Unsheathed

Chapter 322 (3): White Robe Enters the City, Doesn't Dare to Knock

Atop the city wall, there stood several individuals from the list of Upper Ten Elites. There was Yu Zhenyi, the leader of Lake Mountain Faction, who had put on the silver-colored lotus flower hat previously owned by Ding Ying. A colored glaze flying sword was hovering beside him, and a jade bamboo folding fan was in his hand. There were tiny characters inscribed on each jade bamboo segment of the folding fan; a scripture pertaining to a profound martial arts technique.

Zhong Qiu appeared relieved as he leaned on the destroyed city wall. His shoulders were hunched over, in stark contrast to the proper posture that the imperial preceptor of Southern Garden Nation usually assumed.

Zhou Fei, the leader of Spring Tide Palace, was also there.

Dragon General Tang Tieyi from Northern Jin Nation, had a solemn expression on his face as he rubbed the hilt of his saber, Refiner, with his thumb.

There was Knife Sharpener Liu Zong.

Monk Yunni was holding the soft and silky azure dress in his arms.

Cheng Yuanshan was hiding in some unknown place in the capital.

The wandering swordsman, Feng Qingbai, had died at the hands of his good friend, Tang Tieyi.

The one ranked first among the Upper Ten Elites, Old Demon Ding, had also died at the hands of the young otherworldly immortal called Chen Ping'an.

In addition to the members of the Upper Ten Elites, Huang Ting was standing atop the city wall with a completely transformed disposition and aura. She wasn't a member of the Upper Ten Elites, but perhaps even Zhou Fei wouldn't dare to challenge her at this moment. After her soul and physical body fused together, her appearance also started to change, with her already stunning appearance becoming even more beautiful and dazzling. She was a breathtaking beauty.

Meanwhile, Lu Fang from Bird's Eye View Peak was prepared to stay in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land for another sixty years. This was both to temper his Dao Heart and to act as the pseudo-Dao guardian of Zhou Shi, his good friend's son.

Apart from feeling slightly sad about the imminent farewell, Zhou Shi was also filled with beautiful dreams about what the following sixty years had in store for him.

Ya'er from the demonic force was about to be brought out from this world by Zhou Fei. She was the person most affected by Ding Ying's death, with her heart as dead as ashes at this moment.

Right now, everyone was looking at the young otherworldly immortal standing still on the official road beyond the city wall.

There was a cloudy look in Yu Zhenyi's eyes, and it was impossible to discern any expression from his face.

Zhong Qiu smiled knowingly, thinking that it was only natural for Chen Ping'an to appear so domineering and mighty after killing Old Demon Ding. It was as if the young boy were saying, "Do you see? I, Chen Ping'an, was wounded in my battle with Ding Ying. Do any of you dare to take advantage of this and attack me while I'm weak? If you dare, then come on, come down from the city wall and we can fight to the death!"

Knife Sharpener Liu Zong sighed again and again, feeling extremely worried as he rested his back against the wall. After witnessing that astounding battle on Bull Mountain, he genuinely didn't have the energy to become involved in this messy situation anymore. He felt like there was no point to any of this.

If he still had the opportunity to walk down the city wall alive and peacefully return to his shop near the Imperial Examination Bridge, he surmised that it would be quite good for him to become an ordinary but wealthy person in the future. He would at most take one or two direct disciples whom he found likable. He wouldn't think about doing anything else.

A hint of anger flashed across Dragon General Tang Tieyi's eyes. However, he only hesitated for a brief moment before deciding to simply close his eyes. Out of sight, out of mind.

In the end, Chen Ping'an walked through the city gate just like that, gradually disappearing into the capital.

Yu Zhenyi hovered into the air and stepped onto his colored glaze flying sword, preparing to fly to Bull Mountain.

The abundant spiritual energy that had gathered from all corners was already starting to disperse into the surroundings. As an immortal cultivator, how could Yu Zhenyi possibly abandon this once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity?

Spiritual energy was different from the ethereal and elusive martial fortune. It didn't discriminate against anyone, and one could obtain spiritual energy as long as they were capable.

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Tang Tieyi set his sights on the listless Knife Sharpener Liu Zong as he slowly walked along the carriageway.

Liu Zong jolted in astonishment, and he jumped up and scolded, "How dare you, Tang Tieyi! You think I'm a pushover?!"

Meanwhile, Huang Ting set her sights on Zhou Fei, someone she had disliked for a long time already.

Mirror Heart Hall's Tong Qingqing could endure and tolerate the terrible acts committed by the palace leader of Spring Tide Palace in this blessed land. However, the Daoist nun from Peace and Tranquility Mountain could not!

In Fan Wan'er's eyes, the copper mirror was nothing more than an ordinary item. In Huang Ting's eyes, however, there was immense profoundness behind the copper mirror. She grabbed the copper mirror from the ground and forcefully struck it, shattering it.

When it broke, a peculiar dark green aura radiated from the shards of the copper mirror, appearing much like a deep pool. Huang Ting extended two fingers and seemingly grabbed something before yanking back. What appeared in her hand was a sword in a scabbard!

She was a supreme prodigy from Peace and Tranquility Mountain, the third largest sect in Parasol Leaf Continent. She was going to become the next sect leader, and she was destined to reach the twelfth tier as long as she could advance to the Upper Five Tiers!

In other words, it was only natural that she possessed some incredible treasures.

Zhou Shi and Ya'er exchanged a glance because they felt a stinging radiance cutting at their back.

The two of them suddenly turned their heads.

They coincidentally locked gazes with the otherworldly immortal in white standing on the city wall.

Zhou Fei chuckled and scolded, "Old Demon Ding's ambitions were loftier than even the heavens, yet he failed to achieve any success and only managed to leave a trail of failures in his wake instead. He's truly screwed me over."

He turned around to look at Lu Fang, who was also filled with helplessness as he lamented, "Unless Chen Ping'an ascends from this world with you, Zhou Shi will definitely be in grave danger if Chen Ping'an chooses to stay in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land."

Zhou Fei pinched his chin in thought. If it was impossible to forge a good relationship with that young boy, then he needed to come up with a completely new plan.

However, it was at this exact moment that everyone involuntarily looked up in unison.

A huge golden hole appeared in the sea of clouds, after which a column of golden light rapidly descended and landed on the city wall in a flash.

All it took was the blink of an eye.

Apart from the otherworldly immortals and grandmasters on the city wall, it was most likely that no one else in the capital noticed this stunning sight.

A short and young Daoist priest appeared in front of everyone, holding a small and exquisite five-colored rattle drum in his hand. There was also a huge golden gourd on his back, so large that it was almost as tall as a human. The stark juxtaposition between the size of the two items made the young Daoist priest appear extremely strange and comical.

"Oh?" Huang Ting chuckled coldly when she saw him. She turned her attention away from Zhou Fei as she strode toward the young Daoist priest, who was one of the most detestable people in Majestic World.

The young Daoist priest rolled his eyes when he saw the thick killing intent radiating from Huang Ting, and he said, "I didn't come here to fight this time. If you take things too far and anger my master, are you really going to abandon your fated opportunities just like that and trash all of the sacrifices that your grand elder made for the sake of guarding you?"

If this were Huang Ting from before she had experienced everything in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, she would have simply retorted, "That's something for my master to worry about." She would have then attacked as she pleased.

Now, however, she cracked a grin as if she were telling the young Daoist priest to get ready for a beating when they returned to Majestic World. The young Daoist priest didn't back down, also cracking a grin in a carefree manner. This Daoist nun was actually trying to compare backers with him? Peace and Tranquility Mountain was still too small and weak, was it not? After all, it wasn't Mount Longhu from Middle Earth Divine Continent.

The young Daoist priest cleared his throat before puffing his chest out and striding along the carriageway. His voice wasn't loud, yet everyone was able to hear him as he said, "The rules have changed, and I can say that this is divinely good news for you people. Those in the final list of Upper Ten Elites can ascend from this world as long as they remain alive.

"If you don't want to ascend and leave, however, then you can voluntarily leave the city wall after I beat the drum for the second time and before I beat it for the third time. Of course, you can still obtain an immortal treasure even if you leave the city wall and choose not to ascend.

"Remember, your physical body will remain in this world if you choose to ascend from the city wall. Only your soul will ascend and leave this world. Your memories will remain, but everything else will be lost and need to be started anew. This isn't all bad, and you can experience the profoundly mysterious nature of this by yourself in the future."

The young Daoist priest appeared extremely arrogant as he swaggered forward, continuing, "Those ranked in the top three are even more fortunate. Second-ranked Yu Zhenyi can take three people with him if he chooses to ascend. Third-ranked Zhou Fei can take one person. My master has spoken: you can pick anyone apart from Ding Ying. Those who are picked can leave with their physical bodies.

"Mhm, a lot of you seem very confused. There's no need to find this strange. You people are far too weak, so you never had the right to access this information and fight for the fated opportunity to begin with. If you try to get lucky, then Feng Qingbai's fate is a good example of what you can expect."

After saying this, the young Daoist priest chuckled at Huang Ting and taunted, "Say, isn't this infuriating? You initially had the strength to rank among the top three, yet... Sigh, plans often go awry, don't they? There's nothing you could have done about this. After all, who told Peace and Tranquility Mountain to work with those two outsiders and break the rules first? My master was incredibly angry."

Huang Ting pursed her lips.

The young Daoist priest cocked his head and gazed at Huang Ting's face, adding fuel to the fire as he said, "Huang Ting, why are you so shameless anyway? Your appearance in Majestic World wasn't half as beautiful as you are now..."

The young Daoist priest suddenly fell forward and faceplanted as if he had been smacked in the back of the head by someone. However, he wasn't embarrassed by this, and he stood up and patted his Daoist robes clean. He pulled a long face when he walked past Huang Ting, and he continued, "Finally, there's an old rule that's been passed down from generation to generation. Don't carelessly reveal today's matter to other people. Make sure to keep this in mind. Of course, it won't be the end of the world if you truly can't hold back and end up telling an extremely small number of people."

After explaining everything in a short and succinct manner, the young Daoist priest raised the rattle drum and lightly spun up back and forth.

There was no peculiar phenomenon of heaven and earth, and there was instead only a quiet thump.

Was this considered the second drumbeat?

Standing on his colored glaze flying sword, Yu Zhenyi bowed deeply to the young Daoist priest and said, "My respectful farewell, Esteemed Immortal."

The young Daoist priest's attitude changed slightly as he faced this person outwardly the same age as him. He became slightly more serious, and he feigned an air of maturity as he replied, "Off you go. People all have their own aspirations. My master isn't necessarily disappointed in you, so please make sure to cherish the next sixty years."

A rare hint of emotion and elation appeared on Yu Zhenyi's face as he flew into the distance on his colored glaze flying sword. He was heading to the battlefield ruins near Bull Mountain to wantonly absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

He could potentially advance another tier after cultivating in seclusion for a while, and at that time, he might possess the power to even rival Chen Ping'an.

Zhong Qiu smiled and asked, "What do you say, Liu Zong?"

Knife Sharpener Liu Zong pondered for a moment before chuckling, "Please help me sell the shop, Imperial Preceptor Zhong. With your incredible abilities, I'm sure that you're already aware of which youths I've taken a liking to, so just divide the silver between them after my shop is sold."

Zhong Qiu nodded and replied, "That's not difficult. This is goodbye then?"

Liu Zong sighed in response

Zhong Qiu cupped his fist in farewell.

Liu Zong hurriedly cupped his fist to return the gesture of respect, and he couldn't help but ask, "Imperial Preceptor Zhong, you're not going to leave with them? After you leave, you might still have the chance to return here in the future. If you choose not to leave this time, however, then you'll never have the opportunity to ascend in the future!"

Zhong Qiu shook his head and replied, "Home is where the heart is."

Liu Zong was still cupping his fist.

There was a warm smile on Zhong Qiu's face as he gently pushed Liu Zong's hands down. He then turned around and left, walking down the city wall.

The young Daoist priest shook his head as he glanced at Zhong Qiu's disappearing figure.

Tang Tieyi quickly followed after Zhong Qiu.

Monk Yunni also left the city wall with a single stride, gracefully landing outside the capital. He hugged the azure dress in his arms as he swiftly sprinted toward Bull Mountain.

Few people remained on the city wall.

Zhou Fei looked at Lu Fang and said, "Bring Zhou Shi with you and find somewhere to hide first. It's best that you leave Southern Garden Nation. The farther you go, the better. No one can stop Chen Ping'an after I leave the Lotus Flower Blessed Land."

Lu Fang and Zhou Shi didn't hesitate, and they immediately leaped down the city wall before detouring around Bull Mountain and heading toward the border of Southern Garden Nation.

In the end, only four people remained. The young Daoist priest carrying a huge gourd on his back, Peace and Tranquility Mountain's Huang Ting, the Jade Tablet Sect's "Zhou Fei," and the native-born Liu Zong.

The young Daoist priest glanced at some stone arch bridge in the capital, the one under which Arm Sage Cheng Yuanshan was hiding, and his eyes were filled with ridicule as he yawned and casually spun his rattle drum, striking a drum for the third time.

By choosing not to appear on this city wall, it could be said that Cheng Yuanshan had wasted all of his previous sacrifices and efforts. He was unable to ascend, and he was also unable to obtain any additional fated opportunity.

A brilliant column of light descended, shrouding Liu Zong within it and causing him to vanish in an instant. Not a single bit of him remained.

The young Daoist priest clearly respected and admired Zhou Fei, so he offered an extra tidbit of secret information and said in a quiet voice, "You don't need to worry about Chen Ping'an misbehaving and causing trouble here. Heh, he still has a long and hard road in front of him."

An expression of realization spread across Zhou Fei's face, and he smiled faintly and said, "Thanks."

The second column of light landed in the world, enveloping Zhou Fei. He managed to linger around for slightly longer than Liu Zong, with his body becoming fuzzy as he leisurely waved farewell to Huang Ting.

The young Daoist priest smiled with squinted eyes as he looked at the frowning and silent Daoist nun from Peace and Tranquility Mountain. "Are you very worried about your current plight?"

Huang Ting chuckled coldly and replied, "Deliver this message to my grand elder when you return. They don't need to spend any money, and it will take me at most ten years to achieve what Sui Youbian couldn't achieve. I'll advance to the next cultivation tier at that time, and I'll ascend with my physical body and return to Majestic World."

The young Daoist priest was amused as he tapped his feet and started to "ascend" with the huge golden gourd on his back. He wasn't enveloped in a column of light or whatever; he just swayed back and forth like a dog paddling in water as he slowly swam toward the peak of the heavens.

Huang Ting only took a single glance at him before turning away, not willing to watch this scene for any longer. Only a little brat like him would perform such childish actions.

Inside the capital of Southern Garden Nation, a skinny little girl sold the stack of books in her arms and bought two outfits for herself. Using the remaining money, she then ordered a large table of food that had only ever appeared in her sweet dreams before. She wolfed the delicious food down, seemingly afraid that she would lose out if she didn't eat quickly enough.

Sitting at the table, she needed to raise her bottom high off the chair in order to reach the delicacies on the other side. The sides of her mouth were covered in grease, and she felt like she had never experienced such happiness before.

Meanwhile, a little boy called Cao Qinglang was led to some government office by a group of soldiers. There were four straw mats lying outside the great hall, all of them covered in a piece of white cloth. The little boy dazedly squatted in front of them, not speaking a single word.

Under some stone arch bridge, Arm Sage Cheng Yuanshan was still waiting patiently for the deafening boom of the drum being struck for a second time.

Elsewhere, an impoverished scholar heard that someone had died not far from where he was. A good friend of his forcefully dragged him over to take a look, yet the scene had already been completely clogged by a large group of curious people. The scholar only heard that it was a beautiful woman.

He thought to himself that he would definitely tell his lover about this tragic accident when she returned. Most importantly, he would warn her to go out less frequently. It didn't matter that they were struggling with money; there was no need for her to visit her relatives to borrow money and buy books for him.

Chen Ping'an swiftly ran back to that large street in the capital, with his footsteps becoming heavy as he turned into the small alley.

When entering the capital, several grandmasters had been standing on the city wall and watching him.

However, Chen Ping'an had still stridden forward with an aura of invincibility that he had never possessed before. Dressed in white with a wine gourd by his waist and a sword in his hand, he had strode into the capital in a confident and carefree manner.

Standing in front of an ordinary courtyard with some of the cheapest couplets stuck to the walls, however, Chen Ping'an couldn't help but hesitate at this moment. He raised his hand several times, yet he put them down several times as well. He ultimately didn't knock on the courtyard door.

Chen Ping'an had no idea the old Daoist priest was standing right behind him, watching his each and every movement.

The old Daoist priest wanted to know two things.

How did Chen Ping'an view himself?

How did Chen Ping'an view the world?