Within the hallowed halls of the Central Shrine of Literature, where the very air hummed with ancient wisdom, the assembled sages turned their gaze upon the Old Scholar.

“Forbid it not!”

His words, sharp as a honed blade, echoed through the chamber. He paused, his voice softening, “Nor could we, even if we dared.”

As he spoke the latter, his eyes met those of the Ritual Sage, a silent understanding passing between them.

Zhou Mi’s essence, though yanked towards the mortal realm, remained tethered to the New Celestial Court. Likewise, Chen Ping’an, his Dharmic Image ascending in a burst of creation, his true sanctum remained amongst mortals.

There was no need to expound upon Chen Ping’an’s current might. One needed only to witness the fate of Zhou Mi, ensnared but not vanquished by the combined might of the Three Founders and the Ascent Shrine, to understand the gravity of the situation. Though Chen Ping’an, in raw power, paled in comparison to Zhou Mi, the sheer audacity of this “Heavenly Passage” made it a deadly confrontation. It was akin to a battle-hardened general, descendant of a line of warriors, powerful and renowned, being lured, unguarded, into a narrow, twisting alleyway. His lineage, his legions, all were rendered meaningless, as he faced a reckless youth, blade in hand, ready to duel to the death.

Grand Preceptor Dong, Lord of the Shrine, inquired, “Ritual Sage, what is Chen Ping’an’s ultimate design?”

The Ritual Sage replied, “To forge a Heavenly Passage, forcibly wresting Zhou Mi’s divinity from the Celestial Court, to distance his golden form from that divine realm. To shatter their intertwined halves, scattering their essence amongst the myriad spirits of the mortal world. To use the entirety of humankind as a sacred domain, sealing away the totality of that singular divinity. As it stands, Chen Ping’an will undoubtedly perish, body and soul extinguished. Whether Zhou Mi’s divinity will be utterly shattered remains to be seen, perhaps a remnant, two or three tenths, may persist. The Three Founders and the Ascent Shrine will surely intervene.”

Dong inquired further, “Does Chen Ping’an possess a contingency?”

In the tapestry of mortal knowledge, contingency was the most elusive thread.

The Old Scholar swept up the stacks of maps, unfurling them to hang in a swirling panorama: the charts of the Continents of Precious Vases, Northern Lucidity, and Tongye, the courses of the Great Rivers, and a comprehensive map of the Nine Continents of the Boundless Heaven.

The Second Sage, crossing vast distances in a moment, descended in his true form upon the Central Shrine, summoning the Scholarly Life, Xiping, for urgent counsel.

The Second Sage pored over the scattered manuscripts, revealing a meticulous and far-reaching plan, its breadth and depth exceeding all expectations.

The Old Scholar, his fingers dancing across the maps, declared, “Aye, a contingency exists. Behold!”

Vice Preceptor Han, with a flick of his wrist, transcribed the manuscripts, devouring the words in rapid succession. He exploded, “By the saints, that bastard Yin Ji…”

Yet, loath to waste a single moment, the aged sage, architect of the Confucian revival, choked back his outrage, his words a furious torrent: “Yin Ji lacks such cunning. How deep does the White Jade City’s involvement run? Ritual Sage, spare me your ‘difficult to say’…” He turned to the Old Scholar. “The ring of maps and writings, linked at the most crucial points, contains the elements of the Five Phases, a linchpin if ever there was one. And we cannot reach Chen Ping’an to question him. Should we summon Master Zou and the Land Deity to glean some insight? Ritual Sage, will it once again be ‘difficult to say’?”

The Ritual Sage’s eyes flashed. “It is, by all that is holy, sayable!”

The Second Sage loosened his collar, murmuring, “Then make haste!”

The Literary Sage patted his arm, chuckling. “Patience, my friend, patience.”

Zheng Juzhong had once confided in Chen Ping’an, “Overestimating the divine might of the Three Founders is unwise. Those who approach the Dao often fall short, for limitations remain. To establish a creed and become a Founder is to relinquish freedom.”

The connection between a Night Voyage ship’s course and the Central Shrine in the Boundless Heaven had been likened to a commoner swatting mosquitoes in his dwelling, or catching a fish in his own pond.

Zheng Juzhong, within the ruins of Gold Jade City, crafted a nested array, joining forces with Chen Ping’an and Wu Shuangjiang to vanquish Jiang She, unseen by the savage lands.

Only after Zhou Mi felt the bite of Chen Ping’an’s blade did the Boundless Heaven reveal hints of its hidden design, painstakingly unraveled by the Shrine.

Chen Ping’an, within his private sanctum at Verdant Foothill, would seize every opportunity to observe, from afar, the training of the young disciples on Flower Shadow and Nightingale Peaks. Later, assuming the mantle of Imperial Preceptor, he went so far as to refine the entire Imperial Estate, lacking the time and energy to attend to every detail. As Zheng Juzhong had forewarned, matters of state, with their shifting importance, had become a heavy yoke upon his shoulders.

The Central Shrine, unlike the White Jade City, had not previously maintained officials dedicated to monitoring the movements of every Great Adept in the Azure Heavens, tracking their journeys and performing complex derivations. But since the previous council, that had changed. Restrictions and oversight of the Great Adepts had reached an unprecedented intensity.

The Ritual Sage “invited” a dull-faced man of middle years and a handsome youth in ceremonial robes from Fallen Phoenix Mountain, the Heavenly Capital Peak.

Not only did the Second Sage descend in his true form, but the Ritual Sage was also present. The Land Deity bowed in haste.

The maps hung suspended, slowly rotating.

Among them, the three continental charts displayed new Grand Rivers being carved from north to south across Tongye Continent, under the direction of the Green Plume Sword Sect and Chen Ping’an himself; the Meridian Stream, forged by the Tiger Embroiderer and the combined might of Precious Vases Continent; and the River of Salvation of Northern Lucidity.

These three new and ancient waterways nearly bisected each continent.

Master Zou, however, gazed directly at the maps, then seized several of the subtly worded manuscripts, filled with veiled references. After a moment of silent calculation, he nodded to himself, raised his hand, and placed the three continental maps of the Boundless Heaven’s eastern reaches one atop the other. Then, with a downward stroke between the charts of Precious Vases and Tongye, he drew a red line, declaring, “Following the partially completed River of a Hundred Flowers, Chen Ping’an intends, in one bold stroke, to construct a transoceanic bridge linking the two continents!”

With another stroke, he marked a long line between Northern Lucidity and Eastern Precious Vases.

This was a transoceanic bridge that had once connected the continents, built through the mountain-moving power of the continents’ cultivators, with aid from Ruan Xiu, Li Liu, and Lady Dan from Greenwater Pit.

But after the Great War, under the personal supervision of the Tiger Embroiderer, the “bridge” had been submerged, its underwater dragon veins severed into fragments.

For once those veins were linked, there could be no talk of Eastern Precious Vases and Northern Lucidity. They would be as one family, a matter of grave consequence to the flow of Qi across the Nine Continents.

Grand Preceptor Dong nodded. “The land of Tongye has sunk, and its people are rebuilding with the waters of the new canal, but Tongye still remains fragile. Therefore, the cross-sea bridge between Old Dragon City and Pure Realm Mountain must be a true bridge, creating a weak and deficient dragon to prevent instability. Precious Vases concedes to Tongye, allowing Tongye to gain strength.”

“The great meridian between Northern Lucidity and Eastern Precious Vases is different. This one is powerful. Rising from the ocean and going back into the mountain, this meridian is built for two strong continents.”

Master Zou raised his gaze, tracing the Zhongtiao Mountain range of Northern Lucidity with a “crimson brush.”

Grand Preceptor Dong frowned, then understood. “No wonder the Dayuan Dynasty sent Prince Lu Jun and Imperial Advisor Yang Houjue to the Great Li capital. Did they come to an understanding beforehand?”

Master Zou replied, “In arranging the Three Continents, Chen Ping’an has prepared two strategies.”

The two Vice Preceptors exchanged glances. So, this young Hidden Official never came to the Shrine to lament his troubles. When he arrived, it was to reveal a plan to arrange all the Three Continents!

Mao Xiaodong, Director of the Rite Records Academy, was torn between pride and sorrow. Why had his little brother given up halfway, his dreams unfulfilled?

Rumors had circulated, claiming that this young Hidden Official sought to dominate both Precious Vases Continent and Tongye Continent, serving as the Lord of both.

Partially true, for Chen Ping’an truly harbored such “ambition.” But they had underestimated the new Imperial Advisor of the Great Li, the Tiger Embroiderer’s little brother!

His first strategy involved the Grand Rivers of Tongye, the Meridian Stream of Precious Vases, and the River of Salvation of Northern Lucidity, linked by the dragon vein between Precious Vases and Northern Lucidity and the Zhongtiao Mountain range.

Two horizontal lines and a vertical line formed the character “土” – earth. Regardless of the circumstances, Chen Ping’an possessed a readily available alternative plan.

Creating the word “earth” amongst mortals.

The Land Deity nodded. “‘Earth’ is the ruler of the four seasons, encompassing all. Green, red, white, black, each occupies a cardinal direction. All obey the central palace, the virtue of Earth. The human body mirrors the heavens, with earth at the center, governing all directions.”

Three creeds as one: Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, and the military.

It was impossible to cultivate a natal word. This meant Chen Ping’an’s mastery of Confucian refinement techniques was inherently limited.

Due to his past experiences, Chen Ping’an was naturally drawn to “Bodhisattvas” and Buddhist teachings, but he primarily used them on his journeys to calm his mind, to subdue the restless monkey of the heart.

The military arts had already been claimed by Wu Shuangjiang and Zheng Juzhong, reaching their zenith.

What path remained to greatly enhance his cultivation? This was what Shi Zhouren had meant when he said, “You are finally drawing closer to Daoism.”

Some schools of Daoism likened the body to a nation, with orderly officials representing the vital organs. They practiced the cultivation of mind and body based on laws of governance.

Body and state were the same, proving the Dao and ascending. As the Grand Imperial Advisor of the Great Li Dynasty, he would have the latitude to execute a plan of action that involved the entire Three Continents. Two birds with one stone.

Master Zou said, “His second strategy is to create the word ‘王’ – King. In the Lotus Root Paradise, Chen Ping’an presented the initial concept of ‘arranging humanity,’ both in governing the paradise, seeking the greatest common denominator of ‘freedom,’ and in a preemptive ‘military exercise.’ But Chen Ping’an has a third strategy.”

The Land Deity stared. Even the lords of the Literary Shrine were stunned.

The Tiger Embroiderer assisted the Great Li Dynasty, helping the Boundless Heaven avert ruin.

This new Imperial Advisor would pour his strength into aiding the Great Li Emperor. He would make either the current Emperor, or the successor Emperor, the sovereign of all humanity in the Boundless Heaven.

Whether witnessed by mountain ascetics or gleaned from books by common scholars, true history and events always unfolded in fragments.

Doing many things poorly amounts to nothing. Doing one thing well is all that counts. This, perhaps, is the greatest difference between people.

Master Zou advised, “Scholarly Life Xiping, embody the Dao and see what becomes of these first two strategies.”

Scholarly Life Xiping glanced at the Ritual Sage, who nodded. “Permitted.”

The lands and rivers of the Three Continents seemed to awaken. Chen Ping’an ascended, confronting Zhou Mi, but in his wake, he dragged an infinite number of “humanities,” to prevent those two or three tenths of Zhou Mi’s divinity from prevailing… Moments later, Scholarly Life Xiping spoke, “Sixty percent certainty.”

Master Zou shook his head. “Sixty percent, or even ninety percent, is meaningless. The greater the entanglement, the greater the chance of a reversal. This is a gamble no one can afford.”

Weary, Master Zou continued, “His third strategy is to convince the Shrine to align with Daoism, while retaining the righteousness and purity as its foundation. To use the Eight Continents as the Eight Trigrams, with the Central Divine Continent evolving the Great Primordial, from which yin and yang and the Four Images are born. His fourth strategy is to forge the ‘Great Five Phases,’ encompassing the Boundless Heaven, the Azure Heavens, the Western Buddhist Kingdoms, the Five-Colored Heaven, and the Savage Lands. This strategy is the most likely to succeed, but its difficulty, you are all well aware of.”

The Land Deity murmured, “A predestined doom, self-inflicted. The more he accomplishes, the more dissent he will face, the more he will be scorned. If he fails, he will be condemned for eternity. What is he trying to achieve?”

Scholarly Life Xiping replied, “The Master says: Learning is an endless endeavor. I cultivate my boundless spirit. The world cannot shake it. It is born from this, it dies from this.”

A moment of silence.

Mao Xiaodong, face reddening, pointed a trembling finger at a Shrine Secretary. “Who was it that said Ning Yao, as the master of a Heaven, loitering about the Boundless Heaven, is unseemly?”

The Old Scholar roared, “Silence! No more bickering!”

Mao Xiaodong fell silent. The Secretary bowed. Mao Xiaodong sighed, helping him to his feet. “I acted poorly. Forgive me.”

The Ritual Sage suddenly announced, “The Western Buddhist Kingdoms have agreed. Yu Dou of the White Jade City and Yao Qing of the military have also given their consent. Ning Yao says she will return to the Five-Colored Heaven immediately, but Bai Ze refuses to yield.”

The Second Sage declared, “I will speak with Bai Ze.”

The Old Scholar waved his hand. “Useless. This cannot be resolved by a few years of truce. Bai Ze will never agree. In these late days of divine beings, is it Humanity that shines? No, it is the Beast that drives them. It is the raw, pure ‘evil’ we dared not speak of. Bai Ze is what he always was, and he is the one who will take on the preservation of his world at whatever cost!”

The Land Deity declared, “Ritual Sage, I am willing to forcibly merge my Dao with the Heaven, to assist Master Xiping, to aid Chen Ping’an. We two are the most suited for this.”

Scholarly Life Xiping smiled. “Xiping thanks the Land Deity for his trust.”

Master Zou declared, “This Heavenly Passage is merely a battleground between two ‘halves.’ Since Chen Ping’an himself did not create this array, the merging of the Land Deity’s Dao, or even your reaching of Quasi Fifteenth Stage, would be insignificant. Beware of fueling the fire, and instead risk Zhou Mi finding an opportunity to exploit.”

The Land Deity said, “Silence.”

The Ritual Sage said, “Liu Xiang asks us to wait, to confirm one thing. He says it seems Chen Ping’an, working with Cui Chan, has deceived even him.”

Master Zou mused, “Perhaps we can wait. Qi Jingchun and Cui Chan allowed Ruan Xiu to devour the divinity of Li Liu, allowed her to ascend to the heavens under their very eyes. I have pondered this for years, yet remain perplexed. They must have had a contingency.”

At long last, the heavens were connected.

The golden rays of creation and destruction collided.

A torrent of fiery rain descended, the drops dissolving in mid-air.

Shi Zhouren gazed upwards, his vision reeling. To witness this spectacle, his life had been worth it.

The Daoist felt a sense of liberation, a sense of peace.

Beyond the high platform, a barrier of the Great Dao remained, as if barring the passage of some.

Zhou Haijing’s expression shifted, her gaze landing on the iron spear planted in the ground. “Form ranks!” she barked.

She grasped the spear, a relic of the Patrol Envoy Su Gaoshan’s battlefield. “Good! I will not shame you! It is not only the big bosses who make heroes!”

Zhou Haijing said to herself, “Today, I shall carve my name into history, that the name of the warrior, ‘Zhou Haijing,’ shall be remembered through the ages!”

She looked around, grinning. “Let it be known, I will not accept a losing proposition!”

In Northern Lucidity, under the shroud of night, a Sword Requiem began.

Liu Jinglong, of the Supreme Emblem Sword Sect, ascended first.

Bai Shang, a swordsman of the Ascension realm, did the same, sword in hand, despite his past disagreements with Chen Ping’an.

Streams of sword light rose from training grounds, mountains, palaces, cities, and seas.

Many more swordsmen followed the Requiem, unaware of the reason behind the colliding “golden lines.” All felt a tremor in their hearts, a moment of suffocating awe.

How high must the combatants’ power have been to cause such an upheaval?

A young swordsman hastily ascended, encountering a familiar face from a neighboring kingdom, who had just pierced a cloud bank. He turned, inquiring, “Where are you going?”

The elder snapped, “If you don’t know where to go, why follow? Do you want to die?”

The young swordsman ignored the elder’s rebuke. “I’m asking you, your realm is a little higher than mine, you must have heard something.”

The elder sighed. “The golden line above is fierce, not a good sign. But Chen Ping’an is below. Do I need to teach you how to decide which is good and which is bad?”

The young swordsman replied, “Oh.”

The elder scoffed. “Oh? Go back! Leave some sword heritage for Northern Lucidity, don’t let the Snowy Continent steal the ‘North’!”

The young swordsman said, “It’s fine, I have two disciples, just reached the Third Realm, they’re not bad. Besides, my ancestor who has been in seclusion for many years… Oh, he’s coming too.”

The higher they soared, the closer they approached the “golden lines,” the more awe-inspiring the sight. Iridescent, towering, as majestic as the pillars that supported the heavens.

Bai Shang was the first to offer his sword, striking at the golden line above, but to no avail. The “golden line” remained untouched. Bai Shang wiped blood from his nose, astonished. His sword now had a clear nick in the blade.

If a swordsman of Bai Shang’s caliber could not break the barrier, what hope remained for the others?

It seemed it was simply there to allow them to prove their unyielding dedication to the world around them.

Like a final act of tenderness toward humanity.

Suddenly, Bai Shang swept a group of swordsmen around him, for the fiery rain had taken on a new form, sweeping outwards. The unformed sky was now being burned with vortices. This was the legend of the ancient high gods cutting through the flowing river of time with sharp blades.

Liu Jinglong’s face was grim. Standing beside Bai Shang, he spoke in his mind, “The iridescent outer layer is merely the ‘divinity’ and the flowing time grinding against each other.”

Bai Shang frowned. “How can we break through?”

Liu Jinglong was silent. “We must do something. I will lay out the array, you Bai Shang…”

At that, Liu Jinglong faltered. Bai Shang smiled. “I will deliver a single sword, sacrificing all the strength I have accumulated since joining the Ascension realm. But I cannot allow my sword to break. I cannot afford a fall in realms…”

Liu Jinglong laughed. “Enough.”

Bai Shang warned, “Don’t be reckless.”

Liu Jinglong said, “We’ll see. First, the array.”

On the high platform, only Shi Zhouren’s eyes and forehead remained.

Yet, he saw an unexpected guest. Gathering his last bit of truth, he created a ripple of air as sound, “Mr. Zheng, I’ve been waiting for you.”

Zheng Juzhong wore a snow-white robe, a cloud of gray mist surrounding him. Shi Zhouren did not care to know what it was. In his last moments, to speak with Zheng Juzhong, that arch-fiend, was all he needed.

Shi Zhouren, seeing that Zheng Juzhong had no intention of speaking, took the initiative. “The selfish, those who resent the world, cannot bear to see anything beautiful. Beauty is like the sun, too bright for them. The flaws in the world are where they get their happiness. Mr. Zheng, what do you think the world will be like ten thousand years from now?”

Zheng Juzhong said, “Your death.”

Shi Zhouren was at a loss. The Daoist didn’t know how to feel and finally faded away.

The cloud of mist seemed to mock Zheng Juzhong, “So this is the all-knowing and all-seeing lord of White Emperor City?”

Zheng Juzhong raised a finger, outlining a swordswoman’s name, then took a few treasures from his sleeve and crushed them to dust.

In an instant, his body shrunk the mountains and rivers. Zheng Juzhong put the mist shadow into his sleeve and crossed the world, going to the Savage Lands.

Deep within the Savage Lands, an old man in a green robe stood on a mountain, Bai Ze standing on the bank of the river tens of thousands of miles away.

They stood in the face of each other for what seemed like a very long time.

For some reason, Chen Qingliu had already drawn his sword. He seemed to have no intention of putting it away.

Any demon that did not know Chen Qingliu was the “Green Master” was dead.

It was simple. Chen Qingliu had no intention of looking for Bai Ze. He was going to wait for Bai Ze to come to him.

He Chen Qingliu was going to use his three thousand years of swordsmanship to measure Bai Ze’s tens of thousands of years of power.

His teacher’s sister was right. Better to strike early.

If he was just a moment too late, Bai Ze might ascend above him, creating a situation where he could not compete. Chen Qingliu knew he would lose for sure if that happened.

Xie Shiji stood in the distance. Along with the large, stalwart woman, there were Bai Ze’s two helpers: Fei Ran and Gui Ke, the best Daoist couple in the Savage Lands.

Between Chen Qingliu and Bai Ze, there was the faint sound of porcelain breaking.

Gui Ke knew all too well the danger, for the battlefield of ten thousand miles had frozen in the river of time.

Chen Qingliu stood with his hands behind his back, looking carefree. He looked up at the vision of the joined heaven, smirking. “Bai Ze, send a message. It is up to you to decide whether you want to block someone or help someone.”

I Chen Qingliu will follow the path you choose.

In the Azure Heavens, in the White Jade City, in Spirit Treasure City, Pang Ding stood for a moment, looking around, before returning to the training grounds. Surrounded by layers upon layers of mysterious seals, the old Pang Ding, the lord of Spirit Treasure City, continued forward, as if stepping through mirrors. Here, there were many other versions of himself: the old man, the middle-aged Daoist, the young Daoist, the child… And then, once again the young Daoist, the young man… Eventually, Pang Ding sat down in front of a yin yang altar, lightly exhaling. He had reached the Fourteenth Realm.

Ten thousand years ago, Chen Qingdu asked the sword with his two close friends, Dragon Lord and Guanzhao.

But no one knew how far back Guanzhao could see. What did he see about the future?

In the southeast of the Savage Lands, there was a remote, desolate area where spiritual energy was thin. Among the mountains was a humble, unknown cave.

The last time he was on the Night Voyage, Chen Ping’an talked about the hidden methods Zhou Mi used to hide across the two worlds. The ones on the side of the Boundless Heavens had already been cleared one by one by the Literary Shrine.

But over here, on the Savage Lands side, Zhou Qinggao, the closed disciple of Wenhai Zhoumi, and the sword immortal Liubai felt a sense of foreboding, so they had already hid themselves. Even the great monsters of the New King’s seat had lost track of their whereabouts.

Within the cave, three members of the same sect were sitting around a stone table.

The swordswoman Liubai of the former Jia Shen Camp was wearing a robe of the Fish Tail Cave.

Shouchen said indifferently, “Junior Sister, you are the greatest ‘white space’ of the teacher in the human world, as are Zhou Qinggao and I. The outcome will depend on the teacher’s plan.”

Liubai lowered her head. Zhou Qinggao sighed, frowning, “I still want to review a match with Master Chen.”

Shouchen only stared at his junior sister, “Not only do you have no choice, but we have no choice.”

But Shouchen, a sword immortal in the Ascension Realm with a battle strength equal to that of the New King, could not know that there was a white-robed man waiting for him outside the cave.

After heaven and earth manifested as one and collided, there was great fire illuminating the night as the light of day.

As if the heavenly way had descended and began to put pressure on the human world.

The entire Boundless Heaven was slowly sinking at a speed that even cultivators could not detect.

The rivers, lakes, and seas of the Nine Continents of the Boundless Heaven seemed like a human body, with a subtle pulse, gently rising and falling, powerful and long.

Gui Ke in the Savage Lands chose to stand by. Feng Yuanxiao in the Five Colors Heavens was confused, completely unaware of why his heart of Dao was unsteady. Xin Ku, the top martial artist of Runyue Peak, did not have the strength he needed. He was the one in the several worlds who was most suppressed by the great Dao. Zhou Mi was the one who ruthlessly suppressed him in the past, and the best he could do was be a pure martial artist. On the other hand, the man of the Boundless Heavens, who could compete with the Saint, Liu Xiang, chose to stand on the side of a scholar within the Confucian Dao system and resist the brand-new Divine Dao together.

In the State Preceptor’s Mansion, the young girl in the sable hat finally made a move, her figure like a rainbow. The entire Great Li capital was shaken, and dust flew everywhere. Bai Jing, holding a short sword, also showed her “truth” and ascended to the sky.

Above the city, the young man in the yellow hat and blue shoes also set off to intercept Bai Jing’s sword.

Two extremely fast figures met where the two lines of heaven and earth connected, on the side of the Boundless Heavens. Bai Jing, in the Ascension Realm, suddenly became countless times faster, so fast that even Xiao Mo, who was in the Fourteenth Realm, could not catch up. Xiao Mo immediately offered his natal sword and attracted a star from outside the sky.

Looking up, he saw a familiar smiling face of a young girl. Xiao Mo was a little slower with his “sword offering” because of the stagnation.

Bai Jing lowered her head and glanced at him. She grinned and said, “Xiao Mo, I like you.”

Finally, a cultivator in the human world had entered the golden pillar of light.

The price was that she instantly fell to the realm of immortals, scattering seven Daos, Yu Pu, scattering twelve Daos…

Relying on the ancient Taoist veins to deal with the new Daos, she could break through the outermost layer of iridescent color.

With that move, the golden line of light rising from the human world held off the downward trend and slowly began to rise.

From beyond the heavens, a rainbow of light came from the Azure Heavens. It was a strange “Dharma Form” that seemed to be broken everywhere but was complete.

It was the face of a very heroic woman.

Bai Jing glanced at her, and the latter said simply, “Azure Black Continent.”

Wuzhou instantly displayed a majestic Dharma Form of six arms, each holding a divine weapon, used the ancient Heavenly Court to build things, and slashed at the brand-new Divine Dao.

She had never liked Zhoumi from the beginning.

Xiao Mo grabbed Xie Gou and sent him back to the human world with a magic spell, replacing “Bai Jing’s” position.

Jiang Shangzhen laughed with the white-clothed boy beside him who was eager to return to his home, “Brother Cui, I’ll be relying on you to cover me in the future.”

Cui Dongshan snapped back to his senses and immediately grabbed Jiang Shangzhen’s arm, persuading him anxiously, “Don’t sacrifice that willow leaf, it’s meaningless. Listen to me…”

Jiang Shangzhen had already sacrificed his natal sword, “Willow Leaf,” which had just been repaired. The human world floated like a green boat, soaring to the sky.

Cui Dongshan was silent.

Jiang Shangzhen smiled slightly, “I fought the demon, fought Wang Zuoxie, fought the sword master Pei Min, fought the fourteenth realm Wu Shuangjiang, and fought the military master Jiang She, by the time I had a taste of what it was to fight against people on equal footing, it became a problem. ”

A flying sword shattered on the spot.

It was not entirely for Chen Ping An and Falling Phoenix Mountain, or even for the human world. Jiang Shangzhen just couldn’t help but want to tell himself and the world what was in his heart, that Jiang was naturally not a good bird, but he had done some good things. As for what the future world would look like, or what kind of human world it would be, let it be.

Jiang Shangzhen didn’t bother to wipe the blood off his face, muttering, “If the human world really makes it through this disaster, how many smart people in the human world will laugh at us for not dying or getting hurt sooner?”

Falling Phoenix Mountain.

The young Taoist suddenly moved and busied himself, and then squatted on the ground.

A pile of mud and a stone are divided into upper and lower.

Two piles of mud of different sizes are divided into left and right, with a tree branch in the middle, like a boundary line, and a single grain of sand is placed on the branch.

The Taoist with a wooden hairpin in his hair was in a daze, as if he couldn’t see anything or get an answer.

Chen Lingjun came to the gate for no reason and saw the Immortal Guard squatting there, so he ran over to join in the fun.

The Immortal Guard explained, “This is probably the world in Zouzi’s eyes.”

Chen Lingjun asked cautiously, “Who, what’s his name, which son of a bitch?”

It couldn’t be Zouzi from the very front of *The People You Meet On The Road*.

The Immortal Guard smiled, “It’s the Zouzi you think it is.”

Chen Lingjun turned a deaf ear, rubbed his chin, and looked at the picture on the ground, “Immortal Guard Taoist Priest, what does it mean?”

The Immortal Guard pointed to the stone, “Zouzi thinks this stone might fall at any time, either smashing, pushing, or crushing the mud. If the stone fell, it would all be a tragedy. It would cost many lives.”

Chen Lingjun nodded, “There’s some truth to that.”

The Immortal Guard smiled, “You think so too?”

Chen Lingjun said, “Of course it makes sense. It’s such a big stone, just moving around…”

The clueless boy in green pointed to the picture and corrected, “If you’re using humans as an analogy, it’s not just the bottom that’s muddy, the stone is surrounded by soft mud. Not to mention the stone rolling, even a slight shake will leave traces.”

The Immortal Guard said, “Yes.”

Chen Lingjun smiled, “Easy!”

The Immortal Guard asked suspiciously, “Easy?”

The boy in green patted his chest, raised his thumb, blinked, and smiled, “Immortal Guard, do you think I’m a good person?”

The Taoist smiled softly, “Yes, you are.”

The boy in green put his hand to his mouth, “I don’t have to be a deadhead and be good to Mountain Lord Lao. Heh, there used to be a Lu Lao San who beat me up in the past, so he just said, Even if I don’t say what’s righteous to get myself out of a situation, Mountain Lord wouldn’t blame me. Lu Lao San was stunned on the spot, dumbfounded, as if he was made of wood, and was so impressed that he went back into his hole. He never asked me to follow him on a distant journey.”

Chen Lingjun pointed to the stone, “So my idea is very simple, just let Mountain Lord be the stone. He’s a good person with a lot of patience, so everything will be fine.”

The young Taoist said, “So that’s how it is.”

Chen Lingjun asked, “Immortal Guard Taoist, your fortune-telling is never accurate anyway, why don’t you calculate a fortune for our Mountain Lord? Will he ever be in the Fourteenth Realm? And when exactly?”

The Immortal Guard said, “I’m afraid it’s too late.”

Chen Lingjun said, “Are you in a hurry to pee? It won’t delay you from calculating a fortune, we’re like brothers, we won’t laugh at you…”

The Taoist Immortal Guard was helpless and waved his hand to send this loudmouth Chen Grandfather back to the mountain.

The little girl in black also came here. Like the boy in green, she was big-hearted and didn’t ask why she suddenly came to the mountain gate.

Rice Grain squatted down, took out melon seeds from her sleeve and handed them over. The young Taoist waved his hand, and Rice Grain didn’t eat the melon seeds by herself, but just watched the ground with the Immortal Guard Taoist.

The Immortal Guard asked, “Rice Grain, do you think there are really good people in the world who would sacrifice themselves to save the world?”

Rice Grain nodded without hesitation, “Of course there are. There are always more bad people and good people in the world. There are many bad people with power and no heart, many good people with heart and no power. There are also many good people.”

Rice Grain scratched her face and smiled, “Good people suffer more, so it’s sad.”

The Taoist pointed to the two piles of mud separately.

“The bigger pile is called Disappointment.”

“The smaller pile is called Hope.”

Rice Grain saw the tree branch and asked curiously, “Immortal Guard, what’s this thing’s name?”

The Taoist hesitated for a moment and said, “It’s called Despair.”

Rice Grain scratched her face again, “Ah? It’s so pitiful. I don’t dare to find it a friend. Immortal Guard, what should I do?”

The Taoist put his hands in his sleeves and said, “I don’t know, it’s sad.”

Then the Taoist Immortal Guard saw Rice Grain secretly putting the mud into her pocket. The Immortal Guard asked with a smile, “What are you doing?”

Rice Grain giggled, “It’s better for me to have more disappointment.”

The Immortal Guard hesitated and said, “Your Mountain Lord may not be coming home.”

Rice Grain was stunned and asked cautiously, “How long will it take for him to come back? A few days? A few months? A few years?”

The Immortal Guard was silent.

Rice Grain hesitated as she moved the “disappointment” a little bit, frowning and clenching her face, and after a while, she suddenly became happy, continued to put the “disappointment” into her pockets and sleeves, shaking her head, with a cute and hazy pair of eyes, “No way, good people are rewarded, and good people have their own fate. Good Mountain Lord will be home soon…”

The Taoist reached out and straightened the wooden hairpin, but the hairpin became a little crooked. The Taoist was silent for a long time, nodded, and smiled, “I hope so.”

On the vast land, the endless green mountains and clear waters of the human world seemed to slowly reach out to gently embrace a wanderer far away from home and welcome him home.

In Ruzhou of the Azure Heavens, there was a nameless and unremarkable Spirit Temple.

The small mountain and small mountain gate, the sound of pine trees, a room lit with a dim oil lamp, the old man finally finished telling the mountain and water story with the young Chen Cong. The young man rubbed his chin, thought about it, and couldn’t be any kind of protagonist, it was too hard,