(There will be another ten thousand-character chapter before 1:00 AM.)

Lu Chen waved his sleeve, creating a celestial restriction to shield Chen Ping’an from the dismal aura of his falling realm. He reminded him telepathically, “Since you have a plan, and matters far away are beyond your control anyway, let them be for now. It’s best to deal with the immediate situation and return to the city wall.”

Half of the Sword Qi Great Wall, being a place of Dao integration, could help Chen Ping’an stabilize his Dao heart and realm.

Within his human body’s miniature world, his heart was like a lone boat tossed about in a raging storm. Thus, the Sword Qi Great Wall, a place of Dao integration, was the best ballast in the world.

Chen Ping’an nodded, his voice hoarse. “Wait a moment.”

Lu Chen asked, “Why didn’t you let your realm fall on the city wall? At least it wouldn’t be so painful.”

Chen Ping’an gave an answer that left Lu Chen speechless. “When a cultivator’s realm falls, mountains and rivers shatter, but it can benefit the martial path. According to the methods taught by Uncle Li, it allows me to understand more of the ‘mountain’ and ‘river’ meridians formed by flesh and bone, a way to temper the foundation of a martial artist’s physique.”

Lu Chen understood instantly.

A martial artist’s qi was like a rising tide, containing vast knowledge.

Having gone through the Barren World, the suffering of a fallen realm, no matter how excruciating for Chen Ping’an, couldn’t be for naught.

Currently, there was a burden beside them, maintaining silence, cautiously observing the two human cultivators.

A young human sword cultivator, and another claiming to be his helper and follower.

One falling in realm, the other rising.

This greatly astonished it. A fourteenth realm cultivator could borrow someone?

This shocked it more than seeing a fourteenth realm cultivator.

The human world after ten thousand years was indeed full of wonders.

Through a scroll of time granted to it by that being, and several books similar to the “Classic of Mountains and Seas,” it learned that this person was a Daoist.

In ancient times, all Qi refiners, human or demon, were collectively called Daoists.

It never imagined that now, there were separate Buddhist and Daoist paths, with the Daoists seemingly monopolizing the word “Dao.”

The lotus crown worn by the young Daoist was one of the symbols of the Jade Capital Three Veins Daoists.

Lu Chen was also observing the ancient demon of the Ascension realm sword cultivator.

Just a few steps away, he was worried the other party might attack him without rhyme or reason.

The demon now appeared young, looking like a youth just past his coming-of-age ceremony, wearing a yellow hat, blue shoes, and clothes of coarse linen.

However, it showed no hint of ferocity, and instead looked like a penniless scholar traveling to study, the kind from a very poor family.

The problem was, what it looked like didn’t matter; it was indeed an ancient demon whose combat power could rival the old rulers of the Barren World.

Lu Chen asked telepathically, “Is it coming up to the city wall too? This fellow’s innate ability seems to be able to manipulate heartstrings; we all need to be careful.”

Chen Ping’an nodded. “Let it come along.”

Chen Ping’an certainly didn’t trust it, but he trusted her.

On the path of cultivation, he had become accustomed to complicating simple problems, considering and reconsidering, thinking and rethinking. Although seemingly laborious and unrewarding, it was, in fact, to prepare for the day when he would face complex situations and be able to simplify complex problems. It was a simultaneous blooming and fruiting.

Lu Chen reached out and grabbed Chen Ping’an’s arm, using space-shrinking magic to arrive together on the city wall.

Once on the wall, Chen Ping’an staggered and sat down, cross-legged, placing his hands on his knees. He exhaled a heavy breath of stale air. Although his form and spirit were bleak, the martial artist’s majestic blood qi still impressed the demon. The resilience of his physique was not inferior to the demon race. Seeing the young human with palms facing upward, gently breathing in and out, circulating the five elements, his seven facial orifices emitted mist like white snakes, and between his sleeves, azure dragons seemed to coil and dwell.

It nodded in approval. “A fine spectacle.”

Somehow, on the way here, it had already learned the elegant speech of the Central Continent and the official language of the Great Li of the Treasure Bottle Continent.

Lu Chen reminded him, “You should take out all your external possessions that haven’t been greatly refined.”

Chen Ping’an took a deep breath and removed the Night Wanderer sword from his back, as well as the sword-nurturing gourd that had been a wine flask for many years.

Then, he took out the “Execution” and “Assessment” twin blades, with their distinction between lord and subject.

A horsetail whisk, a sword array, and a coral pen holder. Three treasures of immortal artifact grade.

The Ascension realm demon sword cultivator’s eyelids twitched.

Either ancient divine weapons or immortal artifacts forged later in the world.

Lu Chen was like a chattering housekeeper, continuing to ask, “How do we deal with this inexplicable fellow?”

Chen Ping’an could confidently act as a hands-off manager, but Lu Chen wasn’t comfortable having a peak Ascension realm sword cultivator by his side. If he were alone, he wouldn’t mind arguing face-to-face, but having to protect Chen Ping’an, Lu Chen was really worried.

Chen Ping’an clearly didn’t intend to just pass the buck. Without rushing to immerse himself in his mind, he turned and asked, “Have you given yourself a pseudonym?”

The demon immediately crouched down and said softly, “Not yet.”

Chen Ping’an thought for a moment and suggested, “How about the Daoist name Joyful Candle? The ‘joy’ of happiness, the ‘candle’ of a lamp. What does this friend think?”

The demon nodded. “A good name.”

It seemed to feel that it wasn’t sincere enough, so it added, “I am fortunate.”

Chen Ping’an smiled. “However, in my hometown, whether cultivators or commoners, to settle down, there is a saying of household registration. You can give yourself another pseudonym.”

This demon’s true form was a spider.

And spiders were also known as “respected guests” or “joyful children.”

Therefore, in Chen Ping’an’s hometown, there was an old saying passed down from generation to generation: “A spider gathers all joys.” The elders considered a spider spinning its web to be a sign of good fortune. When a spider web was seen in the house, whether or not there was a spider in the web, the homeowners would not usually clean it up. Only during the Lunar New Year season would the elders gently roll it up with a broom and let the children of the family take the broom and send it out the door. Along the way, the child holding the broom would also need to say a few words similar to “Thank you for the old joy, asking for new joys to be added,” symbolizing bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new.

When Chen Ping’an left his hometown for distant travels, he discovered that the Vast World also had the Qixi Festival customs. Women wore new clothes and arranged melons, fruits, and pastries in the courtyard, resembling a joyful spider weaving a web, as well as hand-made colored embroidery paper-cuttings. After burning incense and lighting candles, the women held colored threads and threaded them through needle holes against the lamplight, thus asking the heavens for skill.
If the Great Sword Immortal Zhang Lu’s true form, the Tianlu, is a type of auspicious beast, then spiders are an insect capable of foretelling good fortune. Chen Ping An had even discovered patterns of dangling spider silk and suspended spiders depicted on the murals of some temples and in the calligraphy and paintings of some literati, beautifully named “Unexpected Joy from the Heavens.”

One must know that Chen Ping An is the kind of person who wouldn’t budge from the threshold of the Green Coffer Workshop without hearing a “Congratulations on getting rich.”

It smiled and said, “Let me think.”

It began to inwardly browse through books in its heart-lake, intending to find a more refined pseudonym for itself.

Lu Chen rubbed his eyes; this fellow Daoist actually had a hint of shyness.

Their first encounter under the bright moon was not with such a gentle temperament.

It glanced at the vast territory south of the city wall, recalling the previous conversation.

“If your master expels you, you will return all your sword skills to me.”

“Master?”

That Supreme One’s casual remark was like Bai Ze holding its head and smashing it into the earth, creating hundreds of large pits, and then dragging it to the bright moon, forcefully smashing out a “lair.”

Its sword skills were painstakingly sought from that swordsman in its early years.

As for ten thousand years later, it woke up when Bai Ze told it to wake up. Of course, after ascending the mountain to cultivate, it had been severely lectured by Bai Ze.

It immediately understood upon hearing that title. It dared not utter another word.

Even fearing complications, it proactively used an ancient “mountain sealing” secret technique to seal off all speculation related to the word “master.”

It only left itself with a particularly heavy thought, reminding itself not to disobey this person, a human cultivator named Chen Ping An.

Therefore, Lu Chen’s statement that it was adept at manipulating heartstrings was not false; it hit the nail on the head.

Chen Ping An said, “We will make a three-chapter agreement. After returning to the vast world, you must abide by it.”

It said solemnly, “Please speak, Young Master.”

In between finding a name for itself, it also learned many of the vast world’s titles.

“First, after returning to my hometown, you are not allowed to attack cultivators below the Jade Purity realm, regardless of the reason.”

It nodded. To it, the cultivators below the upper five realms, all spells and divine powers, all offensive magical treasures, even the flying swords of sword cultivators, were just like tickling; what was there to argue about?

“Second, for cultivators in the Jade Purity and Immortal realms below the Ascension realm, if conflicts arise, you can detain and seal them, but you cannot arbitrarily kill them based on mere preference.”

It still had no objection.

The path to the Great Dao is dangerous; caution is advised.

Upon waking up this time, it first encountered a large group of sword cultivators. Not only that, but the bright moon in the sky, no, two bright moons, disappeared without a word. Looking down again, it had to add that a Moon-Holding Mountain was also missing from the human world.

The current vast world was truly terrifying.

Young Master’s reminder, seemingly a restriction, was actually kind; it couldn’t be so ignorant.

“Finally, when you arrive in my hometown, you should adapt to local customs, speak less, observe more, cultivate carefully, and be a good person.”

“Apart from these three matters, there are not many rules at my Falling Mountain, and there are no landscape taboos. Except for the matter of realm, which you still need to conceal, as for your demon clan identity, there is actually no need to deliberately hide it.”

It nodded, “I have remembered all of Young Master’s reminders.”

Chen Ping An glanced at Lu Chen.

In fact, Chen Ping An was also very strange; it seemed that this amiable “young” cultivator was vastly different from the Ascension realm great demon sword cultivator that he first met by the bright moon, on the spider silk.

It spoke so agreeably, like a novice student listening to a schoolteacher’s lesson.

Lu Chen said in a heart-voice, “It may have used some kind of secret sword technique to cut off its personality, suppressing all its fierce nature. You’re no stranger to this kind of thing.”

Chen Ping An said, “In the future, if you encounter unreasonable great cultivators in the vast world, I will help you reason with them. You need to quickly adapt to this kind of adapting to local customs.”

It smiled without saying a word.

After all, it was an Ascension realm sword cultivator. In the barbaric world where the strong are respected, one still has to rely on realm to speak.

Chen Ping An didn’t take it to heart and smiled, “After reasoning, then you draw your sword.”

It then gave a sound of agreement; that was more like it.

Seeing that Chen Ping An was planning to heal his injuries, it said, “Young Master, I have given myself a pseudonym, ‘Stranger.’ Is it appropriate? If Young Master thinks it is feasible, you can call me Little Stranger in the future.”

Lu Chen smiled awkwardly. Eavesdropping on heart-voices was truly unethical.

At the same time, Lu Chen secretly raised his estimation of this Auspicious Candle senior’s sword skills.

Chen Ping An wasn’t much better; it was one “Young Master” after another. He had finally cultivated a “wind through the ears” divine power at Old Chef’s place, but another one was coming?

Chen Ping An smiled, “What’s inappropriate about that? But you can just call me by my name in the future.”

It nodded, “Okay, Young Master.”

“Little Stranger, this is a greeting gift.”

Chen Ping An opened his palm, resembling a miniature bright moon, rising slowly in the mountain and river within his palm, hanging high in the sky. It was the shattered moon fragments that were made whole again by the long sword.

Lu Chen held back his laughter.

“This is my return gift to Young Master.”

It pinched the bright moon with two fingers, gently placed it into its sleeve, and then turned its palm over, revealing an ancient relic, a palace of jade and crystal, with bright moonlight, all white. Upon closer inspection, there were more than a hundred buildings, of ancient styles, lined up closely.

Lu Chen hinted at Chen Ping An with his eyes, don’t be so polite.

This was a veritable site of an ancient moon palace, of the same rank as the dragon palace of the ancient Four Seas Dragon Lords!

Chen Ping An said a word of thanks and unhesitatingly put it into his sleeve.

Later, Liu Xianyang and She Yue’s wedding would have a contribution.

Lu Chen sighed, roughly guessing Chen Ping An’s thoughts. The benevolent child, after all, was still a benevolent child.

Chen Ping An began to stabilize his realm, like an old Heavenly Lord of a human body, having to quell rebellions everywhere, restoring the old mountains and rivers.

He fell from the Martial Artist’s Return to Truth realm to the Qi Flourishing first layer.

He fell from the cultivator’s Jade Purity realm all the way to the Golden Core realm.

Lu Chen sat a little further away from the Auspicious Candle Daoist and chatted together.

He took out two pots of White Jade Capital’s Divine Firmament City’s specially made peach nectar immortal wine, and then took out a piece of talisman paper as large as a small square as a tablecloth, and placed a few dishes of appetizers, hand-slapped cucumber, cold mixed pig ears, and finally a dish of pine nut almonds, full and satisfying.

Looking at the slightly restrained Auspicious Candle Daoist, Lu Chen was increasingly amazed at his ability to control his mind and change his temperament.
This was clearly the work of an ancient deity. These old seniors, wielding so many lost arts, truly broadened one’s horizons.

Lu Chen smiled and asked, “Senior Xizhu, what are your thoughts on returning to the mortal realm?”

Xiao Mo looked melancholy. “Things and people are not as they once were. Old friends have fallen. My heart is stabbed by knives, grief stripping away my being, emotions difficult to restrain.”

After a pause, Xiao Mo raised his wine cup and concisely summarized his mood with a single word: “Bitter.”

Lu Chen followed suit, raising his cup for a gentle clink. “Hearing this, this humble Daoist must interject, senior.”

Xiao Mo said, “Speak freely.”

Lu Chen smiled. “It’s rare in life to have bitterness followed by sweetness. Besides, with someone to share hardship, the bitterness is lessened.”

Xiao Mo deeply agreed, smiling faintly. “Daoist Lu has profound insight.”

Lu Chen inquired, “Senior’s reputation seems… obscure in later generations?”

The implication was, with senior’s high realm, why hadn’t a series of heroic deeds, sung for ten thousand years in the desolate world, been left behind?

Xiao Mo nodded. “I prefer focusing on sword cultivation, not fond of fighting and displaying my might. Showing off is indeed not my forte.”

Lu Chen sighed. “Heroes without names, the world is at fault. I must drink to that with senior.”

After Xiao Mo and Lu Chen each finished a cup of wine, he thought for a moment. “I once pursued Yang Zhi, but my swordsmanship was lacking at the time. After spending over a month, I still couldn’t kill Yang Zhi. Zhu Yan then intervened to save him. I fought one against two, and when I couldn’t win, I fled.”

Lu Chen’s hand trembled, and the wine almost spilled. He quickly used magic to return the wine to the cup, then tilted his head back to drink it all in one gulp. Wiping his mouth, he hastily apologized, “Hearing such a heroic deed is like a bolt from the blue. I lost my composure, I lost my composure.”

Xiao Mo was somewhat puzzled. How could a great cultivator of the fourteenth realm be so shocked by such a matter?

However, with such… enthusiasm, Xiao Mo’s face also showed a few more smiles.

There was no helping it. This ancient demon, long dormant, still retained more memories of the tragic battles ten thousand years ago, where deities of various tribes fell like rain and the corpses of great demons piled up into mountains after their deaths. The majestic mountains now regarded as “ancestral mountains” and “main peaks” in the desolate world were almost entirely formed from the “ruins” of the true forms of great demon corpses.

Naturally, it never felt that any single duel was worthy of the word “apex.”

Lu Chen then told Xiao Mo about the former Lord of Yiluo River and the Mountain-Moving Ancestor.

Zhu Yan was still enjoying life, while Yang Zhi was detained by the Literary Temple at the abandoned alchemy furnace site of Daoist Ancestor.

Xiao Mo listened with a serious expression, clearly an excellent listener. After Lu Chen finished rambling, he took a sip of wine. “So Zhu Yan and Yang Zhi never became Daoist partners.”

Looking around, Xiao Mo then sighed, “With an unsteady Dao Heart, there is no peace in the Three Realms. It is like being in a burning house, filled with suffering, the flames of karma unceasing, truly terrifying.”

Lu Chen nodded. “The Three Realms are a burning house, a place of cool clouds and water. To ferry others across while also ferrying oneself becomes all the more commendable.”

Lu Chen picked up a chopstick of food, chewing slowly, and asked curiously, “Senior is also well-versed in Buddhist teachings?”

Xiao Mo smiled shyly. “I once had the good fortune to personally hear a monk’s discourse under the Bodhi tree. Transcending the shackles of words, accommodating all travelers from the ten directions, it was truly unmatched.”

Lu Chen couldn’t find anything to say.

He had always been hesitant to deal with Buddhas.

Xiao Mo asked, “Young master seems to have a major hidden danger in your hometown?”

Lu Chen nodded and shook his head. “Yes, and then it’s gone.”

Wen Hai’s Zhou Mi and the young Hidden Official were two completely different people.

Zhou Mi pursued maximizing benefits.

Chen Ping’an consistently sought to avoid mistakes, preventing the worst possible outcome.

Zheng Juzhong of White Emperor City, Chen Ping’an’s contingency plan, was actually not highly ranked on the mountain peaks of the Central Earth Continent.

Otherwise, when Pei Bei brought his disciple Cao Ci back from Sword Qi Great Wall, returning to the Central Earth from Upside-Down Mountain and challenging White Emperor City,

the deeply hidden Zheng Juzhong was someone Lu Chen always felt could not be overestimated.

There was only a thief for a thousand days, never a guard for a thousand days.

When Zhou Mi felt that Chen Ping’an was at his most triumphant, and with the Sage of Rites not sitting in Haoran World, it was indeed a rare and fleeting opportunity.

Then Zheng Juzhong, who had already reached the fourteenth realm, was indeed the most suitable person to use to counter Zhou Mi with an “unreasonable move.”

The question was, did Chen Ping’an plead with Zheng Juzhong? Or did he secretly make some kind of deal?

Regardless of the situation, Lu Chen felt that Chen Ping’an would pay a considerable price.

Xiao Mo said, “When I follow young master back to his hometown, I believe there will always be a chance to contribute in a small way.”

Lu Chen laughed. “There can be, but not too much.”

Xiao Mo nodded in agreement, then gazed into the distance and smiled. “I learn swordsmanship quickly, and my sword draws even faster.”

Only when mentioning swordsmanship did he reveal the aura befitting a great demon at the peak of the Ascension Realm.

Afterwards, Lu Chen discussed the customs and culture of the Azure Firmament World with Xiao Mo.

In fact, the Azure Firmament World was also not lacking in extraordinary people.

The Azure Firmament World’s territory was roughly divided into nineteen provinces, while Haoran only had nine. From this, it could be seen that the mountain and water fortunes of the two worlds differed greatly.

Even in a world full of Dao officials, there were still some temples. The Buddhist dragons and elephants, the profundity of their Dharma, the inconceivable wonder, was beyond imagination. Lu Chen had traveled the world, visiting all the great temples. There was an unknown old monk in a small temple who was nearly one with the heavens. The old abbot’s room, a square meter in size, could accommodate thousands of lion thrones.

Mysterious Capital Temple’s Daoist Sun and Wu Shuangjiang, needless to say.

The Years-Keeper of the Year-End Palace, the guy nicknamed Little White, seemed to be overrated, but in fact had always been underestimated.

A rogue sword immortal named Nie Bixia in Yan Province, with three thousand years of wandering life, roaming freely, playing in the world.

The great cultivator Yuan Huanxian, Daoist name Nanyang Yu, alias Red Child Lyricist, with an iron flute at his waist, claimed “Heaven knows my sincerity,” but was a being that “Heaven uses a hundred evils to nurture one lyricist.”

A hermit of Shanyin, Daoist name Taiyi, liked to raise geese.

Lu Chen mentioned over a dozen names in one breath. The life story of any Dao official could be written into a book of divine and strange tales.

As for the path of martial arts, there was Lin Jiangxian, the number one martial artist in the world.

And Xin Ku of Leap Month Peak.

Named Xin Ku (hardship), but learning martial arts was not hard at all. Even switching to cultivation was not hard.
Knowing the power of names, Lu Chen would have renamed himself “Lu the Unrivaled” and adopted the Daoist title “Ant.”

The White Jade Capital of the Azure Underworld resembled the Central Earth Divine Continent of the Vast Expanse, but instead of being like the Confucian Temple of the Central Earth. It ruled the entire realm, its vast territory akin to a private estate of a sect. In contrast, the true domain of the Confucian Temple was merely comprised of the Three Great Academies and the Seventy-Two Scholarly Institutes.

These matters were fodder for the amicable talks between Lu Chen and Daoist Xiaomo over drinks. How could the young Hidden Official overhearing them be considered treasonous collusion on the part of Headmaster Lu of White Jade Capital? A grave injustice!

“If anyone dares slander this Daoist, I shall invoke my Senior Brother Yu!”

Even though Chen Ping’an sat in tranquil meditation, he could still hear Lu Chen and Xiaomo’s conversation. Had Ning Yao not been on a whim when she ascended from the Five-Colored World to the Vast Expanse, she could have brought Chen Ping’an intelligence about the Azure Underworld. It was the collective effort of the sword cultivators of the Ascension City, recording the major events of the Azure Underworld over the last millennium. Headmaster Lu’s “intelligence,” of course, could fill in many gaps and would be closer to the truth than mere rumors.

“Daoist Lu’s second hometown is filled with extraordinary individuals. Surely the White Jade Capital of that Great Kui World is even more unattainable.” Xiaomo exclaimed, “I won’t travel anymore in the future.”

Lu Chen smiled, remaining silent. It was too early to say that.

Xiaomo asked, “What is the nature of the young master’s hometown?” After all, that was where he would be settling down.

Lu Chen’s face filled with pride. He held his cup in one hand, gently swirling the contents, while the other wielded chopsticks, picking up food with lightning speed. He mumbled, “You’ve asked the right person, Daoist. This humble Daoist set up a fortune-telling stall there for many years, and the reputation was excellent. Young and old, men and women, when they saw this Daoist, their expressions and gazes radiated a warmth from the depths of their hearts. To give you an example, how your young master is regarded here in the Sword Qi Great Wall, that’s how welcome this humble Daoist was in the old Li Zhu Grotto Heaven.”

Xiaomo leaned forward, one hand supporting his sleeve and the other picking up an almond from the dish. He listened to Daoist Lu’s words, first chewing and swallowing the dry-fried almond before nodding clearly. “It’s not surprising that Daoist Lu is so popular.”

Lu Chen raised his chopsticks, shielding his mouth, and lowered his voice. “But Brother Xiaomo, you must be aware of one thing. When you get there, listen to your young master’s advice and be cautious in your actions. As for the reasons, allow this humble Daoist to slowly explain them to you.”

Listening to Daoist Lu’s introduction, Xiaomo’s heart filled with apprehension toward that Li Zhu Grotto Heaven. He frowned slightly, full of worry. As expected, he was truly a pawn destined to die!

However, the most dangerous event had already passed. Because, for now, he didn’t need to return the sword techniques.

Once Chen Ping’an, the young Hidden Official, carved the characters “Ping” or “An,” or even “Qing” or “Du” on the city wall. Then it would be taken back to the city wall by the supreme being who had imparted the sword techniques, and then he would stand motionless, allowing Chen Ping’an to cut down his realm, until the latter carved out a meritorious service with a character.

Adding to the previously carved “Chen” character. It might then form two names: either Chen Ping’an, or Chen Qingdu.

Xiaomo was, of course, very familiar with Chen Qingdu. He was a sword cultivator who, although his talent wasn’t the best in his early years, steadily climbed to the top. And after reaching the summit, among the human sword cultivators, Chen Qingdu was the most difficult to deal with, his swordsmanship the most ruthless, and his words the most peculiar.

Lu Chen raised his wine cup. “With Daoist Xiaomo as my protector, I can rest assured.”

Xiaomo shook his head. “I am not a protector; I am merely a pawn destined to die.” He didn’t have that many schemes and intrigues. Just like when he had met that supreme being, after a long separation, even after ten thousand years, he was still grateful and in awe, without the slightest decrease. He would never retaliate, regardless of the difference in sword techniques or realm.

Otherwise, even if he faced Bai Ze, if a dispute arose, and there was a Daoist struggle involving life and death, even if he couldn’t win, wouldn’t he even fight to the death? Since when did sword cultivators only exchange swords with those of lower realms? There was no such principle.

Apart from Bai Ze, he had also fought the Great Ancestor who had fought from the mortal realm to the “Radiance” of the Bright Moon, and later occupied Mount Tuoyue; the Great Demon Chu Sheng, who pioneered the Hall of Valor; and even the first cultivator between Heaven and Earth.

There were also two sword cultivators of the same generation as Chen Qingdu, one called Yuan Xiang and the other called Dragon Lord. Which one hadn’t he fought?

Of course, he had lost them all.

“Brother Xiaomo, what do you think is the most important thing for a person?”

“To live a long life.”

For example, ten thousand years ago, he had woven nets to catch all the “flying birds” in the sky. The likes of luan, phoenix, and crane were all food to satiate his hunger. There was also one who flapped his wings and roamed the heavens and earth, who liked to freely drive away the Jiaolong in the sea, gathering them together before swallowing them in one gulp.

“Daoist Lu doesn’t seem to agree?”

“One must speak of conscience. Treat me as a national scholar, and I shall repay with the loyalty of a national scholar.”

Xiaomo quickly searched the books in his heart, looking for the meaning of the phrase “national scholar.”

“Before you return, can you go see Xian Cha?” Chen Ping’an suddenly asked, “Of course, I’m not asking you to acknowledge his status as the first disciple. That’s a matter of your own lineage; I won’t interfere.”

Xian Cha, also known as Gu Qingsong, was an extraordinary person not known for his realm in the Vast Expanse. He had helped Lu Chen by sailing across the sea to visit immortals, so Cao Rong and He Xiaoliang had always regarded him as Lu Chen’s unacknowledged disciple.

Gu Qingsong had promised him at the Confucian Temple that he would take care of all the disciples of Fallen Mountain he encountered on his path of cultivation in the future.

Lu Chen laughed in anger. “Are you so nonchalant about realm degradation?!”

Chen Ping’an said, “You’ll get used to it. Practice makes perfect.” You just don’t know how many times I’ve shattered my Golden Core and degraded my realm over here.

Xiaomo sincerely exclaimed, “Young Master is truly a Sword Immortal.”

Lu Chen said, “No problem, I promise you. It’s just meeting that fool.”

Chen Ping’an actually still had enough strength to throw something to Lu Chen.

Lu Chen caught it, and it turned out to be the coral pen holder. He exclaimed in surprise, “You’re giving it to me?!”

The young Hidden Official gave Headmaster Lu a sidelong glance.

Lu Chen said awkwardly, “I can try to get half the profits from the Dragon Palace from Wang Dongzhi, but how do we split the share?”
Chen Ping’an said, “Sect Leader Lu, handle it as you see fit, according to your conscience.”

Xiao Mo smiled and nodded, realizing that the young master truly considered her one of his own. Earlier, he had been so polite, but towards Fellow Daoist Lu, it seemed quite different.

Chen Ping’an stated, “We’ll split the profits three-seven, but the condition is that you must help me devise a strategy for Yunxia Mountain in Baoping Continent. If it’s feasible, we’ll split it four-six.”

Chen Ping’an had to repay the favor of Cai Jinjian from Yunxia Mountain, who had helped deliver a flying sword message years ago.

Besides, the newly acquainted Earth Immortal from Gengyun Peak, Peak Master Huang Zhonghou, was also quite interesting and could be considered a half-friend over wine.

Within a hundred years, Yunxia Mountain would be unable to stem the tide of dwindling fortune, its outer shell remaining, but its essence hollow. Thus, even if Yunxia Mountain managed to ascend to the rank of a sect, within three hundred years, the nineteen peaks, including Lvhua and Gengyun, along with those spiritual landscapes yet to be developed by Earth Immortals, would become fleeting illusions, reduced to places with thin spiritual energy unsuitable for cultivation. This decline in Yunxia Mountain’s fortune was quite peculiar, and in Chen Ping’an’s eyes at his then Fourteenth Realm cultivation, it wasn’t something that two mountain and water talismans could resolve.

“Marvelous, truly marvelous! This poor Daoist happens to have a treasure that has a predestined connection with Yunxia Mountain. The ‘Azure Radiance Hidden Meaning Undying Formula,’ a perfect remedy for their ailment!”

Lu Chen laughed heartily, producing a jade tablet from his sleeve, carved with cloud patterns. This object possessed a great peculiarity: its color could change with the seasons, displaying different auspicious patterns and ancient seal script characters, corresponding to the four seasons.

Chen Ping’an nodded, “Then I’ll trouble Sect Leader Lu to personally visit Yunxia Mountain after meeting Senior Gu at sea.”

Lu Chen asked, puzzled, “Won’t you deliver this yourself?”

Chen Ping’an smiled, “Learning from Du Yu.”

Otherwise, when he had free time to visit Gengyun Peak to drink with Huang Zhonghou, it would lack some flavor.

Lu Chen inquired, “Du Yu? Who is this sacred figure?”

Chen Ping’an ignored him, immersing himself in his thoughts again.

Lu Chen had no choice but to continue drinking with Xiao Mo, saying nothing more.

Xiao Mo looked at the young Daoist wearing a lotus crown.

Life in this world inevitably brings feelings of solitude.

Who knew that seeking the Dao, not the fish, only now realizing freedom?

“Zheng Juzhong truly lives up to his name!”

Lu Chen suddenly looked delighted, “He completely blocked everything, without the slightest leakage, and even took the opportunity to resolve some hidden troubles.”

Chen Ping’an opened his eyes, extending his hand, “Give me a pot of wine.”

Lu Chen tossed him a pot of peach nectar immortal brew from Divine Firmament City.

Chen Ping’an opened the seal, took a large gulp, and said softly, “Damn it, one day I’ll kill that bastard.”

Xiao Mo repeated his heartfelt words, “Young Master is truly a Sword Immortal.”

Lu Chen wiped his face, thinking that this Fellow Daoist Xiao Mo would definitely thrive in Luopo Mountain.

In Luopo Mountain, it was another ordinary day, with gentle breezes and bright sunshine.

Zhu Lian was currently overseeing the large-scale construction at the Gray Mist Mountain, personally working alongside Jiang Qu. The old cook was operating the stone rammer, while the young cultivators were assisting the mountain artisans with the ink lines.

Xiao Nuan Shu was still busy at Luopo Mountain. In the morning, she first went to clean the old master’s room on the first floor of the bamboo building, accidentally tilting the books on the table slightly.

The accountant Wei Wenlong was reconciling accounts with his half-disciple Zhang Jiazhen, while the law enforcer Chang Ming sat nearby, silently drinking tea.

Mi Yu was sitting on a stone bench by the cliff, cracking melon seeds, staring wide-eyed at a small incense figure, a city god from the state capital, who had come to the mountain for his shift.

Without Chen Lingjun to mediate, the two, one big and one small, didn’t really know what to talk about. If the green-robed boy were here, it would be lively, with all sorts of incomprehensible words popping out, such as when talking about how it is hard to refuse gifts, Chen Lingjun would exchange glances with the incense figure, then one would burst into laughter, and the other would clutch his stomach laughing, rolling around on the table. Even Mi Yu had to turn his mind a few times to understand what the two rascals were talking about.

Mi Yu wondered, had they really learned all this from that gatekeeper, Zheng Dafeng?

This made Great Sword Immortal Mi feel an increasing admiration for that “Brother Dafeng.”

The old cook, Mountain Lord Wei, plus Chen Lingjun, all liked to push the credit onto Zheng Dafeng, so in Great Sword Immortal Mi’s mind, he had a very impressive image, capable in both literature and martial arts, and supposedly handsome as well.

His Go skills were extremely remarkable, even Zhu Lian and Wei Bo couldn’t beat him, and he could even discuss the imperial examination system with the two young scholars, Cao Qinglang and Yuan Lai.

It was said that every day, while guarding the mountain gate, he patiently gave pointers on fist techniques to Cen Yuanji.

His words were witty, both crude and refined, vulgar and elegant. What was this about old men wearing flowers in their hair, looking younger and more attractive, so that women had to take a step back.

At the mountain gate, the Right Protector of Luopo Mountain was dozing off on a bamboo chair, cradling the golden carrying pole and green bamboo staff, nodding like a chick pecking at rice.

The little girl in black rubbed her eyes, starting to look forward to the kind Mountain Master taking her to Red Candle Town to play, with no distance is too far to travel in the martial world.

The day has its good things, and the night has its good things. Fireflies fly, crickets and frogs argue, and streams wander between the paddy fields. Wild grasses doze in the breeze, and the stars in the sky wink at the human world.

Xiao Mili leaped up, holding the golden carrying pole in one hand and the walking stick in the other, performing a set of berserk swordplay he had learned from Pei Qian.

Chen Lingjun was at the mountain road pavilion, watching a mirage with his good brother Bai Xuan.

Before leaving, Bai Xuan had brewed himself a pot of wolfberry tea. He had heard Chen Lingjun say that drinking this kind of tea would make him look like an old-school martial artist.

Bai Xuan was very annoyed these days. Unlike practicing swordsmanship, fists were really hard to learn. You seemed to understand it as soon as you saw it, but it was useless as soon as you tried to use it.

Fortunately, as long as he didn’t go on stage, he was still invincible.

Chen Lingjun often poked at old wounds, saying that you were very impressive when you sparred with Pei Qian last time. Even when you were about to fall, you were knocked back to a standing position.

If they weren’t brothers, Bai Xuan would have rolled up his sleeves and started a fight long ago.

A penny can stump a hero. Chen Lingjun had been short of money in Luopo Mountain in previous years, unable to even afford to support the local economy. He really couldn’t keep money in his hands.

In the most difficult years in Luopo Mountain, Chen Lingjun was very concerned about face, secretly taking money out of his own pocket to help the mountain in various ways.

Apart from the money for his future wife, which was untouchable, he really had no spare cash on hand.
Later, the lion’s share of his mountain’s allocated funds were spent during his travels to the Northern Ju Continent. He made several friends and, accustomed to spending money like water, had exhausted his funds early on.

Therefore, every time he looked at the “Mirror Flower, Water Moon” spell, and Chen Lingjun spent spirit money to speak, he would have to carefully consider what to say so as not to waste the money.

Fortunately, he had encountered Chief Zhou, a man of great wealth who was a hundred times more tactful than Mountain Lord Wei!

Chief Zhou had left him two pouches of spirit money, one filled with “Grain Rain” coins and the other with “Lesser Heat” coins, asking him to help support the venue and prevent Fairy Liu of the Coat-Clasp Peak from having a lackluster “Mirror Flower, Water Moon” showing.

Some time ago, there had been a drinking session in Riding Dragon Lane, with Chen Lingjun, Chief Zhou, and the host, Immortal Jia, all thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Chen Lingjun, flushed with drink, stood on a long bench, vigorously patting his chest, and vowed to Jiang Shangzhen, “We’re brothers, no need for many words. It’s all in the wine! We’ll see how things go!”

Liu Runyun, the female cultivator of Coat-Clasp Peak, still secretly hosted the “Mirror Flower, Water Moon” with the support of the South Pond Lake Fairy. While the audience was small, the spiritual energy revenue for Coat-Clasp Peak was considerable.

The spectacle was sustained by two people, one known as “Exploding True Lord” and the other as “White Strip in the Waves,” whose generosity was astounding.

Over in Riding Dragon Lane, the white-haired boy working as a shop assistant at the New Year’s Gift Shop had already exasperated the little mute. He then pulled the maiden, Peanut Cui, from the neighboring shop to bask in the sun by the doorway, sharing pastries acquired on credit, planning to somehow swindle some silver from Cui to settle his debts.

Immortal Jia, meanwhile, paid a visit from his herbal medicine shop to his neighbor. He chatted about daily life with Brother Shi at the counter.

Although Shi Rou was annoyed by this neighbor who loved to show off, she had to admit that Immortal Jia wasn’t just loafing around. For example, every year on the second day of the second month, the blind old Daoist would have his disciple, Tian Jiu’er, perform the “Leading the Money Dragon” ritual, carrying a water pot, placing a few copper coins in it, drawing water from the well, and sprinkling the water along the way back, finally pouring the remaining water and coins into the water vat in the shop’s backyard. Furthermore, every Qingming Festival, there were many customs to observe when burning paper money at the street corner.

In the Downhill Mountain, besides Butler Zhu Lian, the one most meticulous and enthusiastic about these old customs was Immortal Jia, who had spent most of his life traveling north and south.

He would also help with the neighborhood’s weddings and funerals, only requiring a meal in return, refusing payment. Not only in the small town, but also in several counties within Dragon Province, the increasingly renowned Immortal Jia would be invited. Wealthy families would, of course, give a red envelope, the size depending on their willingness and means. Giving too much or too little didn’t matter. For families with limited means, the old Daoist wouldn’t take a single coin, just a meal and a flask of local rice wine would suffice.

Among the people of the Downhill Mountain, perhaps the only one who truly enjoyed drinking, or rather, treated drinking as a staple, was Jia Sheng. In truth, neither Mi Yu nor Chen Lingjun enjoyed drinking as much as the old Daoist.

Today, the old Daoist leaned against the counter, chatting with Shi Rou about their Mountain Lord. Immortal Jia stroked his beard and smiled, “Don’t underestimate our Mountain Lord’s prudence. It’s a form of self-discipline.”

Throughout the Dragon Province of Great Li, except for a very few cultivators, those on and off the mountain had no idea what had just occurred.

In fact, almost all Qi refiners in the Treasure Bottle Continent were similarly ignorant. Because that anomaly was too swift.

The sky ripped open, a flash of white light, and it was gone.

Within the Downhill Mountain, only Cui Dongshan, lying on the second-floor corridor of the bamboo building, sensed something amiss.

The extradimensional demon in Riding Dragon Lane felt a terrifying pressure, almost suffocating.

It was like the vast heavenly tribulation of a Flying Ascension Realm cultivator breaking through a realm.

Mountain Lord Wei Bo felt the sensation, and for a moment, Wei Bo even mistakenly thought that the entire Northern Mountain Region would be destroyed. However, when Wei Bo left his mansion and arrived at the peak of Pi Yun Mountain, he found nothing unusual.

A hallucination?

Of course, it wasn’t a hallucination.

It was a move personally made by Zhou Mi towards the mortal realm.

It was the first truly fierce move Zhou Mi had made since ascending to the heavens.

However, a cataclysm that would have been enough to obliterate the entire former Li Zhu Blessed Land was instantly dissipated by the intervention of one person.

A strange man who looked like a visitor, tall and slender, wearing a snow-white robe, stood by the table at the entrance of the Downhill Mountain, smiling gently, and turned to a black-clothed girl and asked softly, “May I sit?”