Heaven.
Earth.
Both used as verbs.

During this time, Xiao Mo filled the void left by Bai Jing. He did not withdraw one of his life-bound flying swords, “Lotus Silk,” but continued to guide that extraterrestrial star to “fill the gap.”

A star slowly revealed its astonishing, immense outline. The human world seemed to gain a dark sun and moon. However, the closer this star got to that golden line, the smaller it appeared. By the time it acted as a miniature precious bead blocking the “Heaven” golden line, the pressure of the Heavenly Dao was literally crushing. It rapidly eroded Xiao Mo’s colossal true form and vast sword intent. The incredibly tough body of an ancient great demon and the profound dao power of a peak 14th-realm pure sword cultivator were still so fragile.

His life-bound flying sword “Lotus Silk” suddenly shattered, and a star began to collapse. Xiao Mo could either endure until the end, his realms falling endlessly, eventually turning to ash and scattering in the human world. Even then, he would only delay “Heaven” for a moment, unable to change the tragic final outcome. Or, he could withdraw from this golden “Heavenly Dao” connecting Heaven and Earth early, perhaps saving some of his realm. This might be acceptable for others, but Xiao Mo, who, like “Bai Jing,” was dissolving his Dao and following in his footsteps, remained composed. His true form’s head was already tilted, his scarred neck about to be crushed, when he looked down at the human world.

He could no longer speak his thoughts. To maintain the “support of Heaven” for his true form and sword intent, he couldn’t even think clearly. In the end, Xiao Mo could only slightly move his lips, as if responding to the confession of the girl in the sable hat. He gave the most sincere and concise reply, just one word, “Also.”

Also likes.

As he was about to fall in realm, once he dropped from the 14th realm to the Ascension realm, the subsequent series of drops would truly be a matter of life and death.

Just at this moment, a brilliant river of talismans appeared from outside the sky. With lightning speed, it surged towards the gap in the golden line, encircling Xiao Mo’s true form and barely dragging the golden line upwards. Xiao Mo was as if divinely assisted, and his sword intent instantly soared.

On the Savage Land side, an old cultivator from Lizhi Peak shouted aloud, “The Righteous Path flourishes!” and unleashed a soaring fire dragon. Human Dao arts were like dragons.

Also in the Savage Land, Celestial Master Zhao Tianlai of Longhu Mountain summoned his Dharma image, holding the Celestial Master Sword and a Dharma seal in one hand. He steered the fire dragon, the flying dragon in the sky, like a bridge between Heaven and Earth, also filling the gap.

Heaven was obstructed.
Earth slowly rose.

The six-armed Dharma image in Qingming Wuzhou fought with increasing ferocity. It had already shattered five divine weapons and broken five arms.

This 14th-realm female cultivator from the Qingming Heaven had such killing intent and exerted such deadly force, not hesitating to damage the foundation of her own great Dao, all just for the reason of “not finding Zhou Mi pleasing to the eye.”

Inside White Jade Capital, on the easternmost side, a Dao official wearing a fishtail crown trod upon the void and arrived at the battlefield. The berserk Wuzhou glanced at him, greatly surprised.

It turned out to be Jiang Zhaomo, the quietly risen 14th-realm master of Ziqi Tower. He extended his hand, saying, “May I trouble Fellow Daoist Wuzhou to sever your Dao connection with this divine weapon and lend it to this poor Daoist?”

Wuzhou hesitated, a rare occurrence, saying, “If you use underhanded tricks against that guy surnamed Chen, wouldn’t I be utterly screwed? You must explain the reason to me first.”

“Personal grudges are personal grudges, public justice is public justice.”

Jiang Zhaomo removed his Dao crown and threw it into a rolled-up sleeve of his Daoist robe. He said calmly, “Fellow Daoist Wuzhou, do not underestimate White Jade Capital.”

Wuzhou still wore a look of sarcasm, refusing to lend that ancient divine weapon. “This old woman will use it, break it, and destroy it herself, but I will never give you smelly Daoists of White Jade Capital a chance to run rampant.”

Jiang Zhaomo simply maintained the posture of reaching for the weapon, “Moreover, this Venerable One does not wish to be subservient in martial arts, or live under his influence, especially now that he is on that mountain peak. This Venerable One will abandon the martial arts of the Divine to One layer, so that private revenge can be carried out more cleanly in the future. Wuzhou, hesitate no longer. This strike will be the culmination of Jiang Zhaomo’s martial arts life’s work. It will not be weak.”

Jiang Zhaomo sighed inwardly, glancing at the pure golden line below. If there were to be a “future.” To have such an opponent, this life has not been in vain. What a pity, truly a pity.

Seeing Wuzhou’s refusal, Jiang Zhaomo smiled, no longer insisting. His Dharma image assumed a boxing stance, and the Dao Lord moved his fists and feet, using his unparalleled martial arts to gauge the vast heavenly might of the Divine Dao.

As her arm shattered, Wuzhou threw the divine weapon towards Jiang Zhaomo. The female cultivator, full of righteous spirit, laughed loudly, “Don’t just say ‘not weak,’ say ‘very strong’!”

Jiang Zhaomo gripped the blade, flexed his wrist, and said with a hint of regret, “Slightly light.”

Wuzhou grit her teeth and was about to let her Dao body attach itself to the blade, but Jiang Zhaomo guessed her intention and immediately reached out to stop her impulsive action. Then, holding the blade in one hand, Jiang Zhaomo, who could almost be said to have achieved physical divinity, truly abandoned martial arts as his trump card. He, the martial artist Jiang Zhaomo in the form of a Daoist Dharma image, unleashed a resolute strike towards the golden line that originated from the New Heavenly Court. Wherever the martial arts-infused blade light went, it also pulled up a string of dazzling glazed light.

Shattering that great Dao barrier that resembled a glazed realm, Jiang Zhaomo, without his fishtail crown, had a radiant face, his hair flying, his eyes and expression filled with great satisfaction. He carved a subtle Dao trace into the golden heavenly pillar.

In Bei Juluzhou, a magnificent sword formation had been set up. Sword light rising from the mountains and rivers of the earth continuously added sword energy to this grand formation.

Liu Jinglong used his life-bound flying sword “Rules” as the formation’s core, and Bai Shang’s sword delivery as the formation’s “tip.” In a short time, they had replicated a “Ground” golden line that was almost identical to the real one!

Jiang Zhaomo had no bloodstains; his Dharma image was still spotless. However, his face was covered in cracks brought about by the destruction of his martial arts. The armless Wuzhou rolled him back with a sleeve. The female cultivator’s sleeves hung down, and she said sternly, “That’s enough. If Bai Jing hadn’t torn open a gap, this wouldn’t have been a great Dao struggle we could casually participate in.”

Although Jiang Zhaomo had suffered significant loss to his great Dao, his Dao heart was not at all despondent. “To have a purpose does not necessarily require achieving something. To have a purpose that is destined to fail is still a Dao heart.”

Wuzhou said in surprise, “Found a gold nugget in a pile of shit.”

Jiang Zhaomo smiled and said, “Let’s not say such angry words. If Wuzhou were to go to the Vast Expanse or any other Heaven, she would feel just as stifled and unhappy.”

Wuzhou said, “You’re right. I’ll take this opportunity to go to Baopingzhou in the Vast Expanse, so that Mr. Chen… can rest assured. What about you, Jiang Zhaomo?”

Jiang Zhaomo said, “Go back and recuperate.”

Wuzhou focused her gaze, chose a landing spot, and transformed into a rainbow streak, descending straight into the human world. Along the way, she grabbed the shoulder of “Zhou Haijing,” who was ascending with a spear, and said, “Little girl, your Dao power is still weak, don’t add fuel to the fire. Heaven and Earth connection is not like cooking.” Wuzhou brought Zhou Haijing back to the vicinity of that high platform, seeing Zhou Haijing still filled with indignation and glaring at her. Wuzhou released her hand and smiled, “It’s dispersed, all dispersed. As for what happens next, we have done our best and leave the rest to fate. Just seeking a clear conscience.”

“Zhou Haijing” propped her iron spear on the ground. Her twelve fluttering ribbons gradually dissipated, and the vertical eye between her eyebrows quickly faded away.

Wuzhou said, “As for the divine weapons ‘Execution’ and ‘Investigation,’ you little girls can rest assured and keep them. Wuzhou was shameless enough to snatch from Chen Ping’an earlier, but I don’t have the face to bully you juniors who still seem to be wearing open-crotch pants.”

Zhou Haijing and the other twelve people from the mainland gathered together, unafraid of being instantly killed by Wuzhou.

Wuzhou looked at these young faces, both worried and full of vitality, and gave them a thumbs up, “Young in age, but not lacking in spirit. Da Li has good fortune.”

Wuzhou’s shoulders slightly moved, and two fresh arms like white lotus roots grew out. She said to herself, “Your young Grand Tutor truly sees through our human hearts… He is a person who almost never makes a mistake…”

Earlier, there was a very hidden discussion by the riverbank during the Central Plains Wen Miao meeting. Perhaps the Ancestors of the Three Religions were responsible for setting the questions, and the Sage of Rites was responsible for supervising the exam and grading?

In that grand examination by the riverside of the River of Time, except for the 14th-realm cultivators from the Savage Land like Yu Dou and Wuzhou, they all had their own choices. But two people were exceptions.

Zheng Juzhong did not “take the exam,” but Chen Ping’an was even more exceptional. Although he appeared by the riverside, he did not have to “answer the questions”?

Wuzhou’s Dao heart trembled. The dog-forsaken Zhou Mi of the Savage Land indeed had a hidden hand in the human world!

In the vast expanse south of the Great River in Baopingzhou, as well as in Fuyao Continent and Tongye Continent, within the numerous temples and shrines in the three continents of the Vast Expanse, the mountain and river deities and the golden statues in the lewd shrines, as if connected by a golden thread, simultaneously began to shatter. It was as if these deities who enjoyed incense in the human world had no choice but to offer sacrifices and make sacrifices at this moment to “amuse the gods” and defect to “Heaven.”

Not to mention the Savage Land, countless shattered golden lights transformed into countless threads, rising like wisps of incense. It was truly “thinning out Heaven to fatten oneself.” This was Zhou Mi’s Great Dao.

All the demon cultivators who practiced Dao in the cloud and water texts created by Wen Hai Zhou Mi also had a sliver of incense, a divine nature, torn from their heart apertures. Everyone possessed it. It was as if Zhou Mi was using their bodies to cultivate a pure divine nature through incense, and now it was the Savage Land’s turn to return it with interest.

Zhao Tianlai retreated from the gap. His immaculate Dao body was engulfed in flames, pulling out the blood-stained Xiao Mo together. The altar formation, relying on the Celestial Master Seal transforming into a piece of earth and the Dharma Sword manifesting as a green mountain, was instantly suppressed and crushed by the “golden line.” Human power is ultimately limited. Having lost two foundational Dharma artifacts of the Celestial Master’s Mansion that had been passed down for thousands of years, this Celestial Master, who had already fallen in realm to that of an Immortal, remained composed. His yellow and purple Dharma robe turned into rustling ashes, and the Celestial Master’s form drifted down to the human world like autumn leaves.

A snow-white ten-tailed celestial fox leaped from the Celestial Master’s Mansion, gently supporting the Celestial Master and that sword cultivator.

Even though the Old Scholar said he didn’t need to go to the Savage Land, the Yasheng still personally arrived in the heartland of the Savage Land in his true form.

Baize knew the intention of this Sage of the Wen Miao, but still shook his head.

The Yasheng looked at the divinity in the air that was constantly merging towards the upper golden line, and pulled at his collar again.

Chen Qingliu smiled and said, “Who cares who we kill. I don’t mind joining forces. As for the cost, we’ll figure that out after we kill them.”

Feiran and Guike’s heartstrings were taut. The familiar Xie Shiji suddenly seemed like a stranger at this moment.

Zheng Juzhong’s 14th-realm Yin God appeared out of thin air, standing behind Baize. Together with Chen Qingliu, who was confronting Baize, the three of them formed a straight line.

Since the future Baize was a hidden danger that no one could control, it was better to deal with him early.

Unexpectedly, the 14th-realm great demon Chusheng, with a little girl in pigtails, stood behind Zheng Juzhong’s Yin God, still on the same line.

Chen Qingliu smiled and said, “Good, it’s getting lively. This is more like it.”

Zheng Juzhong ignored the two 14th-realm beings behind him and said, “Baize, you are like a lucky child blessed with good fortune. Heaven and Earth and the human world favor you, that’s all. There are many such people in the human world, simply blessed with good luck. It’s just that your luck is particularly good, which is why you became the ‘Lord Baize’ of this Savage Land. Zhou Mi dares not devour you, the Wen Miao dares not insult you, and everyone gives you some respect, simply fearing your ruthlessness.”

Baize smiled and said, “I cannot refute that.”

Zheng Juzhong said calmly, “Otherwise, in terms of talent, skill, and spirit, you are quite mediocre. Your heart is too soft, you can never be ruthless, and you always want ‘everything to be good.’ Do you think you can have whatever you want? The Savage Land has been waiting for your Dao’s feedback, but you have consistently refused to grant this expectation.”

“Thus giving Zhou Mi the opportunity to take advantage. Ultimately leading to Zhou Mi’s success in bringing disaster to the ancient Heavenly Court.”

“And because of your inaction yet occupying the Savage Land, Chen Ping’an’s initial plan to connect the five Heavens and counteract the nascent divine Dao with ‘Grand Five Elements’ failed. Baize, you truly deserve to die.”

Baize remained silent.

The great demon Chusheng, leaning on his staff, said anxiously, “Baize, don’t let your Dao heart be disturbed. Just hold on for a moment longer, and Zhou Mi will be able to use the divine Dao of ‘Heaven,’ and the human world will be settled.”

Whether the demon race could become the masters hinged on this! Once Zhou Mi’s plan succeeded, the sky would be the sky of the gods, and the earth would be the earth of the demon race. Taking and giving would be at their whim, and all sentient beings would have to submit. The human world repeating an old path? For the demon race, who had been cornered in the Savage Land and lingered for ten thousand years, this was a brand new Heavenly Path!

Chusheng suddenly felt a chill down his spine. It turned out that Zheng Juzhong’s 14th-realm Yang God had appeared behind him and Xiao Xun. Thus, from beginning to end, they had always been on a straight line.

The Yin God Zheng Juzhong suddenly smiled and said, “But the ‘Baize who deserves to die’ was also planned for long ago. If Baize were not like this, how could the human world witness one of the greater manifestations of pure humanity, creating a second invisible ‘Heaven and Earth Connection’?”

The great demon Chusheng frowned deeply. What did Zheng Juzhong mean by these words?

Xiao Xun chuckled and said, “Your brain isn’t big enough.”

The great demon Chusheng’s mind was mostly drawn by Zheng Juzhong. He couldn’t help it; confronting and opposing Zheng Juzhong on the Dao was no small pressure. The key was the third Zheng Juzhong; who knows where he was hidden?

Without warning, Xiao Xun’s fist pierced through Chusheng’s chest.

“Beast, do you know what freedom I pursue?”

Xiao Xun grinned. The great demon Chusheng instantly fled ten thousand li away. Xiao Xun followed like a shadow. The surrounding Heaven and Earth turned black, white, and colorful, like a pile of scattered ashes clumsily pieced together by a child, resembling glazed realms cut out by sword energy, blocking the path of the terrified great demon Chusheng. She roared and scolded, “Xiao Xun, are you insane?!”

“The freedom not to become a pure sword cultivator, the freedom to defect from the Sword Qi Great Wall if I hate the Vast Expanse, the freedom to kill anyone in the Savage Land I find displeasing. There is always the freedom for Xiao Xun to be Xiao Xun!”

“Chen Qingdu, who managed everything for ten thousand years, didn’t even manage me. Do you damned thrones want to manage me too? Die!”

The great demon Chusheng, who had been called a “beast,” was within a Savage Land “Hall of Heroes” that he had personally created back then. Chusheng’s face was gloomy, suspended in the pitch-black boundless void. The great demon leaned on his staff, filled with extreme resentment. Chen Qingdu was truly… At first, he and other great demons like Zhuyan were worried that Xiao Xun’s rebellion from the Sword Qi Great Wall meant Chen Qingdu was collaborating with Xiao Xun from the inside. Later, Zhou Mi said it wasn’t, and Feiran and Guike also confirmed that Xiao Xun had absolutely no intention of joining forces with the Vast Expanse. Among the Savage Land thrones who most wanted to counterattack the Vast Expanse again, Xiao Xun was definitely one of them… Was Chen Qingdu really just giving the Savage Land a most unreasonable, ill-mannered brat? Was it that simple?

Xiao Xun stood on a high platform suspended in the air. She frowned. It turned out that an outsider had slipped in.

Zheng Juzhong stood beside her and smiled, “Why not follow me to clean up the mess in the Savage Land, start anew, and establish a religion and become an ancestor?”

Baize was incompatible with the Great Dao of the Savage Land, but Xiao Xun was different.

Xiao Xun scoffed, “Who will establish the religion and who will become the ancestor? Zheng Juzhong, who are you disgusting? You think you’re worthy of me assisting you? Oh my god, I’m nauseous, I feel like vomiting…”

Zheng Juzhong said, “I will establish the religion, and you will be the ancestor.”

Xiao Xun was stunned, gripping her pigtails with both hands, “Huh?!”

In the southeast of the Savage Land, within an unknown cave dwelling, Liubai asked curiously, “Senior Brother, since we are all beings born from Master’s three corpses, then when Master returns to the human world, he will surely need an excellent Dao body to bear his infinite divinity.”

Shouchen said, “It is Guike, born from the manifestation of the Savage Land’s Great Dao. Master has split and recombined her countless times, and has already paved a way to occupy the magpie’s nest. Perhaps that study named ‘Vast Expanse’ is the Dao field used for re-integration.”

Zhou Qinggao nodded and said, “As expected of the old and cunning Master.”

Liubai, however, felt strange and very uncomfortable, “I am a woman, and Guike is also female. Doesn’t Master feel tired of it?”

Shouchen couldn’t help but laugh, “Where the Dao exists, what does this matter?”

At the entrance of the cave dwelling, Zheng Juzhong had already waved his sleeves twice, seemingly dispelling something.

Wuying asked, “Why didn’t you just kill Liu Xianyang as well?”

Zheng Juzhong’s true form laughed and said, “That would truly mean abandoning all humanity and completely becoming ‘god.’ Then what would we be targeting Zhou Mi for? It’s likely Zhou Mi would be happy to see it happen, and actively choose Heaven and Earth Connection to welcome ‘him’ to rule the New Heavenly Court. In that case, the dispersal of the Three Religions’ Ancestors, the obstruction of the path to Heaven by Zhici, and of course, the combined scheme of Cui Chan and Qi Jingchun would become the biggest joke in the human world.”

Wuying was puzzled and said, “I don’t understand.”

Zheng Juzhong said, “If you could understand, how could Zhou Mi be led into the trap?”

“Over the past ten thousand years, who could be targeted by the combined efforts of the Ancestors of the Three Religions and so many 14th-realm cultivators?”

“Only Zhou Mi.”

Wuying said, “Then say something in plain language that I, Gu Can, can understand.”

Zheng Juzhong said, “Cui Chan asked me to protect the Dao for a while. It was indeed to protect the Dao for ‘Chen Ping’an,’ but not the Chen Ping’an you see who has returned to the Vast Expanse. It was the Chen Ping’an he had confined.”

“Divine Chen Ping’an confined human Chen Ping’an.”

Hearing this, Gu Can angrily said, “You’re full of crap! Stop spouting nonsense and being mysterious…”

Zheng Juzhong continued, “Since he was young, the lines of good and evil in his human heart were too close, almost merged. The more familiar you are with those around Chen Ping’an, the less you can see it. This is called ‘darkness under the lamp.’ In fact, Chen Ping’an himself couldn’t clearly distinguish between true humanity and divinity. Later, he finally knew, but he was already beyond his control. Since he became half of a whole, he was ultimately burdened by half of that whole.”

“When Chen Ping’an was young, he always pursued ‘no mistakes.’ He thought it was natural, that everyone should be like that. But he didn’t know that since ancient times, those who thought and acted in this way were only gods. A cultivator is no longer a human being; this is referring to such a situation.”

“Think back, in his life journey, those rare moments of great anger, were they truly purely because of ‘seeing evil with goodness’? Was it right and wrong, good and evil in human hearts? Yes, but not entirely. The earliest was in the rain in Nipingsiang back then, when the kiln worker apprentice almost choked Song Jixin to death. Not long ago, by the riverside of the River of Time, he saw the new sword wielder who had devoured the ‘sword spirit’ who had accompanied him through many difficult trials. The predominantly divine Chen Ping’an was too clear about the difference between the two, so he was angry. He was like repeatedly roaring, ‘Give it back,’ ‘Return it’…”

“An extremely cautious orphan, all his uncontrollable anger in this life can be summarized in one sentence, ‘You are people, how can you do such things?!'”

Zheng Juzhong smiled, “Wrong, completely wrong. It is precisely because you are human that you are so absurd, making mistakes. The entire human world is vibrant precisely because of ‘mistakes’.”

The human world is woven together by countless mistakes, like the lush grass on the vast wilderness, growing densely and thriving, giving rise to boundless wild and gentle vitality.

The Dao is impartial. Does it only accommodate the good summarized by later generations, and not the evil defined by human language?

“It is precisely because he has been like this since childhood that even after separating divinity and humanity, Chen Ping’an is still Chen Ping’an. That is why the Most Sage Master went to Tongye Continent to see for himself.”

“That is why the Dao Ancestor and the Buddha went to the small town in Huaihuang County to see for themselves and determine whether Cui Chan and Qi Jingchun were right or wrong.”

“Cui Chan went to the Sword Qi Great Wall and borrowed two life-bound words, inverting mountains and rivers. What was truly inverted was the humanity and divinity of the young man who once traveled among green mountains and clear waters.”

After saying goodbye to his Senior Brother Cui Chan at the city wall, Chen Ping’an woke up in that “Creation Cave” on the sea. Was the “God” wandering in the human world just a dream? Was he confused about life being a dream within a dream?

The two golden lines, one above Heaven and one below Earth, rejoined and collided again. It was simple to distinguish the points where they connected like Heaven and Earth; you could tell at a glance by the location of the fiery rain.

Waves of fiery rain were getting closer and closer to the human world. Although they occasionally rose, they were ultimately unable to consistently transform “Heaven” into a lasting “Heavenly Realm.”

Zheng Juzhong looked up at the spectacular scene of a change unseen in ten thousand years. The outside world could not imagine Chen Ping’an’s situation, but he could somewhat understand it.

Presumably, it was many times more arduous and agonizing than when the straw-sandal-clad youth walked on that covered bridge back then.

After all, the youth back then walked step by step towards the future, but now he was walking towards the end of his life’s Great Dao.

A person who had been so attached to the human world throughout his life,
However, he ultimately proved one thing to the external forces of Heaven and Earth who had long spied on his inner world, and to the many people and things in the depths of his heart that he could not retain.

Chen Ping’an of Nipingsiang, I was a good person from childhood.

“I must look after Chen Ping’an for Cui Chan. Divinity must not be excessive, and humanity must not be lacking. As for whether Chen Ping’an is struggling or pathetic, that is not within my consideration.”

“I once played ten games of colorful clouds with Cui Chan.”

“The reason Cui Chan lost to me was only because the chessboard was too small.”

The larger the chessboard, the higher Cui Chan’s chess skill. The one who took over the chessboard was the divine Chen Ping’an.

Thus, in the battle against the Immortal Han Yushu in Tongye Continent, the latter had unleashed his sect’s treasure, but “Chen Ping’an” was relaxed and unconcerned, only saying that the goddess was… offending her superiors!

In the battle to jointly kill Jiang She, was the “divinity” released by “Chen Ping’an” truly more like an eternally rational, emotionless, and flawless god? Wasn’t he filled with the seven emotions and six desires of a human?

In the capital of Da Li, why did the so-called “divinity” released by the stopped water mirror target Confucian scholars the most severely?

It was precisely because the first ancestor of the military strategists, Jiang She, knew this that he chose to deliberately hold back to a certain extent in the latter half of the life-and-death battle, allowing the true human Chen Ping’an to usurp his position by sword.

Before that, how murderous was Jiang She, how strong was his killing intent, as he publicly declared to “Chen Ping’an” that the first person in the human world to kill a god back then was none other than him, Jiang She!

Wuying remained silent for a long time, then softly asked, “Why not wait longer? Wait for Chen Ping’an to create the ‘Grand Five Elements’. I don’t believe you can’t help him resolve the 14th-realm bestowal from ‘Xian’.”

Zheng Juzhong was somewhat helpless, “It’s only because you are a direct disciple that I am so patient. Chen Ping’an would never ask such an utterly idiotic question.”

Wuying, uncharacteristically, did not continue to curse him.

Zheng Juzhong explained, “To meet on a narrow path and kill the strong with the weak, you have to imitate the method of killing Cai Jinjian in the small town back then. The victory lay in catching them completely by surprise. There is no such thing as a truly foolproof plan. The two stacks of blueprints in the Grand Tutor’s Mansion were intentionally shown to Zhou Mi, precisely to make him mistakenly believe that after one sword strike, both sides would begin to accumulate strength and steadily deploy troops, eventually fighting a fair and square battle on the battlefield one day. Gu Can, let me ask you, even if Chen Ping’an is smart, can he be smarter than Zhou Mi?”

Wuying said, “I think he can.”

Zheng Juzhong, uncharacteristically, showed some anger. He also had a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder; he couldn’t stand fools.

Fortunately, Wuying added, “Chen Ping’an just suffered from being young.”

Zheng Juzhong said, “That sword strike, the delivery of the sword, and the receiving of the sword, both sides did it intentionally. Zhou Mi first made Chen Ping’an lower his guard, mistakenly thinking he could gain more connection with the human world through Chen Ping’an as a bridge. Chen Ping’an, on the other hand, made Zhou Mi mistakenly believe that the final battle would be in one or two hundred years, while at the same time, what truly connected Zhou Mi to the human world was not a bridge full of worldly human hearts, but a divine temple. The ‘Ground’ incense, already tempered by the divine Chen Ping’an, mixed with the infinitely small but infinitely numerous human hearts and humanity that Chen Ping’an had accumulated before facing his inner demons and killing himself a million times. Zhou Mi dared not refine it casually, and was reluctant to abandon it casually. The New Heavenly Court was ultimately a complete and unified divine Dao field that could not be destroyed by external forces, so he had no choice but to separate a little, forcefully inject it into a few people like Lizhen, wanting to observe the situation quietly. But these new supreme beings were ultimately just pseudo-supreme beings. Those who stand high see the rivers and mountains clearly; those who look up at the cliffs see the sky obscured by clouds and fog. With the Great Dao connecting Heaven and Earth, he had no choice but to forcefully devour a few like Lizhen, and cursing Chen Ping’an as a ‘lowlife’ was already considered good upbringing for Zhou Mi.”

Indeed, as Zheng Juzhong spoke,
That irresistible golden line of Heaven, unexpectedly experienced a subtly unreasonable shaking. Without any human cultivators interfering, there were “subtle” sounds like cracking porcelain. Waves of Great Dao surged like mighty bells and drums between Heaven and Earth. The already magnificent torrential fiery rain became even more dazzling. The clashing divinity of both sides raged and intensified. The “Ground” golden line instantly rose extremely high.

Zheng Juzhong smiled, adding as an aside, “Chen Ping’an said on Moonlight Mountain that if he had the same Dao age as the prime culprit, the prime culprit wouldn’t even see how he delivered the sword. That wasn’t bragging.”

“Gu Can, do you think what Cui Chan truly wanted to conceal was the recognition of the old sword strip as Chen Ping’an’s master?”

“Wrong. It was the constantly accumulating yet confused nature of human and divine in Chen Ping’an since he was an orphan. That is Chen Ping’an’s true terrifying aspect. Using the ‘sword spirit’ of the old sword strip to conceal this matter was the most suitable.”

Zheng Juzhong continued, “A few of us have been planning for a long time. The true sequence of moves are two sentences from the head of the collection of scriptures.”

“The first hexagram’s sentence, ‘Heaven’s movement is vigorous. The superior man exerts himself and strives unceasingly.'”

Back in Lizhu Cave Heaven, dangers lurked everywhere, setting up Qi Jingchun’s inescapable death trap. But they didn’t expect that the senior and junior brothers were already considering how to solve the deadlock in the human world.

They wanted to clear away the ancient Heavenly Court ruins that were like an eternal gloomy black cloud over the human world.

Without utmost action, nothing will be accomplished. However, purely relying on Cui Chan’s scholarship of pragmatic action was not enough. Calculating human hearts to the extreme, conversely, loses the heart of Heaven.

No matter how grand your opening essay, no matter how ambitious, there will eventually be biases, and it cannot be called the practice of the Great Dao. At least, the scholarship of pragmatic action promoted by Cui Chan was only for a hundred years, not a thousand.

The impending great pressure was upon them; Cui Chan was running out of time.

“The second hexagram’s ‘The Earth’s condition is receptive. The superior man with his breadth of character carries the outside world.’ This is the answer to this immense problem, the only solution. Gu Can, can you recite it?”

Gu Can noticed the ground’s decline of the golden line, his heart burning with anxiety, and said angrily, “I can recite your mother’s…”

Zheng Juzhong chuckled. There was a limit to his patience. Anyway, this kid was now a useless person who wouldn’t affect the overall situation.

Fortunately, Gu Can quickly changed his words, reciting like a child in a village school. Soon, he reached “Yellow skirt, supreme good fortune. Its embroidery is within. Dragon fighting in the field, its Dao is exhausted…”

Gu Can suddenly closed his mouth, shocked, “Was it a prior agreement between you or Cui Chan and him?!”

Zheng Juzhong shook his head and said, “No, he thought of it himself. Or rather, it was a heavenly and human resonance after he achieved the Dao and ascended.”

Yuan Xiong, the first disciple of the Great Ancestor of Moonlight Mountain, was originally named “Yuan Ji” by Baize. The little Daoist boy who followed his master and carried a huqin across thousands of mountains and rivers was named “Huang Shang.”

The last true dragon in the world landed on the southern shore of Baopingzhou and fled north, following a dragon path, only to perish in Lizhu Cave Heaven. This is “Dragon fighting in the field.”

The ghost that had wandered in the Da Zhou Dynasty for many years, “Xian,” who had endured seven thousand years of heavenly thunder and three thousand years of suffering, welcomed a military dissolution. “Its Dao is exhausted.”

Gu Can said sadly, “Even the Dao Ancestor didn’t say it. He dared not be the first in the world.”

Zheng Juzhong smiled and said, “It was meant for you to hear, not for certain people to hear.”

After all, he was a scholar who had never attended a single day of school, but ultimately, he was a scholar who always hoped that others would not be constantly disappointed.

Wen Hai Zhou Mi of the Savage Land, Chen Ping’an of Fallen Leaf Mountain.

Before this Heaven and Earth Connection, in the process of them gradually becoming half of a whole, what was the true struggle of their respective Great Daos?

Using humanity to create the most divinity.

Therefore, ascend to Heaven.

Using divinity to create the greatest humanity.

Therefore, on the ground.

The Ancestors of the Three Religions dispersed their Dao to suppress Zhou Mi’s desire to extract more humanity from the human world.

The Daoist Xianwei guarded the gate to prevent the divine Chen Ping’an from becoming more divine.

After returning to the Vast Expanse, those particularly noticeable moments of anger, the sadness carrying profound attachment, the gentle gaze or words, were humanity born from divinity.

Gu Can asked a very important question, “What will Ruan Xiu do?”

Zheng Juzhong said, “It depends on what Qi Jingchun and Cui Chan talked to her about back then.”

Gu Can remained silent for a long time, then asked the final question, “Did you ask for Chen Ping’an’s own will? Did you care about his thoughts and feelings?”

Zheng Juzhong gave an answer that seemed to have many interpretations, “Hard to say.”

Back then.

The senior and junior brothers joined forces and met with Zhou Mi of the Savage Land from Tongye Continent on a boat at Taoye Ferry, exchanging a few words face to face.

Before Ruan Xiu devoured all of Liuliu’s divinity, they came together to the foot of Shenxiu Mountain. On the cliff were carved the four large characters “Heaven Opens Divine Beauty.”

Ruan Xiu sat on the horizontal stroke of the highest character “Heaven,” and said calmly, “Mr. Qi, I don’t want to see him.”

Qi Jingchun smiled and said, “I know. That’s why I brought him here with me.”

Ruan Xiu thought for a moment, then nodded.

Qi Jingchun turned his head and glanced at Cui Chan beside him. Senior Brother, how about it? Isn’t the popularity between you and me clearly divided?

Cui Chan was expressionless and unmoved.

Among the few fellow disciples back then, you, Qi Jingchun, had the strongest desire to win. You were serious, persistent, insisted on winning or losing, and had to be first. In short, you were petty.

As Qi Jingchun spoke with Ruan Xiu, Cui Chan recalled some past trivial matters, certain scenes. They also had something to do with A Liang.

The scruffy, short man with a beard offered wine mischievously, “Little Qi, your drinking manners at the table are excellent, definitely first place. It’s just your capacity is a bit lacking. Let alone first place, you’re almost at the bottom.”

The young man, his face flushed, immediately became unhappy, slamming the table, “What?! Another pot!”

“Senior Brother Zuo and Senior Brother Liu have already been drunk by me, how am I at the bottom?”

“A Liang, Cui Chan, none of you run away!”

After that, the young man lay on the table talking in his sleep.

The young man put down his wine glass, his eyes still bright. A Liang was there, his backside stuck out as he picked up dishes, clearing the battlefield. He gathered the leftovers on the plates, and there was even a piece not from a chopstick.

The man with greasy lips mumbled to himself while wiping his mouth, wondering which immortal lady or chivalrous woman would marry the diligent and virtuous him home in the future, truly happy for her.

Finally, he sat on the only chair, a “throne” he had either conveniently stolen or bought cheaply from somewhere. The man rested his legs on the table, gently patted his belly, chewed on a toothpick, and burped, laughing and scolding, “What are you fighting with him for?”

Cui Chan smiled and said, “It’s fun.”

A Liang rolled his eyes and gently patted the young man’s back. Insisting on not throwing up even once, how much wine could he drink with that capacity? This… character! Heh, I like it.

Cui Chan frowned and said, “Follow the rules, put your legs down.”

A Liang said “Oh” and immediately put his legs down.

Cui Chan got up to clear the dishes, glancing at a stout man who was snoring like thunder on the table, “Liu Shiliu, stop pretending to be asleep, lend a hand.”

Liu Shiliu immediately straightened his back and feigned ignorance, “Is it morning?”

A Liang was sneaky, heh, I put them back.

Cui Chan glared, but lowered his voice to remind him, “A Liang!”

A Liang reluctantly put his legs down. This Cui Chan, he always had all sorts of strange obsessive-compulsive disorders. For example, if he saw a folded corner of a book page, he would definitely flatten it. Whether it was the books on the bookshelf or the position of every stationery item on the desk, they had to be placed perfectly. However, even though they were messed up by his junior brothers, he never said anything, just silently “corrected” the positions of those items himself. Zuo Daizi was a little better, Liu Shiliu was sometimes careless, sometimes intentional, and Little Qi… of course, was only intentional!

Seeing Cui Chan grumbling and cleaning the dishes, A Liang smiled and said, “That’s right, you finally have some human touch.”

Zuo suddenly sat up and began to settle accounts, extending his hand, “A Liang, six qian of silver, settle the bill.”

A Liang feigned ignorance and said sadly, “Ah? I’m Master Wen Sheng’s strategist, family! Zuo, this is boring. You’re poor, so I’ll be generous…”

Zuo just held out his hand, “Stop the nonsense. Liu Shiliu, go block the door. He’s not allowed to leave if he doesn’t pay.”

In the end, on a wine table, it seemed only the simplest young man was sleeping soundly there.

The Old Scholar had just finished a book, unsure if it could be published. After organizing the manuscript, he followed the scent of wine and came here. After watching the lively scene at the door with a smile, he felt distressed, worried about waking up the youngest student. The Master had no choice but to stand with his hands on his hips, softly scolding everyone awake in the room. A Liang placed a silver ingot on the table, his nostrils flared towards the sky. The scholar exclaimed, quickly stepped over the threshold, came behind the rich and imposing Brother A Liang, and slapped Zuo’s head, “What are you愣ing about? Pour A Liang some wine. Take the money and go buy some braised meat and snacks. Bring Shiliu; he’s tall and can bargain with presence. Save every bit you can. I’ll drink with A Liang for a bit more. Cui Chan, you take Little Qi back to rest first. We’ll play finger guessing games later, don’t wake up Little Qi… Come, come, A Liang, let’s have one, alas, what’s wrong? You poured so much into your wine glass, mine is less, a little less. It’s just six qian of silver, why the long face? You’re such a handsome, dashing, elegant, and heroic figure, aren’t you generous…”

Lingjing Temple.

The old man smiled and said, “Young man, the story is finished, a new chapter is about to begin.”

“Chen Cong” smiled and nodded, stood up, picked up a peanut from the plate, put it in his mouth and chewed carefully, and smiled, “Senior Brother, the rest is all for you.”

Outside the sky, the tall woman who was already close to the New Heavenly Court, paused temporarily, leaning on her sword with both hands, and said with a smile, “Agreed.”

Cui Chan stood up and bowed to his junior brother.

Chen Ping’an, with infinite humanity within him, bowed farewell to his senior brother.

A glimmer of light suddenly shone in the ancestral house in Nipingsiang, Baopingzhou, Vast Expanse.

A dotted line traced the path of the straw-sandal-clad youth, drawing an extremely bright fiery dragon on the human land.

Fire God Ruan Xiu entered the New Heavenly Court and ascended to the throne.

Outside the sky, the sword wielder received this light that originated from the human world.

Between Heaven and Earth, thus appeared a second “Heaven and Earth Connection.”

The sword wielder’s sleeves billowed. She went to the human world, her face gentle, her spirit soaring. It was as if in a pair of pure golden eyes, she held the entire human world from ten thousand years ago and ten thousand years from now.

“Master.”

All divinity transformed into a long sword. The tall woman’s figure became ethereal and indistinct.

Heaven and Earth connected. Chen Ping’an held the long sword and extended a hand, pressing it against her hand as she knelt on one knee.

“Heavenly Dao collapses. I, Chen Ping’an, with but one sword, can move mountains, cut rivers, overturn seas, subdue demons, suppress devils, command gods, pluck stars, destroy cities, and open Heaven!”

Heaven and Earth shall grant the long-silent with the loudest thunder.

“Heavenly Dao collapses. I, Chen Ping’an, with but one sword, can move mountains, cut rivers, overturn seas, subdue demons, suppress devils, command gods, pluck stars, destroy cities, and open Heaven!”