As soon as Master Zou spoke, it was like a thunderclap in the calm, an earth-shattering opening.

It was akin to the reclusive mountains deep in spring, where the four seasons rarely saw visitors, pine pollen falling along the path, mist swirling around the doors and windows, suddenly startled by the sound of a flute.

The members present at the meeting were not fools; they were keenly aware that the existence of three cultivators at the fifteenth realm simultaneously was vastly different from having only one in the world.

Everyone involuntarily straightened their posture, sitting up straighter. Even the dauntless, perpetually languid Du Shanyin began to hold his breath, listening intently.

They had believed that after the three founders of the Three Teachings had relinquished their positions, the key to success in the upcoming millennium, with heroes rising in droves and vying for power, lay in the ascension of immortals and the further advancement of those already at the fourteenth realm, striving for the Dao Integration.

Just like the sword cultivator Du Shanyin, whose realm was still insignificant, was confident that he would have a place on the future pinnacle of the human realm. Not necessarily on par with those old fourteenth realm cultivators who were like dragons in transformation, but at least on equal footing with the newly ascended or those at the ascension realm, they would listen to what he had to say and see if it made sense.

Unexpectedly, within a mere three to five hundred years, there was hope for a brand new fifteenth realm cultivator to emerge in the human realm. Regardless of who it was, regardless of which world they hailed from, with this Great Dao, it was believed that this person could influence the course of the five worlds with their own power.

Worthy of being the number one grand sword immortal in Golden Armor Continent, Xu Xie was the first to ask, “The Ritual Sage?”

It turned out that the person who had invited Xu Xie to be a check and balance was this Zou Zi. Even if the other person’s appearance had changed, their demeanor and Dao aura remained the same.

Zou Zi shook his head. “Definitely not the Ritual Sage.”

Xu Xie asked in confusion, “Why is that?”

The old Daoist Zhang Jiao helped explain, “Firstly, Zhou Mi is still around. Although he is blocked by the Dao outer bodies of the Three Founders at the ruins of the old Heavenly Court, with Zhou Mi’s character and methods, he would certainly leave a backup plan in the human realm. He would never sit idly by and watch the Ritual Sage attain this Great Dao. Furthermore, with the Ritual Sage’s own method of Dao Integration at the fourteenth realm, it is indeed not suitable for further advancement.”

Zou Zi added, “Even so, whether the Ritual Sage enters the fifteenth realm does not depend on whether it is possible, whether there is enough merit, or whether Zhou Mi obstructs it, but only on whether the Ritual Sage themselves is willing.”

To this end, Zou Zi had traveled to the outer heavens, having had a frank and open conversation with the Ritual Sage long ago. Zou Zi had shown the Ritual Sage his deduction of the future world.

It was in the outer heavens.

The world at most knew that a few sages, such as the previous generation Grand Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, had died and dissolved in the outer heavens, their merit to the human realm was great. But few people knew that Zou Zi and Master Three Mountains and Nine Marquis were the main force behind assisting the Ritual Sage in hunting down the remnants of the ancient gods.

Once the Ritual Sage replaced the Supreme Sage Teacher and took another step within the Confucian Dao lineage, becoming the Dao Master of the entire Vast Sky World, then the Ritual Sage’s rules would use an extremely fast speed to transform the Vast Sky Nine Provinces, the rules would be omnipresent, becoming seamless, watertight. Seemingly the Great Dao circulation would be more perfect without leaks, but in Zou Zi’s eyes, the world would become stagnant, decayed and rigid in the future. This was a paradox, and Zou Zi described this situation as “the Great Dao stagnating”, losing all possibilities.

Luo Shan was not as surprised as the others, only because he once accompanied Xiao Xun on a tour of the city walls and encountered the Old Grand Sword Immortal, hearing them casually chatting a few words off topic.

Initially, Xiao Xun, being childish, wanted to ask the Old Grand Sword Immortal how many capable people were in the world today, old and relatively young, such as the Dao Second of White Jade Capital who claimed to be invincible, and Zheng Juzhong of White Emperor City, who had a great reputation in the Vast Sky World. Anyway, Xiao Xun rattled off a series of names, and the list she gave was probably more valuable than the selections of various mountain and water gazettes.

The Old Grand Sword Immortal did not extend Xiao Xun’s words in any way. Perhaps in Chen Qingdu’s view, fighting ability, the high and low of killing power, that’s it.

As the backbone of Sword Qi Great Wall, which was the boundary line between Vast Sky World and the wilderness, Chen Qingdu only had two comments similar to the final conclusion.

The wilderness has Bai Ze, which is the misfortune of the demon race, and the great fortune of the human race. The human realm has the Ritual Sage, which is the luck of the Confucian family, and the misfortune of the rest.

At that time, Xiao Xun sat on the city head, holding two pigtails in her hands, staring straight at the Old Grand Sword Immortal, and asked, “Then what about you?”

Luo Shan felt that the atmosphere was not right at the time.

The Old Grand Sword Immortal smiled and touched Xiao Xun’s head, “Don’t be so disrespectful. How right or wrong, merit or demerit, wait until I die and you are still alive to say.”

Chen Qingdu’s implication was simple and easy to guess. There were two meanings.

This was in line with Luo Shan’s consistent impression of the Old Grand Sword Immortal. He spoke directly and never let the sword cultivators guess.

When he was still in charge of Sword Qi Great Wall, if you, Xiao Xun, had grievances in your heart, keep it to yourself. After he died, he wouldn’t care about anyone, you can scold whoever you want.

But there was a premise here. You, Xiao Xun, the current Hidden Official of Sword Qi Great Wall, had to be alive, and you couldn’t die before him.

Or, to put it more directly, it was a reminder that Xiao Xun could not die at Chen Qingdu’s hands and could not do outrageous things as the Hidden Official that did not conform to the identity of the Hidden Official.

Warning, threatening, admonishing? It didn’t matter. Anyway, Xiao Xun just smiled, she gently reached out her hand to push away that hand, but she couldn’t push it away at that time.

The Old Grand Sword Immortal, who always held the head of the pigtail girl, looked remotely at the old neighbor of the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

Perhaps in the eyes of the Old Grand Sword Immortal, who was higher than the top of the head, the real capable people in the human world were far away and close at hand.

The young people in the world today just thought that the old blind man was very capable.

Many accidents occurred during the ascent to heaven ten thousand years ago, which were not recorded in any text at the time and were not known to later generations. One of them was that Zhi Ci broke countless golden bodies of gods and opened a path to heaven alone.

Why is Xie Gou, the second enshrined of Fallen Mountain, or Bai Jing, so well-behaved when she arrived at the Hundred Thousand Mountains last time and behaved very much like a local?

The proud Bai Jing, of course, was not just because the Zhi Ci Daoist lived long enough.

Bai Jing would not be so restrained towards the Azure Cloud Cave Master, who had not participated in the ascent to heaven. She could not beat him, but the Old Temple Master was not enough to make Bai Jing internally… admire and respect.

She was polite, mostly because the Old Temple Master had a good relationship with Xiao Mo. Ha, one of her husband’s few close friends, she had to give face!
Now that the relationship with the Cave Master of Bixiao is good, if she and Xiao Mo have a spat someday, and Xiao Mo looks for someone to drown his sorrows, wouldn’t the Cave Master Bixiao have to say a few good words for me?

Hahaha, excellent plan! Being a secondary offering is more than enough.

Luo Shan smiled and said in her heart, “Du Shanyin, our Hidden Official invites your master to find some free time to go to the desolate lands to drink with her. Don’t worry, it’s just drinking.”

Du Shanyin’s impression of the new summer palace crowded with outsiders was generally poor. He never denied or hid his dislike for Chen Ping An, but he respected the sword cultivators of the Old Hidden Official lineage. He helplessly explained, “Before Master left Haoran, she didn’t leave behind any methods to allow us to communicate temporarily.”

Luo Shan nodded, not making things difficult for Du Shanyin, and lamented, “The Hidden Official has been thinking about the immortal wine of White Jade Capital for years. It seems this little plan is going to fail.”

Back in the Sword Qi Great Wall, Xiao Xun indeed often sneaked into the prison managed by the old deaf man, mainly to drink with Hao Su, the most uninvolved jailer.

Du Shanyin said, “Mr. Luo, if I ever have the chance to see Master in the future, I will definitely help pass on the message.”

Luo Shan laughed, “Mr. Luo? Doesn’t that sound strange? Who did you learn that from? What a terrible habit.”

Du Shanyin chuckled.

Luo Shan was naturally willing to be closer to Du Shanyin, who was a junior from her hometown.

Moreover, Du Shanyin was one of the few in the Old Summer Palace.

It could even be said that Du Shanyin’s ability to interact with his peers and be favored by the Old Sword Immortal, entering the prison together and becoming the direct disciples of Hao Su and Gan Tang respectively, was premeditated. To a large extent, it was thanks to the discerning eyes of the previous generation of Hidden Official lineage sword cultivators. For example, among the youngest generation of sword cultivators, Luo Shan chose You Yu, while Sword Immortal Zhu An favored Du Shanyin. The same was true for the generations above them, all inseparable from the secret support and resource allocation of the Summer Palace. Often, when Xiao Xun saw a suitable candidate, he would wave his hand on that booklet and write two words: “Cultivate!” Occasionally, he would even add “Priority.”

However, there were very few who enjoyed this special treatment, such as Chou Miao. Generally speaking, it was at most one person per generation, or even none at all.

These sword cultivators almost all came from poor backgrounds. In Xiao Xun’s words, those who were born well, falling into wealthy families, since they didn’t lack money for sword practice, the Summer Palace didn’t need to add icing on the cake. It would only do good deeds in times of need. However, there were exceptions, such as Guo Zhujiu, who came from a decent family.

Du Shanyin hesitated for a moment and asked curiously, “Has there been a decision on where A Liang and Zuo You are going?”

He wore a silver-woven pouch around his waist, revealing wisps of golden light. Everyone present was an extraordinary person, and they knew at a glance that it was a piece of golden body shard, which was now priceless.

Luo Shan shook her head and said, “Their whereabouts are unknown, their survival is uncertain. It seems difficult to say for sure.”

Du Shanyin was a sword cultivator, he would envy A Liang, and he would also sincerely respect Zuo You. One was a descendant of a sage, and the other was a top student of a sage, but they had two completely different styles of behavior. One constantly boasted about being a scholar, but every task he did in the Sword Qi Great Wall had nothing to do with scholarship. One was taciturn and unapproachable, but he valued academic pursuit more than sword practice.

Du Shanyin came from a poor family and suffered in his youth. He was not the same kind of person as them.

Moreover, there was a difference in seniority and age between them.

Besides, they were all bachelors.

Therefore, Du Shanyin was even more conflicted when it came to Chen Ping An, perhaps this was due to jealousy.

Since they were considered peers, comparison was inevitable. They seemed to have all struggled to rise from the bottom of life, from helpless ditches and muddy pools. After that, their luck was not bad, and they each had their own opportunities. Why could Chen Ping An be favored by Ning Yao? Why could he, who wasn’t even a sword cultivator, enter the Summer Palace? Why could he go to the city wall every now and then, receive swordsmanship guidance from Zuo You, and even talk to the Old Sword Immortal? Why did all of us native sword cultivators have to listen to his arrangements and decide our life and death?

Du Shanyin had been to the battlefield to kill demons many times, and had almost died there once.

Therefore, he had always found it difficult to let go of a certain conclusion. He felt that Chen Ping An went to the battlefield to kill demons because he knew he wouldn’t die. As the new Hidden Official, the Old Sword Immortal would save him. Therefore, on the battlefield, he never had any worries. He was different from all of us native sword cultivators who could die at any time, including those Haoran fellow sword cultivators. Why?

The old Daoist took out a shiny white gourd from his sleeve and looked at Zou Zi, who nodded, acknowledging the old Daoist’s guess.

Zhang Jiao pulled out the stopper of the wine and took a swig of his homemade wine. He recalled that in the past, before going to the Western Buddhist Kingdom, he had traveled with a fellow Daoist from another land through the islands of a certain state. They had also accomplished two or three grand deeds, and their Dao hearts were in harmony. He and that Real Person Lu played in the mortal world, stroking his black beard while drunk, and drawing his frosty sword in anger… Putting away his thoughts, Zhang Jiao continued, “Earlier, this poor Daoist couldn’t see clearly, I could only vaguely see the desolate world like a ferry, fiercely crashing towards your Haoran world. It must be a sinister scheme secretly planned by Zhou Mi, trying to embed the two worlds together, wanting to stir up the timing, geographical advantages, and human harmony together, making a chaotic mess. I guess he wants certain pawns to take the opportunity to fish in troubled waters. If it succeeds, it can delay the dispersal of the Most Holy Master’s Dao, and allow the new master of the desolate lands, Fei Ran, to benefit as a fisherman, secretly taking a share from Haoran’s side. If it fails, it will consume the Daoist power of the Sage of Rites, preventing the Sage of Rites from fully letting go and restraining Bai Ze, whose Daoist power is increasing day by day, in the desolate lands. Then, it is easy to understand why the great demons of the desolate lands mobilized so much to besiege A Liang and Zuo You. It is a key move to help change the trajectory of the desolate lands’ Qing Dao, so that the abundant sword energy of the two Fourteenth Realm sword cultivators can serve as one of the strong driving forces for driving the desolate land’s suspended boat.”

Lu Xu said with a shocked expression, “Two boats colliding? Such a big commotion, why didn’t we notice anything?”

Zhang Jiao pointed his finger at the sky and laughed, “The world says, ‘Zou Zi talks about the sky, Lu talks about the earth.’ But if this poor Daoist remembers correctly, the Lu family not only owns a Meteorological Observatory, which can cooperate with the Zhilan Bureau responsible for surveying the land, but Fellow Daoist Huang Yu is also the head of the Celestial Altar?”
The old Daoist was clearly rubbing salt in Lu Xu’s wound. Even the Lu clan’s Celestial Observation Platform, used for stargazing, had collapsed.

Lu Xu chuckled awkwardly, not daring to engage in any verbal sparring with the old Daoist.

It wasn’t as if, just because there were so many Fourteenth Realm cultivators present today, one could disregard their significance.

Especially since Lu Xu knew a secret matter concerning the mountain peaks. The old Fourteenth Realm cultivators of the Azure Underworld were not as well-behaved as those of their own Radiant Land. They often intervened to prevent others from “joining their ranks.” The Jade Capital didn’t always intervene in these matters. There was once a great cultivator who had nearly stepped into the Fourteenth Realm, only to plummet all the way back to the Immortal Realm. Consumed by resentment, he had even struck the Heavenly Drum, lodging a complaint with a Jade Capital Sect Leader, seeking justice, but to no avail.

Lu Chen, responsible for managing the affairs of the world for those hundred years, simply didn’t care.

Tian Wan wanted to add a few sarcastic remarks, but noticed her senior brother glancing at her, and immediately swallowed the words she had been about to say.

The old Daoist stroked his beard and smiled, “Daoist Lu Shen, you truly deserve to be called a prodigy.”

Years ago, he had witnessed Lu Shen secretly using his Yin spirit to travel to the Western Buddha Lands.

Lu Shen, the Lu clan head with the Daoist name “Sky’s Edge,” was responsible for the clan’s most important Dao lineage: observing the heavens.

Although Lu Xu held the title of leader of the Celestial Observation Platform’s Sichen Masters, he didn’t actually wield much power.

According to that Immortal Boat Daoist friend, your Daoist name is Yellow Carriage, yet your given name is “Lu Xu,” meaning Heavenly Emptiness. The name wasn’t chosen well. Blame your parents for not consulting a dictionary when you were born.

Look at Lu Zai, whose Daoist name is “Great Compass,” similarly representing the earth. The name signifies the earth bearing all things. That’s much better! So, it’s only right that she manages the Land Official lineage.

If it weren’t for the fact that Gu Qingsong was an unofficial disciple of Lu Chen, Lu Xu would have argued with him properly.

In the end, Gu Qingsong even said, “Your magnanimity is lacking. Surely, if you go to the ancestral hall to burn incense, it won’t work. My master definitely wouldn’t want to acknowledge you.”

Their branch of the Lu clan’s original ancestor was the Grand Diviner, one of the Six Officials of the Confucian Temple, responsible for preserving the Daoist scripture known as the ancestor of all scriptures.

Legend has it that this book was a cultivation record of some ancient Daoist.

Two auxiliary scriptures were derived from it. One, the “Celestial Book,” was hidden in the Kirin Terrace of the Confucian Temple’s Merit Forest. It was said that the scholar Xiping was born from the Dao transformation of this book. The so-called “watching over” was just a facade. The other, the “Terrestrial Book,” was under the care of the Lu clan’s Zhilan Pavilion. Over the years, through the painstaking deductions of generations of Lu clan ancestors, it had evolved into the Terrestrial Mirror chapter, breaking new ground, with tenets different from Zou Zi’s theory of the five elements’ mutual generation and destruction.

Legend has it that Lu Chen had once read it as a youth. Upon closing the book, he was already unknowingly in tears, lamenting the limitations of existence.

It was like the Daoist Zhang Jiao, in that Lotus World, had once seen an ordinary old monk who didn’t understand cultivation, traveling ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers for fifty years, benefiting all beings along the way. Before his death, he returned to a small temple, with only seven or eight monks, ascended the seat, and gave a discourse. Finally, the old monk looked around with a compassionate expression, tears streaming down his face, choked out the words “All beings suffer,” and closed his eyes in seated meditation.

To weep in despair with madmen on a carriage heading towards a dead end, all three had something in common.

Ordinary people would find it hard to understand such a sentiment.

If each breakthrough in cultivation was likened to a petal blooming, then countless petals were destined to bloom in the human world within the next ten thousand years.

Only the latest Fifteenth Realm, who that flower would fall to, was something that no cultivator on the mountain or Confucian scholar, no sentient being, could avoid.

After all, the personal likes and dislikes of this existence would determine the fate of the world. What the superiors love, those below will love even more.

Rain Dragon Sect’s founder, Liu Zhou, asked, “Could it be that Jade Capital’s Great Sect Leader, who has been missing for many years?”

Great Dragon Waterfall’s founding ancestor, Song Hong, smiled, “It hasn’t been ‘many years.'”

Zhang Jiao nodded. “At most, it hasn’t even been two hundred years.”

Just as Wei She had said, the current Fourteenth Realm was not much different from the previous Ascension Realm.

The Three Sect Founders chose to disperse their Dao, scattering opportunities of enlightenment like rain.

Only “pre-rain” tea tasted better.

Zou Zi nodded. “We can only say that the possibility is great, but there are also many variables.”

This trip to the Azure Underworld was an attempt to trace back to the source.

And before, when Zou Zi was setting up a stall in that small town in the Lihzu Grotto-Heaven, he was observing how things changed.

Xie Shiji finally spoke, asking, “Is it Disciple-Nephew Zheng?”

Apart from herself, hearing this title would likely make most members of the council feel strange.

Like that Liu Daochun, who swaggered around in a pink Daoist robe, always attracting criticism. What virtue or ability did he possess to be able to acknowledge Chen Qingliu as his master and call Zheng Juzhong senior brother?

Moreover, Zheng Juzhong was Xie Shiji’s disciple-nephew.

Zou Zi said, “Hard to say.”

Since the Sage and the Dao Ancestor had both been to White Emperor City, could that be seen as an acknowledgement of some path Zheng Juzhong had chosen?

Zhang Jiao asked in a mental voice, “Can that Lu Shen achieve Harmony with the Dao?”

Zou Zi replied, “As long as I spend a few days each year walking on the ground, he is destined not to achieve Harmony.”

Even with Lu Shen’s extraordinary talent, successfully entering seclusion would not be achieved in a year or two.

After finally seizing an opportunity, when Talk Heaven Zou Zi was “ungrounded,” Lu Shen would immediately enter seclusion. But when Zou Zi “landed,” he would be forced to come out.

After several attempts, Lu Shen had to give up. He seemed to accept his fate, “not fighting with the heavens.”

In short, if Zou Zi didn’t yield the Dao, Lu Shen, who had already achieved perfection in the Ascension Realm, would just be drawing water with a bamboo basket.

Lu Shen was thus barred from entering, his progress halted, his realm stagnating for nearly a thousand years.

Zhang Jiao asked, “Is it because of a struggle for the Great Dao, intentionally tormenting him?”

Zou Zi said, “Not to that extent. I’m just waiting for him to take the initiative to talk about the heavens with me.”

The phrase “talk about the heavens” had a double meaning.

Zhang Jiao tentatively asked, “Is Mr. Zou coveting that original, first-edition copy of the scripture? To use the stones of other mountains to polish one’s own jade, to break the theorem that ‘heaven and earth are inherently incomplete, and all things have flaws,’ to mend the Great Dao of Flaws, and actively join a kind of unprecedented perfection of the Fourteenth Realm, neither quite Fifteenth, yet able to always maintain the profound state of pseudo-Fifteenth?”
Zou Zi shook his head, saying, “Firstly, my ambition lies elsewhere. Secondly, I must maintain the perspective of an observer. If I were to enter the fifteenth realm, there’s a fifty percent chance I’d be forcibly pulled towards it. The terror of such a loss of control is beyond words.”

The question was direct, and the answer was sincere.

Zhang Jiao then changed to a more relaxed topic, smiling, “How many times have you met that motormouth?”

Zou Zi replied, “Only twice. Once in both the Azure Vault and the Grand Brightness.”

Zhang Jiao said, “In this place, shielded by my array, you can openly call him by name. It might deceive some fourteenth realms, but perhaps not the sharp-eared Lu Headmaster.”

Those who kept referring to “Lu Chen” and “Headmaster Lu” were clearly being played by this old Daoist. Experience is the best teacher.

Zou Zi said, “It doesn’t matter if he and Zheng Juzhong hear it. One fears trouble the most, and the other knows exactly what he wants, with no distractions.”

Who wouldn’t envy Lu Chen’s unparalleled freedom, unique in the world?

*I* don’t cause trouble for this world, and this world won’t trouble me.

Never seeking worries, handling matters with grace, and living a regulated life, he is the most unrestrained of the Dao-conforming cultivators.

*I* am meticulous in *my* work but uncompromising in *my* character. As long as you don’t insult *me* to *my* face, *I’ll* ignore it. If you dare to insult someone face to face, don’t blame *me* for retaliating with insults.

As for Zheng Juzhong, it’s best not to provoke him. He disdains targeting anyone.

But if he intentionally targeted someone, even Zou Zi would find it extremely troublesome.

For example, Zheng Juzhong emptying White Emperor City and now quietly traveling along the river of time, is to block the way, preventing Lu Chen from returning to Jade Capital.

The chaos in the Azure Vault world is no longer a mere sign or hint; it’s a blatant display of unrest. Everyone within and outside the Jade Capital knows that an age of chaos has arrived.

Even with Second Headmaster Yu Dou seated in the Jade Capital, wielding Jade Capital Mountain and entering the pseudo-fifteenth realm, he still faced the second joint inquiry alone, slaying several fourteenth realms with his sword.

Such a feat is truly unprecedented.

While the chaos seems temporarily suppressed, the undercurrents are growing stronger.

Grand Headmaster Kou Ming has yet to unify the Three Teachings. What if Lu Chen is blocked in the river of time by Zheng Juzhong?

With Yu Dou’s consistently decisive and iron-fisted style, any conflict between Jade Capital and the various provinces would leave no room for negotiation.

The old Daoist said with mixed feelings, “To be honest, after all these years, *I’m* still afraid of him.”

Having left the Azure Vault world for so long, the mere thought of Yu Dou still fills an old fourteenth realm with lingering fear, showing the depth of Yu Dou’s imposing presence.

Zou Zi said, “Those who are upright, selfless, and possess the greatest authority.”

The old Daoist looked sorrowful, murmuring, “Thinking it over, *I* still feel *I* haven’t done anything wrong.”

If he had to admit that Yu Dou acted according to the rules, with the law showing no leniency, then where did things go wrong?

Zou Zi offered two rather mysterious explanations: “When the heart of heaven touches the earth, changes naturally occur. Yu Dou assumes everyone is rational.”

It’s like some people still believe everyone can repent and become good.

Zou Zi doesn’t target anyone specifically, but he observes the forks in the road of the world from afar.

Lu Xu tentatively asked, “Could it be Headmaster Lu?”

After all, Lu Chen is their ancestral founder.

Even though Lu Chen doesn’t think much of these descendants, regardless of how the Lu clan worships their ancestors year after year, there has never been a successful summoning of the divine in history. The Lu clan has weathered several excruciating crises on their own. But even so, a flower blooming outside the wall isn’t bad, having an old ancestor as the headmaster of the Jade Capital isn’t a bad thing after all. As some bastard said, even if a portrait of your ancestor hanging in your family’s ancestral hall is useless, at least it looks good.

That fellow said with certainty and a sincere expression, “Miss Lu, the words might be crude, but they make sense, right?”

At the time, Lu Zai’s face was like ice as she caught that thieving rogue red-handed, reaching out her hand and saying, “That’s not a reason for you to replace the ancestral portrait with yours! Hand over the old portrait! I’m putting it back where it belongs in the ancestral hall!”

Only he would do something so inhuman.

The reason A Liang secretly visited the Lu clan that time was to spar with the swordsman Pei Min, who was acting as a guest in the Lu clan. Otherwise, people would always say his victories were exaggerated. The reason he climbed over the wall instead of submitting a request and going through the front gate was to avoid the Lu clan, having heard so much about him, being overly hospitable and treating guests too enthusiastically. As for the Lu clan’s ancestral hall, he just happened to pass by.

Zou Zi smiled, “Headmaster Lu won’t find it so easy to comprehend his heart and recognize himself.”

To recognize oneself, one needs a mirror, a coordinate. That’s very difficult.

Luo Shan asked with a smile, “Is it Ning Yao?”

She was close to Du Shanyin, let alone Ning Yao, whom she sincerely regarded as her junior.

Even towards Chen Ping’an and the Hidden Official lineage swordsmen, Luo Shan genuinely felt that those young people were doing very well, even better than them old folks.

Zou Zi didn’t say anything, simply shaking his head.

Duan Qingchen frowned, asking, “It couldn’t be Fei Ran, could it?”

Ning Yao and Fei Ran, these two young swordsmen, are both the indisputable number ones in the world.

Logically, they would indeed have a higher chance, possessing innate advantages over anyone else.

Immortal Cong Qian asked in a deep voice, “Is the swordsman Fei Ran becoming the Lord of the Barren Desolation a sign? A long-term plan belonging to Zhou Mi?”

If that’s the case, shouldn’t we start planning our response today?

It’s said that Fei Ran is an anomaly among the demons of the Barren Desolation, extremely devoted to the teachings of the Sage of Rites.

Zou Zi said indifferently, “I’ve met Fei Ran long ago. He has no intention of changing the world, at most only the thought of mending and perfecting it.”

Wei She wasn’t willing to let the matter pass so easily, pressing on, “After all, times change, realms differ, and identities transform. Fei Ran might change his mind, wouldn’t he?”

Zou Zi seemed to answer irrelevantly, “Rest assured, Fei Ran is definitely not an external avatar of Zhou Mi. Otherwise, Fei Ran wouldn’t be able to become Daoist partners with Gui Ke.”

Wei She smiled, saying nothing more.

Yun Miao listened in terror. In the past, discussions didn’t seem to involve such matters.

Judging from Zou Zi and the others’ tone, it seemed like as long as Fei Ran had that intention, they would offer a plan today and take action against Fei Ran tomorrow?
Wei She cautioned, “Be wary of that nameless one in the Barren Lands.”

Zou Zi nodded, “He is indeed profoundly unfathomable. Bai Ze must have hesitated previously about whether to awaken him.”

Du Shanyin suddenly inquired, “I heard that when the three ancestral masters of the Three Teachings travel to other realms, it’s like visiting neighbors, and they are often suppressed by the ‘Heavenly Will and Earthly Qi’ of those realms. Therefore, they must largely adapt to local customs and abide by the rules of being guests, otherwise, even if the two fifteenth-realm cultivators don’t meet, their Dao energies will clash, inevitably triggering a battle of the Great Dao. Only the Barren Lands are different, its Dao roots are distinct from the Three Teachings.”

“Can I understand it this way, then? Once a Qi refiner from the Barren Lands is the first to reach the fifteenth realm, the realms of humanity will have to merge? No one can stop it?”

Zou Zi affirmed, “That’s a valid interpretation.”

Zhang Jiao stroked his beard and chuckled, squinting, “Such insightful understanding, whose offspring are you?”

Wei She smiled and introduced, “He is the former Judge of the Sword Qi Great Wall, the personal disciple of the sword cultivator Hao Su.”

Zhang Jiao nodded, “Hao Su’s reputation has reached even the Western Buddhist realms, this poor Daoist has heard of it.”

The ancestral masters of the Three Teachings, each merged with their respective realms, yet for millennia, they have almost never shown their faces in their own realms, let alone visited others.

It’s to avoid Dao-ifying the realms.

For example, Daozu seems to have only made one public appearance, riding an ox as a young Daoist child, and that was to the Barren Lands.

In the eyes of some later-generation great cultivators, Daozu’s action was a bit of bullying.

It is because of this that the three realms of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism can coexist peacefully, maintaining a generally harmonious neighborly relationship.

If we consider the four realms as four households, then each has its own family style.

The Verdant Cloud Realm venerates Confucianism, yet the Confucian Temple does not reject the Hundred Schools, but it fears that the pathways will be filled with self-proclaimed selfless Confucian scholars, occupying important positions, enjoying using reason to kill, feeling guiltless, and being harsh to the world.

It fears that the rules will be too rigid, leaving everyone unable to move. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, the Sage of Rites will never take that step, his situation being somewhat similar to Bai Ze.

No wonder they are such close friends.

In the Azure Nether Realm, because Yin and Yang are emphasized, the number of female great cultivators standing at the pinnacle is relatively higher.

Daozu stays out of worldly affairs, choosing to let his three chief disciples take turns managing affairs for a hundred years, is a choice that flowing water does not become stale, and a door hinge is not infested with worms.

Humanity once faced three heaven-and-earth calamities filled with variables.

First, the Great Ancestor of the Barren Lands secretly refined one of the Ascension Platforms into Mount Tuoyue, attempting to reconnect the earth and the heavenly court, gradually drawing in the underworld, helping demon race Qi refiners, and certain heroic spirits who died in the battle to ascend, to gather them under his command, recreate gods, and reshape the heavenly court.

Second, the Great Demon Primus created the Hall of Valor, pointing out a more extreme and practical path for the Barren Lands, weakening the beings of the world to strengthen a small group of great demons.

The last calamity, of course, was the utterly disillusioned Jia Sheng of the Verdant Cloud Realm, who transformed into Zhou Mi of the Barren Lands. He secretly devoured a group of great demons, thinning the world to fatten himself.

Since he failed to annex the Verdant Cloud Realm in one fell swoop, Zhou Mi, seizing the opportunity to eat again and again, had no choice but to ascend and leave, changing battlefields.

This brought a huge hidden danger to the Barren Lands. If it weren’t for Bai Ze returning to the Barren Lands, awakening that group of ancient great demons who had been sleeping for ten thousand years, plus Bai Ze’s own strange way of merging with the Dao, making any fourteenth-realm cultivator deeply wary, then the lack of top-tier combat power in the new Barren Lands would have made the Verdant Cloud Realm’s counterattack unstoppable, with no suspense in the outcome.

The first calamity was resolved by three sword cultivators.

The second was personally suppressed by Daozu.

Therefore, the later generations on the mountains inevitably lack deep impressions.

The third caused pain for both realms.

Recalling those years, the three sword cultivators left the Sword Qi Great Wall together and rushed to Mount Tuoyue.

Someone asked, “Since the resentment is so great, why are you willing to go along?”

Someone replied, “I’m not helping those Confucian scholars, not even helping you, Chen Qingdu. I just think that those dead old friends certainly wouldn’t want to be forced to become someone else’s pawns.”

As for the sword cultivator who had been silent, at the moment when he could remotely see Mount Tuoyue, he finally spoke, muttering to himself, “On the path of cultivation, I have always been protected by all of you. It’s time for me to protect humanity once. It’s not easy to have this humanity, so we can’t go down the old path again.”

They were Chen Qingdu, Dragon Lord, and Guanzhao.

Their respective natal flying swords were named Floating Duckweed, Great Ruins Immortal Tomb, and River of Time.

Zeng Xiansheng smilingly inquired, “Has Master Zou forgotten someone?”

Everyone present instantly understood, and the atmosphere suddenly became strange.

Zou Zi laughed, “Me?”

He shook his head to himself, self-deprecatingly saying, “One who prides himself on mending nets, how can he also be a fish that slipped through?”

Back then, when cooperating with the Sage of Rites to travel far beyond the heavens, Zou Zi brought five bags of mud, combined with the talismans of the Three Mountains and Nine Marquis, and finally successfully laid out five heavenly paths, so long that they were uncalculable.

Therefore, when Zou Zi’s five-colored mud ran out, it would be the end of the chase, and the Sage of Rites and the others would have to turn back.

However, some people present had their thoughts stirred. A fish that slipped through the net could swallow a boat. If Zou Zi was that fish, wouldn’t that be even better?

“Next door”, there was another Ancestral Hall, the people there were all candidates, and the number was currently less than fifteen.

Among them were Shao Benchu from Flowing Rosy Isle, Xu Xuan from Northern Gualt Island, Su Jia from the Dogwood Peak of True Yang Mountain, Huai Qian from Central Earth Divine Continent, and that lone sapling from the Planchette Sect of Tung Leaf Isle, and others.

There was a young cultivator who used to be a shop assistant in the Yellow Dream Wine Shop of Upside-Down Mountain, named Xu Jia.

There were also several from other realms, such as a middle-aged man wearing great frost armor, leaning on a saber with both hands, dozing off, his hometown being Drifting Cloud Isle, but now his true form was in the Five Colors Realm, continuing to be an emperor.

There was a wandering Daoist with the Daoist name Zheng Xing, chatting idly with a cultivator from Southern Sazania who liked to fish.

Originally, they were each talking about their own things, but soon, due to a certain topic, everyone participated, expressing their own opinions.

Someone said that just two sword cultivators could recklessly penetrate deep into the Barren Lands, cutting apart realms. The demon race was so useless, how could this battle be fought, why not surrender sooner rather than later.

Xu Jia, upon hearing this, immediately became displeased, saying that they were not ordinary Ascended Realm sword cultivators.
Although A’Liang still owed the shop a great deal of money and had betrayed the young mistress’s affection, Xu Jia felt compelled to speak a few words of fairness for the fellow in this matter.

Soon, others echoed Xu Jia’s sentiments, adding that the certain someone who had returned to the desolate lands and those ancient great demons seemed to have abstained from that encirclement.

A young Daoist named Wang Wu chuckled, saying that if his calculations were correct, they had all likely ascended to the Fourteenth Realm while trapped.

A man clad in resplendent Frost Armor, leaning on a saber, opened his eyes and inquired, “In that case, how can we fight those barbaric beasts? Heavily injured? Can you divine how many perished?”

Daoist Wang Wu sighed, “For some reason, none of the barbaric demons who participated in the encirclement, including the Sword Immortal Zhang Lu who defected from the Great Wall of Sword Qi, died.”

On the other side, Zhang Jiao declared, “Let us now discuss the second matter: who is willing to intervene in the turmoil of Azure Abyss?”

Wei She, seemingly unsurprised, chuckled, “One must choose a side, wouldn’t you agree?”

Zou Zi stated, “Of course, you are free to choose either.”

Tongye Continent, Fish Scale Ferry, where the moonlight shimmered like flowing silk.

On the ferryboat beneath the shade of parasol trees, a wine table brought together individuals from various homelands.

Chen Ping’an merely sipped his wine, becoming slightly tipsy, while Feng Xuetao, relentlessly urged on by Cui Dongshan, was clearly quite drunk. His words became unbridled, saying that Liu Jubao and Wei She were both useless, unable to seize even a single word “North.” Chen Ping’an smiled without comment. Pei Qian wore an odd expression, as this private grievance between the two continents involved a prominent figure in the northern continent, one who had a significant connection to their own Falling Mountain. Cui Dongshan, oblivious, hiccuped and feigned righteous indignation, declaring that it was up to Senior Qing Mi, with his exceptional skills and courage, to take the lead in facilitating discussions, especially with the Kneeling Peak of the Northern Juzu Continent, to demand an explanation…

Just then, Feng Xuetao felt a chill down his spine. A hand pressed down on his head, and a voice chuckled, “Don’t speak such foolishness. This talk of seizing and grasping is disharmonious. This humble Daoist’s cultivation is meager, and his words carry little weight. Whenever I see God of Wealth Liu and Wei She on the road, I wouldn’t dare utter a peep. Come, come, this humble Daoist offers his apology and asks for forgiveness, punishing myself with a few cups of wine…”

Feng Xuetao shrunk back, silent as a cicada in winter.

Cui Dongshan, sensing danger, attempted to flee, but froze in place the moment he stood.

Old Immortal, stroking his beard, smiled faintly, “Trying to run? Are you trying to wipe without cleaning, after defecating?”

Besides the Fire Dragon Immortal, who had his hand on Feng Xuetao’s head and had frozen Cui Dongshan in place, another Daoist, refined and unrestrained, appeared on the ferryboat, carrying a sword on his back.

It was none other than Chunyang Lü Yan.

Chen Ping’an understood immediately. He stood up and walked with Daoist Lü Yan to another location. The latter said with a mental message, “This humble Daoist has chosen a place to temper my Dao heart and will depart soon. Don’t rush, but when you are truly free, please go there to help protect the Dao. I would be grateful for your efforts.”

Chen Ping’an asked curiously, “Where is it?”

Lü Yan replied, “One of the only two in the world where a grotto-heaven connects to a blessed land.”

In the current five continents, besides Lotus Grotto-Heaven and Lotus Blessed Land, which are connected, there is actually another such place. (Note: Chapter 320, “The Old Daoist by the Well”)

Chen Ping’an nodded. This choice was indeed unexpected, yet reasonable.

Lü Yan hesitated for a moment before reminding, “The rules there are strict. Mountain Lord Chen may need to temporarily forget his past, as this humble Daoist has done.”

Chen Ping’an smiled, “That’s not difficult at all. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”