Unsheathed

In reality, this sword immortal was nowhere near as handsome as He Lu. However, this was more than made up for by the fact that he was an extraordinarily destructive and deadly sword immortal.

The cultivators in the dragon palace all felt nervous and fearful at this moment, becoming very paranoid and feeling as if the speech and actions of this sword immortal in white all carried profound meaning pertaining to Dao. This young sword immortal…

Chen Ping’an turned to the white-haired old man who had already formulated a speech in his mind and suggested, “It’s best for you to keep your mouth shut.”

A streak of green sword light suddenly materialized in mid-air, causing the white-haired old man’s expression to change drastically. He stomped his foot and shook his sleeves, immediately transforming into an origami glede that was as large as a palm as he started to flee.

The green flying sword dashed after the origami glede like an inseparable shadow.

The snow-white origami glede fled in a very purposeful manner, and after one of its wings was stabbed by the flying sword as it attempted to soar out the main entrance of the palace, it started to fly over the banquet tables in the hall, using the falling Qi refiners and the glasses and bowls on the tables as obstacles to slow down the flying sword.

The origami glede was like a nimble sparrow navigating around branches and flowers as it continued to fly through extremely narrow gaps in a very precarious manner. The Qi refiners became pale with fright, yet they didn’t dare to unleash abuse at the old man in front of City Lore Ye Han and the cultivators of Yellow Axe City. They felt aggrieved and stifled, and they harbored intense fury and resentment toward the old man, hoping that he could die sooner rather than later.

Chen Ping’an turned his attention to He Lu and said, “This is my last reminder to you to pull out the sword.”

He Lu remained silent, but the veins on his hand that was gripping the bamboo flute were already bulging.

Ye Han slowly stood up, asking in a calm and amicable manner, “Sword Immortal is safe and uninjured, and our immortal forces haven’t actually committed any grave crimes deserving of death either. Of course, we have indeed disturbed Sword Immortal’s peaceful cultivation over the past few days, so can I personally represent Yellow Axe City to offer Sword Immortal some compensation?”

The young sword immortal smiled and replied with a nod, “Naturally. There was one thing that the city god of Imperial Accompanying City said very well. There’s nothing in the world that can’t be peacefully discussed.”

Chen Ping’an then made a grabbing motion, summoning Sword Immortal to his hand and casually sweeping it sideways as he continued, “Go on, name your compensation.”

His actions were far too unexpected, and they had also been unbelievably rapid like a bolt of lightning. When he flicked his wrist and casually sheathed his sword, the cultivators in the dragon palace were still oblivious about his actions and intentions.

City Lord Ye Han, who was renowned for his graceful and refined demeanor in the mountains of the dozen or so nations, suddenly exploded in anger and roared, “Brat, you actually dare to kill someone in front of me?!”

Everyone’s heads whipped around, with their gazes eventually settling on the handsome young man who had reached up to clutch his neck.

The immortal bamboo flute in his hand had already slipped and fallen to the floor, ringing continuously like shattering jade.

He Lu stumbled back several steps, with blood already starting to seep through his fingers as tears streamed down his face. He clutched his neck tightly with one hand and reached toward Ye Han with his other hand, sobbing as he pleaded in a quivering voice, “Save me, father, save me…”

Fear suddenly gripped at Fan Weiran’s heart, and she immediately felt as if she had been viciously slapped across the face, leaving a stinging sensation on her cheek.

She was so furious that her white hair almost stood on end and directly sent flying the golden crown that had been bestowed upon her by a paramount immortal.

How impressive of He Lu, and how impressive of Ye Han! This father and son had concealed their relationship exceptionally well and managed to deceive all of the cultivators in the dozen or so nations!

If she and the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm truly allowed Yan Qing and He Lu to become Dao partners, then with the cleverness and strength of Ye Han and He Lu, would the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm not be attacking their archenemy with scrumptious meat buns? Yan Qing was a simple young woman who was completely focused on cultivation and didn’t concern herself with worldly matters, so how could she compete with the sly old fox and the sly young fox who were actually father and son?

Taking ten thousand steps back, even if Yan Qing didn’t help He Lu attack the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm at that time, refusing to betray her master and her immortal force, her Dao Heart would still suffer severe damage. Even if Yan Qing wanted to respect her master and help the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm oppose Yellow Axe City, she would be completely powerless to do anything once she became Dao partners with He Lu!

Fan Weiran downed the contents of her wine cup in satisfaction and exclaimed with loud laughter, “How incredibly satisfying! That bastard He Lu deserves to die! Ye Han, your son has been brutally killed, yet you’re not attacking the culprit in fury? You’re not going to fight to the death with the sword immortal?”

Chen Ping’an smiled faintly and said, “You’ll also die today, so don’t be in such a rush to enter the afterlife and reincarnate.”

Fan Weiran’s delighted laughter stopped abruptly.

Ye Han was just about to reach forward, yet he immediately retracted his hand again, causing grief and despair to completely overwhelm He Lu. His vision was blurry as he stared at his father who refused to step forward for his sake, and a look of hatred and resentment appeared in his eyes. He then slowly turned his head, causing even more blood to seep through his fingers as he looked at the terrified Yan Qing and said with a pleading look in his eyes, “Yan Qing, save me.”

Yan Qing exhaled, turning around to face the sword immortal in white as she held her short sword and stood up, saying, “I’m launching this sword strike for myself.”

Chen Ping’an clasped his hands behind his back and nodded in response, replying with a faint smile, “People obtain what they seek, whether that be virtue or death. A decent cultivator has finally appeared in this dragon palace that’s brimming with filth.”

Yan Qing stood with the short sword in hand, smiling in an uninhibited manner as her mind returned to a pure and tranquil state. She channeled her aura and caused spiritual energy to flow through her entire body, and the dazzling golden crown above her head further made this stunningly beautiful young woman appear like an ethereal immortal.

She looked very beautiful at this moment, but all of the Qi refiners in the dragon palace still felt extremely confused.

He Lu stumbled backward, eventually crashing into a wall and slumping to the ground, falling into a seated position and becoming limp.

In the end, a decapitated head fell to the ground.

The thud was nowhere near as loud as the thunderous rumble caused by Chen Ping’an’s entrance just then, but all of the cultivators felt as if their hearts had been struck by a heavy hammer blow, making it slightly difficult to breathe.

Yellow Axe City’s He Lu had died just like that.

A cultivation prodigy who had the potential to reach the pinnacle of the mountains and stand beside Ye Han and Fan Weiran had been decapitated and killed just like that…?

The cultivators felt even more astonished as they turned around to look at the exceedingly graceful Celestial Maiden Yan Qing.

Both of them were the most outstanding prodigies in the mountains of the dozen or so nations.

He Lu was a clever and scheming person, and it was only due to bad fortune that he had died in Verdant Bamboo Lake’s dragon palace, somewhere in a foreign land. However, Celestial Maiden Yan Qing clearly had an opportunity to remove herself from the situation, so why was she acting so foolishly?

In any case, how had this Golden Boy and Jade Girl, who had almost become immortal Dao partners, gotten together in the first place?

Or perhaps the romantic feelings between them were extremely strong, so Yan Qing was going to draw her sword and attack in grief and fury after witnessing the death of her lover?

However, to attack a genuine sword immortal with a sword? The cultivators weren’t looking down on Yan Qing, but they felt like doing this would be an act of seeking humiliation.

During the critical moment when Yan Qing was holding her sword and accumulating power to face off against the young sword immortal…

An unexpected commotion suddenly erupted!

Near the central region among the group of cultivators on Ye Han’s side, a banquet table that was filled with extravagant delicacies and fine wine suddenly exploded apart, throwing the Qi refiners around it aside and causing them to violently fall into a heap.

After suddenly destroying the banquet table without warning, a brawny man radiating with a golden glow strode forward and caused the entire dragon palace to shudder. Afterward, he threw a punch and instantly sent the sword immortal in white flying, causing him to crash through the palace wall. In fact, there were several loud booms in quick succession as he crashed through several more palatial walls.

This punch…

Was it truly a punch that could be unleashed by a Lower Five Tier Qi refiner from Blissful Dream Peak?

Fan Weiran and Ye Han quickly exchanged a glance, both seeing the deep shock and terror in each other’s eyes.

This person had concealed his strength extremely well, and he definitely wasn’t a pawn of the two immortal forces!

Perhaps he was an ally of the old man with the small monkey and the fox spirit empress of the Silver Screen Nation!

Fan Weiran and Ye Han were at the Golden Core Tier, yet even they would have failed to withstand this punch if they were taken by surprise and not given an opportunity to properly defend themselves. They would have definitely suffered severe wounds.

After enjoying the satisfaction of unleashing a punch that contained the pinnacle fist intent of his life, the seemingly unremarkable man surprisingly had his arm shatter due to the impact and hang limply by his side. However, he was filled with vigor and confidence as he peered down on the other cultivators in the palace, exclaiming with loud laughter, “This trump card should have been reserved for Old Criminal Xia Zhen if I had the opportunity, but it was unexpectedly stolen away by a naive young man who liked to put on airs and show off.”

The brawny man looked through the numerous broken walls, gazing at the large plumes of dust and smoke in the distance as he continued, “And I was thinking that it was unreasonable for a sword immortal like you to possess the physique of a Vajra Body Tier martial artist. How are things now? Do you still possess the physique of a Vajra Body Tier martial artist? Even genuine Vajra Body Tier martial artists will have their internal organs pulverized by my punch, killing them on the spot!”

He spat out a mouthful of blood, glancing at the sheathed sword on the ground as he spat, “Sword immortal my arse! Who the fuck do you think you are?! I tolerated you for a long time, and you genuinely thought that you were invincible after killing a measly Sea Observation Tier amateur?”

The corners of Lake Lord Yin Hou’s lips curled up into a smile that became wider and wider, with a look of delight eventually spreading across his entire face.

Fan Weiran also started to smile.

Even though Ye Han also felt a strong sense of relief, he felt gloomy and couldn’t bring himself to smile when he glanced at the headless corpse slumped against the wall.

Fortunately, his youngest son who had concealed his identity this entire time was ultimately a Sea Observation Tier cultivator and had already gathered his soul in several critical acupoints.

However, where would they find such an outstanding innate body in the future, one that possessed the aptitude of so-called immortal golden branch and jade leaves? How could He Lu advance to the Golden Core Tier in the future? How could he become stronger and more capable than his father, leading Yellow Axe City to greater heights atop the peak of the mountains?

The three other Qi refiners from Blissful Dream Peak gulped in apprehension upon seeing the powerful punch of the brawny man.

This useless junior brother of theirs, who usually wasn’t even able to brandish his weapons properly, had suddenly transformed into a top-notch martial arts grandmaster who could unleash thunderous and explosively powerful punches?

Yan Qing dazedly stood on the spot.

Even though the cultivators in the palace didn’t necessarily know whether the fabled Vajra Body Tier martial artist superior grandmaster was friend or foe, they still started to shout in approval and slam the tables in delight. In fact, some cultivators even threw their heads back and downed their drinks, raising their thumbs at the pure martial artist. There were even those who started to praise the Blissful Dream Nation, saying that not only was its scholarly fortune flourishing, but its martial fortune was flourishing as well. They claimed that the Blissful Dream Nation should become the dominant nation of a region and annex the nations in its surroundings, perhaps allowing it to become a powerful empire in the process.

Yan Qing’s heart felt empty as she stood in the boisterous and extremely joyful dragon palace.

Fan Weiran’s entire body was swaying back and forth as she roared with laughter, and she also emulated the actions of those crude cultivators as she raised a thumb and praised, “Little Yan, you’ve truly provided remarkable service this time! Well done, young lady. When we return to the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm, I’ll definitely bestow that valuable treasure in the ancestral hall to you. Who will dare to oppose this?”

The first person who noticed something amiss was the blinking Little Cui.

This time, however, she didn’t even dare to speak using the ripples of her mind’s lake, to say nothing of making other small movements.

The innocent young girl sat upright and started to act like a wooden puppet.

The next person to notice something amiss was the powerful martial artist from the Blissful Dream Nation who had secretly advanced to the Vajra Body Tier one step at a time.

When his expression gradually became solemn, Ye Han and Fan Weiran noticed the dire turn of events as well.

Lake Lord Yin Hou had initially wanted to become acquainted with the brawny martial artist, but he also wiped the smile from his face and hurriedly calmed his breathing and focused his attention at this moment.

A sword immortal in white walked through the “large entrances” in the walls and eventually reappeared in the main hall of the dragon palace.

Some of the Qi refiners on Fan Weiran’s side had frantically rolled and crawled out of the way already, clearing a path for the sword immortal and the Vajra Body Tier martial artist.

They saw the sword immortal pat his shoulder and shake his snow-white sleeves, after which he smiled with squinted eyes and said, “When I was traveling on an immortal ship before, someone said that the Golden Core Tier Qi refiners in this area are all papier-mache.”

Chen Ping’an slowly walked toward the martial artist from the Blissful Dream Nation as he said this, and was there any sign of his internal organs being completely pulverized?

Chen Ping’an smiled as he walked forward and continued, “By the looks of it, the Vajra Body Tier martial artists in this area aren’t any better. You’re like a pile of wet mud, mud that hasn’t even been basked dry yet, and it’s because of this that you’ve broken your own arm. Does it hurt?”

The brawny man’s voice was solemn as he exclaimed, “You’re actually a Far Roaming Tier martial artist, aren’t you?! You’re not a sword immortal at all, am I right? Tell me the truth before you throw a punch!”

Chen Ping’an held a hand to his belly and held a hand to his forehead, saying with an exasperated expression, “Don’t be like this, brother. I’m serious. You’ve already told so many jokes in the dragon palace today, and after being fortunate enough to survive the heavenly tribulation at Imperial Accompanying City, I might actually die of laughter here thanks to you.”

Lake Lord Yin Hou sighed in grief and sat down on the steps, holding his head in his hands as he resigned himself to the situation.

Go on and fight to your heart’s content. You guys can cause as much commotion as you want. You can even demolish my dragon palace if you please, and I’ll adopt that sword immortal’s surname in the future if I so much as frown.

Some young cultivators wanted to laugh but didn’t dare to do so.

Chen Ping’an turned his gaze to Fan Weiran and Lake Lord Yin Hou and asked, “Were you two the ones responsible for spreading the news that I possessed the physique of a Vajra Body Tier martial artist? Are the two of you aware that you ruined a number of my plans with your coincidentally correct guess?”

The brawny martial artist took a deep breath and smiled, showing no intention at all to step back and relent. He placed his right foot backward and raised his unbroken arm, causing his fist aura to become full as he replied, “What does it matter whether you’re a martial artist at the same tier as me or a sword immortal who flies around in the sky? Let me have a taste of your strength again.”

Chen Ping’an glanced at the three other cultivators from Blissful Dream Peak before retracting his gaze and chuckling, “It seems like the Blissful Dream Nation is truly filled with crouching tigers and hidden dragons. This is quite interesting. Thanks for alerting me to this.”

The brawny martial artist stepped forward, with his fist intent flowing like water and causing the entire palace to shake, with almost all of the banquet tables flying into the air. Just as everyone thought that another intense and deadly battle was about to take place, the brawny martial artist surprisingly leaned back, traveling as fast as lightning as he crashed toward the “unopened” walls behind him. After crashing through the walls with a loud boom, he instantly disappeared without a trace as if he were using an immortal inch-movement technique.

This was as expected of a Vajra Body Tier martial artist, a lofty elite that hadn’t appeared in the dozen or so nations for two hundred years. His movement techniques were indeed unpredictable and difficult to guard against.

However, the sword immortal in white also disappeared from the palace.

After a while, the fabled Vajra Body Tier martial artist “walked” backward and slowly returned through the broken walls step by step.

Unfortunately, however, there was a hand and a large sleeve sticking through the brawny martial artist’s chest.

Not only did this hand instantly stop the martial arts superior grandmaster’s escape, but it also decided his life and death in an instant. After all, Chen Ping’an’s left hand had directly pierced through the brawny martial artist’s chest and exited through his back!

Chen Ping’an raised his right hand and placed it on the brawny martial artist’s head, giving it a light push.

The brawny martial artist weakly flew back and coincidentally landed in the middle of the palace.

Chen Ping’an shook his sleeve, instantly causing a splatter of sanguine blood to appear on the floor beside him.

Meanwhile, the origami glede was still frantically flying around the palace and fleeing from the wisp of dark green sword light that was relentlessly pursuing it.

“Still haven’t had enough fun yet?” Chen Ping’an asked with a faint smile.

The dark green flying sword suddenly increased its speed, shredding the origami glede to pieces and causing the mangled and bloody old man to loudly thud to the floor.