Sir Peace Chen, accompanied by Guo Zhujiu, Xie Gou, and the ever-vigilant Law-Keeper Changming, entered the Lotus Root Blessed Land, their first destination the Fox Kingdom, still shrouded in its self-imposed seclusion.

Aboard a rune-etched skiff, they sailed through layers of cloud-seas. Xie Gou, restless and bored, stood at the prow, bellowing and brandishing his palms, scattering the clouds or punching holes in the ethereal drifts.

Xiao Mo, her spirits low, had sought solace in the taverns of the Azure Heavens.

Chen Ping’an, retrieving sweets from his family’s pawnshop, presented Guo Zhujiu with an almond cake. She received it with both hands, raising it reverently before devouring it. Chen Ping’an then offered peach cakes to both her and Changming, smiling gently as he cautioned Zhujiu to eat slowly. Changming, seated beside his mountain lord, smiled with narrowed eyes.

Below them, the mortal realm unfolded, a majestic canvas of mountains and rivers.

A beautiful vista it was, indeed.

Xie Gou, abandoning his martial exercises with a theatrical flourish, settled beside his small mountain’s chieftain. “Guo Zhujiu,” he inquired, “is this Cao Ci truly so invincible? Even our mountain lord cannot best him?”

In Chen Ping’an’s presence, Xie Gou refrained from addressing Guo Zhujiu by her title as chieftain.

Chen Ping’an, of course, was aware of these factional power plays, yet the benevolent mountain lord chose to turn a blind eye, feigning ignorance.

Guo Zhujiu nodded emphatically. “Indeed, formidable! To defeat Master, he must be! Cao Ci is undeniably powerful, a martial paragon. Yet, he holds the advantage of age. Had he been born but a few days later, he would surely be eating Master’s dust.”

If Cao Ci were not a master, how could her vanquished Master bear it?

Xie Gou nodded vigorously, concurring.

Changming conveyed his thoughts through heart-speech: “Master, no native swordsman has yet emerged within this blessed land.”

As the Blessed Land’s clandestine “chronicler,” Law-Keeper Changming had diligently observed the realm’s currents.

Chen Ping’an responded in kind, “Perhaps a rejection of my own essence. Once our council concludes, I shall withdraw the talisman avatar used for observing this world.”

Having received confirmation, Changming cautiously suggested, “Might we not tarry a while longer, Master?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head. “What fate withholds, striving cannot grant. I shall not delay the birth of this land’s first swordsman. For greed corrupts the spirit.”

Changming, loath to see his master forsake such a boon, persisted, “Where lies the greed, Master? To reject a gift from the heavens invites misfortune. What if the swordsman is merely awaiting the results of tomorrow’s Autumn Mist Lake council?”

Chen Ping’an conceded, “There is that possibility.”

He observed the Blessed Land, and it, in turn, observed him.

Long ago, when he was but a lad with a sword, straying into a lotus thicket and settling in the Nanyuan Kingdom’s capital, he had met the abbot of the Heart Reflection Temple, who had spoken similar words.

As Changming suggested, Chen Ping’an waited for the swordsman to appear, and the nebulous essence of the world waited for the words and actions of the fallen mountain lord and nominal master of the Blessed Land. He recalled the words of the scholar Jia, from the Vast Governance treatise: A gentleman speaks only of what he can do, and does only what he can speak of.

Chen Ping’an explained with a smile, “Maintaining nine talisman avatars requires coin. Every gesture, every word, every thought drains spiritual energy from my true form in the village school. This consumption equates to fairy money. After the Clear Brightness Festival, I shall recall them all and enter seclusion, striving to regain my Upper Five Realm cultivation.”

The advantages of a seven-manifestation, two-hidden formation were the ability to prevent any sliver of his spirit from being lost and unrecoverable but required a constant expenditure of Chen Ping’an’s true form’s spiritual reserves. A single talisman avatar, drifting through the world like a kite cut from its string, would not incur such costs. The avatar’s longevity would depend solely on the quality of the talisman’s material.

Changming lamented, “That excuse is rather weak, Master.”

The retrieval of the avatars merely signified the end of one chapter. With his near-masterful talisman skills, could he not simply conjure another vessel for his spirit?

Seeing Chen Ping’an silent, Changming played his trump card. “Master, a true swordsman’s ambition dictates his success.”

Chen Ping’an chuckled, nibbling on a cake. “A maxim taught to the Mountain Gate Law-Keeper by Chief Zhou, perhaps? You are becoming quite the united family. Soon you will entice Old Cook and Accountant Wei, forming another faction to usurp my role as a figurehead!”

Changming smiled at the jest, his expression softening.

Since his master’s mind was made up, further insistence would be futile.

Xie Gou stared as if seeing a ghost. Changming, the Law-Keeper of Fallen Mountain, smiling thus? Truly unsettling!

Clearly, Bai Jing’s inability to seduce Xiao Mo was not without reason.

It was only after meeting Zhu Lian at Fallen Mountain that she had begun to open up.

Chen Ping’an, however, was preoccupied, lost in thought.

He had considered, if he could not witness the process himself, to perhaps allow another swordsman to take his place – Xiao Mo, for instance.

Xiao Mo was his first choice.

She had nearly attained the Fourteenth Realm at the Demon Suppression Tower. Xiao Mo herself was unconcerned, but Chen Ping’an regretted the near miss.

But when he broached the subject with Xiao Mo, she had expressed no interest. Her swordsmanship was not enhanced by such things. If it were, she would have reached the Fourteenth Realm long ago, instead of letting so many opportunities slip through her fingers in the past ten thousand years.

Chen Ping’an refused to yield. He even offered a shameless argument. “What if it works? What if it has been waiting for ten thousand years? Then I can take a Flying Ascension Realm swordsman Xiao Mo with me when I travel. The style is different from having a Fourteenth Realm Xiao Mo by my side, isn’t it?”

Xiao Mo then suggested the best candidates: Chief Zhou and Bai Jing.

Chief Zhou, she noted, was also a former resident of the Blessed Land, and his realm was not low. Since it was a matter of chance, why not let him try?

As for Bai Jing, her swordsmanship was exceptional, and she had long since reached the Flying Ascension Realm. Perhaps the world was waiting for such a swordsman to grant its essence, elevating Bai Jing to the Fourteenth Realm. And in return, Bai Jing would become the protector of Lotus Root Blessed Land.

After this, Xiao Mo suggested two other “candidate”: the local Qi refiner Cao Qinglang, and Guo Zhujiu from the Sword Qi Great Wall.

They were still too low to observe the world. Fallen Mountain would have to help them “open their eyes”.

Xiao Mo emphasized the word “local”.

As the saying goes, an elder in the house is like a treasure. Xiao Mo was more than ten thousand years old.

Worthy of one who brews with Cave Master Bixiao. Her vision, knowledge and swordsmanship were high.

Perhaps her only flaw was that she could not beat Bai Jing?

So Chen Ping’an made a decision: he would continue observing the world. When he entered seclusion, he would allow Cao Qinglang to replace him.

In the meantime, Chen Ping’an intended to bring Bai Jing and Guo Zhujiu into the blessed land so that they could… get to know Lotus Root Blessed Land.

This was Guo Zhujiu’s first time exploring a human “blessed land”.

In recent years, a series of mountain and water secrets had appeared in the Colorful World. Some were no less impressive than the 36 lesser caves and 72 blessed lands, but had not been named. These names had not been widely spread among the mountains. Do not underestimate this word-of-mouth publicity. The spoken word can either make or break someone. It’s an alternative seal.

Xie Gou whispered, “Guo Zhujiu, I heard that your Senior Sister Pei has some self-created fist moves that are very powerful. Some sources on the battlefield of Golden Armor Continent said that when Pei Qian delivers a punch, nearby martial artists wish they could bang their heads on the ground to show their respect.”

Guo Zhujiu chuckled.

Xie Gou asked, “If she asked about Cao Ci’s fist, or if she sparred with the mountain lord, wouldn’t she…”

Guo Zhujiu pretended to gasp for air.

Chen Ping’an smiled. “Cao Ci is a martial artist, but I am different. In addition to being a pure martial artist, I am also a swordsman and a talisman cultivator.”

Xie Gou suddenly understood and slapped his palm. “I see.”

Our mountain lord is good at picking vegetables and cooking.

No wonder every time the others eat Old Cook’s abundant delicacies, the mountain lord sourly says that if he cooks, he will cook…

At the table, only Old Cook echoes his words. At most, Xiaomili hurries to put down her chopsticks and clap her hands quickly but silently.

According to the wonderful knowledge in her book, this is called silence is better than sound.

But no one else at the table speaks. They either eat, pick up vegetables, or drink.

Perhaps a certain peasant with a firewood knife and often fishing on the road to school was hurt, so much so that he still struggles with this matter after so many years.

As for why everyone at Fallen Mountain knows this but pretends not to know, and never chime in at the table, it is because Xiaomili is fighting for the good man’s sake.

For example, when she stays in the back mountain with Old Cook, Xiaomili says that her good mountain lord’s cooking skills are not worse than Old Cook’s.

Then Cao Yin and Cao Yang instantly understood that Chen Ping’an was good in every way, but his cooking skills were… very average.

Chen Ping’an obviously didn’t want Xie Gou to continue talking about this, so he said, “Fellow Daoist Changming, please introduce the current situation of the blessed land to Zhujiu.”

Law-Keeper Changming nodded and explained with a smile, “Zhujiu, although our Lotus Root Blessed Land is now a top grade and has reached the point where it cannot be promoted, the number of Qi refiners is still very small. The total number in the world is only about half a hundred, and they are all more cautious about traveling far away. In the Vast World, Earth Immortals and Yin Spirits travel far away at will, but Gao Jun, as the first Golden Core cultivator in the Blessed Land, regards it as a dangerous thing and never dares to try it lightly. Therefore, she has borrowed many Daoist books and secrets from Mount Piyi. I believe Sect Leader Gao has benefited a lot, and her cultivation will be faster when she returns to the Lake Mountain Sect to cultivate.”

Xie Gou sneered. “A frog in a well, seeing a lamp as the sun.”

Changming ignored Xie’s interjection and continued to introduce the local customs to Guo Zhujiu. “As for the mountain and water spirits and ghosts that have sprung up everywhere, the former need to busy themselves with how to refine their natal supernatural powers with the incense of the people, and they cannot leave the jurisdiction of mountains and rivers without authorization. Many orthodox spirits who have been officially sealed by the imperial court are ignorant and leave their posts without authorization, Mountain Gods wade into water, and Water Gods climb mountains, violating the taboo of mountain and water collision, resulting in damage to their golden bodies. The immoral mountain gods, water fairies, ghosts, and Yin spirits also do not dare to swagger around the world. The winds of the world are everywhere, and every thunderstorm is a difficult time for them.”

Xie Gou snorted to show his disdain. The rank of Second Seat Offering is about the same as that of a mountain Law-Keeper.

When Xiao Mo and I were cultivating in ancient times, we were not called a difficult time until we encountered a spirit of the Thunder Department of Heaven before becoming an Earth Immortal.

Law-Keeper Changming pointed to a mountain and river. “Because the Fox Kingdom has set up a layer of mountain and water restrictions, few local people in this Blessed Land know about this Rouge Den.”

With a Fox Kingdom taking root here, Pei Xiang, as the master of the Fox Kingdom, is qualified to participate in the “Mountain Peak” meeting with Gao Jun and Zhong Qian, as local snakes.

Gao Jun, as the well-deserved number one person in the world, is the initiator of this meeting.

Only she can gather all the heroes together.

Not only is she the first Golden Core Earth Immortal in this human world, but also because she is a gentle person who has traveled to various places. Gao Jun has dealt with many Qi refiners and mountain and water spirits. Otherwise, if someone else said they wanted to hold such a meeting, and this person’s realm was so high, and their style of doing things was similar to Ding Ying, who would not worry about being wiped out?

Yu Zhenyi, the last leader of the Lake Mountain Sect, was the first “immortal” in the history of the Blessed Land to strictly practice Taoism.

After Yu Zhenyi ascended, who can become the new number one person in the world? Someone is confident that he can become the first Golden Core Earth Immortal in the Blessed Land.

Unfortunately, Wei Liang has been stuck at the Dragon Gate Realm bottleneck for many years. The two retreats did not succeed in one fell swoop. What he lacks is not only because Wei Liang started cultivating too late. But more importantly, the timing and geography are on Gao Jun’s side, not his.

Unlike Sect Leader Gao, who has lofty aspirations, Zhong Qian is not willing to get involved in this kind of thing and prefers to stay at Fallen Mountain to “order food”.

Xiaomili, the Right Protector of Fallen Mountain, is very warm-hearted. She helped Zhong Qian get a cookbook from Old Cook, and ordered food in a targeted manner every time.

The first Golden Body martial artist in the Blessed Land has no ambitions. During the days of eating and drinking at Fallen Mountain, she does not emit the will of a martial artist or any master’s demeanor. Instead, she seems to have a note pasted on her forehead every time she goes out to meet people, with the words “Don’t help me, I’m comfortable lying down”.

When a group of big shots from the Upper Sect come to the dojo, Pei Xiang will personally “open the door” to greet them, and the rune boat will land in the quiet courtyard of Pei Xiang’s villa.

Pei Xiang hung a lantern made by the Fox Kingdom in the courtyard. The treasure light overflowed in the night, attracting attention.

At this moment, the only two “outsiders” from Fallen Mountain in the courtyard are Pei Xiang’s most valued personal disciples. They are still young and have not yet formed a Golden Core, but their roots are good. They can be regarded as outstanding cultivating seedlings in the Fox Kingdom. Pei Xiang cannot learn the high moral character of the mountain lord. As the master of the Fox Kingdom and the only Nascent Soul Realm, she likes to cut the top, taking all the young fox demons in the Fox Kingdom who are most likely to reach the Earth Immortal Realm as registered disciples. As for whether she can do her best to teach her direct disciples, whether she will mislead her disciples, or whether it is the best arrangement for her own Fox Kingdom, Pei Xiang does not care about these things. Anyway, she will take them into her own hands first.

Being fortunate enough to be brought by Pei Xiang to meet the legendary Sword Immortal Mountain Lord, these two disciples are obviously nervous. They are both charming young women. One is biting her lip, and the scenery of the mountains and rivers on her chest is rippling like water. The other is squeezing the corner of her clothes hard. If it were not for the magic robe given by her master, it would probably be torn by her. No wonder they are so at a loss. Their master Pei Xiang was nervous when she went to Fallen Mountain earlier.

Pei Xiang smiled. “Don’t be so nervous. You’ll look petty in the eyes of others. Compared with equally beautiful women, no matter how good a Xiaojiabiyu is, can it compare to a dajiaguixiu?”

The disciple with the more voluptuous figure said with a bitter face in her heart, “Master, I’m afraid.”

Because she had heard a terrifying rumor that when Sword Immortal Chen was guarding the city gate at the Sword Qi Great Wall, a Jade Pu Realm barbarian fox fairy passed by the city gate. It is said that she just lowered her head and glanced at the ill-tempered, murderous last hidden official, and was dragged to the city gate by the Sword Immortal. If it were an ordinary man, he would have obtained an Upper Five Realm fox fairy. Even if he wanted to kill her, he would have to do something before killing her, right? But just because she fell into the hands of the last hidden official, the fox fairy was torn apart by Chen Ping’an on the spot.

The corpses and bones fell to the ground.

The most terrifying thing is that some Fox Kingdom cultivators say with certainty that they saw the young hidden official pluck off the fox fairy’s head on the city gate, hold it in his hand, stand in the blood, chew the fox fairy’s head, and drink the blood as wine with one hand…

Pei Xiang smiled. “Don’t believe these rumors. They are all nonsense. Our Mountain Lord Chen is a handsome gentleman. When you see him, you will know what ‘the gentleman is as gentle and handsome as jade, and the gentleman is as jade as a rainbow’ is.”

No wonder the disciples are so frightened. What about Liu Shi?

The slender girl who was clutching her clothes tightly, with blue veins bulging on her fair back, said tremblingly, “Master, it’s good to have you and Senior Sister to entertain the guests. I want to go back to practice and do my homework. We cultivating people cherish every inch of time. Master, don’t worry, I will definitely practice hard in the future.”

The girl cherishes the blessing of becoming a personal disciple of State Lord Pei Xiang because of her good natural talent, and she has never been lazy, but she cannot be said to be diligent.

Pei Xiang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. See how frightened you are. You will know how deep your misunderstandings are when you see Mountain Lord Chen later.

Another female cultivator glared at her junior sister, who said “better a dead friend than me” and gently twisted her master’s sleeve with two fingers. “Master, Junior Sister is so beautiful that she is pitiful. Even if Mountain Lord Chen doesn’t like her, he won’t hate her. I can’t do it. Everyone who sees me will scold me as a fox spirit. Don’t let Mountain Lord Chen find me an eyesore, lest Master be criticized for not treating the guests well.”

Pei Xiang said angrily, “You two vixens, do you still have any sisterly affection?”

But in fact, Pei Xiang has contributed to the widespread spread of those sensational rumors, coupled with the secret promotion of several direct disciples. That Chen Yin Guan, who has never set foot in the Fox Kingdom, is more than just notoriously fierce.

Those Fox Kingdom Qi refiners with higher realms who are familiar with the customs of Bao Ping Continent are okay. They think the truth is definitely not that exaggerated. Don’t those rumors that make others feel chills down their spines have some moisture?

But the younger fox demons take it more seriously, so much so that they say that Chen Yin Guan, who hates the demon Qi refiners the most, will have a big appetite and be hungry as long as he enters our Fox Kingdom.

Eating and drinking all the way.

Whoever is hit will suffer. They can think about how to reincarnate well in their next life.

Pei Xiang likes to mention it “occasionally” during the Fox Kingdom’s Ancestral Hall meeting, saying what great feat Sword Immortal Chen “has done again”.

She is deliberately beating some ambitious fox demons.

In recent years, they have always complained to Pei Xiang that the Fox Kingdom is closed to the mountains and that life is too hard. If they don’t go to the world to temper their Dao hearts, it will delay their cultivation too much.

Pei Xiang Ancestor, what is Mountain Lord Chen thinking? Once the mountains are opened, the disciples and grandchildren of our Fox Kingdom will have the opportunity to shed their old skin once they reach the Middle Five Realms and the Earth Immortal Realm. According to the old rules of the Fox Kingdom, it is just changing the target of the Xu family in Qingfeng City, and offering the fox skin to Fallen Mountain as a tribute. Sword Immortal Chen can use it to refine fox skin talismans and sell them to earn a lot of money. Our Fox Kingdom has done its filial duty, and Fallen Mountain can use it to supplement its family expenses. Isn’t it a win-win situation? Why close the mountains and delay each other?

They like to speak in a subtle and sarcastic way. If you have the ability, go to the Ancestral Hall on Mount Jiling to complain!

Don’t even talk about approaching the Ancestral Hall on Mount Jiling. If you sharp-tongued women can stand firm when you reach Fallen Mountain and speak to anyone without trembling, that will be considered bold!

The rune boat landed lightly.

Pei Xiang sighed faintly.

This Mountain Lord Chen is too polite.

Because the rune boat did not land directly in this courtyard, but chose to land outside the villa’s gate.

Pei Xiang told the two disciples not to think about running away and embarrassing their master!

She took a step to shrink the earth vein alone and came to the gate. Pei Xiang performed a Wanfu salute and exchanged some courtesies. She then led Chen Mountain Lord and his party of Fallen Mountain spectrum monks into the house. Pei Xiang was worried that the two direct disciples would lose their composure and be laughed at by Mountain Lord Chen and the others, so she helped them explain why the disciples were so suspicious. Chen Ping’an rubbed his eyebrows and said nothing.

The peach blossoms on the roadside are in different shades of red, always lazy and dependent on the spring breeze.

Near the lantern-hanging courtyard, there is a passage between two rockeries. The highest points of the two rockeries are like a girl’s double buns, both like snails spiraling around. Both sides of the road and the top of the mountain are planted with lotus flowers, peonies, and peonies. The flowers and leaves climb the mountainside, and tourists can see the scene from a distance like a girl wearing flowers in her hair. The heaven, earth, and spiritual energy are rich, and the ripples are rippling. People walk through the passage, looking up at the top of their heads. The lotus flowers are elegant and upright, and they are in the sky.

They passed through the arched moon-shaped flower gate with the inscription “Magpie Bridge” together and entered the quiet courtyard. Because she often visited Fallen Mountain as a guest, she knew Chen Mountain Lord’s preferences.

Pei Xiang had already prepared several bamboo chairs and placed them under the eaves. Each bamboo chair was placed with a flower table for the tea and snacks that had been prepared, such as candied fruits and honey.

To treat the distinguished guests of Fallen Mountain, the Fox Kingdom is very worry-free and effortless, and Pei Xiang does not need to go to great lengths to make any arrangements.

Finally seeing the Qing Shan Sword Immortal, whose appearance was not too young, but not old, Pei Xiang’s two disciples had already stood under the steps of the courtyard and performed a Wanfu salute.

The two pairs of autumn-like eyes turned to the side in tacit agreement, not daring to look directly at the legendary young hidden official who killed demons as if eating meals, Chen Mountain Lord of Fallen Mountain.

Chen Ping’an just smiled and cupped his hands in return. Since it is better to say less, he simply said nothing.

Mountain Lord Chen had suffered a similar loss in Cen Yanjil’s place in his early years.

After everyone was seated, Pei Xiang picked up the painting pole on her flower table. She looked at Mountain Lord Chen, and Chen Ping’an nodded.

In the twilight, a huge map of the Blessed Land’s mountain and water situation appeared in the courtyard under the steps. The mountains rose and fell, the rivers meandered, and the various countries, prefectures, mountain and water dojos, immortal sects, and spirit shrines were all marked in detail. The red ink characters were like the sky at dawn. If one’s realm was not high enough and one’s eyesight was not good enough, and one wanted to see the mountain and water scenery of a certain place clearly, Pei Xiang could use the painting pole in her hand to “point out the country” and magnify the scenery of a certain place by a hundred or a thousand times.

Chen Ping’an first peeled a mandarin orange and handed it to Guo Zhujiu next to him, and then reported several place names and personal names.

Pei Xiang pointed to the corresponding sects and dojos with the painting pole, including a place where the Wei family of Nanyuan Kingdom rose.

As Chen Ping’an expected, the first Qi refiner to notice the anomaly in the world when Gao Jun formed the Golden Core was Wei Liang, who had opened a dojo in a place rich in dragon energy.

Wei Liang was so angry at the time that he jumped up and down, and his Dao heart was unstable, and he almost went crazy.

Fallen Mountain had given Wei Liang a stone box containing three volumes of Daoist books, but according to the agreement, Fallen Mountain could only guarantee to help Wei Liang reach the Middle Five Realms.

Because Wei Liang also has the status of a Supreme Emperor, the Nanyuan Kingdom court has been secretly supporting and co-opting the Mountain Lords of the Five Mountains and the river gods in order to contain the Qi refiners led by the Lake Mountain Sect.

Chen Ping’an said, “People’s hearts are different, and Dao veins are different. They are all used to taking the old path.”

Changming nodded. “Wei Liang, who was once an emperor, has become a Qi refiner after climbing the mountain to cultivate, but he has always been unable to put down his secular status. He likes to subconsciously rely on planning and military strategy in everything he does. It’s not that it’s not okay to do so, but it’s too much. If he doesn’t draw a clear line, it will still be difficult for Wei Liang to form a Golden Core and become an Earth Immortal. On the other hand, Gao Jun, although she also has the status of a Lake Mountain Sect leader, her Dao heart and demeanor are indeed superior to Wei Liang.”

Back then, among the ten people in the world in the Blessed Land, Zhong Qiu climbed the city wall following the sound of drums and obtained a True Form Map of the Five Mountains, which is the true origin of the Five Mountains in the world today. In addition, the four countries in the Blessed Land have their own monarchs presiding over the Fengchan of the Five Mountains, so there is a distinction between the Big Five Mountains and the Small Five Mountains.

After the Lotus Flower Blessed Land changed from a lower-grade Blessed Land to the Lotus Root Blessed Land and was promoted to a top-grade Blessed Land, the biggest change was that the spiritual energy in the world changed from being almost non-existent to being extremely abundant. Just talking about the shrines in the world, the mountain and river gods officially sealed by the imperial courts of the various countries, the shrines dedicated to the civil and military heroes, and the immoral shrines that are self-sacrificing and occupy a place to show their spirits, there are already more than a hundred shrines that have bred incense spirits.

In addition to the change in spiritual energy, the martial fortune of the Blessed Land has also skyrocketed.

However, because the Lotus Root Blessed Land was divided into four by the old Guan Master, the mountains and rivers faded into white drawings. Masters like Cheng Yuanshan and Tang Tieyi became incomplete in their souls. Therefore, whether it is the path of cultivation or martial arts, Gao Jun, who was a humble martial arts cultivator back then, was blessed by misfortune and turned around easily. On the path of martial arts, Zhong Qian, a young martial artist from the Northern Jin Kingdom, took the lead and became the first Golden Body martial artist. Furthermore, Cheng Yuanshan and Tang Tieyi were actually unable to resist the temptation of “proving the Dao and achieving longevity, and living forever as land immortals in the human world, shining with the sun and the moon and the same age as heaven and earth” compared to reaching the pinnacle of martial arts and human glory and wealth, and they have secretly switched to cultivation.

The Blessed Land members who are qualified to be invited to participate in the meeting this time include the Mountain Lords of the Big Five Mountains. As for the Small Five Mountains in the four countries, because Gao Jun has already invited the emperors of the four countries, none of these twenty Mountain Lords have received invitations from the Lake Mountain Sect. On the contrary, those river gods, lake monarchs, and mountain gods who do not have close ties with the imperial courts of the various countries have been able to attend the meeting.

Pei Xiang’s original seat arrangement was for Mountain Lord Chen to sit in the middle, and she, as the master of the Fox Kingdom, would “accompany” him. Fallen Mountain Law-Keeper Changming would sit next to Mountain Lord Chen, followed by Mountain Lord Chen’s direct disciple Guo Zhujiu, and then the mink hat girl who had joined the mountain later. As for Pei Xiang’s two personal disciples, they would of course sit on Pei Xiang’s side. In this way, Chen Ping’an would just sit in the central position.

Haha, except for Mountain Lord Chen, both sides are women.

But unexpectedly, Law-Keeper Changming directly gave her seat to Guo Zhujiu.

Then the mink hat girl, whose background Pei Xiang could not figure out, was even more quirky. She pressed her hands on the chair arms, shook her shoulders, and took the chair back and forth, and then turned around. She “walked” leisurely on the corridor near the inner doors and windows, and sat down next to Pei Xiang’s disciples. She muttered to herself, or copied a sentence from the Book Mountain, “Cultivation is hard, it’s really tiring. Clouds and rain bury the mountain, and the wind and waves are at the head. Don’t say it’s hard to walk in the world.”

The fox clan female cultivator nodded blankly.

After all, she is an unattainable immortal master from the Upper Sect, and the “girl” can still follow Chen Yin Guan.

The mink hat girl clapped her palm and said, “Oh, no wonder we are kindred spirits. May I ask, sister, what is your realm and how old are you?”

The fox demon honestly replied, “I am nineteen years old and just at the Ocean Viewing Realm bottleneck.”

Her voice was not loud to begin with, and the last two words “bottleneck” were spoken in a voice as thin as a mosquito.

After saying these two words, the ashamed girl looked down at the ground.

The mink hat girl looked surprised. “Oh, oh, sister is a Middle Five Realm immortal at less than twenty years old. No wonder you can become Ancestor Pei Xiang’s personal disciple. Nice to meet you. My name is Xie Gou, my Dao name is Plum Blossom. I just became a spectrum monk of Fallen Mountain a few days ago. It’s because my Dao companion has a good relationship with Mountain Lord Chen. It can be considered a relative relationship that I was able to get the status. As for my realm, it’s not high. I have been stagnating for too many years, so I sighed that it’s hard to walk in the world. It’s better not to say grumbling words.”

When the girl fox demon heard that this girl named Xie, whose Dao name was “Plum Blossom” but did not know her name, couldn’t be that “Dog”, was just a newcomer who had just become a Fallen Mountain spectrum monk, and claimed that her realm was not high, the girl felt relieved. She secretly said in her heart, “Immortal Master Xie, my name is Qiu Qing, the Qiu of mountains and hills, the Qing of generals and ministers. I haven’t thought of a Dao name yet, because I heard that all the Dao names of spectrum monks in the world need to be reported to and approved by the Confucian academies outside. It’s too difficult to pick out a good-sounding, satisfactory Dao name that the master can say is ‘in line with the Dao’. So it’s been delayed all the time. By the way, my nickname is Xiao Ye, Immortal Master Xie, you can call me by my nickname.”

In fact, Pei Xiang gave this disciple, who loved to laugh since she was a child, a nickname, Armpit.

“Immortal Master Xie, the one sitting next to me is my senior sister. Her name is Luo Fumei, and her Dao name is ‘Yudiao’. Senior sister’s cultivation talent is very good. She is less than thirty years old and is already in the Dragon Gate Realm. The master said that Senior Sister will definitely be able to form a Golden Core in the future. The master never says similar things to me and is too lazy to lie to me. Senior Sister also has a nickname, but she doesn’t like others calling her that the most. Haha, it’s called Chou Nu’er. Senior Sister is obviously so beautiful. I don’t know what the master is thinking, but she insists on calling her that. I usually don’t dare to.”

Xie Gou was a little caught off guard. Little girl, you are really good at chatting. Is it because the fox cubs passed down by that Sow in the ancient years are so defenseless these days?

In those ancient years when the rules were not strict and Qi refiners could do whatever they wanted, several human dynasties and demon clans in the secular sense were ruined by that Sow fox. She almost reached the fourteenth realm with this, only one step away. Then the young Master took Mr. Bai to “talk” to her, but she seemed to have received the news in advance and did not dare to see the young Master.

The most powerful thing about this Sow is that she is extremely able to bewitch people, both men and women.

In the eyes of Taoists and scholars back then, many ancient Earth Immortals who could have reached a higher level on the Great Dao were poisoned by her. As for those Earth Immortals who were happy in the gentle land, heroes found it difficult to overcome the beauty barrier. Anyway, they all died in the Sow’s skirt painted with peonies and pomegranates.

I remember that her second dojo outside her lair seemed to be in a place called Mizhi? It was near the Wuding River, one of the tributaries of the Barbaric Desert Elope River.

Unfortunately, it’s all old history.

Xie Gou thought that this Sow, who was once the Fox Clan’s co-lord, would be among the awakened Daoists this time, but when they gathered on the banks of the Elope River, Xie Gou did not see her.

As for why Xie Gou missed her so much, of course, she wanted to… kill her and snatch two Dao names that Bai Jing had coveted for a long time, “Hook Thief” and “Sow”!

In addition, this shameless Sow blocked my way and made a seductive pose, spreading out a fox tail that covered the sky when I had just reached the Earth Immortal!

Don’t think that Bai Jing’s Dao names are all taken by herself.

Chen Ping’an asked, “Pei Xiang, about the origin of the Big Five Mountain Lords, have you checked it out?”

Fallen Mountain did not do this personally, but asked Pei Xiang and the Fox Kingdom to help investigate and collect information.

In fact, it is not wrong to say that it is unnecessary to do these things.

Not to mention the current Lotus Root Blessed Land, even if Fallen Mountain closed the Blessed Land for a thousand years and allowed a top-grade Blessed Land to develop vigorously, and then opened the door, and then assumed that Gao Jun led the “whole world”, and a large group of Earth Immortals emerged from the Blessed Land to have a “fight” with Fallen Mountain today, the outcome would still be without suspense. Perhaps the only suspense is how many sword cultivators and martial artists Fallen Mountain will send out.

Pei Xiang nodded and took out a booklet from her sleeve. “In addition to the Mountain Lords of the Big Five and Small Five Mountains in the world, the mountain and water spirits that have been officially sealed by the imperial courts of the various countries, and the mountain and swamp wild cultivators who have emerged from the shrines that are full of incense in the folk, and the spirits and ghosts who are more likely to reach the Middle Five Realms have all been recorded by me. Our Fox Kingdom has secretly sent out nine Middle Five Realms spectrum monks to be responsible for stalking them.”

Chen Ping’an took the thick booklet and said with a smile, “Isn’t there any credit from the Reverence Building in this?”

Pei Xiang blushed and said, “I knew I couldn’t hide it from Mountain Lord.”

Chen Ping’an opened the first page, and there was actually a preface, which wrote about the cooperation between the Fox Kingdom and the Reverence Building.

Chen Ping’an looked up at Pei Xiang, turned to the second page, which was the “Big and Small Five Mountains”