On the mountain peak was the bright moon, clear wind, a beautiful night, and a beautiful woman. Below, in the massive city, were the lights, music, dance, and fine wine.

A figure in a green robe, carrying a faint sea breeze, arrived at the summit of this grand peak. He looked around, his gaze searching, and soon found Zheng Dafeng’s familiar aura. He effortlessly breached layer upon layer of restrictions and arrived at the railing of a high pavilion.

Zheng Dafeng raised a hand and gave him a resounding slap on the palm, greatly pleased and surprised, saying, “You’re here so fast!”

It was just past midnight, not yet truly the middle of the night. This meant that “today” had not yet ended, and Chen Ping’an had already endured and withstood that celestial tribulation. His tomorrow and his Great Dao would possess infinite possibilities.

Releasing his hand, Chen Ping’an offered an apology to the woman mountain deity who wore a look of utter bewilderment. “Mountain Monarch Yin, forgive me for my uninvited arrival.”

He then turned back and gave Zheng Dafeng a brief explanation. “Getting through this safely wasn’t solely by my own power. I didn’t have that ability.”

Zheng Dafeng waved his hand. “It doesn’t matter who or what helped you, or if you hid or evaded. My only concern is bringing you back to Fallen Dust Mountain in one piece so I can account for myself to my niece-in-law.”

Yin Ni frowned tightly and asked, “You are Chen Ping’an?”

Why was there no aura of a Daoist?

Chen Ping’an smiled slightly. “I am the Da Li State Preceptor who disposed of the father and son Yin Ji and Yin Miao.”

When Zheng Dafeng thought of Chen Ping’an’s notorious reputation for “cherishing and protecting women,” he felt somewhat worried about Yin Ni’s situation.

Earlier, in the Crown Prince’s Mansion, Cui Dongshan’s closing remarks spoke of “restoring order and clarifying origins.” This was said for both Crown Prince Yin Mi and, even more so, for Yin Ni on the mountaintop.

As for the venerable Han’s furious outburst, the meaning was crystal clear. Did the Great Xu Yin clan dare to demand justice from the Confucian Temple? Forget it. Whether the surname of Great Xu would still be Yin tomorrow was uncertain.

And that Junior Supervisor of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, putting on a show of speaking for the people, had no idea that the very reason Deputy Headmaster Han had personally come to the Great Xu capital was to prevent this national vendetta between Da Li Song clan and Great Xu Yin clan from escalating uncontrollably and directly turning into a private feud between Fallen Dust Mountain and the entire Great Xu Dynasty. This was also one of the reasons for the venerable Han’s fury. The Great Xu scholars who could write beautiful prose had already entered the central organs of the court, yet the result was that they were not only evil but also foolish. Especially the Great Xu civil and military officials who participated in the discussion, few were entirely without selfish motives.

Unexpectedly, Yin Ni said, “I don’t care about the lives or deaths of that father and son. There are still a great many people named Yin in the Great Xu Dynasty. For hundreds of years, in the city I personally built and constructed, no matter who wore the dragon robe or sat on the dragon throne, the Great Xu Dynasty remained the Great Xu Dynasty. I am simply extremely curious, how did you defeat Zhou Mi?”

Chen Ping’an paid no heed, merely gazing at the brightly lit capital city. Everything within the city, down to the finest detail, was visible in his eyes. He asked in confusion, “Is Jiang Shangzhen not in the city?”

Zheng Dafeng rubbed his chin, his peripheral vision constantly observing Yin Ni, and casually replied with a smile, “My brothers each have their own tasks. I’m staying here to admire the beautiful scenery with Mountain Monarch Yin, Big White Goose is responsible for entertaining the venerable Han, and Deputy Headmaster Jiang is going to say a few harsh words to State Preceptor Liu Rao.”

The reason he paid such close attention to the subtle expressions on Yin Ni’s beautiful face was because Zheng Dafeng knew a truth: at this moment, mountain and water spirits, upon meeting Chen Ping’an, would have an uncontrollable “emotion,” giving rise to extremely strong feelings of love or hate.

If it was hatred, that would be simple enough. With Yin Ni’s status and cultivation, she couldn’t do anything to Chen Ping’an. If her current heart felt… then Chen Ping’an would be his formidable rival!

After inquiring about the exact location of State Preceptor Liu Rao’s Daoist temple, Chen Ping’an joined two fingers and casually drew a Shrinking Earth Talisman. It glowed golden, and he threw it into the air. Leaning on the railing with one hand, he leaped out, stepped on the talisman, and his figure vanished, heading directly to the outskirts of the capital. He raised an arm and gave a single twist, breaking through several layers of the hidden temple’s illusions and maze arrays, arriving beside the locust tree.

Zheng Dafeng said softly, “Madam Yin, I actually know a little about the art of talismans as well. To tell you the truth, Chen Ping’an’s Shrinking Earth technique was taught to him by me. This kid is sharp and learns things fast.”

Yin Ni remained silent. Her current appearance and demeanor seemed to embody the human concepts of “cold” and “stunning.”

Zheng Dafeng was almost mesmerized. He shook his head and immediately changed his strategy, saying, “Since Madam Yin is proficient in construction methods, what a coincidence, I am an undisputed master of this art, truly a grandmaster. The layout of Fallen Dust Mountain’s buildings and topography are all my work. Many visitors to Fallen Dust Mountain, such as Bai Ye, Yu Xuan, Xin Ji’an, and others, all praise it endlessly…”

Yin Ni gently fanned the breeze with her silk fan, and the hair at her temples fluttered. She said indifferently, “Surname Zheng, would you die if you didn’t brag?”

Zheng Dafeng burst into laughter. Scolding is a sign of affection; she was moved.

Earlier, the group of sword immortals, after offering three sticks of incense, did not linger on the mountain but went directly to the capital. Yin Ni then knew that tonight’s situation was settled.

Zheng Dafeng said, “The clam has been wandering for many years without completely losing its sentience. Was it cared for by that ancestral locust tree of the Yin clan?”

Yin Ni nodded.

Zheng Dafeng asked in confusion, “Why didn’t you proactively mention this? I guessed it. If it were someone else, they would likely have missed this crucial truth, and then, with the personalities of Qi Tingji and Lu Zhi, your Great Xu Dynasty would truly be in precarious straits, with worries about the end of your dynastic lifespan.”

Yin Ni said, “How many people in the Great Xu Dynasty are surnamed Yin among the common folk? No matter how many sword immortals there are from Sword Qi Great Wall, no matter how high their killing power, this is still the Central Divine Continent. Besides, Deputy Headmaster Han has already arrived in the capital in advance.”

The unspoken meaning of this Central Mountain Monarch’s words was that even if that group of sword immortals, in their anger, went on a killing spree against the Yin clan descendants in the Great Xu capital, including the “legitimate” lineages of the founding emperor and his successor, as well as distant relatives, it would only be about three hundred people.

Zheng Dafeng smiled. “It’s a stroke of misfortune within fortune for the Great Xu Yin clan that Emperor Yin Ji, of all people, had to provoke Fallen Dust Mountain.”

Yin Ni said, “That’s good then.”

The Great Xu capital at the foot of the mountain had also always been called “the city under the skirt” of Mountain Monarch Yin Ni in the Central Divine Continent.

Mountain and water spirits were completely different from cultivators. The latter sought to distance themselves from the mortal world, while the former had the deepest and most numerous entanglements with human affairs.

Day after day, year after year, they listened to the countless aspirations of pilgrims and witnessed the ever-shifting rights and wrongs of the human world. Over time, Yin Ni and others easily developed a heavy sense of weariness.

When the world was vibrant and passionate, things were as inseparable as glue and lacquer, like a cluster of flowers, and it seemed that everything was right and good.

But for hundreds of years, the Yin clan descendants came one by one to seek fame and fortune, wealth and glory, many sons and abundant blessings, freedom from illness and disaster… They wanted everything.

Yin Ni suddenly asked, “If we speak of the great furnace of heaven and earth, what exactly does it refine? Is it the seven emotions and six desires of mortal scholars? Is it the cycle of life and death of sentient beings? Is it the golden bodies of mountain and water spirits, or the Dao hearts of cultivators?”

Zheng Dafeng smiled. “You should ask him about such big questions.”

Yin Ni recalled the magnificent scene from earlier and murmured, “Did he see the Dao?”

Zheng Dafeng slapped his hands together, feeling a bit annoyed. He had been so happy just now that he had forgotten to ask Chen Ping’an about the specific situation.

He truly didn’t dare to hope for too much. Let alone seeing Chen Ping’an arrive here alive and kicking, even if he looked like a sickling or a walking medicine cabinet, Zheng Dafeng would have accepted it.

Zheng Dafeng tentatively said, “Sister Yin, do you have any secret method to contact Wei Bo immediately? I want to report the good news to Fallen Dust Mountain.”

Yin Ni shook her head and said, “I can’t presume to associate with that Night Roaming God Monarch.”

Zheng Dafeng thought it over and decided to return to Fallen Dust Mountain using a Three Mountain Talisman to inform those who were concerned about their Mountain Lord, Chen Ping’an, that he was safe!

Yin Ni suddenly asked, “Am I truly the reincarnation of that person?”

Zheng Dafeng couldn’t help but laugh and teased, “She wouldn’t be spouting that kind of… language.”

Yin Ni gave the scruffy man a sideways glance.

Even with the beauty of a young girl, it’s hard to exude boundless charm.

The capital city of a grand dynasty is almost always a sleepless city.

Qi Tingji and over ten other sword cultivators strolled around. Those who liked to drink went with companions to bustling taverns. Those who preferred quiet walked in the silent ancestral temples that had already closed their doors. Those who wanted to see a show squatted on walls, watching two small Jianghu gangs hack at each other with knives in the street. In a nearby alley, the yamen officials, having collected their silver, had already hired people to prepare water carts and buckets, waiting only for the fight to end before cleaning up. In the neighboring house, a group of literati and refined scholars were using spirit boards to invite immortals to descend. Not far away, itinerant Daoists who were performing rituals, chanting spells, and catching ghosts were thrown out of a house by a gust of demonic wind. On the beams of the old house, there was the soft chuckle of a female voice…

Old Deafen was the most diligent, searching for good cultivation prospects in the Great Xu capital. When he found one, he would take them back to Flower Shadow Peak.

Stealing from others isn’t ethical? If you provoke me, this second attendant of Fallen Dust Mountain, I’ll even tear down the imperial palace and dig up the Yin clan’s tombs.

Lu Zhi ordered a bowl of stewed noodles at a roadside stall in the night market. She kept feeling that if she looked up, she would see a short man wearing a straw hat and carrying a bamboo knife at his waist, standing there in a slouching manner, reaching up to comb his hair, and saying a couple of earthy, off-color jokes with a laugh.

In the private Daoist temple of the Great Xu State Preceptor, under the illumination of the ancient locust tree’s candles, the entire temple shone with golden light.

Liu Rao had his disciple help the True Monarch崩了一個搬 over a long bench. Jiang Shangzhen thanked the young girl, shook his long robe, and sat down gracefully.

Their clothing and appearances at this moment shimmered with layers of candlelight, like the painted and gilded figures in a temple.

Jiang Shangzhen asked with a smile, “Liu Rao, the sky of the Great Xu Dynasty has fallen. As the State Preceptor, you’re not doing anything about it, just hiding here in silence? What’s the matter, did you foresee my visit and prepare to die for your lord?”

The young girl was stunned. Was her master actually the Great Xu State Preceptor? If her master could be the State Preceptor, then was Great Xu’s claim to be the sixth dynasty of Haoran a bit inflated?

Liu Rao smiled and said, “About half of the pillar of national fortune has collapsed. With such a big commotion outside, even if I weren’t an Ascension Realm cultivator, even if I weren’t the State Preceptor, just an Immortal or Jade Purity, I would have a reaction. As for divination and prognostication on the mountain, that’s really not my forte. I couldn’t have predicted that you would visit tonight.”

Jiang Shangzhen was half-convinced. “I have a friend who says your cultivation talent is dull, that you’re an untalented Immortal, and that you attained the Dao after a rain?”

Liu Rao nodded and said, “I took a shortcut.”

Jiang Shangzhen asked, “The pillar of Great Xu’s national fortune didn’t directly collapse. Was it because the State Preceptor secretly lent support, losing a lot of cultivation as a result?”

Liu Rao said, “It’s not a big feat. One serves one’s lord when one benefits from him.”

Jiang Shangzhen smiled. “After this battle, can Liu Rao still maintain his Ascension Realm?”

Liu Rao said, “In the face of a formidable enemy, one must always put on a brave front.”

Jiang Shangzhen nodded. “It was tough.”

Liu Rao said indifferently, “In this human world, since we’ve come, whether it’s suffering or enjoying blessings, we must always take it seriously and walk it through properly.”

Liu Rao was a strange person. He enjoyed playing in the mortal world and treated the powerful position of State Preceptor as an honorary title similar to Grand Commandant or Grand Tutor. The old man often went out, having been an itinerant fortune teller who traveled in all directions, helping people with their horoscopes, often setting up stalls at intersections, analyzing characters and calculating fortunes, and giving detailed yearly readings for others. He had also been a candy blower who wandered through streets and alleys, sold sorghum wine in the market, and even served as a porter on the road to Central Mountain for several years.

This was because he had always been deeply in love with that Mountain Monarch Yin. As a young man, he went to the Jade Cloud Palace on the mountaintop to offer incense and saw the lifelike painted divine statue. He was smitten at first sight, and his feelings took deep root.

When he was young, he mistakenly believed that if he achieved fame and success, he would gain her favor. But even after Liu Rao became an Immortal, served as State Preceptor, and performed rituals for the emperor like fasting and praying for rain at the Jade Cloud Palace, Yin Ni still treated him with courtesy but distantly.

The old man, feeling somewhat disheartened, would occasionally mock himself with a slightly coarse local dialect, saying something like “useless.”

Jiang Shangzhen turned his head and asked with a smile, “May I ask the young lady’s name?”

The young girl was clearly shy around outsiders. Seeing a stranger, she blushed and said softly, “My name is Jin Li.”

Another guest arrived, and Deputy Headmaster Jiang immediately stood up to greet him. Liu Rao’s breathing actually hitched. The other person had not shown any murderous intent, yet Liu Rao already showed signs of his Dao heart being unstable.

Chen Ping’an cut to the chase. “How about replacing both the national surname and the State Preceptor? Liu Rao, what do you think?”

Liu Rao said, “This is addressing the symptoms, not the root cause. In less than ten or twenty years, Great Xu will still be Great Xu. Making a big fuss and then leaving, Chen State Preceptor and the sword immortals dusting their hands and walking away, is meaningless except for venting anger.”

“The Great Xu Dynasty, which gained its position improperly, started wrong. It was gained by the founding emperor privately weaving dragon robes and bullying a pair of orphans.”

“If the Great Xu Dynasty truly wants to change its appearance, from seemingly bloated and falsely powerful to sharp and resolute, with a backbone of steel… there must be death, there must be bloodshed!”

“Who becomes the next emperor will be decided by me.”

Liu Rao’s answer greatly surprised Jiang Shangzhen. He immediately looked at him with newfound respect. How did it sound a little…?

As expected, Liu Rao said, “I have been deeply studying the scholarship of Embroidery Tiger for twenty years and believe I have gained a little insight.”

Chen Ping’an sat beside Jiang Shangzhen and smiled. “Indeed, you have gained a little insight.”

Liu Rao raised a hand. “You don’t need to do anything, not even bear any blame. Because the blood on my hands, Liu Rao, will only kill more people. Royal relatives, capital officials, border guards, cultivators, all will be affected. What I want is rebellions in various places. I want to see the blood of ambitious people, and even more, I want to see the blood of loyal officials who are dedicated to the country. I want to use life and death as a sieve to select the true civil and military officials of Great Xu, the pillars of the nation, within twenty years.”

Jiang Shangzhen praised him endlessly. Not to mention being a State Preceptor, it would be a pity if Liu Rao didn’t become emperor.

Chen Ping’an remained unmoved, merely asking with a smile, “If you truly saw Yin Ni, could you speak fluently?”

Liu Rao froze for a moment, and then instantly backed down.

Zheng Dafeng returned to Fallen Dust Mountain, first going to the house at the foot of the mountain. Without knocking, he listened for a while outside the house to the snoring of the young Daoist, which was as loud as thunder.

He then went to Sword Return Lake. He first told Ning Yao, who was guarding Zhu Su in seclusion, that Chen Ping’an was safe, that the storm had truly passed.

Ning Yao sat on a bamboo chair under the eaves of the thatched hut and let out a long sigh of relief. After the relief and reassurance, she finally showed a hint of fatigue.

Zheng Dafeng rubbed his face vigorously and smiled. “Don’t hold a grudge against Daoist Immortal Guard either. Of course, this first Daoist of the human world did indeed assume the responsibility of suppressing Chen Ping’an’s Great Dao on behalf of the human world. If there was any slight error, Chen Ping’an could have been suppressed by ‘him.’ Even recalling it now, that boy Chen Ping’an’s decision was truly made to the extent that ‘heaven doesn’t know, earth doesn’t know, you don’t know, I don’t know.’ Who among those who know the truth isn’t afraid?”

Ning Yao nodded.

Zheng Dafeng stood up. “I’m going to chat with Wei Bo and Great Sword Immortal Mi for a few words and let them relax.”

Late at night, an emergency meeting was held in the bamboo building lineage of Fallen Dust Mountain. Chen Lingjun, who belonged to the late-night snack lineage, was also called to the bamboo building to “attend.”

Everyone sat around a stone table, with nine maps of the Haoran Nine Continents spread out, along with those few popular immortal books that specifically described the customs and topography of the mountains in each continent.

Guo Zhujiu, as the alliance leader, also brought two lieutenants, the main and deputy helmsmen, to help with the planning.

Pei Qian took a brush and first drew a rough travel route on the Rites Continent map. According to the plan that Chen Lingjun and Zheng Dafeng had discussed earlier, it was to go south, similar to the route the Mountain Lord took on his first southern tour in earlier years. For example, they would pass through the Colorful Clothes Kingdom, then follow that Dragon Path, and take an immortal ferry to the newly built Old Dragon City… As for the specific route choices beyond the “rough” outline, the principle was just two words: go with the flow.

Chen Lingjun pointed to the southernmost part of the map and whispered, “Pei Qian, circle this area too. The ten li of lotus flowers in Old Dragon City are a scenic spot that Great Sword Immortal Mi rebuilt out of his own pocket. Before we board the inter-continental ferry to Tongye Continent, we always have to go and take a look there. Then we’ll send a letter back to Great Sword Immortal Mi, so he’ll know if the Fu family in Old Dragon City is being diligent and if they’ve withheld any silver or embezzled any funds… I forgot Mi Yu is going to the desolate lands, which is a bit troublesome. I don’t know the cost of sending a flying sword message there. We should be frugal with expenses when we’re traveling. I’ll go and ask Mi Yu for a few immortal coins. We’ll settle up later, and we won’t earn a single copper coin from our own brother.”

The young boy in green clothes came and went in a hurry, looking sheepish. He didn’t even wave his sleeves anymore. It turned out that when he found Mi Yu, that bastard was sitting alone on the steps drinking. He was simply told to beat it and that he had one life left, but not a single coin.

Chen Lingjun wasn’t angry. Going to the desolate lands, it was more than a million li from his hometown, far from that鳌鱼背. It was only natural for a frivolous man like Mi Yu, who had spent so much time among women, to be worried.

Mi Yu was in a bad mood, naturally still worried about the subtle situation at Fallen Dust Mountain. Xiao Mo and Xie Gou had both fallen in cultivation realms, and the Hidden Official’s situation had fallen to a point where it couldn’t fall any further. Mi Yu was ultimately uneasy.

So he had been hesitant about whether to replace the soon-to-be-secluded Xiao Mo and become a suicide warrior.

However, he had already agreed with Qi Tingji to travel to the desolate lands together, and he had already spoken harsh words about “washing swords.” It wouldn’t do to casually change his itinerary. So Mi Yu was drinking alone, drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

Cultivators lived long lives, ignoring the cold and heat, but the so-called purity of mind, few desires, and detachment from the mortal world were just sayings. Perhaps they were also afraid of suddenly realizing that among those who knew about this matter back then, only they themselves were left.

So when Mi Yu suddenly learned that there was another celestial tribulation that the Hidden Official had to bear alone, Mi Yu was extremely anxious.

For someone with a sensitive and melancholic mind, drowning sorrows in alcohol will only lead to more sorrow. Is it true that those who are sentimental are always troubled by the unsentimental? Perhaps not.

Mi Yu leaned back and fell to the ground, looking at the bright moon in the sky. He raised the sword-nurturing gourd, which was also a wine gourd, named Hao Liang, in his hand, blocking the moon.

Mi Yu turned his head and found that Manager Wei, who rarely left his residence, had somehow come and sat down there.

Manager Wei’s “beauty in books” was completely different from the “beauty in books” of Mi Yu, Zheng Dafeng, and Daoist Immortal Guard.

Wei Wenlong gave the impression of being silent and reserved, not good with words, spending all day with ledgers and numbers. But on this moonlit night, he couldn’t help but speak his mind.

“As a child, I shuttled between pawn shops and pharmacies, facing countless scornful looks, seen as an unlucky jinx.”

“A pair of small straw sandals, traveling back and forth between the mountains and the house, enduring hardships, hands and feet covered in calluses.”

“We only heard about this kind of life. After suffering comes sweetness, the road is bumpy, but he said it’s not easy for anyone.”

Mi Yu immediately put away his sword-nurturing gourd, sat up, greatly surprised. He had thought Wei Wenlong was just a bookworm who knew nothing but accounting.

Mi Yu asked, “Want a drink?”

Wei Wenlong waved his hand. He didn’t drink alcohol, nor was he fond of it.

“It’s a very fortunate thing to have a skill to rely on. I cherish it. I thank the patriarch for giving me this means of livelihood, so I respect heaven. I also thank my master for his selfless act of imparting the Dao, so I honor my master. Similarly, I really like this Fallen Dust Mountain where everyone has a bright heart, so I thank the earth.”

“None of you feel dissatisfied because of my low Dao power yet high position. Instead, you are all respectful to me. I sincerely thank you for your understanding and tolerance.”

Mi Yu was stunned by Wei Wenlong’s sincere words.

Great Sword Immortal Mi struggled for a long time, and the only thing he could manage was, “Manager Wei, I couldn’t tell before, but you’re very talented.”

Wei Wenlong also struggled for a long time. I spoke from the bottom of my heart, and you reply with such sarcastic remarks? Manager Wei said with a straight face, “Thank you for your compliment, Great Sword Immortal Mi.”

Disciplinary Officer Chang Ming also happened to stroll by, but there was no polite exchange. They simply nodded in greeting.

Zheng Dafeng ran all the way from the foot of the mountain and sat down beside Mi Yu. He said, “Great Sword Immortal Mi, you can rest assured and go to the desolate battlefield.”

Mi Yu asked, surprised and a little anxious, “Are you sure?”

Zheng Dafeng smiled. “The dust has settled, absolutely certain.”

Earlier at sea, passing by that Dragon Resting Platform, Zheng Dafeng saw a few figures. He didn’t recognize some of them but could guess their identities.

They were Liu Xiang, Chen Qingliu, and the listless Wang Zhu. And a man with the appearance of a young man, Mr. San Shan Jiu Hou.

At that time, Chen Qingliu asked with a smile, “If Zhou Mi truly creates the era of the end of dharma with his own hands, what should we do?”

He remembered that when he was young and spirited, he had also uttered some bold words.

You Daoists who don’t burp, fart, or defecate, who spend your whole lives cultivating immortal arts and seeking longevity, only know that the mortal world is a sea of suffering and want to hide in deep mountains and vast marshes. Little do you know that the Golden Cores you form may be fake, and the Dao you cultivate may be false. You don’t understand how to turn suffering into joy. You don’t know what a priceless treasure is, what heaven and earth are, who the Old Man in the Sky is, the difference between the heart of heaven and the heart of man. You have cultivated Daoist arts and immortal techniques your whole lives, yet you still don’t know the character ‘仙’ (immortal).

Liu Xiang smiled. “What else can we do? Go weave straw sandals.”

Wang Zhu smiled understandingly.

This was probably a joke that only local cultivators from Rites Continent would understand.

Wang Zhu’s rash actions had caused her to lose a great deal of her Great Dao. As for the matter of unilaterally relocating the East Sea waterway, Wang Zhu didn’t care how the Central Divine Continent’s Confucian Temple would punish her.

But she had never felt so at ease. For example, even standing beside Chen Qingliu at this moment, she no longer felt apprehensive. Remembering her hometown and the story, she no longer felt so anxious.

Mr. San Shan Jiu Hou said, “I believe that as long as there is one Earth Immortal in the world, as long as there is one ghost in the living world, as long as there is one clay god in a temple that can open its eyes and see the hearts of people, the human world will still be the human world.”

In this world where people’s hearts are constantly in turmoil, there are too many people who feel they are completely in the right, and too few who dare to say they are truly good people.

He remembered that by a campfire ten thousand years ago, an ancient Daoist had asked what the future would hold, and the sword cultivators on the left and right knew the answer but remained silent.

Counting from now, what will the state of people’s hearts and the world be like around ten thousand years from now? Perhaps Ah Liang will see some of it with his own eyes?

By a canal, on a bridge called Gongchen Bridge, a short, bearded man stood with his arms crossed, in a daze for a long time, staring blankly at the bustling night scene of streets and alleys with fish lanterns hanging, watching the strange clothes worn by those women, coming and going. He waited for a moment, then asked a beautiful lady passing by, was there a place here called Longquan?

The woman’s eyes were strange; she couldn’t understand what he was saying at all. He raised his hand and wrote the two characters “龙泉” (Longquan) in the air. She smiled sweetly, nodded, and pointed in a direction.

The woman only thought that the handwriting was too… clumsy. It took her a while to determine the place name. She thought again, was it a clumsy trick to strike up a conversation on purpose?

The man, however, was full of pride. His writing, his calligraphy skills, were truly excellent. As expected, he wasn’t afraid to travel anywhere in the world. Regardless of whether the woman understood him, he cupped his hands and said with a smile.

The woman’s expression was awkward. She smiled and quietly left. The man understood. He raised his arms and combed his hair. Indeed, no matter where you are, looks matter!

Find a place and go drink!

The woman walked off the Gongchen Bridge and couldn’t help but look back at that strange man.

She still didn’t understand what he had just said. Perhaps it was an introduction of himself.

“Miss, my name is Ah Liang, the ‘Liang’ of kindness. I am a swordsman.”

In the capital of Da Li, the young monk Hou Jue had gone to the temple to donate incense money.

In that immortal inn, the two shopkeepers, Zhou Haijing and Gai Yan, began to calculate the day’s income. When they added it up, they found they had earned two more Xiaoshu coins than yesterday. They exchanged smiles.

Zhou Haijing’s spirit was different now. In fact, besides her, the rest of the earthly branch cultivators were very confident in their cultivation.

Since the strength and killing power of the earthly branch lineage were mainly determined by her, she had no reason not to break through and reach the Limit Realm.

In short, the lower limit of the earthly branch lineage’s strength was determined by Yuan Huajing, Gai Yan, and the other eleven, but how high the upper limit was depended on Zhou Haijing’s martial arts level.

Therefore, how to improve her martial arts realm cultivation became the most urgent task. The prefix “pseudo-Ascension” for the Da Li earthly branch lineage was really a bit of an eyesore.

Above the southern part of Rites Continent, the group of Da Li military ferry boats, led by a Da Li sword boat, slowly sailed through the area of Zhengyang Mountain, where “sword immortals were as numerous as clouds.”

At the Da Li capital’s ferry terminal, Sixth Master Huang Lian, Commander Liu Yan, and others lined up to board an immortal ferry going south to the auxiliary capital. On their documents were the names of the two crown princes, Cao Lü and Lu Jun. They went to the ferry’s restaurant and had a late-night snack. When they were full and had to pay, one was leaning back in his chair, patting his belly, and burping, feeling comfortable. The other was picking his teeth with a bamboo pick, thinking the wine was a bit lacking. They looked at each other, dumbfounded, and asked each other with shocked eyes, “You didn’t bring any money out?!”

After a brief thought, they divided the tasks. Cao Lü remained calm and ordered another late-night snack. Lu Jun ran out to invite Sixth Master and Gao Shi to come and have a drink together.

In a certain restaurant by the Changpu River, a new unfamiliar young girl, “with a job that was neither too big nor too small, and a salary that was neither too much nor too little,” appeared. In a clean new room with comfortable bedding, she wrote a letter home under the lamp. In delicate handwriting, she wrote in simple vernacular, for example, telling her parents not to worry or be concerned, that she was doing well in the capital and had already saved a lot of money, and that she had just found a new employer who was a very nice person. At the end of the letter, she asked her younger brother to write back when he had time after receiving the letter, and to remember to list a booklist, as she, his elder sister, could afford to buy them all… The young girl carefully considered it and decided not to rush to say that she had recognized a sworn brother surnamed Cao. She didn’t dare to say he was a Da Li capital official, fearing her parents would worry and misunderstand if she had been cheated in the capital… This letter home would be sent out at dawn.

In the Central Divine Continent’s Great Xu capital, the streets and alleys were exceptionally busy, all urgently notifying officials to get up and go out.

Morning court was not unusual. Except for rulers who were obsessed with cultivation, woodworking, or beautiful women, all countries had it. But tonight, the Great Xu Dynasty created a precedent for a “night court” in the Haoran world.

The civil and military officials of Great Xu, who were inexplicably called to participate in the court meeting, were either sleepy and bewildered or flushed and red-faced, having just escaped from drinking tables or brothels. Occasionally, there were self-disciplined officials, but they all stood in the back of the main hall.

Crown Prince Yin Mi had changed clothes and was sitting on the dragon throne, but his face was pale.

State Preceptor Liu Rao, who had not shown his face for many years, stood beside a man in a green robe.

Liu Rao did not beat around the bush with everyone. He spoke of three matters, each more astonishing than the last.

“The former emperor Yin Ji died in the capital of Da Li. Crown Prince Yin Mi will ascend the throne. This matter has been recorded by the Central Divine Continent’s Confucian Temple. Anyone who pursues this matter without authorization will be considered guilty of treason.”

The entire hall erupted in an uproar. The mosquito-like whispers gathered like thunder.

“Yin Mi is still young and inexperienced. From now on, I, Liu Rao, will assist the new emperor in governing the country. I have already discussed this matter with Mountain Monarch Yin Ni, so there is no need for court deliberation.”

Some people had already begun to publicly question Liu Rao’s usurpation of power, and more officials were watching the woman mountain monarch. Unfortunately, Yin Ni remained silent, expressionless.

“I have already discussed it with His Majesty. Great Xu will revere Da Li as its suzerain state. The ruler of Great Xu, State Preceptor Liu Rao, and the Minister of Rites will regularly pay tribute to Rites Continent each year.”

Under everyone’s gaze, Liu Rao extended his hand and introduced the identity of the man beside him. “This person beside me is the State Preceptor of Da Li.”

Liu Rao said, “You may not recognize this face, but you must have heard his name.”

That person smiled. “My surname is Chen, my given name is Ping’an, and my ancestral home is Pearl Cave Heaven.”