A single glance over her shoulder, though devoid of a smile, carried a charm that could shake a kingdom. Yet, Ning Zhao did not smile. Still, her turning gaze etched itself vividly into Mo Ju's heart, as if thunder tore through an eternal, silent night, splitting the gloom. Clutching his chest with a feathered fan, Mo Ju murmured, "Who are they?"
Tantai Xuan, seated on the ground, slowly rose. Bloodshot eyes narrowed, he panted heavily."North Luo's Lu Ping'an's maid and coachman," Mo Ju answered. These two had been emphasized in his intelligence reports."Why could they enter the Immortal Palace without possessing the Token of Heaven and Earth Qi?" Tantai Xuan rasped, eyes fixed on the closed celestial gate."Perhaps... it's due to the power backing them—or maybe it's tied to their identity as cultivators," Mo Ju said deeply. The force behind them might rival the myriad schools of thought, or even surpass them. But this, he left unsaid.
Mo Ju's answer made Tantai Xuan close his eyes and let out a bitter laugh."Cultivators... can they truly reach a level akin to the 'Immortal'?""Mo Ju, twelve have entered the Immortal Gate. Assign men to monitor the exit. Discover what fortuitous encounters lie within. Also, dispatch trusted warriors, loyal to the core, to infiltrate the palace and train within.""If the Heaven and Earth Qi Tokens scatter every time the Immortal Palace opens, then perhaps it is not a one-time entry. This place could become a training ground for many of the world's powers.""The tides of the world are shifting. Once, grandmaster warriors were the trump cards. In the future... cultivators who can face legions alone may become the true power in the hands of rulers."Tantai Xuan opened his eyes, streaked with crimson. Mo Ju gently waved his fan, surprised by Tantai Xuan's resilience and newfound clarity after such a blow. He couldn't help but smile. What strategist does not yearn for his lord to ascend like a dragon?"Understood," Mo Ju cupped his hands.
Tantai Xuan turned and departed, his crimson cloak billowing behind him.
...
Inside the Immortal Palace.
A thunderous tremor erupted.The Mo Clan–forged shield in Xiang Shaoyun's grasp caved inward, flung aside as blood spurted from his lips.He had intended to use the spiritual energy from slaying the monster commander to strike down this withered Daoist. Yet the Daoist, as if sensing his plan, absorbed all the spirits in the central chamber—his power surged dramatically.
Xiang Shaoyun was brutally beaten.Clad in the heaviest armor, he received the fiercest blows.Never had he been so battered, so hopeless.This withered Daoist exuded overwhelming pressure. A flip of the palm, a wave of the hand—and Xiang Shaoyun was hurled back, unable even to approach.Compared to the Daoist's mastery of spiritual energy, Xiang Shaoyun's crude use to amplify blood and qi seemed pitiful. The Daoist could form palms of energy, unleash suppressive force... a myriad of techniques left Xiang Shaoyun stripped of pride.He had never felt so powerless. A self-proclaimed genius who crushed grandmasters at age six, he had never regarded any warrior with respect. Arrogant and proud, he was the strongest general of the Western Prefecture, the unrivaled king of war.Yet now, before a true cultivator, he was utterly defeated.
Li Sansi gripped his wooden sword, his white robe dyed crimson with blood. Leaning against the stone wall, even breathing brought searing pain."Cultivators... cultivators…""The world… is changing," he murmured.
Mo Shougui and Kong Nanfeng, faces pale, had no strength left to fight.They were grandmasters, but still human—and exhaustion was real.Xiang Shaoyun had endured countless savage blows, rising time and again, charging with his axe. Even Mo Shougui had to admit—Xiang Shaoyun was truly formidable.Yet such a man… might fall here today.
Blood burst forth as Xiang Shaoyun staggered back, spine straight, long axe hanging by one hand.With a roar, he dragged the axe, sparks flying from the ground beneath it.
The withered Daoist—Jiang Chao—hovered mid-air, his jade-green eyes sweeping over the battlefield.With a mere lift of his palm, a formless pressure struck Xiang Shaoyun's chest like a fading shadow.Bones cracked, blood and sweat sprayed into the air, glittering like stars before shattering.Xiang Shaoyun skidded back.
Suddenly—two chilling gales, one black, one white, howled past his cheeks, slicing off a strand of his hair.
Xiang Shaoyun's eyes flared wide.A pitch-black, heavy butcher's knife, and a blade as thin as cicada wings, flashed like shooting stars through the narrow chamber.
Buzz…The Daoist's palm flipped, pressure surging.The two weapons halted mere inches from his face, caught by an invisible force.
Outside the chamber, two white-clad figures dashed forward as if treading on snow.Xiang Shaoyun gasped like a dragon.The figures swept past him.
Li Sansi's eyes lit up, staring at the new arrivals.Mo Shougui's gaze tightened."Who are they?"Kong Nanfeng's lips were cracked, but his eyes shone like stars in the dark."So Lu Ping'an of North Luo has intervened after all…"
"Master traveled to North Luo days ago. Upon returning and learning of the secret realm in Wolong Ridge, he dispatched me. Before I left, he recited this praise—'Rain brews green plums at Lakeside Pavilion, breath and move in tune over a chessboard divine.'"Kong Nanfeng paused. Li Sansi and Mo Shougui turned to him.
"'Bow before mountains and rivers, laugh with the heroes—Lu Ping'an of North Luo City.'"Kong Nanfeng exhaled deeply. To be so praised by Master was a rare honor."These two are Lu Ping'an's maid and coachman," he said."Or rather… disciples of Baiyu Jing."
Li Sansi and Mo Shougui both inhaled sharply, their spirits shaken."Maid and coachman…?"This man, how audacious!
...
Nie Changqing circulated the Dao Sect's Spirit Technique, while Ning Zhao channeled the Kṣitigarbha Sutra.Their spiritual energy surged from their qi cores, encircling their bodies in a powerful aura.They stared at the withered Daoist. The spiritual pressure between cultivators clashed in the air.
Nie Changqing raised a hand—his blade spell sent the butcher's knife spinning toward the Daoist's head.The cicada-wing sword rebounded. Ning Zhao caught it and charged, white dress billowing.Spiritual energy cloaked the sword, sword aura erupting.
From afar, Xiang Shaoyun's pupils shrank. He watched intently.He realized that Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao were unaffected by the Daoist's oppressive force, matching him blow for blow.Though their strength was on par with Xiang Shaoyun's, their use of spiritual pressure allowed them feats he could not perform.
"So the pressure from spiritual energy… is what separates cultivators from ordinary warriors?"Enlightenment dawned.Xiang Shaoyun summoned five strands of spiritual energy from his qi core. Clumsily, he circulated them externally to form pressure.This—was spiritual pressure. The divide between mortals and cultivators.
If Ning Zhao could comprehend it on her own, how could he, with his genius, not follow?After watching the battle, he too forged spiritual pressure.Ecstatic, a joy he hadn't felt in ages surged within.He seized his axe and stepped forward, shrouded in spiritual pressure.Sure enough, the Daoist's pressure weakened slightly against him. Though his own was faint, he could now fight!
Xiang Shaoyun rejoined the fray, easing the burden on the others.Nie Changqing's blade arts dazzled, Ning Zhao moved with the grace of a swallow.Though Xiang Shaoyun was quickly beaten again, his excitement grew—he sensed the Daoist's strength waning!
A glimmer of dawn pierced his heart like the morning star.
Finally—Nie Changqing's white robe fluttered as his blade cut across the Daoist's neck, sinking two inches into flesh.Ning Zhao's white gown swirled. Sword in hand, she spun, piercing the floating dust particles, driving the sword into the Daoist's chest, pinning him to the stone wall.
Xiang Shaoyun roared, seized his axe with both hands, and leapt—