Unsheathed

“It looks like Chen Ping’an has discovered us,” the old man on the mountain summit remarked with a cold smile.

The brawny man wasn’t surprised at all to hear this, and he said, “He’s always had a bunch of tricks up his sleeve. He was the one who caused all of that ruckus in Green Roving Residence, was he not? Otherwise, there’s no way that my master would be targeting a pure martial artist with such a lowly cultivation base.

“Prior to my departure, my master told me that Chen Ping’an’s Sword Nurturing Gourd is only a little bonus prize to be claimed; what he really wants is to find out which almighty figure was willing to give him such a precious treasure.

“My master would naturally like to claim the treasure for himself, as long as it won’t cause him too much trouble, but he’s worried that if he makes a move, the entirety of Parasol Leaf Continent will also follow suit. Hence, he wants us to act as his scouts and try and uncover the identity of Chen Ping’an’s backer. If it really is a certain Confucian sage, then…”

The man’s voice quickly trailed off here, and he didn’t dare to utter another word.

“Then what?” Wang Qi asked.

“I don’t know, I forgot what I was about to say,” the brawny man replied.

Wang Qi didn’t ask any further questions, but his sour mood was beginning to improve.

The brawny man was nothing more than a minor demon who was yet to even reach the Golden Core Tier, but upon entering the water, his combat prowess was definitely comparable to that of some weaker Golden Core Tier cultivators.

Hence, this storm had come in a very timely fashion.

Prior to encountering his master, he had been very full of himself, ruling over a lake of his own with a bunch of minions under his command. However, only after receiving some guidance from his master was he able to reach his current heights. Burial River had once been connected to the sea in ancient times, and using that as his route to perform the act of flood dragons crossing rivers, his cultivation base had been drastically elevated.

If it weren’t for the fact that the water goddess of Burial River had gotten in his way, he would’ve already reached the Golden Core Tier, and if he could enter the sea, then a breakthrough to the Nascent Tier would be imminent!

If the water goddess had allowed him to pass through the entirety of Burial River unimpeded, then he would’ve owed her a huge favor. If he were to attain the Great Dao in the future, then that was a favor that he would have to return at some point, regardless of how ruthless and ungrateful he was.

Otherwise, karma would rear its ugly head, presenting all types of obstacles in his future cultivation. He had thought long and hard about the subject, but he simply couldn’t understand why the water goddess had insisted on getting his way. Was it really just because he had killed those mortals? Surely that was far too ridiculous!

He firmly believed that there had to be some hidden circumstances involved, ones that he was oblivious to. Perhaps the people that he had devoured just so happened to be connected to the water god temple, and that was why she had been so furious and insistent on foiling his plans.

Having fought with her for so many years, he knew that Burial River Goddess’s cultivation base wasn’t all that advanced. However, she had refined a huge number of artifacts, and the endless array of weapons at her disposal gave her an insurmountable advantage over him.

On top of that, she had inexplicably been blessed with two tremendous fated opportunities, the first of which had repaired and significantly enhanced her godly body, while the second had transformed her Green Roving Residence into a divine abode that was teeming with spiritual energy overnight!

What Wang Qi desired was precisely that artifact refinement mantra.

His master had revealed to both him and Wang Qi a long time ago that this mantra had been the foundation of a certain ancient immortal’s cultivation. On top of that, it was a righteous mantra also suitable for Confucians to cultivate.

Wang Qi was nearing the end of his lifespan, but if he could obtain this immortal mantra and successfully cultivate it, not only would he be able to extend his own life, perhaps he would even be able to compete for the title of deputy mountain master.

Over the years, Wang Qi had been constantly targeting Green Roving Residence, even going as far as to sabotage Burial River, flood Green Roving Residence, and damage the water goddess’s godly body, all in the hope that the water goddess would turn to the Great Quan Empire for help.

There was even one occasion where Wang Qi visited the Burial River God Temple “by chance” and intentionally displayed some of his powers as a noble scholar, but not only did the water goddess completely ignore him, she didn’t utter even a word of complaint to him about her situation!

After that, Wang Qi did her an immense favor by putting in a firm request for the emperor of the Great Quan Empire to elevate the status of Green Roving Residence from residence to palace. In doing so, he was hoping that the water goddess would be moved by his generosity and voluntarily hand over the rain praying tablet that carried the immortal mantra that he so desired.

However, the water goddess remained completely unmoved, and she insisted on having the Scholarly Sage’s books worshiped in her temple. Otherwise, she would rather continue to stay in the rundown Green Roving Residence.

From Wang Qi’s perspective, the water goddess was nothing more than an inexplicable fool!

————

Just as there was unrest on the mountain where the rundown temple was situated, there was also some unrest on the bank of the most renowned river on Middle Earth Divine Continent.

A man and a woman had traveled to the river from afar. The woman was wearing a brocade palace dress. Even though her features were concealed behind a veiled hat, it was clear just from her figure and the way that she carried herself that she was an exceptional beauty.

The man was tall and rather thin, wearing a white fur coat with a red wine gourd hanging from his waist.

If Chen Ping’an were here with the little girl in pink and the little boy in azure, they would immediately recognize the two as the master and servant duo that they had encountered on that boardwalk on the border between Yellow Court Nation and the Great Li Empire.

The woman’s name was Qing Ying, and after parting ways with Chen Ping’an’s trio last time, she had displayed her true form in the canyon, revealing her to be a mountainous white fox.

Standing before her, the man was made to appear as tiny as an ant, yet just by calling out her name, he was able to sever one of her eight tails.

She referred to the man as Master Bai.

At this moment, the man was looking up at White Emperor City, nestled among the clouds. The lord of White Emperor City was widely recognized as the best Go player under the heavens. He had raised a flag that read “respectfully allow the world to make the first move,” and to this day, no one had been able to make him lower the flag.

“It’s a pity that the glass building is no longer around,” the man remarked with a smile.

“Master, I’ve heard that the man who likes dressing up in pink Daoist robes is a huge admirer of yours,” Qing Ying said in a gentle voice.

The man paid no heed to her as he smiled and said, “There’s no need to come out to meet me, City Lord, I’m only just passing through.”

A sense of immense pride welled up in Qing Ying’s heart upon hearing this.

Over the past one thousand years, there had only been a single person that the city lord of White Emperor City had deemed important enough to come out and greet in person, namely the disciple of the Scholarly Sage.

Such an honor was now being granted to Master Bai, yet he had flatly turned it down!

While walking along the riverbank, the man suddenly heaved a faint sigh, then said to Qing Ying, “I have to ask you to leave for a moment.”

Qing Ying didn’t dare to ask any questions, and she immediately departed as instructed, while the man remained standing on the spot.

An old man in a Confucian robe appeared beside him with a solemn look on his face, and he extended a respectful bow as he greeted, “Lü Xi of the School of Rites pays his respects to Master Bai.”

The man offered no response.

Lü Xi was the mountain master of the School of Rites, one of the three schools of Confucianism, a Confucian sage destined to have his statue worshiped in Confucian temples alongside the statue of the Paramount Sage.

This man was undoubtedly one of a handful of the most respected and revered figures of Confucianism, yet he was regarding this man with the utmost respect, and he was also at a temporary loss for words as what he wanted to discuss was a matter of extreme importance, so he didn’t know how to begin.

“Many years ago, I revealed the true names of all great demons under the heavens to that young scholar, and I helped him forge the nine nine cauldrons on the summits of the world’s nine great mountains. I did so in the hope that the two parties would be able to coexist in harmony.

“After that, all of the demons under the heavens retreated back into the mountains and forests, concealing themselves from the world, and only then were humans able to embark on the path of cultivation, giving rise to immortals and all of the beautiful sceneries of the world.

“Back then, the young scholar promised me that my gesture of goodwill toward all of the living beings of the world would be reciprocated by all followers of Confucianism,” the man in the fur coat murmured to himself.

He then turned to Lü Xi with a hint of mockery on his face as he continued, “But things don’t appear to have gone that way, have they?”

Lü Xi opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it in the end.

The man turned back to face the river as he continued, “After that came the Mountain Scouring Album, and after the Mountain Scouring Album, the Bai Ze Suppressing Pagoda emerged among the nine Mighty Suppressing Pagodas. Now, you come to me and ask me to go to Southern Whirl Continent, Parasol Leaf Continent, and Circling Ascension Continent to scour the mountains for great demons for you.

“Why should I do that? Am I somehow indebted to the Etiquette Sage, or should I be thankful that you’ve constructed the Bai Ze Suppressing Pagoda for me so that I can have a place to stay in Majestic World?”

A cold tone crept into the man’s voice as he spoke, and Lü Xi didn’t know what to say.

Thankfully, a smile appeared on the man’s face as he sighed, “Even after all of this, I still do trust him, and I can understand the difficulties that he’s facing. That’s why I’ve abided by the rules established by all of you over the years.

“In contrast, all of you have been far too unreasonable. Scholars like yourselves shouldn’t be so direct and ruthless. Instead, you should be educating the masses with sagely principles and exercising your influence in a much gentler and more subtle manner.”

Lü Xi felt as if he were bearing the weight of the Five Mountains on his shoulders, but that weight was lifted ever so slightly. However, what Bai Ze said next had Lü Xi’s skin crawling once again.

“My existence is truly a tremendous misfortune for the demon tribe,” Bai Ze sighed in a self-deprecating fashion. “I broke the rules on this occasion to leave the pagoda of my own accord to travel the world because I wanted to see with my own eyes whether the world that the young scholar had described to me all those years ago had come into existence.”

“May I ask the outcome of your journey?” Lü Xi asked in a trembling voice.

Bai Ze’s opinion concerned the future of not just one world, but two!

“I want to see a bit more before I make my conclusion. Is that alright?” Bai Ze asked with a smile.

Even though he seemed to be asking for permission, he didn’t even bother to look at Lü Xi, and just the pressure exerted by his words alone was enough to force Lü Xi to reveal his aura, stirring up immense turbulence within the nearby river, while the clouds up above also dissipated to reveal White Emperor City in its full glory.

“Of course,” Lü Xi replied, choking out the words with great difficulty.

————

Wei Xian remained standing firmly in front of the rundown temple like an immovable pillar, while Zhu Lian’s combat prowess was only becoming more and more fearsome the more severe his injuries became.

He was truly like a deranged demon, striking down all of his assailants with no equal.

Meanwhile, Sui Youbian was also tearing her way through the enemy ranks, and by the time she had slain 900 enemy soldiers, Lu Baixiang’s kill count was only at 700. However, right as she was replenishing her breath of True Qi, she was attacked by Xu Qingzhou and Xu Tong. Even so, she still managed to cut down 120 enemy soldiers with what little remained of her current breath of True Qi before she was decapitated by Xu Qingzhou.

Xu Tong didn’t dare to take any chances, so even after she had been decapitated, he unleashed a mystical ability to to completely destroy her body and soul. In the end, all that remained of her was Deep Infatuation, which fell to the ground helplessly.

However, right as Xu Qingzhou was about to bend down to pick up the sword, another Sui Youbian suddenly emerged from the entrance of the rundown temple!

Right as she passed by Chen Ping’an, she declared in a cold voice, “I’ve slain over 1,100 enemy soldiers.”

“A single gold essence copper coin is enough to purchase True Jewel Mountain back home,” Chen Ping’an sighed in a dejected manner.

Sui Youbian harrumphed coldly upon hearing this, and she sprang up into the air in a terrible mood before casually making a grabbing motion with one hand. Deep Infatuation immediately flew through the air before being caught firmly in her grasp, following which she unleashed a streak of vast sword qi that immediately startled Xu Qingzhou and Xu Tong into retreat.

As it turned out, the secret that Wei Xian had divulged prior to the commencement of the battle was that if Chen Ping’an were to die, then all four of them would also die, but so long as Chen Ping’an remained alive, the four of them would be able to re-emerge from the picture scroll with their cultivation bases fully intact at the cost of a single gold essence copper coin per revival.

Meanwhile, Wang Qi and the brawny man continued to observe the unfolding battle from afar.

With nothing to do, Chen Ping’an began playing with the branch in his hand, and he was both pained by the loss of the gold essence copper coin, but also struck by a sense of amusement.

“Your powers are truly unmatched, Senior,” he murmured to himself.