Chapter 659 (3): Like a Blazing Sun

A grand and all-encompassing martial gathering was held on the plaza outside the ancestral hall on Sky Blue Peak, and in order to mark its significance, there was a table and four chairs placed at the front, with the table filled with fruits and desserts.

Of course, the doors of the ancestral hall wouldn't be opened for no reason, and it would be even more taboo to carry things out for no reason. As such, all of the tables and chairs had been carried over from Downtrodden Mountain, the ancestral mountain.

All of the people present were mighty figures belonging to the Eastern Splendor Mountain Division under the Dragon Spring Prefecture Headquarters.

Division Leader Pei Qian sat in the host seat, with her back facing the ancestral hall and her arms crossed. There was a wooden tablet on the table in front of her, and this was the alliance leader tablet from the Dragon Spring Prefecture Headquarters. Big Sister Baoping had let Pei Qian look after this for many years already.

Downtrodden Mountain's Right Guardian Zhou Mili had just been promoted to the position of deputy division leader not long ago, and she was in attendance alongside Division Guest Elder Chen Nuanshu. Meanwhile, Guest Elder Chen Lingjun was missing, and his absence had already been noted down by Division Leader Pei Qian.

The young girl in pink, who was responsible for managing all of the keys in Downtrodden Mountain, was sitting on a long bench beside the young girl in black, who was carrying a gold shoulder pole and a verdant green hiking pole.

Junior Division Leader Li Huai, who managed the dorms of an academy under the main division, was squeezed onto a long bench beside Liu Guan and Ma Lian, students from Mountain Cliff Academy. Not only were the three of them classmates, but they were also close friends who shared the same dormitory.

Liu Guan was from a humble background, while Ma Lian hailed from a wealthy clan in the Great Sui Nation. In fact, the Ma Clan was related to the Great Sui Nation's Geyang Gao Clan through marriage. In any case, the scholars at Mountain Cliff Academy had high hopes for both Liu Guan and Ma Lian.

There was also the incense person who had been promoted to the position of Dragon Riding Alley's right guardian. He had initially been an incense person at Steamed Bun Mountain, but he was now an incense person in Dragon Province's city god pavilion. His stature was the smallest, so the division leader made an exception and allowed him to sit on the table. In fact, he was fortunate enough to sit opposite the division leader.

The left guardian of Dragon Riding Alley was lying under the long bench.

Li Baoping, the leader of the main headquarters of the martial alliance, was also not present, as was Cui Dongshan, an honorary guest elder of the division.

Pei Qian cleared her throat and swept her gaze across everyone, saying, "I've gathered everyone here today to discuss three matters. This is not child's play, so... Zhou Mili, put your roasted seeds away first. And Liu Guan, sit up properly."

The young girl silently put down the roasted seeds in her hand, while Liu Guan sheepishly sat up straight.

Sure enough, the division leader was extremely strict and impartial.

Pei Qian explained the three matters, with the first matter being the rules of the division. These were fundamental rules relating to one's conduct in the martial world, and she had noted them down from the many martial arts novels she had read. Of course, these rules were mainly based on the teachings of her master.

For example, having a particular skill was important when it came to establishing oneself in the martial world, and acting with chivalry and righteousness was a display of one's martial virtue.

Beyond martial prowess with fists and weapons, it was also important for gallant martial artists to understand the distinction between right and wrong, be able to accurately see through schemes, and have the ability to flawlessly close matters out. Stepping in to uphold justice was necessary, but this wasn't enough by itself.

The second matter related to the changing roles and promotions in the division. Pei Qian especially congratulated Zhou Mili and the little incense person for their timely reports, and she severely criticized Dragon Riding Alley's left guardian for being lazy and irresponsible.

The last matter pertained to her imminent trip to the Northern Complete Reed Continent with Li Huai. This was the first legitimate training session outside the mountains for the division, so it was important to gather everyone's experience and knowledge about traveling through the martial world. Chen Nuanshu was responsible for taking notes, and everyone would receive a copy once this was edited and copies were made.

After discussing these proper matters, Pei Qian waved a hand and said, "It's time to snack on roasted seeds!"

The atmosphere was joyous and harmonious atop Sky Blue Peak.

————

Accompanied by the wind and birds in the skies, the intercontinental ship of the Flax Robe Sect, which was dragged through the sea of clouds by heroic spirits, eventually arrived at Skeleton Shoal's ferry station without incident.

Flax Robe Sect had two guest elders of Downtrodden Mountain, with one being the Nascent Tier Du Wensi who guarded Malicious Ghost Valley's Green Cottage Town alongside Sect Leader Zhu Quan, and the other being Sword Cultivator Pang Lanxi, a direct disciple of Wood Garment Mountain's ancestral hall.

Chen Lingjun stepped off the intercontinental ship with a hiking pole in his hand and a bamboo bookcase on his back. Many cultivators were returning home after venturing south to travel around the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and they quickly leaped off the intercontinental ship like dumplings being tossed into a pot of water. This caused no shortage of conflicts and arguments with the cultivators managing the ferry station.

This was an eye-opening experience for Chen Lingjun. The cultivators of the Northern Complete Reed Continent indeed lived up to their reputation, with each being straightforward and filled with heroic bravery. If this were at Ox Horn Mountain's ferry station, just how many people would the Dragon Spring Sword Sect and Great Li Empire need to suppress and beat down?

Chen Lingjun first made his way to Mural City, which was becoming increasingly quiet by the day. He purchased a set of mural replicas of the heavenly officials, and this would be his greeting gift to the Flax Robe Sect.

Regarding these expenses, the ancestral hall of Downtrodden Mountain had already planned in advance and given Chen Lingjun a sum of immortal coins. However, Chen Lingjun didn't touch a single snowflake coin from those funds. Was this a joke? Would Lord Chen be too poor to purchase a few presents?

Things were different from the past, when he had resided in the jurisdiction of the Imperial River. His pockets had been filled to the brim when traveling around the martial world back then, and the clinking between immortal coins had seemingly been as loud as thunder. However, Lord Chen had changed and become slightly more friendly after arriving at Dragon Spring Prefecture. Otherwise, with his short temper, he would have already been punched to death several times over...

There were times when Chen Lingjun liked to let his thoughts run wild, and he always felt like all of the Qi refiners in the world needed to live in the small town for a period of time, where they could humbly ask him for guidance about his experience in the martial world.

Sect Leader Zhu Quan didn't show herself in the Flax Robe Sect, where the atmosphere was stern and forbidding, and the two old ancestors weren't present either. One had already been traveling outside for many years, while Disciplinary Elder Yan Su had been working with an elder from their upper sect in the Middle Earth Divine Continent and was busy strengthening the mountain-protection formation of the Flax Robe Sect for the past few years. Meanwhile, Pang Lanxi was cultivating in seclusion, and Du Wensi was still skirmishing with those skeletons at Green Cottage Town.

Chen Lingjun didn't come across a single familiar face, so he grumbled in his mind that his master didn't have enough influence and face, meaning that he wasn't even welcomed by the sect leader and treated to a banquet. He struggled to maintain his air of confidence, as if he had seen and experienced all kinds of things in the world, and he also needed to carefully survey his surroundings at the same time.

He had almost suffered greatly when interacting with Ruan Qiong at the small town's blacksmith shop back then, especially with the sage from the Wind Snow Temple dressing up like a farmer in the fields. He was clearly doing that to trick people, no? With these past lessons fresh in his memory, Chen Lingjun felt like it was safer for him to keep a low profile and take things easy this time.

He offered the present, and the person who welcomed him and accepted the present was an amicable individual called Wei Yusong. He claimed to be a bookkeeper, and his words were the least useful, and he would suffer the most pent-up frustration. Chen Lingjun felt like he had come across a brother with the same misfortunes, but he continued to silently remind himself not to so easily regard other people as brothers on this distant trip.

He had read quite a few books on his way here, although most of them listed the key things to watch out for in those treacherous mountains and rivers. Chen Lingjun didn't read much about the Flax Robe Sect, the Spring Dew Garden, and the other places that his Master had visited before and built ties with. He felt like Wei Yusong was a like-minded person, and the two of them could sacrifice a chicken and burn yellow paper to become sworn brothers in the future.

Thus, Chen Lingjun hurriedly brushed up on his knowledge, finding an opportunity to secretly retrieve a text from his master and turn to the page about the Flax Robe Sect. Sure enough, he found a section about Wei Yusong, with his master having written a few sentences about him.

Wei Yusong was described as a senior who was extremely skilled at performing transactions, and he could be regarded as the so-called god of wealth of the Flax Robe Sect. The text reminded Chen Lingjun to show some respect if he encountered Wei Yusong, and he would do well to speak less nonsense.

Knowing that Wei Yusong was a mighty figure managing the finances of a sect, Chen Lingjun immediately understood how to act. There were three types of people that one couldn't offend in immortal forces: those upholding the rules and regulations of the immortal force because of their iron fists, those managing the finances because of their shrewd and underhanded nature, and those who were extremely young but were already direct disciples of the ancestral hall.

He politely declined Wei Yusong's invitation to stay, and after bidding farewell, he didn't dare trouble the mighty figure by asking him to accompany him to the mountain entrance. When descending the mountain by himself, Chen Lingjun came across an ordinary-looking woman halfway, and there was something slightly off about her gaze as she looked at him.

Chen Lingjun felt slightly uncomfortable. He wasn't Wei Bo or anything, so why was she staring at him? There was something wrong with the woman's gaze, and she surprisingly followed Chen Lingjun all the way to the foot of the mountain, making him feel slightly apprehensive. He was just about to change his mind and ascend the mountain again, where he could at least get this woman off his tail. He would then stay at the Flax Robe Sect for a few days before leaving, and that wouldn't delay his journey at all.

When they reached the mountain entrance and the woman with the saber at her waist introduced herself as Zhu Quan, Chen Lingjun almost buckled at the knees and fell to the ground. It took him a great deal of effort to steady himself and remain standing.

Zhu Quan smiled and said, "Wei Bo has already sent a messenger flying sword to Wood Garment Mountain, so you can feel free to mention Flax Robe Sect's Zhu Quan if you encounter any troubles in the martial world in the future. It's not guaranteed to save your life, but we can definitely exact revenge for you. Of course, it's best if you don't come across any troubles at all. This will be extremely difficult, however, as not encountering a myriad of troubles in the Northern Complete Reed Continent will mean that your training hasn't been comprehensive enough."

Chen Lingjun trembled in fear and expressed his thanks. Zhu Quan waved goodbye, after which Chen Lingjun also bid farewell. However, Zhu Quan suddenly stopped and asked, "When is Chen Ping'an going to return from the Sword Qi Great Wall?"

Chen Lingjun shook his head and replied, "I'm not sure. It's never clear when Master is going to return when he embarks on distant journeys."

Zhu Quan glanced at Chen Lingjun's bamboo bookcase and hiking pole before laughing loudly and remarking, "Does everyone from Downtrodden Mountain travel around the world like this?"

Chen Lingjun nodded vigorously in response.

Zhu Quan suddenly sighed with emotion and said, "I'm truly a bit envious of that person's... freedom."

Chen Lingjun didn't understand these strange and subtle comments from people standing at the pinnacle of the mountains, but he was, at the very least, able to discern that this female sect leader, who was widely renowned in the continent, had a fairly good impression of his master. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone out of her way to return to Wood Garment Mountain from Malicious Ghost Valley.

Ordinary immortal forces in the mountains cared most about matching people with equals, etiquette when interacting with people and matters, and all kinds of other complicated rules and regulations. In reality, Chen Lingjun had already been very satisfied with being welcomed and hosted by Wei Yusong.

Zhu Quan was an Upper Five Tier sect leader, yet she still dared to face off against Malicious Ghost Valley's Gao Cheng for so many years. And now, such a gallant woman had actually returned to say a few words to him? Thanks to this, there was a spring in Chen Lingjun's step as he left Wood Garment Mountain.

Following the planned route, Chen Lingjun boarded an immortal ship of the Spring Dew Garden and traveled to the eastern estuary of the Plenty River. The steward of the ship was none other than the Golden Core Tier Song Lanqiao, who now had a seat in the ancestral hall of the Spring Dew Garden.

Song Lanqiao was exceedingly polite when Chen Lingjun visited, directly organizing a heaven-grade room for him and even accompanying him for a long time. As they chatted, it was clear that he had a very cordial relationship with Chen Ping'an and Downtrodden Mountain, and he was so polite and humble that Chen Lingjun started to feel a little uncomfortable.

There was now an alliance between four forces, that being Downtrodden Mountain, Cloud Drape Mountain, the Flax Robe Sect, and the Spring Dew Garden. Among this alliance, the Flax Robe Sect's Wei Yusong and the Spring Dew Garden's Tang Xi were responsible for the various matters that came up.

Song Lanqiao was also allied with Tang Xi, and it was all thanks to the young Sword Immortal Chen that he had managed to gain a seat in the ancestral hall of the Spring Dew Garden. In any case, Sword Immortal Chen had an even closer relationship with Song Lanqiao's esteemed master, and Song Lanqiao had almost never seen his master miss an outsider so much. This was already a relationship that transcended a simple friendship between sword immortals.

The further Chen Lingjun traveled from home, the more he missed home.

He missed everyone, and he would even have frequent thoughts about the blind old Daoist priest cultivating in seclusion in Yellow Lake Mountain.

Wei Bo had said a few things to Chen Lingjun before his intercontinental ship had departed, saying that it wasn't too difficult for cultivators to kill others with immortal techniques and suppress others with might when traveling outside. However, it was indeed difficult to win over people's hearts.

For the first time, Chen Lingjun carefully read over the information in the book that he had skipped before. He then walked to the observation deck and zoned out as he rested his arms and head on the railing. The bright moon was hanging high in the sky, with half of it hiding behind the sea of clouds. It appeared distant yet close at the same time, and it was as if the intercontinental ship could crash into the moon if it slightly adjusted its direction. It seemed as easy as a traveler walking through an archway.

Things would be completely different when Master wasn't at Downtrodden Mountain. Chen Lingjun had noticed this a long time ago.

However, without leaving Downtrodden Mountain and embarking on this distant journey, it would be very difficult for him to understand why exactly things were different, and where specifically they were different.

When he interacted with Master all day, every day, it was seemingly very easy to forget Master's cultivation base and status. When Chen Lingjun retraced the footsteps of his master, however, he discovered that the youth from Clay Vase Alley — who he had reluctantly followed back then — had already become incredibly impressive.

Chen Lingjun pushed aside these thoughts and packed his belongings, after which he bid farewell to Song Lanqiao and disembarked the intercontinental ship at one of its stops. He visited Imperial Accompanying City and made a beeline for the fire god temple.

The fire god temple had once been reduced to ruins due to the schemes of the lake lord belonging to Verdant Bamboo Lake's dragon palace. However, it was rebuilt again, and the local government spent a huge sum of money to sculpt another colorful divine statue.

The temple enjoyed abundant incense offerings, and Chen Lingjun visited late one night, respectfully knocking on the temple door to seek an audience. He saw the man whose cultivation base didn't appear very high, and he retrieved a large number of immortal wines to treat the deity who had shown his true body. The deity was extremely happy, but he didn't ask a single question about how Chen Ping'an was doing right now.

Chen Lingjun had a very good impression of this deity. He also displayed the spirit of the martial world, just like himself!

And thus, they enjoyed wine without any need for encouragement.

Not only had Chen Ping'an written down some notes in the books, but he had even spoken to Chen Lingjun and specifically told him that this deity was his friend, one to whom he owed some wine.

After receiving a report from the fire god temple's temple attendant, Lake Lord Yin Hou immediately rushed over from Verdant Bamboo Lake's dragon palace even though it was already late at night. He didn't bring any trusted subordinates with him, and a distance of four hundred kilometers was nothing more than a brief stroll for the lake lord, given that the entire Imperial Accompanying City fell under his jurisdiction.

Lake Lord Yin Hou faltered upon seeing the red-faced deity and the animated young boy in azure boasting about his feats. How come Sword Immortal Chen had a friend like this?

In any case, it was clear that they were enjoying their time drinking and chatting.

However, the deity of the fire god temple simply treated Lake Lord Yin Hou with politeness, not appearing warm or enthusiastic at all. On the other hand, he was having a good time with Chen Lingjun.

Morning arrived, and Chen Lingjun left the fire god temple, making his way to the Golden Crow Palace to visit Liu Zhiqing, a sword cultivator at the peak stage of the Golden Core Tier.

Once again, he was warmly welcomed as an esteemed guest, and he was respectfully led to the mountain peak where Liu Zhiqing was cultivating in seclusion.

Chen Lingjun managed to gain an audience with Liu Zhiqing.

The handsome young man had a divine appearance, dressed in snow-white robes and wearing a gold hairpin, making people feel as if all the renowned mountains and rivers in the world were waiting for this cultivator to grace them with his presence.

Liu Zhiqing smiled and asked Chen Lingjun if he wanted to drink some tea. Chen Lingjun said it wouldn't be necessary, so Liu Zhiqing didn't push any further. In reality, there was nothing much for the two of them to talk about, and Liu Zhiqing wasn't the type of cultivator who was adept at hosting guests.

They simply made some polite small talk, and when Chen Lingjun ran out of things to say, Liu Zhiqing didn't insist on keeping him any longer. Chen Lingjun stood up and bade farewell, and Liu Zhiqing offered to accompany him to the foot of the mountain. However, Chen Lingjun knew that he was cultivating in seclusion, so he hurriedly turned down this offer and sprinted down the mountain, leaving the Golden Crow Palace in a flash.

As for the palace leader of the Golden Crow Palace waiting at the foot of the mountain and inviting him to a feast? Chen Lingjun politely turned this invitation down as well, apologizing and thanking the palace leader for the invitation, saying that he would attend next time. Everything was smooth and natural, and Chen Lingjun was getting better and better at these conversations.

He visited the Spring Dew Garden afterward, and he didn't travel aboard an immortal ship this time.

Chen Lingjun had an innate affinity with water, after all, so he chose to travel on an ordinary ship instead. The boat was seemingly navigating through a painting, passing through hundreds of thousands of mountains and listening to the chattering of apes and monkeys.

Chen Lingjun wasn't in a rush to visit Song Lanqiao, with whom he was already familiar, after arriving in the territory of the Spring Dew Garden, and he instead followed the map and wandered around the two shores of the estuary first. Only then did he visit the Spring Dew Garden, sightseeing at Luminous Jade Cliff before visiting the Pi Fu Shop that his master had opened. There was a stand-in shopkeeper managing affairs, and business was doing very well. Chen Lingjun stayed here and worked as a shop assistant for two days.

Night arrived, and the continent suddenly released its flying swords.

The entire Spring Dew Garden instantly lit up, and Chen Lingjun hurriedly opened the shop and looked outside. The street was bustling with activity, and everyone was saying that a sword immortal had died at the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Tens of thousands of kilometers away from his hometown, and thinking about his master who was even further away from his hometown, Chen Lingjun sat on the door threshold and rested his cheeks in his hands, his expression downcast.

————

A long, golden river appeared on the battlefield to the south of the Sword Qi Great Wall for the third time.

A young man carried a sword case filled with borrowed swords from the sword market.

Chen Ping'an stood on the city wall and gazed down at the battlefield for a brief moment. He then strode forward and plummeted toward the ground, rolling up his sleeves as he did so. He bent his knees before landing, and he took a step in midair and suddenly shot forward. A huge crater appeared in the ground behind him, releasing a muffled rumble in the depths of the earth.

He wasn't flying on his sword, and he was flying on the wind instead.

He instantly shot hundreds of meters from the city wall like a whizzing arrow, with his hands landing on the heads of two demon cultivators and giving a gentle push. The heads of the demon cultivators were pulverized, and their limp corpses were thrown into the distance.

When Chen Ping'an gracefully landed on the ground, all of the sword cultivators in the surroundings instinctively distanced themselves from him, clearing a path for the young Hidden Official who had left the city wall for the third time.

There were no more complaints or feelings of resentment at the Sword Qi Great Wall, seeing that the young Hidden Official was actually a sword cultivator who was extremely capable at killing enemies.

A Militarian demon cultivator dressed in heavy armor and carrying a large halberd charged over and launched a powerful thrust. However, the young Hidden Official continued to rush forward in a straight line, casually using his head to shatter the halberd before throwing a punch to obliterate the demon cultivator's body. He stomped on the ground with slight force, unleashing his fist intent before fully entering a fist stance.

With Chen Ping'an at the center, a tsunami of fist intent wantonly swept through an area measuring thirty meters in radius. Not only that, but a fist aura rose with vigor and covered an area even greater than that. The layer of fist intent and the layer of fist aura resonated with each other, appearing like expanding halos of the radiant moon.

The martial artist at the center was like a blazing sun.