Unsheathed

He Lu’s expression was livid.

With Old Ancestor Fan Weiran as their leader, the Qi refiners from the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm and its subordinate forces all had complicated expressions on their faces.

Theoretically speaking, this should have been a rare and entertaining scene. In fact, it should have been a hugely entertaining scene. However, the cultivators were afraid that they would become part of the entertainment after enjoying this enrapturing appetizer.

As for the Qi refiners on City Lord Ye Han’s side, they were all filled with righteous indignance, yet they didn’t dare to say a single word. Not a single one of them dared to speak up.

The two groups of cultivators all felt intense hatred toward Verdant Bamboo Lake right now. What dogshit mountain and water formation of the dragon palace was this?! It was as strong as a block of watery tofu!

Lake Lord Yin Hou remained silent, standing still with his head lowered and his gaze locked on the ground.

This was very interesting and worth ruminating over. Even wealthy clans would shout in displeasure if one of their unimportant mud walls was knocked over, yet the lake lord remained completely silent after the formation of his dragon palace was shattered apart? This signified a huge loss of immortal coins!

Didn’t people all say that Verdant Bamboo Lake was the most powerful force in the Silver Screen Nation? Couldn’t Lake Lord Yin Hou rival the formal gods of the Five Mountains? The officials and nobles outside the mountains were also extremely respectful toward the Verdant Bamboo Lake, with no one voicing any complaints even when Lake Lord Yin Hou flagrantly wore dragon robes that only emperors could wear.

There were indeed some cultivators with low cultivation bases and short tempers who had wanted to step forward and stand up for He Lu, yearning to chide the young immortal who was completely surrounded by cultivators from Verdant Bamboo Lake and the two immortal forces. By stepping forward and causing a scene, these lowly cultivators hoped to earn some goodwill from Young Immortal He and Yellow Axe City without needing to spend a single copper coin.

Before they could do anything, however, they were immediately given warnings through their mind’s lakes by the experienced and wise cultivators beside them, their seniors, or their good friends. At the end of the day, the cultivators voicing the warnings were also afraid of being dragged down by these rash individuals. This sword immortal was powerful enough to block a heavenly tribulation, so it wouldn’t be strange if he accidentally killed a few people when he casually unleashed a ray of sword light.

There was no longer a cold smile tugging at Fan Weiran’s lips, and she instead appeared slightly expressionless at this moment.

City Lord Ye Han turned his head, looking at the sword immortal in white who had slashed open the two powerful formations with a single sword strike as he asked, “Sword Immortal, do you insist on fighting to the death and ensuring mutual destruction?”

Chen Ping’an casually tossed the sword scabbard to the ground, causing it to also pierce into the floor of the dragon palace. He then retrieved the folding fan from beside his waist, neither looking at Ye Han nor looking at He Lu as he lightly tapped the fan against his palm. There was a wide smile on his face as his gaze wandered around the room, starting from a white-haired old man sitting cross-legged to his left and shifting his gaze from the front of the palace all the way to the back where the entrance was.

Chen Ping’an looked over the cultivators one by one, saying, “I heard that some esteemed immortal from Blissful Dream Peak had a very unique and fresh idea, surprisingly asking a martial arts grandmaster from the cultivation world to eat shit inside a cart of faeces. Who came up with this wonderful idea? How about you step forward so I can admire you? If you’re too lazy to stand, then raising your hand will also suffice.”

Standing amid the cultivators from the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm, there was a young man and a young woman who exchanged a surprised glance with each other.

Wasn’t this sword immortal standing in front of them the person in azure who had been wearing a bamboo hat and eating breakfast at a roadside stall outside Imperial Accompanying City that morning? His clothes were different and his demeanor was different, but his appearance was definitely the same as before!

The young woman couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Her junior brother had truly jinxed the situation! Standing in front of the city gates that morning, the old man who had a small monkey squatting on his shoulder was none other than the culprit who had snatched away the extremely valuable immortal treasure. And now, the young wanderer in azure had turned around and transformed into a formidable sword immortal!

Chen Ping’an’s gaze eventually settled on a group of Qi refiners sitting near the middle of the dragon palace.

A man who was sitting relatively closer to the entrance of the palace shrank back in apprehension.

Chen Ping’an had asked a question, yet there was no need for the cultivators to say anything for the answer to reveal itself. Indeed, cultivators from the mountains often sought peace and tranquility and were unwilling to become involved in the troublesome matters of other people.

When standing at the entrance of the city god temple and asking for the main official of the Yin Yang Department before, the minor but tacit reactions of the main official’s colleagues had been relatively immediate and resolute.

The situation right now was identical.

Chen Ping’an raised a hand, and an orb of black mist — the soul of the cultivator who had instructed the young woman to kill the baby — had already shrunk from the size of a fist to the size of a jujube pit thanks to the astral aura circling around it. Chen Ping’an gently twirled a finger, causing wisps of astral energy to envelop the orb of black mist and grind it down even further as he smiled and said, “I forgot to ask this vagrant cultivator for his name, but he told me that the official immortals of Blissful Dream Peak were the masterminds behind his actions. However, I’m aware that you likely don’t have the brains or the courage, so was Great City Lord Ye the true mastermind, or was Young Immortal He the true mastermind?”

The four Qi refiners from Blissful Dream Peak gritted their teeth in anger, but they remained seated and unmoving like extremely stable boulders.

Chen Ping’an smiled and continued, “You don’t need to say anything if you don’t want to, but there’s just one thing that I’m curious about: regardless of whether it was the prudent City Lord Ye or the scheming He Lu who tasked you with these matters, did they fork out the funds for you carry out your missions? If they didn’t, then Yellow Axe City is far too stingy and unkind.”

He Lu slowly stood up, with his expression returning to normal as he announced loudly, “I’ll take ownership for my own actions, so there’s no need for you to yammer about me going first or whatnot. All of the conflicts, gratitude, and resentment of Imperial Accompanying City will end with me, He Lu. If I die in battle, then that will naturally mean that Sword Immortal has superior skills, so I won’t have any regrets or complaints. What does Sword Immortal say?”

Ye Han smiled faintly upon hearing this.

If they didn’t take this gamble, then everyone present at the banquet hosted by Lake Lord Yin Hou would be disunited like a pile of loose sand, with their minds and ambitions completely incompatible. At that time, the group of cultivators who could theoretically rival an immortal would disintegrate into a useless rabble.

Fan Weiran was slightly astonished, and as she looked up, the old ancestor of the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm finally felt some respect for this young man from Yellow Axe City.

In the past, she had simply felt like He Lu was a cultivation talent who was no inferior to Little Yan. He was fairly clever and good with people, yet he was unexpectedly calm and composed while walking a tightrope between life and death. This was no easy feat.

Face as calm as still water while violent thunder boomed in the chest — such an individual could be appointed a great general.

This saying was a perfect fit for He Lu.

He possessed both good talent and good disposition, so as long as he didn’t die young, he would definitely achieve great success on the path to the Great Dao!

Fan Weiran silently pondered on this.

Perhaps she should agree to the relationship between Little Yan and He Lu — a match made in heaven — after they overcame this difficult situation at the banquet in the dragon palace of Verdant Bamboo Lake? He Lu was an outsider at Yellow Axe City, after all, so he would definitely be unable to succeed Ye Han as the next city lord. That being the case, she could potentially rely on Little Yan’s relationship with He Lu to drag him into the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm instead. By doing so, she could weaken Yellow Axe City while strengthening the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm further, and at the same time, she could also anger Ye Han to death.

Once the enviable Golden Boy and Jade Girl became immortal Dao partners and advanced to the Golden Core Tier together, Yellow Axe City would face a dismal situation where young talents couldn’t replace old talents, meaning that Ye Han would be forced to support Yellow Axe City all by himself. If the conditions were suitable, Fan Weiran could foresee more than half of the immortal mountains in the dozen or so nations becoming part of the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm’s territory in the future. With He Lu’s foresight and ambition, Fan Weiran was sure that he understood this very clearly as well.

“Ye Han, if this person mispeaks, even slightly, then he’ll incite outrage among all of the cultivators. At that time, we can’t let slip the opportunity that He Lu has worked so hard to create,” Fan Weiran quickly said using her mind’s voice.

She then continued, “You and I should put aside our differences today and sincerely cooperate to overcome this challenge! The situation is dire, so we shouldn’t hold back and act selfishly anymore.”

Ye Han firmly agreed with Fan Weiran.

“I thought you were going to say that I shouldn’t take things too far and to be lenient where there is room to do so. However, your words just then also proved that you, He Lu, were indeed the one who masterminded all of the schemes at Imperial Accompanying City,” Chen Ping’an said.

He then smiled and continued, “Since Young Immortal He is willing to take responsibility, I respect you for being honest and brave. Very well, we’ll have everything end with you, He Lu. If you can’t pull out the sword, then I’ll only take your head today at the dragon palace of Verdant Bamboo Lake.”

He Lu faltered upon hearing this.

To say nothing of the others, even Fan Weiran felt slightly more at ease at this moment.

The sword immortal’s reply was truly very unexpected. However, if the conflict today truly ended without breaking out into chaos, then why would Fan Weiran not feel content? She would feel content even if a few more people were killed, as long as the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm wasn’t affected too much. In that case, her secret agreement with Yellow Axe City’s Ye Han could naturally be scrapped as well.

Ye Han’s expression changed slightly.

Chen Ping’an used his folding fan to point at Sword Immortal, which was still diagonally impaled in the ground, saying, “Please don’t hold back, Young Immortal He. Feel free to retrieve the sword. How many cultivators will feel gratitude toward you after you die today? This will indeed be a worthy death.”

He Lu could no longer maintain his calm and composed expression, with his gaze shifting slightly and turning toward his master, Ye Han.

A beautiful young woman walked out from behind the dazzling jewel curtains hanging over the side entrance of the palace, exclaiming in anger, “What are you doing, bastard?! Why are you so brutish and domineering? So what if you’re a sword immortal whom everyone is afraid of? How can cultivators kill people so wantonly and ruthlessly…?”

The dazzling jewel curtain fell behind her, playing a crisp melody of colliding jade beads as it did so.

Lake Lord Yin Hou flared up in rage, not even turning around as he vigorously swept an arm outward and roared, “Go back inside!”

His furious strike sent the young dragon woman crashing back into the side hall, obliterating the jewel curtain as she violently slammed into a wall. There was only a single impact sound, meaning that her slender figure hadn’t fallen to the ground. In other words, she was most likely embedded in the wall.

Lake Lord Yin Hou’s strike was extremely forceful, and it was clear that he hadn’t held back much.

Chen Ping’an smiled and looked at the lake lord who was wearing a reddish-purple Dao robe. He then looked around at the palace and remarked, “This is a good place.”

Lake Lord Yin Hou bowed and said, “It’s a great honor to have Sword Immortal grace my small residence with your presence.”

Chen Ping’an made a tapping motion with the folding fan in his hand, saying with his smile, “The events at the water goddess temple of Peony Stream was the first time, and the warm-up and small fight between us above Verdant Bamboo Lake was the second time. Gathering the cultivators in the dragon palace and having a long-distance battle of Dao power with me while I was at Imperial Accompanying City was the third time. It’s often said that the same mistake can’t be made more than three times, but taking into account the dragon woman who stepped forward and spoke up in a righteous manner just then, it’s already been four times now. What should we do about this?”

Lake Lord Yin Hou didn’t straighten his back and stand up, and he simply looked up slightly and replied in a solemn voice, “Verdant Bamboo Lake will do whatever Sword Immortal commands!”

Chen Ping’an didn’t offer a response to this, and he said in an understanding manner, “There’s no rush, Lake Lord. Let’s continue this discussion after Young Immortal He attempts to pull out the sword. After all, what if he does manage to somehow pull out the sword? Won’t you be stupefied again at that time? By being so cold-hearted and turning against your allies this early, your dragon palace might suffer when sharing the spoils afterward, causing you to make much fewer immortal coins.”

There was a pitiful look in Lake Lord Yin Hou’s eyes as he smiled bitterly and said, “Sword Immortal is so humorous.”

Chen Ping’an used his folding fan to point at the white-haired old man sitting beside He Lu, saying, “It’s time for you to step forward and turn around this perilous situation. Otherwise, it will be too late for you to reassure the others with your words and turn the tables with your strength afterward.”

Ye Han heaved a soft sigh.

The old man who had just received some secret instructions from City Lord Ye Han didn’t know whether to stand or remain seated. He was between a rock and a hard place.

In the end, his might and aura fell drastically as he mustered his courage and stood up, saying, “Then allow this old bag of bones, who’s already one step in the grave, to boldly say a few things to Sword Immortal?”

However, everyone in the dragon palace simply heard the sword immortal quietly murmur, “What a shame.”

Moreover, his expression was as if he still yearned for more of the same?

Sure enough, the speech and actions of sword immortals were completely incomprehensible and impervious to reason.

Yan Qing turned around, and this was because the innocent-looking Little Cui was secretly tugging on her sleeve.

Yan Qing silently raised a finger, gesturing for the young girl who always spoke in an unrestrained manner at home to remain silent.

The young girl smiled knowingly and nodded lightly in response, using the ripples of her mind’s lake to say to Yan Qing, “Aunt Master Yan, he’s engaging in minor cultivation of his mind right now. It appears very strange, and even I can only see a very hazy picture. It’s as if… he’s a woodsman sharpening his hatchet before chopping down firewood. However, I can vaguely sense that he’s feeling dissatisfied about the small number of people here. There aren’t enough whetstones here, and I can faintly discern the silhouette of an entire city. He’s most likely thinking about the many residents of Imperial Accompanying City…

“In any case, this is most likely the situation right now. This person is extremely sly, and he purposely used those incredibly stupid snakes to temper his physique during the battle at Verdant Bamboo Lake before. And now, he’s doing much the same thing again. Sigh, Aunt Master Yan is also aware that I used to always respect and admire the types of sword immortals that Second Ancestor always mentioned and talked about. However, I don’t dare to look up to them anymore. They’re far too terrifying.”

Yan Qing found this inconceivable, and Little Cui’s words caused her to feel even more uneasy and weary.

Ever since embarking on the path of cultivation, her mental state had never been as chaotic as it was right now.

The immortal technique that the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm used for cultivating the mind was ineffective at this moment, as was her own ability to calm her mind and focus her attention.

The sword immortal in white suddenly started to talk to himself, appearing slightly exasperated as he muttered, “Alright, I guess this will work if you say so.”