Upon the Peak of Spirit Gathering, Liu Xiang bestowed upon Lu Shen a power akin to the Celestial Eye and the Gift of Minds. The divine felt a jarring disquiet after a moment of reflection, his brow furrowed, his hand gripping the ivory balustrade to steady his Daoist spirit.

“Wondrous beyond words, a sight to behold!”

Could the *Earth Mirror Chronicle*, penned by his own hand, be interpreted and wielded in such a way?

Liu Xiang withdrew his arcane power. “What does the Lu Shen who *wrote* the Earth Mirror Chronicle truly *know* of it?” he quipped.

The earth god chuckled softly, a sound like rustling leaves.

This brief communion had proven profoundly insightful. Lu Shen was now seized by an immediate yearning to return to the Celestial Peak for secluded cultivation. He felt he could ascend beyond the obstruction of Zou Zi, achieving enlightenment in a single leap, despite the unfortunate consequences left on him by Zheng Juzhong’s scholarly visit. He felt the potential gains would be greater, especially the melding of swordplay and Daoist magic.

Sensing the Lu Shen’s intent, Liu Xiang cautioned, “Before true Harmony, do not presume to imitate. Such folly invites heavenly wrath.”

Lu Shen quickly bowed his head. “I shall bear it in mind.”

Zheng Juzhong, ever pragmatic, declared, “To your tasks, then.”

Liu Xiang nodded. “I journey to the Snowy Isle.”

As they parted, a peculiar exchange ensued.

“This extraction,” Liu Xiang inquired, “are there any restrictions?”

Zheng Juzhong merely replied, “None that I know of, save for a lack of appetite.”

Liu Xiang, understanding, pressed no further.

Lu Shen, taking “extraction” to refer to Zheng Juzhong’s collaboration with Chen Pingan in “robbing” the sword cultivator Huang Zhen, thought nothing of it.

With a single step covering vast distances, Zheng Juzhong reached the borders of the mountain and walked from the archway, instructing Zhou Hu, “Seek employment at Windy Cloud Mountain. If the Lord Wei refuses you, become a humble servant at Flowing Fish Mountain’s Flower Shadow Peak. Heed my warning: abandon all thoughts of your former domain. That forsaken ferry crossing is no longer yours to claim. Await the destined soul to make it his own. Only then shall you truly escape your plight.”

Zhou Hu nodded, replying in the local tongue, “Your servant understands.”

When she stood at the foot of the mountain, and Zheng Juzhong at its summit, she had dared defiance.

Now, facing him directly, Zhou Hu was struck dumb, all thoughts of retribution extinguished.

Zheng Juzhong said, “Fare thee well.”

Zhou Hu nodded again.

The first disciple within Fallen Star Mountain’s outer sect was the white-haired child, a demon from beyond the heavens, and the first compiler of registers, known as “Konghou.”

The second was named Yinlu, formerly a deputy city lord of the Barbarian Realm’s Immortal Hairpin City, now renamed Zeng Cuo.

If Zhou Hu were to settle at Flowing Fish Mountain instead of seeking service at Windy Cloud Mountain, she would become the third such disciple.

Zhou Hu inquired, “Does Master Zheng return to White Emperor City for seclusion?”

But Zheng Juzhong had already departed, his destination unknown.

With nothing to occupy him, and stifled by boredom, Chen Lingjun, sleeves billowing, ambled down from the mountain, seeking an audience with Windy Cloud Mountain.

The emerald child conjured a wisp of water vapor, rising into the air and concealing himself from view. He floated towards the Northern Peak, landing in a secluded spot, dispersing the clouds, and strolling leisurely to the mountain gate. “Not bad,” he mused, hands on his hips. “A fine mountain, buzzing with activity. Lord Wei is prospering these days.”

The devout ascended to the mountain in droves, nobles and commoners alike. Some, driven by faith, traveled hundreds of leagues on foot, seeking blessings. Not only mortals, but cultivators too paid their respects, hoping for a stroke of celestial fortune, for there is never a shortage of pilgrims.

The Five Peaks were not isolated citadels, access was readily granted. As such, save during the Night Sojourn Festival, Windy Cloud Mountain did not maintain “gatekeepers” at its base.

Chen Lingjun turned his gaze to one particular area, a knowing smile gracing his lips.

It was the Windy Cloud Mountain’s bamboo grove. Like Lord Wei’s study, it was a restricted area, untouched by pavilions or paths, returned to the wilderness. Even Wei Biao did not set foot within, allowing the bamboo to grow freely.

Some years past, a little girl with black hair, holding a green bamboo staff, had often wandered here, taking the hidden paths, peering behind trees, darting from cover to cover like a thief in the night, heading directly for the grove.

The divine maidens of the Ritual Administration and the celestial officials of the Patrol Administration, bound by duty, had been greatly vexed. Fortunately, Lord Wei had issued a decree, commanding them to turn a blind eye. So, each time the girl ascended, they could only watch as she entered the grove.

Their greatest fear was that she would emerge, bamboo poles slung across her shoulders, brazenly carrying her loot down the mountain.

Should they stop her? Would it even matter? Lord Wei had commanded them to leave her alone, but who would bear the responsibility if she truly did steal?

“A rare visitor,” Wei Biao, garbed as a scholar with an illusion to hide his true nature, greeted him. “What brings the Ancestor Jingqing here, instead of remaining in the mountain to entertain guests?”

Chen Lingjun retorted, “What’s this? You’re turning me away before I even enter? Wei, that’s not very friendly. And ‘Ancestor Jingqing’? You flatter me.”

Wei Biao placed a hand on the emerald child’s head, his smile unwavering. “Is that how you speak to me?”

Chen Lingjun shrank away. “I didn’t want to intrude on your nephew Zheng’s visit.”

Wei Biao said, “Master Zheng has already left Fallen Star Mountain.”

Chen Lingjun grumbled, “That old cook isn’t cunning enough. I asked him to implore his stay, but he couldn’t even manage that.”

“How is he not cunning enough?” Wei Biao inquired.

Chen Lingjun explained, “If *I* were to ask him to stay, Zheng wouldn’t know my weight within Fallen Star Mountain, and he wouldn’t want to trouble me. As an elder, I can’t tell him what I mean to the mountain lord. But the old cook is the most well known, and he is clearly the mountain’s manager, if he asked Zheng a couple of times, he would give in and would go home and say good things about the cook. Well, never mind. Next time Zhuo Liu is here, I’ll drink three bowls as punishment.”

Wei Biao chuckled. “So you do acknowledge him as your nephew.”

Chen Lingjun bristled. “What else am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to ignore my family now? What kind of man would I be!”

Wei Biao pressed down on the other’s head, “Loudly is the kindest thing to say, right?”

Chen Lingjun sighed.

Zhou Hu arrived at Windy Cloud Mountain shortly after.

Wei Biao nodded, speaking in a hushed voice, “Fellow Daoist Mei Zheng, you are welcome to explore the region of the Northern Peak.”

Zhou Hu returned the greeting, offering a feeble excuse. “It has been so long since I walked. I have come for relaxation.”

Even though Zheng Juzhong had told her to come to find work here, and the deal could probably be sealed with one look from Lord Wei, she found it impossible to say the words. It was too great of a difference, a Heaven and Earth difference, between a failed Harmonizing, and a cultivator who could never find the right road.

Chen Lingjun, mistaking her for one of the divine maidens of Windy Cloud Mountain, had no interest in making her acquaintance.

He did not know who Zhou Hu was, but Zhou Hu knew the emerald child well. He who never walked well, who shook his sleeves on his walks up and down the mountain. When Pei Qian was on the mountain, he’d go to Gray Gloom Mountain to talk with Yun Zi. When Pei Qian wasn’t there, he’d go on patrols with Mi Li.

Wei Biao led them on a tour of the mountain.

The sunset resembled a goddess preening before a mirror, painting her face with rouge.

Sitting together on the bamboo chairs at the mountain gate, just before the day was done, Mi Li called out softly, “Master Immortal! Master Immortal!”

The Immortal Wei put away his books and rubbed his eyes. “Hmm?”

Mi Li put her hands on the chair and pulled herself next to the Immortal. She shook her head and opened her mouth.

The Immortal understood. “Are we playing the erhu, or are we singing about Dao?”

Mi Li didn’t hesitate. “Sing ‘The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea’ from your home. That one makes you feel good even though you’ve heard it a hundred times.”

“Okay,” the Immortal said.

The Immortal stood up and cleared his throat.

Before the young Daoist could speak, Mi Li was already applauding.

The Immortal closed his eyes and brought his hands together. He shook his sleeves and began singing.

—-

South of the Sandy Continent, Dragon Elephant Sword Sect.

Lu Zhi emerged from her secluded cave, shielding her eyes from the setting sun.

Lady Rouge asked softly, “Master Lu, did you do it?”

The apotheosis of the Haoran Peak cultivators had caused many incidents.

To ascend to apotheosis was not unlike a cultivator finding their core. There was a level to it. To ascend in the day, open and honestly, was different than ascending in the night, like a demon.

But Lu Zhi had emerged without any fanfare. So she had not apotheosized. Or maybe she was using that time to slack off.

But the other couldn’t ask if Lu Zhi had done it or not. That would be unlucky.

These days, the other lady had been camping outside.

She built a little patio, spread a straw mat, set up incense, and read trashy novels. She had deliberately picked the novels. At night, all you could hear was the turning of the page, and the stars looked like fish in water.

Lu Zhi walked to the patio and nodded. “I did it.”

Not only had she done it, the process had felt like a fantastic poem.

The vastness of the ethereal nothing, she had felt like she was in front of a wall.

Lu Zhi thought she had reached the border of the earth, and to the edge of the Dao.

Light began to spread everywhere like a forest.

One part of Lu Zhi’s soul began to “ascend”, and finally discovered it was a ship. There was a woman in gold robes, with her hair let down. She looked like she had never been born.

Before she saw “her,” she had seen some unexplainable things. The ships looked like humans, but they were monstrous and misshapen. There were walls of arrays, there were creatures that looked like birds, and vortices that looked like death. There were sounds of ripping silk and cracking pottery, and of giants eating stars.

Lu Zhi asked, “Did you call me here?”

The woman shook her head.

Lu Zhi could not help but ask, “What were those things? What’s with that travel?”

“Immigrating, escaping, expanding. There are many reasons. But the biggest is to find the origin.”

The woman paused and looked at Lu Zhi. “The simplest way to put it, is that you’re fascinating.”

“There is no river of time. Only different prisons.”

“But this is all Lu Zhi can comprehend. If it was Lu Chen, he could talk about it.”

“In the end, from somewhere infinite away, the slightest thought on your mind is the same as a birth.”

Lu Zhi thought about her ship and how it would return to her body.

It was like a dream.

Lady Rouge was happy, but felt something was wrong. Did Lu Zhi feel like she had too good of a chance?

That might be it. Cultivating should be exciting.

Lu Zhi sat down and grabbed a book from the table.

Lady Rouge tried to grab it, but Lu Zhi dodged her. She held up the book and saw what it was. “There’s nothing wrong with this.”

Lady Rouge’s face turned red. She sat on the mat and tentatively asked, “Is something wrong, Master Lu?”

Lu Zhi mumbled something.

Lady Rouge cheered her up. “You did it! That’s nothing to be sad about.”

Lu Zhi said something surprising. “After apotheosizing, I saw some things, and I got greedy. I tried to do it all in one go, and I failed to harmonize.”

Lady Rouge was shocked. “Ah?”

Lu Zhi said, “I saw Ruan Xiu out there.”

Lady Rouge covered Lu Zhi’s mouth.

Lu Zhi hit Rouge’s hand with the book and said, “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Qi Tingji came and said, “I have to talk to Lu Zhi.”

Lady Rouge, seeing the elder immortal’s face, got up and left.

—-

Where did the third flying sword come from, to cleave 14?

Jiang She’s heart shook and stopped in his tracks. The first military ancestor had his first look of disbelief.

The person who ambushed Chen Pingan was a 14 realm sword cultivator, but not a simple one.

Even the worst 14 realm, like those from the Azure Sky, wouldn’t be weak.

There’s a great difference between defeating, and killing them.

Killing them could mean forcing them to reincarnate, or truly ending them.

Jiang She grabbed some dust, and knew it wasn’t fake. It was a remnant of a powerful Dao, and the remnant of a sword. He knew one of the 14 was gone.

Who was the unlucky fool? Barbarian? Azure Sky?

A fight among the 14 would turn the world upside down.

For instance, Yu Dou of the Azure Sky had come to the region and beat his friend down from 14.

During the war in Floating Canopy Region, Zhou set a trap for Bai Ye. And Liang and Zoyou disappeared into the Barbarian region.

And Niny Ao had only defeated a 14 ghost, who had not Harmonized. But it caused a big splash in the underworld.

Jiang She went quiet and couldn’t help but ask, “Chen Pingan, how did you guys do it?”

Chen Pingan was hard to kill and was fused to the Dao.

Chen Pingan’s biggest weakness was his lack of killer abilities. He could practice, but he wouldn’t get anywhere.

Zhou’s had set the board with the golden sword. Chen Pingan wasn’t enough.

This fight meant that there was only two variables, the swordholder and Zheng Juzhong’s plan.

Ning Ao could destroy this place and it didn’t matter.

As for Wu Shuagnjiang, she made Jiang scared with her next words, “In fact, the war is in the Barbarian region, in the old Golden Jade City, in the Zheng’s plan for a long time. One of his bodies is Harmonizing here, taking the luck of the Barbarian region for the Haoran. Moving the city, taking from nothing, the cities and the robes would be war merit. Secretly setting up a dojo, setting up a ferry for the return. Three in one.”

Jiang Shangzhen looked at Cui Dongshan. Was that really in Old Zheng?

Cui Dongshan nodded, it was.

The first thing was to assume that Zheng Juzhong was smart.

Jiang She had to admit something. Over the last 10,000 years, there wasn’t much of a difference in the Dao, but the minds of cultivators was a big difference.

Wu Shuangjiang smiled, “It’s a rare opportunity, why don’t I feel what a martial artist above the realm feels like? And see how heavy the feet of a martial artist is? How about it, senior?”

Jiang She steeled himself.

Even if it was just talking, Chen Pingan warned, “Chief Wu, the feet of the 11, are too heavy.”

Konghou had become a walking warehouse of Martial abilities.

But a single truth was that learning from paper was nothing like reality.

Chen Pingan had experienced the “half fist.”

Wu Shuagnjiang clapped. “How unexpected, our victim is here. As the receiver of the sword, I can answer your questions, senior.”

The deaf Daoist, who was a hillbilly, was too soft.

Chen Pingan knew.

Chen Pingan asked, “How much will it cost to fix the four swords?”

Wu Shuangjiang gave no answer. Chen Pingan said, “Nevermind, I don’t want to know.”

A spectral image appeared on the battlefield.

Jiang Shangzhen said, “That scared me. Cui, who is this guy?”

Cui Dongshan said, “From the same place as my lord, the one expected by Ma Kuxuan, used to disgust people.”

Jiang Shangzhen said, “So that’s how it is, that is the name for it.”

The deaf Daoist, who had been selected by Ma Kuxuan, had given a talisman.

He did not want to do too much, lest there was too much karma. He had seen Zheng, and three people with imposing aura, so he decided to stop. Chen, you have raised a good disciple!

Huang Zhen spoke, “I finally meet you again. Finally!”

Chen Pingan said, “I don’t know you. You can say your last words.”

They were both using the local dialect.

Huang Zhen ignored him and took a look. It shocked him to see so many living people. It caused him to hold back his words. “Did you think that was it? I can go against the stream and come see you, so how can I die? I will follow the river.”

Chen Pingan cut him off. “There is no past or future. Just now.”

There were different opinions of the Dao.

Common people took this as empty and useless words.

But Huang Zhen was different. He carried a treasure.

Huang Zhen was quiet. “You are truly lucky. The luckiest person in my home. You know everything. The favored by heavens? Not my master. You are!”

Chen Pingan said, “I agree.”

Huang Zhen looked at the ancestor. Pity, the world is full of parents.

Jiang She asked, “If you’re a simple sword cultivator, why fail?”

Huang Zhen said, “I am not good enough. Even if I don’t accept it, what else can I do? That guy is too lucky.”

He had cultivated a thousand years more.

Huang Zhen mumbled, “Sword cultivator Huang Zhen, has little hate, but much hatred, for Chen Pingan.”

Huang Zhen revealed a secret, “Don’t worry, ancestor Jiang. Chen can cleave me, but he can’t cleave you.”

He had hoped to use the sword to gain freedom from the fish.

Huang Zhen was a true cultivator. No spouse, no children, no friends, no disciples, and he avoided the world. He stayed in his dojo by the lake.

Once Huang Zhen was at the 14 realm, he went to the mountain.

To put it simply, Huang Zhen was separated from the world.

He wanted to become a 14 realm.

Huang Zhen turned to White Emperor and asked, “Master Zheng, isn’t this too much?”

Zheng Juzhong gave no reply.

It was Zheng Juzhong who caused Huang to fail to escape.

Huang Zhen said, “It isn’t easy to have Zheng Juzhong take care of you.”

Borrowed Lu Shen’s mirror chronicle. With Chen Pingan and Huang Zhen, it meant something. It meant a dragon rising.

He borrowed Bai Jing’s swords to pave the way.

The Daoists of the sect, are like the mountains of a river.

In the azure sky, there were also people.

Huang Zhen knew there would be a Daoist that would appear soon.

Huang Zhen asked, “Chen Pingan, do you want to know about what will happen in the future? Do you want to know about your accomplishments?”

Chen Pingan closed his eyes.

Huang Zhen said, “Do you remember as a child, reading about the gods, there were some phrases, how a bad person was doing things that were against the Dao, but their time wasn’t up, so they couldn’t die.”

Chen Pingan said, “You’re dead now. You should speak good words.”

Huang Zhen laughed and said, “Good words for the dying?”

“I went back home once and went to Fallen Star Mountain.”

“But I left. Before today, I thought it was the best choice.”

Huang Zhen paused and asked, “Do you hate me?”

Chen Pingan said, “I suppose I do.”

They went quiet.

Huang Zhen asked, “Do you want to talk?”

Chen Pingan hesitated. “Two questions.”

Huang Zhen laughed. “I will say everything.”

Chen Pingan asked, “Why did you attack when I was cultivating?”

Huang Zhen said, “Ah, it wasn’t that I was reckless. It was because it would make your process worse.”

Chen Pingan said something in dialect.

Huang Zhen laughed.

He thought about his hometown.

He had wanted to make a name for himself.

But it wasn’t meant to be.

He forgot about the second question. Huang Zhen spoke, “I ended up like Cai Jinjian, doing things for others.”

Cui Dongshan changed his face. “Master, don’t go back there! Zhou is scheming.”

Jiang She had a guess. Since this place was the location of a fight over fire and water. If Zhou Mi returned there, Chen Pingan would become a god?!

Huang Zhen narrowed his eyes and looked at Chen Pingan. “A peasant is becoming a god? There are worse things. How many pieces of clay have become a god?”

To turn Chen Pingan into a god was the same as killing him.

It didn’t matter if he saw it or not. Huang Zhen laughed and thought.

As he was dispersing, Huang Zhen used a dialect and called him a thief.

Huang Zhen had ceased to exist.

Zheng Juzhong looked at Chen Pingan.

Chen Pingan shook his head.

Zheng Juzhong didn’t tell Huang Zhen something.

That Cui Chan went to the Azure Sky with his sword.

That Chang Geng was from Lingjingguan.

Chen Pingan asked, “How is Lu Chen?”

Zheng was quiet.

In a temple, there was light through the window. On the desk was “Do not dream backwards.”