The territory of the Ye Luo River had been cleaved open like a newly forged Valhalla. Torrential waters cascaded into it, then were churned into billowing mist by the boundless sword qi.

The water levels in the nearby tributaries of the Ye Luo River plummeted instantly, exposing the riverbed once more, for the second time. Countless aquatic spirits fled to the banks, migrating frantically, seeking to escape the massive chasm overflowing with sword qi. Streams of azure sword energy surged forth like raging waves, spreading in all directions. In the vast waters of the main Ye Luo River channel and dozens of surrounding tributaries, countless aquatic beings perished in the earthquake and sword qi torrent, their corpses strewn everywhere.

One sword’s power, capable of collapsing the sky and rending the earth.

Chen Qingdu stood on the edge of the chasm, frowning. “What’s going on?”

Logically, Bai Ze shouldn’t be so… weak.

The so-called weakness was, of course, only in comparison to the Peak State Great Ancestor of Tuoyue Mountain.

If Bai Ze were too weak, why would Chen Qingdu choose to deliver this all-out strike to him? That wouldn’t just be insulting Bai Ze, it would be squandering his own power.

As for Bai Ze not dodging or evading, but intentionally taking the brunt of the sword strike…

Perhaps it was a form of long-awaited reunion after ten thousand years, Bai Ze’s final salute to the Sword Qi Great Wall and Chen Qingdu.

But the result Chen Qingdu truly desired from delivering his sword was to hinder and delay Bai Ze’s advancement to the fifteenth realm, by at least several decades, or even a century.

Like the sword qi ravine that still existed within Bai Ze’s Inner World, as if cutting the earth asunder, Bai Ze would have to slowly fill it in to ascend to the fifteenth realm.

The problem was, did Bai Ze even intend to? Was he not planning to reach the fifteenth realm at all?

Was he, once again, making way? First for the Great Ancestor of Tuoyue Mountain, and now, was he making way for Chu Sheng again?

Or, on a grander scale, was he clearing a path for Fei Ran, the sword cultivator who was the nominal new overlord of the Wildlands, setting aside a position for him early on?

Chen Qingdu rubbed his chin. If he had known this, wouldn’t it have been better to deliver his sword to Chu Sheng instead?

A streak of snow-white light shot from the bottom of the chasm. Eventually, Bai Ze stood opposite Chen Qingdu. His first words were, “Care for a flask of wine?”

Chen Qingdu shook his head. “There is no good wine in the Great World.”

Bai Ze surveyed the surroundings, a scene of devastation. “Pity the Ye Luo River. The Hidden Officer and the Old Sword Immortal, in their two actions, have victimized it twice in a row.”

Chen Qingdu smiled. “At least until I leave, don’t even think about trying to repair it. The Ye Luo River has been a cesspool for many years.”

For ten thousand years, the Wildlands had attacked the Sword Qi Great Wall. The Ye Luo River and Immortal Hairpin City, among other places, had been very active, never missing a chance to show their faces, even if they didn’t dare to come too close. They would always send a few minor devils to swagger around near the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Otherwise, Old Deaf’s prison wouldn’t contain that loach, “Qing Qiu”. This fifth realm demon was once one of the four fiends of the Ye Luo River.

Bai Ze looked at the Old Sword Immortal on the opposite bank, feeling a touch of sorrow.

In the past, they had been comrades fighting side by side. Over the millennia, old friends had gradually passed away.

Chen Qingdu laughed casually. “No need to be so sentimental. Then again, you, Bai Ze, were always the most sentimental, more human than humans.”

Bai Ze asked, “Why not go with that one to the Western Paradise, to leave yourself a chance at survival?”

The middle-aged monk who had appeared on the city walls earlier was the Buddha.

After death, the three souls – heaven, earth, and human – each had their place of return.

Lu Chen, during his travels with Chen Ping’an while holding the talisman, had inadvertently revealed the secrets. The heaven soul’s destination was known as the Heavenly Prison. The earth soul’s destination was the Netherworld’s Fengdu Ghost City.

Heaven and earth nurtured all things; how to repay them? The heaven and earth souls were like a form of repayment. Only the human soul, carrying the seven mortal forms, lingered in the mortal world. If this soul flew away, the seven mortal forms would cease to exist. Thus, the common folk spoke of the return of the soul on the seventh day after death, and ancestral blessings originated from this. The so-called capturing and taking of souls by cultivators was extremely difficult to achieve with all three souls and seven mortal forms, especially the heaven and earth souls, which were more like an illusion that cultivators struggled to discern.

Drifting in the Sea of Suffering, ten thousand realms of mortal dust. Why was cultivation regarded as an act of defiance, akin to stealing from heaven?

Cultivators sought immortality, practicing various methods to prolong life, and there were also many secret techniques passed down, such as dissolving into an immortal and reincarnation, as well as lighting a life-extending lamp in the ancestral hall. All of these were things that were invisibly suppressed by the Heavenly Dao.

When the Buddha appeared at the Sword Qi Great Wall, one of his intentions was to see Chen Qingdu’s last wisp of an Earth Soul.

In Bai Ze’s view, if Chen Qingdu was willing, it was highly possible that he could reincarnate in the Western Paradise.

Chen Qingdu scoffed. “Fearing death and clinging to life? What kind of sword cultivator would I be?”

A petty person would sacrifice themselves for personal gain, a hero would sacrifice themselves for righteousness, and a sage would sacrifice themselves for the Dao.

A sword cultivator should sacrifice themselves for the sword! A white shroud to repay the world, a warship to decide life and death!

Now that his wishes had been fulfilled, and Flying Ascention City had gained a firm foothold in the new world, he would leave the future’s rights and wrongs to the younger generation.

Chen Qingdu smiled. “Sacking off ten thousand years ago, and coming back to fix things ten thousand years later? Wouldn’t you call that putting your pants on to fart?”

Bai Ze said, “You want to protect the legacy of sword cultivators from being severed, and I, too, cannot rest easy about the survival of the Wildlands.”

In other words, if the Great World wanted to conquer the Wildlands, they would have to get past Bai Ze.

No matter how much Bai Ze disliked war, he would never stand idly by and watch the Wildlands be destroyed.

Chen Qingdu laughed. “You’re not seeking the fifteenth realm, yet you’re so confident. If I recall correctly, the Bai Ze I knew wasn’t one for boasting. So, is it that your fourteenth realm of harmony with the Dao ten thousand years ago was so profound?”

Bai Ze smiled and said nothing.

The two of them were not yet familiar enough to be so open and honest.

In the past, countless gods fell from their lofty positions, and the ruins of the old Heavenly Court became ownerless lands that could neither be shattered nor easily occupied. Furthermore, the foundation of the various worlds was just beginning to take shape, although the lords of these worlds were already determined, such as the founders of the Three Teachings. There was nothing to dispute there. Only the Wildlands had some variables. Bai Ze and Chu Sheng, one possessed absolute prestige and strength, while the other had ambition and realm, both capable of contending with the later Great Ancestor of Tuoyue Mountain.

But Bai Ze followed the Great Ancestor up the mountain together, helping to name it Tuoyue Mountain, and even gave the child a true name. This meant that Bai Ze recognized the Great Ancestor’s status as the common lord of the world.
The Ancestor Chusheng, newly ascended, could not possibly engage in a two-on-one battle. Moreover, the Barbarian Desolation was newly stabilized, and Chusheng was unwilling to trigger internal strife, lest other realms seize the opportunity. Thus, he abandoned that notion entirely. However, still unwilling to be subservient, he ventured forth and established the Hall of Valor, standing in opposition to Mount Tuoyue.

A small faction of peak great demons, wounded in the great war, gradually entered a state of hibernation to recuperate.

Those who later managed to awaken from their slumber on their own, possessing formidable physical bodies and profound Daoist cultivation, without exception, became old throne great demons, each occupying a seat in the Hall of Valor.

For instance, the Mountain-Moving Ancestor Zhuyan and the Abbess of the Lotus Hermitage occupied the central bright moon “Golden Mirror,” refining it into a cultivation ground.

Huang Luan began to collect various relics of blessed lands and immortal palaces, while Yangzhi, upon awakening, immediately took a liking to the Yeluoh River, cleaved by a swordsman’s single strike.

Furthermore, the other old throne holders, Liu Cha and the Scarlet Consort, were relatively junior compared to these ancient great demons.

Especially the exceedingly young swordsman Liu Cha, who was somewhat like one favored by the sword Dao’s fortune in the Barbarian Desolation.

When Liu Cha was imprisoned within a scenic secret realm inside the Forest of Merit, the fortune of the realm, including the sword Dao, subtly shifted to Feiran.

Bai Ze even made a special trip to the Forest of Merit to see Liu Cha before leaving the Vast Expanse.

The Confucian Temple merely sent Mao Xiaodong as a token escort, which showed an unparalleled level of trust in Bai Ze.

The bearded swordsman, who fished there daily, upon hearing Bai Ze’s lament that his sword Dao achievements would stagnate in a foreign land, Liu Cha only said one sentence.

“Allowing the Vast Expanse to lose a sure Fourteenth Realm cultivator, I haven’t lost much, actually.”

From this, it was clear that Liu Cha was certain that the orthodox Confucian Chen Chun’an, the pillar of the sub-sage lineage, if he hadn’t died by his sword, could absolutely ascend to the Fourteenth Realm, and very quickly, perhaps no slower than Yu Xuan, the talisman master who merged with the Star River.

Once Chen Chun’an, who shouldered the sun and moon, successfully merged with the Dao to reach the Fourteenth Realm, the consequences for the Barbarian Desolation would be unimaginable.

Being an undeniable Dao-Merging Talent, combined with the advantages of Dao-Merging Time and Favorable Location, plus Chen Chun’an’s own Confucian Sage divine powers, such a Fourteenth Realm cultivator would possess terrifying combat strength.

One must remember that on the Sword Qi Great Wall, before Dong Sangeng, Chen Chun’an had once dragged the bright moon of the Abbess of the Lotus Hermitage.

Chen Qingdu smiled, “If I were that little Confucian, I would convince the Supreme Sage to join forces and eliminate you, leaving absolutely no future troubles.”

Just like Dong Sangeng’s grandson, the swordsman Dong Guanpu, Chen Qingdu actually found him pleasing to the eye and once had high hopes for his sword Dao.

While he liked him, he still had to kill him if necessary.

“That wouldn’t be the Ritual Sage.”

Bai Ze shook his head, “Besides, I’m not that easy to kill.”

The reason Bai Ze was willing to yield to the Great Ancestor of Mount Tuoyue was not because he believed he had no hope of reaching the within-reach Fifteenth Realm, but because if Bai Ze had broken through at that time, the impact on the entire Barbarian Desolation would have been too great, and the final evolution of the situation would have contradicted Bai Ze’s ideal Great Dao.

Bai Ze once hoped that the rules of the little Confucian Ritual Sage could allow the human race of the Vast Expanse and the demon race of the Barbarian Desolation to jointly build a peaceful and prosperous age where both sides could coexist peacefully.

This involved the ancient era when spells rained down upon the world. The fundamental Great Dao of demon race cultivation, because it had an extra crucial “Form Refinement” step compared to the human race, formed a threshold between the demon race and cultivators, blocking the enlightenment of countless demons on the land. This was an innate disadvantage, but once demon cultivators successfully refined their forms, because of the toughness of their true bodies, they would gain a acquired advantage.

The initial intention of the Ancestor Chusheng, who created the Hall of Valor, was to spread ten thousand spells throughout the realm through the act of preaching, allowing demon cultivators to emerge on the earth like bamboo shoots after rain, hoping that all the ants of the Barbarian Desolation could become great wild dragons, ultimately creating batches of qi refiners who were praised as Earth Immortals in ancient times.

Therefore, the Dao Ancestor rode an ox past the pass, specifically to seek out Chusheng to exchange Daoist cultivation methods.

Once the mountain-climbing cultivators of the Barbarian Desolation had no sectarian differences and cultivation had no threshold, then after demon cultivators refined their forms, they could easily study various spells. Chusheng’s extremely grand vision could then truly be realized, “Only demon cultivators, innately with bodies sanctified, acquired spells like gods.”

If it was just a surge in the number of demon qi refiners, that would be fine. The real problem was that the demons of the Barbarian Desolation were the most likely to have the strength, the most ambitious, and the most prone to killing among all the realms. Killing, merging, invading, plundering… endlessly pursuing the infinite power of a single individual, unwilling to have any restraints.

If only speaking of the strength of Ascendants fighting one-on-one, not only the Vast Expanse, which had suffered greatly, couldn’t defeat the Barbarian Desolation, but the Azure Mystery and the Western Buddha Kingdom couldn’t either.

It was as if, in the eyes of the demon cultivators of the Barbarian Desolation, the Nine Provinces of the Vast Expanse, with Zheng Juzhong, Zhao Tianlai of Dragon Tiger Mountain, and the Fire Dragon True Man, were accidents. Whenever they were mentioned, they usually had to add “surprisingly.”

And when the criminal officer Hao Su heard Lu Chen say that in the battle of Immortal Hairpin City, the city lord Xuanpu had died within an incense stick’s time, he also felt surprised.

He couldn’t believe that the Barbarian Desolation actually had such a lousy Ascendant great demon.

Similarly, when the Ascendant cultivator Nan Guangzhao of the Vast Expanse was beheaded by Hao Su at the gate of his own sect, almost without any resistance, this criminal officer didn’t find it strange at all.

The mountain peak cultivators outside the Barbarian Desolation would not deliberately avoid fighting and duels when it came to cultivation, but their pursuit of the Great Dao was ultimately to be immortal with heaven and earth.

The Barbarian Desolation, however, had completely different customs. It was as if the demons were born for their own survival, not hesitating to bring about the destruction of everything outside the individual. Cultivating, refining forms, and climbing realms were purely for killing, tirelessly plundering. Simply put, survival required eating, and cultivation was for greater satiety. Each ascent allowed them to eat more of heaven, earth, and all living beings.

If there was a great demon who deliberately opened up a shortcut to climbing, leading the demon race down this path, then several realms would be swept into it, with war raging and living beings suffering. And Ancestor Chusheng’s original intention in establishing the Hall of Valor was to have a Fifteenth Realm cultivator, such as Bai Ze, lead a dozen Fourteenth Realm cultivators and a large number of Upper Fifth Realm cultivators to try to merge the entire world into one realm.
Even if Bai Ze were indeed that existence at the Fifteenth Realm, the unruly cultivators of the Fourteenth Realm would have to obey his commands.

Under Bai Ze’s leadership, they could easily open a gate connecting two realms, embarking on a joint expedition to conquer any world. After that initial victory, they could slowly devour it.

Therefore, Chu Sheng had once secretly sought out Bai Ze, willing to recognize him as the leader of the demon race, hoping he could lead them to the pinnacle of power.

Because Bai Ze possessed a divinely bestowed ability: the power to know the true names of all demons in the world! If a demon lacked one? Simple, Bai Ze would grant them one.

Unfortunately, Bai Ze refused.

Later came the Sword Inquiry at Tuoyue Mountain, led by Chen Qingdu.

And after that, Chu Sheng had to travel beyond the heavens to escape the Dao Ancestor.

Because if they couldn’t reach an agreement, the myriad cultivators of Qingming Heaven would descend upon the desolate lands like a torrential downpour.

Among the three founders of Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, the Dao Ancestor was known for having the worst temper and being the most prone to fighting.

In that unrecorded battle, it was the Daoist in the form of a youth, his Dharma body towering over the heavens and earth, who repeatedly slammed the colossal body of the Military Strategist Ancestor against the sword cultivator.

Bai Ze said, “They deliberately spared Wine Spring Sect and Great Mountain Green Peak, avoiding the large-scale slaughter seen in White Blossom City, Immortal Hairpin City, Yiluo River, and Tuoyue Mountain. Qi Tingji and the others followed suit. Apart from some cultivators at Wine Spring Sect who were infatuated with Lu Zhi while she was drinking and were subsequently killed by her, both places remained peaceful.”

Chen Qingdu smiled, “This last Hidden Official still has a soft heart.”

The brilliant young sword cultivator, Fei Ran, once said sincerely that the mountains and valleys of the Great Strength World were always well-protected by silent powerhouses.

Great cultivators who had ventured beyond the heavens often shared a similar sentiment: each world was like a ferry sailing through the vast void.

All sentient beings boarded and disembarked, coming and going.

Bai Ze seemed to remember something and suddenly said, “During the earlier discussion at the Confucian Temple, I overheard that sword cultivator from another land, Lin Junbi of the Bixu Palace, chatting with some friends at the gate. One of their questions was quite interesting. I must test the Grand Sword Immortal on it.”

Chen Qingdu scoffed, “Spare me.”

Bai Ze continued regardless, “Lin Junbi said that Chen Ping’an once asked him in Bixu Palace why the Sword Qi Great Wall could stand for ten thousand years without falling. Lin Junbi then posed this question to his friends.”

Chen Qingdu frowned, “Isn’t it supposed to be that sword cultivators are uniquely skilled in combat, the best at fighting?”

Bai Ze smiled slightly, “It seems that even the Grand Sword Immortal cannot enter the Bixu Palace.”

Chen Qingdu laughed heartily.

Bai Ze provided the answer.

“Not Great Strength.”

Chen Qingdu, with his hands clasped behind his back, nodded gently.

These few words were more comforting to an old man’s heart than any sweet talk.

Bai Ze sighed, “So, he’s just gone?”

Chen Qingdu chuckled, “What else? Should we beat drums and gongs?”

Moreover, a Sword Qi Great Wall that had stood between heaven and earth for ten thousand years was the best tomb for sword cultivators. They would not be lonely, resting here for eternity.

In the future, every sword offering to the mortal world by the young sword cultivators of Ascension City would be a remote libation, no grave visit needed.

At the Tattoo Trace, an instant before, the sunlight from a desolate world had converged into a single line, like a sword of light falling to earth, trapping the entire Tattoo Trace. The beam constantly converged and shrank the territory, turning all living beings and inanimate objects it touched into dust.

Apart from Pei Bei, the Valkyrie of Da Duan, Huai Yin, one of the Ten of Central Earth, Guo Outing of Iron Tree Mountain, Liu Tui, the Sect Master of Sky Ballad Township in Fuyu Continent, and Cong Qian, the female immortal from Flowing Sunset Continent, each stood their ground, attempting to block the ray of light.

Only Zheng Juzhong neither appeared nor took action, seemingly standing aloof from the matter.

Fortunately, the golden ray was eventually blocked, and the casualties among the cultivators of Tattoo Trace were minimal. Cong Qian, having exhausted her techniques and consumed many magical treasures, sighed. “Who caused such a stir? Scared me half to death.”

This female immortal from Flowing Sunset Continent smiled wryly, retracting her crimson and yellow morning glory aura. She raised her hand, palm open, revealing bare bones. In fact, both of her arms were in a similar state, a bloody mess, as if the flesh had been scraped off with a dull knife. Luckily, her robes were voluminous, otherwise, she would have revealed too much.

Cong Qian was the junior sister of Sect Master Qin Zao, and she also owned a Loose Mist Blessed Land. Her position within the sect was somewhat similar to Jiang Shangzhen of Jade Decree Sect. Although her senior brother, Qin Zao, was also an immortal cultivator, both his fighting prowess and his reputation in the Great Strength World were far inferior to Cong Qian.

She took out a porcelain bottle from a fragrant pouch overflowing with sunset glow and applied a precious ointment that could regenerate flesh and bones to her hand. With the circulation of multicolored clouds in her palm, the injury healed at a visible rate.

A beautiful woman arrived on the wind, filled with concern. “Senior Sister, are you alright?”

This junior sister of Cong Qian was named Yu Ruyi. She was now considered an outsider to the sect, having long ago married the Lord of Tianyu Grotto.

Yu Ruyi’s cultivation level was not high; she was an Jade Purity Realm cultivator built with money, her husband, after all, was rich.

She was a famous beauty among cultivators. She always wore a jade flower crown. As for her robes, it was said that she changed them every day of the year, never wearing the same one twice.

Therefore, she was renowned as the ultimate collector of female cultivator robes. Even Liu, the God of Wealth’s wife from the Snowy Continent, admitted that she couldn’t compare to Yu Ruyi in this matter.

Once, someone went to Tianyu Grotto to steal wine and was caught red-handed. Upon seeing Yu Ruyi, the thief began to beat his chest and stomp his feet, first saying that he almost didn’t recognize Sister Ruyi in her new dress, and then lamenting, “I don’t know who said that a woman cultivating well is not as good as marrying well, and marrying well is not as good as being born well. It makes me so angry! Fortunately, Sister Ruyi married well, has a good son, cultivates even better, and looks the best of all.” Finally, he said, “Sister Ruyi’s dress seems thicker today…”

The outcome was predictable: the mountain gate array was immediately activated, Tianyu Grotto was closed, and the dogs were beaten behind closed doors.

Yu Ruyi’s son, Shu Zhongshu, one of the young hopefuls, had long ago traveled alone to the Five Colors World, where he built an Exceeding Transcendence Pavilion, clearly a devotee of Su Shi.

Just like Wu Shuangjiang, who admired Liu Yong’s graceful poems, his Daoist partner, Tian Ran, favored Su Shi’s poems.
Furthermore, Xu Jun specifically brought his Dao Companion, Zhaoge, down the mountain to find Yuan Ying in Huainan Commandery, inquiring about when he might encounter Liu Qi.

Yuan Tianfeng, the Grand Astrologer of the Dali capital, also recited Su Shi’s poems when burning incense.

As for the one hailed as “Only the Moon exists after Bai Ye,” the darling of the world, his supporters, both on and off the mountain, were countless.

Cong Qian chuckled, “It’s alright, the outcome will at least be better than that old crone, Li Cai.”

She was close friends with Li Cai of Floating Duckweed Sword Lake, and Li Yu, the Grand Xia Primordial Sovereign of the Padi Peak lineage in the Northern Ju Continent.

However, Cong Qian and Li Cai, who were similar in temperament, couldn’t stand each other.

Yu Ruyi only dared to grumble inwardly, “If Mister Zheng were to take action, I believe Senior Sister wouldn’t have to suffer such injuries.”

Cong Qian glared, “Don’t drag me into it!”

Far away from the Qiongji mountain range, on a secluded mountain peak, Han Qiao hurriedly stowed away her escape technique, halted her wind-riding form, and asked in surprise, “Why has Senior Brother come?”

It turned out that Zheng Juzhong had appeared on the cliffside, gazing at the vast expanse of golden clouds illuminated by the sunlight.

Han Qiao landed beside her Senior Brother, smiling radiantly, “Are you worried about Gu Can’s safety?”

Zheng Juzhong said calmly, “If I were worried, I would have shown myself at the bamboo grove.”

Han Qiao wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

One just had to get used to it.

It would be strange if Senior Brother *wasn’t* strange.

Han Qiao asked, “Then what is Senior Brother doing here?”

Her Senior Brother was definitely not one to join in on the excitement, let alone make unnecessary moves.

Zheng Juzhong glanced in the direction of Tuoyue Mountain, “Because I made a promise to someone before, but now it seems, there’s no need to help.”

Han Qiao gave an “oh,” not understanding what her Senior Brother was talking about. If Gu Can and Fu Jin, her two grand-disciples, were present, they might be able to guess the answer. Such as with whom he made a promise, and whom he intended to help.

Since she had already encountered her Senior Brother halfway, Gu Can’s side was none of her business.

With both the founding disciple and the closed-door disciple rushing to that strange battlefield, yet her Senior Brother still halted here, it was certain that there was no great danger.

Han Qiao casually uprooted an ancient pine tree growing on the cliffside and hurled it into the sea of clouds, teasing, “I heard that the Savage Lands are willing to offer three Ascended Realms to exchange for Senior Brother.”

Zheng Juzhong chuckled, “That many?”

Han Qiao asked, “What’s going on with the Great Wall of Sword Qi?”

She sensed a wisp of anomaly there, but it was too far away.

Zheng Juzhong provided the answer, “The Eldest Sword Immortal drew his sword, slaying an Executioner, one of the ancient, high-ranking deities, with a single strike.”

However, the latter was more like an active return home to escape confinement.

Han Qiao repeatedly raised her sleeves, peeling off large chunks of rock from the cliff face and tossing them into the sea of clouds, joking, “Since Chen Qingdu is so invincible, even if he couldn’t kill the Great Ancestor of Tuoyue Mountain back then, he could have at least killed a few of the old thrones.”

Zheng Juzhong said with a calm expression, “Don’t speak foolishly, or you might truly become foolish.”

Han Qiao’s aptitude for cultivation was certainly present, otherwise she wouldn’t have made the grand vow in her early years to cultivate all ten Great Dao arts of White Emperor City.

However, in the eyes of Zheng Juzhong, her Senior Brother who accepted her as a disciple on behalf of their master, Han Qiao could only be considered a second-rate imitator, unable to transform the various Dao methods into her own, tracing back to the origins of many schools, because she didn’t understand the so-called “though learnings differ, they ultimately converge,” and even less did she understand innovation upon the old tracks of the predecessors, which was why she was learning those mere ten Dao methods so slowly.

Han Qiao said cautiously, “Senior Brother, can I ask you something highly disrespectful?”

Zheng Juzhong said, “Lu Chen.”

The cultivation path of the Third Sect Leader of Jade Capital Mountain was almost the Great Dao itself, leaving no trace to be found.

Moreover, the Sage of Rites, the Grand Sect Leader of Jade Capital Mountain, Yu Dou, Wu Shuangjiang of the Lunar New Year Palace, these great cultivators, after all, acted with rules to follow, with methods to rely on.

Lu Chen was different.

Between Heaven and Earth, all things have their owner. The fourteenth realm aligning with Heaven, Earth, and Humanity is obtaining one of the incomplete pieces, but that single share of the Great Dao can barely self-sustain an orderly cycle. It’s only that this illusion, where things and I are both endless, is too small in scale and not real enough.

Cultivators pursue immortality, attempting to live as long as Heaven and Earth, which is inherently a rebellious act. Cultivators are like bandits scaling walls and crossing borders, then becoming outlaws, occupying a place, and becoming gluttons who forcibly take from Heaven and Earth, ultimately becoming the Dao itself, endlessly transformed, but only taking in and not giving back.

It’s extremely difficult to break this mold.

Conversely, Lu Chen, from the very beginning, was pursuing the true Great Dao.

Han Qiao said in a serious tone, “Then from now on, whenever I see him, I’ll stay far away, never provoking him.”

After receiving the answer, she was indeed greatly surprised.

She truly didn’t expect that Lu Chen’s evaluation in her Senior Brother’s eyes would be so high.

Zheng Juzhong said, “Can you even provoke Lu Chen?”

Han Qiao remained silent.

Zheng Juzhong’s meaning wasn’t merely that the disparity between their realms was vast, but the true meaning was that even if you, Han Qiao, provoked Lu Chen to the death, it would be meaningless. Lu Chen wouldn’t even bother to acknowledge you.

Han Qiao said timidly, “Senior Brother, there are still two Dao methods that are truly difficult to master.”

The matter of making a grand vow wasn’t just a casual remark. Once Han Qiao was unable to fulfill her wish, her life would only stop at the Immortal Realm, dooming her to be unable to break through the bottleneck and ascend, an unshakeable Great Dao bottleneck, a certain outcome of forced dissolution. Like Fu Jin, seemingly glorious on the surface, but actually so pitiful in the eyes of others. I don’t want to become the second Fu Jin, the outsider in the eyes of White Emperor City.

Zheng Juzhong suddenly said something out of the blue, “Learning without thinking is pointless.”

It wasn’t that you, Han Qiao, had read many books that meant you necessarily knew a lot. You were merely a bookstore temporarily storing words.

Increasing knowledge through reading wasn’t equal to increasing wisdom.

Han Qiao was stunned, then covered her head with her hands, wailing and screaming.

What her Senior Brother said was no different from saying nothing at all!

Zheng Juzhong looked down at Han Qiao.

Han Qiao immediately stopped her hysterical shouting, no longer ranting. She sniffled, feeling somewhat aggrieved.

Zheng Juzhong smiled, “The solution lies within the annotations and exegetical books in White Emperor City.”

Han Qiao’s eyes lit up.
Zheng Juzhong said, “Not many books, only three hundred thousand or so. You can take your time reading them.”

Han Qiaose leaned back and started kicking her legs in a fit of childishness.

Zheng Juzhong suddenly said, “Return to White Emperor City immediately. Make haste to read as many military texts as you can. If you are fortunate enough to gain some insight, an unexpected boon will soon be bestowed upon you.”

Han Qiaose gave an “oh” sound. When Senior Brother speaks, there’s no need to ask why, just follow his instructions.

Zheng Juzhong sat to the side, lightly clenching his fists on his knees, and gazed into the distance. Where his eyes fell, the sea of clouds slowly parted, as if cleaved by a single sword strike.

Han Qiaose dared not disturb Senior Brother’s contemplation of the Dao. She obediently sat up straight and turned to look at Zheng Juzhong.

She couldn’t tell if he was a Fourteenth Realm celestial being or a legendary deity.

Zheng Juzhong smiled faintly, “Zhou Mi’s final chess piece hidden in the human realm is a tangled mess. It’s proving difficult to find.”

Sword Qi Great Wall.

Wei Jin began to refine the strands of pure sword intent inherited from Zong Yuan.

Cao Jun didn’t particularly envy Wei Jin, the great sword immortal of Wind and Snow Temple, for his good fortune.

In any case, compared to Zuo You, Wei Jin, and Chen Ping’an, he had at least one advantage: his age.

So he had come to terms with it. The older ones should let the younger ones have their way.

Cao Jun roused his spirits. As an elder by a few years, he would help Wei Jin protect his Dao.

To the foreign immortal cultivators who were fortunate enough to be touring the ruins of the Sword Qi Great Wall, the earlier scene had been eye-opening and breathtaking. They felt that the cost of the ferry ticket was utterly insignificant.

First, a god as tall as a mountain rose abruptly from beneath the earth, wielding a sharp blade, approaching the city wall with unmatched power.

Then, an old man appeared, gathering the pure sword intent of heaven and earth, slaying the god with a single sword strike.

Not long after, the old man transformed into a ray of sword light, seemingly embarking on a journey to the wildlands, disappearing in an instant.

After some discussion, they learned that the old man was none other than Chen Qingdu, the backbone of the Sword Qi Great Wall, the most experienced and the most skilled swordsman in the human realm.

A group of touring cultivators deliberately kept their distance from Wei Jin. They came from an Azure Azure Continent sect near the western coast. The sect only accepted talisman cultivators and had recently concocted a list of prestigious sects of the Vast Expanse, naturally to elevate their own status. After all, the Vast Expanse’s three continents had sunk, and the mountains and rivers of the remaining Southern Sea of Serenity and Treasure Bottle Continent were severely damaged. Relatively speaking, the sects of Azure Azure Continent, whose foundations had suffered almost no losses, should be of higher status.

At that moment, a dozen or so people were enjoying the scenery near one end of the city wall, taking out some wine, fruit, and snacks to eat and chat.

Someone whispered, “Since Chen Qingdu’s swordsmanship is so high and he’s not dead, and can still wield a sword, how did the Sword Qi Great Wall fall so quickly back then? Could it be that they deliberately let things happen, diverting the raging torrent of disaster toward the Vast Expanse?”

Another person nodded in agreement, “That’s possible.”

Xiao Xun, the previous Hidden Official, led the two sword immortals, Luo Shan and Zhu An, in defecting to the wildlands. Zhang Lu, the gatekeeper of Upside-Down Mountain and a great sword immortal, even allowed the wildlands tribes to enter Upside-Down Mountain without interference. These were no longer secrets.

As for the mutual dislike between the Sword Qi Great Wall and the Vast Expanse, that was an open secret.

Could it really be that the Sword Qi Great Wall did it on purpose, wanting the Vast Expanse to suffer more deaths?

An old Nascent Soul guardian glanced into the distance and reminded, “There are outsiders present. Be careful what you say.”

Then they would communicate with mental voices.

A dozen or so registered immortal masters continued to discuss the matter.

However, they were not yet aware of one thing: their mental voices were no different from loud speech in the ears of two cultivators among that group.

The mountains closest to the gods in the world are the ancestral courts of the strategists in the Vast Expanse.

And the ancient gods were extremely familiar with the ways of mental voices of later cultivators.

Besides the ancestral court of strategists in the Central Earth Continent, there were four other similar subordinate mountains: Martial Forest of Flowing Rosy Continent, Armor Horse Terrace of Southern Sea of Serenity Continent, and Wind and Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain of Treasure Bottle Continent.

Collectively known as the “Forest Terrace Mountain Temples,” of which Martial Forest was the most famous, to the point where the martial artists who roamed the pugilistic world below the mountain were called people of the Martial Forest.

The five people in the distance just happened to be from True Martial Mountain of Treasure Bottle Continent.

Ma Kuxuan, his granduncle Yu Shiwu.

The maidservant Shu Dian, the mountain founder Wang Zu, who was both a cultivator and a pure martial artist.

And Gao Ming, a youth with a wood-chopping knife hanging from his waist, Ma Kuxuan’s recently accepted closed-door disciple.

Previously, Ma Kuxuan had picked a tavern in a small county town north of Righteous Sun Mountain that did not have a Moon-in-the-Water Mirror-Flower array, because Yu Shiwu had said that this was Ma Kuxuan’s only chance for Chen Ping’an might be losing his sword cultivator identity near Righteous Sun Mountain.

Even earlier, near the Great Moat Temple in the auxiliary capital of Great Li, when they encountered Chen Ping’an, it was Yu Shiwu who persuaded Ma Kuxuan not to start a fight.

But both times came to nothing.

When Ma Kuxuan first arrived at True Martial Mountain, he had to call Yu Shiwu “Grand-Granduncle”. His seniority was so high that he only needed to call the two founders of the ancestral court of strategists of the Central Earth Continent, Jiang and Wei, “Granduncle” and “Grandfather” respectively.

Later, Ma Kuxuan broke through quickly and entered the Jade Purity Realm, allowing him to raise his seniority by one level, so he called Yu Shiwu “Granduncle.” However, because there were many Dao instructors at True Martial Mountain, including several ancient gods with high positions, whether Ma Kuxuan called Yu Shiwu “Granduncle” or “Grandfather” depended on his mood. In any case, Ma Kuxuan was well-known in Treasure Bottle Continent as someone who was famously unreasonable.

Madman, acting at whim, reckless, without any regard for human relationships.

Similarly, Xu Bai and Chun Qing, two of the candidates for the ten youngest people of the world from the Central Earth Continent, were challenged by him when they toured Treasure Bottle Continent. Xu Bai conceded directly, resulting in Ma Kuxuan labeling him as “trash.” Chun Qing fought back but met Ma Kuxuan, who didn’t hold back at all. Chun Qing was seriously injured that year.

As for the ten youngest people of Treasure Bottle Continent, Ma Kuxuan was undoubtedly at the top of the list, followed by Xie Ling, Liu Baqiao, Jiang Yun, Zhou Ju, and Sui Youbian.

And Yu Shiwu, who was hailed as “Li Tuanjing the Third,” was only on the continent’s candidate list due to his low cultivation level at the time and the few times he had fought on the battlefield.
Therefore, the people of Baoping Continent held mixed feelings towards Ma Kuxuan. While disliking his arrogance, they also had to admit that having Ma Kuxuan in Baoping Continent was quite a boost to their reputation.

Ma Kuxuan glanced at the onlookers in the distance, too lazy to give them another look. He turned to Yu Shiwu and teased, “You, the third best after Li Tuanjing, aren’t going to chat with the second best, Li Tuanjing?”

Thirty years ago, the second best after Li Tuanjing referred to the Xuefeng Temple sword cultivator, Wei Jin. However, this was before Wei Jin reached the Upper Five Realms. After Wei Jin broke through twice and ultimately became the first immortal-realm sword cultivator native to Baoping Continent, no one mentioned it anymore.

Having cultivated in Zhenwu Mountain since childhood, Yu Shiwu’s Daoist lineage naturally belonged to the strategist school. However, he was also a sword cultivator, and more secretly, Yu Shiwu possessed martial fortune. This was a secret listed as top-priority by the ancestral hall in Zhenwu Mountain.

Yu Shiwu was also referred to by Ma Kuxuan as “half a friend” of the “half a friend” kind.

He now carried three shares of martial fortune. When the situation under Heaven was precarious, the Central Earth strategist ancestral court obtained the approval of the Literary Temple, and Ancestral Masters Jiang and Wei gifted him two shares of martial fortune.

One shared strike, divided into five.

Yu Shiwu now lacked two shares.

Unfortunately, the last two shares were not something a Nascent Soul cultivator like Yu Shiwu could obtain on his own.

Ma Kuxuan clicked his tongue in amazement and said, ” ‘So quickly lost,’ that’s well said.”

How many years did Sword Qi Great Wall hold?

With a corner of land, with one city fighting the world.

Such a small place, not even as large as a vassal state of the Vast Radiance Nine Continents.

But how long did it take to lose the three continents of the Vast Radiance world?

Ma Kuxuan no longer had any thoughts about Sword Qi Great Wall, nor any fondness for that young Hidden Official from his hometown, so he really had no face to say such things.

The firewood-chopping boy turned to look at his master, Ma Kuxuan. The boy was clearly puzzled.

Since Chen Qingdu was so invincible with his swordsmanship, why didn’t he draw his sword more often? According to those mountain and water gazettes, Chen Qingdu only seemed to symbolically deliver one sword, and then never acted again. In the end, he only opened a path with one sword, escorting Soaring City to the current Five Colors Heaven.

Ma Kuxuan held the boy’s head and forcefully turned it towards Yu Shiwu, “Master is busy, let Yu the Nag explain it to you.”

Yu Shiwu patiently explained in a mental voice.

Before the final battle officially began, Chen Qingdu, respectfully known as the Old Sword Immortal, had actually delivered a sword to the Great Ancestor of Tuoyue Mountain.

Although the battlefield between sword cultivators and the barbaric demon race seemed calm on the surface…

…In reality, tens of thousands of miles of mountains and rivers in a certain place in the barbaric world were completely shattered.

This was the shamelessness of the Great Ancestor of Tuoyue Mountain, who had merged with the entire world.

Yu Shiwu stood on the city wall and sighed, “A profession, like a fisherman fishing, a woodcutter chopping wood, a merchant earning money, and the sword cultivators of Sword Qi Great Wall, are very pure, just drawing their swords to kill demons.”

Ma Kuxuan finally interjected, “And coroners examining corpses, executioners beheading, and coffin shops waiting for the dead.”

Yu Shiwu glanced at Ma Kuxuan, who immediately raised both hands, indicating that Yu Shiwu should continue his rambling.

“Moreover, one should fulfill their duty in their position. For example, Chen Xi and Qi Tingji, besides being old sword immortals who carve characters, are also heads of two families, and each needs to plan a retreat for their family. The Hidden Official, Chen Ping’an, needs to arrange troops and deploy formations in the Summer Palace, exchanging the smallest losses on his side for the greatest military achievements on the battlefield. The Old Sword Immortal needs to ensure that Sword Qi Great Wall does not have its incense extinguished. Under the premise that Sword Qi Great Wall is destined to be unable to hold, in addition to fulfilling their respective duties, the sword immortals’ self-sacrifice and fighting the barbaric world with their swords is to protect as many sword Dao seeds as possible, so that they can take root in the Five Colors Heaven. In this way, it is equivalent to buying time for the Vast Radiance world.”

(Recommend an app, it’s really good, worth installing for all book lovers, both Android and Apple phones support it!)

There were also some deeper secrets and truths that Yu Shiwu did not say.

Some secrets, such as Wen Hai Zhou Mi and Ruan Xiu ascending to the heavens and leaving, perhaps only Yu Shiwu and Ma Kuxuan were aware of in the entire Zhenwu Mountain. Even the sect master was still kept in the dark.

In Yu Shiwu’s view, Chen Qingdu, the Great Ancestor of the barbaric world, and Zhou Mi, each sought something. Preserving Soaring City, attacking the Vast Radiance world, and pursuing their own apex.

The strong are those who can put their hopes into action and turn them into reality.

The young man Gao Ming glanced at those pedigree immortals who popped out of nowhere and asked, “Old Ma, Grand Uncle Master Yu, aren’t these mountain immortals fools?”

He didn’t like calling him master, preferring to call Ma Kuxuan Old Ma.

His senior brother, Wang Zu, would never dare to be so impudent.

Yu Shiwu smiled and remained silent on the matter.

Ma Kuxuan squatted on the city wall, gnawing on “Why insult fools?”

Back in his hometown town, if Chen Ping’an of Mud Bottle Lane was an unlucky jinx, then Ma Kuxuan of Apricot Flower Lane was the fool in the eyes of his peers.

One was disliked and annoying, and the other was treated as amusement.

Ma Kuxuan smiled and said, “Grand Uncle Master Yu, go, argue with that bunch of people. If the talks break down, I’ll make a move. It’s been a boring journey, let’s find some fun.”

Yu Shiwu remained unmoved.

Ma Kuxuan squatted on the ground, patted the city wall, and said, “You’re not going to chat with them? Are you worthy of the city wall under our feet?”

Yu Shiwu thought about it and actually went to reason with them. Anyway, he was idle.

Not minding how many people die in the Vast Radiance world, and deliberately causing more people to die in the Vast Radiance world, are two completely different things.

Except for the rare case of Old Sword Immortal Qi, who, after fighting on the battlefield, later hindered the advance of the barbaric demon army step by step in Fufeng Continent and Golden Armor Continent.

In addition, none of the Upper Five Realms sword immortals left. Especially, there were many terrestrial immortals who could have left, but ultimately stayed on the battlefield.

Among the old sword immortals, there were Dong Sangeng, Chen Xi, Nalan Shaowei, and among the great sword immortals, there were Zhou Tuimi, Mi Hu, and Jin Qing. As for the sword immortals who died in battle, there were even more.

At that time, the highest realm in Soaring City was the Nascent Soul realm of Ning Yao and others, so was there such a thing as intentionally throwing the fight?

Yu Shiwu patiently explained a lot.

But no matter what Yu Shiwu said, the other side just fixated on one thing: why didn’t Chen Qingdu deliver another sword?

Yu Shiwu was a little helpless.

They would only stubbornly focus on one person and one thing.

“Missing one, leaking ten thousand,” was just a self-deprecating statement.
Ma Kuxuan was overjoyed, rubbing his palms together as he led his group to Yu Shiwu’s side. The young man with a woodcutter’s knife at his waist grumbled, “Senior Uncle Yu, why bother explaining to these fools?”

Ma Kuxuan chuckled, “Even a fool’s disapproval has its reasons.”

Then, Ma Kuxuan added, “Let’s not try to dissuade Yu Laodao, with his good-natured temperament, he always has a twisted logic. For example, ‘If they don’t understand, it’s ultimately because I haven’t explained it clearly enough.'”

Few young people from the Lizhu Grotto-Heaven town were unskilled in the art of conversation.

Moreover, Ma Kuxuan’s “family teachings” were exceptionally good.

Ma Kuxuan, Li Huai, Gu Can. In this matter, the three of them had a natural advantage.

Yu Shiwu sighed, “I’ll leave them to you. Remember not to be too heavy-handed, the Literary Temple is strict these days.”

Yu Shiwu left alone, leaving that group to Ma Kuxuan.

Life is a wordless book, and many trials are like being ambushed with a sack over your head. When you don’t understand something, you don’t get a chance to flip back through the book to find the reason why.

Of course, those Immortal Masters from Aiai Continent were an exception.

Ma Kuxuan suddenly heard an unexpected voice in his mind, “Don’t break the Bridge of Longevity, anything else is fine.”

It was He Shou, the Confucian Sage enshrined alongside the Literary Temple, overseeing the sky.

On the golden arched bridge, the three supreme deities of the New Heavenly Court were positioned: Zhou Mi stood by the railing, Ruan Xiu stood atop it, and only Li Zhen was lying down, still pondering those two questions.

What was that “One” thinking back then?

And how did that battle of water and fire, which ignited the collapse of the Old Heavenly Court, come about?

Zhou Mi smiled, “Initially, to gain more incense from the mortal realm, to better refine the gods’ golden bodies. But once the human population reached astronomical numbers, the Water God, who had journeyed beyond the heavens for a time, returned to the Old Heavenly Court and finally realized something was wrong with the mortal realm. Because across the land, lights clustered, the flames of human hearts stretched and gathered like a sea of fire. The River of Time, which the Water God governed, was as if a vast territory had been cleaved away, and the fire was raging ever stronger. You could consider it a… the most ancient instance of the Fire God going astray and causing floods.”

Li Zhen widened his eyes and looked down at the mortal realm, surprised, “I can’t see it, that’s one thing, but why can’t even Yu Si see it?”

He looked down upon the mortal realm, only able to see the gatherings of spiritual energy across the land, points of light, some bright, some dim. Each point of light was a cultivator of varying levels, and also the flows of fate.

Humans looked to the sky and saw a brilliant starry river.

In fact, when the gods looked down upon the mortal realm, they saw a similar sight.

That Yu Si was, after all, a newly promoted Water God. There was no reason he shouldn’t be able to see the flow of his own lifebound Dao.

Ruan Xiu said, “Because I don’t allow you to see it.”