Unsheathed

The Golden Core Tier earth immortal hovering in midair surprisingly didn’t use his mind’s voice to communicate with the twenty or so vagrant cultivators. With mountain mist concealing his appearance, the earth immortal instead looked at Chen Ping’an and directly asked, “Are you intent on stopping us from obtaining these treasures? If you and your companions are willing to retreat from this mountain pass and not interfere with our plans, then after we defeat this earth bull, I can give you ten percent of my share of treasures. I’ll convert them into snowflake coins and personally hand them to you afterward.”

After hearing the explanation from Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia, Chen Ping’an was roughly aware of the situation here already.

Even though the earth bull collapsed in blood behind Chen Ping’an was indeed a demon, it was an innately gentle type of demon, and the so-called calamity caused by earth bulls twisting and turning that people talked about had absolutely nothing to do with it.

The earth bull had remained hidden in this mountain pass for more than two hundred years, and its intention was actually to repair the shattered dragon vein such that it could use it as a residence in the future. In all these years, the earth bull had actually been lying on the mountain pass in its true form, appearing like a mountain range with many cliffs. Moreover, this not-really-mountain-range was filled with lush greenery from the get-go.

Genuine cases of earth bulls turning their bodies were caused by Ao, mole crickets, earthworms, and giant toads that slumbered under the ground.[1] These mountain spirits and water beasts preferred quiet over commotion, and relying on their innate abilities, they liked to link their gigantic bodies with the surrounding mountains to slowly absorb the spiritual energy of the earth. These spirits and beasts were afraid of spring thunder.

Once these spirits and beasts advanced to the Abode Tier of the Middle Five Tiers, or when they were about to form a golden core, they would need to absorb an exorbitant amount of spiritual energy. However, because they slumbered underground most of the time and absorbed the fortune of the mountains, their advance in cultivation base would pertain to the fated opportunities of the Great Dao and cause them to unleash their ferocious nature as spirits and beasts. It was because of this that there were stories about earth bulls turning their bodies and Ao turning their backs, events that would bring tragedy to the mortal world.

In reality, Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia had also been asked to participate in the battle against the earth bull in the beginning. However, even though Zhang Shanfeng’s cultivation base wasn’t especially high, he was incredibly knowledgeable about the origin of many mountain spirits and water beasts. He was well aware of the origin and gentle nature of earth bulls, so he turned down the earth immortal’s invitation to suppress and kill the great demon together.

The truly troublesome aspect of things was the possibility that the earth bull was at the Dragon Gate Tier, only a step away from forming a golden core. Zhang Shanfeng understood that even clay Bodhisattva statues would also have a temper if they were hunted and provoked; even honest and friendly people would flare up in rage if they were continually targeted. Would a literal demon not be the same?

Thus, Zhang Shanfeng was afraid that the earth bull would trigger violent reactions from the earth veins when it reached the brink of death. If that happened, they would truly witness a colossal earth bull turning its body. This would cause earthquakes to tear through an area at least five hundred kilometers in radius, and tens of thousands of innocent people in the two nearby prefectures could die without knowing why.

Xu Yuanxia had traveled all around the world, so he was relatively experienced when it came to many things. However, he didn’t utter any righteous words to persuade the vagrant cultivators against killing the earth bull. Instead, he simply explained the potential consequences and dangers that would be brought about by doing so.

He hoped that the Abode Tier cultivator who had tried to recruit them could speak to the mastermind behind this and ask them to spend some extra silver to recruit a few additional formation cultivators. That way, they could minimize the impact of the earth bull turning its body. At the very least, they could prevent tens of thousands of innocent people from being needlessly killed, injured, or forced to flee. They could view this as an act of spending money to gain virtue.

The Abode Tier cultivator patted his chest and promised that he would definitely deliver this message.

Xu Yuanxia played dumb and made some small talk with the Abode Tier cultivator, after which he and Zhang Shanfeng secretly followed him to check on the situation. And when they discovered only a single formation cultivator among the twenty or so working for the Golden Core Tier cultivator, they knew that this would definitely result in a huge disaster.

After some discussion, Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia decided to split up to complete two different tasks. Xu Yuanxia went to the nearest force in the mountains and clearly explained the situation. He didn’t wish for the official immortals to block the earth immortal and fall foul of him; he simply wished that they could either put on some pressure or make some preparations to suppress the imminent massive earthquake.

Because Zhang Shanfeng had a proper position as a Daoist priest from Complete Reed Continent’s branch of Mount Longhu, he went to the government office and met with a local governor, expressing his hope that the imperial court of Azure Phoenix Nation could give some importance to this matter. It would be best if the emperor could dispatch a guest elder to oversee the situation. In fact, it would even be fine if Azure Phoenix Nation provided reinforcements to the earth immortal as a way of trying to win him over. In any case, the most critical thing would be making haste and setting up several large formations near the hiding place of the earth bull.

The local governor was a relatively easy-going person, and he agreed to immediately report this matter to the imperial court. He would seek help from the immortal clan in his jurisdiction and try to deliver the message as quickly as possible using a flying sword.

However, the man was extremely pragmatic and shrewd, and he asked Zhang Shanfeng to hand over two valuable items. Otherwise, how would he explain things to the emperor and the cultivators from the mountains if this was a false alarm or if Zhang Shanfeng was simply making things up?

Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia both felt like this was a reasonable request, so they had handed over the Dao sword True Martial, as well as a short saber obtained from Colorful Garment Nation.

And as a result of their hard work, they were now stuck in a dilemma.

They couldn’t convince the vagrant cultivators through reason. These people pursued nothing but material benefits, and this was seemingly the most natural reason for them. Just like the earth immortal said, the actions of Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia amounted to nothing more than stopping them from obtaining treasures. In the eyes of vagrant cultivators, this was something that ought to elicit fury from both gods and humans alike.

Naturally, they had their own share of reason. They were encircling and killing a demon in this desolate place without so much as a single person. They weren’t killing people and stealing goods in the cities, nor were they using immortal techniques and immortal treasures to harm mortal people. This was no different from how official immortals went about their business—it was a clean and just way to seek wealth. So what the hell did these people want from them?

The young Daoist priest with no facial hair and the martial artist with quite a big beard were claiming that the earth bull being attacked would impact the earth veins and trigger an earthquake that affected an area five hundred kilometers in radius, but just who in the hell were they?

Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia sneaked over here and personally witnessed the earth bull shaking countless rocks and trees from its back. The earth bull was an extremely gentle great demon, and it initially wanted to flee when facing the twenty or so vagrant cultivators. It battled while fleeing, yet it was still hunted down and severely wounded. Only then did it start to counterattack, leading to a colossal battle between the two sides.

In the end, Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia had no option but to step forward and defend the earth bull. If the earth bull became so severely wounded that it was forced to reveal its true form, which was only as big as a normal bull, then things would truly reach the point of no return, and it would risk its life to unleash its most powerful attack.

The demon collapsed in a pool of blood debated with itself for a while when it saw the two people not attacking it but risking their lives to help it. Even though it was roughly aware of their intentions—it wasn’t that they cared for its well-being, but that they were afraid that it would trigger an earthquake and bring calamity to everything around it—it eventually decided against seeking mutual destruction. It surprisingly remained still and allowed its vitality to flow away just like that.

Chen Ping’an looked at Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia.

The group of vagrant cultivators didn’t use their full strength and try to kill the two people, most likely because they were already on the cusp of victory.

Zhang Shanfeng, had suffered some external wounds, and blood was flowing from his shoulder pierced by the sword cultivator’s flying sword. He had applied some medicine, but it barely made a difference. The wound had most likely reached his tendons and bones. He had been struck by a bonded flying sword, after all, a weapon that was far more than just sharp.

Standing beside him, Xu Yuanxia’s big beard was also stained with blood. This caused his beard hairs to clump together in a somewhat comical manner.

The Golden Core Tier earth immortal relented slightly at this moment.

Afraid that Chen Ping’an would agree to the earth immortal’s proposal, Zhang Shanfeng immediately grabbed his friend’s arm and exclaimed in an anxious voice, “We can’t agree to that.”

The earth immortal smiled and asked, “The demon has already given up and accepted death, and it’s showing no signs of putting up a final struggle. Chivalrous cultivators, and you esteemed immortal, why do something unnecessary? Why insist on fighting against us?”

Xu Yuanxia was too weak to support his own weight, and his expression was extremely dark as he sat down on the ground. He held the hilt of his saber with one hand and stroked his beard with the other. “Hmm… This is indeed the case. However, I can’t help but feel a little disgruntled.”

The big-bearded martial artist turned around to glance at the earth bull before continuing, “I feel like I’m betraying its trust.”

Zhang Shanfeng heaved a soft sigh. He sheathed his peach wood sword and let go of Chen Ping’an’s arm, lamenting in a helpless voice, “But it seems like we have no option but to accept this?”

He was lamenting, yet he was also asking a question.

Including the earth immortal, everyone had indeed noticed Chen Ping’an’s four subordinates from the very beginning.

They were all pure martial artists with astonishing auras.

This was probably the true reason the earth immortal and the vagrant cultivators were willing to lower their weapons and discuss things in peace.

Chen Ping’an patted Zhang Shanfeng’s shoulder and said, “I’ll deal with this problem.”

Zhang Shanfeng faltered for a moment before cracking a grin and chuckling, “The two of us won’t complain no matter what you do. We won’t make things difficult for you, honestly.”

Chen Ping’an nodded before turning to the earth immortal hovering in the sky and asking with a smile, “I’m a bit curious, which immortal force do you come from? Or which chief military governor’s office in Azure Phoenix Nation do you belong to?”

Now sitting cross-legged on the ground, Xu Yuanxia gave a knowing smile when he heard this. Oh? This young lad Chen Ping’an was far craftier than before. He immediately asked the question on Xu Yuanxia’s mind.

Yet… it seemed like his martial arts cultivation hadn’t improved at all? He was still at the third tier? This was quite a pity.

However, this was only normal. Only two years had passed since they farewelled each other and went their separate ways, so just how old was Chen Ping’an right now? Seventeen?[2] With this in mind, it was already quite impressive for him to have such a solid third-tier cultivation base. He could confidently enjoy the title of martial arts prodigy.

The vagrant cultivators surrounded Zhang Shanfeng, Xu Yuanxia, and Chen Ping’an like a pack of wolves.

Wei Xian, Sui Youbian, Lu Baixiang, and Zhu Lian didn’t walk over to stand beside Chen Ping’an; instead, they stood outside the circle of vagrant cultivators. It was difficult to determine the exact cultivation bases of these four, and by the looks of it, perhaps they wanted to “encircle” the twenty or so vagrant cultivators?

The earth immortal smiled and replied, “Who I am has no bearing on whether you accept my offer or not.”

“How many snowflake coins is this earth bull worth in your eyes?” Chen Ping’an asked.

The earth immortal pondered for a moment before earnestly replying, “The market price of this earth bull is approximately twenty to thirty lesser heat coins. However, earth bulls and their kin are incredibly difficult to find and capture, meaning that demand for them far exceeds supply. The true price of them is closer to double this value. This is quite a fair asking price. In other words, this earth bull is worth approximately five thousand snowflake coins. What do you think? Perhaps you’re trying to calculate how much your ten percent share will be worth? Perhaps you feel like ten percent is too little and an insult to your strength, so you want twenty percent or even more?”

Even though the earth immortal was smiling as he spoke, every single vagrant cultivator present could hear the menacing edge in his voice.

This was a sign that the earth immortal was about to throw hands.

A vast and formless might radiated from the earth immortal, and even the elder dressed in black robes and sitting atop the giant black fox found it slightly difficult to breathe.

After forming a golden core, one could borrow power from heaven and earth.

“Even though you people are being unreasonable, it was indeed my two friends who created this current situation while trying to stop you. In any case, the fortunate thing is that we aren’t facing the worst-case scenario right now. The earth bull hasn’t turned its body and triggered a massive earthquake. That being the case, it’s time for us to calm down and have a good discussion. Since you’re hellbent on obtaining this earth bull, then we’ll calculate things based on the market price of fifty lesser heat coins that you mentioned just then. Subtracting the ten percent that you offered to me, that leaves forty-five lesser heat coins. Here, take it.”

Under everyone’s watchful gazes, the young sword cultivator in white robes forcefully tossed a large handful of lesser heat coins toward the earth immortal located very far away.

The earth immortal frowned and flicked his sleeve, causing the forty-five lesser heat coins to slow down and circle around him like a small stream. The lesser heat coins hovered three meters away, and he didn’t allow them to get any closer. He carefully observed each coin one by one, and he determined that the young sword cultivator hadn’t tampered with any of them. They were genuine lesser heat coins.

Lü Yangzhen and the other vagrant cultivators were both envious and puzzled.

Such kind of business transaction existed in the world?

The earth immortal didn’t accept the lesser heat coins straight away—forty-five immortal coins that were equivalent to 4.5 million taels of silver in the mortal world. Disregarding Azure Phoenix Nation, which was renowned for its wealth in the southeastern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, just how much money did the imperial court of Fortune Mountain Nation receive in tax each year? These coins amounted to a colossal sum that even an earth immortal couldn’t view as trivial.

He continued to examine the lesser heat coins that were slowly circling around him as he asked, “Dare I ask, Young Master, where is your immortal hometown?”

Chen Ping’an smiled and replied, “I asked you the same question before, but didn’t you refuse to answer?”

The earth immortal smiled faintly and asked, “Then dare I ask, Young Master, is it out of desperation that you’re spending money to purchase this earth bull?”

“There’s no need for you to worry about these things, Senior” Chen Ping’an replied.

After thinking for a moment, he retrieved another five lesser heat coins and tossed them toward the earth immortal, saying, “Please distribute these five lesser heat coins among the remaining esteemed immortals. Treat this as my apology for taking the earth bull even though I’ve arrived later.”

The expressions of the vagrant cultivators improved significantly when they heard this.

After all, they were getting five lesser heat coins for doing nothing. There were four alliances of varying sizes among twenty or so cultivators, and the smallest alliance only had three people, Lü Yangzhen and the two siblings. Meanwhile, the alliance led by the elder in black sitting atop the giant black fox was the strongest, both in terms of number and power. Thus, they could potentially obtain two of the five lesser heat coins that had essentially fallen from the sky.

The earth immortal smiled and remarked, “Such impressive wealth and resolve, Young Master. To give away lesser heat coins as if they were snowflake coins… I must concede my inferiority to you in this regard.”

After he said this…

The greed of the vagrant cultivators immediately became stirred again.

The words of the earth immortal resonated with them far too strongly. These vagrant cultivators essentially had their heads tied to their waists with the way they fought with their lives on the line, yet just how many lesser heat coins could they make each year?

“I’ve spoken in a friendly manner and I’ve also offered some immortal coins in goodwill, so now it’s time for us to engage in some proper discussions.”

Chen Ping’an looked around before continuing in a calm voice, “Money doesn’t fall from the sky in this world. I do indeed have some lesser heat coins left on me, so if any of you covet them, you can rely on your abilities to try to obtain them. If you can’t defeat me, however, then I will kindly ask for your life in exchange.”

The earth immortal immediately put away the fifty lesser heat coins and asked with a smile, “Aren’t you afraid that I’ll run away and leave you with a mess to clean up? I can’t carry this earth bull on my back and wander through the streets, but taking these fifty lesser heat coins with me will be as easy as can be.”

He looked at Chen Ping’an and continued, “Aren’t you afraid that I’ll use these fifty lesser heat coins to buy your life? With this back and forth, everyone including me would have earned two times the initial amount of money. Why would we not do this?”

Chen Ping’an extended a hand and gestured for the earth immortal to leave, saying, “Well, sure, please feel free to leave. You can do whatever you want as long as it makes you happy.”

You’ve been pissing me off for a while now, so I really beg you to run away or attack. That way, I’ll have a good excuse to kill you.

The earth immortal fell silent, as if he was weighing up the pros and cons.

Meanwhile, all of the vagrant cultivators were waiting for him to make a decision.

At this moment, the severely wounded earth bull suddenly looked up at the back of the young sword cultivator in white and asked in the human tongue, “Esteemed immortal, why are you going to such lengths for me?”

Chen Ping’an didn’t turn around to face it.

He placed a hand on his Sword Nurturing Gourd as he replied softly, “I feel that you’re more human-like than many humans. It’s that simple. From today onward, I hope that you can continue to cultivate earnestly. That way, the world can gain another kind-hearted cultivator in the future.”

1. Ao is a mythical creature with a dragon head and fish body. ☜

2. Note that East Asian age (虚岁) is used here, so Chen Ping’an is sixteen by Western counting. Using the Chinese style of age counting, a person is one year old as soon as they’re born. ☜