Unsheathed

The ancestral mountain of the Flax Robe Sect was called the Wood Garment Mountain. This was a towering mountain, yet there was no extravagant structure on it, with the cultivators of the sect simply building thatched cottages in which to cultivate. However, there were few cultivators in the Flax Robe Sect, so this caused the mountain to appear relatively quiet and deserted. There was only a single residence at the waist of the mountain with a plaque reading “Form of Dao” that could somewhat be regarded as an immortal attraction. This was a residence used for hosting and accommodating guests.

Wood Garment Mountain was sealed off three days ago, and it no longer accepted any guests.

Not only that, but the archway buildings at the entrance of Malicious Ghost Valley also started to enforce martial law, with cultivators who wanted to train in the mystical realm no longer being allowed to enter.

From Helpless Pass to Mural City and then to the regions surrounding the Swaying River as well as the entire Skeleton Shoal, no one found this unreasonable in the least.

This was because they had witnessed far more unreasonable things in the past.

In the beginning, it was three paintings of the female heavenly officials in Mural City transforming into white outlines in a single day.

However, this was nothing compared to the extraordinary events that took place afterward. Many cultivators at Skeleton Shoal were still wallowing in grief at the fact that three fated opportunities in Mural City had already been obtained by some other cultivators, yet not long after, they personally witnessed something that shook them to their cores.

Late one night, a colossal skeleton suddenly materialized on the land of Skeleton Shoal, appearing like a towering mountain that couldn’t be defeated. This was most likely the Dao Manifestation of Gao Cheng, the city lord of Malicious Ghost Valley’s Skeleton Wall City, and it used its brute strength to tear a hole in the barrier of heaven and earth. This skeletal Dao Manifestation should have obediently remained in the land of ghosts and yin entities, yet after it appeared in the outside world, it naturally started to conflict with the Great Dao of the yang world.

There was intense friction between the colossal skeleton and the spiritual energy of Skeleton Shoal, causing resplendent rays of light to flow into the surroundings and explode like the most dazzling fireworks. Amid this stunning backdrop, it appeared as if the colossal skeleton Dao Manifestation were a primordial fire god descending upon the mortal world.

The colossal skeleton was clearly pursuing a streak of golden light that was rapidly fleeing south toward the ancestral hall of Wood Garment Mountain, and even though City Lord Gao Cheng was delayed by the saber strikes and the sword strikes from within Malicious Ghost Valley, the person wielding the saber appeared like a tiny speck of rice as they hovered in the sky and faced off against the three-thousand-meter tall Dao Manifestation. Even so, there was howling wind and thunderous lightning each time they swung their saber, with blinding light erupting as their long-range saber strikes seemingly built long bridges across the sky. This person was definitely Sect Leader Zhu Quan of the Flax Robe Sect.

However, there was also a sword that was no weaker than the saber of the Unpolished Jade Tier Zhu Quan, with blades of brilliant sword qi originating from the ground and rapidly sweeping upward in an extremely straight and furious manner.

The colossal Dao Manifestation of City Lord Gao Cheng was leaning slightly to one side, and it appeared as if there were something else in Malicious Ghost Valley inhibiting his advance. Even so, the colossal skeleton raised a palm high into the air before slamming it down, instantly giving rise to a thick sea of clouds that was filled with overwhelming yin energy and murderous aura. There were anguished wails amid the clouds, and it seemed as if hundreds of thousands of malicious ghosts and deceased souls were trapped inside and stripped of the chance to enter reincarnation, with these pitiful beings forced to struggle endlessly in a sea of pain.

The sea of dark clouds rapidly bore down on the ancestral hall of the Flax Robe Sect, soon after which the mountain-protection formation of the Flax Robe Sect was activated. Thousands of armored puppets dashed out from Wood Garment Mountain, with each of them measuring more than ten meters tall and suited in talismanic armor. Golden radiance and silver threads flowed around their bodies, and the sea of dark clouds was continually eaten away as these puppets launched themselves inside. Even so, the sea of dark clouds continued to rapidly descend upon the ancestral hall.

On the ground in Wood Garment Mountain, wave after wave of armored heroic spirits charged forward to resist, and in the end, thousands of mountain and water heroic spirit puppets crafted by the Flax Robe Sect fell together with the sea of dark clouds.

At the same time, a string of light emanated from the ancestral hall in Wood Garment Mountain and stretched down, appearing like an arc of lightning racing downward as it descended to the archway buildings and knitted an extremely radiant formation. A golden deity that measured one thousand five hundred meters in height climbed out of the formation and stood up, holding a giant sword in its hand and swinging it horizontally at the colossal skeleton’s waist.

One strike wasn’t enough to bring down the colossal Dao Manifestation of Skeleton Wall City’s Gao Cheng, so the golden deity quickly launched another sword strike from the border of Malicious Ghost Valley and Skeleton Shoal. The colossal skeleton grabbed the sword with one hand, causing sparks of golden light to rain down on the earth. The entire Skeleton Shoal started to quake, and the colossal skeleton swung its arm and pushed the giant sword away. After doing this, its colossal body fell downward and instantly fused into the shadows on the ground, most likely retreating back to its territory in Malicious Ghost Valley.

The golden deity also retreated back to the formation, with the string of light returning to the ancestral hall in Wood Garment Mountain as well. The string of light condensed into a treasured jewel that rested in the mouth of a bronze flood dragon statue.

Silence gradually returned to the night sky of Skeleton Shoal.

Inside the immortal residence located at the waist of the mountain…

Pang Lanxi, the young man whom the Flax Robe Sect had extremely high hopes for, was sitting beside a stone table and intently observing the young wanderer sitting opposite him. Meanwhile, the latter continued to flick through a yellowing military book that he had looted from Sheep Intestine Palace.

Even though Pang Lanxi was young, he possessed very high seniority in the Flax Robe Sect as the only direct disciple of one of the old ancestors of the sect. Indeed, there were several Golden Core Tier cultivators who needed to refer to him as junior uncle. As for those at the Middle Five Tiers, they needed to go one step further and refer to him as ancestor junior uncle.

Only a single guest had stayed at the residence over the past three days, that being the swordsman in azure sitting opposite him right now. Pang Lanxi had come here several times already, and out of curiosity, he had already chatted with the young wanderer and asked him some questions. The young wanderer was clearly very open and sincere, and he hadn’t purposely avoided Pang Lanxi’s questions or beat around the bush either. Even so, Pang Lanxi would always feel like nothing important was discussed when he mulled over their conversations afterward.

It was very difficult to imagine that the person sitting in front of him was the same person who had appeared poor and stingy and had shamelessly haggled over a painting with him at Mural City.

At the time, Pang Lanxi’s childhood sweetheart had even run out of the shop to remind this person that it was a huge taboo to reveal one’s wealth when traveling through the cultivation world. As it turned out, they had both been completely fooled by this young wanderer.

The old ancestor responsible for maintaining rule and order in the ancestral hall hadn’t been willing to reveal the secret to Pang Lanxi, and he had simply said that these matters would be discussed when the sect leader returned to Wood Garment Mountain. After saying this, however, he had sighed with emotion and remarked that this young man was truly quite capable to have escaped from Gao Cheng’s grasp in Malicious Ghost Valley with his middling cultivation base.

After hearing this, Pang Lanxi had grown even more curious about what exactly had taken place in Malicious Ghost Valley. Just how had the person in front of him provoked the city lord of Skeleton Wall City?

Chen Ping’an put down the military book penned by a past general of the Divine Strategy Nation, and after recalling a matter, he smiled and asked, “Lanxi, the eight wall paintings in Mural City have already transformed into white sketches, so what are you going to do about your shops near the paintings of the Deer Rider Divine Maiden, the Hanging Inkstone Divine Maiden, and the Rain Bringer Divine Maiden?”

Pang Lanxi also felt slightly troubled, and he replied in helplessness, “What else can I do? Xingzi is almost worried to death, and she said that we definitely won’t get much business in the future. Now that Mural City has lost the three fated opportunities pertaining to the female heavenly officials, there’s no doubt that the number of visitors will drop off a cliff.

“But what else can I do? I could only console her and repeat some of the grand principles that I heard from my senior brothers and my junior nieces and nephews. However, Xingzi unexpectedly didn’t appreciate this, and she even got angry with me and started to give me the silent treatment instead. Chen Ping’an, why is Xingzi acting like this? I was clearly trying to console her and help, so why is she still unhappy with me?”

Chen Ping’an smiled faintly and asked, “Do you want to know why this is?”

“Of course I do,” Pang Lanxi replied with a nod.

Chen Ping’an’s smile grew even wider as he said, “Lanxi, I’ve heard that your great-grandfather still has a few complete box sets of the mural replicas of the heavenly officials. Moreover, these are your great-grandfather’s proudest works, the ones that he worked the longest and most earnestly to complete in his life.”

Pang Lanxi faltered for a moment before saying resolutely, “I’ll steal these mural replicas for you as long as you help me clear up my confusion.”

Chen Ping’an was left slightly speechless, and he gestured for Pang Lanxi, who had already stood up, to hurry up and sit down. “A noble person seizes not the favored items of others, and I don’t covet those sets of mural replicas either. I simply hope that you can convince your great-grandfather to pick up his calligraphy brush again and draw one or two sets of mural replicas that aren’t too much worse than his best ones. I’m willing to spend money to buy these, and I’m not asking you to steal anything from your great-grandfather. One set is enough, two sets is better, and three sets is naturally the best.”

“That’s all?” Pang Lanxi asked in a slightly suspicious voice.

Chen Ping’an nodded in response.

Pang Lanxi was still slightly hesitant, and he said, “There are advantages and disadvantages to stealing, with the disadvantage being that I’ll definitely be scolded and might even receive a beating. The advantage is that this will be a quick and straightforward transaction. On the other hand, stubbornly trying to convince my great-grandfather to pick up his calligraphy brush and earnestly draw again is a fairly challenging task.

“From the top to the bottom, everyone in the Flax Robe Sect has experienced the strange temper of my great-grandfather before. He always says that the more earnestly he draws and the more accurately the heavenly officials are depicted in his drawings, the more he’ll be offending and defiling them if the mural replicas are purchased by vulgar men in the world.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and said, “Sincerity is the key to success, and your great-grandfather might not have been able to capture the true essence of the heavenly officials if he hadn’t possessed this foundation of sincerity. Otherwise, would it be difficult for so-called masterful painters to observe the murals and replicate their brilliance? In the end, however, why were your great-grandfather’s mural replicas the most spirited and lively? This is because of his untainted heart, something that perhaps the eight heavenly officials all noticed in the past. It was this state of mind that allowed your great-grandfather to create magic with his calligraphy brush.”

Pang Lanxi blinked as he listened.

Was this the truth? Or were these mere words of flattery?

Outside the residence, there stood a tall and sturdy old man with white hair and a brush and an inkstone hanging by his waist. He turned around to look at his good friend, an old ancestor of the Flax Robe Sect who was just retracting his palm.

“With this little boy’s cultivation base, he shouldn’t be aware of our eavesdropping, should he?” the white-haired old man asked.

The old ancestor of the Flax Robe Sect smiled and replied, “I helped you conceal your aura, so he shouldn’t be aware of our presence. However, there are a myriad of immortal techniques in the world, so it’s always possible for there to be surprises. The fact that he was able to escape from Malicious Ghost Valley also means that he can’t be judged through ordinary lenses.”

The white-haired old man stroked his beard and chuckled, “No matter what, his words resonated deeply with me.”

The old ancestor of the Flax Robe Sect was none other than the person who had followed Jiang Shangzhen into the mystical realm of the mural before, and he asked, “Can you truly bring yourself to sell those mural replicas?”

Pang Lanxi’s great-grandfather, Pang Shanling, had once made a grand vow during his youth, saying that he would paint all of the majestic mountains in the world. However, he had settled down at the Flax Robe Sect for some unknown reason afterward, causing him to put this ambition on hold. “Then let’s observe them for a while longer? I want to see how this little boy from outside provides guidance to Lanxi,” Pang Lanxi replied in a quiet voice.

The old ancestor frowned and said in displeasure, “He’s a guest of the Flax Robe Sect, and it was only because I couldn’t endure your pestering just then that I channeled a minor mystical ability to eavesdrop on their conversation. However, eavesdropping any further will completely go against the hospitality manners of the Flax Robe Sect.”

Pang Shanling widened his eyes and exclaimed, “Lanxi has already lost the fated opportunity pertaining to the Deer Rider Divine Maiden, so if he faces bumps and obstacles with his romantic life as well, then let’s see if Lanxi’s master will give you a severe scolding!”

“He’s indeed very impressive when it comes to scolding people, but I’m more powerful than he is when it comes to beating people. When has it not been the case that he’ll feel extremely content for a brief moment after scolding someone, yet he’ll end up recuperating in bed for one entire month afterward?” the old ancestor snickered.

Pang Shanling suddenly smiled and said, “I’ll give you a set of yellow paper mural replicas when we return, a set that can be regarded as brilliantly beautiful.”

The old ancestor of the Flax Robe Sect raised his palm and activated his observation technique again, saying with a faint smile, “I was waiting for you to say this. However, you always drag your feet and beat around the bush first.”

The old ancestor retracted his mystical ability surprisingly quickly this time, causing Pang Shanling to ask in puzzlement, “Why did you stop?”

“The young man is getting a bit displeased, so we’d better stop before things get out of hand,” the old ancestor replied with a smile. “Otherwise, I’ll suffer greatly if he goes and complains to the sect leader afterward. There was such huge commotion in Malicious Ghost Valley, and Gao Cheng was finally pushed to summon his Dao Manifestation after so much difficulty, even leaving his territory and appearing at Skeleton Shoal. However, our sect leader surprisingly only managed to shave off one hundred years of his cultivation after not only attacking herself, but even activating the mountain-protection formation of our sect. Sect Leader will definitely be feeling very terrible when she returns to the sect this time.”

Pang Shanling felt slightly anxious. Malicious Ghost Valley had become comprehensively sealed off from the outside world these past two days, and even though all of the bonded candles in the ancestral hall were still ablaze, signifying that the cultivators of the Flax Robe Sect guarding Green Cottage Town and Orchid Scent Town were still alive, heavens knew whether Gao Cheng would suddenly descend into a fit of rage and decide to assure mutual destruction with the Flax Robe Sect?

At that time, the thousand-year standoff between Skeleton Shoal and Malicious Ghost Valley would be shattered in an instant, and Pang Shanling was afraid that there would suddenly come a tragic moment when the bonded candles in the ancestral hall were extinguished one after another. Moreover, the speed at which the candles would be extinguished would definitely be very quick.

No one could say for sure how many bonded candles would remain burning at the end, and even Sect Leader Zhu Quan and the Golden Core Tier Du Wensi weren’t safe from the danger of death. If a bloody battle truly took place at Malicious Ghost Valley, then judging by the personalities and demeanors of the cultivators from the Flax Robe Sect, it was entirely likely that the bonded candles of these powerful cultivators would actually be extinguished first.

The old ancestor guessed Pang Shanling’s thoughts, and he consoled with a smile, “Gao Cheng will definitely be filled with explosive fury after suffering wounds to his vital energy. This is completely understandable. However, there are still a few pieces of good news coming out from Malicious Ghost Valley. The person who launched the sword strikes back then was none other than White Cage City’s Pu Rang, and the Nascent Tier heroic spirit who was once a general of the Divine Strategy Nation has always been opposed to Skeleton Wall City.

“When the barrier of the mystical realm was torn open before, I saw him intentionally targeting Gao Cheng as well. Don’t forget, there’s also the peach tree forest in Malicious Ghost Valley that has the two mighty figures residing in the temple and the monastery. They won’t allow Gao Cheng to wantonly slaughter those in the mystical realm either.”

Pang Shanling nodded lightly and said, “Let’s hope that this is the case.”