Unsheathed

Beneath the sea of clouds, time had come to a complete standstill in the entire section of Old Dragon City west of the Dragon Scaling Platform and north of the ferry station island.

In the instant that Fan Junmao caught sight of the pristine white figure descending from the heavens, a look of boundless yearning and reminiscence appeared on her face. In the end, she was so moved that she was brought to the point of tears.

She rose to her feet and opened her mouth to speak, but didn’t know what to say, and in the end, she sat down onto the sea of clouds in the most formal and respectful posture possible, as if she were greeting someone who deserved the utmost respect and admiration.

Over at the Dust Medicinal Shop, Pei Qian was holding her hiking pole while unleashing her Deranged Demon Sword Techniques in the alley outside the shop, completely oblivious to the changes that had taken place in the environment around her, and the fact that the Zhao Clan yin soul had already fallen completely still.

There was a short old man from a wealthy clan in the outer city, and he was just about to step out of his manor when his brows furrowed ever so slightly. After a brief hesitation, he withdrew his foot again, then stood on the spot in a completely still manner, with only his eyes darting around from side to side. Following a brief moment of contemplation, he released his yin soul from his body instead of physically leaving his manor.

Over at the eastern gate of Old Dragon City, the face of the old maidservant from the Cloud Forest Jiang Clan was bright red with strain. Her bonded flying sword was buzzing and trembling in her acupoint, and only then was she just barely able to make out some blurry scenes unfolding before her.

The patriarch of Parasol Leaf Sect was observing the hole in the city wall through narrowed eyes, and his Sword Devouring Ark was hovering peacefully by his side.

Out of the hole that had been smashed into the city wall emerged a tall woman dressed in a pristine white robe with loose and free-flowing sleeves. She sat down onto a pile of loose rocks, and she was gently cradling a young man in her arms.

The young man’s Golden Sweet Wine Dao robe had been virtually completely destroyed, and he had fallen unconscious from his severe injuries. The woman lowered her head and extended a finger to gently smooth out the young man’s tightly furrowed brow.

Standing not far away from her was an old Confucian scholar dressed in rather shabby robes. He slapped a hand to his own forehead as he complained, “How could you be so reckless? Do you know how hard I had to work to conceal your presence? Just how much of a commotion do you want to cause?

“If it wasn’t for the fact that the Tassel Mountain God did me a huge favor and allowed me to jump straight to the northern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the entire world would already be aware of your arrival right now! How is Chen Ping’an supposed to continue cultivating in peace if that happens?”

The woman offered no response, and a sheepish look crept onto the old scholar’s face as he heaved a forlorn sigh. He paid no heed to the patriarch of Parasol Leaf Sect at all as he strode over to the edge of the city wall, and he suppressed the fury in his own heart as he yelled, “Come out! Haven’t you two been watching the show this entire time? Are you too scared to show yourselves now?”

An indistinct, ethereal figure appeared in the north. It was a middle-aged scholar with a golden jade pendant hanging from his waist, upon which were inscribed the words “nourishing the noble spirit.”

Another figure that was just as blurry and indistinct appeared in the south, also a scholar, but this one was quite elderly in appearance. He also had a golden jade pendant hanging from his waist, this one reading “those in high places should help the less privileged.”

The middle-aged scholar extended a respectful bow toward the Scholarly Sage, while the elderly scholar remained completely unmoved, not even batting an eyelid in the Scholarly Sage’s direction.

The Scholarly Sage took a deep breath, then pointed at the patriarch of Parasol Leaf Sect as he cast his gaze toward the elderly scholar and said, “You are the sage responsible for overseeing matters in the northern region of Parasol Leaf Continent.

“If it were a tenth or eleventh-tier Qi refiner roaming the land, then you can perhaps make an excuse and say that you have too much on your plate in the heavens, so it simply slipped your notice, but this is an Ascension Tier Qi refiner! Have you gone blind? How could you possibly have missed such a huge lantern drifting past your damn eyes?!”

The elderly scholar offered no response.

The middle-aged scholar heaved a faint sigh. He had actually been notified in advance that Du Mao was going to be making a trip to Old Dragon City of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, which was under his jurisdiction. This trip of his concerned the Song Clan of the Great Li Empire, Planchette Writing Sect, and Peace and Tranquility Mountain, so prior to leaving Parasoal Leaf Sect, Du Mao had already reported his intentions to the elderly scholar.

However, due to the abrupt nature of his trip, he didn’t have time to request a passport from the Confucian schools, so the middle-aged scholar could only turn a blind eye.

The restrictions placed on Ascension Tier cultivators were enforced as part of a non-negotiable rule established by the Etiquette Sage; a rule that had been met with much opposition. There were even some powerful cultivators who openly mocked the Etiquette Sage for his “unconditional love” of all living beings.

There were so many demons in Majestic World, yet not only was he not taking action to eradicate them, he was enforcing strict rules on his own people. For cultivators of a certain cultivation base, anything that they did had to be reported to and approved by the Confucian schools.

In contrast, in Heavenly World overseen by the three branches of Daoism, Ascension Tier cultivators could choose to stay in the White Jade Capital or leave as they pleased, so why was it that all Ascension Tier cultivators were kept on a leash in Majestic World?

Du Mao was starting to grow a little disgruntled, and he clasped one hand behind his back while scratching his head with the other as he asked, “So you’re the Scholarly Sage?”

However, the Scholarly Sage continued to completely ignore him as he said to the two scholars, “Both of you are prized disciples of the Second Sage, I’m sure that he’s taught both of you the importance of having empathy and shame!

The word “empathy” was directed at the middle-aged scholar presiding over the southern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, while the word “shame” was directed at the elderly scholar who had allowed Du Mao to travel to Old Dragon City.

Scholars who were able to enter the Confucian temples to have statues erected alongside the founding father of Confucianism could certainly be considered as sages, and their sagely status would have even more weight than the status of a Confucian academy’s mountain master. However, under the rules of Majestic World’s Confucian orthodoxy, these two were still considered to be “saints,” of which there were officially seventy-two.

The Scholarly Sage continued, “Your teacher has also said that life and justice are both desirable things, but if one can only choose to have one of the two, then one must sacrifice their life for the pursuit of justice! Right now, Chen Ping’an is teaching you that lesson! The Second Sage clearly did a terrible job of teaching this lesson, so it’s only right that the two of you relearn it from a child!”

A cold look appeared on the elderly scholar’s face, and he said, “You no longer have a place in the Confucian temples, and your scholarly lineage has also been severed, so you should speak of my teacher with more respect.”

The Scholarly Sage was even more infuriated, and he snapped, “I’m already doing him a favor by not calling him an old bastard! Who the hell do you think you are?! It’s only thanks to your useless writings and worthless theoretical prose that you were able to fraudulently claim a spot in the Confucian temples!”

The elderly scholar remained expressionless, but a hint of a mocking sneer was playing on his lips.

The Scholarly Sage patted himself on the chest to calm himself down as he murmured to himself, “Don’t get mad, use your words and morality to make others see the light…”

He then heaved a faint sigh as he asked, “The two of you are well aware that I’m powerless to do anything to you right now, and that’s why you dare to oppose me like this, isn’t that right?”

The middle-aged scholar shook his head in response.

“I don’t dare to cause you any offense, nor do I desire to do so.”

A cold sneer appeared on the elderly scholar’s face as he scoffed, “Your teachings are like a dead fly that’s fallen into a pot of delicious broth. It’s a putrid stain that has marred the legacy of our Confucian orthodoxy!”

He then took a step forward and asked, “I’m saying this right to your face, what are you going to do?”

The Scholarly Sage was enraged to the point of bursting into laughter.

“Back when I was at the height of my powers, you studied my teachings and my books like a diligent child! Have you forgotten about that? If I recall correctly, you even went to Cui Chan to beg him to teach you. How did that end for you? Cui Chan hasn’t done many good things in his life, but was certainly spot on when he denounced you for a fool who learned nothing from the Second Sage aside from his pretentiousness!

“He also suggested that the Confucian orthodoxy should introduce a title of ‘phony noble person’ for people like you, and if there’s one truth he ever said in his life, that’s it!”

A wry smile appeared on the middle-aged scholar’s face, while the elderly scholar displayed remarkable mental fortitude, remaining calm and collected despite the scathing insults being hurled at him.

The Scholarly Sage raised his head to look up at the sky as he murmured to himself, “A noble person can deceive others within the realm of reason. That’s something that the Second Sage said himself! I know that your intention was to place another set of shackles onto the scholars of the world, resonating with our founding father’s teaching of seeing self-restraint and adherence to proper etiquette as a virtue, but take a look at this world!

“Your intentions were good, but everything has strayed far from the right path. There’s no need to look at anyone else, just take a look at this disciple of yours. It’s precisely because of this that the mountain master of a Confucian school, a disciple of the Etiquette Sage, had to go and beg Bai Ze to intervene. What was his response? He said that he wanted to see more of the world before making his decision.

“What more is there to see? If you ask me, I think he’s already seen more than enough. This world is no longer the place that it once was, and people’s hearts have changed. What did we say to each other last time we were exchanging ideas? Both of us were convinced that even though the Great Dao has changed, the people now can still be better than the people of old. Looking back now, what a joke that has become!”

The middle-aged scholar cast his gaze toward the elderly scholar, then smiled as he suggested, “Maybe you should apologize.”

“What do I have to apologize for?” the elderly scholar asked.

The middle-aged scholar was silent for a moment, then said, “Severing one’s scholarly lineage is something that should only be limited to targeting one’s teachings. You’re asking the masses to choose who they think is right, rather than swaying mass opinion by force.

“Right now, an Ascension Tier Qi refiner is provoking a divine lord who is acknowledged by the four sages and has attacked a young man who may well be a disciple of the Scholarly Sage, and that’s both inappropriate and against the teachings of Confucianism.”

“I only see the bigger picture and what’s good for the continuation of the heritage of Confucianism,” the elderly scholar replied flatly.

The middle-aged scholar could only shake his head in response.

The Scholarly Sage sat down on the edge of the hole that had been blasted into the wall, then sighed to himself, “Whether you think I’m right or not, there are some principles that stand regardless, it’s just that you don’t understand them.”

Right at this moment, the white-robed woman asked in a cold voice, “Are you done?”

The Scholarly Sage nodded in response, and his shoulders sank down as he folded his hands over his knees in a deflated manner.

“I’m done. I’ve been concealing your aura the entire way here, and I’ve just had to lecture a pair of ignorant fools. Right now, I’m completely exhausted. Founding father, Etiquette Sage, Second Sage, it looks like all of these teachings that I’ve developed are going to be returned to this world untouched.”

The white-robed woman gently set down Chen Ping’an, then rose to her feet and strode over to the Scholarly Sage’s side as she said, “If you’re done, then it’s time for me to say what I want to say. Let me make this clear in advance: if you dare to get in my way, I’ll—”

The Scholarly Sage shook his head as he interjected, “I won’t try to get in your way. It’s all because of my incompetence that Little Qi had to die, and now, Little Ping’an is on the verge of death as well. I’ve failed these two disciples of mine. I can’t even stop some people who are scrambling to eat shit; why would I try to stop you when you have reason and justice on your side?”

Du Mao had been watching the unfolding scene this entire time, and he smiled as he asked, “Who are you? I don’t recall ever hearing of someone like you. Are you an Ascension Tier cultivator? Surely you’re not an Ascension Tier cultivator who’s come all this way from Stalactite Mountain?”

A peculiar look appeared in the middle-aged scholar’s eyes, and he took a glance at the elderly scholar in the south, who had a grim look on his face. It was clear that he was feeling much more pressure in her presence than when facing the Scholarly Sage.

The white-robed woman yawned as she took a step forward, descending to the foot of the city wall before slowly continuing onward.

There was an old and rusty sword blade hanging from her waist. It had no guard or hilt, but its tip had been sharpened to an extremely bright gleam.

“You’ll be breaking the rules of this world if you dare to attack!” the elderly scholar warned in a stern voice.

The woman merely continued onward while yawning as if she had only just woken up.

The old blade wasn’t tied very securely to her waist, so it was gently swaying from side to side as she walked, and its sharp tip was flashing incessantly.

Du Mao’s mind was racing as he tucked his hands up his sleeve, trying to use divination to glean the depths of the woman’s power, only to discover that this entire area had already been restricted by someone, making divination completely impossible.

While walking toward Du Mao, the woman turned to the middle-aged scholar and said, “You’re not so bad compared with your little friend over there, so I’ll spare you. Get out of here!”

The middle-aged scholar’s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, but he noticed that the Scholarly Sage was waving a dismissive hand at him. After a brief hesitation, he faded out of this area, which was still completely frozen in time.

The woman then turned to the elderly scholar, and she was far less kind to him as she ordered, “Piss off!”

“Are you really going to oppose the Great Dao of this world?” the elderly scholar asked in a solemn voice.

The woman cocked her head to the side, then gently pressed a finger down onto the top of the old blade as she murmured to herself, “I’ve only sharpened the tip so far, but that should be enough to cleave Stalactite Mountain into two. How about I open a door between Majestic World and Savage World?”

The elderly scholar’s expression changed drastically.

“You wouldn’t dare!”

She completely ignored him as she gently thrust her old blade forward.

He then vanished with a flash.

The blade vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye, and a huge hole was torn into the sky of the artificial small world around her before hurtling toward Stalactite Mountain, covering immeasurable distances in the blink of an eye.

The Scholarly Sage remained completely aloof and uncaring.

On the vast sea between Southern Whirl Continent and Parasol Leaf Continent, a swordsman abruptly raised his head.

All of a sudden, the entire sea up ahead seemed to have parted, sending waves as tall as mountains crashing toward the shore.

These waves naturally posed no threat to the swordsman, but he was stunned by the aura of the flying sword.

Since when was there a swordsman like this in Majestic World?

Has A’Liang been forced down from the heavens by the Daoist second disciple again? No, that can’t be right. Even A’Liang doesn’t have a sword like this.

Out of the four best swords in the four worlds, one of them had been passed down for generations to the Great Heavenly Master of Middle Earth Divine Continent’s Heavenly Master Residence, one of them was in the possession of the scholar who proclaimed himself to be lacking in intellect and aptitude, yet was able to slice the Yellow River apart with a single sword strike, the third one was in the possession of the Daoist second disciple, and it was said that A’Liang had gone off in search for the final one following his departure from Stalactite Mountain, the sword that he proclaimed was the one to rule them all.

That sword should’ve been a perfect match for him, yet somehow, he failed to secure it and could only ascend to the heavens beyond heavens empty-handed.

Instead of setting off in pursuit of that peerless flying sword, he abruptly snapped back to his senses before immediately setting off for the southernmost region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

The elderly scholar stabbed a finger in the woman’s direction as he yelled in a furious voice, “Have you gone insane?!”

The woman continued onward without pause.

Du Mao gulped nervously before asking, “Are you still going to challenge me even after throwing your sword away?”

An amused look appeared on her face, as if she had just heard a hilarious joke, and she scoffed, “Challenge? You think you’re worthy of being challenged by me? You have no idea who I am, do you? I suppose you can’t be blamed, given how young you are.”

The Scholarly Sage suddenly burst into raucous laughter as he yelled, “Do you know who was the one that slew the largest Treasure Swallowing Whale under the heavens in ancient times? I do, but I’m not going to tell you!”

She strode directly over to Du Mao, standing no further away from him than Zheng Dafeng had earlier.

Due to her tall frame, she was able to look down upon Du Mao, and she did so with a frosty look in her eyes. “Why don’t you try and attack me with this bonded celestial weapon of yours? I’m not going to move at all. Seriously, give it a try.”

“Insolent wench!” Du Mao roared as his Sword Devouring Ark hurtled directly toward the woman’s head.