The tavern was bustling as usual. The Great Sui Dynasty was known for its prosperity, and its people were willing and eager to spend money, thanks to the Gao family, who had sat on the dragon throne and built an era of unparalleled peace and stability over the centuries.

By the second-floor window, Mao Xiaodong looked out and reminded Chen Ping’an behind him, “Remember to protect yourself. Don’t worry about me.”

A ninth-realm Golden Core sword cultivator, a Dragon Gate realm strategist, a Dragon Gate realm formation master, a Distant Travel realm martial artist, and a Golden Body realm martial artist.

Five assassins.

Regardless of their identities or allegiances, they had all gathered, hidden within a thousand feet of this tavern.

Such a lineup could not only hunt down and kill a nascent soul immortal other than a sword cultivator, but could likely even kill a Jade Pure realm cultivator.

Chen Ping’an recalled the demon-exorcising event at the City God Pavilion of the Colorful Clothes Kingdom. The girl with bells on her wrists and ankles, whom he had met by chance, was the daughter of the prefect. Though her cultivation was not high, her every assistance was timely and appropriate, leaving Chen Ping’an with a good impression of her.

Since then, during his travels through two continents and an Upside-down Mountain, it had always been Chen Ping’an who fought against strong enemies alone, or after being accompanied by the four in the painting, he who made the final decision. This time in the Great Sui capital, he found himself simply standing behind Mao Xiaodong, a situation that felt unfamiliar. Still, he felt somewhat regretful. After all, this wasn’t Lotus Root Paradise, “where an old heaven uses the Heavenly Dao to suppress people.” Returning to the Great World, Chen Ping’an’s current cultivation was still too low.

Mao Xiaodong chuckled, “If you’re still a useless nascent soul cultivator when you reach my age, watch me scold you to death for the Teacher.”

Chen Ping’an felt helpless and patted the Sword-Nurturing Gourd at his waist, telling the flying swords Firstborn and Fifteenth with his mind to be ready for the assassins’ appearance at any moment.

Within the wide sleeves of his golden clerical robe, his right fingertips held a Reduced Earth Into Inch talisman to prevent sneak attacks, while his left hand held the Day and Night Wandering God True Body talisman to resist powerful enemies.

Mao Xiaodong felt much more at ease.

His little junior brother’s long journey through the world hadn’t been in vain.

Mao Xiaodong’s voice suddenly echoed in Chen Ping’an’s heart, “Have you ever walked along the banks of the River of Time before? It’s even more uncomfortable than feeling the suppression of the Righteous Qi in the Confucian Temple.”

Chen Ping’an replied with the sound-gathering technique of a martial artist, “I’ve walked it twice. The first time was before I had practiced martial arts, in the Little Luminous Pearl Paradise. The second time was in Lotus Root Paradise, when the old Daoist of the Viewing Dao Temple dragged me along. I saw at least two hundred years of the flowing River of Time, and the order was often reversed and mixed up. So, even though I was already a fifth-realm martial artist at that time, I still found it exceptionally difficult, no less than being force-fed punches in Fallen Mountain.”

Mao Xiaodong asked with a smile, “We chatted about your travels in the study before, why didn’t you mention it earlier? Such a glorious feat, not sharing it with others is like suffering in vain. Even a nascent soul cultivator like me had never experienced the scenery of the River of Time before becoming the guardian of Cliffside Academy. That’s a painting that only Jade Pure realm cultivators can access.”

Chen Ping’an had a flash of inspiration and revealed the secret in one sentence, “Mountain Master Mao really possesses the power to move mountains, temporarily turning this place into a small world of the academy?!”

Mao Xiaodong nodded, “That’s right. These past few years, while protecting Little Treasure Bottle and traveling around the Great Sui capital, I’ve been deceiving the heavens and secretly completing this matter. Carrying the cultural heritage of an academy on my shoulders, I must be wary of others.”

Chen Ping’an nodded, “I can understand.”

Mao Xiaodong said in amusement, “You haven’t even called me Senior Brother Mao once, and you want to understand?”

Chen Ping’an admitted his fault and stopped talking.

Mao Xiaodong placed one hand behind his back and raised the other, using his fingers as a brush. In an instant, he wrote the four characters “Cliffside Academy.” With each stroke completed, golden light flowed from his fingertips, not dissipating.

After writing, Mao Xiaodong flicked his sleeves and smiled, “Heaven and earth, four directions!”

The four golden characters flashed away in all directions.

Mao Xiaodong turned his head and said, “Just sit and drink.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Mao Xiaodong disappeared.

Chen Ping’an took a deep breath, and a familiar feeling etched in his heart surged like a river. Chen Ping’an felt like someone who didn’t know how to swim, instantly placed at the bottom of the water.

Heaven and earth fell silent.

The tavern above and below was completely still and silent.

The Dragon Gate realm formation master was secretly “arranging troops and deploying formations” when his spiritual energy suddenly stagnated and flowed poorly. He abruptly raised his head, only to see pedestrians on the road standing still, and the flying birds in the corner of his eye hovering in place.

The formation master, not caring about being discovered by Mao Xiaodong of Cliffside Academy, immediately stopped concealing his aura, pouring it out with a roar. His fingers pinched a golden talisman, ready to take action.

A hand pressed on the man’s shoulder, and a voice chuckled, “This formation of yours, is it derived from the Dragon Gate Formation lineage passed down by Daoist Ning Quan of the Central Plains, right?”

The formation master was stunned.

He couldn’t break free from the large hand on his shoulder, no matter what he did. His face was flushed red, hoping that one of the other four could rescue him in time and help him escape.

A formation master relies on the power of heaven and earth drawn by the formations they set up. Their own physical tempering is far inferior to that of sword cultivators, strategists, and pure martial artists.

Fortunately, the formation master hadn’t completely lost hope.

A dazzling sword light, originating from the northeast, flew swiftly like a white line. The tip of the sword was aimed directly at Mao Xiaodong’s brow behind the formation master.

In this small world, the trajectory of the sword light wasn’t a straight line. The sword tip trembled subtly, and the blade of the natal flying sword undulated.

Hissing sounds rang out as the flying sword collided with the small world, creating a series of sparks and electrical discharges, extremely conspicuous.

Mao Xiaodong didn’t dodge, showing no signs of using the abundant spiritual energy of a nascent soul.

The flying sword, less than a zhang away from the tall old man and the formation master, suddenly stirred up a circle of ripples, like a stone thrown into a lake. It plunged into the water and disappeared without a trace.
Meanwhile, the array master was bleeding from all seven orifices, his body trembling uncontrollably. This movement further collided with the pervasive flow of time within the miniature world, causing the bleeding to intensify. Even more terrifying was the chaotic state of his inner Qi, not to mention the feeling of countless needles piercing the crucial Qi reservoirs where he nurtured his natal treasures—his heart and the gates of his meridians. The array master struggled to move the fingers holding the life-saving talisman, able to move them, but the spiritual energy within him, as thick as mercury, was frozen solid, impossible to mobilize.

Mao Xiaodong seized the man’s neck and casually tossed him towards a spot behind him.

The natal flying sword of the Golden Core Sword Cultivator stirred up a vortex of flowing time behind Mao Xiaodong, piercing out with swiftness as if an unwelcome guest breaking down the door.

But it was already too late.

The array master, already severely wounded and on the verge of death, happened to obstruct the path of the flying sword.

The Ninth Realm sword cultivator in the distance showed no intention of stopping his flying sword, directly piercing through the array master’s body, using his mind to control the sword to continue assassinating Mao Xiaodong!

The array master died on the spot, his eyes wide open, unable to accept his fate.

Wasn’t it said that Mao Xiaodong had left Donghua Mountain and was merely a Nascent Soul cultivator?

On the path of cultivation, among the myriad schools of thought, there are countless paths: refining pills, gathering herbs, consuming elixirs, nurturing life, beseeching deities, commanding spirits, observing auras, guiding energies, smelting inner alchemy, and seeking longevity formulas. Once one crosses the major threshold and ascends into the Middle Five Realms, becoming a celestial being in the eyes of ordinary mortals, it is indeed a glorious existence.

But there is a reason why cultivators seclude themselves in the mountains, severing ties with the mortal world and ignoring worldly affairs.

Because there are also unyielding Qi Refiners down below.

And even Confucian academies.

Mao Xiaodong took a step, his figure appearing tens of yards away, turning around just in time to catch the flying sword that had been tailing him between his fingers.

Although this feat of effortlessly stopping a flying sword with two fingers was astonishing and enough to make Immortals drop their jaws,

at the same time that Mao Xiaodong was dispelling the sword’s intent,

the miniature world that Mao Xiaodong was presiding over was also subtly shaking, almost imperceptibly.

The Distant Wanderer Realm martial artist, being within another’s domain, could no longer travel far with the wind, but he still ran like thunder, finally smashing through two walls, passing through the entire shop, and throwing a punch towards Mao Xiaodong.

Several people inside the shop were directly crushed by him, the shattered fragments slowly suspended in the air within the shop.

This punch gathered all the astral Qi of his pure true Qi, with no room for further accumulation of power, it was a desperate strike meant to exchange life for life.

Mao Xiaodong mobilized the spiritual energy of the world, creating a stone tablet with inscriptions in golden script, and a memorial archway that also appeared out of thin air, all reduced to dust by the Distant Wanderer Realm martial artist’s punch.

The Eighth Realm martial artist, an old man, charged forward with unstoppable momentum.

The Golden Body Realm martial artist, who leaped onto the roof and skimmed across like a dragonfly, was not as fast as the Distant Wanderer Realm old man. His golden body astral Qi collided with the flowing time of the miniature world, causing flames to erupt from the Golden Body Realm martial artist’s body. He finally leaped down, directly attacking Mao Xiaodong, who was standing in the street.

Mao Xiaodong, whose fingers were cut by the subtle wounds, threw the flying sword imprisoned between his fingertips towards the Golden Body Realm martial artist.

Mao Xiaodong reached out his palm, blocking the punch of the Distant Wanderer Realm martial arts grandmaster.

Mao Xiaodong’s sleeves billowed violently, his beard and hair fluttering.

The Golden Body Realm martial artist was likely a close friend of the Golden Core Sword Cultivator. Regardless of the flying sword pointing directly at his heart, he continued to attack Mao Xiaodong.

As expected, the sword cultivator’s mind stirred, and he exerted all his strength to slightly deflect the tip of the sword, only piercing through the martial artist’s shoulder.

Mao Xiaodong was struck in the back by the Seventh Realm martial artist, who was supposed to be the weakest of the group.

The miniature world trembled.

The Distant Wanderer Realm martial artist, his punch blocked, but his momentum and spirit still valiant, seized the opportunity to unleash a barrage of punches.

Like streaks of light, Mao Xiaodong retreated step by step. The old Distant Wanderer Realm martial artist’s arm muscles were knotted, seeping with blood that stained his clothes, but each punch was even more valiant and unmatched than the last.

The Golden Body Realm martial artist did not take advantage of the situation to attack Mao Xiaodong together with the Distant Wanderer Realm grandmaster, but instead tried to keep up with their pace.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to seize the opportunity to severely injure Mao Xiaodong, but he knew the importance of the situation.

Chen Ping An did not stand still, but leaped out of the window and onto the roof of the restaurant, gaining a broader view.

He also did not intervene in this battle.

The Distant Wanderer Realm old man’s last punch sent Mao Xiaodong flying backwards for tens of yards.

The old man immediately stopped and retreated, needing to replenish his Qi.

The Golden Body Realm martial artist immediately moved sideways, blocking between the Distant Wanderer Realm martial artist and Mao Xiaodong.

Even that was not secure enough.

The Ninth Realm sword cultivator seized the opportunity.

The flying sword streaked away.

Piercing directly towards Mao Xiaodong.

Its speed was even faster than the first time this natal flying sword had appeared.

Whether it was because Mao Xiaodong’s Qi was unstable, or because the rules of this miniature world were not strict enough, it was because this old Golden Core Sword Cultivator, in this short amount of time, had begun to find gaps and shortcuts through several uses of his flying sword. Even though the Three Teachings’ Sages presiding over a miniature world were praised as being an all-encompassing net, even the finest net, and even if that net was always in motion, there would still be loopholes to exploit.

None of the sword cultivators who were the greediest for the gods’ money and had ascended to the Golden Core Earth Immortal realm were easy to deal with.

Mao Xiaodong reached out and grabbed the ruler at his waist, immediately stabilizing his body.

His white beard was already stained with specks of blood.

Facing the slender flying sword that was like a maggot attached to a bone, Mao Xiaodong did not use his fingers to stop it this time.

With a flick of his sleeve, he directly enveloped the flying sword within.

Then, strands of sword Qi bloomed within his sleeve. The sleeve fluttered and shook, accompanied by the sound of silk tearing.

The Distant Wanderer Realm martial artist had finished replenishing his Qi. He stomped on the ground, creating spider web-like cracks on the street. The martial arts grandmaster, wrapped in the power of wind and thunder, wanted to once again use the opportunity created by his allies to engage in close combat with Mao Xiaodong, not giving this unexpected Jade Purity Realm academy head any chance to pull away and slowly whittle them down.

Being targeted by a Distant Wanderer Realm grandmaster,

even the Qi ocean of a common Earth Immortal cultivator would be affected, leaving no room for distraction.
A stalwart man, clad head-to-toe in silver-white armor, consecutively employed two exceedingly rare, high-grade Dimension Restricting Talismans and a Concealing Azure Raincoat Talisman, seizing upon a particularly weak nexus in the flow of time. This allowed him to descend from the heavens, his hands interlocked into a fist, aimed directly at Mao Xiaodong’s cranium.

At this most critical juncture,

The flying sword ensconced within Mao Xiaodong’s sleeve was on the verge of erupting forth.

The Distant Excursion Realm grandmaster was poised to deliver a fatal blow.

However, the truly most perilous killing move originated from the military strategist cultivator of the Dragon Gate Realm, clad in armor composed of integrated 甲丸.

Discounting the formation master who had contributed virtually nothing, the remaining four assassins displayed an almost seamless coordination.

Remarkably, of the four, only the ninth-realm swordsman and the Golden Body Realm martial artist were longstanding acquaintances.

The ruler hanging at Mao Xiaodong’s waist detached itself.

Like a resounding slap across the face, it sent the military strategist cultivator hurtling away, crashing into a distant rooftop, shattering a large section of tiles.

Mao Xiaodong’s toe traced the ground as he raised a wide sleeve, extending a finger towards the swordsman furthest from him, “Here, have it back.”

In an instant, heaven and earth inverted and distorted.

Like a piece of rice paper twisted askew by a mischievous child, yet never fully crumpled into a ball, the scene was indescribably bizarre and absurd.

The Distant Excursion Realm martial artist watched with wide eyes as he passed Mao Xiaodong by, a hair’s breadth away.

Moreover, Mao Xiaodong had transformed into an “upside-down” posture.

Clearly within arm’s reach.

Yet seemingly impossibly far.

And etched upon this planar surface, densely packed golden characters, each the size of a fist, were excerpts from Confucian sages, classical texts expounding doctrines to edify the masses.

He turned his head and roared, “Be careful!”

Mao Xiaodong appeared to move slowly of his own volition, but as one image of Mao Xiaodong vanished in the east, he materialized in the west, then abruptly in the north, yet regardless of direction, Mao Xiaodong relentlessly narrowed the distance between himself and the Golden Body Realm martial artist.

The Golden Body Realm martial artist was at a loss as to where to evade.

He was struck by a palm from the towering old man who materialized inexplicably before him, obliterating his entire head.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Gate Realm military strategist cultivator was being pummeled relentlessly by the ruler, each strike raining down upon his armor.

The miniature world returned to normalcy.

Mao Xiaodong steadied the headless body with one hand, preventing it from collapsing, and gazed towards the ninth-realm old swordsman with bloodshot eyes, inquiring, “Not avenging your friend?”

Mao Xiaodong abruptly flicked his wrist, sending the corpse flying, smashing into a shop wall, turning into a gruesome splatter of gore.

The ninth-realm swordsman and the Distant Excursion Realm elder both witnessed countless, even finer golden characters pouring into the towering old man’s Qi center from all directions.

Their expressions grew somber, a sense of desolation settling upon them.

How could they possibly fight this?

The two exchanged a look.

Both perceived a resolute determination in the other’s eyes.

Mao Xiaodong surveyed his surroundings. From beginning to end, there had been no discernible clues, suggesting that no Jade Purity Realm cultivator lurked hidden among them.

Which meant these five assassins, resigned to their fate, had no backup.

Mao Xiaodong lifted his tattered sleeve, examining it for a moment, before looking up and remarking, “All you swordsmen and terrestrial immortals, what grandmasters of the martial way… haven’t you all been constantly deriding the scholars of the academy, claiming they’re all just embroidered pillows, only capable of moving their lips?”

Mao Xiaodong chuckled, “Indeed, you are quite right.”

The swordsman and the Distant Excursion Realm elder felt a pang of unease.

Mao Xiaodong strolled leisurely, like a scholar musing in his study.

The edges of this miniature world began to spin with flying swords, akin to the personal spirit weapons of swordsmen.

Though the grades of the flying swords were not particularly high, roughly equivalent to the personal spirit weapons of Sea Gazing Realm or Dragon Gate Realm swordsmen,

the sheer number of them was such that no one dared to be careless.

Not only that, but on rooftops throughout the area, figures in azure robes appeared, some holding books, others wearing swords, of varying ages.

Their cultivation levels were similarly unremarkable.

Similarly relying on numbers to overwhelm.

From the streets and alleys, waves of stalwart soldiers clad in iron armor emerged.

The flying swords of varied shapes and sizes all swarmed towards the Golden Core swordsman.

The scholars on the rooftops and the armored soldiers on the ground charged towards the Distant Excursion Realm martial artist.

Mao Xiaodong, meanwhile, approached the military strategist cultivator who was struggling to parry the ruler, but kept his distance, saying, “You are the true suicide bomber, aren’t you? Concealing yourself with military strategist 甲丸, harboring the Golden Core of a Terrestrial Immortal cultivator. As long as you get close enough to me, you’re determined to die together with me. Even if you can’t kill me, sacrificing half your life for the rest of the assassins will be enough to leave me, Mao Xiaodong, here.”

The Dragon Gate Realm military strategist cultivator remained steadfast, his expression resolute, disregarding Mao Xiaodong’s words, focusing solely on blocking the ruler, preventing it from shattering the 甲丸.

Mao Xiaodong extended his hand, pointing and gesturing towards the cultivator.

Golden characters rose from the ground surrounding the cultivator, like beams and pillars emerging from thin air.

Eventually, they formed a cage.

The military strategist cultivator gave a miserable smile, his face contorted, as countless golden rays erupted from his body and Qi center, his entire being shattering.

Unable to kill Mao Xiaodong, he was determined to destroy the ruler, a crucial natal treasure.

Though the self-destruction of a Dragon Gate Realm military strategist cultivator, coupled with the explosion of a Golden Core, utterly shattered the cage of sacred and virtuous texts,

the ruler remained unscathed, though the characters inscribed upon it dimmed slightly in brilliance.

It floated gently back into Mao Xiaodong’s hand.

Mao Xiaodong hung it at his waist.

The ninth-realm swordsman, though in dire straits, remained alive.

The Distant Excursion Realm elder, on the other hand, was wreaking havoc, shattering every scholar and soldier within three zhang of him, and forcibly blending his powerful Astral Qi into the mix, transforming the spiritual energy within those puppets into a turbid energy that Mao Xiaodong could not temporarily control.

Mao Xiaodong remained expressionless, allowing the final two assassins to slowly deplete their spiritual energy and true Qi.

The spiritual energy within this miniature world would eventually reach its limit.

This was directly related to the stability and duration of this “Cliffside Academy.”

Therefore, this world had unknowingly shrunk to a radius of four hundred zhang.

If this had been the true Cliffside Academy on Donghua Mountain, Mao Xiaodong’s actions would likely have maintained a world of eight hundred zhang.

This technique was not the orthodox Mountain Moving Secret Art of the Confucian academies, which would have allowed Mao Xiaodong to step into the Jade Purity Realm in one stride. Its shortcoming lay in the incomplete form and spirit of the Cliffside Academy, whose foundation remained on Donghua Mountain.

But the problem was not significant.
Those two remaining assassins, if no outsiders intervened, were destined to leave their lives here.

Even if we take ten thousand steps back and say that Mao Xiaodong were to withdraw his Small Heaven and Earth divine ability at this moment, temporarily returning Donghua Mountain to the Liang surnamed Nascent Soul cultivator guarding the academy gate.

Killing the enemy would be somewhat difficult, but self-preservation would not be hard.

However, if that kind of situation really arose, it wouldn’t exactly be a pleasant affair.

Mao Xiaodong frowned slightly.

A flying sword, like a golden ear of wheat, abruptly intruded into this Small Heaven and Earth.

Suddenly hovering in the high sky, the sword tip tilted up and then fell, repeating like this, pointing in one direction.

Without a word, Mao Xiaodong withdrew his divine ability, “falling back” to the Nascent Soul cultivation realm.

And Chen Pingan, who had been standing on the roof watching the battle, didn’t even need Mao Xiaodong to notify him with a mental voice.

He patted the Sword-Nurturing Gourd, and Initial One and Fifteen shot out.

A Square-Inch Talisman in Chen Pingan’s sleeve combusted with a bang. He didn’t choose to target that Distant Wanderer Realm old man, but instead, using the Inch-Shrinking divine ability, he went straight for the Ninth Realm Sword Cultivator, whose instantaneous killing power was even more terrifying.

If there were onlookers, they would definitely think that Chen Pingan had chosen the wrong opponent.

At the same time, two Divine Embodiments of the Day-Wandering God and Night-Wandering God, each ten feet tall, descended from the sky with even more imposing momentum than the previous military strategist cultivator, smashing down on that Grandmaster of Martial Arts.

The Day-Wandering God was clad in golden armor, his whole body radiating light, holding an axe in both hands.

The Night-Wandering God, on the other hand, wore a suit of dark-lacquered armor, holding a large halberd in his hand.

Mao Xiaodong smiled knowingly.

He also patted his ruler, and then sped towards the Ninth Realm Sword Cultivator.

That Distant Wanderer Realm martial artist, already determined to die here, was not afraid of battle in the Small Heaven and Earth created by Mao Xiaodong.

When Mao Xiaodong hastily withdrew his divine ability for some unknown reason, it stood to reason that as long as he cooperated sincerely with the Golden Core sword cultivator, they might even have a chance of victory.

But just when the situation improved and it was no longer a certain death situation, after a moment of hesitation, the Distant Wanderer Realm martial artist soared into the sky and fled far away.

The sword cultivator was slightly surprised at first, and then, without a word, he also retreated rapidly.

Mao Xiaodong said, “Since we don’t have a firm upper hand, we shouldn’t pursue a desperate foe.”

He just realized that Chen Pingan had already stopped, with no intention of chasing at all, but he didn’t immediately put away the two Day and Night Wandering Gods, letting the Immortal Coins slip from the money bag with a clatter.

Mao Xiaodong came to Chen Pingan’s side, “After I rest for a while, I’ll take you back to the academy.”

Chen Pingan nodded, still watching all directions and listening to all sounds, even the hand that had wrapped around his shoulder to grasp the sword hilt behind him didn’t loosen its five fingers.

Letting the palm burn, flesh and blood blurred.

A little old fox at such a young age.

That Ninth Realm sword cultivator had lost a close friend here, and his murderous intent was even heavier.

Therefore, Chen Pingan chose this person as his combat target in the first place.

As for the Distant Wanderer Realm martial artist, when there was a way out, no one could predict with certainty that he would retreat, but at least compared to the Golden Core sword cultivator, the possibility of this person abandoning his ally, leaving the dangerous place, and retreating on his own was greater.

Mao Xiaodong’s withdrawal of the Small Heaven and Earth was a matter of a moment.

Chen Pingan making this decision was also only a moment.

It was precisely because of this.

This action would cause a Distant Wanderer Realm martial artist to have misgivings and speculations. For example, why did the other party choose the more dangerous sword cultivator to attack, was he planning to truly close the net? Or were there more traps waiting for them?

Chen Pingan released his hand holding the sword, and at the same time, he retrieved the two deities emitting rare celestial might back into the true form talisman.

After heaven and earth recovered, the screams of terror from all around rose and fell.

Chen Pingan glanced at a head of that Golden Body Realm martial artist rolling on the ground not far away.

Three died, two ran away.

“Get ready to go.”

Mao Xiaodong reached out and pressed on Chen Pingan’s shoulder, only saying one sentence: “Some stories of others, there’s no need to know, what’s the point of knowing?”

First, set a small goal, such as 1 second: