Unsheathed

Chapter 319: The Meaning of Invincibility

On the street in the capital, the battle between all parties had been intense and soul-stirring right from the very beginning.

Right now, the cultivators on the street were still locked in a fierce and hearty battle.

As if it were a divine tool that possessed sentience, a colored glaze flying sword managed to hold back Knife Sharpener Liu Zong all by itself.

Liu Zong had used his renowned Boning Knife for what felt like an eternity, and his weapon had never suffered any chips or scratches. Today, however, the furious attacks from Yu Zhenyi's flying sword left several chips in his knife before he could even hope to touch Yu Zhenyi's flowing robes.

Liu Zong had no time to feel pained about this.

Losing concentration would mean death.

The flying sword was intense and extremely quick, with its astral energy also flooding an area that measured more than thirty meters in radius. Standing within this astral energy, Liu Zong couldn't help but feel stifled and restricted.

As expected of Yu Zhenyi, leader of Lake Mountain Faction and also a genuine immortal. He was at least as powerful as two Liu Zongs combined, and Liu Zong was the fifth most powerful person in this world...

Following the glance out of the corner of Liu Zong's eyes, it was extremely likely that Yu Zhenyi was actually as powerful as two Zhong Qius combined.

Yu Zhenyi had already drifted to the ground, with his hands clasped behind his back as he allowed Zhong Qiu to attack him as he pleased with a flurry of punches. However, not a single punch was able to comprehensively shatter his formless shield of astral energy. A mere few punches managed to make it within an inch of Yu Zhenyi's face, causing his eyebrows to gently undulate and his sideburns to gently billow. However, this was the full extent of the damage caused.

Zhong Qiu continued to throw punch after punch, with his expression remaining unfazed even after he experienced failure after failure. There was a bright glimmer in his eyes, and he didn't feel deflated or discouraged at all. Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu was still the same Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu as always.

However, the more this was the case, the more one would feel pain in one's heart.

The world shouldn't have been like this. This was a feeling that would cause grief and indignance to well up in one's heart.

Zhong Qiu continued to throw punches.

As if he were taking a leisurely stroll, Yu Zhenyi continued to casually walk forward in the face of Zhong Qiu's relentless attacks. He would at most take a small detour around the battlefield of Liu Zong and his flying sword. He walked past the numerous shops in the street, glancing up at the inscribed plaques and looking over at the couplets that had weathered the spring rain.

Yu Zhenyi smiled and asked, "Are you feeling regret for not accepting that immortal sword back then? You know, the path you've chosen is only suitable for mortals in the mortal world. You won't be able to make it far if you try to ascend the mountains. Even if you're given another thirty years and you are allowed to ascend to the peak of the mountain, you'll still find that your path leads to a dead end. You'll only feel more regret at that time.

"Zhong Qiu, ever since you were young, you always cared about those insignificant things that no one else cared about. In my eyes, it’s not unique and outstanding. It's foolish."

Zhong Qiu remained silent.

It was an extremely peculiar scene, with one side taking a beating yet remaining completely relaxed.

Yu Zhenyi had already turned a corner and walked onto the imperial carriageway. If he continued forward, he would eventually arrive at the imperial city and imperial palace of Southern Garden Nation. The imperial hall was even grander and more majestic than the imperial palace of Pine Song Nation. Ten peculiarly shaped immortals and beasts were on each of the eight roof ridges, with a phoenix-riding immortal in the lead followed by a dragon, phoenix, lion, heavenly horse, sea horse, suanni, yayu, xiezhi, douniu, and xingshen.[1]

Some powerful and influential rulers and officials could see these beasts in person, yet some beasts weren't visible.

Yu Zhenyi pointed forward and said, "When we were young, you were extremely curious when you read about the descriptions of these ten beasts of the roof ridges. You said that you definitely wanted to see them in person in the future. Afterward, you managed to live outside the imperial palace for several decades. So, have you seen them in person yet?"

Zhong Qiu finally replied, "Yu Zhenyi, don't think that you're all that capable and mighty, and don't treat yourself as transcendent above normal humans simply because you cultivate immortal techniques. You look down on everything from a seemingly lofty position, and you wear an expression of reminiscence whenever you talk about people and matters from your mortal past. You need to see and understand more of the joys and sorrows of the mortal world... no, what am I even talking about. You have no idea about these things."

Yu Zhenyi nodded and remarked, "The vulgar views of a mere mortal. One should only deal with matters befitting of their status—the same applies to cultivation. Zhong Qiu, it's not that your principles are incorrect, but it's simply the case that they're not lofty enough. This is because you're considering things from a very lowly position."

A hint of sadness flashed across Zhong Qiu's eyes. He ceased his punches and looked toward the imperial palace.

Yu Zhenyi also stopped walking forward, chuckling, "Such soft and airy punches. Zhong Qiu, perhaps you haven't eaten for a few days? Maybe I should give you an hour to fill your belly first?"

Zhong Qiu cursed in an extremely rare display, exclaiming, "I'm afraid that I'll punch the shit out of you!"

Sure enough, Zhong Qiu was still the same Zhong Qiu as before. No matter how many books he read, he would still be that hillbilly from the Jiulan County of Pine Song Nation's Zhuo Prefecture when he was forced into a corner. Was this not the case?

Yu Zhenyi clutched his stomach and roared with laughter, saying, "After reading books from the heavens, learning immortal techniques, setting foot on the bridge of immortality, cultivating supreme Dao, entering seclusion, and abstaining from food for many years, there's truly no need to piss, shit, or fart anymore."

Zhong Qiu sighed and asked, "You're actually waiting for that other battle to conclude first?"

Yu Zhenyi nodded and replied, "And so what if I am? It's not like you can shatter my astral energy anyway."

He then shook his head and continued, "I'm not waiting for that battle to conclude. Rather, I'm waiting for Chen Ping'an to die."

Zhong Qiu suddenly turned around and looked down at the childish body of the person who was once his friend, a strange smile on his face.

Yu Zhenyi craned his neck and looked up at him, asking, "What's wrong?"

"Do you remember that one time we were standing outside the office of County Magistrate Ma back then?" Zhong Qiu asked.

Yu Zhenyi thought for a moment, and a look of realization quickly appeared on his face. "I would have genuinely forgotten if you didn't bring it up."

Many years ago, Yu Zhenyi had only been the son of a mere petty official in his hometown of Jiulan County, with his father far from reaching the official ranks of the imperial court. Zhong Qiu's family had been even worse off. The two of them had become best friends at a very young age, and Yu Zhenyi had yearned to enter the cultivation world while Zhong Qiu had dreamed about becoming a scholar. Neither of them had been resigned to their state.

While young and energetic, Zhong Qiu had fallen in love with the darling daughter of County Magistrate Ma. Thus, Yu Zhenyi had come up with all kinds of ideas and plans for him. The girl hadn't liked Yu Zhenyi to begin with, and she had felt increasing dislike toward him as the days passed.

Late one night after becoming smashed on drinks, the two of them had taken a piss on the back wall of County Magistrate Ma's office. Unexpectedly, however, County Magistrate Ma's daughter had secretly snuck out with her maidservant to meet up with a scholar from outside of town. Upon opening the gate, the two girls had coincidentally come across Zhong Qiu and Yu Zhenyi pissing on the wall.

County Magistrate Ma's daughter had been relatively shy, while her maidservant had been extremely forthright and fierce. She had actually glanced between their legs before saying with an expression of disdain, "Why are you swinging two tiny little worms around at night?"

Afterward, Zhong Qiu and Yu Zhenyi had never gone anywhere near the county magistrate's office again.

Yu Zhenyi recalled this matter after being reminded by Zhong Qiu, but he didn't feel like this was anything interesting or worth ruminating over.

So...why was Zhong Qiu suddenly mentioning this matter? Perhaps there was some deeper meaning behind it?

Zhong Qiu smiled faintly and said, "Old Immortal Yu, you're inferior to even a tiny little worm now."

Yu Zhenyi was unfazed, yet his expression turned cold as he said, "Imperial Preceptor Zhong, now that we've finished reminiscing about the past, perhaps it's time to engage in some sparring now?"

Zhong Qiu dismissed this with a smile.

Yu Zhenyi chuckled coldly and suggested, "Why don't we have a gamble? If Liu Zong can avoid death, will he still actively seek death like you?"

Zhong Qiu nodded and replied, "Sure, then I'll wager that he won't leave by himself."

Yu Zhenyi was just about to raise his arm to summon the colored glaze immortal sword to his hand. However, he quickly lowered his arm and said with a faint smile, "But I won't even give Liu Zong the opportunity to avoid death."

Zhong Qiu didn't say anything else.

The two of them stood side by side.

There were only the two of them here, Imperial Preceptor Zhong from Southern Garden Nation and Yu Zhenyi from Pine Song Nation.

"You're wrong. My primary destructive ability doesn't lie with that sword," Yu Zhenyi suddenly said. "However, I felt like there was still a chance to save you before, so I purposely went easy on you. Just like when we were young, I was always willing to cater to you no matter what. Not only that, but I also needed to look after your feelings."

However, Zhong Qiu replied with a strange remark that couldn't be any further from the topic at hand. He turned around to gaze at the city wall in the south as he said in a soft voice, "Yu Zhenyi, you're standing in the most awkward position right now. You're neither the radiant sun, nor are you the bright moon. Indeed, this world will still be complete even if you cease to exist."

————

The skinny little girl carried the small stool all the way to the only courtyard that still had its door open. She poked her head inside, only to see Cao Qinglang squatting on the ground and bawling into his arms.

She knocked on the courtyard door before stepping inside and purposely asking, "Hey, hey, hey, is there anyone here? I'm going to enter if there's no one here."

When Cao Qinglang finally raised his head with an alert expression, the skinny little girl casually tossed the small stool to the ground before looking around and asking without a care in the world, "Is this your home? I've come to return this."

Cao Qinglang grabbed the hatchet from the ground and held it in front of him, exclaiming, "Who are you?!"

The gaze of the skinny little girl was still swimming around, and she snapped, "I'm together with that rich person in white. I'm not together with that person wearing the flower hat."

After her gaze reached the wing room, she turned to Cao Qinglang and said, "I saw a trash man and a trash woman holding four heads and walking out of here earlier. They tossed the heads onto the ground and caused blood to spill everywhere. Out of the goodness of my heart, I walked over afterward and placed the four heads back together. Who are these people to you? Are you not going to hurry up and take a look?"

Cao Qinglang instantly burst into tears again, and he turned around and sprinted toward the courtyard door

The skinny little girl suddenly blocked him with an angry expression and exclaimed, "Stop right there!"

Cao Qinglang was slightly baffled.

"Are you not going to thank me?" the skinny little girl asked.

Cao Qinglang faltered upon hearing this, and he appeared extremely hesitant as if he wanted to say something. However, he ultimately remained quiet and ran outside with tears streaming down his face.

The skinny little girl didn't dare to block someone holding a hatchet, so she pursed her lips and stepped aside to let him pass. "Ungrateful wretch. You deserve to become an orphan," she muttered.

She pushed open the door to the wing room, the place where Chen Ping'an was temporarily staying.

The blankets on the bed were neatly folded, and the books on the desk were also neatly stacked.

Everything was clean and tidy.

There was also an empty sword scabbard on the table.

She didn't find any food, nor did she find any copper coins or loose silver.

In the end, she was so angry that she walked to the table and pushed the stack of books onto the floor, causing them to fall everywhere.

However, her eyes suddenly lit up. She could sell these books for money! She then turned her gaze to the empty sword scabbard before heaving a sigh. She could forget about this scabbard. That person in white most likely wouldn't punish her much if she secretly sold these books. If she secretly sold that sword scabbard, however, he would very likely subject her to harsh punishment. At that time, even the excuse of being young wouldn't work anymore.

She grabbed the books and ran outside.

She quietly made up her mind. After selling these books for a large handful of copper coins, she would hurriedly spend all of the money and use it to buy food. After all, only food that had entered her stomach couldn't be taken back by him!

————

Holding Zhou Shi and Ya'er's shoulders, Zhou Fei walked around and found Lu Fang again. Lu Fang was still drinking in the wine shop, and no one else was inside. Not only that, but the entire street was empty as well.

It was very likely that the imperial court of Southern Garden Nation had already issued a strict order a long time ago, and the city would enter martial law whenever a battle between grandmasters broke out. These were similar to night curfews that had been implemented throughout history. In any case, Zhong Qiu must have issued this order.

The beautiful woman who had once been Lu Fang's fellow disciple was collapsed on the table.

Smiley Face's lifeless head and Lu Fang's sword, Dachun, were both resting on a neighboring table.

Zhou Fei released his grip on Zhou Shi and Ya'er before striding forward and sitting down. He chuckled in anger and asked, "You simply got her drunk?"

Lu Fang poured Zhou Fei a bowl of wine and retorted, "So what?"

Zhou Fei observed Lu Fang for a moment before saying, "Finally, my efforts were not in vain. You've at least made some progress."

Compared to his dejected and listless self before, Lu Fang had already come to his senses at this moment, and there were wisps of seemingly tangible spirit, energy, and Qi flowing around him. It was as if they were about to twist into ropes.

In any case, this was enough to let Lu Fang live in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land for another sixty years. When the time came, he would perhaps have the chance to ascend with his physical body, enjoying incredible fortune thanks to his current misfortune.

The flow of time in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land and Majestic World was very interesting. In fact, the difference between them was completely up to that person's mood.

If that person found the events of this world interesting, then sixty years in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land would only correspond to five or six years in Majestic World. If that person found things boring, however, then those in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land would suffer great calamity.

Taking a look at the most unlucky time in history, a person had gone through a myriad of challenges and hardships in the blessed land before they finally managed to ascend with much difficulty. Yet, after returning to Majestic World, they were shocked to discover that three hundred years had already passed. Their Dao Heart had almost crumbled on the spot.

After all, three hundred years was a long time even for cultivators from the mountains. This was enough time for everything to change. Those they wanted to see might have passed from the world already, while those they wanted to kill might have already died in peace after enjoying a life filled with riches and glory.

Zhou Shi and Ya'er picked a table to sit down at, each lost in their own thoughts. Zhou Shi walked over and found a pot of bamboo wine, a local specialty of Southern Garden Nation. He had just experienced a close brush with death, so this was a good time to enjoy a drink with the girl he loved.

In terms of becoming one of the top ten or even top three elites in the next sixty years, Zhou Shi didn't lack the conviction and strength to achieve this. He was Zhou Fei's son, after all, and Spring Tide Palace was on the mountain peak of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land to begin with. Thus, Zhou Shi was confident that he could reunite with Ya'er after sixty years. At that time, he could hold her hand and travel to his father's hometown together.

Zhou Shi didn't know what Ya'er was thinking. However, he didn't need to dwell on this either. This was because he had full trust in his father's abilities, especially after his father ascended and returned to his original world. That would be akin to a flood dragon returning to the water and a tiger returning to the mountains.

After all, the Lotus Flower Blessed Land was only a medium-grade blessed land. Meanwhile, the Jade Tablet Sect's Jiang Clan, led by his father, "Zhou Fei," possessed the Cloud Cave Blessed Land, a large and high-grade blessed land.[2]

Zhou Shi had never been able to learn his father's ability to train, educate, and tame women, and Zhou Fei had once joked that the immortal ability was called "fake body and true heart." Zhou Fei had said that it wasn't strange that Zhou Shi could only gain a shallow understanding of this technique. Even so, this would already be enough for him to enjoy wonderful times with many women in this world.

"How are things going over there?" Lu Fang asked.

Zhou Fei raised his wine bowl and clinked it with his good friend's before taking a sip of wine that truly tasted as terrible as could be. He hurriedly put the bowl down and explained, "Things are very chaotic. Feng Qingbai was killed by his good friend, Tang Tieyi, and Cheng Yuanshan fled without making so much as a peep. Zhong Qiu played a small trick and didn't engage in a life-and-death fight with Chen Ping'an, and he seemingly had another sparring session with the young boy after determining whose fist technique was superior.

"He helped Chen Ping'an stabilize his cultivation base, and because of Chen Ping'an's strange Martial Dao, he almost shot to the barrier of the sixth tier in a single breath. Zhong Qiu noticed these unique things, so he slowly pushed Chen Ping'an back to the fifth tier punch by punch.

"While sparring, Zhong Qiu was likely able to verify some of his martial arts theories by observing Chen Ping'an's fist stances. If he manages to ascend from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, there's no doubt that he'll become a ninth tier martial artist in the future.

Zhou Fei subconsciously reached down to grab his bowl of wine. Upon recalling the horrible taste, however, he sighed and pinched his nose before downing a mouthful. "Afterward, Ding Ying and Yu Zhenyi arrived at the scene. Ding Ying went to fight Chen Ping'an, while Yu Zhenyi went to fight Zhong Qiu. In my view, these two fights are the most dangerous and deadly out of all of them. They'll definitely result in death."

Lu Fang casually pointed at Zhou Shi and Ya'er, sitting at the table behind him, saying, "As for Pink Vajra Ma Xuan, the pipa woman, and also... Smiley Face, Chen Ping'an didn't actually harbor much killing intent toward them. However, I believe that he'll definitely kill these two if he's given the chance. Heh, this temperament... It makes him appear even more like a righteous and warm-hearted adventurer than Feng Qingbai.

"To say nothing of you and Tong Qingqing, the only other people in this world who are worthy in my eyes are Ding Ying and Yu Zhenyi. The others are only so-so. Even if Zhong Qiu becomes a ninth tier martial artist in forty or fifty years, so what?"

Zhou Shi waved his hand and replied, "I couldn't care less about these things. I'll simply sit down here and wait for the second strike of the heavenly drum on Bull Mountain. When that time comes, I'll only leave with a single person, that young girl called Ya'er sitting behind you. So, I'll have to leave Zhou Shi, my good-for-nothing son, in your care for the next sixty years."

Lu Fang nodded and agreed to Zhou Fei's request. There was curiosity in his voice as he asked, "You don't intend to recruit Yu Zhenyi? You've known him for sixty years, so you ultimately have a better chance of recruiting him than Parasol Leaf Sect. Moreover, according to what you said, you're ranked third, so you'll only be able to bring one person with you. And you've chosen this young girl from the demonic force.

"On the other hand, Yu Zhenyi can bring at least three people with him. Among Wei Xian, Lu Baixiang, Sui Youbian, and Zhu Lian, which of them isn't an extraordinary and freakish talent? Eastern Treasured Vial Continent's Jewel Small World was renowned for its ability to produce a myriad of Qi refinement prodigies. Meanwhile, this Lotus Flower Blessed Land is renowned for its ability to produce martial arts prodigies. If you succeed in recruiting Yu Zhenyi, then that will be equivalent to the Jiang Clan gaining three Zhong Qius at once."

Zhou Fei raised a finger and pointed at Lu Fang, replying, "Say, your conscience hasn't been completely devoured by a dog yet. You still understand how to consider problems for my benefit."

Ya'er actively spoke for the first time, asking in a timid voice, "Palace Leader Zhou, Sword Immortal Lu, just what kind of person is Tong Qingqing?"

Zhou Fei and Lu Fang turned a deaf ear to her question.

Ya'er had failed to understand the lofty standing of the clan leader of Jade Tablet Sect's Jiang Clan, who was also the owner of the Cloud Cave Blessed Land. At the same time, she also failed to comprehend the profound status of someone who could potentially become an eleventh tier sword immortal.

If Ya'er were a member of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land's Upper Ten Elites, then perhaps she would still have some right to speak with Zhou Fei and Lu Fang.

Of course, Zhou Fei and Lu Fang's responses were also as a result of their cold and indifferent nature. If it were Feng Qingbai or some other otherworldly immortal, perhaps they wouldn't be as difficult to approach.

————

After Chen Ping'an unleashed his sword strike toward the city wall...

On the westernmost side of the dead straight carriageway, there stood an old man whose long robe was completely torn open at the chest, revealing a deep and bloody gash.

The old man did something surprising, raising his arm and removing his silver-colored lotus flower hat before casually throwing it to the ground.

As for whether that flying sword would break free because of this and return to its owner's side, allowing his opponent to become more powerful, and whether losing the protection of this immortal treasure would cause him to lose an edge in the following battle between equally-matched opponents...

Ding Ying didn't care about any of these things.

He rolled his sleeves up in a slow and careful manner.

He thought for a moment before glancing down at the silver-colored lotus flower hat which he had always viewed as a bargaining chip. With a casual flick of his hand, he tossed it far away toward the imperial carriageway inside the capital of Southern Garden Nation.

Ding Ying slowly walked forward, with his footsteps no different from that of ordinary mortals.

He no longer possessed the mountain-like astral energy of immortals. Indeed, he was even willing to abandon his silver-colored Daoist hat. He was completely unarmed as he walked toward Chen Ping'an, yet he felt incredibly light. He had never reached this pinnacle state before.

This was how a fight should be!

After defeating the second most powerful person in the world, he would naturally remain as the most powerful person in the world. This was a very simple concept.

However, regardless of how much people placed value in such a fight, and regardless of how lofty and unattainable this was for most people, Ding Ying still felt like such a fight was too minor and too inconsequential.

Ding Ying didn't care about such a fight at all!

The true form of invincibility that Ding Ying desired was the ability to defeat the remaining nine Upper Ten Elites in unison. He wanted to defeat all of them at once with his own strength!

Because of this, his long life was accompanied by nothing but loneliness. Ding Ying would study the strengths of the myriad schools of thought and elevate the level of other superior grandmasters' martial arts techniques.

It wasn't the case that Ding Ying needed these skills and techniques to protect himself. Rather, Ding Ying had already made the necessary preparations long ago. He was going to unleash a technique that he had casually obtained to easily shatter the most powerful techniques of Yu Zhenyi, Zhong Qiu, Liu Zong, and the other superior grandmasters.

Now, however, a huge surprise had suddenly popped up from out of nowhere.

Ding Ying felt like this was only right.

In this case, he didn't need to use those flashy but hollow techniques anymore. They were far too slow, after all.

What could he do if there was no suitably powerful opponent standing on the cultivation path in front of him? Even if Ding Ying stood there and waited, and even turned around to peer back, he still couldn't see the shadow of a second person. There was no one who could catch up to him, and no one who could walk alongside him. Thus, he was accompanied by nothing but loneliness. Ding Ying walked forward all alone, yearning to rival and defeat this heaven and earth.

However, that young otherworldly immortal called Chen Ping'an had come at just the right moment. With this stepping stone, Ding Ying could climb even closer to the heavens!

Ding Ying roared with hearty laughter as he quickly strode forward.

Chen Ping'an gripped his sword, with a searing sensation flowing through his palm. However, his hand wasn't burned by the sword qi at all. Instead, he felt like his second sword strike could be even quicker.

Atop the city wall to the south of Southern Garden Nation's capital...

From the gaping hole in the city wall to the westernmost side of the city wall, the entire carriageway was flooded with a torrent of churning and snow-white sword qi.

Meanwhile, standing on the westernmost side of the city wall, Ding Ying threw punch after punch as if he were a deity from the Heavenly Court unleashing punishment toward a large mountain. His fists tore through the surging sword qi, causing it to splash into the surroundings. And just like that, Ding Ying strode forward against the flow, slicing through the sword qi as if he were slicing through butter.

1. This refers to the creatures commonly seen on the roof ridges of traditional Chinese palaces. There are often an odd number of them, excluding the phoenix-riding immortal in the lead. In fact, only the Hall of Supreme Harmony has all ten creatures. The dragon represents auspiciousness, the phoenix represents sagely morality and peace, the lion represents courage and stately dignity, the heavenly horse can chase the wind and sun, the sea horse (note that sea horse is not the same as seahorse) can turn misfortune into fortune and represents the benevolence of the imperial family stretching from the heavens to the seas, the suanni (lion-like, the fifth child of the dragon) represents the ability to command all beasts, the yayu (a creature with a beastly head, fish body, and two arms with claws) represents rain-bringing and the ability to extinguish fires and calamity, the xiezhi (single-horned and goat-like) represents bravery and justice, the douniu (a horned dragon with a bull's body and fish scales) represents auspiciousness and the elimination of calamity, and the xingshen (winged and macaque-like, with a demon-suppressing golden vajra in its hands) represents the ability to avoid lightning strikes and thus its placement on roof ridges. For pictorial references, see /item/%E8%B5%B0%E5%85%BD/1780658 or look up the Hall of Supreme Harmony. ☜

2. Zhou Fei is only a pseudonym. ☜