Once the battle of the Great Dao commences, a life-or-death struggle, it is like two armies facing off, an arrow nocked and ready to fire, leaving no room for surrender or detours.

As Jiang She drew out that Banner-Shattering Spear, Chen Pingan immediately summoned a Sword Immortal Banner he obtained from Li Zhen in the past, slamming it heavily onto the ground. The Sword Immortal Banner, having not been refined into a Natal Treasure for long, only dared to undergo mid-level refinement before, being placed by Chen Pingan atop the “Mountain Shrine” constructed from five-colored earth. Now, however, a separate Natal Cave Abode was opened up specifically for it. From within the banner, one could see silver-eyed, ethereal Sword Immortals emerging, a total of eighteen, their “robes” all crafted from refined talismans.

Jiang She’s robust form transformed into a streak of rainbow light. Upon the earth, the Banner-Shattering Spear trailed arcs of flowing light. Those obstructing Sword Immortals shattered like paper, not even having the chance to draw their swords.

Every time the spear made contact with a Sword Immortal, it was like a snowball bursting apart.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang She arrived before Chen Pingan, meeting a pair of golden eyes. How hateful!

Chen Pingan’s mind stirred slightly, attempting to retrieve the Sword Immortal Banner, but Jiang She shattered that divine sense with a single spear thrust.

Jiang She tugged at the corner of his mouth, reaching out to grasp the temporarily masterless Sword Immortal Banner, casually snapping it in two.

Within Chen Pingan’s body, who had retreated to a distance using Spatial Shrink, a muffled thunderous sound resonated.

A painstakingly crafted Sword Immortal Banner, inscribed with thousands of talismanic runes, along with a Natal Cave Abode, were thus rendered useless. Jiang She knew that this kid had quite a few heavily refined Natal Treasures hidden away. Ordinary cultivators wouldn’t dare to pursue such a quantity of casually refined Natal Treasures. If all battles could be won by sheer quantity of magical items, wouldn’t cultivators who had lived for thousands of years all possess hundreds of Natal Treasures? However, Chen Pingan’s actions weren’t wrong. As someone who was half of “One,” his innate foundation was excellent, a bottomless pit, unafraid of overeating. If he were given two or three hundred more years of cultivation, he could open up the thousand-plus Qi Apertures in his body, and then separately garrison them with heavily refined Natal Treasures. Upon attaining the Dao and ascending, he might even complain that the tribulation was not powerful enough? It could be considered an unprecedented and unmatched brilliant method. Too bad he ran into *him*.

Jiang She shook his head, reminding him, “These kinds of cobbled-together trinkets, dare they even test the depths of my Dao strength? I advise you not to take them out and embarrass yourself, why don’t you unleash your real trump card?” As he spoke, Jiang She was unstoppable, the Banner-Shattering Spear pointing straight at Chen Pingan’s chest. Chen Pingan didn’t retreat but advanced instead, striding forward, allowing the spear to pierce his chest. With a flick of his wrist, his right hand instantly lifted a Lightning Formation composed of layered arrays, interwoven with lightning, like dragons and snakes darting about. Offering the Lightning Formation like a fist, he slammed it onto Jiang She’s face. Pressing down hard, the entire Lightning Formation clashed with Jiang She’s robust true energy, instantly turning into dust, causing Jiang She’s head to bob back for a moment, dragging the spear back as he retreated. The spear didn’t forget to twist, taking advantage of the momentum to carve a huge hole in Chen Pingan’s chest.

Retreating dozens of steps, Jiang She planted his spear and stood firm.

As expected of an extremely pure and refined divine body, coupled with the Cloud Water Body and Water Essence realm, the wound on his chest healed visibly at a rapid pace, returning to its original state. Sliding two daggers from his sleeves, Chen Pingan lightly grasped them.

One was the Cao Zi Dagger, inscribed with “Morning Dew,” but actually named “Chasing Deer.” The other, inscribed with “Twilight Glow,” was named “Severing Deer” by Chen Pingan. Barely dodging Jiang She’s spear aimed straight at his neck, Chen Pingan, holding the daggers, closed in. A dazzling Big Dipper constellation diagram appeared out of thin air on the ground. Jiang She was slightly surprised, the second spear still missing its mark, failing to cleave the fellow in two from head to toe. It turned out that Chen Pingan had used some kind of secret technique, being able to simultaneously deliver daggers from Yaoguang and Yuheng, both real blades, each aimed at one side of Jiang She’s temple. At the same time, the stars subtly shifted positions, Jiang She’s position landing near the Kaiyang star. Jiang She smiled. If the speed of Spatial Shrink wasn’t enough, he would have to rely on these fancy tricks to compensate for his disadvantage.

Even with the aid of the array diagram, the Daoist’s astral steps and Spatial Shrink divine ability were still so slow.

If the person is incompetent, even if you seize all the advantages of favorable timing and location, it is still all in vain. Jiang She didn’t even bother to move his position; he just slightly turned his head, dodging one of the Twilight Glow daggers, and then raised his hand, using his palm to strike the dagger inscribed with the Morning Dew inscription. The Cao Zi Dagger, a dagger with a long history and legendary tales, shattered inch by inch, turning into jade-like shards.

Reaching out again, he grabbed Chen Pingan’s face with five fingers, returning the favor, similarly twisting his wrist, flipping Chen Pingan onto the ground.

The earth rumbled and shook. Chen Pingan was embedded in a pit, with countless cracks spreading around. Jiang She raised his foot, stomping hard on the fellow’s chest. Chen Pingan’s body transformed into eighteen sword lights, instantly scattering, reforming his body in the distance. Jiang She seemed disdainful to give chase, simply holding his spear diagonally. The tip of the Banner-Shattering Spear pointed, and a majestic Dao force condensed like an arrow, piercing through the air. Chen Pingan’s body exploded again, a bowl-sized hole appearing in his abdomen, a truly “empty belly.” This time, the healing speed of the wound was noticeably slower.

Chen Pingan was expressionless, only revealing a trace of confusion in his eyes. Could Jiang She’s speed be so fast?

One must know that after drawing the Banner-Shattering Spear, Jiang She had not yet used any military strategist divine abilities, nor had he used any immortal techniques. That is to say, Jiang She had always been fighting with his martial artist’s physical body. Moreover, this battlefield ruin was inherently suppressing Jiang She, the first military strategist ancestor to personally slay a god. The sword cultivator’s Natal Flying Sword already belonged to a rare exception least affected by the River of Time, hence the saying that one sword can break ten thousand techniques. Since Jiang She had not activated his Natal Divine Ability, being situated within the military strategist’s small world, how could he completely ignore the obstruction of the River of Time? Most importantly, Chen Pingan had already summoned his Natal Flying Sword, the Caged Bird. Therefore, Chen Pingan, situated within the small world, moved as smoothly as a boat sailing with the wind, while Jiang She here seemed to be in an invisible frozen glass realm. His movements were more than just a boat sailing against the current, it was hindering the flow of his soul and inner spiritual energy.

Damn it, as expected of Jiang She, he is truly strong.

Jiang She, not yet returned to his peak, was already so powerful. How must the Dao Ancestor, who steadily held the upper hand ten thousand years ago, be like?

No wonder Bai Jing had reminded him with a silent voice in the Night-Sailing Ship, back when the two armies faced off, and the generals of both sides, like in later historical dramas, engaged in individual duels before the lines, the Dao Ancestor was relentlessly entangled by Jiang She, and had truly become enraged.
Jiang She strolled forward, chuckling, “Ascension Realm cultivators, ignorant of the magnificent grandeur of the Fourteenth Realm, and even more so, the pinnacle martial artists, who can scarcely fathom the weight of the Eleventh Realm of martial arts.”

Suddenly, the heavens and earth dimmed, as if dark clouds had blotted out the sun. Jiang She raised his eyes slightly, only to see a white jade Ganoderma, as large as a mountain, crashing down heavily upon him.

Jiang She merely glanced askance, his steps never faltering. He drew back his fist, delivering a casual blow, shattering the jade fungus with ease. Immediately, a torrential rain of white jade color cascaded down upon the earth.

“Could it be that the sword-wielder never told you that, since ancient times, none of the Qi refiners who seek immortality have ever been exceptions, all are but dippers and drinkers from the long river of time, mere water thieves.” As Jiang She strode forward, spear in hand, another strange phenomenon arose on his flank. A flying sword, shaped like the great rivers of the earth, charged forth with overwhelming force, like a breaching dike. The waters of the river, brimming with turbulent sword qi, crashed against an unyielding pillar in the stream, stirring up a mist of water that stretched ten thousand feet high. Moments later, Jiang She emerged unscathed from the flying sword water screen, which concealed a “Profane” Dao intent. Only a vast expanse of ground before him had been transformed into a huge lake of verdant green, its waters stretching as far as the eye could see. Jiang She saw through the trick at a glance, these were all imitations of small worlds, forged with swords. After extensive refinement, they could be shaped at will by the refiner, used to deceive the eye. The underlying Dao roots of the two swords were in fact the two Jiaolong short swords from Chen Ping’an’s Water Mansion “Dragon Pool,” each engraved with the characters “Profane” and “Lake.”

“Of all the so-called grotto heavens and Daoist abodes in the world, which one isn’t built beside water? Which so-called cultivator isn’t a maggot clustering upon the corpse of a deity? We martial artists have no such flaw.”

Jiang She strolled leisurely on the water, each step landing upon the jade green, mirror-like surface of the lake, forcibly suppressing the sword intent beneath the water, preventing it from rising like a dragon raising its head.

Another miniature flying sword, disproportionate to the river and the Profane one, was hidden away, stealthily approaching, yet it was still flicked away by Jiang She with a spear.

If this flying sword hadn’t been tainted with a trace of demonic qi, lingering within the echoes of the previous water screen explosion, Jiang She might have been even later in detecting its presence.

It turned out to be the natal flying sword “” of a demon race sword cultivator from the Verdant Majesty Sect. The flying sword, struck by the spear tip, spat out a shower of sparks, turning to ashes mid-flight.

This was the power of a spear breaking formations. As long as the quality of the refined object was not high enough, the slightest touch or collision would shatter it.

Again, he pitied them. If they were facing an ordinary Ascension Realm cultivator, relying on these bizarre spells and divine powers, they might even have a chance to gain the upper hand with an immortal facing an Ascension Realm cultivator.

In an instant, above Jiang She’s head, the scene of daylight instantly transformed into night, the starry sky shining brightly, revealing a profound image of the Twenty-Eight Constellations. Jiang She focused his mind and looked intently, realizing that it seemed to be a physical object used as the array’s center, combined with twenty-eight talismans of no small quality, “drawing” lifelike painted images of the Twenty-Eight Constellation deities. Jiang She felt vaguely familiar and remembered that it was the Jade Emperor Temple of Jincheng in Guze Prefecture of the Azure Billow Heaven. It was as if Chen Ping’an had “invited” all the gods to come here and take their seats in their respective celestial constellations. What was somewhat strange was that there were still signs of the sun and moon coexisting outside the star chart, which seemed somewhat haphazard and cobbled together.

The star chart array above his head was merely circulating on its own, constantly in a state of being ready to be unleashed, without the slightest sign of attack. Jiang She, therefore, chose to ignore it for the time being.

Was it just a flashy facade to scare people, or was it Chen Ping’an’s trump card that he believed would be the key to victory? It couldn’t possibly be just a useless display that only consumed spiritual energy. “Landing” would reveal the truth.

The one who paid for it wasn’t in a hurry, so Jiang She, who was just watching the fun, would only be more patient.

“It’s a pity that you practice both martial arts and swordsmanship, but neither of them is ‘pure,’ pitiful. On the contrary, it is your own divinity, which you regard as the enemy of the Great Dao, that is the only thing that has a chance to be pure, even more pitiful.”

The great lake blocked his path ahead, but Jiang She disdained to go around it, walking straight into it, each step treading upon the soft, muddy, jade green surface. The sword qi throughout the lake, ready to burst forth, was forcibly suppressed.

Even someone as proud and arrogant as Jiang She couldn’t help but admire Chen Ping’an in his heart. How many years had this kid been cultivating, yet he had managed to accumulate so much wealth.

“What does it eat? It eats martial fortune, spiritual energy, magical treasures, golden copper coins, the Dragon Slaying Platform, and everything else. It’s all eating a bowl of severed head rice, and in the end, it will all be a wedding dress for divinity.”

“Listen to my advice, you can’t lock it up. The result of this tug-of-war has been decided long ago. There is no point in struggling. It’s better to admit defeat and lose half. Allowing divinity to fully unfold, isn’t that a kind of freedom?”

“Fight if you want to fight, Fellow Daoist, stop babbling.”

Without anyone noticing, Chen Ping’an appeared dressed as a Daoist, wearing a lotus crown, a blue gauze Daoist robe, holding a snow-white whisk in his left hand, and supporting a miniature imitation White Jade Capital Pagoda in his right hand.

His body was full of Daoist aura, thick and substantial, with dazzling yellow and purple radiance, and behind him appeared the precious appearance of the sun and moon.

Finally speaking, he teased Jiang She with a sentence.

In the palm of the “Daoist” Chen Ping’an’s hand hovered the imitation, a White Jade Capital, with five cities and twelve towers, each with wisps of delicate precious light flowing, and a grain of green books and secret scrolls gleaming with the Dao rhyme. Jiang She couldn’t help but laugh in anger at his words. In his field of vision, a white-robed swordsman emerged from a green glazed pointed pavilion in the heart of the lake, as if waiting to serve wine to guests. He took out his sword and stepped out of the pavilion, laughing heroically, “Your skills are impressive, tell me your name, and after drinking with me, it’s your turn to go up the mountain and join the fellowship.”

Jiang She felt inexplicably baffled and did not waste any words with him. He lunged forward, raising his spear, and shattered the swordsman illusion that was blocking his path on the spot.

Though it was just an illusion in Jiang She’s eyes, if an ordinary Jianghu grandmaster or a pinnacle martial artist were to face it, they would have to expend countless efforts to defeat it.

Jiang She quickly figured out the key and said nonchalantly, “A martial artist of the Eleventh Realm conjured out of thin air is of little use.”

Daoist Chen Ping’an smiled slightly, “So much talk, needlessly diminishing your image as an expert. Fellow Daoist, learn from me, and understand the supreme truth of preserving your spirit early.”

Waving the whisk towards Jiang She, the Daoist declared, “You are a violent being, a rebel against the Great Dao, and you dare to act fierce. Obey and die.”
Jiang She chuckled, “If offering me a fist is acknowledging an ancestor, then you, boy, unleashing this Nether Legion Passage Divine Power, are you dead set on changing your surname to Jiang?” He saw ranks of soldiers arrayed on the lake, a rough estimate putting the number of spectral soldiers and ghostly creatures at over a hundred thousand. Each formed their own formation, raising great banners. Some leading generals wore armor and wielded weapons, while others sat in military tents. For a time, the lake echoed with the clang of spectral soldiers’ armor, the pounding of hooves, and the thunderous roar of drums that pierced the sky. The aura of slaughter condensed, forming thick, dark clouds in the air. Above each floating, ink-like cloud sea, countless divine soldiers and mighty warriors clad in jeweled armor gathered like locusts.

Jiang She, unconcerned, strode directly into the pavilion, showing not a hint of suspicion. He drained the pot of warm wine in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and nodded, “Good wine.”

He casually tossed aside the wine pot, stepped out of the pavilion, and said calmly, “Array Shatter.”

If Jiang She’s previous spear attack was the brute force of a warrior overwhelming with sheer power, this was now a veritable decree, where words became law. The two words, “Array Shatter,” echoed like rolling thunder, blanketing heaven and earth, encompassing every last one of the million-strong spectral soldiers on the lake and the divine generals in the clouds.

In an instant, they were all torn asunder. Thick smoke billowed through the heavens, and cries of anguish filled the air. Upon closer listening, it sounded like the mournful wails of countless women, rising and falling.

Jiang She remained indifferent. A commander of troops would never concern himself with such dust that the wind would scatter. To lead armies without a heart of iron would overwhelm one’s Dao heart.

“Fellow Daoist, please halt and consider reading a scroll.”

The Daoist flicked his sleeves, unfurling a historical panorama, filled with both fresh battlefields and desolate ancient war sites.

While revealing a “Manual of War,” Chen Ping’an gently tossed the horsetail whisk in his hand towards Jiang She.

The whisk suddenly scattered, transforming into countless threads of karma, proactively enveloping the Primogenitor of the Military Strategists’ previously concealed Dharma Body.

Each thread was adorned with ten thousand vengeful ghosts and departed souls.

Jiang She frowned slightly, his expression losing some of its former confidence. “To think that such third-rate demonic arts dare to encroach on a Golden Body!”

His Dharma Body, standing behind him, immediately showed signs of shattering the golden threads.

“Is Jiang She not himself an unorthodox path?”

At the same time, Daoist Chen Ping’an brought his two fingers together, forming a hand seal before him, uttering a true incantation with a slight smile on his face, “I shall destroy it, to uphold the Dao on behalf of Heaven.”

Jiang She’s shoulders twitched slightly, and the golden Dharma Body behind him erupted with blinding light. The golden light washed over the threads, quickly turning them into broken ashes that fluttered to the ground.

Chen Ping’an remained calm, watching this scene from afar without much surprise. Military cultivators were indeed among the least concerned with karma.

Perhaps truly angered by Chen Ping’an’s series of actions, Jiang She once again thrust his spear into the ground beside him, placing his palms together and making a simple twisting motion.

Among the scholars of the Hundred Schools, there were disagreements on the leftward and rightward rotations of the Heavenly Dao.

But for Jiang She, such scholarly pursuits were simply too tedious.

I shall make the Great Dao operate as I desire!

Heaven and earth tilted, like a grinding millstone turning with unstoppable force. All living beings and myriad things within were ground into powder, reduced to ashes, scattered like dust.

As expected, the entire painting before Jiang She was easily torn apart in an instant. The lake beneath his feet vanished completely. Not only that, but the entire world seemed to visibly distort.

After tossing out the scroll and whisk, and uttering the grand words of “upholding the Dao on behalf of Heaven,” Daoist Chen Ping’an narrowed his eyes to observe.

Fifteen Natal Acupoints in total, comprising the fundamental grotto-heaven where the Five Elements Natal Object resided, along with ten grotto-heavens of Successor Appointed Mountain serving as auxiliaries.

This meant that during his seclusion at the Floating Canopy Foothills Dojo, Chen Ping’an had refined ten additional Natal Objects. And this was far from the true total number.

However, he had been greatly hampered by the elusive Fourteenth Realm rogue, who had ambushed him several times, forcing Chen Ping’an to repeatedly withdraw from his seclusion, wasting too much time.

This had led to the Natal Object refinement being somewhat rushed, missing the refinement of several crucial treasures, or failing to refine them to the peak of perfection, resulting in the overall effect failing to meet expectations.

Chen Ping’an initially thought that this hindrance was insignificant, but unexpectedly, he faced Jiang She within a few days.

Chen Ping’an’s previous thoughts were simple.

His own tasks in the Immortal Realm, besides sword refinement, consuming Golden Essence Copper Coins, and searching for Dragon-Slaying Stones to continuously improve the grade of his two Natal Flying Swords, were nothing more than consolidating his Dao foundation and increasing his Dao power.

By refining magical treasures extensively, he could achieve multiple goals in one fell swoop.

Like the city markets and the Jianghu, there were no skills to speak of; a chaotic barrage of fists could overwhelm a master.

In mountain duels, he would simply win with numbers, using magical treasures to smash his opponent to death.

A simple idea required extremely complex and tedious steps to lay the groundwork.

Ultimately, he sought a unique ascension method to achieve enlightenment and eternal life.

That was why he was transmitting the Dao, protecting the Dao, observing the Dao, and proving the Dao for Daoist Ding.

Daoist Chen Ping’an raised his head to look at the sky.

The Heavenly Dao barrier was like a wall, the sun and moon locked together, preventing the Dao from emerging, trapping countless heroes and Daoists throughout history.

The true form of the celestial star chart was an ancient inkstone, only a foot in size, engraved with the sun and moon locked together. On the back of the inkstone were carved the eye sockets of the twenty-eight constellations.

Obtained from Zheng Juzhong, it was used to store several hundred Golden Essence Copper Coins. During the battle beyond the heavens, Chen Ping’an, who was the lowest in realm, was responsible for sitting in the center and directing the operation of the grand array. He obtained this thing, never explicitly stated as needed to be returned. During his seclusion, Chen Ping’an had a flash of inspiration. With the help of Gu Can, who could even refine a Flowing Sunset Boat, Chen Ping’an actually managed to refine this thing into a small grotto-heaven, verifying that this method was feasible and could be called a Divine Power.

As for his talisman-drawing skills, they carried the simple aura of ancient Daoists, sufficient to deceive many ancient beings with countless years of Dao age into believing they were written by an ancient Daoist himself.

This came from the “Ghostly Scribbles” lent to him by Li Huai, which contained the fundamental methods of spirit writing, invoking deities, and true descension.

The many imitation swords gifted by Yuan Lingdian of Finger Peak and purchased by Liu Jinglong from Hate Sword Mountain in the Northern Climes had all been refined.
Regardless of your grade, be it spiritual artifact, magical treasure, or quasi-immortal weapon, whether bought with money or “found by chance” on the roadside, Chen Ping’an is forging all the items at his disposal to be connected to his very essence, using them to fill his various Qi repositories. Under the azure sky and the convergence of the sun and moon, the battle unfolds, each displaying their abilities. Even if Jiang She’s momentum is overwhelming, seemingly traversing the river of time as if unopposed, even if he inverts yin and yang, manipulating heaven and earth as a grindstone, it is Jiang She who ultimately suffers the consequences, turning his own Dao and supernatural powers into mere “ink.”

Ultimately, it is a situation where the opposing sides ebb and flow. Chen Ping’an holds up a replica of the Jade Capital, and within the Jade Capital’s Southern Splendor City, a young Daoist wearing a lotus crown clutches a “Sunken Decree” seal that patches up the heavens. On the seal’s surface, thirty-six ancient deities simultaneously open their eyes.

The scene transforms. The young Daoist seems to unleash a colossal Dharma body, its sleeves fluttering, drifting out of Southern Splendor City. Its height is not inferior to Jiang She’s golden form, while Chen Ping’an condenses his figure to the size of a mustard seed, hiding at the highest point of the Jade Capital.

The Jade Capital collides with Jiang She’s rotating grindstone of heaven and earth, producing a heart-stirring creaking sound, like a chisel slowly engraving on a glass mirror.

After a moment, the Jade Capital seems to stubbornly halt the grindstone’s rotation, causing the entire heaven and earth to sway with a subtle amplitude.

Chen Ping’an stands with his hands in his sleeves, his azure-robed figure swaying along with the five cities and twelve towers beneath his feet.

Jiang She picks up the Formation Breaker again, lightly twisting his wrist and rotating the long spear.

Changing his mind on a whim, Jiang She is not in a hurry to shatter the counterfeit Jade Capital.

Only because Jiang She sees through Chen Ping’an’s scheme immediately, not allowing this fellow to get his wish.

If he were to forcefully break the formation with his spear while Chen Ping’an is inside the “Jade Capital,” it would be an excellent opportunity for Chen Ping’an to observe the Dao in preparation for a future challenge to the real Jade Capital, using the stones of other mountains to polish his own jade.

“From this, it can be seen that Jiang She is not absolutely certain of killing me on the spot today.”

The Daoist laughs heartily, muttering to himself, “If he were so confident of victory, why would Jiang She bother with these small gains and losses, afraid that I would learn the general route and subtle techniques for breaking the Jade Capital?”

Jiang She rubs his chin, finally understanding the thoughts of some Qi cultivators. The mouths of martial artists are indeed annoying.

“You all like to watch from the sidelines, one by one, watching me perform like a monkey?” Jiang She seems to have finally lost his patience. “Everyone, if you don’t show yourselves, your companions, mountain lords, allies, might really be beaten to death by me.”

Controlling the Great Dao, he easily turns the tables, temporarily trapping the replica Jade Capital and the divine Chen Ping’an. Jiang She leaps backward, merging into the Dharma body behind him. The Dharma body reaches out and grasps the Formation Breaker spear, taking a few steps to arrive in front of the young Daoist. A sweeping strike of the spear hits the chest of the Daoist Dharma body, stirring up countless jade fragments. The Daoist staggers backward, and the “person-high” Jade Capital follows suit.

Jiang She then stabs the Daoist’s heart with the spear, and countless rays of light shine from the Jade Capital, converging at the point where the Daoist Dharma body meets the tip of the spear.

Jiang She does not withdraw the long spear, instead taking a step forward, ramming the Daoist and the Jade Capital backward together.

Jiang She surveys the surroundings and sneers, “How about this chest-shattering stone? Spectators don’t need to pay, aren’t there any cheers?”

“Daoist Jiang, please be patient.”

Inside the Jade Capital, Chen Ping’an leans on the railing, raises his head, and looks at Jiang She’s Dharma body with the spear, smiling, “Daoist, restrain your words, don’t hurt our harmony.”

Even with a Dao heart as firm as Jiang She’s, he is infuriated by this nonsense.

Jiang She increases the force in his hand, and the tip of the Formation Breaker spear pierces into the Jade Capital.

Martial artists exchange fists, cultivators fight with spells, all consuming physical strength, Qi, blood, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The damage to any major life-bound treasure of a Qi cultivator can be said to injure the very foundation of their Dao. This is a more hidden danger than depleting decades or centuries of Dao cultivation. Such defects in the Great Dao have endless consequences, like a martial artist on the Jianghu developing a chronic illness. As for injuries to the soul, dispersal of the mind, reduction of merit, which one is not a cultivator who could easily become a field for inner demons, an obstacle to future Dao integration? The higher a cultivator’s realm, the more those seemingly insignificant, pinprick-sized defects of the past will become larger than a hole in the sky. Cultivators who think of repairing their Dao heart’s deficiencies with external objects after reaching a higher realm – while heaven never bars all roads, they might as well mend the heavens themselves.

How many life-bound treasures intimately connected to Chen Ping’an’s life and Dao have been shattered today?

Jiang She seems to realize something.

Is this guy perhaps trying to do the opposite?

Despite Chen Ping’an’s many identities and methods, he actually has more hidden dangers, such as the lack of Yin and Yang Gods, destined to prevent him from refining his life-bound character, and his sword cultivator and martial artist identities being impure… First, assuming that his own human body and soul will inevitably have some irreparable defects, he simply engages in a “military exercise” akin to “dissipating the Dao.” Cultivators, all dharmas are empty, emptying their bodies to nourish their primordial spirit. Resolutely abandoning all external objects, leaving only a clear Dao heart?

Good heavens.

Is he interpreting the saying “Learning increases daily, the Dao decreases daily” as “The Dao of Heaven reduces what is excessive to supplement what is insufficient”?

Is this how he is explaining it?!

Truly a fantastic idea.

Jiang She’s previous comment, “A nobody made famous,” was actually unfair to this young mountain lord who is a sword cultivator, a martial artist, and a talisman cultivator.

It was worth asking around for news about you, to avoid capsizing in the gutter and being laughed at by the Old Friend Shrine and Blue Heavens after the first fight after leaving the mountain.

Today’s confrontation has some unexpected elements, but ultimately more disappointment.

Is this all that a young person with half a point of one has to offer?

Up until now, isn’t this just utter powerlessness?

The two Dharma bodies are inches apart.

Jiang She is about to pierce through the Jade Capital and the Daoist’s chest with one spear.

Just at that moment, the Daoist holding a Five Thunder Seal slams the seal at Jiang She with lightning speed.

Jiang She fails to shatter it with one punch, only knocking it away. The seal rolls on the ground.

Using a seal to smash someone seems reckless and has nothing to do with immortal Qi, but it uses the fist intent of a god hammering a drum.

Jiang She is puzzled, but mocks, “Much ado about nothing. You put so much thought into it, and the result is just this one move?”

Chen Ping’an frowns slightly, completely puzzled as to why the Five Thunder Seal lost most of its effectiveness in an instant, the change occurring almost instantaneously.
This resulted in many backup plans being rendered unusable. To say that this seal alone could severely injure Jiang She, he wouldn’t even consider it, but this Five Thunder Seal was indeed the starting point for Chen Ping’an’s subsequent, truly lethal moves.

Therefore, this action took Chen Ping’an by surprise, and even Jiang She mistakenly thought Chen Ping’an was playing some trick. Atop the tilting pillar, the blue-shirted Chen Ping’an, whose divine nature was at odds with Jiang She, took action for the first time to help break the deadlock. He took out an ancient bow, drew it back like a full moon, with a string but no arrow. With a resounding “bang,” a golden light shot out, dragging a long, dazzling trail behind it, like a towering sword.

Jiang She drew his spear and used its tip to block the oncoming sword light, shattering the “arrow.”

“A peasant with cleanliness?”

Jiang She’s face was filled with ridicule. “Or is it that you simply dare not let your divine nature wield a sword?”

Putting away the longbow he obtained from the Night Voyage Ship, Chen Ping’an spread open his palm, as clear and translucent as white jade. A jade short sword, no longer than an inch, appeared in his palm.

This sword embryo, obtained from the Mount Sui of the Great Yue, was anciently named “Little Fengdu.”

The two flying swords, “First Day” and “Fifteenth,” had been acquired long ago, yet were among the few that Chen Ping’an had not fully refined.

Chen Ping’an remained silent.

This seemed to be the first time Chen Ping’an had engaged in a life-or-death battle, with the spiritual energy accumulated in all his abodes being completely exhausted.

Cultivators need to spend money when engaging in duels and seeking enlightenment.

He drove his natal treasures, all of which had been greatly refined, either attacking or defending, commanding his forces.

But the result was that they were either shattered by Jiang She with a single blow or pierced by the spear tip. Although they did not break on the spot, they became dilapidated and degraded in rank. The battle outside the heavens, although Chen Ping’an was conscripted, was ultimately worthwhile and greatly beneficial to his cultivation. Just witnessing the collision course of the two realms, Chen Ping’an began to try to pave a discernible path within his own body, within his own internal world, at the Fuyun Dojo.

Paving roads and building bridges.

Pursuing a realm where each sword strike moves with the Dao of Heaven.

As for the choice to “take the opportunity to merge all natal treasures,” it was a last resort against Jiang She.

The reason was simple: without doing so, there was no way to fight. Not even confrontation was possible; wanting to delay even for a moment was a luxury, let alone probing the depths of Jiang She’s cultivation.

The Chen Ping’an on the mountain peak, in his true blue-shirted form, smiled. “See? Something went wrong. I guess there’s a big problem on the Azure Sky.” He retracted his Dharma Idol and took back the miniature replica of White Jade Capital, which had returned to its diminutive size, cradling it in his palm. Chen Ping’an listened attentively, hearing subtle sounds like the cracking of porcelain from his hometown, “ding ding dong dong,” until it finally fell apart. The miniature replica of White Jade Capital collapsed with a loud crash. The wind blew through the heavens and earth, stirring up countless fragments, like falling snow.

“A fight, barely warmed up, and the losses are so great? Doesn’t it hurt at all?”

Jiang She understood and looked at Chen Ping’an’s true form in front of him, then turned to look at the entity at a high altitude, which was a smokescreen. “Yes, that’s how divine nature takes charge. Without intention, there is no error.”

The two Chen Ping’ans exchanged positions.

The Chen Ping’an in front of Jiang She had removed the smokescreen and was the true, divine half.

Four immortal swords appeared around him.

This “Chen Ping’an” moved his neck, raised his hand, shook his sleeve, and his golden eyes had a burning look. He grinned and said, “Jiang She, that ‘me’ isn’t efficient in doing things. To be honest, I’ve been tolerating you for half a day.”

Jiang She smiled. “Likewise.”

Chen Ping’an has always been good at learning from others. For example, at the Misty Snow Peak of the Azure Duckweed Sword Sect, and within the Long Spring Cave Heaven Dojo, during his closed-door cultivation, he also learned from Wu Shuangjiang and imitated four immortal swords.

If Wu Shuangjiang’s four swords were second-rate genuine articles, similar to official imitations of imperial porcelain, then Chen Ping’an’s imitations, made after the Night Voyage Ship incident, were second-rate again. Whether it was the sword’s material or its divine intent, it was… a folk imitation of an official item.

It was naturally easy to scare people on the mountain, and it also worked in disputes between equals. But using these repeatedly imitated immortal swords against Jiang She inevitably gave the impression of being at one’s wit’s end or jumping over the wall in desperation.

Jiang She knew the quality of the crude imitation swords with just one glance.

It seemed that the time to use the few trump cards he had been saving was not far away.

This kid was good at choosing opponents, directly picking Yu Dou of White Jade Capital as his sword-testing target.

Truly invincible, in today’s world, isn’t an arrogant claim. It is estimated that when Yu Dou has completely refined a Jade Capital Mountain, he should also be able to enter the pseudo-fifteenth realm.

However, if they want to become the number one person in the world among several realms, they each have tribulations to overcome.

He, Jiang She, was like this, and of course Yu Dou was also like this. It seemed that great chaos had arisen in the Azure Sky, transforming from a prosperous era to a chaotic one. How to turn it back into peace… was Yu Dou’s tribulation.

Looking at the young man in front of him, who was calculating and resourceful, there was no sign of discouragement in his eyebrows and expression.

After all, Chen Ping’an’s methods were originally meant to deal with Yu Dou.

A pot of wine in the pavilion, pregnant with meaning?

It was difficult for Jiang She not to remember the group of scholars from ancient times, high-spirited, impassioned, and not pedantic in temperament, always clear about their debts and grudges.

Jiang She raised his spear and pointed it at the high altitude, lazily asking, “Whether you’re a sword holder or half a being, can you show some real skills that aren’t flashy?”

“Easy to say.”

The true Chen Ping’an in high altitude stamped his foot, instantly shattering hundreds of pounds of true qi talismans on his hands and feet, and smiled, “To bear the universe with this body and spirit, one must first become a chaotic mass.”

Jiang She nodded. “Young man, you dare to think.” The next moment, Jiang She was pinned to the ground by Chen Ping’an, who reached out and pressed down on his head.