This battle was exceedingly swift and brief. The scale was small, the deaths were quick, practically resembling a skirmish between border patrol scouts.

The wild and untamed world did not immediately launch the next offensive.

Evidently, many key command tents had not anticipated this outcome. There were too many unforeseen events, and they needed to adjust the specifics of their strategies within the established framework.

Instead, they ceded the remaining three mountains on the battlefield. The central great peak had been utterly shattered in the clash between Zuo You and that Yang Zhi.

Another was destroyed by two foreign sword immortals from Ai’ai Continent at the cost of their lives, obliterating the mountain’s root and water veins, before Lu Zhi cleaved it apart with her sword light.

The remaining three were also in a dilapidated state. One of them had been heavily damaged by Luo Shan and Zhu An, the sword immortals of the Hidden Official lineage, and this was likely the final accomplishment of these two turncoat sword immortals.

If they were to meet again in the future, it would be to test each other’s swords, to determine life and death with former comrades and fellow swordsmen.

On those three mountaintops, some surviving talisman-wielding demon race cultivators could only await their doom. Even if they escaped far away, what meaning would it hold? Their lives had long been tied to the mountains’ survival. Nonetheless, some were fiercely violent and resolutely ruthless. They rallied their comrades, commanded and coordinated, reactivating the mountain-protecting array, determined to die fighting, forcing the sword immortals of the Great Wall of Swords to unleash one more sword strike.

Sword Immortal Zhao Ge Yi found Cheng Quan, and together they flew on their swords towards one of the mountains. Zhao Ge Yi would protect Cheng Quan’s formation, helping him to refine the mountain and convert it to his own use.

“Damn it, I feel like a traitor just by going out of the city now!”

Cheng Quan, while flying on his sword, was filled with grief and indignation. “Those damned Zhu An, those lowly Luo Shan, until today, you were friends I was willing to trade my life for! Zhao Ge Yi, tell me, will you stab me in the back one day? If so, give me a straight answer. When we get to that mountain, just promise me that your sword will be quick, not like the nagging of a woman, so I can die swiftly.”

Zhao Ge Yi cursed, “How could Song Caiyun possibly like a piece of trash like you?!”

Cheng Quan paled.

The Great Wall of Swords had won this phase of the battle, but no sword cultivator on the city wall felt joy.

The Hidden Official had betrayed the Great Wall of Swords, taking the sword immortals Luo Shan and Zhu An with him to join the wild and untamed world.

The Hidden Official had even severely injured the lone and seemingly invincible Zuo You with a single punch on the battlefield!

Except for those sword immortals with sufficiently pure sword hearts, almost all sword cultivators, especially the younger ones, felt a dark cloud looming over their hearts, refusing to dissipate.

Chen Ping An fastened his folding fan to his waist and steered his talisman boat towards the thatched cottage.

Inside the small cottage where the sword immortal Wei Jin of the Wind and Snow Temple had temporarily resided, Zuo You sat on the edge of the bed, his abdomen, which had been pierced by a fist-sized hole, being mended with sword energy.

Sword energy cannot generate flesh and bone, because this was essentially a second, dangerous battle. Senior Brother Zuo You needed to use sword energy to resist the aftereffects of the Hidden Official’s punch.

Otherwise, for a sword cultivator in the Upper Five Realms, whose sword refinement was itself a tempering of the body, even severe physical injuries would not be enough to make Dong San Geng, who was standing nearby, feel so shocked and worried.

Dong San Geng stood guard at the door and angrily shouted, “Chen Qingdu, what exactly is going on?! Has that Hidden Official been possessed by a demon?!”

Standing on the wall in the distance, Chen Qingdu didn’t turn his head and said, “You’re not blind. What your eyes see is the truth.”

Dong San Geng was furious, because this old sword immortal had always had a very good impression of the Hidden Official, considering him one of the few like-minded people.

And the old sword immortal’s most valued grandson, Dong Guanpu, who had been considered a candidate to become an engraved sword immortal, had been very fond of the Hidden Official in his early years.

Dong San Geng had already seen the young man land gracefully and store the talisman boat in his sleeve, but he was still indignant and continued to shout to Chen Qingdu, “Then you should have killed her just now!”

Chen Qingdu sneered, “Dong Guanpu defected to the wild and untamed world, and when his actions were exposed, the entire Great Wall of Swords knew about it. Did I know? Before you made a big fuss about it, did I kill him?”

Chen Ping An pretended not to hear anything.

Back then, after the sword immortals gathered on the city wall, the Old Sword Immortal personally killed Dong Guanpu with a single sword strike, which Chen Ping An had witnessed with his own eyes.

It was just that Chen Ping An’s thinking was still very shallow at that time, and he had never truly understood the Great Wall of Swords.

And the sentence that puzzled Chen Ping An the most was what Ning Yao said afterward, that the young Master Dong was a good person.

As a sword immortal, a member of the Dong family, betraying the Great Wall of Swords was true. Being a good person, however, was also true.

How should this debt be calculated?

Perhaps for this Old Sword Immortal, guarding the Great Wall of Swords was just guarding the Great Wall of Swords.

Dong San Geng suppressed the anger in his heart and said to Chen Ping An that his Senior Brother wouldn’t die, and then the old ancestor of the Dong family left the place directly.

Chen Ping An didn’t enter the cottage, but instead gently closed the door.

Having witnessed such a magnificent and tragic war where both sword immortals and great demons could die, he felt his own insignificance all the more.

Having witnessed the various choices of the Old Sword Immortal Chen Qingdu, Chen Ping An felt that if he were to go through the Mind Inquiry Bureau of Shujian Lake again, even with the same cultivation realm as before, he would truly be able to do as he pleased.

Chen Ping An did not stay at the cottage for long and went to Ning Yao’s place.

Ning Yao glanced at Yan Zhuo, then shook her head at Chen Ping An.

Chen Ping An nodded to indicate that he understood.

Yan Zhuo’s eyes were red, and his fists were clenched, resting on his knees.

The family’s chief protector, the Immortal Realm Sword Immortal Li Tuimi, had died.

This old man was once the person Yan Zhuo hated the most when he was young, because many of the notorious and exasperating remarks were made by Li Tuimi, who despised him the most, and were then widely exaggerated, making the chubby young man of the Yan family the laughingstock of the entire Great Wall of Swords. Otherwise, given the status and wealth of the Yan family on Xuanhu Street, and given the temperament and shrewdness of Yan Zhuo’s father, Yan Ming, the head of the Yan family, if it hadn’t been the family members who had taken the lead in the attack, who would have dared to trample on Yan Zhuo, the only heir, to death like this?
Even though Yan Zhuo, in countless subsequent battles, relied on life-or-death struggles to transform and become a true swordsman, a friend in life and death with Ning Yao and Chen Sanqiu, Li Tuimi, as a family retainer, still refused to even glance at him. Yan Zhuo humbled himself, begging Li Tuimi to teach him swordsmanship several times. But Li Tuimi, in those years, only claimed to be an old bone, with a humble fate, daring not instruct the young master of the Yan family in swordsmanship, as that would be misleading the youth.

Yan Zhuo never imagined that when Li Tuimi was finally willing to impart his swordsmanship, willing to keep a straight face, yet with a hint of a smile in his eyes, to say a few words that were either not bad or incredibly good, the old man would die just like that, becoming the first sword immortal to die in battle.

Chen Ping’an sat beside Yan Zhuo, offering no words of comfort. This was the Great Wall of Swords, and the person beside him was Yan Zhuo, so it was unnecessary.

Anyone could get through it.

Who was a stranger to the matter of losing a loved one to death? Besides the already deceased Li Tuimi, there were also the temporarily alive Wu Chengpei, Tao Wen, Zhou Cheng, and so on. Which one of them wasn’t the same?!

Even sword immortals were no exception, let alone those sword cultivators? And so many people whose natal flying swords shattered, each living a life worse than death?

Only he heard the old great sword immortal’s last words.

Because the implied meaning was too much, too grand.

For example, the former Hidden Official Lord clearly knew that Dong Guanpu was a traitor, yet delayed his conviction.

He, Chen Qingdu, would not say much about it, dragging it out as long as possible. Dong Guanpu, that overly thoughtful child, even if he deserved to die, could live for as long as possible, each day being a day more.

If Dong Sangeng’s swordsmanship wasn’t enough, if the accumulated battle merits weren’t enough, unable to deter the great clans and sword immortals of Tai Xiang Street and Xuan Hu Street, incurring public anger, and unable to protect the life of a traitorous grandson with battle merits, it was because Dong Sangeng couldn’t protect Dong Guanpu. That was why a group of sword immortals went to the Great Wall of Swords to demand an explanation. Otherwise, the Hidden Official lineage would turn a blind eye and a deaf ear, and Chen Qingdu would follow suit, turning a blind eye, allowing the Dong family to detain the unfilial descendant Dong Guanpu, or at most throw him into the prison of Old Deafy, and nothing more.

Ning Yao sat beside Chen Ping’an, “Are you alright?”

Chen Ping’an said softly, “Very good.”

Ning Yao actually had many questions, but there were too many, and she didn’t know how to begin.

Chen Ping’an said gently, “Don’t think too much, leave it all to me to think about.”

They both gazed towards the south.

Yan Zhuo suddenly asked, “Am I bothering you two?”

Chen Ping’an opened his folding fan, using it to fan Ning Yao, smiling, “Everyone should be considerate.”

Dong Black Charcoal, who was about to plop down next to Ning Yao, stopped, neither standing up nor sitting down, a peculiar posture.

Unexpectedly, Chen Sanqiu sat down beside Yan Zhuo, Fan Dache sat down beside Dong Huafu, and Diezhang sat down beside Chen Sanqiu.

Finally, everyone looked towards the distance together.

Quietly waiting for the next battle.

Pang Yuanji was in a long state of stagnation and silence.

The young sword cultivator, regarded as the Great Wall of Swords’ next designated Hidden Official, had a dim sword heart, his heart as dead as ashes.

Gao Youqing, a sword immortal in the making who had been by Pang Yuanji’s side, sat blankly, wanting to speak but hesitating, never daring to speak.

Gao Yehou came to Pang Yuanji’s side and sat down, saying only two words: “Endure it.”

Pang Yuanji’s eyes were distracted.

Gao Yehou was silent for a moment, then said, “If you really want to know the answer, don’t be so depressed. Instead, strive to ask the Hidden Official yourself one day, and let her tell you the answer personally!”

Pang Yuanji murmured, “You are not me, and I am not you, it’s impossible.”

Gao Yehou sneered, “Then fine, from today onwards, the Hidden Official lineage can be considered truly extinguished.”

Unexpectedly, behind them, a little girl who had quietly come to this place, arms crossed, said, “I’ll take over the lineage, it’s settled then.”

Pang Yuanji smiled miserably, turned his head, and asked, “Lu Duan, why didn’t you leave the Great Wall of Swords? Sword Immortal Guo Jia, and that Chen Ping’an, actually both wanted you to leave.”

Guo Zhujiu’s eyes were bright, and she shook her head, “No matter how much I respect and admire my father and my master, that’s still their idea. As a sword cultivator, shouldn’t I have my own way of living and dying?”

Pang Yuanji smiled bitterly.

He understood the道理, but what could he do?

Gao Yehou gave a thumbs up and laughed loudly, “Lu Duan, that’s well said!”

Guo Zhujiu looked at Gao Yehou, helplessly saying, “Why praise me? You should praise my master for teaching his disciples well, that’s called praising two with one praise, you’re not very good at it.”

Gao Yehou was speechless for a moment.

When dealing with the Lu Duan girl, the only ones who could gain the upper hand were probably Ning Yao and Dong Bude.

Gao Youqing couldn’t help but burst into laughter through tears.

Guo Zhujiu glanced at the little girl, pityingly saying, “Crying and laughing, your head’s broken, isn’t it? A little gourd.”

Gao Youqing tugged at Gao Yehou’s sleeve, Gao Yehou laughed, “Now you know to look for your brother?”

Guo Zhujiu shook her head, folded her sleeves like her master, and left, muttering to herself, “Little gourd, little gourd, a little girl who won’t grow up, water that can’t be spilled, worry.”

Gao Youqing’s face flushed red.

Gao Yehou felt worried himself, having such a sister who favored outsiders.

Pang Yuanji smiled forcedly, continuing to look towards the south, further south, as if still hoping to see his master one more time.

On the Great Wall of Swords, all the Ai Ai Continent sword cultivators familiar with the two sword immortals Zhang Shao and Li Ding were also infinitely saddened.

The two dearest friends, who were the most idle and carefree in their hometown of Ai Ai Continent, were recognized as indifferent to the world, yet they died in the battlefield of the Wild Desolate World.

Ai Ai Continent valued merchants the most. Simply put, there were many businessmen. In fact, they, the sword cultivators, thirty-two in number, with varying realms, were considered outliers in Ai Ai Continent.

The two with the highest realms were Zhang Shao and Li Ding, who generously went to their deaths, both being Jade Purity Realm sword immortals.

Here at the Great Wall of Swords, they never looked at them, the smallest number of Ai Ai Continent sword cultivators, with different eyes, but deep down in their hearts, they would feel uncomfortable.

There was no need to say anything more about Northern Ju Lu Continent, which was originally the continent in the Vast World with the most sword cultivators like clouds, incomparable. Southern Suo Po Continent was closest to Upside Down Mountain and the Great Wall of Swords, with hundreds of sword cultivators, and there was also a reason not to compare. But apart from these, Floating Clouds Continent, Flowing Haze Continent, and Golden Armor Continent had far more sword cultivators than Ai Ai Continent.
Fewer in number than the sword cultivators of the vast, snow-clad Aiaizhou, only two continents remained: the smallest, Baopingzhou of the Great Azure World. Yet, it first birthed the Snow Wind Temple Sword Immortal Wei Jin, a young sword immortal capable of rivaling the native immortals in aptitude and mastery of the Dao. Then came Chen Ping’an, not a sword cultivator, yet worthy of their respect.

The final great continent was Tongyezou, notoriously averse to interaction with other continents.

Baopingzhou was plagued by internal strife, while Tongyezou suffered from rampant demon uprisings.

Only Aiaizhou remained perpetually at peace, its intercontinental ferries to Upside-Down Mountain flourishing.

Now, with the deaths of two native sword immortals, Zhang Shao and Li Ding, one would expect the younger generation of Aiaizhou sword cultivators to stand tall with renewed pride.

However, there was no such triumphant uplift, only a deepening sense of frustration and discontent within the hearts of Aiaizhou’s sword cultivators!

Elsewhere on the city walls, a group of scholars in Confucian robes stood vigil.

Among them, Chen Chun’an wore a grave expression.

Standing beside his dearest friends, Liu Xianyang and Qin Zhengxiu, Chen Chun’an was deeply troubled, muttering, “To defend will lead to countless deaths, an ever-mounting toll. To abandon our post is to betray all those who have already fallen, including the local Sword Immortal Li Tuimi, and Aiaizhou’s Zhang Shao and Li Ding. If I were that Grand Sword Immortal, my Dao heart would have shattered long ago.”

Liu Xianyang squatted down, a blade of grass plucked from who-knows-where dangling from his lips, and mumbled, “Sword Immortals and sword cultivators are so accustomed to the Grand Sword Immortal holding fort at the Sword Qi Great Wall. It’s been far too long, and few can truly imagine what it must feel like in his heart.”

Qin Zhengxiu said in a deep voice, “In ten thousand years, including this present battle, there have been a total of ninety-six great wars. We haven’t lost once.”

Liu Xianyang responded, “The battlefield lies not only on the southern lands but also within the hearts of those up north. So we constantly win, yet also constantly lose.”

Chen Chun’an suddenly declared, “We, of the Great Azure World, are culpable, greatly mistaken.”

The elder, who held the title of Pure Confucianist, did not speak through mental communication but aloud.

Aside from Liu Xianyang, even Chen Shi, a member of the Chen clan, and Qin Zhengxiu, a Confucian gentleman, showed visible signs of unease.

The Hidden Official, accompanied by Luo Shan and Sword Immortal Zhuan, strode boldly towards the Jiazi command tent.

The gray-robed elder stood outside the tent, smiling, “Don’t worry about not finding a fight on our side. Any who are Ascendants, and who haven’t put in work into this siege, are yours to choose. Kill them, and if anyone dares complain, kill them too.”

The Hidden Official nodded, grabbing a lamb’s horn braid and shaking it gently, grinning, “Once I’m in the Great Azure World, give me half a continent. Hand over all cultivators above the fifth tier to me, for me to slaughter. Those cowardly tortoises, I’ll smash their shells and their flesh into pieces!”

The gray-robed elder did not refuse. Why would he? The young woman before him was practically the greatest Dao seed in the Wildlands, her affinity for the Dao unparalleled. Being by Chen Qingdu’s side was constant torment for her. The Sword Qi Great Wall was never her place for cultivation but a great prison confining her true self. As a sword cultivator born and raised on the Sword Qi Great Wall, how could the Hidden Official not possess a natal flying sword? Yet, in every great battle, she almost never used it, at most wielding a common sword from the Sword Foundry, breaking it and replacing it with another.

The gray-robed elder rarely felt regret, but one such instance involved the Hidden Official, who had grown up on the Sword Qi Great Wall. She had not been born in the Wildlands, had not gone to Mount Tuoyue to cultivate early on. Otherwise, the positions of the fourteen seats around the ancient well would all be altered.

The Wildlands Ancestor was accompanied by only one person: the bearded man with the saber and sword.

Luo Shan looked at the Sword Immortal, renowned throughout the Wildlands, and asked, “Why did you neither draw your saber nor unsheathe your sword, allowing Dong Sangeng to rescue both sides?”

The bearded man replied calmly, “Out of respect for you being a sword immortal and a woman, I’ll waste a word on you. Whom I kill and whom I spare, I need not explain to outsiders.”

Luo Shan was about to retort, but Zhuan Sword Immortal held her wrist.

The gray-robed elder chuckled, “No need to be so reserved. According to Mount Tuoyue’s rules, you are the Wildlands’ most honored guests, and that will be the case for a thousand years, without fail. If Liu Cha were to draw his sword against you, it would be equivalent to challenging Mount Tuoyue, wouldn’t it?”

As he spoke, the elder glanced at the man named Liu Cha.

Liu Cha remained silent.

The gray-robed elder then lightly spoke a few words, addressed not only to Liu Cha but also to Luo Shan and Zhuan Sword Immortal, and even to the many great demons in the Jiazi command tent, “Our Wildlands is indeed a land of uncivilized barbarians, neither the Sword Qi Great Wall nor the Great Azure World. My rules are few, just a few, but every single one works. Those who disobey will die.”

The Hidden Official said earnestly, “Oh, yes, about my silly disciple, Pang Yuanji. Even if he’s determined to seek death, don’t kill him. I still want to exchange sword blows with him time and time again in the future.”

The gray-robed elder smiled helplessly, “No need to bother me with such trifles. Let Luo Shan and Zhuan tour the Jiazi and Wuwu tents, and everything should become clear.”

The Hidden Official asked, “Then what do I do?”

The gray-robed elder replied, “In that place Chen Qingdu jokingly calls a rat’s nest, beneath the well’s mouth, there are still some damned great demons who have fortunately escaped death. If you’re bored, go kill them all. Perhaps it will allow you to break through your current realm sooner.”

The Hidden Official blinked, “Are you afraid that I’ll collude with Chen Qingdu from the inside? That I’ll shatter your asses?”

Going to that rat’s nest, slaughtering that group of Ascendant great demons clinging to life, would not only steadily raise her realm but also serve as a profound alignment with the Wildlands. From then on, her fate would be intertwined with that of the entire world.

If she wanted to break through the Ascendant bottleneck and become an immortal existence on par with that old blind man, this was the price she had to pay. Was heaven and earth a crucible? Was cultivation an act of thievery? Even Ascendants could not escape these shackles. To truly break through this barrier, one needed a grand feat, to refine a part of the greater world with one’s own small world! To refine all of it would be to become a Confucian Sage, a Buddha, or a Dao Ancestor!

The gray-robed elder laughed heartily, “Just tell me, are you going or not?”

The Hidden Official smiled brightly, rising into the air, transforming into a rainbow streak and flying away, directly towards that rat’s nest.
Within the Great Wall of Sword Qi, what world could she possibly refine? The Great Wall of Sword Qi *is* Chen Qingdu, and Chen Qingdu *is* the Great Wall of Sword Qi!

But the Wild Lands were different. Even that old man in grey hadn’t truly refined the entirety of that world, so she still had a chance, perhaps even to cross blades with that Grand Ancestor of the demon race one day.

Liu Cha frowned. “Must we yield the path to her like this?”

“One gets swordplay, one gets scholarship—two massive boons. Enough for you and Zhou Mi to feast upon. Good fortune can’t be entirely monopolized by you two.”

The grey-robed elder chuckled. “Chen Qingdu dies a second time, and Li Sheng will likely emerge from his seclusion when I arrive in the Blessed Land.”

“I want to see if the saying among the Blessed Land’s scholars—that in times of chaos, heroes will rise to avert disaster—is truly valid.”

Liu Cha asked, “What about Bai Ze?”

The grey-robed elder sneered. “Just like the old blind man, utterly disappointing. Refuses to take sides.”

Liu Cha suddenly said, “Darkness reveals the light.”

The grey-robed elder smiled, “Have you ever considered which world this saying applies to the most? Which world holds the purest intent?”

The grey-robed elder extended both hands. “The hearts of the people in the Blessed Land are declining. But we, we are ascending. This is the irresistible tide.”

The old man clenched his fists and whispered, “Once we reach the Blessed Land, it will be your turn to draw your blade.”

Liu Cha nodded. “It shall be so.”

The grey-robed elder suddenly patted the large-bearded man on the shoulder. “Once you’re over there, beat them until they know pain. You’ll have a chance to see that Ah Liang again. Then you can settle the score. I’ll even allow you to use a province of the Blessed Land as a small wager in your sword duel.”

Ah Liang had traveled to many places in the Wild Lands, slain countless demons, and become true friends with a heroic swordsman—this very Liu Cha.

After Ah Liang returned to the Great Wall of Sword Qi, he had joked with a group of young pups, saying that Liu Cha had indeed not disappointed.

A large frame, coarse features, valuing loyalty and righteousness, unrestrained and bold, capable of composing poetry.

Of course, after these unimportant pleasantries, Ah Liang quickly reverted to his true nature. He spat into his palm, smoothed his hair, and “leaked heavenly secrets” to the wide-eyed children. After the buildup, he had to get to the real point.

“That guy, no matter how impressive, was still captivated by my charm. Without a word, he wanted to give me his sword as a gift. I refused, so he wanted to use his saber as a brush to compose a poem for me. Who am I? A proper scholar! Liu Cha was just embarrassing himself. When he didn’t get my nod of approval, he just kept writing! ‘A river of ancient times, flows into my palm, chilling aura congeals for a thousand leagues, wearing down the blade of ten thousand ages, never belittle a minor grievance…’ What? You’ve never heard of it? It’s alright, it was just mediocre anyway. If you can’t remember it, you can’t remember it. But if any of you ever face Liu Cha on the battlefield, don’t be afraid. If you can’t beat him and sense danger, immediately yell out that you’re friends with Ah Liang!”

But that man who claimed to be a scholar, was more like a gambler, drunkard, and scoundrel, had unknowingly stayed at the Great Wall of Sword Qi for over a century, never wearing a blue robe or a jade pendant, never truly acting like a scholar.

When he left, he was just a swordsman without a sword, wearing a saber and a bamboo hat.

No one knew that when Chen Qingdu bid him farewell, he said solemnly, “Once you leave, don’t come back. An outsider, able to stay at the Great Wall of Sword Qi for so long. Even if you didn’t leave, I would have chased you away.”

The man just rubbed Old Master Sword Immortal’s shoulders, and said with a cheeky grin, “If there’s good wine, save it for me. Whether I drink it or not depends on my mood, but whether you save it or not is a matter of *jianghu* honor.”

However, finally, the man adjusted his bamboo hat. Before leaving the thatched hut, he turned his back to the old man and said, “If the Great Wall of Sword Qi turns its sword tip, then I won’t come. No matter how good the wine is, who would Ah Liang drink with?”

After the ancient skeletal demon Bai Ying, and Yang Zhi, the former lord of the Xie Luo River, the role of overseeing the demon army had shifted to the great demon possessing a thousand palace halls and jade towers, who went by the alias of Huang Luan.

Huang Luan was still sitting alone on a railing, as if she were within a celestial city, filled with immortal air, where luan birds and cranes sang.

Within the city, there were the different seasonal changes of the twenty-four solar terms. Some immortal abodes were filled with the sounds of autumn cicadas, while some courtyards had willows with leaves like freshly painted eyebrows, and jade was continuously “grown” above the Daoist temples, with snow accumulating on the ground. There were also many graceful talisman beauties, either applying yellow flower ornaments in front of mirrors, or fanning to catch fireflies.

And the mansion where Huang Luan was sitting by the railing, possessed a Ruoye Stream, which Huang Luan was particularly fond of. The stream’s water was clear, with elderly fishermen manifested from talisman paper, and graceful maidens and lotus-gathering girls performing the same tasks year after year.

Below this city in the clouds, was the demon army, gathered and steadily advancing. They were all cultivators, and their cultivation levels were not low. The five hundred thousand strong, were at least Cave Dwelling Realm cultivators, and were equipped with spiritual tools and magic treasures.

Therefore, there was no need to break through the three sword formations of the Great Wall of Sword Qi, nor was there a need for an ant-like siege.

From the Great Wall of Sword Qi side, a torrent of flying swords poured southward.

This time, the Wild Lands would also have a magnificent river, no less impressive, composed of countless spiritual tools and magic treasures, their brilliant light soaring into the sky, surging toward the northern city wall.

You have a river of sword qi, I have a great river of treasures.

Let’s have a head-on collision of rivers.

Since they had decided to use half the power of their world to attack this isolated Great Wall of Sword Qi, how could they not have something impressive to show?

Exchanging spiritual tools and magic treasures for natal flying swords, to see who feels the pain more.

There were no insidious schemes, no clever layouts, just a competition of who had deeper pockets and could endure the attrition.

If Yang Zhi had been slightly more capable and less useless, and had used the five mountain peaks that had held their ground as a base, the battle losses on the Great Wall of Sword Qi would have been even greater.

Unexpectedly, Li Tuimi and Zuo You’s strikes disrupted all the plans. Not only did they fail to eliminate more Immortal Realm sword cultivators, but they almost lost everything. Moreover, Huang Luan’s own siege was greatly affected. Otherwise, with the battlefield closer to the city wall, the rate of deaths on their side would certainly be much faster, but the natal flying swords of the Great Wall of Sword Qi would have been damaged even more.
The five revered mountain deities of the Upper Five Realms, along with thousands of talisman-wielding cultivators, sacrificed their fortunes and lives to refine mountains. Then, Chongguang relocated these towering masses and abruptly hurled them onto the battlefield. Every single detail of these transactions was meticulously recorded by the military scribes in the war tents.

If not for the Hidden Official’s defection, which proved to be a monumental aid, Yang Zhi would have faced dire consequences.

After all, the sieges of today were no longer the crude and haphazard affairs of the past. They were now calculated with meticulous precision. Those numerous war tents were not mere decorations. The cultivators within, even if their cultivation realms were not high, and some were even young children, were regarded with immense respect by both Great Ancestor and Mount Tuoyue. Any military decree issued from those tents held such weight that even existences like Huang Luan, Yang Zhi, and Bai Ying had to carefully consider their actions.

Huang Luan raised her hand high and gently waved it forward.

Instantly, the demon army unleashed a dazzling array of treasures.

In the darkness of night, it resembled the sudden appearance of a brilliant Milky Way.

Even the ancient Great Demon Huang Luan, whose lifespan stretched back eons, had to admit that the scene before her was truly magnificent. It was a novel sight, but she wondered if she would have the opportunity to witness it again in the future. Once they breached the Great Wall of Sword Qi and entered the Vast Expanse, according to prior calculations and deductions, opportunities like this would be scarce.

Huang Luan let out a soft “Oh?” and proactively opened a defensive formation, turning her head with a slight smile, “A rare guest indeed.”

It was Yang Zhi, whose immortal robe had been shattered and lost many pieces. Amidst the chaos of battle, this sentimental old woman had gathered most of the fragments. However, truly repairing and restoring it would not only be troublesome but also uneconomical. It would be more worthwhile to simply plunder a few new ones from the Vast Expanse.

Yang Zhi, appearing as a woman of humble origins with plain clothing and a wooden hairpin, sat beside the railing, her expression gloomy.

Huang Luan chuckled, “What, are you here to compete for merit?”

Yang Zhi replied, “I am merely assisting you in earning some merits. Great Ancestor hasn’t said anything harsh, but it’s clear he’s not entirely pleased. After this battle, it’s a gesture of loyalty to the ancestors. Then, I must return to the Wild Expanse and personally intercept those roaming sword immortals.”

Huang Luan glanced towards a certain location of the Sword Qi Great Wall, a hint of regret in her eyes. Truthfully, the Hidden Official’s betrayal of the Sword Qi Great Wall had caught even her off guard. She had no prior knowledge of such a change.

Yang Zhi asked, “Regarding the northern city and the Upside-Down Mountain, when will our pawns make their move?”

Huang Luan smiled, “How would I know such things?”

Beneath them, the demon army remained active, launching a chaotic assortment of natal treasures from afar. The entire formation was constantly advancing.

The torrent of sword qi collided with the river of magical treasures, creating a scene of unparalleled brilliance, like countless sparks from the ancient gods forging swords, scattering like fiery rain upon the mortal realm, illuminating both the Sword Qi Great Wall and Huang Luan’s celestial city.

In addition to this, there were the蝼蚁 (lowly ants) similar to the opening battle, frantically charging on both flanks of the army. It wasn’t just a charade; they were genuinely sacrificing their lives on the battlefield. This was what Yang Zhi referred to as “lending a hand,” because these lowly ants were all under Yang Zhi’s domain and direct troops. A peak Great Demon’s way of redeeming smaller transgressions was not just sitting beside Huang Luan and enjoying the view, or making a few moves against the torrent of sword qi, but to sacrifice countless 蝼蚁, directly depleting the several major forces that she had painstakingly cultivated.

The Wild Expanse had one distinct advantage.

Beneath the fist, they accepted fate and obeyed.

Unwilling to die? Then they would die first.

Moreover, it wasn’t just a guaranteed death. The numerous war tents would meticulously record the casualties and merits of each battlefield. Dying wasn’t a complete loss, and surviving was a monumental gain. The Vast Expanse was vast and abundant; they could plunder and seize at will. Once they crossed the Sword Qi Great Wall, they could earn money everywhere, countless heavenly treasures, immortal forces ripe for the taking, and vast amounts of spirit money were all waiting for the Wild Expanse to collect.

Huang Luan suddenly remarked with a playful tone, “When did the Sword Qi Great Wall’s sword immortals become so orderly in their attacks?”

The handsome man radiating immortal energy lightly tapped the railing, lamenting, “We’re doomed! At this rate, their casualties will undoubtedly be lower than the war tents’ projections. Yang Zhi, is it because your ill luck is affecting me? Look, Yue Qing, Mi Hu, and many other sword immortals who were supposedly not on good terms are coordinating their attacks so meticulously. These unruly sword immortals are cooperating seamlessly in small-scale skirmishes, which is normal, but in a scene like tonight, being able to maximize the combined power of almost all the sword immortals’ natal arts is both eye-opening and infuriating, wouldn’t you agree?”

Yang Zhi’s face darkened, and she coldly sneered, “Knowing they’re doomed, they’re putting up a futile resistance.”

After observing the battle for a while, Huang Luan sighed, “Retracting the battle line, the sword cultivators are all withdrawing their swords three miles back? Is this still the Sword Qi Great Wall I know?”

Yang Zhi asked strangely, “Since it’s troublesome, why are you still watching?”

Huang Luan chuckled, “Let the young ones in the war tents hone their skills. This is meant to be a military exercise for those watching from behind. Besides, I don’t think this battlefield will suffer too badly. If we want to maintain a stalemate with the Vast Expanse in the future, we can’t rely solely on a few of us, right?”

Yang Zhi turned her head towards a distant location, where an even larger battle formation was yet to arrive on the battlefield.

They were all native sword cultivators from the Wild Expanse!

The lives of sword cultivators, precious as they were, couldn’t be pampered as mere ornaments.

Only those who could challenge the Sword Qi Great Wall, using it as a whetstone to refine their swords, and survive, could be considered true sword cultivators.

On the Sword Qi Great Wall’s side, a peculiar little hill was hastily assembled, consisting of over a dozen individuals, approximately half of whom were from other lands.

They had gathered in the newest capacity of the Hidden Official’s lineage, marking the first time in history that the Hidden Official’s lineage had recruited sword cultivators from other lands.

As for the roles of supervisor and recorder, they were still entrusted to the former sword cultivators of the Hidden Official’s lineage and Confucian disciples, but the former status of being part of the Hidden Official’s lineage had been revoked.

After gathering these individuals, Lu Zhi quickly departed, leaving behind two scrolls from a Daoist sage.

The two enormous scrolls were unfurled by Lu Zhi on the rampart. One scroll depicted the scene of the sword qi torrent clashing with the river of magical treasures.

The other scroll illustrated the distribution of the demon army’s front line in the Wild Expanse, further south of the current battlefield. The image was relatively blurry, but the further north one looked, the more detailed it became, as if there was a watershed line dividing the two sides.
Lu Zhi only stated that for the time being, no one needed to be responsible for attacking the enemy with their swords, as they were all considered part of the Hidden Official lineage. Beyond that, the extraordinarily powerful female Sword Immortal said nothing more.

The majority of the sword cultivators exchanged glances, somewhat bewildered.

Firstly, many didn’t know each other at all, and secondly, they were utterly confused about what they were supposed to do.

Mi Yu was the most awkward, as he was the only one among them who was a Fifth Realm sword cultivator.

Unable to simply stare blankly at each other, Mi Yu, the one with the highest cultivation, said, “Let’s introduce ourselves first. My name is Mi Yu, Jade Purity Realm.”

A handsome white-robed young man smiled and said, “Lin Junbi, from the Central Earth Continent, just recently entered the Dragon Gate Realm.”

One by one, people began to speak.

“Deng Liang from Aiai Continent, Nascent Soul Realm.”

“Song Gaoyuan from Fuyao Continent, Golden Core Realm.”

“Cao Gun from Liuxia Continent, Dragon Gate Realm.”

“Xuan Shen from Jinjia Continent, Golden Core Realm.”

Besides them, there were also Pang Yuanji, Dong Bude, Situ Weiran, Gu Jianlong, Wang Xinshui, and Guo Zhujiu from the Great Wall of Swords.

And Chen Pingan.

The happiest was Guo Zhujiu, because her master was also there.

She squatted beside her master, the two of them, one big and one small, with their hands tucked into their sleeves, clearly a family.

The most apprehensive, of course, was Gu Jianlong.

When her master announced his name and realm, Guo Zhujiu started clapping her hands vigorously.

“Chen Pingan, Lower Five Realms.”

Chen Pingan turned to his disciple and smiled, “Composure.”

Guo Zhujiu nodded emphatically.

Lin Junbi said, “Even if this wave of demonic beasts retreats, there will definitely be another wave of sword cultivators challenging us. I believe this is the reason we’ve gathered here, to think of as many possibilities on their side as we can, and our countermeasures. The war is extremely pressing. Apart from Sword Immortal Mi, our cultivation realms aren’t high, so our responsibility is to fill in the gaps. We can’t help with the major battles, but if we put our heads together, we can help with the small things, I think.”

While Lin Junbi was speaking, Chen Pingan sat cross-legged on the edge of the painting, holding a folding fan in his hand, gently tapping his palm, and gazing at the battlefield in the painting.

Lin Junbi looked at Mi Yu, and the somewhat uncomfortable Sword Immortal smiled and nodded.

Mi Yu was no more at ease than Gu Jianlong.

Lin Junbi then looked towards the Second Shopkeeper.

Chen Pingan didn’t even raise his head, and smiled, “To those capable, much is expected. Junbi, feel free to give orders.”

Lin Junbi was also somewhat unaccustomed to it.

However, he didn’t hesitate. Matters should be prioritized based on their importance. Lin Junbi, at this moment, was like being on the side of a chessboard, playing a game against the entire Wilderness. Helping the Great Wall of Swords win even a sliver more was helping himself and the Shao Yuan Dynasty win countless victories!

So Lin Junbi didn’t hesitate. After a little deliberation, he began assigning tasks to everyone.

He had Pang Yuanji and Dong Bude responsible for collecting and classifying all of the Sword Immortals’ natal flying swords and divine abilities. Situ Weiran and Deng Liang were tasked with recording the enemy cultivators’ semi-immortal artifacts and key magical treasures. Xuan Shen and Song Gaoyuan were to constantly record the respective losses and gains of both sides’ flying swords and magical treasures. Cao Gun and Wang Xinshui were responsible for observing the changes in the demonic cultivators’ battle formations. If they could spare any attention, they were to look for enemy grand cultivators who were concealing their cultivation…

Chen Pingan looked at Gu Jianlong and greeted him, “Brother Gu, what a coincidence. It’s a small world.”

Gu Jianlong trotted over to Chen Pingan’s side and squatted down, filled with righteousness, “Don’t joke around. How dare I let Second Shopkeeper call me Brother Gu? Call me Little Gu!”

Along the battlements of the city wall, small low tables appeared, and everyone sat cross-legged. Mi Hu needed to transcribe the documents that were compiled on his side once, and then hand them over to Guo Zhujiu to distribute, so that everyone could read them and share information.

As for some crucial intelligence, since they were all close to each other, they could just speak up directly.

Only Chen Pingan didn’t have any substantial tasks.

The reason was simple. After sending someone to deliver the low tables and writing materials, Lu Zhi said one sentence.

“From this moment on, Chen Pingan is the new Hidden Official of the Great Wall of Swords.”

Mi Hu was quite helpless.

Pang Yuanji breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn’t him succeeding as the Hidden Official, anyone was fine, and the Second Shopkeeper was the best choice.

Lin Junbi’s expression was complicated, but it was fleeting. His suspicion grew stronger. The current frequent changes in the Sword Immortals’ formations were due to this person’s suggestions.

Gu Jianlong, on the other hand, lied through his teeth and wore a smile.

Guo Zhujiu clapped her hands alone, creating a thunderous applause.

And the youngest and lowest-ranked Hidden Official in the history of the Great Wall of Swords stood up, took the ancient jade token symbolizing the Hidden Official’s identity, shook his sleeves, sat back down, and hung the jade token on his waist, alongside the Sword Nourishing Gourd, one on each side. On the desk, besides the writing materials, there were also stacks of blank ledgers waiting to be written on, and the folded jade bamboo fan.

Chen Pingan interlaced his fingers, looked at the familiar desk arrangement, and smiled slightly, feeling very good, as if he had already taken control of the small world without even drawing his natal flying sword.

What new Hidden Official?

It was nothing more than transforming from an honest and fair Package Shop into an even more skilled bookkeeper.