Unsheathed

Chapter 322 (1): White Robe Enters the City, Doesn't Dare to Knock

The old Daoist priest left just as suddenly as he had come.

He left Chen Ping'an by the edge of the gigantic crater just like that, not telling him how to leave the Lotus Flower Blessed Land nor telling him when this session of observing Dao would end. As for the fated opportunity of ascending from this world and the list of Upper Ten Elites, the old Daoist priest naturally didn't mention these things either.

However, even though the old Daoist priest's sudden departure left a huge mess for Chen Ping'an to clean up, it gave him a huge sigh of relief. His heart strings were about to snap, and as he finally relaxed, he stumbled several steps forward, swaying left and right, and finally collapsed backward in absolute exhaustion.

Without a breath of True Qi to stabilize his body, Chen Ping'an’s wounds from the ruthless sword attack unleashed by Ding Ying's yin soul completely erupted at this moment. Blood flowed unhindered, forming a puddle in which he lay unmoving.

However, there was an extremely satisfied smile on his face.

First and Fifteenth were protecting him, and Ding Ying was dead. With no one else in the surroundings, Chen Ping'an brazenly wasted the last of his energy to grab the Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist, shakily bringing it to his mouth and forcefully gulping down a mouthful of wine.

He was already suffering agonizing pain, so this measly amount of pain was nothing but a tickle. Chen Ping'an felt like it would be a great shame not to drink at this moment.

Chen Ping'an didn't notice that on the chest of his Dao robe, Golden Sweet Wine, the originally snow-white pearl resting between the claws of the coiled golden dragon in the middle of the patterns was now filled with abundant lightning. The two slightly smaller pearls sitting under the claws and jaws of the two relatively small golden dragons on his shoulders were also filled with several wisps of flashing lightning.

However, this slight change in the Dao robe was barely worth a mention compared to the drastic transformation of Chen Ping'an's body.

His body had been completely reborn anew.

When soaking in the pool of lightning just then, a hint of gold and jade-like luster had appeared on Chen Ping'an's bones. This was a state that cultivators referred to as "golden branch and jade leaves."[1]

It was the sign of a solid and immovable foundation; the Dao to achieve longevity.[2]

Chen Ping'an was in a semi-conscious and hazy state; as if he was having a dream while half-asleep and half-awake.

In his dream, someone pointed at a turbulent river and asked him if he wanted to cross.

However, the person answered their own question, saying that Chen Ping'an would need a bridge if he wanted to cross the river and break free from the shackles of the Great Dao. Once a bridge was in place, he could naturally cross the river as he pleased.

Chen Ping'an didn't know how to respond, so he simply squatted down by the river and scratched his head.

This was his true self. It couldn't be faked.

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The person said there was no story without coincidences. Chen Ping'an had already learned the reasonings and principles of a certain scholar, had he not? After reading so much and understanding etiquette, perhaps those reasonings and principles were nothing more than empty words?

Not hiding his emotions, Chen Ping'an grumbled, "What does learning Confucian principles have to do with a bridge?"

The person didn't explain anything, and they simply told Chen Ping'an what he should do. "Visualize the appearance of a bridge in your mind—any bridge will do. You're still young, yet you've already traveled to quite a few places. Rest assured, everything will be fine as long as you visualize a good bridge. There's no requirement as to what the bridge is supposed to look like. In fact, it's okay even if you visualize those bridges from the capital of Southern Garden Nation.

"Don't restrain your thoughts when you visualize the bridge, and don't fear your mind becoming distracted or running wild. Feel free to relax your mind. The more relaxed the better. What you want is your thoughts to roam free and be unrestrained by space and time."

Chen Ping'an still had no idea where he was, but he followed the instructions and closed his eyes as he stood by the riverside.

He involuntarily thought of that golden arch bridge in the sea of clouds. It was extremely long, so long that it seemingly didn't have an end.

Chen Ping'an couldn't see that old Daoist priest. It was destined that he couldn't find that old Daoist priest no matter how he searched.

Thus, Chen Ping'an naturally couldn't see the old Daoist priest's strange expression as he glanced up at the curling clouds above the river. He naturally couldn't hear the old Daoist priest cursing Chen Qingdu and complaining about the old sword immortal always giving him trouble. Nor could he hear the old Daoist priest bemoaning the old scholar for being a troublesome person to deal with. In the end, the old Daoist priest praised a junior's vision and courage, and he also reminisced about an "old friend" who couldn't be regarded as a human.

What Chen Ping'an did see made his eyes widen in astonishment. From his feet to the opposite shore of the river, he could vaguely see the outline of a golden arch bridge. However, the bridge was flickering, clearly unstable.

A book also appeared in his hand, and recorded inside it were the essays and teachings of a certain old scholar. This was the theory of sequential order that the Confucian sage had never expounded to the world before.

Each character was dazzling gold as it flew out from the book and drifted toward the golden arch bridge that had materialized from Chen Ping'an's visualization.

Each character was like a building block.

However, it was a shame that close to half of the characters still remained lifeless and frozen. This was especially the case for the later chapters of the book. Not a single character budged from its spot.

Regardless, the golden arch bridge spanning across the turbulent river finally became tangible, much like a person who had the support of vitality and energy.

However, it was still slightly short of becoming complete and allowing Chen Ping'an to cross. It was missing "blood and flesh;" it was not much, but it mattered just enough.

This was analogous to a person having a soul but no physical body. They would be nothing more than a lost ghost that couldn't face the sunlight and couldn't enter the yang realm.

Moreover, the length of the bridge, as well as its the magnificent structure, were far beyond Chen Ping'an's imagination. It was also because of this that the characters in the book weren't enough.

"Give it a try; let's see if it collapses or not," the old Daoist priest instructed.

Chen Ping'an shook his head and answered according to his instinct, "It will definitely collapse."

The old Daoist priest didn't question Chen Ping'an's reply. After pondering for a moment, he left the small world that he had created.

And then... there was no "then."

Chen Ping'an suddenly sat up beside the gigantic crater. Where was whatever long river? Where was whatever old Daoist priest?

There was only the vast heaven and earth.

The two flying swords, First and Fifteenth, were also beside him.

Even though they weren't Chen Ping'an's bonded flying swords, they had accompanied him on many long journeys and lived with him day and night, going through thick and thin together. Their minds were closely linked together.

One remained silent, and one wallowed in guilt.

Chen Ping'an tied the Sword Nurturing Gourd to his waist and reached out with both hands, gently patting the two flying swords and consoling, "The three of us are still alive, so this is already a great outcome. In any case, we definitely won't be so stifled next time. Moreover, if it weren't for you two helping me block that strike, I definitely wouldn't have been able to endure until my souls left my body..."

Chen Ping'an stopped speaking because he discovered that First and Fifteenth were becoming increasingly silent and guilt-ridden.

He stood up and patted his Sword Nurturing Gourd, walking forward as he mumbled, "You guys should return here first. We need to hurry up and enter the city to look for the small lotus flower spirit![3] Our trip might not be smooth, and without you guys, I genuinely wouldn't have the confidence to fight with anyone right now. To say nothing of Old Demon Ding, if I don't rest and recuperate for a week or two, I might struggle even against that little child flying around on the sword. I might need the two of you to help me clear the path in a moment."

The two flying swords returned to the Sword Nurturing Gourd.

Chen Ping'an walked to the capital of Southern Garden Nation by himself.

As he walked closer and closer to the city wall, the golden color of Golden Sweet Wine gradually returned to snow-white as well.

Chen Ping'an came to a realization, and he turned around and glanced back.

With Bull Mountain as the center point of the battlefield, the area in the distance was brimming with spiritual energy that lingered without dispersing. That place was very likely the biggest "blessed land" in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.

Of course, it also contained the most abundant martial fortune.

If Chen Ping'an weren't in a hurry to return to the city to look for the small lotus flower spirit, he would have actually reaped the most benefits if he had stayed in his original spot and not moved.

However, Chen Ping'an glanced up at the distant city wall and thought that he would very easily become the common enemy of the entire world if he hogged all of the benefits for himself.

Would it be dangerous to enter the city under the watchful gazes of everyone?

Chen Ping'an walked along the deserted official road, covering more than thirty meters with each step.

Just then, he had spoken those words mainly for the sake of consoling the downcast First and Fifteenth. In reality, if anyone dared to obstruct him at this moment and even went as far as to pester him incessantly, then reason and justice would only stand on his side even if he drew Lasting Qi.

Witnessing the aura of invincibility of the barefoot old man in the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain was completely different from personally defeating someone who was invincible in the "world."

These were two entirely different states.

Even Bull Mountain had been razed to the ground, so how could the heavenly drum be struck for a second time? How could there still exist a location for ascension?

Standing near the city wall of the capital, even Zhou Fei, who was simply here to enjoy life, felt a little worried, with heavy emotions weighing on his mind.

They couldn't have wasted sixty years for nothing, right?

After the pool of lightning in the sky vanished, the clouds and mists parted to reveal the sun, allowing its radiance to shine upon the earth. Fan Wan'er raised the copper mirror that glistened under the sun, looking at the reflection of her breathtaking beauty.

Just as Fan Wan'er was about to put the copper mirror away, she suddenly discovered that her reflection had a faint smile on its face. However, she clearly wasn't smiling at this moment.

Her reflection sighed.

Then, a voice sounded in Fan Wan'er's mind, saying, "Silly child..."

It was as if she were struck by lightning. She threw the copper mirror away as if it were searing hot. She then grabbed her head, which hurt so much that it felt like it was about to split open, with tears of pain streaming down her face.

On a distant section of the city wall, Ya'er carefully called, "Palace Leader Zhou..."

Zhou Fei turned around, only to discover that the azure dress had automatically removed itself from Ya'er's body. It swayed back and forth like a dancing woman, only caring about itself and pitying itself as if there were no one else around.

Zhou Fei chuckled coldly and said, "You still want to leave after I got you?"

He reached over to grab the shoulder of the azure dress, causing the shape of a hand to appear there. The azure dress continued to sway left and right, continually pulling away and eventually ripping apart with the tearing sound of silk and cotton. Holding a piece of ripped brocade in his hand, Zhou Fei frowned and said, "Trying to toy around with me? Let me see just how long you can hide your soul for, old woman! Let me see just what you're trying to plot for!"

More and more pieces of ripped brocade appeared in Zhou Fei's hands.

1. This literally means a powerful skeleton with a golden spine and jade limbs. ☜

2. This is an extract (out of context) from Laozi's Dao De Jing. ☜

3. The lotus flower spirit is the stone spirit. ☜