It was nothing less than a solitary swordsman against the very fabric of a world.

The White Jade Citadel’s dominion over the Azure Heavens was far more absolute than the Confucian Temple’s sway over the Verdant Expanse. Thus, when that lone figure, a towering Dharma image of immense power, cleaved the heavens asunder and descended into the Azure Heavens, casting its gaze upon the White Jade Citadel, the celestial city stirred.

Within the Citadel, a high-ranking Celestial Official of the Ascendant Realm, entrusted with the governance of a city, deliberately mistook the young sword immortal for a Lord of the Fourteenth Step. With mocking disdain, he declared, “Such a grand entrance, such a boastful display! It seems the mortal realm has birthed yet another Fourteenth Step!”

The awe-inspiring Dharma image, possessed of eyes like molten gold, deigned not to bestow even a glance upon the speaker.

Chen Ping An merely fixed his gaze upon Yu Dou, the Master Overseer, who held dominion over the highest point of the White Jade Citadel, the Upper Clarity Pavilion.

The imposing middle-aged Taoist had risen from his meditation cushion and stood by the outer balustrade. With each breath he drew, the swirling seas of clouds for ten thousand leagues around the Citadel coalesced and dispersed.

For Yu Dou stood upon the threshold of the False Fifteenth Step.

For eight thousand years, countless Taoists of the Azure Heavens had harbored silent resentment towards this man. The heavens groaned beneath the weight of Yu Dou’s reign.

Yet even the Venerable Sun, despite his animosity towards the White Jade Citadel, would concede that while they might hate Yu Dou, revile Yu Dou, and heap any insult upon him, Yu Dou was without personal ambition.

Chen Ping An surveyed the five cities and twelve towers of the White Jade Citadel.

Here was where Venerable Sun had cast his sword.

A cacophony of murmurs rippled through the Citadel, like mosquitoes buzzing in a thunderclap.

In truth, the Grand Adepts of the entire world witnessed this scene, the vast majority of them utterly disbelieving, deeming it beyond comprehension. Was this an attempt to challenge the entire White Jade Citadel single-handedly?

Yet most of the peak cultivators, however, shared but one question, “Who is this man? What ancient grudge does he bear against the White Jade Citadel, that he would manifest in the Azure Heavens in such a provocative manner?”

In Jade Emperor City, also known as Emerald City, the northernmost bastion of the White Jade Citadel,

once the ascension point and site of doctrinal propagation for the Taoist Ancestor’s foremost disciple, Kou Ming, the city governed a vast array of grotto-heavens and blessed lands.

Jade Emperor City was also the first city in the White Jade Citadel’s history, “of the same age” as the Violet Qi Tower, built by the Taoist Ancestor’s own hand.

In the secret annals of the Azure Heavens, they were known as the first city and first tower of the ancient Jade Capital Mountain, the initial “estate” of the Taoist Ancestor’s early founding of Taoism.

The new City Lord was Jiang Yunsheng, a youth in appearance who had recently emerged from seclusion, having attained the Ascendant Realm.

By tradition, upon assuming the mantle of City Lord, the Spirit Tortoise Grotto-Heaven, one of the thirty-six lesser grotto-heavens, would become Jiang Yunsheng’s personal sanctuary.

However, Jiang Yunsheng had only recently returned from his travels in the Axe Ke Grotto-Heaven.

In the past, the mud-stained youth of Treasure Bottle Continent had passed through the Upside-Down Mountain gate on his way to the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Jiang Yunsheng and Sword Immortal Zhang Lu had been gatekeepers then, and had, of course, encountered Chen Ping An.

Not only had he met Chen Ping An, but Jiang Yunsheng had also later encountered Chen Ping An’s student, Cui Dongshan, and his disciple, Pei Qian.

Jiang Yunsheng sighed softly. Times had changed, and things were no longer the same. He had believed that they were merely travelers who had brushed shoulders with one another, never imagining that they would find themselves on opposing sides.

Yet for some reason, Jiang Yunsheng sensed something amiss. The eyes of Chen Ping An’s imposing Dharma image seemed to pay particular attention to him.

Only now, having become City Lord and advanced in cultivation, did he manage to temper his fiery temper. Otherwise, in the past, the “little Taoist acolyte” would have jumped up and cursed, “Grievances have their source, debts have their debtors! If you seek vengeance, first find my Ancestor or Lord Pang! Why pick on a soft persimmon!”

Jiang Yunsheng refused to believe that Chen Ping An’s arrival was meant to challenge Master Yu Dou in a sword duel. If that were the case, it could only be explained as Chen Ping An having lost his mind.

The difference was nearly two great realms. A sword duel? It was simply courting death.

Fortunately, Chen Ping An’s gaze merely swept past him.

Jiang Yunsheng involuntarily twitched his sleeves. Despite being a newly Ascended, and nominally of comparable cultivation, he could not conceal his unease in the face of Chen Ping An.

The Violet Qi Tower.

Located on the eastern edge of the White Jade Citadel, its position was both auspicious and lofty.

The Jiang clan of the Violet Qi Tower was renowned.

Tower Lord Jiang Zhaomo, styled Chaosheng, with the Taoist title “Hanging Image,” had long reached the pinnacle of the Ascendant Realm.

Jiang Zhaomo had entered the White Jade Citadel somewhat later than Yu Dou. His past identity was Liu Changzhou, who called himself “The Filthy Taoist.”

He and the Ghost Immortal Bao Lin, who would later become Yu Dou’s persistent tormentor, had once been close friends, traveling together and rampaging across the world.

Liu Changzhou had once uttered the rebellious yet popular words, “We are Taoists of the Azure Heavens, and the Azure Heavens will be our dojo.”

Among the Celestial Officials of the White Jade Citadel, Jiang Zhaomo’s swordsmanship was second only to Yu Dou’s. In addition, Jiang Zhaomo was also a master of martial arts, having engaged in several secret fist-fights with Lin Jiangxian.

A perfected scholar stood alone atop the highest tower, his sleeves billowing in the wind. It was Jiang Zhaomo.

He remembered that in those days, Qi Jingchun’s Dharma image had merely hung in the sky above the Treasure Bottle Continent, far below the layers of clouds.

Jiang Zhaomo and Pang Ding had both participated in the latter’s death and dissipation.

Jiang Zhaomo smiled. The wheel turned? Was he now being “looked down upon” by a junior?

At long last.

Their eyes met.

Jiang Zhaomo did not bother with words. It was clear that this man had just attained enlightenment, gaining a tremendous advantage by wielding the power of an entire continent. Yet it was merely a show of temporary bravado. How long could this Dharma image, which was only good for intimidation, last?

An old perfected man emerged from his secluded dojo, consumed by curiosity. With a mental voice, he inquired, “Less than a century of cultivation, reaching the Ascendant Realm at such a young age, who is this divine being? What is his name?”

A junior at his side explained the man’s origins. The old perfected man sighed. He had thought Zhang Fenghai was the most remarkable cultivator he would ever see, but it seemed the Verdant Expanse also possessed such a young prodigy.

He also heard a rough account of this man’s connection to the White Jade Citadel, and why he was being so aggressive, actively coming to the Azure Heavens to provoke the entire Citadel. The old perfected man did not rush to judgment, nor did he feel any indignation. Cultivation was about forming good connections, as that was the essence of Taoist power. Constantly avoiding karmic debts was never the mark of a master.

A celestial official, wreathed in golden light, waved his horsetail whisk and sneered, “Such an opportunistic move, choosing the perfect moment! As befits a sly rogue who once served as the Hidden Official in the Sword Qi Great Wall, he is indeed skilled at assessing the situation, willing to place a heavy bet, gambling big to win big.”

The world was in chaos.

This was the most perilous moment for the White Jade Citadel since the “White Jade Citadel Officials Slaying Demons” campaign, after the Heavenly Demons had wreaked havoc and Taoized a continent. Even the most arrogant officials dared not say that the world would return to peace in three to five years. The Taoist Ancestor had already scattered his Tao, and Great Teacher Kou Ming had yet to return to the White Jade Citadel to take charge. Second Teacher Yu Dou was forced to refine the entire Citadel, resorting to inferior methods to “harmonize with the Tao” and reach the False Fifteenth Step. Third Teacher Lu Chen was trapped deep within the Barbarian World, using himself as a cage to refine and imprison that extra-territorial Heavenly Demon.

The fourteen prefectures of the Azure Heavens were like wildfire, with rebels in every prefecture standing in opposition to the White Jade Citadel. Large and small Taoist sects were springing up like mushrooms after a rain.

Chen Ping An of the Verdant Expanse, choosing this moment to openly break ties with the White Jade Citadel by crossing worlds, what else was it but echoing the treacherous Year-End Palace?

A celestial official, holding a jade scepter, pointed it at the heavens and rebuked, “Insolent wretch! Withdraw this instant!”

In a neighboring celestial city of nearly equal height, a celestial being leaned against a railing, seeming to contradict certain great figures, his eyes shining with appreciation as he clapped his hands and praised, “Skillful and bold. A true sword immortal.”

Without courage, who would dare to pay respects to the White Jade Citadel? Without a firm Taoist heart, why bother cultivating to become a celestial?

Chen Ping An’s audacity alone was enough to make him a hero of this era.

An old perfected man of Azure Cloud Tower, who had secluded himself for many years, waved his horsetail whisk and nodded in agreement, “Taoist cultivation is not measured by age. He puts us to shame.”

Riding a cloud of five-colored auspiciousness, he rose slowly, leaving his dojo to admire the sword immortal’s splendor in the sky.

From Jade Woods Tower, which had long been hailed as a land of jade orchids and golden jade dojos, the two Tower Lords stood side by side.

Tower Lord Wang Dongzhi, looking melancholy, gazed up at the “snow piling upon frost.”

Deputy Tower Lord Xie Xuan, looking concerned, glanced at the vast world beyond the White Jade Citadel, “pouring oil on the fire.”

The former referred to the White Jade Citadel’s current perilous situation, while the latter referred to the chaos now consuming the Azure Heavens.

A young-looking old Taoist official of Spirit Treasure City had already issued his premature verdict, “An ant trying to shake a tree, overestimating his own strength.”

To think that a single Ascendant Realm cultivator wanted to challenge the White Jade Citadel with a sword?

Before, Sun Huaizhong, Old Teacher of the Mysterious Capital Temple, a Lord of the Fourteenth Step, how profound his Taoist power, how superb his swordsmanship! From a great distance, across several prefectures, he had delivered a sword strike, a long sword leaning against the Azure Heavens! Hadn’t Teacher Sun lost in a head-on clash with Master Yu?

Later, Wu Shuangjiang, allied with the purple-robed monk Jiang Xiu, and Gao Gu of the Earth Lung Mountain, three great cultivators of the Fourteenth Step, masters of the Buddhist, Taoist, and Soldierly Paths, had jointly inquired of the White Jade Citadel. What had been the result? All dead!

In that inquiry, the female sword immortal Bao Lin, who was at the pinnacle of the Ascendant Realm, was like an afterthought, merely there to make up the numbers. She had been slain by Master Yu Dou with a single sword strike.

Two friends in the Violet Qi Tower were chatting, their faces and tones dismissive. “Acting impulsively, making a fool of himself.”

“In the end, he is a young man who has suddenly gained power, becoming giddy and completely ignorant of the immensity of the heavens and earth.”

Jade Pivot City.

City Lord Guo Xie was in a complicated mood. “The human realm is truly going through troubled times. How long has it been since the White Jade Citadel last saw a sword’s gleam.”

Deputy City Lord Shao Xiang laughed, “Master Lu said that if this man ever sneaked into the White Jade Citadel, he would surely linger in our Jade Pivot City for a long time, becoming a book thief who wouldn’t have to move books.”

Guo Xie sighed, “I used to find Lu Chen annoying, but now that he’s gone, the world feels empty.”

Shao Xiang felt the same way.

Guo Xie and Shao Xiang were both Taoist sword immortals, especially the former, who was regarded as the foremost interpreter of Lu Chen’s “Extra Chapters.”

Lu Chen’s study was not built in South China City, but had requested a plot of land from Jade Pivot City, calling it the Thousand Swords Pavilion.

It was said that Master Lu’s reason was that it was close, making it convenient to ask the two City Lords for guidance on scholarly matters.

But the problem was that Guo and Shao were annotators, while Lu Chen was the author.

The two City Lords devoted much of their energy to annotating Lu Chen’s book.

Rumor had it that Lu Chen was privately smug, throwing up his sleeves and telling everyone that he hadn’t known how formidable his writing truly was, but after hearing their explanations and interpretations, he had become a little dizzy.

Looking across the world, such things, such outrageous words, could probably only be done by Lu Chen.

Shao Xiang asked, “What if there really is a sword inquiry?”

Guo Xie smiled, “What else can we do? Since we are both sword cultivators, we will accept the sword.”

Spirit Treasure City.

The place where Master Yu Dou attained enlightenment.

Like his elder brother Kou Ming, Yu Dou had left his dojo after becoming Master Teacher.

In its eight thousand years of history, Spirit Treasure City had only had two City Lords. After Yu Dou came Pang Ding.

Pang Ding, styled Xuxin, was proficient in lightning techniques and also cultivated the five elements.

The old Taoist had some criticisms of the Five Thunders Orthodox Method, which the Heavenly Master lineage of Dragon Tiger Mountain was hailed as the orthodox lineage of lightning techniques.

At this moment, Pang Ding was standing beside an old man with a gaunt face. Beside the latter was a middle-aged woman holding a red duster, who asked with a smile, “Pharmacist, what do you think?”

Li Yaoshi held a cane made from spirit Longevity Wood from Guo Mountain. He was a spirit who had been formed after death, having received offerings of incense and worship for a long time.

In terms of age, he was from around the same era as Bai from the Verdant Expanse.

The old man’s status in Spirit Treasure City was similar to that of the sword cultivator Hao Su in Divine Firmament City. His position was transcendent, a distinguished guest of the entire White Jade Citadel, with absolutely no possibility of being a dependent.

Spirit Treasure City had a Cease-War Palace, under which were thirty-six Taoist temples. Freeing the Steeds Temple was one of them, and Freeing the Steeds Temple governed a number of Taoist temples, including the insignificant Manifest Spirit Temple.

Li Yaoshi and his Taoist partner cultivated in the Manifest Spirit Temple, he writing military treatises, she adding fragrance to the red sleeves.

Li Yaoshi said, “As expected of an ally carefully selected by Palace Master Wu.”

The woman smiled, “It seems there is a reason why Wu Shuangjiang is willing to entrust his Taoist partner to this man.”

Pang Ding asked with a mental voice, “Taoist Friend Pharmacist, are you willing to come out of the mountain?”

Li Yaoshi said, “We will be leaving the White Jade Citadel soon to look around.”

Pang Ding did not push his luck. With this answer, he was already satisfied, nodding and saying, “Enough.”

This military strategist, who was said to have “never lost a battle, never fought a celestial war,” returned to the Manifest Spirit Temple with his Taoist partner.

In the near future, the battlefields of the fourteen prefectures outside the White Jade Citadel would be, to some extent, an “internal struggle” between the rebellious military strategists led by Wu Shuangjiang and Li Yaoshi.

The entire Azure Heavens was destined to be a battlefield filled with smoke and fire, where military strategists would display their respective skills.

Pang Ding performed a Taoist salute to the couple. After they left, the old Taoist turned to look at the heavens, no longer suppressing his Taoist aura, and sneered, “The elder brother dares not strike back, but you, the younger brother, dares to come and throw yourself into the net. Your lineage is indeed better than the previous generation.”

Chen Ping An looked again at the Violet Qi Tower, squinting and smiling, “Jiang Zhaomo, you’re not being very forthcoming this time, secretly reaching the Fourteenth Step? That’s a good thing. The shaky White Jade Citadel has gained another pillar. Why hide it? What, are you looking for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to strike a blow, to do away with Master Yu, with whom you have a deadly feud from a previous life, but to whom you must still bow in this life?”

Jiang Zhaomo frowned slightly, hesitating for a moment before finally saying nothing.

Not to mention the disciples of the Violet Qi Tower, even old Ascendants like Pang Ding were surprised. When had Jiang Zhaomo quietly reached the Fourteenth Step?

Pang Ding steadied his mind, preparing to meet this new Ascendant.

Unexpectedly, the Dharma image thundered, laughing, “Pang Ding, old trash, stop squawking! Speaking out of your arsehole!”

Pang Ding was stunned. The old Taoist had wanted to say, “Stop trying to gain a cheap victory with words. If you have the ability, come down here and spar, fight.”

This statement caused the entire White Jade Citadel to fall silent instantly.

The officials of the White Jade Citadel, regardless of gender or age, had truly never seen such a “scene.”

Pang Ding, enraged, was about to act on the spot. Since the entire White Jade Citadel had heard this, wouldn’t it mean that the entire Azure Heavens would know? Even cultivators, even Taoists, no matter how little they cared about reputation or external possessions, just imagine. As soon as the venerable old Taoist went out, as soon as he opened his mouth to speak to someone, there would be strange looks and playful expressions,

But as if he had received a reminder, Pang Ding snorted, “Unrestrained mouth, only capable of vile abuse. How dare you call yourself a learner of the Tao?!”

The fellow shook his head and said, “Old Pang trash is eating with his arse and reeking with his arsehole again.”

Pang Ding, no matter how good his self-cultivation or how deep his Taoist power, was about to burst into a torrent of abuse. If this fellow continued again and again, it would truly give the hostile officials outside the White Jade Citadel something to laugh about for hundreds of years.

Azure Cloud Tower.

At the entrance of Smoke Clouds Cave in the Town Mountain Palace stood an old man. His Taoist title was “Xuan Huang,” with a very significant meaning.

Huang Jieshou and Pang Ding of Spirit Treasure City were of the same generation, truly old men in the White Jade Citadel.

Huang Jieshou was filled with mixed feelings, but remained silent. The White Jade Citadel was destined to face this tribulation.

It was not until Pang Ding was verbally mocked by the young sword immortal that Huang Jieshou said with a mental voice, “Pang Ding, the enemy is at hand, the situation is unclear, do not disrupt your own formation.”

Pang Ding had to restrain his impulse to act.

The great upheaval of jointly slaying the founding ancestor of the Military School had been announced to the world by Wu Shuangjiang of the Year-End Palace. The peaks of humanity in several worlds had already heard of it.

Pang Ding, of course, knew it clearly. At that time, he had given a sinister response, “The thief’s heart to disrupt my Azure Heavens is unrepentant.”

As a closed-door disciple of the Literary Saint lineage, instead of properly reading his books of sages and worthies, he had actually hooked up with Wu Shuangjiang of the Year-End Palace.

The chaos in the Azure Heavens today was the fault of Wu Shuangjiang.

But what Pang Ding feared the most was the third “name” on that edict, the city lord of White Emperor City, Zheng Juzhong, who was firmly in the first seat of the demonic path.

The Heavenly Demon had already been suppressed by Lu Chen.

Who should deal with Zheng Juzhong, a demon who did as he pleased?

Pang Ding had secretly confirmed repeatedly that there was no sign of Zheng Juzhong lurking near the “Heavenly Gate” around Chen Ping An’s Dharma image.

Otherwise, the reminders of Master Yu Dou and the persuasion of Huang Jieshou would not have stopped the City Lord of Spirit Treasure City from acting.

A Deputy Tower Lord of the Violet Qi Tower, a stooped old woman, narrowed her eyes and said with a mental voice, “Girl, open your eyes wide and look carefully. Remember this firmly in your heart. This is probably the limit of your path. Do not continue to walk the path of being outwardly respectful and inwardly arrogant, thinking that those in the White Jade Citadel with higher cultivation have only gained an advantage by being older. Isn’t this man surnamed Chen even younger than you?”

Standing beside the old woman was an outstanding disciple of the Jiang clan, named Jiang Yuwei, with the Taoist title “Precarious Heart.” She was both a sword cultivator and a martial artist. That was why the old woman had said these words.

Jiang Yuwei looked up at the uninvited guest from the entire world, her heart shaking. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed that there could be such a young sword immortal and grandmaster in the human realm.

The old woman joked, “I want you to surpass him, to catch up with him on the Great Dao, not to admire him, wanting to become his Taoist partner, wanting to sleep with him.”

Jiang Yuwei withdrew her gaze, helpless. “I do not have such thoughts of romantic love.”

The old woman said, “It’s not easy to finally attain the Ascendant Realm. I can understand your eagerness to come here to show off, but it’s a pity you’re too young and energetic, completely not understanding the principles of nourishing your aura and gathering your spirit.”

Jiang Yuwei did not dare to make rash judgments.

The old woman shook her head. “Indeed young, young enough to make one jealous. But the problem is that in less than fifty years, in such a short time, no matter how humble your origins, how much hardship can you have endured? This fellow still does not understand the fearsome nature of divine displeasure and heavenly punishment. If I am not mistaken, he will stumble sooner or later, either in the Verdant Expanse or in the Barbarian World. I wonder if our White Jade Citadel will ever see this face again.”

Jiang Yuwei knew that this was the old woman’s usual argument. The tides of Taoist arts always came and went. How many new faces of world-renowned geniuses had only been seen once or twice before disappearing?

When the sword immortal spoke to Pang Ding of Spirit Treasure City, the old woman’s face darkened.

Jiang Yuwei was also somewhat annoyed. “How can he speak so vulgarly, given his status and cultivation?”

The old woman said sternly, “Wrong!”

Jiang Yuwei was puzzled. The old woman hesitated, finally just saying vaguely, “This fellow seeks much, openly and secretly, on this trip. You will understand later.”

For example, if Pang Ding had truly acted today, he would probably only have his fist “stolen” by that fellow?

Cloud Water Tower.

Where white clouds are born is a land of immortals, its lineage belonging to the Great Teacher lineage, with two female Tower Lords who specialize in crafting Taoist ordination certificates for countries and Taoist temples large and small.

This place was shrouded in clouds and mist all year round, with rippling water, perfect for drinking wine, night游and admiring the bright moon.

A female celestial dressed in a Xiang River Dragon Girl dress, wearing a pearl bracelet, a golden hairpin, and a touch of rouge, complained softly, “Master Lu is useless. If he had been more decisive in those days, he would have knocked this young Hidden Official unconscious in the Luminous Pearl Grotto-Heaven, stuffed him in a sack, and brought him to the White Jade Citadel to become the Fourth Teacher. How could there be such a tangled mess of grievances today?”

The other Tower Lord was very heroic, without any makeup, a long sword hanging from her waist. She held the back of her head with both hands, lazily saying, “That’s right. The first time I saw that guy, I felt that his virtue did not match his position.”

The young Taoist with the Taoist title Mountain Green was now still in the Five-Colored World, having been accepted as a disciple by Lu Chen in place of his master, becoming the Taoist Ancestor’s nominal closed-door disciple.

But the officials of the White Jade Citadel knew that, in terms of popularity and cultivation, Mountain Green was still far from being the “Fourth Teacher.” Moreover, he had suffered a great loss at the hands of Ning Yao in the Five-Colored World.

Now that Master Lu was in the Barbarian World, the acolytes of the White Jade Citadel would be rebuked by their elders if they mentioned Master Lu, reminding them to be careful with their words, lest they attract the attention of the Heavenly Demon.

But the two of them believed that Master Lu would be fine.

The elegant female Tower Lord sighed, “The sun and moon have changed thousands of times, and human rulers have been named tens of thousands of times.”

The heroic female celestial nodded, “He made a fortune.”

“His appearance is quite decent.”

“Why does a cultivator who aspires to connect with heaven and earth care about this appearance?”

The reason they were talking about this was thanks to Master Lu’s help in spreading his name.

This poor Taoist is slightly older than Hidden Official Chen, but this poor Taoist is a hundred times more handsome than him.

Regarding Chen Ping An, there were almost annual rumors and monthly additions in the White Jade Citadel, and their ears had grown calluses from hearing about him.

Becoming famous in the Sword Qi Great Wall had actually allowed him to be favored by Ning Yao. A foreigner who was not a sword cultivator was able to sit in the Bixie Palace and casually dispatch sword immortals.

After returning alive to the Verdant Expanse, he and the martial artist Cao Ci of Central Earth Continent had the saying “White-Clad Cao and Azure-Robed Chen,” as if their paths in martial arts were shining together like the sun and moon.

Perhaps the old men of the White Jade Citadel had seen too many Taoist geniuses, so they were relatively indifferent. After all, how many widely anticipated appearances had been like flashes in the pan?

Younger officials had different thoughts and opinions, so they chatted more.

However, even the younger people who held negative views, no matter how arrogant they were, could not bring themselves to say “Without heroes, fools rise to fame,” because no matter how the Taoist learning of the Verdant Expanse was, the learners of Tao in the White Jade Citadel could evaluate it at will, but they still had to think before they spoke when it came to the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Every era had its own “modern times.”

The youngest generation who could cultivate in the White Jade Citadel could bypass the young geniuses of the entire world, but seemed unable to bypass that Chen from the Verdant Expanse.

Therefore, some joked that in recent years, there were no fewer than dozens of officials from the White Jade Citadel who wanted to personally weigh the “last Hidden Official” to see how much he was worth.

Now the opportunity had come.

So they chickened out.

Occasionally, a few taciturn young officials, having seen the giant Dharma image in the sky, not only did not feel discouraged and fall into depression, but instead were inspired with greater confidence, which was naturally a good thing.

A dignified Taoist Sovereign, her Taoist robe glittering, narrowed the landscape and left her dojo in South China City.

She brought a direct disciple in charge of the hundred flowers of the human realm to the entrance of the study.

She was the first Deputy City Lord of South China City, revered as Lady Wei, styled Zixu.

Lady Wei was the foremost Taoist Sovereign in the Azure Heavens, as well as the founding ancestor of the Yellow Court Temple lineage, and one of the current candidates for the Sovereign of the Azure Heavens.

Lady Wei asked with a mental voice, “What did Sword Immortal Chen say to you just now?”

The female disciple shook her head, also puzzled. “Reporting to Master, daring not conceal anything, the other party did not say anything. He merely glanced at me.”

Lady Wei smiled. “Do not be nervous. He possesses the knotted cord of the Hundred Flowers Blessed Land, which has not yet been returned to Flower Master Qi Fang, so he is considered to have a connection with you.”

Divine Firmament City.

Among the five cities of the White Jade Citadel, the height of Divine Firmament City was now on par with that of Jade Pivot City, but it had gone from being at the bottom to being one of the bottom-dwellers. Moreover, it had been surpassed by two towers in the past five hundred years.

The old City Lord was Yao Keji, styled Nigu. The old perfected man was one of the Three Sages of the Three Teachings who sat in the sky above the Sword Qi Great Wall. Having gone to a foreign land, he would never return home.

Now the two Deputy City Lords, Wang Qing, styled Jinqing, and Xiao Feibai, styled Modou, were Taoist partners and both immortals, and also direct disciples of Yao Keji.

When a strange phenomenon occurred in the sky, the young sword cultivators who came from the Sword Qi Great Wall shouted in unison, “Hidden Official!”

They did not care what the officials of the White Jade Citadel around them thought.

Dong Huafu, who was practicing his sword alone in the peach forest, had a different name for him, “Second Shopkeeper.”

Hao Su, the old judge who lived not far from Dong Hei Tan, looked up and met the young Hidden Official’s eyes.

Hao Su slowly got up, mocking himself. He was truly a stray dog, destined for a life of wandering.

He had only been in Divine Firmament City for a few days before he felt like he had to move again.

When Hao Su stood up, Wang Qing immediately came to this place.

Hao Su smiled indifferently. “You can’t stop me, so why bother making things difficult for yourself? Why not pretend you don’t know?”

Wang Qing’s answer was unexpected to Hao Su. “I can’t stop you, and I don’t want to stop you. I just came to say a few words and say goodbye to my good friend Hao Su.”

Hao Su looked complicated, rubbing his cheeks. “If I had known, I wouldn’t have come to Divine Firmament City to settle down.”

But the Dharma image in the sky merely looked at the thousand miles of peach blossoms in Divine Firmament City and nodded to himself. Chen Ping An smiled and said, “Old Immortal Yao did not deceive me. The peach forest in Divine Firmament City can indeed move one’s heart.”

This was not the kind of casual polite remark that one would make on a visit to the mountains.

It was like two armies facing each other, about to engage in close combat, with life and death hanging in the balance. One general, taking the time to say to a certain warrior in the enemy’s ranks, “So-and-so is truly a hero.”

A tree of peach blossoms, as if receiving an edict, and like charming women, willing to please those who appreciated them, the thousand miles of peach forest in Divine Firmament City, in that instant, blossomed brilliantly, a fairyland scene, unique in the world.

Hao Su said, “Fortunately, our Hidden Official is still somewhat righteous and has not asked me to be a traitor from within.”

Wang Qing smiled, “I hope it’s not ‘temporary,’ but forever.”

Hao Su asked, “Won’t Hidden Official’s actions make things difficult for you in Divine Firmament City, which is an exception?”

Wang Qing looked around and smiled. “It won’t be difficult. Master is gone, but the great principles of life that Master taught us are still here.”

Huang Jieshou stood outside Smoke Clouds Cave in the Town Mountain Palace, looking into the distance. The old man was saddened. Such beautiful mountains and rivers had become like ringworm.

The external troubles of the White Jade Citadel were not only the wavering hearts of the officials in each prefecture, nor only the “paying respects” of the young sword immortal today.

Move one hair, and the whole body is affected.

The White Jade Citadel had Master Yu sitting in the center of heaven and earth in the False Fifteenth Step, deterring the heroes of the fourteen prefectures.

But don’t forget that there was another cultivator in the Azure Heavens who had also reached the False Fifteenth Step.

That elegant minister of the Azure God Dynasty, Yao Qing, had clearly reached the Fourteenth Step, but had chosen to enter a Military Temple, becoming a military cultivator. His statue was second in the hall, and he possessed both a sword path and a dragon vein.

Yao Qing of the Military Temple and Yu Dou of the White Jade Citadel were facing each other from afar in the heavens and earth.

Each was waiting for an opportunity to accomplish everything in one battle.

Yao Qing’s demands were not high. He wanted to trade with Yu Dou.

Yu Dou was also looking for a suitable opportunity to uproot Yao Qing and the Military Temple.

Except for a handful of Taoists, no one could understand why Yao Qing, who had an infinitely high Great Dao, would do this.

It was only because they did not know that the later elegant minister, one of the ten men of the Azure Heavens, had once been a wandering youth who mingled in the lower levels of the city.

A flower-armed man who would roll up his sleeves and draw his knife to stab anyone who dared to provoke him!

Somewhere in the White Jade Citadel, a group of officials were calculating the Great Dao.

If the sword immortal Dharma image was an ill-intentioned paying of respects, then these officials were also returning the favor.

As a result, Taoists were suffering backlashes one after another, either pale-faced and vomiting blood, or dizzy and reeling, even some officials nearly losing their current cultivation level.

When it came to calculating heavenly secrets about a certain person, the more experienced one was, the more cautious they would be, even surpassing a face-to-face duel.

Even though they spared no expense in Taoist power, using various mysterious methods to bypass Chen Ping An’s maze-like strange world, the subsequent scenes still nearly caused their Taoist hearts to collapse.

In the front, the middle-aged Taoist with a whisk and sword, forming a sword seal with one hand, had a great sun treasure wheel behind him. It was Lü Yan, who had taken the initiative to retreat from the Fourteenth Step back to the Ascendant Realm in the past.

Behind him, the starry river was bright, a purple-robed old Taoist with a Yin-Yang fish pattern was sitting cross-legged on a giant gourd. It was Yu Xuan, who had harmonized with the starry river.

A lone city of ten thousand仞mountains, a blurry figure of a man in the colorful clouds of White Emperor City, with his hands behind his back, stood under a large banner, which read “Willing to Yield to the World.”

Especially at the highest and farthest point, a faceless Taoist with a lotus crown stood by a river that looked like the long river of time, tilting his head slightly, “smiling” at them who were peeking at the heavenly secrets.

A series of true and false cultivators, layers of insurmountable barriers, were hindering the combined deduction of the officials of the White Jade Citadel.

When an old Ascendant finally, finally, was about to encounter Chen Ping An’s “truth,” the final scene caused the old Taoist to stagger back, bleeding from all seven orifices, nearly shattering his Taoist heart on the spot.

He saw a sky-piercing road slowly descend a man wearing a golden robe, countless stars small as “pearls” flying and circling around him.

“He” looked at the Ascendant, whose figure was as small as an ant, and smiled, “What do you want with me?”

At that moment, the old Ascendant could not hear the questions of the Taoists around him. He could not even bother to wipe the blood from his face, but repeatedly muttered, “It’s Zhou Mi, it’s Zhou Mi…”

Compared to the Dharma image at the “Heavenly Gate,” a figure as small as a mustard seed