Unsheathed

Chapter 351 (1): Eleven Next Year

After Zhong Kui left the relay station, the old Daoist priest placed him inside a piece of aged locust wood that looked much like a gavel.[1] After doing this, the old ancestor of Peace and Prosperity Mountain suddenly turned around, using a land-shortening technique and arriving in Chen Ping'an's courtyard in a single step.

Chen Ping'an, who was still dazed and yet to completely return to his senses, hurriedly stood up and bowed, cupping his fists in respect and saying, "Chen Ping'an pays his respects to Old Esteemed Immortal."

Zhong Kui had recounted his death in a calm and casual manner just then, but he hadn't concealed his close relationship with the old Daoist priest from Peace and Tranquility Mountain.

The old Daoist priest waved his hand two times and said, "There's no need to pay respects."

After straightening his back, Chen Ping'an asked, "Since you came back, is there perhaps something that you need from me?"

The old Daoist priest glanced at Chen Ping'an before nodding and remarking, "Being able to maintain self-control is the quality of a truly outstanding person. No wonder Huang Ting and Zhong Kui are both impressed by you."

Chen Ping'an didn't understand this remark, but he didn't ask any questions either.

The old Daoist priest was in a fairly good mood, so he smiled and asked, "You called yourself a swordsman, so where is your sword?"

He simply ignored the existence of First and Fifteenth, even though he had seen them flying.

"I mainly focused on practicing fist techniques before, and I've only just started to practice sword techniques. Because of this, I only feign holding a sword when I'm practicing sword techniques. I spend more of my time visualizing these sword techniques instead," Chen Ping'an replied honestly.

"If I had known this earlier, I wouldn't have spent so much time and effort competing with other people in terms of divination," the old Daoist priest murmured to himself. "Not only did I lose, but I even lost the opportunity to observe your experiences in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land."

The old Daoist priest was tall and sturdy, and he was wearing a white Daoist robe as well as a hibiscus hat, a hat that represented one of the three Daoist branches. He also had gray hair and a gray beard, and this made him appear extremely ethereal and transcendent.

Chen Ping'an didn't know how to respond, so in the end, he chose to remain silent.

There was no need to act smart in front of such a wise and sharp-eyed immortal. Indeed, trying to dress oneself up would be the same as an old woman caking her face with makeup or a little child pulling on official garb. It would be nothing more than a joke.

"I can lend you a sword, and we can discuss how long you can keep it for, whether it's sixty years, one hundred years, or something else," the old Daoist priest suddenly suggested. "You can offer an immortal treasure in exchange, or you can also pay using grain rain coins."

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Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment before eventually shaking his head and replying, "Thank you for your kind offer, Old Esteemed Immortal. However, I actually have a sword already."

Then, his face flushed slightly red with embarrassment. "In any case, I don't have a single grain rain coin on me right now."

The old Daoist priest didn't insist upon this. The reason he had suddenly thought about lending a sword to Chen Ping'an was because he genuinely appreciated the promise of ten thousand years between the young boy and Zhong Kui.

Beyond that, there was also a deeper sense of selfish goodwill. However, the old ancestor of Peace and Tranquility Mountain had immediately felt regret after making this offer.

It was best not to hasten his development and detrimentally affect his growth. The calamity that had befallen Planchette Writing Sect made the old Daoist priest feel slightly anxious.

As for why he had returned to the small courtyard... It was because he had noticed the peculiar fluctuations in the mind's realm of Chen Ping'an. It appeared that Zhong Kui's death had a huge effect on the young boy's mental state.

Upon closer inspection, however, the old Daoist priest was able to feel at ease again.

Cultivators were afraid of their minds becoming small boats that aimlessly drifted with the current. The old Daoist priest was of the opinion that those who allowed chaos and disorder in their mind's realm weren't even worthy of discussing such fears and taboos. In fact, such people shouldn't cultivate at all.

If such people cultivated Dao and were fortunate enough to advance to a high cultivation tier, yet their purpose was impure and simply for the sake of snatching fated opportunities and immortal treasure, flaunting their abilities and humiliating other people, and so on, then what was the point of cultivation? What good could these people do?

However, regardless of how much the old Daoist priest detested these cultivators who only cultivated their strength but not their mind, he could only guard and influence the territory of Peace and Tranquility Mountain. He could only try his best to ensure that the culture and tradition of this sect remained upright and proper.

Chen Ping'an mustered up his courage and asked, "Old Esteemed Immortal, can I ask if you have any mountain-protection formations?"

The old Daoist priest nodded and replied, "Peace and Tranquility Mountain has two mountain-protection formations. The core of one formation is the Radiant Moon Mirror, a mirror that can shine light upon all demons and sinister beings in the world, giving them no chance to escape. Under the radiance of the mirror, they will suffer a temporary drop in cultivation. Of course, the effective distance of this formation depends on the cultivation of the person channeling it.

"Once the Radiant Moon Formation is activated, it's time for the Four Sword Formation to shine. The four ancient swords are replicas of four powerful immortal swords from the ancient past, and each replica sword can be regarded as a pseudo-celestial tool. Once they come together to form the Four Sword Formation, their combination can then be regarded as a proper celestial tool. An attack launched by this formation can cover several thousand kilometers in the blink of an eye.

"If that detestable old beast hadn't refined one of the swords, then I would have been able to kill him right from the very beginning. I could have killed him even if he fled several thousand kilometers more. That detestable old beast might have escaped death, but the Immortal Tier is also split into two levels.

"He's only just advanced to the twelfth tier, so his cultivation base is still yet to stabilize. Not only that, but he'll also be suppressed by the regulations of this world. His bonded item has been destroyed as well, and his true body has further suffered several wounds from the ancient swords, leading to his soul becoming injured as well. In other words, that detestable old beast is no longer a threat that's worth mentioning."

The old Daoist priest was brimming with killing intent as he mentioned Bai Yuan, the sword-carrying white ape. His vast spiritual energy almost became tangible, forming a hazy white mist around him that appeared like numerous streams of flowing water. The old Daoist priest reined back his emotions, causing the peculiar phenomenon to instantly vanish. In reality, this peculiar phenomenon was a side effect caused by his drop in cultivation base.

"The most troublesome thing is that the detestable old beast suddenly tunneled into the ground and disappeared along that ancient and severely damaged dragon vein. He most likely had this escape route planned out beforehand."

The old Daoist priest pointed above his head and said, "I fought with the detestable old beast just then, and I also forced a powerful yin entity from the underworld to retreat afterward. A Confucian sage who's responsible for overseeing the sky above Parasol Leaf Continent naturally witnessed these events. He descended to Peace and Tranquility Mountain, and he was enraged to learn that Zhong Kui had been killed. He left to pursue that white ape, yet the detestable old beast surprisingly tunneled into the ground and hid itself.

"Right now, our only hope is to see whether Huang Ting, who has some karmic ties with the white ape, is able to discover some clues. As long as we find him, that Confucian sage who's one of seventy-two sages accompanying the Paramount Sage in the Confucian temples will be able to kill that detestable old beast with a single strike. He's already made the necessary preparations, and the situation won't change even if Huang Ting is killed in battle."

Chen Ping'an wanted to say something, but he didn't know where to start.

The old Daoist priest smiled and added, "This is the worst-case scenario. That girl Huang Ting has always enjoyed good fortune. She also tempered her mind and character in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, and she has the protection of the two ancient swords as well. As such, hunting down Bai Yuan might be a fated opportunity for her, one which can allow her to break through to the next cultivation tier."

Chen Ping'an nodded in understanding.

There was an amused smile on the old Daoist priest's face as he continued, "I initially thought that Huang Ting would grumble and complain for half a day after I forcefully dragged her out from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. However, she surprisingly didn't complain at all. While returning to Peace and Tranquility Mountain, she mentioned you many times and also said that she would definitely visit the Great Li Empire's Dragon Spring Prefecture to look for you in the future."

The old Daoist priest gently flicked his sleeve and remarked, "How very strange... I'm not a talkative person, yet I've already said more tonight than I have in the past few decades combined. Back to the topic at hand, the mountain-protection formations of Peace and Tranquility Mountain are extremely powerful and have a very profound history. They possess both offensive and defensive capabilities, and they can rival the formations of many sects in Middle Earth Divine Continent.

"However, it won't be right for me to privately teach you how to refine and channel these formations, especially since this pertains to the fortunes of Peace and Tranquility Mountain. That being the case, I also possess a mountain-protection formation that I obtained from the secret abode of an ancient immortal. This formation possesses immense destructive power, and it is a formation that I can sell to you.

"The disadvantage of this formation is that it consumes far too much silver. Channeling this formation will also consume the fortunes of the mountains and rivers. If Huang Ting ever decides to found her own force somewhere in Parasol Leaf Continent, or if she decides to marry someone and become Dao partners with them in the future, I initially considered giving this formation to her as a congratulatory present. If this isn't enough, then I might even have to dip into my other savings."

Chen Ping'an gulped upon hearing this. He wasn't worried about Huang Ting's dowry or the old Daoist priest's savings, and was instead worried about the remark that this formation would consume far too much silver!

The old Daoist priest noticed the hesitation in Chen Ping'an's eyes, so he roared with hearty laughter and teased, "Such meticulous calculations and planning! I like it!"

Before Chen Ping'an could make heads or tails of the situation, the old Daoist priest had already moved on from the topic of mountain-protection formations, warning in a quiet voice, "Chen Ping'an, even though I don't know what treasure you're carrying with you, a treasure that can conceal your aura and prevent others from divining your location and fortune is an incredibly valuable one. You should definitely cherish it. Such treasures are priceless and incredibly difficult to obtain, and there's only one such treasure in the entire Peace and Tranquility Mountain. Moreover, it was a treasure left behind by the founder."

Chen Ping'an recalled the unremarkable oil-paper umbrella, and he nodded solemnly in response.

The old Daoist priest felt a great sense of satisfaction looking at Chen Ping’an.

There were few young people whom the old ancestor of Peace and Tranquility Mountain acknowledged and viewed as worthy. Among them were Daoist Nun Huang Ting and Noble Scholar Zhong Kui.

And now, there was also Chen Ping'an.

Regardless of whether it was the secluded Parasol Leaf Continent in the southeast or the vast Majestic World, the old Daoist priest felt like there could never be enough young people like this.

No matter how chaotic the world became... there would always be pillars to hold it up.

In order to prevent Zhong Kui's yin soul from being taken to the underworld by that yin entity before, the old Daoist priest had chosen to sacrifice his cultivation base and drop a tier. He had made this decision despite being clearly aware of the consequences—he could no longer address the biggest regret in his life.

After advancing to the Immortal Tier, the old ancestor of Peace and Tranquility Mountain had been granted the title of Observing Mystical Heavenly Lord by the Daoist branch that he belonged to. He had enjoyed a transcendent standing.

Looking back at history, a Daoist priest would have the opportunity to meet their branch master and have their Daoist robes, Daoist hat, and an identity token personally handed to them by the branch master when they were promoted from the position of True Lord to Heavenly Lord. This was the case regardless of which of the three branches of Daoism they belonged to, and regardless of whether they were in Majestic World overseen by the Confucian Sect or Heavenly World overseen by the Daoist Sect.

However, as the newest Heavenly Lord of his Daoist branch, the Observing Mystical Heavenly Lord hadn't seen his branch master leave the White Jade Capital and descend into Majestic World. The old Heavenly Lord hadn't dared to speculate, yet the others in Peace and Tranquility Mountain had all mulled over this for a long time.

Because of this, the sect leader of Peace and Tranquility Mountain had specially traveled to the Confucian academy located in the northernmost region of Parasol Leaf Continent, inquiring about this matter and asking whether a Confucian sage had interfered in the process. Perhaps this was the reason why their branch master hadn't traveled to Majestic World to meet the new Heavenly Lord.

The mountain master of the Confucian academy was a straightforward person who hadn't wanted to go in circles with the sect leader of Peace and Tranquility Mountain. Thus, he had smiled and countered with a question, saying that perhaps the branch masters of the two other Daoist branches would face such "special treatment," yet what kind of relationship existed between their branch master and the Confucian Sect? Who would obstruct their branch master from entering Majestic World?

The old Heavenly Lord had felt increasingly dispirited after hearing this reply.

After mulling over it for a long time, he could only conclude that his Great Dao was too shallow even though his cultivation base was very high. Thus, his branch master was purposely giving him a warning.

Before the battle in Peace and Tranquility Mountain, the Observing Mystical Heavenly Lord had thought that he could eventually meet the branch master when he advanced to the Ascension Tier in the future.

Now, however, this was nothing more than a pipe dream.

He didn't regret his decision, yet it was impossible not to feel disappointed.

The old Daoist priest was just about to leave when Chen Ping'an suddenly said, "Thank you, Old Spiritual Master!"

The old Daoist priest smiled and asked, "Why are you thanking me? Is it because I sacrificed my cultivation base for Zhong Kui?" He shook his head. "There's no need to thank me. It's Peace and Tranquility Mountain that owes Zhong Kui."

"Thank you Old Spiritual Master and thank you Peace and Tranquility Mountain for allowing me to understand that there are also gallant and kind-hearted immortals in the mountains," Chen Ping'an replied in a solemn voice.

This instantly put the old Daoist priest in a delightful mood. "Oh, so that's how it is, huh? Who would have thought that you're quite similar to Zhong Kui? You're also very good at flattery, aren't you?"

"I'm speaking from the bottom of my heart," Chen Ping'an replied in a helpless voice.

The old Daoist priest looked at him with a smile and remarked, "Sincere words of flattery are the most soothing."

He then flew away on the wind.

1. Note that a Chinese gavel doesn't look like a ceremonial mallet as is common in the Western world. A Chinese gavel looks more like a simple rectangular wooden block. ☜