The current Zhou Qinggao, formerly the leader of the Jiashen Account, Bamboo Chest, is, as Zheng Juzhong jokingly put it, indeed one of the two world’s most ardent admirers of Chen Yin Guan.

When Chen Pingan was stationed at the Broken Sword Qi Great Wall, Bamboo Chest had requested the young Yin Guan to allow him to ascend the city wall, to consult with Chen Pingan and review the battle situation together.

Later, when the Wen Miao and Tuoyue Mountain members held discussions, with the two worlds facing each other remotely, Zhou Qinggao did not conceal his admiration for Chen Pingan in his words.

Yu Xuan glanced at the ashes of the talisman destroyed by Zheng Juzhong, and nodded, “A good talisman.”

It was just that the methods of the talisman drawer were a bit sinister, and it seemed deliberate, obviously targeting the young Yin Guan.

Because this talisman had a threshold limit, it needed to collect a person’s blood, in addition to hair, nails, saliva, etc., all could be used as the “talisman paper” of this talisman. If the talisman drawer could obtain the enemy cultivator’s vital blood essence, or could seize part of the soul or mind, the grade of the talisman drawn would of course be higher. And then draw the cultivator’s image on the talisman, and write the accurate birth date, etc., only then would the talisman be complete.

Chen Pingan frowned slightly, quickly calculating in his mind.

Back then at the Sword Qi Great Wall, not only was Chen Pingan himself extremely cautious, but also Bai Momo, the steward of the Ning Mansion, and Nalan Yexing, the gatekeeper, both elders were equally careful. They had long instructed Chen Pingan to be careful when combing his hair and trimming his nails, and to gather them up and destroy them on the spot, so as not to leave any “evidence”. In addition, Chen Pingan was always careful about such details whenever he drank at the wine shop.

Furthermore, after entering the Summer Palace, Chen Pingan could not be said to be anything but cautious during several battles. In order to hide his identity and avoid being targeted by the Man Huang Jiazhi Account, he even used the means of disguising himself as a woman, which is still a “good story” in Feisheng City, often used as a excellent dish to accompany wine by the sword cultivators of the Xing Guan lineage.

So the only loophole was probably the time before Chen Pingan served as Yin Guan, when he took Ning Yao’s place in the battle against Li Zhen, the closed-door disciple of the Great Ancestor of Tuoyue Mountain.

Mountain techniques are strange and unpredictable, truly difficult to guard against.

Later, when he returned to Haoran, in the Yellow Flower Temple in Mirage City of the Daquan Dynasty, Chen Pingan was once pierced by the sword art of Pei Min, who was using an oil-paper umbrella as a flying sword, through his body…

Because of that seal, Abbot Liu Mao had already passed the Wen Miao inspection, and could definitely be ruled out as a suspect, unless… it was those two young Daoist boys who had not yet practiced Qi?

If he has a chance, Chen Pingan must return to Tongye Continent to personally verify this matter, or he can first send a flying sword letter to Mi Xue Peak, asking Cui Dongshan to investigate it quickly?

Lü Yan smiled and said, “A Daoist’s distraction is most energy-consuming, this principle must be observed.”

Chen Pingan nodded and said, “I will pay attention.”

This pure Yang Daoist was reminding Chen Pingan to be cautious about the previous distraction.

Distraction, in the mountains, is a typical case of high threshold and small return, the return is not proportional to the risk. First, it requires the use of a precious stand-in talisman, but the realm and cultivation level of the clone must be far lower than that of the real body, and the stand-in cannot practice on its own, so it is relatively useless. Second, because Chen Pingan is an Apex martial artist, his physique is strong, far better than ordinary Qi practitioners, so he can simultaneously sacrifice so many talismans. Otherwise, a trace of mind attached to the talisman, walking independently in the world, like lighting a candle, the spiritual energy consumption of a puppet talisman will be very fast. For cultivators above the fifth realm, this kind of behavior has almost no great benefit at all. On the contrary, once those clones suffer accidents and cannot be recovered by the real body, causing damage to the cultivator’s mind and incomplete soul, they will regret it, therefore it is too much of a loss.

Zheng Juzhong said, “Don’t make the same mistake twice. Believe that the Man Huang world has great demons who have begun to study Cui Chan in depth, so hurry up and find all of your Natal Porcelain.”

Because once some of the cultivator’s mind cannot be recovered to the real body, the aftereffects are many, and each one is more tricky than the last. Lightly, it can cause the cultivator to be unable to break through a certain realm bottleneck, and the Dao heart cannot be complete. Heavily, the opportunity may be seized by hostile cultivators like Fei Ran and Zhou Qinggao, for example, using that trace of mind as the talisman core, refining it into a talisman, wantonly eroding the cultivation base, or even damaging the foundation of the Dao. The most terrible consequence is that the Man Huang world imitates Cui Chan, using a method similar to imitation porcelain figurines or talisman puppets. Even if this move is far from Cui Chan’s height and is destined to be unable to “turn the guest into the master”, there is still a certain chance of forming a situation that makes Chen Pingan extremely headache, the relationship between the two, like the porcelain figurine beside Cui Dongshan, and the link between the heroic spirit Gao Cheng of the Bone Beach Jingguan City.

A trace of mind is already like this, what if the Natal Porcelain falls into the hands of the Man Huang world?

Chen Pingan nodded silently.

Zheng Juzhong continued, “Still, you haven’t seen enough of the scenery at the peak, which is understandable.”

If it weren’t for Li Xisheng noticing the abnormality and reminding everyone, causing Bai Jing’s sword light to only shatter a small part of the talisman.

Otherwise, if Chen Pingan were to fall a realm because of this, I believe the memory would be even more profound.

This is also the reason why Zheng Juzhong knew it long ago but deliberately turned a blind eye.

People with a little cleverness will easily attribute it to luck if they only suffer some minor, painless setbacks, instead of admitting that their brains are not very bright. They need to fall heavily.

The third wave of spiritual energy failed to shake the majestic Dharma form of the Li Sage at all, and then swept across the Mountain of Talismans and the Sea of Records.

The Sanshan Jiuhou-xiansheng standing in front of everyone, like a pillar in the middle of a stream, the tide split on its own when passing.

Sanshan Jiuhou-xiansheng, is publicly recognized as the master of magical powers, the patriarch of the world’s talisman and alchemy arts.

After the Deng Tian battle ended, he was praised by later peak cultivators as the master of all arts, and the ancestor of the earth immortals.

Last time Chen Pingan took a trip to Dali Jingcheng, and learned a lot of secrets from Feng Yi and the old coachman.

For example, the burning of Natal Porcelain in Lizhu Cave Heaven was originally a secret method passed down by the medicine shop owner Yang and Sanshan Jiuhou-xiansheng.
Furthermore, the sword coffer that Shouchen carried on his back was of extraordinary origin. As Zhou Mi’s first disciple in the desolate lands, Shouchen received this precious treasure as a gift for becoming his apprentice. The coffer was adorned with an ancient map of the Three Mountains, Four Seas, Five Peaks, and Ten Rivers, drastically different from the widely circulated and almost ubiquitous Taoist talismanic diagrams of later generations. Among them, the true forms of the Three Mountains each possessed a unique “posture,” resembling a dignified deity seated upright, a wild ape hunching forward, and a dragon soaring through the heavens hidden in clouds. The Three Mountains each governed the creation of Yin and Yang, the attributes of the Five Elements, determined the span of life and death, the length of fate, presided over celestial phenomena, and controlled the destinies of aquatic creatures. After Zhou Mi’s personal refinement, this sword coffer possessed even more mystical powers. He refined it into a “sword sepulcher,” capable of nurturing nine flying swords, while simultaneously birthing nine distinct innate divine abilities. Even a Qi cultivator who was not originally a swordsman could obtain this coffer and become a swordsman in all but name.

This object was originally forged by the Nine Marquis of the Three Mountains but eventually fell into Zhou Mi’s hands.

Because the Nine Marquis of the Three Mountains were present, Yu Xuan, out of respect, had not shared several rumors with Chen Ping’an earlier.

It was said that two of the ten most formidable female cultivators in the world, the Refinement Master Lan Qi, and that Qi cultivator who pioneered numerous unorthodox paths, both had extremely close relationships with the Nine Marquis of the Three Mountains.

Cui Dongshan once used an analogy: beyond the heavens, even a soaring realm cultivator, or even a fourteenth realm cultivator, was merely a helpless child facing each world like a heavy iron ball.

Yu Xuan sighed, “I must admit, Zhou Mi’s move is a calculated scheme.”

Chen Ping’an asked, puzzled, “If we consider the entire desolate land as a ship soaring through the void, then there must be a place within the desolate heartland that serves as the formation core driving this massive ship, using the spiritual energy of the world as ‘fuel’?”

Yu Xuan stroked his beard and shook his head, “This old man has not yet discerned the intricacies.”

Lü Yan squinted, gazing toward a certain place in the desolate lands, and said in a deep voice, “Half of it is spiritual energy created by throwing money at it, and half is suddenly appearing… sword energy.”

Zheng Juzhong twitched his lips, “If Lord Hidden Officer had insisted on providing aid in the beginning, instead of changing course midway to question the sword at Mount Tuoyue, it would have added even more fuel to the fire.”

Li Xisheng waved his sleeve, and a diagram similar to a celestial chart of constellations appeared in the air. He explained, “Zhou Mi once used the vast mountains and rivers, including Jiaolong Gulch, Foyaozhou, and Tongyezou, to personally construct a hidden formation. Earlier, the traces were extremely faint, like a commoner scratching their arm with a fingernail. This formation only recently came to light, but it subtly divided the Azure World and the desolate lands into Yin and Yang, causing the two worlds to resemble two magnets attracting each other. When Abbot Feiran activated the great formation, the entire desolate land immediately began to shift its bow, and with the great demon plotting in the heavens for a long time, secretly manipulating things, this ship transformed and entered a ‘green path’ trajectory with an accelerating speed.”

The third spiritual energy tide was about to arrive.

Because he almost caused a major blunder, Bai Jing rarely took the initiative to concede, “Mountain Lord, this time the profits will be split two-eight.”

Chen Ping’an said, “No need, just follow the old rules.”

Roughly estimated, opening the gate once was equivalent to absorbing the spiritual energy reserves of a soaring realm cultivator.

And the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was immortal coin.

After all, Snowflakes, Minor Heat, and Grain Rain three types of immortal coin, were able to become the common currency on the mountain because they contained varying degrees of pure spiritual energy.

Sword cultivators were able to consistently rank first among the four most troublesome entities on the mountain because the amount of spiritual energy they needed to use and consume when fighting was far less than that of ordinary Qi cultivators.

Like Huang Luan, one of the fourteen ancient demon kings, refined palace observatories and dojos, and ancient shattered secret realms, so under the premise that both sides’ attacking power are roughly equal, it is easy to be exhausted by Huang Luan, whose spiritual energy is constantly supplied, and a monk in the same realm died.

Yu Xuan narrowed his eyes and said, “The only flaw is that this thousand-mile land is ultimately too small. Even if we all have the means to reverse Sumeru and mustard seeds, no matter how close or infinitely close we get to the truth of the dojo, it is ultimately limited by reality. Moreover, the territory is too small, and it will probably be difficult to fully display our abilities next, after all, there is the suspicion of building a dojo in a snail shell. We are huddled together, and we are not going to fight on the battlefield, but we need to face the impact of the entire world. If… in an instant… it will not be very good, even if we work together to split the desolate land again, I am afraid it will still be difficult to stop that general trend.”

No matter how vast and magical their powers were, they could not directly split the desolate land in half.

Unless everyone present was a fourteenth realm cultivator?

Therefore, the Old Immortal deliberately spoke vaguely, ultimately feeling that the content was unlucky and should not be spoken directly, lest the words come true, wouldn’t that be unlucky.

Chen Ping’an said, “Old Immortal Yu, my world can be separated without affecting the ‘one’ of the formation.”

Yu Xuan was stunned.

Why didn’t you say so earlier.

Of course, Chen Ping’an was not deliberately being mysterious. Receiving the spiritual energy tide three times was not only about making money on the surface, but also a means of verifying results and determining the degree of operation of the world’s Dao.

Now, it was not just an estimate on paper, but a solid understanding in his heart. So Chen Ping’an explained, “It’s just that the separated sub-worlds should not be too far apart. The distance between them should not exceed three thousand miles at most. Within three thousand miles, the impact and loss on each of your dojos will probably not exceed 10%.”

Yu Xuan nodded and smiled, “Enough, very enough. Not to mention 10%, even if it is a 20% loss, we can easily make it up with our spells and refined objects.”

If their dojos could each occupy three thousand miles, it would be a world of difference compared to being all crammed into a thousand-mile land.

Zheng Juzhong suddenly asked, “If I give you some more gold essence coins, to cram at the last minute, can you increase the depth and width of this world?”

Chen Ping’an said without hesitation, “Yes, but there is a prerequisite, there must be an investment of at least five hundred gold essence coins, otherwise it will be meaningless and difficult to have a qualitative change. If there are only three or four hundred gold essence coins to supplement, at most it will be ‘space’ large but ‘time’ small, which will affect the stability of the entire world, like the excessive dilution of a cultivator’s Dharma form, it is an empty shell, better to have nothing.”
The universe is defined as the space above and below, the four directions. Time is defined as past, present, and future.

This is the fundamental divine ability residing within Chen Ping’an’s two natal flying swords, “Caged Bird” and “Moon in the Well.”

The matter arose suddenly, without preparation.

Had he known this day would come, Chen Ping’an would have carried the three hundred gold essence copper coins remaining in his Treasure Trove with him at all times.

Alas, foresight is priceless, and plans invariably fall short of changes.

Chen Ping’an originally intended to carry those three hundred coins with him when he reached the Jade Purity Realm and traveled the various continents of the Vast Expanse with Liu Jinglong.

Elevating the grade of the two natal flying swords, especially acquiring a new divine ability, wasn’t easy.

The so-called sword refinement of “Caged Bird” was essentially Chen Ping’an’s own cultivation advancement. The higher the realm, the vaster the world, the only shortcut being to “devour” Dragon-Slaying Stones.

As for the second sword, “Moon in the Well,” the most direct manifestation of grade elevation was the number of flying swords. When Chen Ping’an formed his Golden Core atop the city wall, he could divide it into roughly ten thousand swords. Upon becoming a Nascent Soul, especially after successfully reaching the Jade Purity Realm, crossing a major threshold, the number jumped directly from two hundred thousand at the Nascent Soul stage to four hundred thousand. Although his cultivation regressed to Nascent Soul after a trip to the Wildlands, the sword’s grade didn’t diminish.

When borrowing the power of the Fourteenth Realm from Lu Chen, Chen Ping’an hadn’t yet begun to create a River of Time. Thus, according to the predictions and estimations at the time, if he truly reached the Fourteenth Realm in the future, the grade of the flying sword “Moon in the Well” would elevate to “Moon at the Wellhead” or “Moon in the Sky,” capable of dividing into a million flying swords. As it turned out, Chen Ping’an’s estimation was too conservative. Based on the current situation, if he consumed enough gold essence copper coins, the number of flying swords could potentially climb to two million or even more.

No wonder it was said that there was no sword cultivator in the world with ample funds.

Zheng Juzhong smiled, “I happen to have three hundred gold essence copper coins on hand. Converted to Grain Rain Coins, let’s say one to ten. Three thousand Grain Rain Coins, with three percent annual interest, how does that sound?”

Chen Ping’an remained expressionless and said in a low voice, “Acceptable!”

One gold essence copper coin for ten Grain Rain Coins. Thirty years ago, aside from mountain and water deities needing to repair their golden bodies, almost no Qi refiners would have agreed to such a transaction.

But the key was that gold essence copper coins were no longer what they used to be. They were a scarce commodity with a price but no market. Once they appeared, they would be snatched up and were highly sought after.

Chen Ping’an didn’t believe for a second that Mister Zheng only had three hundred coins in his coffers.

Zheng Juzhong waved his sleeve, and a miniature object appeared before Chen Ping’an. It was an ancient inkstone, unfortunately without an inscription.

It was the shape of the “Sun-Moon Aligned on the Wall” inkstone, with eyelets carved into the back, arranged in the pattern of the Twenty-Eight Constellations. Chen Ping’an recognized it immediately.

Xiao Mo immediately looked towards Bai Jing, who was busily “collecting money.”

Bai Jing, having revealed her true appearance, was a tall and stunningly beautiful woman. She laughed awkwardly, “It’s all part of the dowry.”

Zheng Juzhong was clearly… offering a bait to lure others.

Lü Yan opened his mouth and smiled, “In matters of wealth, this Daoist is utterly penniless and truly unable to help Mountain Lord Chen.”

The Pure Yang Daoist’s words were subtly suggestive.

It was universally acknowledged that Yu Xuan never lacked immortal money. He had never worried about money his entire life.

Li Xisheng followed up with a smile, “This junior doesn’t have a single gold essence copper coin on him either.”

Gold essence copper coins were top-tier coveted goods.

Yu Xuan had no choice but to say, “Mountain Lord Chen said he needs at least five hundred gold essence copper coins. To be on the safe side, Mister Zheng has already provided three hundred, so this old man will add another three hundred, following Mister Zheng’s rules, with the principal compounding annually at three percent interest.”

In the mountains, interest calculated annually bordered on usury.

Then Yu Xuan added, “It’s best to barter, with both principal and interest calculated based on gold essence copper coins.”

It wasn’t that Yu Xuan was taking advantage of the situation, but that gold essence copper coins were simply too scarce now and would only become less prevalent in the next hundred or thousand years.

Crucially, this matter involved Yu Xuan’s research on two grand talismans, both related to the “River of Time.”

These two talismans, along with the other trump cards, were Yu Xuan’s main reliance after reaching the Fourteenth Realm.

Otherwise, with Talisman Yu Xuan’s temperament, three hundred gold essence copper coins, even doubled, wouldn’t be a problem. He’d give them away if he liked someone, let alone trade them.

Chen Ping’an nodded, “No problem.”

In any case, he had three hundred coins in his own Treasure Trove, which he could return to Yu Xuan after this matter was settled.

His straightforward agreement made Yu Xuan feel a little uneasy.

Being constantly addressed respectfully as “Old Immortal Yu” by a young man and treated like a senior was also a burden.

Yu Xuan couldn’t help but change his tune, “If you’re truly in a difficult position, we can still discuss it. The interest can be converted to Grain Rain Coins as well.”

Chen Ping’an shook his head and said, “No need, we’ll settle everything with gold essence copper coins.”

Zheng Juzhong communicated a number to Chen Ping’an via Heart Voice: one thousand five hundred.

Although it was just a number, Zheng Juzhong’s meaning was clear: when crossing the next major threshold, would Chen Ping’an need this many gold essence copper coins?

Chen Ping’an shook his head directly. Even if the quantity was sufficient, even if he could acquire fifteen hundred more gold essence copper coins right now, he wouldn’t be able to refine them in a short time.

Zheng Juzhong also shook his head. White Emperor City had that many gold essence copper coins, but they wouldn’t give them.

Chen Ping’an even omitted a nod. Then this junior wouldn’t make himself unwelcome.

Almost simultaneously, Yu Xuan communicated with Zheng Juzhong via Heart Voice, asking if adding more gold essence copper coins from both sides could help Chen Ping’an’s world advance further.

Evidently, Yu Xuan was prepared to write off three hundred, or even more, gold essence copper coins completely.

Upon receiving the answer that no additional gold essence copper coins were needed, Yu Xuan sighed, clearly with some regret.

In fact, Zheng Juzhong had begun collecting gold essence copper coins deliberately thousands of years ago, purchasing fragments of divine golden bodies through various channels.

Around a hundred years ago, White Emperor City had begun to purchase this item at any cost, changing it from Zheng Juzhong’s personal endeavor to a task for all Upper Fifth Tier Qi refiners in White Emperor City. All direct disciples and retainers were required to contribute a certain amount of gold essence copper coins, depending on their realm.
Furthermore, there were many wild cultivators from mountains and marshes who could use this as a stepping stone. White Emperor City had even set up a “side door” mountain peak specifically for this purpose, which was not formally registered, but allowed cultivation, granting access to secret manuals and Taoist scriptures borrowed from White Emperor City.

Chen Ping’an inquired with a thought transmission to Li Xisheng, “Can we hold them off?”

“I can’t give you an answer right now.”

Li Xisheng stated the truth, “Anything can happen next. In any case, we must prepare for the worst. Especially you, although you only preside over the great formation and seem to be just observing, maintaining the two flying swords alone is already quite difficult.”

Chen Ping’an nodded, mentally prepared.

Li Xisheng smiled, “Only by preparing for the worst can we be qualified to expect the best outcome.”

The old sword immortal of the Sword Qi Great Wall, Chen Qingdu. The Great Sect Leader of White Jade Capital in Azure Billow Heaven, Kou Ming. The Ritual Sage of the Central Earth Confucian Temple, Yu Ke. They all seemed to be the kind of people one could trust immensely.

Chen Ping’an obtained six hundred golden essence copper coins and immediately began refining them. At the same time, he stretched the various Taoist sanctums within heaven and earth by three thousand li.

In the distance, he saw the back of that “youthful” cultivator.

This Mr. Three Mountains Nine Marquis, once a candidate for the Ten Heroes of Yore, stood upon three talisman mountains and a chart river.

The Most Holy Teacher wasn’t incapable of acting, but if the Most Holy Teacher expended his Daoism here, it would mean that Zhou Mi would have one more chance of victory in the future.

Moreover, in this situation, the Most Holy Teacher needed to face a difficult problem similar to that faced by the Second Sage, the Literary Sage, and the Sect Leader of the Confucian Temple. After all, the founders of the Three Teachings represented the ultimate attainment of “harmonizing with the advantage of the land.” Of course, the founders of the Three Teachings did more than just harmonize with the advantage of the land.

Therefore, he could only choose the lesser of two evils. Ultimately, apart from the Barren Desolate World, the common and urgent threat to the four worlds was still Wen Hai Zhou Mi, who had already ascended to the heavens.

In a sense, Zhou Mi was the most ambitious and ruthless figure in ten thousand years, without exception.

This former Jia Sheng of the Vast Expanse, successively passed three trials and quietly ascended to the Fourteenth Realm in the Barren Desolate World.

He breached the Sword Qi Great Wall, which had stood for ten thousand years.

In his former homeland, the Vast Expanse World, he caused the complete subsidence of the Three Continents of Tongye, Fuyao, and Jinjia.

Finally, he took control of the Primordial Heavenly Court, looking down upon the entire human realm.

It was like a magnificent and varied record of spirits and strange events, with a timeline spanning ten thousand years. Countless heroes emerged on the pages, each displaying their talents and leading the way.

But on the final page, or perhaps the penultimate page, densely packed, repeatedly, only two words were written, a single name.

It was like the inner thoughts of many peak cultivators in several worlds now.

Chen Qingdu and Cui Chan the Embroidered Tiger were, after all, no longer alive.

Only Zhou Mi remained, still alive.

And the Ritual Sage, standing at the forefront, was by no means at ease. In fact, the Ritual Sage was the one in the most difficult position, without exception.

Because his method of harmonizing with the Dao was the “rites” of the entire Vast Expanse World, it was highly likely that the Ritual Sage could only rely on his physical body and Dharma form to block the impact of the Barren Desolate World, and could not use his divine powers.

This was the reason Chen Ping’an had previously asked Li Xisheng if they could hold them off.

Otherwise, it would have been a meaningless question.

Chen Ping’an refined the six hundred golden essence copper coins and integrated them into the River of Time with great speed. Then, he said, “Junior has an idea. Is it possible to overlap formations?”

Yu Xuan smiled, “Oh? Overlapping formations? Does Mountain Master Chen also have expertise in the art of formations?”

Then, Chen Ping’an quickly conveyed his general idea with a thought transmission.

The overlapping of formations that followed.

Yu Xuan took the lead, tearing off the “Purple Qi” robe painted with the yin-yang fish and trigram diagrams from his body and throwing it outwards, covering the sky and the sun.

Yu Xuan reached out and drew a talisman, outlining the Taiji dualities, doubling the scale of the miniature sun and moon in the original Birdcage Heaven and Earth, suddenly emitting great light.

At the same time, Yu Xuan’s Yin Spirit emerged and traveled far, sitting in the bright moon. The original Bai Jing of the new great sun transformed into the Pure Yang Lu Yan.

Behind the talisman Yu Xuan’s Yin Spirit, a bright moon treasure wheel appeared, while behind the Dharma form of Taoist Lu Yan, a golden, brilliant, and enormous scorching sun appeared.

In addition, there was the Genius Earth Human Trinity Formation. Zheng Juzhong’s Yang Spirit, true body, and Yin Spirit separated into high and low, each seated in a location.

After that, inspired by the opening of Immortal Wei’s manuscript, Chen Ping’an divided the four directions of heaven and earth into the four seasons, slowly rotating at a speed much slower than the rise and fall of the sun and moon.

Li Xisheng helped create the natural phenomena of wind, rain, thunder, lightning, clouds, and mist.

As the founder and host of this great formation, Chen Ping’an had to “reluctantly” and brace himself to offer the five natal items of the five elements, according to Zheng Juzhong’s deductions. This was slightly more effective than other cultivators piecing together five-element items of higher rank.

Yu Xuan offered twelve talismans, each belonging to one of the twelve months, with the sword cultivator Bai Jing and Xiao Mo taking turns to be responsible for sitting in them whenever a leap month appeared.

After that were the superimposed twenty-four solar terms, which were Li Xisheng’s methods.

Then came the even more detailed seventy-two pentads. Chen Ping’an once again was roped in and offered the seventy-two seals he had personally engraved.

Finally, Li Xisheng, Zheng Juzhong, and Yu Xuan respectively presided over and offered a Taoist Grand Lustration of the Lofty Heavens, a Grand Lustration of the Celestial Sphere, and a Universal Lustration, with merits illuminating the upper cosmos, virtues shining in the middle sky, frost congealing in the azure firmament, and water shimmering in the crimson clouds.

The Mr. Three Mountains Nine Marquis, with the youthful appearance, finally turned his head for the first time, looking back at the scene behind him.

Although he quickly withdrew his gaze, this subtle movement still made Bai Jing feel a little jealous.

She wasn’t unfamiliar with this guy. When they had met earlier, he hadn’t made any gesture.

Just then, several figures from the Barren Desolate World appeared outside the heavens.

However, none dared to approach the layered great formation. The distance between the two sides was extremely far.

Bai Jing, with nothing to do, propped her chin with one hand and waved to the old friends she met again on the “opposite shore,” smiling, “Fate plays tricks, turning friends into enemies.”

Those cultivators were all ancient great demons awakened by Bai Ze, and it was temporarily unknown whether they were there to watch the fun or to disrupt the situation.

Great Demon Guan Yi was a beautiful woman with a pale face and scarlet lips. Her natal divine power was water magic. It was rumored that ten thousand years ago, she could freeze a section of the River of Time, but by the time the river thawed, all living beings had already melted in the river.
Beside the official Yi, stood the ever-smiling youth who squinted when he looked at people, now going by the alias Hu Tu (Confused).

A wizened Taoist priest riding a deer, a bamboo crown upon his head, had chosen the extremely vulgar alias Wang Youwu (Wang the Temptress), though his Taoist name was rather refined: “Mountain Lord”.

The old Taoist had always believed himself to be a personal disciple of “that Taoist”, and upon awakening this time, he held a fervent desire to visit the mountains in search of his master, hoping to rekindle their master-disciple bond.

A diminutive old crone, seemingly hunchbacked, clutching a staff in her hands, was the only one among the group of wild, ancient demons frantically absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the errant Taoist energy. Her decaying physique and aged countenance were undergoing a visible rejuvenation, returning her to youth. Bai Jing merely curled his lip in disdain upon witnessing this, turning to Chen Ping’an with a chuckle to explain, “This old hag’s signature move is Refining Qi into Spirit, turning illusion into reality. Tens of thousands of years ago, no one knows how much spiritual energy she devoured. That Huang Luan (Yellow Phoenix) later followed her old path.”

At this, Bai Jing mischievously added, “Mountain Lord, Mountain Lord, you’re a scholar, learned and wise. If it were you, how would you scold that Huang Luan?”

Chen Ping’an replied with a serene expression, “One who follows the same path as an overturned cart.” (Meaning: repeating the same mistake).

His voice was not loud, yet the old crone clearly heard it. Resting her chin on her cane, she sneered, “So this is the Sword Qi Great Wall’s last Hidden Official? Such lofty enlightenment!”

Xiao Mo raised the walking stick in his hand, pointing it towards the double-pupiled youth, introducing him to Chen Ping’an, “Young Master, he is currently known as ‘Li Gou’ (Free from Filth), with the Taoist name ‘Fei Qian’ (Flying Coin). Among this group of great demons, he boasts the strongest defense. After appearing in the Wildlands after ten thousand years, he reclaimed eight immortal weapons in one go, restoring them to their rightful owners. His nickname is ‘Bookworm’, as he loves to devour books. Li Gou has long had a dream of creating a ‘Book City Never Sleeps’ Daoist sanctum.”

Bai Jing nodded vigorously, “This guy is a treasure trove! Every item on him is valuable! Just that yellow Qiankun (Universe) pouch and the demon-capturing gourd, I’ve been coveting them for ages. Mountain Lord, when the opportunity arises, without breaking any rules, how about we work together to take him down?”

Beside the youth in the form of Li Gou stood a lithe and vigorous man, clasping his hands behind his head. This ancient demon, referred to by Bai Jing as “Nameless”, was most interested in the sole pure martial artist in the opposing camp, the young Hidden Official.

The young cultivator behind Ritual Sage turned his head, gazing at this group of unruly, ancient demons from the Wildlands.

Apart from the Nameless one, who remained languid and carefree, the other great demons were as if facing a great enemy, holding their breath and concentrating their minds.