’ll kill an earth immortal to make up for it. If the heads of golden core, nascent soul, and earth immortals aren’t enough, I’ll make up the difference with the middle five realms.”

Cao Gun and the others, along with Xie Songhua and all the sword cultivators inside and outside the room, had already left the Quan Jiao Mountain area in an instant.

They were helping those qi refiners and mortal scholars stay as far away from Quan Jiao Mountain as possible.

Inside the hall, only Chen Ping’an and Ning Yao remained. And that Void Monarch Daoist friend at the immortal realm bottleneck.

Chen Ping’an said, “To be precise, you are undergoing a corpse liberation, and acting as a suicide soldier.”

“In this conspiracy, there is another indispensable key link: there must be a great demon who can deduce Zhou Mi’s ‘unintentional’ intentions and cooperate skillfully with him.”

“I said it as soon as I walked in, we are all intelligent people, so let’s not bother hiding anything. What’s the point?”

“Right, Officer Xiang of Jiazhi Account, skilled in refining objects? Or is it my esteemed brother, Shouchén, who is as famous as me?”
“How did you two start flirting? Why not just become Daoist partners? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to give you the congratulatory money the next time I visit the desolate lands!” Wang Jia was seized, his lips moving slightly as a hearty, elderly voice echoed forth, “Worthy of being South-Appointed Minister and North-Hidden Official, even with my and Appointed Minister Sword Immortal’s painstaking efforts, we still couldn’t injure Hidden Official in the slightest. As expected, only Hidden Official can bring about Hidden Official’s downfall.”

Another warm voice resonated from Wang Jia’s mouth, “How is it? I told you long ago not to be greedy for too much. Take what you can get.”

Yet another voice chimed in, “Hidden Official, I’m here too. This is a rare opportunity, how about we chat for a bit?”

“Brother Chen, I have a Daoist partner now. Let’s not bother with the customary exchange of gifts, shall we?”

Chen Ping An ignored this cacophony of “reminiscences,” folding his hands in his sleeves and smiling slightly. “Since everyone’s gathered so conveniently, Xiao must be nearby, right?”

Sure enough, Xiao laughed heartily from somewhere. “Ning girl, I’m doing pretty well over here, third highest seat. Want me to casually take down some useless Ascended Realm trash to liven things up, as a congratulatory gift for you two?”

Ning Yao remained silent.

The “Wang Jia” whose eyes regained clarity as if his true self returned, looked at the azure-robed figure, shaking his head as if to say, “Forget it, it’s come to this. Don’t bother saving me.” It turned out Chen Ping An had used his heart’s voice to remind Ning Yao to subtly deliver a minute sword strike. He then opened a path with his flying sword Well-Mouth Moon, while simultaneously using Cage-in-Bird to carve out an isolated pocket dimension. Only then did he find the true location of Wang Jia’s mind. In the shortest amount of time, he gleaned certain past events of this cultivator, while also attempting to save the true Wang Jia with a series of layered techniques, using talismans to suppress the miniature world within his body. Since Ning Yao was present, and she had already attained the Fourteenth Realm, Appointed Minister, the mastermind of this affair, decided not to take any further action. Instead, he detonated Wang Jia’s true form, including his Yin spirit, Yang spirit, and soul, in their entirety. An even more insidious tactic was that Appointed Minister had sword Qi lying dormant within an inconspicuous Qi acupoint of Wang Jia’s soul. Even if Chen Ping An borrowed a few powerful talismans to reverse a small section of the River of Time, it would only make the seemingly restored Wang Jia suffer even more.

The scene of Wang Jia’s true form collapsing was like a tree blossoming and withering.

Before Ning Yao delivered her sword strike, his lips moved slightly, a look of release and liberation in his eyes as he murmured to the azure-robed figure.

Ning Yao sheathed her sword, hesitating for a moment before asking, “What did he say to you before he died?”

Chen Ping An replied, “Two sentences. One was ‘It’s not your fault. No need to feel guilty.'”

Ning Yao waited for a moment, then asked, “What was the other sentence?”

Chen Ping An was somewhat helpless as he gave the answer, eight words in total.

Ning Yao nodded. Chen Ping An was silent for a long time, then, remembering something, he raised his hand and vigorously rubbed his cheeks, saying, “Actually, I was just guessing about a lot of things, but Appointed Minister and Official Lane aren’t the sharpest, they can be bluffed. The key reason I was certain Wang Jia had become a puppet was, do you know what it was?”

Ning Yao shook her head. “I can’t guess.”

Chen Ping An said, “If you were going to draw your sword against ‘Wang Jia,’ there must be a reason.”

Ning Yao said, “How is that a reason?”

Chen Ping An walked to the doorway of the main hall, stepped over the threshold, sat on the steps outside, took out the vermillion gourd, shook the wine pot, and asked with a soft laugh, “I’m curious, how did you manage to hold back your strength?”

Ning Yao sat beside him. “Aren’t you very good at guessing other people’s thoughts? Don’t you also have a catchphrase, ‘Guess?'”

Chen Ping An tilted his head back and took a sip of wine, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and squinting his eyes as he smiled. “With you by my side, I’m too lazy to think.”

Ning Yao said, “Do you remember what the meaning was when I reached the Fourteenth Realm and came here, seeing your first clone?”

Chen Ping An said, “Going by the alias Chen Jiu, Bamboo Branch Sect’s Tailor Mountain, only a few steps from Righteous Yang Mountain. Slowness, of greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt.”

Ning Yao raised an eyebrow, it wasn’t Anger after all?!

She thought it was a way of restraining anger.

That was why Ning Yao showed up and was willing to stop.

Since she guessed wrong, it was just a coincidence, Ning Yao decided to pretend nothing happened.

Chen Ping An caught the adorable expression of his beloved wife out of the corner of his eye. Even if she guessed wrong, it was right.

Gently shaking the wine pot.

Chen Ping An always felt that every wine pot in the world seemed to have two contradictory words written on it.

Hearty Drink.

Abstain.

Chen Ping An tilted his head back and took a hearty gulp of wine, as if to abstain was very simple, just finish the wine in the pot.

The late spring of the human world, the grass grew and the orioles flew.

Just now, someone wished that azure-robed Sword Immortal to do something: “We beg Hidden Official, to greatly smite the desolate lands!”