The martial exhibition between Chen Ping’an and Jiang She unleashed a tempest of pugilistic aura, sword qi, and martial fortune. When Wu Shuangjiang entered the fray, the chaos intensified, with over a hundred magical artifacts shattering like cheap trinkets. The ancient battlefield, once barren of spiritual energy, became so saturated that the essence shimmered like quicksilver, visible to the naked eye.

The ancient Shu marshlands of Cui Dongshan, Jiang Shangzhen’s willow-shaded sanctum, and several hidden micro-universes connected to them all suffered the brunt of this cataclysmic impact. Each secret realm flickered into temporary visibility, causing the layered array to tremble like a frail skiff upon a raging sea, a sparrow buffeted by a gale.

Forced to continually pour resources into the formation’s upkeep, Jiang Shangzhen chuckled wryly, “Merely spectating costs a fortune? Madness!”

Cui Dongshan, uncharacteristically serious, offered no jesting reply. With a flick of his sleeves, twin streams of golden light erupted, followed by a long river of snow-white talismans. These surged towards the array’s edges where it met the very fabric of the heavens, the golden and white lights interweaving to mend the cracks in the formation, shimmering like a master craftsman mending a broken porcelain bowl with gold and silver.

Having gathered the three portions of martial fortune, Jiang She regained the peak of the eleventh realm. Though his yin spirit was still absent, preventing complete ascension to the fourteenth, he remained a formidable foe against Wu Shuangjiang’s arsenal of spells and divine powers. He meticulously surveyed this battlefield “map,” and despite unfavorable terrain and celestial alignments, the progenitor of military strategists showed no sign of fatigue. Instead, his aura intensified, his golden armor blazing with such brilliance that the ancient battlefield resembled a kingdom forged of gold.

It was undeniable: some were born to read, but Jiang She was born for the battlefield.

Wu Shuangjiang, heedless of cost and willing to risk damaging his very essence, seemed determined to drag Jiang She down with him.

The skirmish unfolded as a clash of armies, with formations deployed, elite facing elite, the losses on each side meticulously accounted for, slowly eroding their respective martial might.

Fortunately, the battlefield lay within Zheng Juzhong’s stomach, ensuring that any shattered artifacts or expended spiritual energy remained within the family.

It was a gamble, as simple as a game of who can wager more copper coins. In the end, one side would be utterly bankrupt, while the victor would claim all.

It was becoming clear that Wu Shuangjiang’s armored avatar was waning in power, the radiant moon halo behind it growing dim.

Jiang She’s golden armor, however, though covered in rust that resembled countless tears, still gleamed with resilience.

With each thrust of his lance, the golden armor rang, and the rust scattered, thinning the armor but revealing the flawless gold beneath.

Jiang Shangzhen, filled with concern, inquired telepathically, “If his yin spirit returns, and Jiang She ascends to a complete fourteenth realm, how can we possibly prevail?”

Cui Dongshan responded, “The three portions of martial fortune serve as a cautionary tale. Even if his yin spirit returns, dare he reclaim it? Would he risk being manipulated again, with those newly suppressed fortunes turning against him once more?”

The grandmaster and stop-realm divine soul of the woman, “Xie Shiji,” remained in the desolate wilderness.

Back at Falling Phoenix Mountain, Zheng Juzhong parted ways with Liu Xiang, offering Zhou Hu a few words of caution before departing Bao Ping Continent and seeking out Xie Shiji.

Jiang Shangzhen, puzzled, asked, “If the yin spirit has been separated for so long, developing its own life and memories, would it willingly return?”

Cui Dongshan was uncertain, saying, “In theory, upon meeting its true self, the yin spirit should be compelled to acknowledge its master without hesitation, unable to resist. But Jiang She’s yin spirit defies all conventional understanding, being, after all, a divinely touched martial artist.”

Jiang Shangzhen sighed ruefully, “Will we end up merely watching from the sidelines?”

Before their arrival, Chen Ping’an had warned them telepathically to be prepared to become spectral entities, their very being potentially transformed into a piece of this world’s life force.

Yet, Jiang Shangzhen still came.

Cui Dongshan declared, “Either Zheng is unreliable and we are utterly useless, becoming mere onlookers at Jiang She’s table, ultimately devoured as a meager source of power. Or Zheng will withstand Jiang She’s final, desperate struggle, and we, the supposed failures, will be useful at the critical moment, perhaps even holding the key to ending this battle.”

Jiang Shangzhen grasped his longsword, “Cui Dongshan, it sounds as if we, brothers, are both pitiable and tragic.”

Cui Dongshan’s gaze hardened. “Therefore, if we are fortunate enough to leave this place alive, you must strive to earn riches, and I must cultivate diligently.”

They must never again find themselves as mere spectators, withering in the sidelines, growing stale with inaction.

The radiant moon halo behind Wu Shuangjiang, representing the very foundation of his being, began to shatter, becoming a mere crescent.

Jiang She thrust his lance through Wu Shuangjiang’s avatar’s neck, adding tremendous force, lifting it high, the spear tip piercing the skull slightly.

The lunar treasure wheel finally collapsed, utterly vanishing, and Wu Shuangjiang’s armored avatar instantly turned gray.

The scene was gruesome. Jiang Shangzhen’s Dao heart shuddered at the sheer terror of a fourteenth-realm battle.

Jiang She twisted his wrist, shaking the “corpse” from his lance, flinging it away.

Jiang She turned to look elsewhere, not at Zheng Juzhong, but at a pristine, new avatar of Wu Shuangjiang that had appeared out of thin air.

If the previous avatar, clad in martial armor, clearly belonged to the military arts, then this new form was… refined.

This “Wu Shuangjiang” had a handsome face, long disheveled hair, flowing white robes, bare feet suspended in the air, and colorful ribbons swirling around his arms.

Jiang She frowned slightly. How could he be so tenacious? Could Wu Shuangjiang’s fourteenth realm truly have walked two separate paths simultaneously?

Wound around the avatar’s arms were two streaks of black and white light: the divine manifestations of Jiang She’s own yin and yang spirits.

Jiang She’s eyes blazed with passion. Only a worthy opponent would do. One who was weak would offer no challenge. This powerful enemy, with his endless tricks and vast treasure, would have to be crushed. Their Dao, their lives, would be taken as well.

Jiang Shangzhen quietly asked, “What price has the Palace Lord Wu paid, and how much of Jiang She’s power has been eroded?”

Cui Dongshan responded, “I estimate less than thirty percent, but at least twenty, guaranteed.”

Jiang Shangzhen was speechless, and tapped his forehead with the flat of his blade.

Furthermore, during his ten thousand years of punishment upon that “peak,” Jiang She had not been idle. He had already refined the Fire Star into an object of destiny.

Cui Dongshan suddenly looked up sharply. Jiang She wouldn’t give Wu Shuangjiang a chance to exchange destinies?!

Was Jiang She attempting to reclaim the favorable terrain, utterly shattering this world-site that he had called a “prototype of Dao”?

First, strange signs appeared in the military temples of various Haoran countries, shaking the imperial courts. Messages flew like snowflakes towards the Central Earth Confucian Temple and the ancestral military temple. Then, alchemists and diviners across the human realm felt their Dao hearts on the verge of collapse. The Fire Star began to shift, creating the sense that a great calamity was approaching.

Zheng Juzhong, wielding his sleeve universe, carried Xie Shiji toward that Fire Star, squatting upon it to slow its descent.

And the Zheng Juzhong who forcibly dragged the entire night vessel toward the ruins of the Jincui City in the wilderness pointed to the night sky seven times.

Within “himself,” Zheng Juzhong raised his arm, revealing seven-colored lights, rising white clouds, and the faint form of a miniature city.

A lonely city between colorful clouds.

Zheng Juzhong finally made his move.

In his hand was the White Emperor City, refined, disassembled, and reshaped.

Zheng Juzhong casually tossed the object towards Jiang She.

For the first time, Jiang She seemed to hesitate, but in the end, he remained silent.

Zheng Juzhong glanced at Chen Ping’an, who remained expressionless.

Zheng Juzhong smiled, nodding. To spare Lu Chen at the Sword Qi Great Wall was acceptable.

But if he let Jiang She escape again, he would have to seriously consider Jiang She’s offer.

Jiang Shangzhen barely dared to breathe.

Cui Dongshan was exceptionally grave.

This first demon path cultivator who accompanied Wu Shuangjiang here.

Zheng Juzhong, from beginning to end, had barely spoken or acted.

Until this moment, Zheng Juzhong said with a slight smile, “If I didn’t come, I didn’t come, but since I came, Jiang She’s fate is sealed.”

He wasn’t reasoning.

He wasn’t threatening.

He was simply stating a fact.

Jiang She found himself inside the White Emperor City, in a white jade plaza inscribed with a celestial map of the Big Dipper and two auxiliary stars.

And Chen Ping’an, the sword-bearer, was far away in the New Heavenly Court.

He hadn’t even summoned his newly bound flying sword.

Chen Ping’an remained in place, but the Big Dipper star formation on the ground began to rotate on its own, placing Jiang She atop one of the auxiliary stars.

Subdued by the White Emperor City and inexplicably trapped within the Big Dipper Formation, Jiang She found himself unable to move, as if a mere mortal struck by a paralysis spell. But Jiang She remained calm, watching and waiting. He laughed, “This is the scheme you and Zheng Juzhong have been brewing? Then I repeat, you are not the Fire Dragon True Man of the fourteenth realm, and cannot successfully fire the kiln, unless he lends you his power, which he clearly hasn’t. Nor are you Mister Three Mountains and Nine Marquis. Lacking the skill, you can only play at the supernatural.”

Earlier, Jiang She had asked Chen Ping’an if he dared to engage in an honorable martial contest.

Chen Ping’an had merely joked in response, but as he spoke, a rough, unglazed white porcelain bowl appeared in his hand, seven miniature characters crafted from a drop of his heartblood appearing within the bowl’s translucent wall.

The seven characters in the bowl were “Jiang She,” “Yuan Spirit,” “Military,” and “Martial.”

He was creating a porcelain copy of Jiang She, the progenitor of the military arts.

With a wave of Chen Ping’an’s sleeve, the seven characters appeared amongst the stars of the Big Dipper Formation within the White Emperor City.

Jiang She chuckled wryly, “So you listened to my advice.”

It turned out that Chen Ping’an, as half a world unto himself, had indeed set up the Zi Wei Enclosure, standing in its center, mirroring the Big Dipper Formation.

Or rather, the Big Dipper Formation was merely a part of the Zi Wei Enclosure.

At the same time, the Big Dipper chart continued to rotate, Jiang She treading upon the stars even as he was unable to move.

Jiang She narrowed his eyes, sensing danger, his heart jolted by a feeling of profound dread.

It was as if the progenitor of the military arts realized that he was being targeted in some way.

Today’s battle was a clash between old and new, a usurpation of power, a division of military fortune.

The aim was to collectively slay Jiang She, with Wu Shuangjiang seizing his position, Chen Ping’an taking his name, and Zheng Juzhong obtaining the truth.

Chen Ping’an said calmly, “Jiang She, receive the sword.”

The handle of the Big Dipper, aligned with the North Star, pointed directly at Jiang She.

—

Wu Shuangjiang looked up at the sky, muttering, “The diviners of the human world must truly be heartbroken now.”

First the Fire Star shifted, then the Big Dipper, connected and strung together by a single golden thread. There could be no doubt, it was sword light.

How should the historians of the human realm record such an event?

Cui Dongshan was the first to guess the truth, yet still he couldn’t believe it, repeatedly murmuring, “Impossible, impossible.”

Wu Shuangjiang smiled, “I’m not sure either. You’ll have to ask Mister Zheng.”

Zheng Juzhong simply said, “I paid a visit to the Dragon Elephant Sword Sect and spoke with Lu Zhi.”

Cui Dongshan asked, “And then?”

Zheng Juzhong replied, “And then your master will draw upon the Big Dipper beyond the heavens and deliver a sword to Jiang She, returning to the human realm.”

Cui Dongshan fell back, but quickly righted himself, exclaiming, “Chief Zhou, we have work to do!”

Zheng Juzhong said, “No need to rush.”

Earlier, when Zheng Juzhong had taken Zheng Qingjia to the Dragon Elephant Sword Sect, he had spoken privately with Lu Zhi.

He cut straight to the point, saying, “I came here to make two requests on behalf of two people.”

“Of course, you are free to refuse.”

“Before that, however, I need to discuss something with you. After we talk, you will need to forget the conversation entirely.”

Hearing this, Lu Zhi nodded without hesitation, saying, “Speak.”

Zheng Juzhong slowly said, “The first is Cui Chan’s request for Lu Zhi to travel to the Azure Firmament World, receive ordination and train in swordsmanship at the White Jade Capital. When Chen Ping’an comes to ask about the White Jade Capital in the future, you will need to persuade Hao Su to rebel against the White Jade Capital.”

Lu Zhi was furious, nearly blurting out, “Is that embroidered tiger out of his mind?”

If it were simply following the Hidden Official across worlds to challenge the White Jade Capital, Lu Zhi would not hesitate. But becoming a Daoist, receiving ordination, and even rebelling against the White Jade Capital while conspiring with the criminal official Hao Su? What did they think she was? Did Cui Chan only know how to scheme and plot?

Zheng Juzhong smiled, “You find it difficult? The more difficult part is yet to come.”

Lu Zhi said, “Anyway, the first request is absolutely impossible. Tell me the second, I’ll listen.”

Zheng Juzhong said, “Chen Ping’an wants to ask for something from you. Note, ask, not borrow.”

Lu Zhi was bewildered.

Zheng Juzhong dropped another bomb, “Chen Ping’an needs the flying sword ‘Big Dipper’ to deal with a powerful enemy on the Dao, who that is, I can’t say yet.”

Lu Zhi sighed in relief, saying, “No problem.”

Zheng Juzhong was not surprised, but reminded her again, “Think carefully. There’s no going back. Frankly, this is a big deal, and even as an intermediary, I won’t let you regret it. Frankly, I don’t want to see a Lu Zhi who is clear about love and hate, upright and open-minded, replaced by one who is sad and resentful, regretting that there’s no way to undo it.”

Stripping away a lifebound flying sword, the “Big Dipper,” would have both advantages and disadvantages for Lu Zhi. The benefit would be faster ascension to the Soaring realm, but that was already within Lu Zhi’s grasp, so that advantage could be ignored. The disadvantage was that Lu Zhi’s future Dao achievements would be much lower.

After all, whether one could reach unification with the Dao, and even then, the strengths of the fourteenth realm varied, so Lu Zhi’s loss far outweighed the gain.

Lu Zhi’s eyes were clear, her tone still calm, saying, “Mister Zheng needn’t say more, Lu Zhi needn’t think more.”

Zheng Juzhong said, “Swordsmen are truly pure.”

Lu Zhi asked, “I have a question as well.”

“Ask.”

“Is this at the bidding of his senior brother Cui Chan, or is it Chen Ping’an’s own intention?”

“The latter.”

Lu Zhi’s eyes shone brightly at this, *this* was the Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall!

As the last Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall, to act only after being prompted by his senior brother Cui Chan would have been a disappointment to her.

Lu Zhi asked, “Shall I strip the flying sword now?”

Zheng Juzhong shook his head, saying, “Since Lu Chen might come here, wait until he’s seen you.”

So the matter of Lu Zhi stripping the flying sword and Chen Ping’an taking it had to wait.

After all, the original intention of the young Hidden Official was to prepare for asking about the White Jade Capital in the future, or to prevent attacks from the likes of fourteenth realm Wu Zhou.

That was why Zheng Juzhong would tell Lu Chen that Jiang She would shield the White Jade Capital from disaster.

At the Dragon Elephant Sword Sect, Lu Chen had said two things to Lu Zhi, which were suggestive and pregnant with meaning.

“Has City Lord Zheng been here?”

“I must see the young Hidden Official before making a decision.”

Returning from the sea, ascending the mountain, and accepting a founding disciple, Lu Zhi was in a good mood.

Cheng Sancai asked telepathically, “Master, Old Gu said you have a lifebound flying sword that is extremely powerful.”

Lu Zhi smiled, saying, “Before, there was no chance to slay demons and carve words, so even I didn’t know how powerful the flying sword was, or how great its killing force was.”

Cheng Sancai asked, “And now?”

Lu Zhi said, “Even less so.”

Cheng Sancai was confused, “What do you mean?”

Lu Zhi said, “I’ve already given it away.”

Cheng Sancai was shocked, “A lifebound flying sword can be given away? And Master is willing to give it away?!”

Lu Zhi smiled, saying, “It depends on who it is.”

Cheng Sancai’s expression was complex, with a hint of fear, saying, “I understand, it’s him.”

Outside “White Emperor City,” Wu Shuangjiang asked curiously, “Even if Xiao Mo stripped a flying sword and transferred it to Chai Wu, and Chen Ping’an might have gained some insight from watching that, then witnessing the first group of sword cultivators being born in the Lotus Root blessed land would also be beneficial. But Lu Zhi’s flying sword is extraordinary, can Chen Ping’an really refine it successfully after he obtains it?”

If it were against a Soaring realm, or even some new fourteenth realm after a heavy rain, Wu Shuangjiang wouldn’t have asked this.

But the opponent was Jiang She.

Even if Chen Ping’an were given full command of White Emperor City, and Zheng Juzhong temporarily lent him his power, and a sword were delivered from beyond the heavens, could it really slay him?

The Big Dipper spelled death!

Even if Chen Ping’an, as the Hidden Official, had seen much death and life on the Sword Qi Great Wall battlefield.

Even if Chen Ping’an, leading the sword cultivators, had opened Yue Tuo Mountain with his sword and personally slain the great demon mastermind.

Wu Shuangjiang still felt that it wasn’t enough, not nearly enough.

Zheng Juzhong said, “During his closed-door cultivation at Fuyuan’s training ground, Chen Ping’an had chatted with Yu Xuan atop the Jiling Peak, discussing his multiple aims for breaking through his realm. Yu Xuan had asked if there was a sixth level, and Chen Ping’an hadn’t told the truth at the time. In fact, there was not only a sixth level, but also a seventh level of intention, which was to truly refine the flying sword ‘Big Dipper’.” (Note 1: Chapter 1077, *Hometown Other Town Wine Town Heart Town*)

Wu Shuangjiang suddenly understood, exclaiming, “How many versions of himself must Chen Ping’an kill, how many Chen Ping’ans must die, to refine the flying sword successfully? I’m curious, very curious.”

Zheng Juzhong didn’t give an answer.

During that closed-door cultivation, Chen Ping’an faced his “inner demon.”

Corpses were piled up like mountains, hanging upside down.

Millions of “Chen Ping’an” skeletons fell like heavy snow.

Inside the White Emperor City, countless invisible threads pierced Jiang She’s avatar.

Wu Shuangjiang no longer held back, sacrificing hundreds of thousands of talismans to pave a path for the sword.

The seemingly darkest star, “Tianquan,” suddenly shone brightly, its sword light piercing the endless void of Haoran.

The sword light traveled from beyond the heavens to the human realm.

A sword broke through the heavy night.

Jiang She had nowhere to hide. Watching the light arrive, he took a deep breath, the martial artist adopting a fighting stance, delivering a punch to the heavens.

The avatar shattered the restrictions of White Emperor City, standing atop a high platform like a giant spirit, and a boundless pugilistic aura collided with the sword light, shattering.

From the brightest star, “Yuheng,” a second sword was delivered, followed by a burst of sword light from “Tianshu,” one sword after another.

Jiang She was instantly submerged in sword light.

An avatar began to bend at the knees, becoming hunched, its golden armor cracking, until it finally shattered like porcelain.

The towering avatar’s powerful Dao, along with the true body’s flesh and bones, began to dissipate. The progenitor of military arts would never kneel, Jiang She would never prostrate himself before anyone.

The characters “Jiang She” and “Yuan Spirit” shattered in turn. Jiang She straightened his back, standing tall until the very end, emaciated.

The two sword lights that originated from the auxiliary stars converged into a single line, falling directly upon White Emperor City.

In the human realm, Jiang She was slain.

In the heavens, the sword-bearer, tall and feminine, had a face that was transforming into Chen Ping’an, even as her eyes remained a pure gold.

In the wilderness mountains, Zhi’s shrine ascended, filling the vacant position left by the Daoist Patriarchs.

A ascension platform separated from the earth, with a handsome Daoist Zhi in flowing robes, began his ascent.

In the far west of the New Heavenly Court, the Buddha removed his kasaya and cast it out, and the ruins of the old Heavenly Court, with its boundless territory, were lifted by a “limitless” golden lotus.

The lotus shone with golden light, creating a golden halo that encompassed the entire New Heavenly Court.

To the south, the Sage Teacher raised his arm, as if a scholar wetting his finger to turn a page, and a book appeared in the Confucian Temple of Middle Earth, from which, all the words from all the books printed over thousands of years began to stream out, forming a bridge between heaven and earth.

This string of words traced an arc within the golden halo.

In the east, a young Daoist rose from his futon, extended his arm, and with a slight tremor of his robes, gently closed his fingers, a spot of snow-white light appearing in his palm. In an instant, the Dao generated one, and this point of light extended a slender sword light, followed by an absolutely symmetrical second, third, hundreds, thousands, billions…

On the other hand, the young Daoist presented the same spectacular sight, but the lights were all black.

The black ink and white orb together formed a Taijitu.

The Dao’s creation, yin and yang.

As if in the primordial chaos of the beginning of the world, Zhou Mi saw a sword light coming towards him.