(A lengthy chapter, uploaded a bit late.)

The White-robed Goddess and the two Azure-robed Deities had already vanished.

After half a celestial cycle (half a week), the water curtain would reappear once more.

If a full cycle arrived and the number of survivors exceeded five, a Heavenly Tribulation would descend, obliterating everyone.

Huan Yun discovered that the talismans he had hidden within the caisson had shattered, clearly indicating that the mountain and water spirits of this place had sealed off the exit from the Immortal Mansion.

On the side of the White Jade Arch Bridge, a mixed bag of cultivators and martial artists eyed each other warily.

The fleeting unity that Huan Yun had painstakingly fostered was now instantly shattered.

Returning to a state of utter disarray.

Even the six individuals present unconsciously retreated, creating distance between themselves.

Only Bai Bi and Zhan Qing stood shoulder to shoulder, quietly conversing.

For a moment, the world was silent, a pin drop could be heard.

The young man and woman from Cloud Ascension City felt their spirits sink lower and lower.

The young woman asked, “Senior Brother, can Real Person Huan protect us?”

The man replied with a wry smile, “Perhaps it would be an act of utmost benevolence if the old Real Person simply chose not to kill us.”

The woman’s face paled.

The man helplessly said, “Huan Yun is, after all, not one of our own. The only person we can trust now is Offering Xu.”

After a brief pause, the two pondered their predicament together, attempting to break the current stalemate. Unfortunately, they failed to come up with a viable solution.

The Dragon Gate Realm Offering, who had arrived travel-worn, their true protector, landed beside them, his expression grave. He slowly said, “Perhaps you should entrust the White Jade Brush Holder to me, and I shall divert everyone’s attention.”

The man handed over the dimensional artifact without hesitation, gratefully saying, “Thank you, Offering Xu.”

The old Offering carefully placed the White Jade Brush Holder into his sleeve and strode away.

The young woman wore a surprised expression.

The man shook his head, signaling her to remain silent.

Although the young woman was not as composed and meticulous as her Senior Brother, and was often scolded by City Lord Shen Zhenze, she at least knew that handing over a dimensional artifact at this moment was definitely not a good thing.

The man said telepathically, “If we hadn’t handed it over just now, we would already be corpses. If we and Offering Tao can survive until that day after half a cycle, wait and see, the dimensional artifact will be returned to its rightful owner.”

The woman sadly asked, “Wait until the water curtain disappears, and then have it taken away again?”

The man chuckled, “Otherwise?”

The woman was in tears.

The man gently wiped away her tears, his movements tender, without saying a word.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to say anything, but that he had nothing to say.

Beneath the green bamboo grove behind the mountain, Di Yuanfeng looked grave. He glanced upwards, with no intention of troubling the black-robed old man. He planned to distance himself as much as possible.

Di Yuanfeng fled down the mountain without hesitation, bypassing the Daoist temple.

Chen Ping’an slid down the bamboo pole. As he passed the Daoist temple, he noticed that Huang Shi was silent, he wondered what he was planning.

Sun Daoren removed the two packages, large and small, and placed them at his feet.

He dared not abandon the packages and run. He feared being beaten to death, and then he would have no way to defend himself. He was just a rogue cultivator at the Viewing the Sea Realm, he wasn’t a match.

Sun Daoren could only gamble that the next group of people would be satisfied with taking his money and sparing his life.

At this moment, even if he were truly a registered Immortal Master of the Baby Mountain Thunder God’s Abode, would it matter? It would be useless.

Seeing this scene, Chen Ping’an thought that the old Daoist had finally shown some intelligence. He hadn’t abandoned his treasures and run.

Sun Daoren, tearful and pitiful, looked at the Daoist friend standing on the wall and waved, “Go, go, go as far as you can.”

Chen Ping’an nodded. “Take care.”

But before leaving, he tossed three talismans over, all of them concealment talismans.

Gifting him killing talismans would be meaningless.

After telling Sun Daoren the purpose of the talismans telepathically, Chen Ping’an also fled down the mountain.

Sun Daoren caught the talismans, and when he looked up again, the Daoist friend had already disappeared from the wall. He sighed with emotion, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.”

Chen Ping’an only hoped that Sun Daoren could temporarily save his life by giving up his opportunities and treasures.

After all, there was still a glimmer of hope.

Back then, Lotus Root Blessed Land was in a similar situation. After a dark and bloody battle, Arm Saint Cheng Yuanshan, without fighting a single battle, not only survived to the end, but would have even obtained the good fortune of ascending to the Vast Expanse, had he not failed to reach the city walls in time.

As for the claim that the final five survivors would receive a great fortune, being accepted as disciples by some Ascended Realm expert, Chen Ping’an did not believe it.

On the path of cultivation, opportunities, seemingly linked to magical treasures, are often the most tempting and direct, as if those who obtain the greatest opportunities are the most suitable for the Dao.

But Chen Ping’an roughly understood that the higher the realm of a cultivator, the more important they considered a disciple’s roots, aptitude, temperament, and opportunities.

An ancient Ascended Realm cultivator, especially when choosing a direct disciple, would not only consider how many treasures the disciple had obtained in the mountain.

This place was fraught with hidden dangers. If the previous scramble for treasures and opportunities was like everyone being rogue cultivators, each with their own plans, which was still reasonable, then the current situation was forcing everyone to kill based on their hearts, as if everyone was expendable. The one in charge here was clearly not a kind person. He was likely deliberately inciting people, so that the remaining forty-plus people would slaughter each other, allowing him to reap the benefits.

Coupled with the sudden shattering of Sun Daoren’s pagoda bell, Chen Ping’an even suspected that the mastermind behind this place was a great demon. The demon might be restricted by some old rules, and unable to act as they pleased. The existence of the sharp sword qi was most likely a kind of restraint.

Chen Ping’an suddenly recalled his conversation with Cui on the steps of Fallen Phoenix Mountain.

Cui was certain of the overall situation of the world, and Chen Ping’an had wanted to ask the Grand Li national preceptor why he did not tell certain people about this, or even announce it to the world.

However, Chen Ping’an did not ask the question at the time, and then he found the answer himself.

No one would listen if he spoke, and no one would believe him if they listened.

Chen Ping’an did not leave the buildings near Sun Daoren too far.

But he had made a decision.

Should he immediately use his Sword Heart to shatter the sky?

This was a decision that could very well determine life or death.
Because Chen Ping’an’s understanding of this ruin, after the scene of playing the ghost, elevated the local “Old Heaven” hidden behind the scenes to a higher realm. Back then, he was able to escape from the Ghost Domain Valley successfully due to acting unpredictably, catching Gao Cheng of Jingguan City off guard. But this local “Old Heaven” might have already fixed his gaze on Chen Ping’an.

Therefore, he had a compromise in mind.

Learning from Cheng Yuanshan, the Arm Saint of Lotus Flower Paradise, he would hide until ten days later. By then, whether it was fortune or misfortune, whether the person behind the scenes had good or bad intentions, everything would come to light.

Whether he needed to draw his sword would be clear.

Huang Shi walked out from around the corner, curiously asking, “Are you so concerned about Sun Daoren’s life or death? So worried that I’ll kill this so-called Thunder God Mansion Daoist with one punch?”

Chen Ping’an smiled, “Guess?”

Huang Shi twitched the corner of his mouth, “How about you and I join forces to repel the enemy?”

Chen Ping’an asked, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll hold you back?”

Huang Shi grew even more suspicious and finally couldn’t help but ask, “What is your realm exactly? A Dragon Gate realm cultivator proficient in talismans, or a Golden Core Earth Immortal?”

Chen Ping’an countered, “What about you?”

Huang Shi candidly smiled, “A passable Golden Body realm martial artist, with a great vendetta yet to be avenged, so I can’t die.”

Chen Ping’an said, “Then just treat me as a Golden Core cultivator, well, a passable Golden Core Earth Immortal.”

Huang Shi pondered for a moment and said, “Let’s withdraw from this mountain first and try not to be surrounded and killed, how about it? This is naturally the worst-case scenario, but given our current situation, it’s better to think of the worst.”

Chen Ping’an asked, “Why not learn from that Sun Daoren and simply hand over the treasure?”

Huang Shi sneered, “What, are you betting that those registered immortals are all born with the hearts of Bodhisattvas? Or hoping that those wild mountain cultivators will change their nature and selflessly become good people?”

Chen Ping’an rubbed his chin, seeming to consider whether to cooperate sincerely with Huang Shi and overcome this difficulty together.

Huang Shi urged, “Opportunity knocks but once, if we two keep wasting time, there will be one more danger.”

Chen Ping’an said, “Forget it, I’m afraid you’ll secretly land another punch on me. My old bones can’t take the beating.”

Huang Shi shook his head, “You’ll definitely die before me.”

After saying that, Huang Shi took several steps back and disappeared around the corner.

Only then did Chen Ping’an reapply a Tortoise Shell Talisman, found a secluded spot, put on an ordinary azure robe. Three Dharma robes plus an ordinary azure robe made him look slightly bloated, but since it was approaching winter and the mountains were colder, wearing thicker clothes was reasonable. Chen Ping’an changed the old man’s mask on his face to a young man’s face, and using Zhu Lian’s monkey fist stance, his body slumped and he hunched over slightly, making him a little shorter. He also took off the two diagonally slung packages and buried them in the ground. As for the Sword Immortal behind him, he took it and the Sword Nurturing Gourd off and put them into his spatial artifact.

At this point, besides the imitation sword from Hate Sword Mountain, which he would have to buy two of in the future, Chen Ping’an wanted to purchase another spatial artifact.

Next, Chen Ping’an planned to follow the river at the foot of the mountain, loop back to the front of the mountain, and then find an opportunity to go to the white jade arch bridge at the foot of the mountain to take a look, without hurrying.

A tree that stands out in the forest, and a fine tree returning to the forest.

They are two different principles.

Since Chen Ping’an was once able to tell Gu Can this principle in Shujian Lake, then Chen Ping’an himself would naturally be even more adept at it.

Choosing to travel with Sun Daoren, or what he was about to do, was all putting effort and hard work into this principle.

Cui Dongshan once said something very insightful.

When the principles at both ends of a line are straightened out and broken down, as if the two sides ended up in the middle after a fight, that is a bit of “true knowledge.”

Otherwise, the principles are not principles, and once they are taken into the human world, they are all nonsense, alas.

During their travels together in the Great Sui Dynasty, Cui Dongshan actually said a lot of such unintentional jokes, but perhaps Cui Dongshan was too cynical and carefree when he spoke, so Chen Ping’an didn’t pay much attention.

Thinking about it afterward.

It turned out that the student was teaching the teacher the principle.

A tall old man strolled slowly along the border of that small world.

His ethereal figure was shattered by sword energy again and again, and gathered again and again. One was not tired, and the other didn’t care.

Of course, the old man knew where the wonder of his layout lay.

Every bit of people’s hearts, which even those little guys might not be able to figure out, under the critical juncture of life and death, and the great opportunity to obtain the inheritance of immortals, great disasters and great fortunes are intertwined. Then everyone’s words and deeds will extend all kinds of accidents and possibilities, alliances, mutual calculations, difficult to distinguish between enemies and friends, forbearance, dormant, rising to kill, running away, compassion, heroic temperament…

Just finding out who to find first, who to kill first, and how to kill, are all plates and plates of endlessly flavorful appetizers.

If the rules of this small world were not too many, and one of them was more like an insurmountable forbidden zone, perhaps he would have refined the entire landscape long ago, instead of approaching that green mountains and clear waters again and again, always restrained. Once he truly sat in the small world, it was estimated that he should have cultivated a round-sky-square-earth Dao fruit.

However, the bumps and displacements of so many years, only being able to pick some low-realm ants to fill his belly, are not all bad things. He used other people’s minds to hone his own Dao heart, and after each time, he benefited greatly, and he had more and more insights into the word “truth-seeking.”

After this full meal, he would have to move again, so as not to be discovered by those neighboring sects in Northern Ju Continent.

He could not go to the Central Earth Divine Continent, there were too many masters. The snowy continent in the far north was a good choice.

As for the Southern Precious Bottle Continent, he had previously heard those cultivators chatting on the mountain outside. Unless he took a detour, he would have to pass through the Northern Mountain region. Once the Northern Mountain God was promoted to the Jade Purity realm, he would be equivalent to an Immortal realm cultivator.

It would be more troublesome.

Especially since the other party was born as a Mountain God, it would be even more difficult for him to completely hide his tracks.

He couldn’t go to the Great Li Song clan and become a small offering, could he? If he had known the news earlier, before the new Five Mountain Gods of the Precious Bottle Continent had been determined, grabbing a Mountain God position would have been a good choice.

The old man was probably really tired of the endless entanglement of that wisp of sword energy, so he retreated back into the misty white fog, sat cross-legged, surrounded by paper cranes circling around him.
The entrance to this ruin, the cave chamber adorned with four celestial guardian murals, was in truth, remnants of a shattered mountain peak, alchemized and pieced together by him. In reality, the famous mountains he had crafted were far more numerous than this one. Hence, the next time an opportunity presented itself, the scene would be entirely different. Once a suitable ant-like cultivator entered the mountain and stumbled upon it, he would deliberately set up a low-grade restriction, so weak that Earth Immortal cultivators wouldn’t be overly interested, at most individuals like Sun Qing of the Colorful Sparrow Manor or Bai Bi of the Water Dragon Sect, or that Huan Yun, merely protectors of the path. It wasn’t that the old man couldn’t stomach one or two Nascent Soul cultivators wreaking havoc in his belly; it was simply better to be cautious than sorry.

Therefore, all the poetic inscriptions on the walls were the old man’s handiwork.

Intended to deal with those self-proclaimed clever individuals.

Later, those fifty-odd people were simply too foolish, far inferior to the first three batches of cultivators. He simply removed all restrictions and employed a minor trick, causing them to vie for precedence, and so everyone rushed forward.

He was never surprised by the nature of the human heart.

The sight of cranes circling overhead upon entering the immortal cave was also a subtle, clever maneuver.

Cultivators in this world were prone to suspicion. If he didn’t conjure up some tricks, they would either be too dull to fall for the bait or too fearful of death to take the hook.

It was laughable, really.

If those who entered the mountain were all filled with righteous qi, refraining from killing each other, each taking their respective treasures, he would truly be helpless. At most, he would simply close the gates, allowing those cultivators to grow old and die within.

The two skeletal figures playing Go in the pavilion were an example from long ago.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t kill, but the cost outweighed the benefit.

Once his true form was revealed, that wisp of residual sword qi would not be polite, and could even follow the trail directly into the vast white mist.

The old man had suffered greatly twice during his long seclusion of thousands of years.

Moreover, relying on one’s cultivation realm to kill, like a child smashing an anthill with a stick, was something the old man did too much of in his early days in that foreign land. Eventually, he encountered the one enshrined in that Daoist temple, which led to his current predicament.

The numerous palaces, pavilions, heavenly treasures, and immortal manuals on the mountain were no longer of great significance to the old man. They were more for preparing for the future, when his cultivation realm would be sufficient to protect himself in any continent of the Great Vast World. Only then would he establish a sect, and all the treasures and opportunities would become the foundation of his own sect. Those of inferior quality were truly beneath his notice. After being broken apart, returning to heaven and earth, transforming into spiritual energy, was also acceptable.

The abundant spiritual energy here, especially the dense water element, was not originally the grand scene it was now.

The old man’s true focus at the moment was not on those three Golden Core Earth Immortals, but on three others.

One was too lucky, and thus their luck was about to run out.

They had inexplicably obtained three portions of the opportunity within the mountaintop Daoist temple: a broken wooden deity statue, emerald glazed tiles alchemized by immortals, and green bricks on the ground imbued with water energy.

There were also two others. One was someone he had surprisingly considered taking as a disciple, who indeed had some affinity with the Daoist temple on the mountain. If they truly became master and disciple, the disciple’s cultivation realm would advance by leaps and bounds, making rapid progress. In the future, they could toil outside, cooperating with the master from within, making things much easier and less troublesome for him. Perhaps he could casually consume Nascent Souls, the master could attain the Dao fruit, and the disciple could take the Golden Cores, Nascent Souls, and treasures. Everyone would be happy, reaching the pinnacle of the Great Vast World together. Perhaps one day, they could return home in glory, shocking those snobbish, conceited old Daoist priests.

The other was the most interesting one, and therefore had to die.

Moreover, he probably wouldn’t even need to lift a finger.

By then, only five people would be left anyway. Killing a few more would be a natural and logical consequence.

In reality, if those people could cooperate sincerely, abandon their prejudices, and choose to break the situation together, coupled with the presence of that wisp of sword qi, it would be much more troublesome for him.

He would then have to “waddle” into distant travels, slowly waiting for those fellows to gradually grow old and die in this belly-like world, their entire cultivation transforming into spiritual energy, returning to the small world.

But was that possible?

Absolutely impossible.

Even if they were so loving towards each other, eventually producing a Nascent Soul cultivator with the potential to reach the Jade Purity Realm.

When that moment truly arrived, he would simply pay a price and personally strike them down.

The connection between Heaven and Earth, the looming disaster.

Wasn’t just a joke those paper gods uttered casually.

If anyone could gain the approval of that wisp of sword qi, that would be the biggest trouble.

The greatest trouble.

Fortunately, it seemed that there was no such person destined by fate.

Since he was temporarily idle.

The old man opened a book with pages as thin as cicada wings. The contents were written in tiny, almost invisible fly-head script, interspersed with pages of cultivator portraits.

Apart from that, it was a multi-chapter novel.

Each chapter detailed the experiences and fates of a cultivator in this place, with meticulous descriptions. Every word and deed of everyone here was recorded accurately, without a single error. However, the length of each story varied.

Seemingly, everyone was a protagonist, but everyone would die.

This was the most important path of cultivation for the old man, besides secretly crafting famous mountains and rivers for countless years.

Vast white mist, a panorama of mountains and rivers, with every detail visible.

This was the true supreme ability of a divine being observing mountains and rivers.

The current saints sitting in small worlds weren’t something the three schools and hundred families had figured out on their own early on. They learned it as well.

The tall old man most wanted to visit not the saints of the three schools, but the novelists among the hundred schools of thought, those seated in the White Paper blessed land.

There could definitely be mutual benefit in their great Dao, truly a harmonious refinement, like carving and polishing jade.

The scholars of this world sure knew how to talk.

The tall old man raised his head, looking towards the Daoist temple on the summit of the green mountain, filled with many thoughts.

He recalled the past, when he followed that person in cultivation. There were few people in the mountain, but many books, an extremely rich collection. He could be said to have perused them all.

Once, that person rarely spoke, asking how his reading was progressing.

He replied, “Reading Daoist scriptures, there is death in life, a bit cold. Reading Buddhist sutras, there is joy in suffering, a bit hot. Reading Confucian classics, they are rigid and proper, a bit tedious.”

That person smiled and said, “You’ve read a little bit into them, but far from reading them thoroughly. Being in the deep mountains, seeing mountains but not people, is still not good.”

But before he could read more, there was that earth-shattering event of a single sword strike, sword qi like a rainstorm.

That sword, even thinking about it now, would make one feel a chill down their spine, and their liver and gallbladder would crack.
Before his demise, that man, in order to tear open the firmament, had sent this small world, whose master had changed many times, along with himself, away from his homeland. He was already powerless to restrain himself further, so he could only make a three-part agreement with himself.

As time flowed by, the so-called three-part agreement was no longer a constraint. Now, only that wisp of sword Qi was still struggling to hold on.

As cultivators from that world intruded into this place, like the martial artist Huang Shi, each of them acted more and more recklessly, smashing the wooden statue time and time again. Afterwards, he would mend and piece it back together, the last bit of reverence he had for that man was worn away along with it.

The old man casually glanced into the distance.

If anyone dared to ruin his game of observing hearts, such as daring to suppress everyone with brute force, then they could die first.

It would be just right to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys, so that those little brats would believe even more that this place was the cultivation ground of some ancient ascended cultivator.

Paying some price was nothing more than eroding the superficial cultivation accumulated over decades. For someone like him, time was worthless; tempering the heart of Dao and cultivating Daoist magic were the most valuable.

Those who had the chance to do so didn’t, but those who didn’t have the ability to do so insisted on puffing themselves up, like that young Marquis named Zhan Qing, making a fool of himself. One wrong step leading to another, he was destined to not live long, and perhaps die a rather grievous death.

For example, dying at the hands of some ant?

Or perhaps, arrange things a bit, and let this little fellow die at the hands of his beloved Bai-jie?

Near the white jade arch bridge, there was no longer any fighting, it had turned into an even more dangerous chaotic battle of minds.

Old Immortal Huan Yun surrounded himself with talisman arrays.

Bai Bi held the ancient zither “Scattered Snow”, and the eighteen warding coins were also not put away.

For a time, the Qi here rippled, chaotic to the extreme.

However, it also perfectly isolated the prying eyes of all other cultivators and martial artists.

After the six people stood still, they each exchanged their inner thoughts.

Old Immortal Huan Yun, Sun Qing of the Colorful Sparrow Manor, and Bai Bi of the Water Dragon Sect.

For the time being, these were the only ones who had the chance and strength to survive to the end.

However, these three clearly had their own concerns.

Sun Qing was worried about Wu, and that disciple of hers.

Bai Bi was concerned about Zhan Qing.

Huan Yun needed to protect the Dao for his two direct disciples, Shen Zhen and Ze.

The inheritance of the sect, a future Dao companion on the path of the Great Dao, and his own conscience.

Therefore, this game would be an extremely difficult test for the three of them, no less than anyone else who was living just to live.

Huan Yun had considered uniting everyone to resist the strange rules of this small world.

But it was too risky, and could easily put himself in a deadly situation early on.

He believed that Sun Qing and Bai Bi felt the same way.

Willing but unable, and perhaps not even willing.

Bai Bi was the first to speak, “Let’s find those five first.”

Sun Qing smiled and said, “Even if we find them, what then?”

Bai Bi changed her suggestion, “That black-robed old man, we should at least find him first, right?”

Sun Qing shook her head and said, “Do you think that once you find someone like that, you can just kill him? Will you, Bai Bi, take the lead, or will our all-powerful little Marquis personally step forward?”

Soon, two people echoed Sun Qing’s sentiment.

Zhan Qing smiled bitterly.

In the first battle, everyone wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible, everyone was trying their best to kill him.

As a result, a ridiculous old thing was someone everyone was wary of, it seemed that they wouldn’t launch a siege or hunt against him any time soon.

Huan Yun hesitated for a moment, and suggested, “We won’t kill people, we’ll just take the treasures, and no one will take these treasures. We’ll just put them in the Taoist temple on the mountain.”

A rogue cultivator leader sneered and said, “Isn’t that just making things more complicated? In the end, only five can survive. Giving us a quick death is merciful, and saves them some suffering.”

Another elderly martial artist nodded and said, “Early death is still death, why not get rid of a group of people first? We six, each of us can protect four or five people within half a month, what do you think?”

These two were the ones who echoed Sun Qing.

Zhan Qing said, “Five people is too many.”

The rogue cultivator chuckled and said, “You and your woman here, you have no one else to rely on, you only have two left, of course you think it’s too many. According to the Little Marquis’s idea, leaving two people alive would be just right, wouldn’t it?”

Zhan Qing flicked his sleeves and said indifferently, “Then you guys continue talking, pretend I don’t exist.”

Originally, Zhan Qing wanted to suggest that everyone stop fighting first and target those five people together, then discuss the rest.

It seemed to be wishful thinking.

He guessed that whatever Zhan Qing said now would be useless.

Not counting the five who obtained the most treasures.

Currently, there were still forty-two people alive.

Bai Bi said, “Then each of us will save three people, but let’s make it clear beforehand, Zhan Qing and I can recruit two more people to protect their lives.”

Huan Yun didn’t speak.

Because only three people had come from Cloud Top City.

He, Huan Yun, was only a temporary protector, not even a Dao teacher for those two young children, let alone a cultivator from Cloud Top City.

As for the lives and deaths of others, he really couldn’t care less.

Although Sun Qing didn’t want to get involved with these people, she didn’t speak. Apart from her, Wu, and her disciple Liu Gui Bao, there was still one more spot.

And the young girl had already pleaded with Sun Qing in her heart to save one person.

A stranger they had met on the road to visit the mountain.

Love at first sight, it seemed.

Sun Qing didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

Back then, when she met that young scholar, wasn’t it the same?

Since the master was like this, she had no right to complain to her disciple about any great principles.

However, suddenly someone used the martial artist’s method of gathering sound into a line, and took the initiative to speak to Sun Qing, “I know that you are Sun Qing, the Manor Lord of Colorful Sparrow Manor. Brother Chu and I don’t trust the Little Marquis’s group. Why don’t we join forces, first persuade Old Immortal Huan Yun to stand by, and we’ll kill Zhan Qing and his group first. This group is the most unruly, even more untamed than rogue cultivators. After we kill them, Manor Lord Sun, you’ll be our leader. In the end, Brother Chu and I will then take the opportunity to kill Huan Yun and his people, how about that? In the end, almost five of us will survive, wouldn’t that be more stable?”

Sun Qing frowned.

She neither agreed nor refused.

That martial artist wasn’t worried.

To him, Old Immortal Huan Yun’s Daoist magic was high, and he should have been the best partner to cooperate with, but he was too hesitant and a pushover, and was destined to not be able to do great things together.
As for Zhan Qing and that Golden Core female cultivator, both were wicked to the core, far less trustworthy than Sun Qing of the Azure Sparrow Manor. Moreover, Sun Qing’s cultivation was sufficient, and her two attendants possessed exceptional skills and cunning.

And Bai Bi, who hailed from the Lotus Kingdom? She had already revealed her origins, but so what? A direct disciple of the Water Dragon Sect’s Ancestral Hall? Impressive, perhaps. But if they were truly capable, why didn’t they obliterate us all in one fell swoop?

Zhan Qing had a rough understanding of their situation. He was consumed by regret, finally realizing the true meaning of a titled immortal cultivator and the inherent shortcomings of a rogue cultivator’s ways. Bai Bi had clearly been implicated by him.

However, one outcome brought Zhan Qing a small measure of solace: eighteen people were about to die. At least he and Bai Bi would not lose any more people. On the contrary, they would gain two temporary “guest elders.” With each person eliminated from the others’ ranks, he and Bai Bi would gain a slight advantage.

On the water’s edge, opposite the immortal mansion’s white jade arch bridge, a young man sat dejectedly by the river, his face pale. A surge of Gao Ling’s fist energy had grazed his shoulder, and his silken robe hung loosely, torn by the force.

A sturdy rogue cultivator and his Dao companion sat nearby. The man splashed water on his face, exhaled a mouthful of stale air, and turned to comfort the young man with a smile, “Young Master Huai, don’t despair! Heaven never seals off all paths. I believe you are blessed. Haven’t we always turned danger into opportunity since we started following you? I believe you have a share in this great fortune. We, this humble couple, just wish to partake in your good fortune.”

The young man spoke in slightly accented Northern Luzhou dialect, muttering, “The previous encounters were mere disturbances caused by fourth and fifth realm demons. If I hadn’t met you, I would have simply detoured. How would I have dared to fight? I only intended to study at the academy, but I never imagined such a bleak outcome. We’re going to die. We’re all going to die.”

The woman frowned, thinking that he was a useless pretty boy who only spouted unlucky words all day. She could tolerate it before because this scholar from another continent had hinted at a distant connection to an instructor at the academy, which would allow them to borrow and copy books.

A lower fifth realm cultivator on the verge of a breakthrough, he had foolishly charged into battle, taking a hit from the Little Marquis of North Pavilion’s spell, seemingly unaware of his own limits. Afterwards, he had rashly charged forward again, nearly colliding with Gao Ling’s fist energy. If a young woman hadn’t slapped him away, he would have been obliterated. Truly, a scholar was just a scholar.

A slender young woman wiped her face, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood along the way. Finally, she sat casually next to the young scholar, saying, “Hey Huai, from now on, just follow me and don’t worry about anything.”

The young man looked bewildered, asking softly, “There will be more fighting?”

The young woman smiled, “Are you going to try and save me again like you did on the bridge?”

The young man felt embarrassed. It was hard to say who was saving whom.

The young woman took out a wine flask from her waist and offered it to him, “Want some wine to bolster your courage?”

The young man shook his head, his face slightly flushed. “Miss Liu, I don’t drink.”

The young woman drank it herself, wiped her mouth, and looked up at the mountain top, laughing, “Huai Qian, just say ‘it is improper’ if that’s what you want to say.”

The young man was speechless.

The young woman was none other than Liu Guibao, the most valued disciple of Sun Qing, the Golden Core cultivator of the Azure Sparrow Manor. Everyone at the Azure Sparrow Manor, including Wu, believed that she would undoubtedly become the next Manor Lord.

The young woman was still young, although her age seemed older than her youthful appearance. However, among the mountain cultivators, she was undoubtedly a cultivation genius, already possessing a Cave Abode realm cultivation base. Moreover, before Wu took the initiative to attack Gao Ling, her subsequent two remarks had directly determined the course of the entire battle, and it could even be said that Zhan Qing and Bai Bi resented this young woman more than anyone else.

The young scholar from another continent, named Huai Qian, had inexplicably been caught up in this calamity.

Liu Guibao liked him anyway, especially his pretense of being a seasoned veteran and his deliberately cunning foolishness. His feigned cleverness was truly endearing. Perhaps Liu Guibao herself was too precocious and intelligent, so she found Huai Qian, who did not fake his cultivation realm, particularly pleasing.

It was like what her master said: if you need many reasons to justify liking someone, then it’s not true liking; you should quickly find someone else to like. Her master would often get drunk and confide in her, her disciple, about the various deeds of that Mr. Liu, and then unintentionally blurt out such words. Liu Guibao found this quite endearing as well.

Her master had reached some conclusions. Liu Guibao found it quite boring.

They had discussed who to kill and were now deciding how to kill them and who would do the killing.

Those who were intelligent could probably sense the signs. Liu Guibao turned her head to look around. It seemed there were few intelligent people. Her master and the other six were still focused on their scheming.

A man sat alone by the river, his hands and feet cold. He was distanced from everyone else, an isolated figure. Surviving the previous chaotic battle was already a stroke of good fortune. The man wore a pair of badly worn boots.

Someone shouted in a mental message that the six had agreed to Little Marquis Zhan Qing’s suggestion and decided to kill all the rogue cultivators. No one was sure, but no one dared to disbelieve it.

After a moment of stunned silence, people began to scatter, some running, some flying, away from the white jade arch bridge.

The person who spoke out clearly didn’t possess Liu Guibao’s unique secret technique, and they underestimated the keen divine sense of the six on the other side. They were immediately targeted.

Moreover, to avoid being too obvious, they had not moved first. Only after most of the people had scattered like startled birds did they turn to leave. As a result, Gao Ling used his toe to flick up a sharp knife, throwing it and piercing their head, killing them instantly.

Zhan Qing tried to stop him, but it was too late. The truth of this despicable act of framing was no longer important.
He felt that this treasure hunt, which he had initially approached with confidence, had been one surprise after another, to the point where he was now somewhat numb.

The warrior’s expression was one of sorrow, though he concealed it well.

The deceased was a pillar of support for a small, insignificant immortal clan.

One of the few aged cultivators who hoped to extend their lives by a few years using the remnants of this immortal abode.

Thus, the warrior made a deal with this old cultivator, who knew his death was inevitable.

The warrior would, of course, honor his promise, and the Azure Phoenix Manor would secretly provide financial assistance to his small clan. Furthermore, he promised to cultivate at least three cultivators to the middle five realms within a century, including the old cultivator’s sole disciple.

This was the reward the old cultivator had earned with his life.

Among the six on the opposite bank…

Many were bewildered.

But who had secretly given the order, or whether the old cultivator had lost his mind and held some old grudge against the Marquis of North Pavilion, dragging the young Marquis down with him in death, was no longer important.

However, the scattering of so many people…

Left the six feeling somewhat helpless.

What else could they do but split up and pursue them?

It was certain that Gao Ling would be the most relentless.

Because this golden-body warrior was the most enraged, his killing intent the strongest, having suppressed a bellyful of resentment for too long.

Even with his injuries, a warrior’s physique was known for its resilience. Eliminating small groups of two or three was still an easy task.

However, the maiden Liu Guibao and the young scholar Huai Qian had not fled. The warrior walked to their side and began to tend to his wounds.

There were two other groups who, though trembling, did not move.

They were the families of the two rogue cultivators and the martial arts grandmaster on the opposite bank, all at the Dragon Gate realm.

Among the fleeing crowd, the rogue cultivator, who wished he had two more legs, gradually distanced himself from the others. He trusted no one, and it seemed anyone could kill him.

The expensive thunder talisman he had bought for eight snowflake coins had indeed saved his life during the battle on the white jade arch bridge. But now, he truly had no more protective skills or treasures.

Suddenly, he heard a clumsy voice behind him, “Butcher?”

The man turned his head in alarm, his feet still moving, and saw a stranger. He tentatively asked, “Two… Two what?”

The person nodded with a smile.

The man almost burst into tears.

Good heavens, finally, a fellow sufferer who understood his plight!

The man slowed down slightly, “You won’t kill me, will you?”

As for why he hadn’t seen this person before, the man was too exhausted to think about it.

The owner of the Packcloth Stall in the Cloud Citadel market, who had inexplicably taken on the appearance of a green-robed youth, shook his head and said, “Can I make money by killing you? Even if I could, can I compete with those big shots?”

The man breathed a sigh of relief and said nothing more.

The two buried their heads and ran wildly together.

Suddenly, someone in front saw the expanse of white mist and exclaimed in horror, “Could this be the end of the road?!”

The white, misty boundary retreated rapidly like a tide.

The undulating mountains, like a woman partially veiled, gradually revealed their true form.

The map of this immortal abode quickly expanded.

Huan Yun had no intention of killing. He said he would go ahead first, then rode the wind to the mountains to find the two direct disciples of Shen Zhenze.

Sun Qing didn’t either, but instructed the warrior and the other two to go south and take a look.

Bai Bi and Zhan Qing told Gao Ling to kill freely, while the royal consecrator of the Hibiscus Kingdom was summoned by Bai Bi to her side.

Gao Ling actually removed the sweet dew armor he was wearing, hid it in his sleeve, picked up a longsword whose owner was dead, gripped it in his hand, and dashed away.

In the white mist, the tall old man had put away his book and stood in place. However, his figure slid backward along with the mist, always hidden like a dragon lurking in the sea of clouds. The old man held his hands behind his back and smiled, “If the territory is too small, I’m afraid you’ll die too quickly, and I’ll miss many good shows.”

In half a month, he would have some very interesting new rules to announce to everyone.

For example, from this moment on, the person who kills the most can become the second direct descendant of the immortal abode among the final five.

So, Huan Yun and Sun Qing, two kind-hearted cultivators who are temporarily unwilling to kill indiscriminately, do you still want to kill?

Do you want to kill to your heart’s content, without any restrictions?

The old man turned to look at a young man who had long been hiding on the boundary line, burying his saber in a pit he had dug for himself, and said, “I’ll also see if you, boy, have the luck and the predestined affinity to become my first disciple.”

Di Yuanfeng, the man with straw sandals and a bamboo staff dressed in flowing white robes, cursed when he discovered the changes in the boundary. Helpless, he had to break out of the ground, not even having time to shake off the dirt, and continued to run wildly towards the depths of the mountains.

Then, Huang Shi suddenly stopped, changed his route, came to the pit, squatted down, picked up some soil, and looked up at the distant, mustard seed-sized figure fading away, and smiled.

Killing that black-robed old Daoist Chen might be somewhat risky, but killing you, five-realm warrior Di Yuanfeng, is not difficult at all.

The five people at the foot of the mountain each gave their orders, then ascended the mountain together, agreeing to meet at the summit, and then jointly find the remaining four people outside of the male and female cultivators from Cloud Citadel.

Find them first, then decide whether to kill them.

In the deep mountains and old forests, Chen Ping An carried that…