The young sword cultivator, before he could even register his shock at the scene, watched as the old sword cultivator finished his stance, striking a dashing pose. With one hand behind his back, he stroked his beard and chuckled with self-satisfaction, proclaiming, “My sword qi is truly unmatched!”

The young sword cultivator was stunned for a long while. The battlefield was now empty. Even the less intelligent demons, sensing the danger, wisely chose to detour and flee elsewhere.

The old sword cultivator surveyed the battlefield, regretting the fact that several demon cultivators of lower realms had been utterly pulverized, their weapons and bodies destroyed, leaving nothing behind.

*Next time, I’ll have to hold back a bit. Even a mosquito leg is still meat.*

The young sword cultivator flew to the old sword cultivator’s side. “Senior?”

The old sword cultivator’s voice was raspy. He stroked his beard and smiled. “Just call me Sword Immortal, young one. I’m not that old. I don’t deserve that ‘old’ title.”

The young sword cultivator was speechless.

The old sword cultivator was already soaring away on his sword, skimming close to the ground, rapidly carving through the enemy lines like a fish darting through seaweed. He unleashed his flying sword only against the demon cultivators, killing where he could, wounding where he couldn’t.

Moreover, he timed his attacks perfectly, never hindering the sword cultivators of the Great Wall of Sword Qi.

The young sword cultivator glanced at the figure and swordsmanship of the “Sword Immortal Senior.” He couldn’t discern the elder’s realm or the depth of his cultivation. Suppressing his doubts, he headed south with his sword, rushing to the next battlefield.

This time, more than six thousand sword cultivators of the Middle Five Realms had sallied forth from the city. While it sounded like a large number, it was still a precarious situation where each individual was surrounded by the demon hordes across the vast battlefield. With the addition of numerous cave and ocean realm cultivators, who were primarily there to hone their swords and familiarize themselves with the battlefield, it was imperative to balance killing demons and practicing swordsmanship. This made it necessary for higher-realm cultivators to provide some assistance. According to the Hidden Official lineage’s rules, these two realms of sword cultivators prioritized survival, then breakthrough, and lastly, killing more demons. As for the earth immortal sword cultivators, who possessed the highest realms and greatest killing power, killing demons to earn merit came first, protecting the lives of cave and ocean realm cultivators came second.

There were sword cultivators guarding the city walls, ensuring the north-south line wouldn’t collapse, preventing demons from circumventing the sword cultivators and attacking the city.

The dragon gate realm sword cultivators, positioned between the two, were the most unencumbered. They could break through enemy lines and slay demons alone, or team up with friends of the same realm. There were no strict rules restricting them.

During this time, there were also many teams of two or three sword cultivators with a special attribute: their flying swords’ innate abilities could be amplified through coordination. This sortie was intended to give them a chance to refine their sword formations on the battlefield. The golden core or nascent soul sword cultivator protecting these teams prioritized their safety above all else. Killing demons to earn merit was secondary. If the lives, paths, or flying swords of the former sword cultivators were damaged, these earth immortals would face severe punishment, making it extremely unprofitable to attempt to make up for it through combat merit.

Once outside the city, the Hidden Official lineage didn’t have many rules, which made each one all the more important for the sword cultivators to heed.

The old sword cultivator passed a battlefield far from the city walls where the fighting was particularly fierce.

The fact that these sword cultivators had managed to clear the demons near the city and push southward for more than ten miles indicated that their killing power was considerable, and their bloodlust even greater.

However, the seven sword cultivators were now heavily surrounded by dozens of demon cultivators and thousands of their troops, including three golden core “Great Demons.”

The old sword cultivator recognized two familiar faces: dragon gate realm sword cultivator Ren Yi and golden core sword cultivator Pu Yu, both of whom had guarded the three gates on the street back then. The old sword cultivator glanced at Pu Yu and sighed. The man still sported the same eye-catching, punchable getup.

It was fortunate that this handsome young man wasn’t one of his own, or he would have already been given a thorough dressing down. Wearing flowing white robes was fine for drinking in the city and sparring with others, but on the battlefield, it was inappropriate to flaunt his immortal-like aura. It wouldn’t hurt to put on a piece of protective gear. If there weren’t regulations dictating that each sword cultivator could only receive one piece for free, the old sword cultivator would have worn seven or eight layers, carried seven or eight swords from the sword shop, and then gone to the battlefield.

This old sword cultivator who wanted to be called “Sword Immortal Senior” was none other than the now infamous Hidden Official.

Following “Fair-Dealing Shopkeeper” and “One-Punching Chen Ping An,” he now had another nickname: “The Hidden Official Who Watches People Die Without Helping.”

On the city walls, after the Hidden Official was “ambushed” by the traitorous sword immortal Lie Ju…

The Hidden Official lineage sword cultivators were moved to the Hidden Official lineage’s jurisdiction, leaving the post of Hidden Official vacant for a long time. By the time the flying sword with the inscription “Hidden Official” was sent to the city walls, almost all the sword cultivators of the Great Wall of Sword Qi had figured it out. After all, during the battle where the demons unleashed a flood of magical artifacts and the skirmishes with the sword cultivators of the Savage Lands, the sword qi waterfall on the city walls had undergone numerous formations, killing many nascent soul demon cultivators. After a series of events, the sword cultivators had chewed on the details and realized the implications of the wine shop.

If it weren’t for the fact that the peak great demon Yang Zhi had brutally killed a sword immortal and the Hidden Official had used his flying sword to prevent other sword cultivators from intervening, the reputation of the young outsider who had been a shopkeeper and then a Hidden Official would have gone from extremely bad to exceptionally good.

Chen Ping An wasn’t in a hurry to act. Pu Yu, as a golden core sword cultivator, was likely the protector of these young sword cultivators, while Ren Yi, as a dragon gate realm cultivator free to move about the battlefield, was likely teaming up with the familiar Pu Yu to break through the enemy lines, both for mutual support and to kill more demons. This was because Pu Yu’s natal flying sword, “Rain Curtain,” was a master of deception, capable of creating numerous illusions. On the battlefield, it could easily fool opponents, and the rapid switching between real and illusory swords made it quite deadly.

After carefully observing the battlefield, Chen Ping An was even less hurried. He put on an act of wanting to help but lacking the confidence, even detouring several times to intercept some demons attempting to bypass the entire battlefield and rush towards the city walls. After all, for a demon cultivator, being able to scale the city walls was a meritorious deed, and being able to reach the top was an even greater one. Even if they ultimately died without achieving anything, both large and small war merits would be recorded in the Savage Lands’ war ledger and rewarded to their tribe or direct descendants and relatives.
Chen Ping’an fixed his gaze upon an unremarkable demon cultivator. It wasn’t that the cultivator was leaking any potent demonic aura; it was more of an intuitive “eyesore,” a feeling of being in control on this small battlefield, a sense of invincibility, yet possessing an utterly illogical and unshakeable determination to die. This demon cultivator, whose cultivation level remained a mystery for now, appeared to be acting wildly, expending all effort, wielding a formidable offensive magical artifact with excessive flamboyance. Alas, it had the misfortune of encountering a fellow practitioner, an “Old Sword Cultivator,” and so its luck ran out.

A Golden Core demon cultivator overseeing the battlefield also found the Old Sword Cultivator, who kept circling around without getting close, to be quite the nuisance. Consequently, the demon cultivator dispatched three of its subordinates to probe the Old Sword Cultivator’s true strength.

However, Chen Ping’an wasn’t concerned about the three demon cultivators detaching from the main battle, nor even the Golden Core “Great Demon’s” tactical deployment. His focus remained solely on the elusive demon cultivator, who was likely concealing their true cultivation. This reinforced his conviction that this particular demon was the one attempting to alert the Golden Core demon cultivator to deal with him, this minor inconvenience, lest he disrupt their larger plans, such as the assassination of the young geniuses Pu Yu and Ren Yi.

After all, Pu Yu and Ren Yi were of considerable cultivation, having participated in the previous two siege battles. If they were willing to sacrifice the lives of the other young sword cultivators, they stood a great chance of retreating from the battlefield.

Pu Yu and Ren Yi were undoubtedly two of the Sword Qi Great Wall’s most promising young talents. Just because their small mountain abode boasted the dazzling presence of Qi Shou and Gao Yehou didn’t diminish Pu Yu and Ren Yi’s stature.

Although Dong Heitan had privately commented on the two sword cultivators guarding the pass, he had kinder words for Ren Yi, who was a realm lower, saying that Ren Yi was the youngest and fastest of the Dragon Gate Realm sword cultivators. Conversely, his assessment of Pu Yu was less flattering, describing him as the most flamboyant of the Golden Core Realm. However, such an evaluation was specific to a duel, a sword cultivator’s formal challenge, and while truthful, it was incomplete. The Hidden Official lineage held Pu Yu and his Natal Sword in high regard because his Natal Sword had extraordinary effectiveness on the battlefield, earning it a “C” grade. In terms of rank, it was second only to Qi Shou’s Natal Sword “Dancing Beads,” which the Hidden Official lineage graded as “B.” As for “A” grade, that belonged to Wu Chengpei’s “Sweet Dew.” Other “B” grade swords included Yue Qing’s Hundred-Foot Spring and Yun Que’s Soaring Sparrow. The Natal Sword of Yuan Qingshu, a sword immortal from the Poso Continent, was also among them. Many sword immortals’ Natal Swords possessed immense killing power, but they were not highly ranked by the Summer Palace.

Of course, this classification, solely based on battlefield effectiveness, was a ruthless and “mercenary” assessment by the Hidden Official lineage’s sword cultivators.

Having identified the true mastermind, Chen Ping’an no longer hesitated, ceasing his circling and wandering. Planting his feet firmly on the longsword from the Sword Workshop, he channeled his inner sword cultivator and soared toward the three demon cultivators attempting to test his strength. His sword traced a wide arc close to the ground. The “Old Sword Cultivator” narrowly evaded a streak of light from an offensive Natal Artifact. With a tap of his toes on the longsword, the sword continued forward, hurtling towards one of the demon cultivators. The ordinary longsword from the Sword Workshop possessed the speed of a flying sword.

The Old Sword Cultivator himself had already departed from the longsword, summoning his Natal Sword, named “Ledger,” and targeting another Sea Gazing Realm demon cultivator. The flying sword pierced the cultivator’s skull. Chen Ping’an then reached out to “support” the corpse, preventing it from detonating its Natal Acupoints. He seized the opportunity to pilfer a copper bell from the cultivator’s waist and stowed it in his sleeve. Then, grabbing the lifeless body of the demon cultivator, he hurled it at a dazzling spell cast by the third demon cultivator.

The whole process was seamless, flowing, a testament to practice making perfect.

With a grab of his hand, he retrieved the Sword Workshop longsword, stepped back onto it, and disregarding the two demon cultivators of lower cultivation, he charged directly towards the lurking, deep-seated death-seeker demon. With a light tap of his toes, avoiding several spells and attacks from offensive magical artifacts, he planted the Sword Workshop longsword into the ground with a single kick. He then leaped high into the air, forming a hand seal with two fingers. The Ledger flying sword, like Pu Yu’s “Rain Curtain,” instantly multiplied into a dozen, each bearing varying degrees of sword qi and sword intent. The sword tips pointed directly at the death-seeking demon cultivator, vanishing in a flash.

Chen Ping’an reminded Pu Yu and Ren Yi with a mental voice, a voice raspy and aged, “Don’t be greedy for battle merits; be wary of an ambush.”

The demon cultivator, who had appeared to be no more than a Sea Gazing Realm cultivator throughout the battle, revealed its true nature upon realizing that hiding was futile. It transformed, becoming a sword cultivator, at the very least a Golden Core bottleneck sword cultivator.

A flash of sword light erupted from between its brows. Its Natal Sword, with its wondrous神通, sparkled with golden light, drifting erratically, but successfully shielding its body. A series of crisp sounds echoed as it repelled all the dozens of flying swords from the Sword Qi Great Wall’s unknown Old Sword Cultivator.

This skulking death-seeker demon sword cultivator also sent a mental message to the three Golden Core demons: “A Golden Core sword cultivator at the very least. His flying swords are strange, each one genuine, unlike Pu Yu’s ‘Rain Curtain.’ Don’t hold back. Try to kill Ren Yi and wound Pu Yu, luring this person to linger here, so we can encircle and kill him.”

The demon sword cultivator’s Natal Sword emitted tiny specks of golden light that rapidly converged, eventually condensing into a small, increasingly brilliant bead, shooting directly towards the Old Sword Cultivator’s head.

The Old Sword Cultivator, with his sharp eyes that had exposed the Great Demon’s identity, plummeted to the ground, his movements nimble, changing his route, continuing his forward charge.

The demon death-seeker casually grabbed a Sword Workshop longsword discarded on the battlefield, held it in his hand, slightly turned his body, and unleashed a sword strike.

The Old Sword Cultivator slightly bent his knees, suddenly exerting force. Dust billowed under his feet, and the ground emitted a dull tremor. The Old Sword Cultivator’s figure was as fast as a wisp of smoke, dodging a flying sword, then dodging the sword light, closing in.

The demon death-seeker sword cultivator felt reassured. The opponent’s flying swords were numerous and strange, and his control was adequate, but their lethality was average, not exceptional. The flying swords likely concealed yet-unknown Natal的神通, which would be the most troublesome aspect. However, seeing the opponent daring to engage in close-quarters combat, the demon sword cultivator wouldn’t hold back. This old fool, courting death, dared to compete with him in physical resilience and robust physique?!

In an instant, the two sides’ flying swords met again, one multiplying into a dozen, the other’s single bead of golden light coalescing and dispersing. The two were now merely tens of yards apart, sparks flying everywhere.

As the distance between the two sides narrowed to less than five yards, their respective Natal Swords collided once more. This time, sparks scattered, and sword qi ripples exploded outward, disrupting the spiritual qi. Many of the sparks, tainted with residual sword qi, splattered outwards. These seemingly minuscule sparks caused excruciating pain to many demons upon contact. Upon closer inspection, gaping wounds, the size of bowls, were already a bloody mess.
The demon clan sword cultivator felt increasingly composed. Their flying swords faced off, he still had energy to spare, while his opponent was likely giving it his all. At a distance of five zhang, both faces were clearly visible. As expected, the old sword cultivator, seeing that his rapid and numerous natal flying swords were failing, was already considering retreat. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes, and his next forward step noticeably slowed, though he still feigned composure. Then, he halted, darted backward, and simultaneously, desperately manipulated his flying swords, employing every hidden skill. His flying swords finally unleashed their natal divine ability, no longer concealing anything—a linked sword formation that precisely blocked the space between the two sword cultivators.

The demon clan sword cultivator held no further reservations. Although the old sword cultivator before him wasn’t among the figures recorded in the books, killing one more Golden Core sword cultivator from the Great Wall of Sword Qi would be an unexpected boon, a significant contribution!

Breaking through the opponent’s sword formation with his natal flying sword, the demon clan sword cultivator didn’t give his opponent a chance to retreat. He dashed forward, keeping pace with the anxiously retreating old sword cultivator, and slashed down with his sword.

If you dare to save someone, you must be prepared to pay with your life!

In his panic, the old sword cultivator could only tilt his head and raise a hand to block the longsword. Otherwise, he couldn’t escape being cleaved in two.

Moments later.

The death-seeking demon clan sword cultivator appeared dazed, looking down, his soul trembling and his heart clenching.

The old sword cultivator, close enough to touch, still wore a look of terrified unease. However, his left hand firmly gripped the longsword. Not only that, but his right hand, like an iron cavalry charge, had pierced through the opponent’s chest, yet hadn’t exited the back. His fist was loosely clenched, gripping a misty Golden Core. Before this, he had already used overwhelming fist intent, which had exploded, to obliterate the vital acupoint’s neighboring Qi cavity, completely isolating a small world, denying the death-seeking sword cultivator any chance to detonate his Golden Core.

Before his death, the death-seeking demon clan sword cultivator saw that the damned old sword cultivator still had the mood to act, with a sincere and lingering fear on his face, and then smiled, feigning guilt and embarrassment, saying, “A small victory, a small victory, just luck, just luck.”

The attacking army from the barbaric world was cleaved in two by the golden river jointly created by the three Sage schools.

Sword Immortals, wielding their swords, held the river. The demon clans behind the Sword Immortals could only fight like trapped beasts, with no reinforcements. They had to engage in chaotic battles with the middle five realm sword cultivators who had left the city walls.

However, it wouldn’t be easy for this group of Sword Immortals from the Great Wall of Sword Qi to hold the river, cutting off the battle formation at the waist, and hindering the subsequent advance of the army for a long time.

Each Sword Immortal needed to withstand the surging waves of the demon clan army.

Outside the battlefield.

Camp Jia-Shen.

Although this military camp was filled with young children, it was a major camp among the sixty camps, heavily guarded and with strict rules. Visitors, unless they had important military affairs, even if they were Sword Immortals or Great Demons, would be executed without exception for daring to approach the camp without permission.

Today, Camp Jia-Shen welcomed two extremely distinguished guests.

One was a burly old man wearing a large red robe, the robe radiant like smoke, with flowing red light, constantly appearing and disappearing. This was a magic robe of immortal grade, rumored to have originally been a river-taming treasure from the Yiluo River, one of the entrances to the abyss. The old man was of high seniority, equivalent to Yang Zhi and Huang Luan, but their relationships were complex due to various grudges.

The old man was one of the candidates for the Hall of Valor throne in the barbaric world, even stronger than the Great Demon Chongguang, but his solitary nature made him less famous. His most recent public appearance was when A Liang, in passing, supposedly “couldn’t resist an itchy hand,” and with a single sword strike, collapsed most of the old man’s lair. The old man then joined forces with Chongguang to hunt down A Liang for hundreds of thousands of miles, finally stopping at the Great Wall of Sword Qi, also “incidentally” experiencing Dong Sangeng’s sword strike from the city.

Standing beside the old man was a young Great Demon carrying five long swords on his back, wearing an equally famous emerald green robe called “Bound Banana Refinement.” His appearance was handsome and youthful, but one of his eyes was a lifeless, withered white. The young Sword Immortal didn’t bother to conceal it, not even using an illusion. If not for this eye ruining his looks, he could probably rival the Great Wall of Sword Qi’s Sword Immortal Mi Yu in terms of appearance.

However, the biggest difference between him and the Jade Purity Realm sword cultivator Mi Yu was that this Sword Immortal Great Demon was extremely skilled in swordsmanship. He was the youngest of the upper five realms Sword Immortal demon clans. In the contest of the Thirteen, he fairly and squarely defeated the long-established Sword Immortal Zhang Lu, causing the latter to lose face and be relegated to guarding the gate of Inverted Mountain as a sinner, forced to spend his days with the little Daoist boy who liked to sit on a futon and read. It was rumored that this Zhang Lu had a great relationship with the Ning family Sword Immortal couple, but it seemed the three friends all met unfortunate ends, two dying in battle, and one surviving, only to become a laughingstock.

The female sword cultivator Liu Bai from Camp Jia-Shen, accompanied by the camp leader, the young Muji, went out to greet them together.

Muji respectfully said, “Greetings, Ancestor Guanxiang, Sword Immortal Shouchin.”

Liu Bai’s words were more casual, with a hint of intimacy, smiling, “Hello, Old Man Guanxiang, Senior Brother Shouchin.”

The Great Demon Guanxiang smiled and nodded, “Little Liu Bai is becoming more and more beautiful. When you arrive in the Vast World, I will personally help you capture some virtuous gentlemen and scholars from the academies for you to choose from.”

This was the benefit of having a good master.

Liu Bai’s guiding master was the second-highest ranked figure on the throne, known as the “Sea of Learning” of the barbaric world, who went by the alias Zhou Mi and the self-proclaimed Old Bookworm. Sword Immortal Shouchin was her eldest senior brother. Among Zhou Mi’s many disciples, all sword cultivators, Shouchin, Cai Ying, Tong Xuan, Tong Yin, Yu Zao, and Liu Bai, were all Dao seeds of the Hundred Sword Immortals assessed by Mount Tuoyue.

The Hundred Sword Immortals assessed by Mount Tuoyue weren’t ranked by realm. Liu Bai’s Senior Brother Shouchin was not only of high realm, but also highly ranked, close to Liu Cha’s direct disciple Zhuqie and Mount Tuoyue’s closed-door disciple Li Zhen.

Liu Bai noticed Shouchin’s strangeness and asked with concern, “Senior Brother Shouchin?”

She didn’t understand why Senior Brother Shouchin had suffered such severe injuries after only a few years apart. Last time they parted, Senior Brother Shouchin was said to have been traveling far away on a mission from their master.
Shou Chen gestured towards the eye socket where a replacement orb sat. Though the body of a Great Demon was formidable, especially one in the Upper Five Realms, he had neither regrown his lost eye nor refined the replacement. It seemed as if he deliberately displayed his missing eye, a constant reminder. He chuckled, “That old blind man gouged out my eye and tossed it to his watchdog, who crunched it up for a snack. Such humiliation! How can I rest until this debt is repaid? Yet, revenge is not easily won. So, I show it to outsiders as a warning, lest I forget with time.”

Mu Ji was deeply shaken.

Ignoring the old blind man, who enjoyed using golden-armored puppets to move ten thousand mountains, the “watchdog” was rumored to be a Transcendent Realm demon who had broken through his bottleneck only to be humiliated and forced to become a literal lapdog.

Years ago, Great Demon Guan Xiang, along with Sword Immortal Shou Chen, had sought an audience with the old blind man, hoping to enlist his aid in an invasion of the Grand Azure World. The meeting ended in discord.

Twelve versus thirteen, Immortal Realm facing Transcendent Realm. Even if they couldn’t win, escape shouldn’t be impossible.

But when the Twelfth and Thirteenth Realms face the next, there is no reasoning. Of course, a Transcendent Realm Sword Immortal still has a chance, as long as the sword is fast enough to break the manifestation of the Great Path that forms the world. Legend says that in the Fourteenth Realm, where a person is, so is the world. The pressure of the Great Path is everywhere, far more than a small world with a barrier. A Qi Practitioner in the Transcendent Realm is most miserable. Thus Sword Immortal Shou Chen suffered a great loss. It wasn’t that Shou Chen’s swordplay was inadequate, but the old blind man was too strong, so powerful that he was the “Second Master” of the vast lands of the Ten Thousand Mountains. Unless the “First Master”, who disappeared for ten thousand years, was displeased and personally suppressed him, all spells and divine powers were mere fleeting clouds.

Great Demon Guan Xiang smiled, “Let’s get down to business. The Jia Zi Headquarters feared you children were becoming restless. According to the military records, this is the second time the Jia Zi Headquarters has rejected a major proposal from the Jia Shen Headquarters. So, I was sent to share some inside information. Once I’ve explained the situation, just be aware; absolutely no leaks.”

Everyone in the Jia Shen Headquarters rose to greet the two seniors. One was ancient, a Transcendent Realm powerhouse. Many pages of the old almanac of the Savage Desolation bore his aliases and deeds.

The other was young, with renowned accomplishments, a Sword Immortal nonetheless.

The old man nodded with a smile, gesturing for everyone to sit down and dispense with formalities.

Sword Immortal Shou Chen scanned the room. Those who weren’t sword cultivators received a cursory glance. But those who were garnered a more lingering look.

Li Zhen, Zhu Qie, Yu Si, Tan, plus his junior sister Liu Bai. The Jia Shen Headquarters boasted five potential Sword Immortals of the Savage Desolation.

Great Demon Guan Xiang said, “According to your plan, even with me and Chong Guang joining, with Transcendent and Immortal Realm powers joining forces, how many Sword Immortal heads can we expect to claim at most?”

Mu Ji replied, “If we follow our strategy, initially targeting only the Jade Purity Realm Sword Immortals of the Sword Qi Great Wall, and specifically focusing on eliminating those outsiders, Yuan Qingshu and Pu He, the native Sword Immortals of the Sword Qi Great Wall will never retreat. They won’t be allowed to leave the battlefield. In the best-case scenario, we can kill four or five Jade Purity Realm Sword Immortals, plus two Great Sword Immortals. In the worst-case scenario, we can still claim three Jade Purity Realm and one Great Sword Immortal. After that, the Sword Immortal guarding the long river with his sword should retreat, regardless.”

Great Demon Guan Xiang nodded, “An excellent outcome. The Jia Zi Headquarters has thoroughly reviewed your proposal. The plan is meticulously crafted. Even if it’s a one-for-one exchange with the Sword Qi Great Wall, we can accept it. So, that’s why you’re most unwilling, right?”

Mu Ji nodded. “Exactly. So many Sword Immortals, finally forced off the city walls and into a melee. Even if the Three Teachings Saints create a world for them, providing some protection, it’s not unbreakable. Seniors, as long as you exert yourselves, if the number of Sword Immortal heads is less than four, I, Mu Ji, will allow Li Zhen to cut off my head and present it to the seniors at the Jia Zi Headquarters as an apology.”

The old man smiled, “The Three Teachings Saints on the city walls, how many times can they create the long river to help sever the battlefield and alleviate the pressure on the sword cultivators on the walls? Have you deduced the results?”

Mu Ji shook his head. “We speculated, but it’s too mysterious. We dare not use our conjecture as a basis for deducing the battlefield trends.”

The old man said, “Indeed, you can’t be blamed for that. Such important matters can only be answered by the Jia Zi Headquarters. You children, even if you speculate for a hundred years, you’re just gambling. The result from the Jia Zi Headquarters is three times. After three times, the Three Teachings Saints will harm the very foundation of their Great Path.”

Mu Ji asked in confusion, “Does the Jia Zi Headquarters intend to make the Three Teachings Saints fall here?”

The old man nodded. “After the Sword Qi Great Wall is breached, what the accompanying saints in the Grand Azure World will do, we can’t stop them. But these Three Teachings Saints must die at the Sword Qi Great Wall. Therefore, the Jia Zi Headquarters has made a new decision. It won’t fully accept your plan, but it won’t sit idly by and let those Sword Immortals flaunt their power. I, Chong Guang, Shou Chen, and over a dozen others with sufficient realm, will exert ourselves. But Shou Chen’s and Liu Bai’s master, Zhu Qie’s master, will still not take action.”

The young man smiled brightly, “The seniors at the Jia Zi Headquarters have far-reaching plans. We juniors at the Jia Shen Headquarters are sincerely convinced.”

The old man said with emotion, “You are the future of our Savage Desolation. We are old and decaying.”

Then the old man turned to smile and said, “Of course, Shou Chen doesn’t count; he’s still very young.”

Mu Ji suddenly said, “Old Ancestor Guan Xiang, Sword Immortal Shou Chen, I have another request.”

The old man said, “Speak.”
The wooden sandals meticulously recounted the entire scheme of ambush, agreed upon long ago during the Jia-Shen Account meetings, to the old man. They hoped that during the next River of Swords, when a Sword Immortal was stationed there, the five Sword Cultivators from the Jia-Shen Account would emerge together, concealed within the army, to jointly encircle and eliminate Chen Ping’an, the new Hidden Official of the Great Wall of Swords. Therefore, the wooden sandals hoped that the Jia-Zi Account could arrange for a senior to be responsible for forging a path of retreat. Of course, the Jia-Shen Account would also carefully assess the situation and wouldn’t reveal themselves hastily at the beginning, lest the senior responsible for protecting and opening the formation be placed in too perilous a position.

The old man said, “This is a momentous matter. My nod of approval is useless; I must bring it up with the Jia-Zi Account. Wait for my news.”

The youth offered his thanks.

Liu Bai said, “Senior Brother Shou Chen, you must ensure that Master agrees to it.”

Shou Chen said helplessly, “It depends on how effective your two major plans turn out to be. You know Master’s temper.”

Besides the grand scheme targeting the Sword Immortal from Li City, stationed at the golden river, there was also a subtle rivalry between the younger generation of both sides, already brewing and ready to erupt.

Led by the Jia-Shen Account, several military accounts had joined forces to meticulously select a large group of demonic cultivators as suicide soldiers. These were all Earth Immortal Sword Cultivators who had been stuck at the Golden Core or Nascent Soul bottleneck for many years.

Before heading to the battlefield, these heroes who had become sword cultivators but still ended up as suicide soldiers each received a booklet written by the Jia-Shen Account, containing information on fifty genius sword cultivators from the Great Wall of Swords.

Ning Yao was on the first page.

Qi Shou, Gao Yehou, Pang Yuanji, Situ Weiran, Luo Zhenyi, Chen Sanqiu, Dong Huafu, Diezhang, Yan Zhuo, Xu Ning, Chang Taiqing, Gu Jianlong, Guo Zhujiu, Gao Youqing…

A long list of names, realms, flying swords, the flying swords’ innate divine abilities, personalities, fighting styles, and which familiar friends were most likely to appear on the same battlefield were all recorded in painstaking detail.

It was estimated that even if there were discrepancies with the files of the Hidden Official lineage of the Great Wall of Swords, they wouldn’t be too far off.

However, Pang Yuanji was recorded in the booklet but had his name crossed out, with the words “Do Not Kill” written in red ink.

During this period, an old demonic Golden Core Sword Cultivator who had volunteered to be a suicide soldier was suddenly found and executed on the spot by a military account cultivator before going to the battlefield.

The demonic sword cultivators nearby were just shocked and didn’t think much of it. Those who were already dead were just dying sooner, while those who were not dead yet didn’t need to gloat; they were just dying later.

It was estimated that he was a traitor who wanted to inform the Great Wall of Swords.

This small story about demons and humans, sword cultivators and life and death, the Wild Desolate World and the Great Wall of Swords, disappeared forever in the river of time, like a duckweed, drifting for a long time, spinning around, and then disappearing without a trace.

This generation of the Great Wall of Swords had produced many geniuses, and it was hailed as the second great year for Sword Immortal embryos in ten thousand years. What the Wild Desolate World had to do next was to grind this great year of opponents into a small year, at the cost of the lives of their Earth Immortal Sword Cultivators.

Even if they succeeded, it wouldn’t be considered a profit.

But in reality, it was not so simple.

Facts had proven that the pure sword intent left behind by the Great Wall of Swords, especially the older sword intent, was not repulsive to the sword cultivators of the Wild Desolate World. As long as the latter’s sword hearts were pure and clear, they could also be favored by those ancient sword intents and seize the opportunities of the Great Dao.

Among the various worlds, in terms of sword dao fortune alone, the Great Wall of Swords was undoubtedly the most vast and prosperous.

Therefore, once the Great Wall of Swords was breached and the Sword Immortals were all dead, coupled with the fact that there were fewer surviving young geniuses, the Wild Desolate World would seize more. The seeds of a hundred Sword Immortals could then, imperceptibly, grow rapidly as if they had been nourished by timely rain.

On the battlefield, Pu Yu was also not idle, fully unleashing his natal flying sword, “Rain Curtain.” Even if he couldn’t provide much help, he would strive to prevent the old sword cultivator, who seemed to be in a dangerous situation, from being trapped in the siege while trying to save them. After all, for sword cultivators, nurturing a flying sword, besides tempering the sword intent, the act of nurturing the sword itself could temper the body. And the demons’ innate bodies were sturdy, and if they were also sword cultivators, then the sturdiness of their bodies would reach an exaggerated degree.

Ren Yi further cooperated with Pu Yu’s flying sword divine ability, using extremely fast flying swords to assassinate demonic cultivators. However, there were Golden Core demonic cultivators who deliberately ignored Pu Yu and Ren Yi, and unless the flying swords were close, they would specifically target those young sword cultivators with lower realms, forcing the two genius sword cultivators to have difficulty truly wielding their swords freely.

The other young sword cultivators had already received Pu Yu and Ren Yi’s reminders and were temporarily only focused on cooperating with each other and using their flying swords to protect themselves.

The old sword cultivator who had secretly obtained a Golden Core and hidden it in his sleeve seemed to have suffered a heavy blow and flew backward. After rolling up, he spat blood into his palm and then unleashed his flying sword, stabbing the dead suicide sword cultivator for a while. Then, he flew sideways again, sliding several feet on the ground, staggering and wobbling as he stood up, wiping a handful of blood on his face.

The old sword cultivator reached out and grabbed the ordinary sword from the sword workshop on the ground.

Another sharp sword light arrived in an instant.

Another Golden Core demonic sword cultivator!

The old sword cultivator held the ordinary sword and blocked the sword light, and the whole person slid backward, plowing a deep and shallow ditch on the ground.

The ordinary sword from the sword workshop was finally broken by the sword light. The old sword cultivator pinched his fingers and manipulated the broken sword, sheathing it on his back, and faced off against the Golden Core sword cultivator who had come out alone from afar.

Not only were Pu Yu and the other young sword cultivators of the Great Wall of Swords stunned, but the demonic Golden Cores and their troops were also very confused. When did their side have two more demonic sword cultivators who were worth the most?

Chen Ping’an had a general idea in his mind.

The Wild Desolate World, having had its battlefield cut off this time, had also made prior arrangements.

For example, Pu Yu and Ren Yi each attracted a Golden Core suicide sword cultivator.

They were old, and most likely the kind of sword cultivators who had been unable to break through their bottlenecks in this life and had no hope for the Great Dao, so serving as suicide assassins was the most suitable.

Once this was the case everywhere on the battlefield, it was a meticulous plan that the Wild Desolate World had premeditated long ago, and it would be extremely troublesome for the young genius sword cultivators of the Great Wall of Swords.

Therefore, Chen Ping’an no longer planned to stay too long. After cleaning up this battlefield, he would first send a flying sword message to Wei Jin on the city wall, conveying the news to the Summer Palace, and then he would need to hurry to that battlefield as soon as possible.

After all, he was still Fan Dache’s Sword Master guarding the formation, and he had to fulfill what he had promised.

Chen Ping’an rolled up his sleeves, stepped on the ground, and his figure instantly disappeared.

The Golden Core demonic sword cultivator was obviously a little at a loss. His flying sword had been released, but he couldn’t find anyone. What was he supposed to do?
In an instant, the decrepit Golden Core Sword Cultivator was sent flying backward. His exceptionally resilient body smashed through the encirclement, the unfortunate demons caught in his path reduced to mangled flesh and instant death.

The old Sword Cultivator from Sword-Forging Workshop, clad in robes from Clothing Workshop, was like a shadow, delivering a second punch before the Golden Core cultivator could even hit the ground. This punch shattered the body and the nascent Golden Core within.

Moments later, the old Sword Cultivator, landing with ethereal grace, secretly sent a message via flying sword to the city walls. The Earth Immortal Sword Cultivator stationed there would need to dispatch a contingent, leave the ramparts, conceal their presence, and strive to intercept and eliminate the enemy’s suicidal Sword Cultivators.

The demon army on this battlefield scattered like frightened birds, fleeing in disarray. Several Golden Core demon cultivators employed wind-riding techniques, hastily invoking their protective natal treasures. As long as they didn’t retreat too far south, changing battlefields to continue the slaughter wouldn’t be considered a transgression. Besides, with the battlefield effectively bisected, the monitors from the desolate lands couldn’t truly enforce discipline against cowardice. Every demon on the front lines was, admittedly, risking their lives for merit, but they weren’t actively seeking certain death. Even touching the city walls would count as a contribution, however small.

Pu Yu, an Inner Sword cultivator, was merely in pursuit.

Ren Yi glanced at the old Sword Cultivator who had departed on his sword, a complex expression on his face.

Pu Yu said helplessly, “No need to guess, it’s that damned Second Shopkeeper.”

However, both were perplexed. Why, after only a year, had the young man who had become the new Hidden Official seemed to have completely transformed?

Especially the intensity of the murderous intent behind that final punch. Even the younger generation of Sword Qi Great Wall found it unsettling, almost suffocating.

What would it feel like to face him on the battlefield as an enemy?

The two genius Sword Cultivators, seasoned by countless battles, simultaneously banished extraneous thoughts, clearing their minds and purifying their sword hearts, striving to draw their swords even faster.

As for whether the young Hidden Official had already become a sword cultivator, or if it was merely a new disguise, neither cared to speculate. They couldn’t possibly guess, and only the heavens knew the truth.

Regardless, they only knew that the fellow, practically their peer,

Now killed Golden Core cultivators as easily as plucking weeds.

All were but ants beneath his fist and sword.