Unsheathed

After the unexpected phenomenon appeared at the city god temple…

Fan Weiran, who was currently staying at Imperial Accompanying City, made a quick and resolute decision to hurriedly leave the city with the cultivators of the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm, making their way to Verdant Bamboo Lake. At the same time, she also instructed a few subordinates to warn the Qi refiners belonging to their subordinate immortal forces to make haste and head to Verdant Bamboo Lake as well. Lake Lord Yin Hou owed her a big favor, after all.

Moreover, the lake lord was severely wounded right now, so he most likely wouldn’t dare to let his lecherous eyes wander like he had at the banquet back then. It was due to Lake Lord Yin Hou’s unwelcome gaze that Yan Qing had requested leave from her old ancestor, leaving the banquet at the dragon hall and heading to the water goddess shrine of Algae Stream’s canal master to get some fresh air. Afterward, trouble and commotion had come one after another. Yan Qing had felt slightly uneasy after arriving at Imperial Accompanying City, and to say nothing of Fan Weiran, even the juniors of Yan Qing had noticed that something was amiss.

This caused Fan Weiran to feel even deeper hatred toward that young sword immortal. He actually dared to disturb Little Yan’s Dao Heart! That immortal had already decided that Yan Qing would become one of the leaders of the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm as well as the immortal forces in the mountains of the dozen or so nations, so once Yan Qing realized her potential and soared to great heights, the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm would be able to receive another lofty immortal cultivation technique.

After all these years, Yellow Axe City and the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm were nothing more than two pawns that had been secretly chosen in the fish pond that contained the dozen or so nations.

They were arch-enemies with each other and always fighting to the death, but how many cultivators of the two immortal forces had truly lost their lives in these skirmishes? Only very few of them had died, and those who had died were all cultivators who seemingly possessed high cultivation bases but were actually no longer able to attain the Great Dao. In reality, the majority of deaths had been suffered by cultivators from the subordinate forces of Yellow Axe City and the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm.

Also, two hundred years had already passed, so why had not a single Vajra Body Tier martial artist appeared in the cultivation world of the dozen or so nations? One had to realize that the final Vajra Body Tier martial artist had been killed by City Lord Ye Han and Fan Weiran’s junior sister.

Right now, which of those so-called martial artist superior grandmasters — sixth tier martial artists who were flaunting their abilities in the mortal nations — weren’t enjoying their comfortable lives in peace? Be it the strongest sword practitioner or the best at fist techniques, however, which of them wasn’t decaying away and facing imminent death?

Fan Weiran turned around to glance at Yan Qing who was standing beside her, smiling faintly as she did so. Her junior sister hadn’t understood why she had needed to kill that Vajra Body Tier martial artist back then, but Fan Weiran was well aware of the reason. After all, this was a huge secret that only a single person in each of Yellow Axe City and the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm could be aware of at any given time. This had always been the case. As for the other immortal forces, they didn’t have the right or the opportunity to even seek an audience with that immortal.

Regarding the sword immortal from an outside region who had mysteriously appeared here, it would be best if he were struck by the heavenly tribulation and accidentally killed inside the city god temple. However, even this could be considered a merciful death for that person. Otherwise, if he only suffered severe wounds and was captured by Fan Weiran, the sinister water lamps in Lake Lord Yin Hou’s Verdant Bamboo Lake would be nothing compared to the secret techniques of the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm’s ancestral hall.

The cultivators of the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm and its subordinate forces all traveled in one direction, hurriedly making their way to Verdant Bamboo Lake. Those unable to fly on the wind could only rely on their legs to sprint over the land, while those even weaker could only ride horses to flee the city.

After soaring into the sky and leaving Imperial Accompanying City, Fan Weiran suddenly asked, “Did the mediocre Militarian cultivators of the Ghost Axe Palace not follow us out of the city?”

A cultivator who had disguised as a subordinate and a guest literati of the prefectural overseer stood beside the old ancestor and replied in a respectful voice, “After receiving my warning at an inn, the cultivators of the Ghost Axe Palace didn’t leave straight away for some unknown reason, saying that they still needed to deal with some urgent matters. I didn’t dare to linger, so I decided to take my leave first. In the end, I noticed them leaving Imperial Accompanying City in another direction, so I’m temporarily unsure of whether they’ll meet up with us at Verdant Bamboo Lake.”

Anger welled up in Fan Weiran’s chest, and there was a murderous look on her face as she asked, “And what about that person called Du Yu? Did you see him at the inn?”

“I saw him with the other cultivators at the inn,” the elderly cultivator replied. “Sure enough, he’s just as the rumors describe: grinning frivolously and immaturely and a pathetic good-for-nothing.”

The commotion at Verdant Bamboo Lake had been very large that night, but none of the cultivators at Imperial Accompanying City had dared to travel over to spectate the battle from up close. When it came to immortal battles involving lofty individuals such as Lake Lord Yin Hou, those partaking in the battle wouldn’t appreciate being observed by other people. Instead, they might casually flick their sleeves and mercilessly kill the nosy spectators. In any case, the powerful immortal tools and the deadly immortal techniques that they unleashed would be indiscriminate, so those who willingly challenged death could very well get their wish and die for nothing.

With this in mind, the elderly cultivator asked in puzzlement, “Why is Old Ancestor specifically asking about this person?”

Fan Weiran’s expression was dark, but she didn’t reveal the secrets to the elderly cultivator, simply smiling coldly and replying, “I’ll deal with this bastard later!”

Of course, the prerequisite was that the outsider sword immortal with the surname Chen Ping’an died or was left half-dead by the heavenly tribulation bearing down on Imperial Accompanying City.

Yan Qing glanced back at the hazy silhouette of Imperial Accompanying City as she soared through the sky.

She could vaguely see a golden talisman blowing a huge hole into the bottom of the sea of black clouds, a manifestation of the heavenly tribulation.

Yan Qing sighed softly in her mind.

This young sword immortal so good at reading people was actually a foolish idiot.

————

Atop the peak of Black Glaze Mountain, which was even further away from Imperial Accompanying City than Verdant Bamboo Lake, there stood a tall middle-aged man in a relatively simple scenic pavilion. He was dressed as simply as a slightly well-off man from the mortal cities, and the only ornament he was wearing was a jade tablet hanging by his waist.

The man extended a finger and lightly ran it over the seal script characters engraved on the jade tablet, clearly lost in thought with something weighing on his mind as he did so.

He Lu was sitting beside him, and the handsome young prodigy was holding his yellowing bamboo flute and gently cleaning this beloved immortal tool of his with a precious immortal satin cloth.

The middle-aged man simply gazed at the distant Imperial Accompanying City, where the thick sea of black clouds was slowly descending as if the entire sky were crushing down on the mortal world. Looking over from a distance, he was still unable to see the top of the sea of clouds.

A white-haired old man sitting cross-legged near the middle-aged man clicked his tongue in wonder and chuckled, “Heaven and earth meeting for no reason is a sign of huge calamity for the mortal world. City Lord, I estimate that the mountain and water formation of Black Glaze Mountain will be done for following the descent of this heavenly tribulation. That woman with the surname Fan has planned things out in a much more careful and meticulous manner, forming ties with Lake Lord Yin Hou of Verdant Bamboo Lake. In this sense, she’s gained an advantage on us, seeing that we were only able to choose Black Glaze Mountain and spend our own money to construct a formation.”

The white-haired old man massaged his legs as he continued in a miserable manner, “I truly don’t know what that outsider sword immortal is thinking. Even if he wants to snatch the valuable treasure from the jaws of us or the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm, he should at least wait for the treasure to appear first, no? However, if he were truly the person who killed the city god, then the heavenly tribulation will naturally target him instead. In that case, what the fuck is he hoping to achieve? City Lord, I’m not exactly a very bright person, so why don’t you explain this to me? My mind itches whenever I come across something that I can’t make heads or tails of, or whenever I come across a breathtaking yet dangerously untouchable beauty.”

The middle-aged man standing in the scenic pavilion was none other than City Lord Ye Han of Yellow Axe City.

“An outsider sword immortal has barged over here and caused chaos on the chessboard, but the chessboard is ultimately still the same chessboard with little change to the actual situation. The uncertainties introduced by this person’s high cultivation base will largely be eliminated by the heavenly tribulation. What I’m worried about isn’t this outsider sword immortal, nor is it the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm or Fan Weiran. Instead, it’s a few other outsiders who are much sneakier than this bold and honorable sword immortal. Right now, I only know that the seductive empress of the Silver Screen Nation is one of these outside cultivators.”

The white-haired old man’s interest was immediately piqued at the mention of the seductive empress, and he remarked, “The emperor of the Silver Screen Nation is like flowing water; the empress of the nation is like forged iron. Haha, how entertaining. As it turns out, she’s a cultivator from the outside regions as well. That explains my puzzlement about how our dozen or so nations were able to raise a five-tailed heavenly fox.”

Ye Han shook his head and corrected, “She’s concealed her cultivation base very well, and she’s actually a Golden Core Tier fox spirit with six tails. Yellow Axe City exchanged the life of a Dragon Gate Tier cultivator for this piece of news.”

The white-haired old man was astonished, and he exclaimed, “Then I’ll need to take a detour around her whenever I see her in the future. Fucking hell, a Golden Core Tier cultivator! Then isn’t she on the same level as City Lord?!”

He Lu simply continued to clean his bamboo flute, having no interest in these secrets that could already be regarded as the most important matters in the mountains.

Ye Han shook his head and replied, “There exist huge gulfs in strength even between cultivators at the same cultivation base. Fox spirits naturally possess incredible skills when it comes to tempting mortal humans, but they’ve always been lacking when it comes to fighting on the battlefield. Taking this into account, I don’t think that she can necessarily defeat Fan Weiran in battle. However, since she’s come from the outside regions, she definitely possesses one or two unique immortal tools. In any case, I won’t have a big chance of victory either if I’m to fight against Fan Weiran, and I’ll have close to zero chance of being able to successfully kill her.”

Ye Han turned around, smiling as he continued, “If the opportunity arises, and if the sword on that outsider sword immortal’s back is genuinely an immortal treasure, then I can fight to obtain it after he suffers at the hands of the heavenly tribulation. I’ll see whether I can barter with him for the sword. If I succeed, then I can gift the sword to you.”

The white-haired old man was at a loss as he asked, “City Lord, how exactly are you going to barter for it? Also, is there any need for you to fight for it and barter with that outsider?”

Ye Han shook his head and replied, “There are some questions that you shouldn’t ask.”

He Lu’s eyes lit up when he heard City Lord Ye Han’s promise, and when the handsome young man glanced toward Imperial Accompanying City out of the corners of his eyes, his eyes suddenly became increasingly bright like a blazing torch.

Ye Han shook his head and said, “Don’t even think about it. To say nothing of you, even I don’t dare to have any additional thoughts.”

Ye Han’s expression became serious as he used his mind’s lake to say, “He Lu, the great battle is imminent, so I have to warn you about a few things now. Your aptitude and your fortune are slightly better than Yan Qing’s, and this allowed you to accompany me to the immortal residence to meet the immortal. Even though the immortal didn’t appear and only instructed a subordinate to welcome the two of us, this is already a very big honor. In this sense, you’ve already pulled ahead of Yan Qing.

“However, when it comes to cultivating in the mountains, reaching a high cultivation base is only half of the journey. Upon reaching these heights, the difference between a single cultivation base is like the gulf between heaven and earth. Because of this, even the lowly attendants at the immortal residence dared to rely on that immortal’s backing to treat me with disrespect.

“That valuable treasure has already revealed its roots to you before, showing that it’s an innate sword talent. Sword talents in the world fall into two categories: one human and one object. Regarding the former, it can be determined whether a person is an innate sword talent with the potential to become an incredibly rare sword immortal when they’re still in their mother’s womb. Regarding the latter, things are even more mysterious, and these objects can allow Qi refiners who aren’t innate sword talents to become sword immortals. This is an extraordinarily rare treasure, so even if I’m able to subtly defeat the other cultivators and secretly obtain it, will you, He Lu, be able to safeguard it if I gift it to you?”

He Lu put his bamboo flute away and stood up, replying in a respectful voice, “This disciple understands!”

————

Atop a mountain located to the north of Imperial Accompanying City…

A saber-bearing man who had already put on his Divine Dewbearing Armor turned around and looked toward the city god temple.

Du Yu didn’t understand this; he couldn’t understand it no matter how he racked his brain.

Why was the mighty senior, who was exceptionally good at calculating gains and losses and reading other people, acting so rashly right now?

How could the lives of some tens of thousands of mortal humans possibly compare to the life and cultivation base of a sword immortal?!

Du Yu would dare to loudly shout this morally atrocious remark even if the mighty senior were standing in front of him right now. He would pose this question even if he faced the risk of being left half-dead with a single slap, or worse yet, having his soul imprisoned again.

Amid the darkness of night…

The sea of black clouds continued to descend, and it appeared as if heaven and earth were about to collide.

Apart from the cultivators at the dragon palace of Verdant Bamboo Lake and inside the pavilion atop Black Glaze Mountain, where both Fan Weiran and Ye Han had made some sacrifices to allow them to witness the final scenes at the city god temple, all of the other Qi refiners from the mountains had fled in various directions and were able to see even less than the mere mortals in Imperial Accompanying City who were destined for a lifetime of mediocrity.

However, even Fan Weiran, Yan Qing, Ye Han, and He Lu were only able to observe a narrow band of space three hundred meters above the ground and three hundred meters beneath the sea of back clouds.

A young man in azure stood on his flying sword and relentlessly unleashed punch after punch.

The sea of black clouds continued to slowly descend, eventually reaching a height of three hundred meters above Imperial Accompanying City.

It was at this point that both Fan Weiran and Ye Han retracted their mystical abilities at almost the exact same time, with their faces slightly pale.

The final scene they witnessed was a blade of golden sword light rising from the earth, seemingly surging from the south to the north as it instantly sliced apart the vast sea of black clouds.

Afterward, only rumbling thunder could be heard in the prefecture as sword light danced through the sea of black clouds, carrying with it hints of fleeting talisman light.

When heaven and earth finally fell silent again, the sea of black clouds enveloping the entire Imperial Accompanying City slowly dissipated into nothingness.