(The animation for Sword Dynasty has started airing on Tencent Video. If you have time, you can check it out…)

Vast azure waves stretched for ten thousand li, the night-sailing boat like a drifting duckweed, the starry sky brilliant, like the most beautiful caisson ceiling in the world.

How Swift the Wind.

They arrived at the skybridge connecting the two tall buildings. Since Chen Ping’an was the acting city lord of Lingxi City, he had many conveniences. He lifted the two layers of mountain and water restrictions on the city and the boat. The vast sea and sky scene, silent yet magnificent, was completely in view.

This time, Little Mo’s sword delivery was unexpectedly smooth, without any predicted twists and turns. Unexpected, yet within reason.

Across several worlds, those capable of intercepting that flash of sword light had to be at least Ascended realm cultivators guarding their dojos.

Furthermore, Old Fourteenth, Zhi Ci who ascended to heaven, Bai Ye in reincarnation, and figures like the Cave Lord of Bixiao, directly manifested a majestic Dharma body in a brilliant full moon while that sword light traveled through the Azure Nether world. The old Taoist priest wanted to see who would be so blind as to obstruct the sword light.

Hao Ran didn’t intercept, the Savage Desolation didn’t block, and the Western Buddha Kingdom was also smooth. Why would the Azure Nether world, where this humble Taoist priest resides, cause trouble?

If those new Fourteenths, whether hidden or revealed, were mostly busy solidifying their dao foundations and cherished their hard-won cultivation deeply, unwilling to stir up trouble or engage in any emotional disputes, or if they had other pursuits like Ya Xiang Yao Qing, the sword light flashed by in an instant. What did it have to do with them?

Moreover, the previous celestial anomaly caused such a stir. Even Ascended realm cultivators, as long as they had some knowledge of stargazing and divination, deduction and calculation, or even just a bit of Qi cultivation, wouldn’t act rashly. The Ziwei Asterism moved, the Big Dipper pointed to death, and the nine sharp sword lights descending upon the human realm went to a certain place in the Savage Desolation. Did they gamble that the sword wielder who triggered the celestial anomaly was at the end of their rope and unable to deliver a second sword? Since it wasn’t a struggle for the Great Dao, it wasn’t necessary. Why gamble?

This kind of “opening statement” wasn’t common. Let the subsequent sword light, which also didn’t harm people, travel freely through the human realm.

Since that was the case, who would dare to contend?

Cui Dongshan draped his sleeves over the railing and smiled, “Xiao Xun didn’t get an itchy hand, which surprised me.”

Xie Gou sneered, “Intercept? You like to intercept, right? That’s a private vendetta, a mortal enemy. Whether it’s the custom from ten thousand years ago or the rules of the Savage Desolation now, Little Mo and I will go find her in the Savage Desolation. Old Master Bai definitely won’t meddle.”

The sable-hatted girl bumped her forehead hard against the railing in annoyance, muttering in a muffled voice, “As expected, you’re not in the Fourteenth Realm. Your words aren’t firm!”

Chen Ping’an was discussing something with Liu Xianyang using his inner voice. He first told him about the “new heavenly rules” and the rules of the Great Dao’s operation on that new mountain peak. He said that he would definitely need to go into seclusion when he returned to the Fuyao Lu dojo, and might need Liu Xianyang’s guidance on that sword technique, as he still couldn’t grasp the knack of it and progress was slow, lacking too much in terms of divine intent.

Liu Xianyang lay on the railing, raising a hand and pointing lazily, “Let me. Where’s the need for such trouble? You just need to give me those portrait scrolls, and I’ll make sure those Savage Desolation martial arts geniuses who earned the title of ‘Strongest’ die without even knowing how.”

Chen Ping’an said, “For now, we can’t alert the enemy. In the future, I’ll go to the Savage Desolation battlefield. I need to ensure instant kills, absolute annihilation.”

In a certain Savage Desolation battlefield in the future, those below the Ascended realm carrying the true names of the demon race would be eliminated one by one!

On the mountain peak where I was the host, anyone who showed up and whose martial dao was below the Peak realm would die!

Chen Ping’an added, “I roughly estimated that I need to be in the Ascended realm and also reach the first level of martial dao god. Before, I had some confidence and always felt that my steps were steady, and I knew how fast or slow things would be. Now…”

Listening to Chen Ping’an’s string of small-town dialects, Liu Xianyang nodded, “Wait until you’re in seclusion, then send a flying sword message. The exceptionally talented Sword Immortal Liu will make a trip to Fuyao Lu and teach the diligent but clumsy Mountain Master Chen a good lesson.”

Chen Ping’an smiled with his hands in his sleeves, “That’s fine, that’s impressive.”

Liu Xianyang turned his head and asked, “Mr. Little Mo, do you want to have a seat in my sect’s Ancestral Hall? It’s just a matter of a word!”

Receiving a look from his young master, Little Mo immediately shook his head, “Thank you for your kind offer,宗主 Liu, but as the young master’s deathsworn, I shouldn’t be distracted.”

Liu Xianyang didn’t even look at Chen Ping’an, raised his arm, and patted the back of his hand directly on the latter’s forehead, asking doubtfully, “You don’t need to be distracted at all. That chair will just remain empty. I’m just using it to hold the fort and scare people. A Fourteenth Realm sword cultivator serving as a general offering in my sect, how impressive would that be when word gets out? It would make Great Sword Immortal Liu appear even more unfathomable.”

Little Mo could only explain through his inner voice, “I heard some stories on the mountain, I don’t know if they’re true, about my young master and your master. So let’s just forget about it.”

Liu Xianyang elbowed Chen Ping’an on the shoulder beside him. The sable-hatted girl put her hands on her hips and spoke up indignantly, “Big Brother Liu, if you keep laying hands on our Mountain Master like this, I’ll have to disregard our sibling affection and uphold righteousness!”

Liu Xianyang reached out and patted the sable hat, “You’ve rebelled. How can you talk to Big Brother Liu, who’s closer than a biological brother?”

Jiang She suddenly asked through his inner voice, “Chen Ping’an, shall we walk elsewhere?”

Chen Ping’an nodded.

Walking off the skybridge and down from the tall building, they went towards the street. Jiang She smiled, “Pei Qian’s martial arts talent is better than yours.”

Chen Ping’an put his hands in his sleeves and replied directly, “None of your business.”

Jiang She continued on his own, “Not to mention that Pei Qian is younger than you, learned boxing later, nor that she’s my daughter and your disciple, nor that both of you are now at the first level of the Apex realm, she’s slightly higher than you…”

Chen Ping’an said, “Then don’t say it.”

Jiang She laughed in annoyance, “Chen, my temper and patience have limits.”

Chen Ping’an said, “If I’m an eyesore to you and you find my words unpleasant, then don’t go to Baoping Continent. How about I get off the boat now and make room for you?”

Jiang She remembered the words of his dao companion and that old scholar. Bending his stubborn nature, he continued the previous topic, “I’m just speaking as an elder from experience, evaluating two young juniors who are Apex realm martial artists. I’ll say a few words whether you like it or not.”

“Pei Qian has passed the hurdle of ‘person follows the fist’. After that, nothing can stop her. Reaching the Divine level is inevitable. Just the seemingly casual act of walking, Pei Qian is practicing pile walking, and you are also constantly honing your fist intent. Master and disciple, learning by example, it’s not for nothing. But Pei Qian’s momentum is greater than yours. Every time she circulates a breath of pure true energy, it’s a great change in the human body and heaven and earth, like rain and drought, day and night, and the seasons. This is the true ‘My body, my spirit, my heaven and earth’. You are missing a lot of meaning. In terms of cultivation, you are only seeking in technique. Even if you reach the extreme, what then? You are still far from the Dao by a hair’s breadth. Approaching the Dao is ultimately just approaching the Dao. A hair’s breadth difference makes a world of difference. The clear sky and the yellow earth cannot be connected by the Dao. Clear is clear, turbid is turbid. Forcibly blending them into a state of chaos is an illusion. How can you open your apertures, like heaven opening its eyes? How can you ensure that the scenery after opening your eyes isn’t just a fleeting moment?”

“Don’t think you can be complacent just because you still have a fire dragon within your body and heaven and earth. The next step is the real crucial point in your martial dao. Kid, don’t let this hard-earned glimmer of hope be wasted. That would be too regretful.”

After talking for a long time, Jiang She was extremely puzzled. This guy beside him hadn’t retorted a single word? Did he run out of arsenic?

“I know what’s good and bad.”

Chen Ping’an said ill-temperedly, “Even a scoundrel can occasionally say a few words of conscience.”

Jiang She was speechless for a moment.

Over on the skybridge, Xie Gou whispered, “They won’t start fighting again if they disagree, will they?”

Jiang Shangzhen smiled, “What are you afraid of? We have strength in numbers…”

“I’m afraid the Mountain Master will beat him to death.”

Xie Gou quickly corrected himself, “Oh no, I mean beat him back to life.”

Wu Yan said through his inner voice, “Bai Jing! You promised not to add fuel to the fire!”

Xie Gou sighed with an upward lilt in his voice, “I’m a girl, and a pretty one at that. My words never count.”

Liu Xianyang smiled, “Don’t worry. Chen Ping’an is very measured in what he does. He has better luck with women than I do, and worse luck with elders than I do. Of course, this is only compared to me. He’s actually doing quite well.”

Elderly favor doesn’t fall from the sky.

Song Yushao liked that foreign boy who claimed to be from Longquan County in Dali. He was single-minded, stubborn, and stuck to his principles. Despite his young age, he had the demeanor of an old hand. That’s why he said, “Hotpot and wine, the world is mine.” Another example is Bai Bo from the Zhuzhi School of Caiyu Mountain. He appreciated the lively and cheerful personality of the young guest officer “Chen Jiu,” as well as his seriousness and tenacity in doing things. That’s why he wanted to take him as a disciple but didn’t stop the young man from venturing out into the martial world. He just did his best to arrange a retreat for “Chen Jiu.” The old man still wonders when he can drink the young man’s wedding wine and has prepared his share of the gift money early, having agreed to sit at the main table!

As for the old blind man from the Hundred Thousand Mountains, he probably felt that the young man traveled ten thousand li and read ten thousand scrolls, working so hard, yet still didn’t cultivate a natal character? Were the Great Sword Immortal’s words pleasant to hear? Did the stubborn Cave Lord of Bixiao hold grudges? Would the miscellaneous Taoist priests in Xuandu Temple think that Taoist Master Sun was just a reclusive expert playing in the mundane world?

As Chen Ping’an himself said, what those elders truly valued was probably a certain version of themselves when they were young.

Some people always carry a young man in their hearts, ready to venture into the martial world tomorrow, certain to make a name for themselves the day after.

Some people always hide a child in their hearts, not timid or ignorant, just believing that the martial world isn’t that great.

Similarly, Chen Ping’an saw his own reflection in Zhao Shuxia, Ning Ji, Deng Jianping, and others.

Chen Ping’an said, “Just take it slow.”

Jiang She said, “Are you saying you can decide the general trend of the world?”

Chen Ping’an said, “What can I do about that? You always have to eat one bite at a time. When dealing with people and matters, what you see are either big things or small things. It might as well be seen as seeing big things as small things and thinking of small things as big things. ‘Might as well’ can be replaced with ‘can only’.”

Gradually, over time, every day is a good time to be a minor deity with nothing to worry about.

Yesterday’s storm, today is okay, tomorrow will be better, and the day after tomorrow will probably be willows swaying and spring flowers blooming.

“For any young person under fifty years old, pretending to be old and saying such empty platitudes to me, you, kid, have personally experienced a lot and witnessed some scenes. Using events to explain principles, you barely have some confidence.”

Shielding his ear with his hand, he had been eavesdropping on the conversation over there. Xie Gou never bent his elbow outwards and tsked, “At the same age, with similar cultivation age, I guess Jiang She was still being beaten and crying all over the ground. He forgot the pain once the wound healed, acting as if it never happened.”

Wu Yan covered her mouth and smiled. This was true.

Ning Yao returned to the night-sailing boat with Pei Qian and appeared on the skybridge together.

It was clear that Pei Qian was in a much better mood. She still didn’t look at Jiang She on the street but exchanged a glance with the woman.

The woman’s eyes instantly welled up with tears.

She had waited for ten thousand years for this moment, and the woman was also having a hard time.

But she dared not say a single word, afraid that her daughter, who had suffered so much, would think she was complaining.

The burly man on the street hesitated for a moment, then retreated into the alley at the corner and sat casually on the steps of a shop entrance.

Chen Ping’an leaned against the wall and didn’t say anything.

The foremost Immortal Master on Ruzhou Mountain, whose Daoist name was “Lv Ping,” a certain Zhu, was originally in seclusion, needing to meticulously study a great talisman he had accidentally obtained from a relic. As for the matter of breaking through and uniting with the Dao, he still dared not hope for it in the short term. As a result, his mind was disturbed, and he had to leave his cave to see what was happening. When he went out and saw the celestial anomaly, he was shocked. First, it was as if a Heavenly Emperor appeared in the center of the Ziwei Asterism, followed by the Big Dipper, with seven stars visible and two hidden. Nine beams of sword light then descended upon the human realm, as if delivering an imperial decree to reprimand the human realm.

A certain Zhu initially calculated diligently with his fingers, exerting his Dao power to deduce the heavenly secrets… Forget it, forget it, his fingers were about to smoke. He vigorously shook his wrist and took out a folding fan from his sleeve, lightly tapping his palm. After a moment of thought, a certain Zhu’s figure transformed into a rainbow, speeding like lightning, and he flew directly towards Ya Mountain on the wind.

Ya Mountain was not an immortal mansion, and there was no mountain protection formation. A certain Zhu’s figure landed on the ground, and he immediately blurted out, “Have you crossed the threshold?”

Lin Jiangxian smiled and teased, “Your nose is sharp, you smelled the fishy scent?”

A certain Zhu said, “Master Lin, I’m asking you a question.”

Lin Jiangxian nodded, “I’ve broken through.”

“Congratulations.”

A certain Zhu clasped his hands and vigorously shook them a few times, sighing softly, “It’s just a pity for the human realm, they’ll have to scramble.”

Lin Jiangxian said nothing.

A certain Zhu said through his inner voice, “Have I already met that Wood Master of ‘us’?”

Lin Jiangxian said, “That’s Gu Yangge from Pipa Peak in Youzhou.”

A certain Zhu drew out his folding fan and slapped his forehead, “I knew it!”

I knew it was you, I knew it was her!

To be precise, Gu Yangge was, of course, just a shell for “her” to walk in the human realm.

Gu Yangge, a native of Youzhou, one of the latest ten great masters in the Azure Nether world.

She wore a braid hanging in front of her, a breathtaking sight, like a river flowing between two opposing peaks.

She had visited Ya Mountain not long ago and held a martial arts demonstration. It was a certain Zhu who had personally taken her up the mountain back then.

A certain Zhu asked, “Can she now travel freely throughout the world?”

Lin Jiangxian said, “It seems that the Dao Ancestor didn’t manage her much before, probably there was a verbal agreement. The specific content is hard to guess. But when I first arrived in the Azure Nether world, I went to her place with my sword and had a serious talk with her. We also made a gentleman’s agreement that she couldn’t wander around in Youzhou outside the cave without my nod. Later, when I saw the time was ripe, I had Qi Huajian deliver a message to her.”

A certain Zhu asked, “If I were to face… them alone?”

Lin Jiangxian said, “It’s still not enough.”

A certain Zhu laughed at himself, “I originally thought my realm was high enough. Grandmaster Sun is the unshakeable fifth in the world, and I, a certain Zhu, am the ironclad eleventh in the world. Even if this ranking is greatly inflated, no matter what, it’s genuinely not low.”

Lin Jiangxian said something strange, “A person cannot control the length of their shadow.”

A certain Zhu sighed with emotion, “Indeed, it truly has nothing to do with wealth or poverty, success or failure.”

A certain Zhu started feeling sorry for himself, “No wonder, no wonder, it all adds up. No wonder you didn’t warn me beforehand. It was my own foolishness, blinded by beauty.”

Gu Yangge’s ancestors were all coroners. They liked to observe battle formations on the battlefield and were skilled in introspection methods, having a deep understanding of the human body’s meridians.

A certain Zhu suddenly asked, “Master Lin? Us?”

Lin Jiangxian smiled, “Aren’t we friends?”

When interacting with the strong, observe their Dao; when traveling with the weak, protect their Dao; discuss the Dao with those who share the path.

What does it matter if the great darkness covers the sky? The wine is full and deep, call upon friends, and have a late-night snack.

The night-sailing boat docked at Baoping Continent, in the territory of the Western Yue God, Tong Wenchang, whose divine title is Great Banner.

It was dawn, outside an inconspicuous Earth Temple, an old man in linen clothes and straw sandals sat on the steps, puffing on a dry pipe.

The Earth God, squatting nearby, repeatedly asked what was going on with the celestial phenomena last night. The silent old man, bothered by the questioning, said, “You’re an Earth God, what are you doing concerning heavenly matters? Do you want to go to heaven?”

The Earth God puffed out his beard and glared, “Old man Tong, if you keep talking like that, be careful! I’ll move to the Northern Yue tomorrow morning. See if anyone will keep you company and chat then!”

The Western Yue main hall, where the golden statue of the god was enshrined, was bustling with incense. Tong Wenchang often came here to relax. It was hard to say who was keeping whom company and chatting.

Tong Wenchang said indifferently, “Move to the Northern Yue? Do you have money? With that little family fortune, how many times can you afford a night tour banquet?”

The Earth God said resentfully, “Then lend me some.”

Tong Wenchang didn’t bother to respond, just glanced at the western coast and said, “Go into the temple and take shelter immediately.”

The Earth God stretched his neck and looked in the direction the old man Tong was gazing, “Who is it? Someone causing trouble? Impossible.”

Tong Wenchang said, “The group of the Dali National Master.”

The Earth God said in shock, “Grandmaster Cui?!”

Tong Wenchang said, “It’s Grandmaster Cui’s junior brother, Chen Ping’an, who will succeed as the next Dali National Master. The court has been keeping this a secret from the outside world. Only a very few know about it. Just listen and don’t spread it. If there’s a leak, His Majesty the Emperor will be enraged. I can’t bear that responsibility. I might even be accused of lax discipline and incompetence in managing my subordinates. At that time, I’ll borrow some travel expenses from you and go to Pi Yun Mountain to beg for a living?”

The Earth God said timidly, “Let me see the new National Master, too. I’ll just hide behind you obediently and keep quiet.”

Mirror flowers and moon reflections, mountain and water reports.

Tong Wenchang waved his pipe and said, “Go back quickly. Don’t even think of sneaking a few glances. The Dali National Master is the Dali National Master.”

Seeing Tong Wenchang’s solemn expression, the Earth God didn’t dare to be presumptuous. He immediately used the Shrinking Earth technique and returned inside the golden statue in the temple. He absolutely dared not peek outside. Old Man Tong was a mountain god with very little official air, so when he repeatedly mentioned the term “National Master,” the Earth God, who had been immersed in the mountain and water officialdom for many years, understood. Old Man Tong highly approved of Sword Immortal Chen succeeding as the Dali National Master.

Figures landed one after another in this place. Suddenly, such a large group of people appeared, causing a commotion. Tong Wenchang put away his dry pipe, slowly stood up, and asked, “National Master, who are these few?”

Before Chen Ping’an could answer, Jiang She sneered, “Martial artists who know a little fancy footwork. Small fries running around the martial world, they don’t have Daoist names. Fortunately, they share the same surname as Old宗主 Jiang. A country bumpkin like me doesn’t understand etiquette. God, your status is noble, don’t mind.”

His words were quite aggressive.

Tong Wenchang smiled, holding the old pipe in his hand, cupped his fist, “Western Yue’s Tong Wenchang, greetings to Daoist Fellow Jiang, a pleasure to meet you.”

Jiang She was unmoved.

The woman immediately tugged at his sleeve. Jiang She still kept a straight face. The woman persisted and tugged again. Jiang She could only reluctantly cup his fist in return, “I’m giving you face.”

Tong Wenchang didn’t mind. There were too many strange-tempered people on the mountain to bother with. Besides, wasn’t he one himself?

Xie Gou shielded his mouth with his hand and exposed him, “Wu Yan, your man has been悶ed for so many years and accumulated a lot of face. Giving a little here and a little there, is it enough to go around? Do you really think it’s like our Luopo Mountain’s Right Protector’s melon seeds?”

Wu Yan teased, “If there wasn’t enough face, wasn’t someone dragged around by his face in his early years? Didn’t his face blossom long ago?”

Xie Gou suddenly realized, “No wonder, no wonder. It’s somewhat similar to our Mountain Master in a certain place.”

Jiang She’s eyelids twitched slightly.

Chen Ping’an smiled and let it go.

On the Skeleton Beach of Beiju Luzhou, the Yangchang Palace in Guiyu Valley, located in a remote area, was the dojo of the Great Demon Catcher Immortal. The previously somewhat shabby three-courtyard complex was finally expanded to five courtyards last year. At that time, the palace master, who always presented himself as an old Taoist, consulted the almanac, chose an auspicious day, and had a few young ones set off a few strings of firecrackers at the entrance. He sent out many gilded invitations to his fellow Taoists on the mountain, but no one came to congratulate him. His plan of trying to recoup some capital this way fell through. In the past, Guiyu Valley, though chaotic, wasn’t entirely driven by money. Nowadays, the world is deteriorating, and people’s hearts are not as they used to be.

At three poles above the sun, the Great Demon Catcher Immortal with a goatee stood with his hands behind his back. He used the pseudonym Zhuo Chengxian. As for his true name of the demon race, it was recorded in the Pima Sect a few years ago. In this small area, people still liked to respectfully call him Old Immortal.

He slowly walked to the entrance of Yangchang Palace. Outside the door, two fools stood still, one holding a wooden spear like a nail, and the other lying on the ground enjoying himself, using his hands as a pillow, crossing his legs, and singing lewd songs. The old palace master, who called himself the Great Demon Catcher Immortal, saw this sight and immediately became furious. One was stupid, the other was lazy, neither of them had any prospects! Yangchang Palace now had a total of about ten so-called resident Taoists, all of whom were lazy and didn’t put in any effort. But then again, if they had bright futures, they wouldn’t need to come to Yangchang Palace to muddle along.

His nominal disciples were these two useless guys at the entrance. One died inexplicably before, and later one was added. For Guiyu Valley back then, this was a completely normal minor matter. The Old Immortal in a Daoist robe with two wisps of beard stood just inside the threshold, not making a sound. He suppressed his anger. As a reclusive Taoist, he still had this much cultivation. In any case, the situation of his Yangchang Palace was still better than that of Jixiao Mountain and Tongguan Mountain, as well as the Shedding Mountain of that Summer Retreat Mother, and those fellow Taoists who met their demise in various calamities. Compared to the best, he wasn’t as good, but compared to the worst, he was more than sufficient. At least he had a stable territory.

The tall demon lying on the ground basking in the sun lazily said, “Senior Brother, our Yangchang Palace is a den of demons. Master insists on taking the Daoist name Great Demon Catcher Immortal. What is he thinking? Is he crying ‘stop thief’ while being the thief? In my opinion, the poor incense of Yangchang Palace is probably because Master’s Daoist name is misleading.”

The skinny pole-like Senior Brother beside him stood upright the whole time and said in a flustered voice, “Junior Brother, don’t talk about Master like that.”

He used to be the Junior Brother, but now he was the Senior Brother. However, the one lying on the ground never treated him as a Senior Brother.

The Junior Brother swayed his legs leisurely and sneered, “Our Yangchang Palace is truly getting worse and worse every year, like Wang Xiaoer during the New Year.”

The Old Immortal coughed softly, stepped over the threshold, squinted his eyes, twirled his beard with two fingers, and said in a learned manner, “Have you found any suspicious individuals sneaking and peeking at our dojo?”

The tall demon who was the Junior Brother did a鲤鱼打挺, kicked the wooden spear on the ground with his toes, and grabbed it in his hand. His face didn’t turn red and his heart didn’t pound. “Master, it was Senior Brother’s idea. He said our Yangchang Palace is a good place for quiet cultivation, and since there aren’t many guests, it’s better for us brothers to take turns resting. It won’t delay anything.”

The small rat demon, who was no better than a wooden spear, hesitated to speak but still said nothing. Just remembering Master’s question, he honestly replied, “Reporting to Master, this disciple dares not be negligent in watching the door. There have been no suspicious people or events at the entrance today.”

The Old Immortal didn’t even bother to look directly at the two poles and sneered, “He has the brains to come up with a way to be lazy? If that were true, I should be burning high incense in the main hall.”

The tall demon bowed and said, “Master’s divine eyes.”

The small rat demon remained silent.

The Old Immortal stood on the steps, frowning and muttering to himself, “A storm is brewing.”

After a moment of thought, the Old Immortal sighed, “In the end, we’ll deal with problems as they arise.”

It turned out that a few years ago, the wealthy Funi City had set its sights on Yangchang Palace as a feng shui treasure land, wanting to open it up as an outer residence and build an immortal ferry. The Great Demon Catcher Immortal actually said that this matter was not to be mentioned and that he would never sell this ancestral property, but it was just a means of raising the price. He wasn’t unmoved. Ultimately, the price wasn’t agreed upon. The price offered by the other party was still seven or eight Guyu coins short of the old palace master’s expectation. Those were Guyu coins!

Without Gao Cheng holding the fort and being the backbone against the Pima Sect, the Pima Sect had no opponents, and Guiyu Valley had completely changed.

Fortunately, the Pima Sect didn’t completely annihilate them. Except for some bloodthirsty and extremely evil characters, the rest could live. As for how to live, they had to rely on their own abilities.

That fierce woman, Zhu Quan, finally wasn’t the Sect Master anymore. It was said that she had traveled to another continent not long ago. Congratulations, the whole world celebrates.

There were still forty or fifty cities, mountain tops, sects, and dojos of various sizes in the Guiyu Valley area now, but they were all under the control of others and had to tread carefully. They could no longer do as they pleased. However, some who were good at making money actually had more income than before. For example, Fan Yunluo’s Funi City was now thriving and becoming more prosperous. Thinking back then, Fan Yunluo would respectfully call him Immortal Master Demon Catcher or Old Palace Master at various banquets. Now, even a casual worker in Funi City dared to be boisterous and call him by name.

The Old Palace Master twirled his goatee with one hand and patted his belly with the other, saying with a melancholic expression, “In this lukewarm peaceful era, a belly full of military strategies and tactics are all useless. What a pity, a tragedy, a hero with no place to display his prowess.”

The small rat demon was surprisingly sensible and quickly let out a heavy sigh.

The Old Palace Master said irritably, “You’re overdoing it.”

The small rat demon smiled sheepishly.

The Old Immortal’s heart ached whenever he thought of one thing. He had a secret room, and the entrance to the secret passage was under the incense altar in the main hall of Yangchang Palace. However, the treasured items weren’t some immortal magical artifacts, but some military books. Back then, unlike now, it wasn’t easy for Guiyu Valley to collect books that were readily available outside. They were mostly relics from ruins. What other Qi refiners discarded like worn-out shoes were treasured as priceless treasures by the Great Demon Catcher Immortal.

He even stole books, he even stole books! A foreigner, blinded by greed, completely insane, truly a thousand-cut fellow. Not even a person!

He was already not wealthy, and this raid by that thief made things even worse. This completely disheartened the Great Demon Catcher Immortal. Recruiting soldiers and buying horses, accumulating armor and weapons, one day he would have mighty generals under his command, like extensions of his arms… It was all over.

He glanced at the small rat demon and habitually cursed a few words. The latter just scratched his head and smiled, not daring to retort.

The Great Demon Catcher Immortal had long known that this unpromising disciple often hung around the Naihe Pass market.

In the ownerless land outside the Yangchang Palace territory, he would collect some mountain goods, medicinal herbs, and jade, working for three to five months before he could fill a basket. Then he would go to the market to sell them for money. At first, each round trip would earn him about two or three Xuehua coins. He never dared to keep them for himself. Whatever money he earned, he would use it as incense money for Yangchang Palace, saying it was to show respect to Master.

At that time, Guiyu Valley was chaotic, but the various forces didn’t dare to act presumptuously, afraid of violating some rule and being killed by the Pima Sect cultivators. So everyone acted very carefully. The area near Yangchang Palace was indeed very quiet. However, as the situation gradually stabilized, everyone started to find ways and means to compete for and demarcate territories. In short, it was a matter of big fish eating small fish and small fish eating shrimp, except that there were no open fights. The covert methods were endless and varied. Like Yangchang Palace, which could only eat dirt, it could only guard its small plot of land. So its small business followed the market and declined. It could only go to the market once every six months. No matter how poor Yangchang Palace was, as the master, the Great Demon Catcher Immortal still looked down on those few small sums of money… Broken silver, I, the Great Immortal, am a cultivator. What do I need those few cents of broken silver for? It’s embarrassing! It’s enough that the stupid disciple doesn’t hide the Xuehua coins for himself.

It dreamed of the day it would have a lot of silver secretly saved up in its pocket, walk north along the Yaoyao River, and buy books in the county towns with numerous bookstores! Then go home and read the books!

As it basked in the warm sun, it secretly looked forward to meeting that Sword Immortal Chen again.

The group arrived at the entrance of Luopo Mountain.

Little Mo, who had been drifting around for ten thousand years, felt only one thing at this moment: he had come home.

He remembered after he caught that flash of sword light in the courtyard of Lingxi City.

When Little Mo looked back.

On the steps outside the door, the sword cultivators sat side by side from left to right.

Cui Dongshan leaned back, propped himself up with his elbows, smiling brightly. Jiang Shangzhen nodded slightly.

Xie Gou, sitting in the middle, grinned.

Liu Xianyang gave a big thumbs up. Chen Ping’an clapped his hands lightly and smiled, his expression gentle.