Unsheathed

A ship that was traveling toward the former Central Mountain of the fallen Luminous Vermilion Empire had stopped midway at a ferry station called the Miasma Ferry Station.

Two men and a woman disembarked from the ship there, while Wei Bo stood on the observation deck on the top floor of the ship, watching the trio depart.

As the ship approached the Luminous Vermilion Empire, Wei Bo was essentially entering someone else’s territory, and his connection to Cloud Drape Mountain had lessened significantly as a result. Once he arrived on the new Central Mountain of the Great Li Empire, the debilitating effects would only become more pronounced.

These were simply intangible rules of heaven and earth that all mountain and water deities had to abide by. A mountain god’s powers would be handicapped upon entering a body of water, and the same applied to water deities making forays into the mountains. Similarly, a mountain god leaving his own territory to visit another mountain god would have to accept the same hindrances.

However, this was not a major concern for Wei Bo, who was the first-ever mountain god in the history of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent to have reached the Upper Five Tiers. That Central Mountain God was equivalent to an Unpolished Jade Tier cultivator, but he was still not truly a deity of the Upper Five Tiers.

On this occasion, Wei Bo was very justified in his departure from the Northern Mountain, both for official and personal reasons, so even if the Great Li Empire wasn’t necessarily pleased to see this, they were at least willing to turn a blind eye.

Officially, it was Xu Ruo who had introduced Wei Bo to the Great Li Empire, and back then, Wei Bo had left Go Table Mountain together with Xu Ruo to go to Cloud Drape Mountain.

The trio that had just disembarked from the ship consisted of the hunch-backed and empty-handed Zhu Lian, the tall and handsome Lu Baixiang with Halting Snow hanging from his waist, and Liu Chongrun.

At the ferry station, Liu Chongrun was looking a little uneasy as she said to Zhu Lian, “It won’t be a difficult task to find the water palace and the dragon boat. The former is something that was fully refined by an ancient immortal, and I’m confident that I can collect it using a secret technique. Using that secret technique, I can reduce the water palace to the size of a mere horse-drawn carriage, and we’ll be able to transport it onto the ship.

“However, the dragon boat has only ever gone through a process of basic refinement, so if we wish to take it back to the Dragon Spring Prefecture, then we’ll have to spend some money and have the dragon boat pose as an immortal ship.”

“Not to worry,” Zhu Lian reassured with a smile. “The Great Li Empire’s military will be sending people to escort and protect us on our journey, and I assure you we’ll be able to return to Downtrodden Mountain onboard the dragon boat without a hitch.”

“You’re not joking around with me, are you, Mr. Zhu?” Liu Chongrun asked with a wry smile.

“You are the leader of a sect and a lofty Golden Core Tier earth immortal, while I’m just an unsightly old man. I wouldn’t dare to try and make jokes at your expense, Island Master Liu,” Zhu Lian replied with a serious expression.

Liu Chongrun felt like she had no choice but to trust Zhu Lian.

The water palace and the dragon boat had always been two things that had weighed significantly on her mind.

She had to exercise extreme prudence in who she chose to give those things to, and if she gave them to the wrong person, then that could spell disaster for Bejeweled Hairpin Island, one that could even lay waste to the island’s ancestral hall.

Prior to making a deal with Downtrodden Mountain, Liu Chongrun had weighed up her options and chosen to reveal the existence of the water palace to the True Realm Sect. In doing so, she had hoped that Bejeweled Hairpin Island would be able to continue existing as a standalone island and avoid being reduced to a subsidiary island of the True Realm Sect.

Essentially, she was providing compensation to the True Realm Sect as a form of appeasement in exchange for autonomy. As expected of a lower sect to the vastly renowned Jade Tablet Sect, the True Realm Sect hadn’t turned on Liu Chongrun when others in their position would’ve likely silenced her before claiming the treasures for themselves.

Not only was Bejeweled Hairpin Island able to preserve its ancestral hall, but it had also earned itself a Peace and Safety Tablet from the Great Li Empire’s Ministry of Justice. This was why Liu Chongrun hadn’t personally visited Downtrodden Mountain the first time; she had only chosen to send a few direct disciples of hers who were familiar with Chen Ping’an.

However, the subsequent events that transpired had completely subverted Liu Chongrun’s expectations. The True Realm Sect had given up on claiming the water palace for some reason, yet the Peace and Safety Tablet that was given to the Bejeweled Hairpin Island wasn’t retracted.

Feeling very uneasy, Liu Chongrun had paid a visit to Palace Willow Island, and of course, she wasn’t granted an audience with the mysterious Sect Leader Jiang. Instead, she met with the chief guest elder of the True Realm Sect, Liu Laocheng, who told her that there was nothing to worry about and that she could keep the Peace and Safety Tablet without any fear of repercussions.

This didn’t do much to assuage Liu Chongrun’s concerns at all, but there was nothing that she could do. It wasn’t like she could force the True Realm Sect to accept the water palace.

That was what had finally convinced Liu Chongrun to move to the Dragon Spring Prefecture. For this purpose, she personally paid a visit to Downtrodden Mountain and chose Ao Back Ridge. She had made no secret of the fact that the True Realm Sect was aware of the existence of the water palace and the dragon boat. She also revealed the decision made by the True Realm Sect, in response to which Zhu Lian had given her a rather strange smile.

Just like Liu Laocheng, he also told her that there was nothing for her to worry about, and he also assured her that even if Downtrodden Mountain chose not to claim those two treasures, at the very least, they wouldn’t leak the information to anyone else.

Liu Chongrun’s concerns were still not put to rest.

Upon returning to her home nation, Liu Chongrun was overcome by a myriad of emotions. If it weren’t for the sake of recovering the water palace and dragon boat, she would’ve most likely never set foot in this place again.

Liu Chongrun’s mind was already fully made up when it came to the water palace and the dragon boat.

A water palace served as the foundation of a sect, and it could be said that it was a natural immortal abode, combining an ancestral hall, a place of cultivation for earth immortals, and a mountain and water formation into one.

In a place like Bamboo Scroll Lake, which had a great affinity with water, a water palace was something that was highly sought after even for earth immortals, and it was sufficient to support the cultivation of a Nascent Tier cultivator. This was why the True Realm Sect had immediately given Liu Chongrun a priceless Peace and Safety Tablet as a show of sincerity.

As for the giant dragon boat, while it wasn’t quite fit for intercontinental travel, it could certainly do a fine job transporting large quantities of items across a continent. For Bejeweled Hairpin Island, it wasn’t something that they could make use of, but it was exactly what Downtrodden Mountain needed in its current stage of development.

While Liu Chongrun was distracted by her thoughts, Lu Baixiang and Zhu Lian were communicating with one another through voice transmission.

Lu Baixiang smiled as he asked, “Even if we manage to successfully bring back the dragon boat, won’t it hinder your cultivation if you have to travel all over the place? Once you become the face of Downtrodden Mountain, you can no longer be the reckless martial arts maniac of old. Wouldn’t that be a real pain for you?”

“I’m perfectly happy with how things are turning out,” Zhu Lian replied with a smile.

“If you’re plotting something, then you better not get exposed,” Lu Baixiang warned. “Even if Chen Ping’an spares you for old time’s sake, I will kill you myself.”

“You won’t get the chance to kill me,” Zhu Lian replied.

“Are you saying I won’t be able to kill you, or are you saying you’re truly content on Downtrodden Mountain, so I won’t ever have to kill you?” Lu Baixiang asked.

“In the history of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, Lu Baixiang has always been renowned for his ruthlessness and decisiveness. Since when did you become so indecisive and hesitant?” Zhu Lian asked, posing a question of his own.

Lu Baixiang offered no response.

In the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, Lu Baixiang had lived during an earlier point in history than Zhu Lian.

“It’s just as I thought, Young Master Chen is the only one who truly knows me. Even Cui Dongshan doesn’t understand me quite as well, and you and the two others who also came out of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land are way off in comparison,” Zhu Lian said with a smile.

Lu Baixiang merely smiled as he gently laid a hand on the hilt of his saber.

Zhu Lian took a glance at Lu Baixiang’s saber, then challenged, “If you try to attack me, you won’t even get a chance to draw your saber from its scabbard.”

“I don’t believe that,” Lu Baixiang said with a smile.

“How about a sparring match later?” Zhu Lian proposed.

“I’ll pass for now. Let’s wait for a few years,” Lu Baixiang refused with a shake of his head.

“I’m just worried that you may have spent too much time in a small place and grown too complacent and conceited,” Zhu Lian said with a smile.

Lu Baixiang turned to look at Zhu Lian, and the latter looked right back at him as he continued, “Our Lotus Flower Blessed Land didn’t have any cultivators, so it must’ve been quite jarring for you, coming to the Majestic World. I bet you’ve constantly been keeping your saber by your side for the past few years, haven’t you?

“Do you think that you’re invincible as long as your saber is within your grasp? Why don’t you acknowledge your true desires and go cultivate like Sui Youbian? Wouldn’t that be a better path for you to pursue?”

“You’re one to talk!” Lu Baixiang countered. “You’re constantly hiding on Downtrodden Mountain, so of course you don’t have to worry about your own safety. How could you possibly compare with me?”

“Practising fist techniques is a private matter, so don’t ask me about it,” Zhu Lian scoffed. “I can tell you whatever I want, whether it be sweet lies, harsh truths, or whatever you want to hear. As for what the reality actually is, that’s something that you’ll have to figure out yourself.”

“That is a little troublesome,” Lu Baixiang sighed.

“Back in a small place like our Lotus Flower Blessed Land, possessing good aptitude and fortune is often enough to mask certain shortcomings, such as a lack of conviction and clarity,” Zhu Lian said with a smile. “However, such shortcomings must be stamped out in a much larger and more competitive world like this one. Out of the four of us to have come out of the picture scrolls, you’re the only one who I’ve taken a bit of a liking to, so I’m going to tell you some harsh truths rather than try to placate you.”

Lu Baixiang nodded in response, seemingly having taken Zhu Lian’s words to heart.

Liu Chongrun didn’t know what the two of them were communicating about, but even as a Golden Core Tier earth immortal, a shiver ran down her spine at the brief instant of killing intent displayed by Lu Baixiang just now.

Lu Baixiang was only a rather insignificant figure on Downtrodden Mountain, and the fact that even he posed a potent threat to Liu Chongrun was a rather disheartening revelation for her.

She couldn’t help but wonder when her Bejeweled Hairpin Island would truly be able to stake a foothold in the world and not have to constantly appease others.

She had departed from Bamboo Scroll Lake with all of her direct disciples, leaving only an empty ancestral hall behind. She had already committed to starting anew on Ao Back Ridge, but even now, she still wasn’t sure if it was actually a wise decision.

At the moment, all she knew was that both Zhu Lian and Lu Baixiang were top-tier martial artists. The two of them would have been treated as esteemed guests by the rulers of any of the empires in the history of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and of course, a part of the reason for this was that they were both very formidable martial artists.

However, the most important underlying reason was that martial artists of the Three Mind Tempering Tiers had a substantial impact on the martial fortune of a nation. Compared with the mountain and water deities who consolidated the land, martial artists of this caliber weren’t inferior in the slightest in terms of importance. In fact, it could be argued that they were even more valuable.

Liu Chongrun didn’t know what Zhu Lian and Lu Baixiang’s exact cultivation bases were, nor could she tell which one of the two was the superior martial artist. After all, she hadn’t had an opportunity to see them in a serious battle thus far.

For Zhu Lian, her impression of him was that he was a very capable steward who served Downtrodden Mountain well. He was always friendly and amicable, and he was extremely shrewd and attentive when it came to doing business and tending to guests. Outside of that, Liu Chongrun didn’t know much about him at all, and she felt like the more she interacted with him, the more of a mystery he became.

In contrast, it was very clear that Lu Baixiang was not to be messed with, and the constant aura of sharpness and hostility around him would have even a blind man ducking for cover.

Liu Chongrun had come to discover that Downtrodden Mountain seemed to have been harboring many secrets, and the more of these secrets she uncovered, the more secrets she felt like there were to be uncovered.

Northern Mountain God Wei Bo was a regular visitor on Downtrodden Mountain, yet the hunch-backed and rather sleazy-looking man never displayed any respect or veneration toward the Unpolished Jade Tier mountain god.

The female shopkeeper of the pastry shop on Dragon Riding Alley was also very strange. She had the aura of a yin entity, yet she possessed a substantial body, and Liu Chongrun was completely unable to glean her cultivation base.

Then there were the three demons, Chen Ruchu, Chen Lingjun, and Zhou Mili. Among them, Chen Lingjun seemed to have been close to the Dragon Gate Tier bottleneck, and as a flood dragon, if he were to reach the Golden Core Tier, then he would surely completely outmatch the average Golden Core Tier earth immortal. In fact, it would be no exaggeration to say that he could count for half a Nascent Tier cultivator.

However, from the looks of it, he seemed to be the most oppressed and disliked person on Downtrodden Mountain, but he didn’t appear to think that this treatment was unfair. If something like this were happening in Bamboo Scroll Lake, he would’ve surely rebelled long ago!

Occasionally, Liu Chongrun found herself wondering what Chen Ping’an’s intentions were. Could it be that he intended to elevate the previously unknown Downtrodden Mountain into an almighty sect that rivaled the likes of Ruan Qiong’s Dragon Spring Sword Sect? Wasn’t that excessively ambitious and optimistic?

After all, Downtrodden Mountain had more martial artists than cultivators, and among the cultivators, there didn’t appear to be any formidable earth immortals with hopes of reaching the Upper Five Tiers.

In contrast, even though the Dragon Spring Sword Sect didn’t have many members, the incredible quality certainly made up for the lackluster quantity. Setting aside Sage Ruan Qiong himself, Dong Gu was already at the Golden Core Tier, and as for Ruan Xiu, Liu Chongrun had personally witnessed Ruan Xiu’s display of power from afar that night in Bamboo Scroll Lake.

Furthermore, due to the fact that she was in possession of a Peace and Safety Tablet, she had been made privy to some insider information, and she had heard that Ruan Xiu had once pursued an old Nascent Tier swordsman from the Luminous Vermilion Empire with a mysterious white-robed young man. The stories of her feats were utterly astonishing to Liu Chongrun!

Furthermore, it had always been said that two Golden Core Tier cultivators couldn’t share the same mountain. This had always been an unspoken rule in the cultivation world.

The Dragon Spring Prefecture was a decently large place, and it was very abundant with spiritual energy, but even so, that wouldn’t be enough to support two sects of the same caliber as the Dragon Spring Sword Sect.

Zhu Lian had never been to an immortal ferry station before, but somehow, he seemed very familiar with the layout, and he led Liu Chongrun and Lu Baixiang straight out of the Miasma Ferry Station. From there, Liu Chongrun caught sight of a small group of elite horseback warriors, consisting of fewer than thirty people.

However, Liu Chongrun immediately knew not to take them lightly.

The group of horseback warriors was led by three people. At the center of the trio was a calm and steadfast-looking young man who wasn’t clad in any armor, and there was a standard saber from the Great Li Empire military strapped to his waist.

Beside him was a handsome, black-robed young man with two swords hanging from his waist, one long and one short, and he was yawning lazily as he reclined on the back of his horse.

The trio was rounded out by a stocky-looking man, and aside from the young man in the middle, Liu Chongrun could sense that the other two men both posed a potent threat to her.

As for the horseback warriors, Liu Chongrun could immediately tell that they were extremely capable and well-trained. As the eldest princess of a fallen nation, Liu Chongrun had spent many of her younger years serving as essentially the stand-in ruler of her nation, and during that time, she had become very proficient at assessing the quality of troops, among many other skills that she had picked up during her tenure.

The Great Li Empire’s cavalry was extremely competent and feared, and not only were they fearless and willing to lay down their lives at a moment’s notice, but there was also an aura of discipline about them that was lacking in other cavalry, and this was all a result of Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan’s meticulous efforts.

Zhu Lian raised his head to look up at the dark-skinned man, then rubbed his hands together with a smile as he greeted, “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Master Wei, the corps commander!”

The dark-skinned man stoically ignored Zhu Lian.