Unsheathed

Even official immortals would be willing to fight to the death over worthy treasures. In fact, they were often even more brazen and inconsiderate of consequences than vagrant cultivators, wreaking immense destruction during the course of their battles, sometimes even completely destroying the mountain and water fortune of an area. In any case, they had the backing of their sects, so the local authorities wouldn’t dare to do anything to them.

“You can rest assured on that front, Brother Chen,” Daoist Master Sun said with a reassuring smile. “If we encounter official immortals from those two sects, I will inform them of my status as a cultivator of Infant Mountain, and I’m sure both Cloudtop City and the Rainbow Sparrow Residence would be willing to do me a favor.

“Having said that, revealing my identity would rob me of the chance to secure fated opportunities based on the merits of my abilities, so even if we encounter official immortals from those two sects, I won’t reveal my identity to them unless the understanding becomes too severe.”

As a complete fraud, Daoist Master Sun naturally couldn’t reveal this supposed identity of his to others, but Chen Ping’an made it appear as if he were completely convinced of Daoist Master Sun’s identity, praising, “Your foresight is truly exceptional, Daoist Master Sun. As a vagrant cultivator, I had thought that I had some experience when it comes to traversing the cultivation world, but I am sorely lacking even in this regard compared with you.”

Daoist Master Sun stroked his beard with a humble smile.

In his eyes, Chen Ping’an clearly wasn’t an honest person, but his praise came across as quite sincere.

The Northern Pavilion Nation was a rather small nation, while the cultivators of the Sacred Lotus Nation were quite inept, with the nation’s brightest cultivation talents often leaving for greener pastures.

The most renowned cultivator in the nation’s history was a female cultivator who was blessed with immense fortune, and it was said that she had already settled far away from her home nation, only occasionally sending back some cultivation supplies and resources to her clan.

Given her current position of prestige, even if she had heard about the immortal abode that had appeared in this place, she most likely wouldn’t be willing to come back for it. The fact that the first set of restrictions at the entrance of the so-called immortal abode had been broken by a mere Abode Tier cultivator indicated that there most likely wasn’t going to be much of value inside.

In contrast, the emergence of many truly powerful treasures and formidable immortal abodes was often accompanied by astonishing phenomena seen and felt far and wide.

Even if Di Yuanfeng were to receive news of the emergence of such a treasure or immortal abode, they would be wise to stay far away. The disciples of major sects had no patience for vagrant immortals like them, and they certainly had no qualms about killing vagrant cultivators, either.

In the past, there had been a very popular book on the Northern Complete Reed Continent called the Take Care Tome, and at the height of its popularity, virtually every single vagrant cultivator on the continent owned a copy.

However, for some reason, the book was banned just a year later, and all copies of it were ordered to be destroyed. The Jade Forest Sect had profited immensely from selling the book, but they had completely turned on their golden goose, becoming one of the spearheads in the effort to destroy all copies of the book on the continent.

Under their orders, none of the shops in any of the immortal ferry stations were permitted to sell the book. A popular theory was that several powerful sword immortals had come together to voice their complaints about the book, and that was why the Jade Forest Sect had turned on it in such a quick and decisive manner.

Di Yuanfeng had always wanted to get his hands on a copy of the book.

All he had heard was that the book had been authored by a foreign cultivator with the Jiang surname, and not only was it exceptionally well-written, it was filled with golden quotes to live by.

For example, according to Daoist Master Sun, one piece of advice in the book was that if a vagrant cultivator wished to take a risk and try to compete with an official immortal for a fated opportunity, then they had to be particularly wary of the disciples from major sects that were accompanied by celestial maidens, and the younger the disciple in question was, the more of a threat they posed.

This was because in a battle, they would be sure to go all-out in order to impress the celestial maidens by their side, and even against an Abode Tier vagrant cultivator, they would be sure to put in as much effort as if they were fighting a Golden Core Tier earth immortal, completely uncaring of how much spiritual energy they expended.

At the same time, the Take Care Tome also had included a strategy that one should adopt should they find themselves in a battle against a young disciple eager to show off to the women by their side. If a vagrant cultivator felt as if the battle were turning against their favor, the worst thing that they could do would be to make threats or put on a display of defiance.

Instead, they should immediately kneel and kowtow to the ground, but as opposed to begging the man for mercy, they should implore the celestial maiden instead. As they kowtowed, they had to ensure that the contact between their forehead and the ground was clearly audible, and that their pleas to the celestial maiden were loud and earnest. Only then would they perhaps be able to earn themselves a slim chance at survival.

Even though Di Yuanfeng had only heard bits and pieces out of the Take Care Tome, he was still convinced that this Senior Jiang was truly a brilliant man who had a masterful understanding of the human psyche, and that his advice was incredibly useful and practical.

As Chen Ping’an walked alongside Di Yuanfeng’s trio, he took a glance up at the sky, and he was suddenly feeling a little disappointed in himself.

Compared with searching for fated opportunities on his own, it seemed that he still preferred to interact with others, even if they were unscrupulous individuals harboring ulterior motives.

At the same time, he had always felt a sense of fear and veneration toward this vast world. He had felt this way during his first-ever journey out of the Jewel Small World, and that hadn’t changed since then.

Otherwise, given his current cultivation base and powers, there was no need for him to seek reassurance by allying himself with others, and this was not a good crutch to rely on.

However, it was something that he could only change over time.

Lu Tai had already identified this flaw in him many years ago and warned him that this habit could get him in trouble.

Of course, principles were easy to listen to and acknowledge, but they were often difficult to implement in one’s life. This was the same for everyone, and Chen Ping’an was no exception.

At the moment, Chen Ping’an was making a journey along the great river for Chen Lingjun’s sake, but that didn’t mean that he could slack off in his cultivation. In fact, it had been a top priority of his for the past few years to reach the Vajra Body Tier.

Additionally, he also wanted to earn more money so that he could purchase a replica flying sword or two from Hatred Sword Mountain.

Back in the Skeleton Shoal, Chen Ping’an had learned many things from Yang Ningxing.

At the time, the scholar that was a manifestation of the evil in Yang Ningxing had displayed a Hatred Sword Mountain replica flying sword. It was a very convincing replica, one that managed to fool even Chen Ping’an, despite the fact that he was quite knowledgeable about flying swords.

Even though First and Fifteenth weren’t bonded flying swords of his, as long as he could successfully refine them, he would be able to treat them like bonded items of his, similar to what Gu Mo had done, and essentially, he would gain two formidable offensive treasures.

If he could also obtain two more replica flying swords from Hatred Sword Mountain, then he would have more surprises up his sleeve, making it even more difficult for his opponents to get a good grasp on him in battle.

First, he would display a Hatred Sword Mountain replica sword, then release First. The third sword that he had displayed would be another replica sword, and he would save Fifteenth for last.

If his opponent could survive to witness all four swords, then they would surely be utterly confounded by the end.

The cultivation world was a perilous place, and it was certainly a case of the more the merrier when it came to tricks like these upon one’s sleeve.

————

The four men were walking along a small and winding mountain path, and they had to travel for over fifty more kilometers to reach the immortal abode.

Right at this moment, Huang Shi began to slow down, following which Di Yuanfeng stopped in his tracks and grabbed onto the hilt of his saber.

After that, Daoist Master Sun also realized that something was amiss, and he cast his gaze forward to discover a rundown pergola in the distance. It was crawling with vines and wild grass, looking very out of place, and some of the trees nearby appeared to have been recently felled.

Chen Ping’an had already sensed that something was unusual about that pergola well ahead of Di Yuanfeng’s trio.

Someone that dared to light a campfire in such a blatant fashion in the night had to have been an official immortal, and one that was quite important or formidable, at that.

An imposing man emerged from the pergola, and Chen Ping’an was immediately able to identify him as General Gao Ling of the Sacred Lotus Nation, the very same general that had attacked the Sea Filling Daoist by that river, only to be forced back to his louchuan by Chen Ping’an.

On this occasion, Gao Ling wasn’t wearing his suit of Dew Armor from last time, and he was accompanied by an unfamiliar martial artist whose aura indicated that he was roughly at the Vajra Body Tier.

It was unclear whether he was a local martial artist of the Northern Pavilion Nation or a martial artist from the Sacred Lotus Nation instead, but the chances of the latter being true were quite slim. The Sacred Lotus Nation was not a large nation, and from what Chen Ping’an had seen while traveling through the nation, it appeared that scholars were championed over martial artists there, so the nation’s martial fortune was most likely rather limited.

As for the woman that Gao Ling had been taking orders from on the louchuan, she was most definitely a cultivator. While chatting with the female shopkeeper of the teahouse at the Peach Blossom Ferry Station, Chen Ping’an had learned that there was a woman by the name of Bai Bi from a wealthy clan of the Sacred Lotus Nation. At a very young age, she was chosen to become a direct disciple of a sect on the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

Taking into account the age and timing at which she left the Sacred Lotus Nation, Chen Ping’an did some rough calculations and deduced that the woman on the louchuan had most likely been none other than Bai Bi, the final disciple of the Water Dragon Sect’s Unpolished Jade Tier sect leader.

After a tense silence, Chen Ping’an asked a rather awkward question: “Should we go straight through the pergola, Daoist Master Sun?”

Daoist Master Sun’s expression remained unchanged, and he appeared as composed as ever, but Di Yuanfeng was feeling a little agitated.

Chen Ping’an turned to see Di Yuanfeng’s brows slightly furrowed, while Huang Shi appeared just as composed as Daoist Master Sun.

Chen Ping’an immediately came to realize that this “Qin Yuanfeng” was still completely oblivious to who was the true unfathomable master of their trio.

On the surface, Huang Shi’s breathing and footsteps all indicated that he was a fifth tier pure martial artist.

However, as someone who was well-versed in disguising his cultivation base, it quickly became clear to Chen Ping’an that Huang Shi was doing just that.

Even though Chen Ping’an was very young, he had traveled extensively and accumulated a great deal of experience, and with that experience, he was able to see some of the holes in Huang Shi’s act, betraying his true status as a Vajra Body Tier cultivator.

In fact, there was a very good chance that he was a very formidable martial artist even among those of the Vajra Body Tier.

It was truly commendable that a master of his caliber was willing to put on such an act to entertain his two companions.

As for Chen Ping’an himself, he was only a third tier Qi refiner, so he had to do the opposite of Huang Shi was doing and make his cultivation base appear more inflated than it actually was.

After emerging from the pergola, Gao Ling and the other martial artist simply stood there, neither advancing further toward Chen Ping’an’s group, nor returning to the pergola.

Chen Ping’an decided that it was time to let Daoist Master Sun off the hook, and he said, “They don’t look like very friendly or easygoing people, Daoist Master Sun. Should we avoid them and go around the pergola instead?”

Daoist Master Sun was very relieved to be given a way out, and he nodded as he said, “Cultivators like us should not engage in contests of moral superiority.”

Thus, the four of them turned to leave, but right at this moment, a handsome young man in a brocade robe emerged from the pergola.

There was a translucent mutton fat jade flute strapped to his waist, and even though it was winter, he was holding a closed folding fan, which he was gently drumming against the palm of his hand as he smiled and said, “Fate has brought all of us together here, so why be in such a hurry to leave? Why don’t you come in and join me for a chat instead?”

As soon as Chen Ping’an caught sight of the handsome young man, he immediately thought of He Lu of Verdant Bamboo Lake, the disciple and son that had been kept hidden by City Lord Ye Han of Yellow Axe City. He Lu and Yan Qing of the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm had once been revered as the Golden Boy and Jade Girl of the dozen or so nations in that region.

“From the looks of it, that must be the most renowned son of the feudal lord of the Northern Pavilion Nation,” Di Yuanfeng said in a low voice.

Zhan Qing was the only son of the Northern Pavilion Nation’s Heroic Will Feudal Lord. He was well-known for his propensity for romantic entanglements, and he had quite a polarising reputation in the officialdom.

If he were to hook up with a renowned beauty of the Northern Pavilion Nation, then he would be strongly denounced by the literati of the nation, whereas if he were to become entangled with a noblewoman of the Celestial Water Nation or the Sacred Lotus Nation, then he would be lauded as a hero by the entire Northern Pavilion Nation.

There had never been any rumors suggesting that Zhan Qing had trained in martial arts or dabbled in cultivation.

Despite the best efforts of Daoist Master Sun and Di Yuanfeng, they were unable to discern any threatening qualities about him. All they could see was that his footsteps were quite light, and that his voice was slightly feeble, indicating that his health was suffering from regular sexual overexertion.

Chen Ping’an wasn’t able to glean the true depths of the young man, either, and that meant that he would have to keep an extra close eye on him.

Zhan Qing’s expression darkened slightly as he asked, “What? You’re going to refuse my invitation just because you’re high-and-mighty immortals? Do I have to kneel down and kowtow to you to be granted the honor of having a chat with your esteemed selves?”

Chen Ping’an was feeling a little exasperated. If it weren’t for his prestigious background, it would’ve been a minor miracle that Zhan Qing had lived to this day.

At the same time, this was also a telltale sign that Cloudtop City and the Rainbow Sparrow Residence were indeed very benevolent immortal sects.

Otherwise, if these two immortal sects had always been very ruthless and domineering over the past few centuries, then none of the nearby nobles would’ve dared to be so arrogant. Instead, they would’ve learned their lessons long ago and become much more restrained and understated.

At the very least, someone like Zhan Qing wouldn’t be behaving in such a domineering fashion in the presence of a group of cultivators he had never met before. If this wasn’t courting death, then nothing would constitute such a concept.

After some communication through their minds’ lakes, Daoist Master Sun and Di Yuanfeng still decided to avoid a direct confrontation.

If the two martial artists decided to pursue them anyway, then they would just have to fight. Vagrant cultivators weren’t just doormats that anyone could step on as they pleased.