An Iron Wall with Spikes

“This old servant will go handle it.” The attendant chuckled, then strode forward.

As vast as Mount Chongyun was, the area from which one could get a complete view of the sword traces wasn’t that large. In the very first row, only twenty-seven seats were arranged, each ten zhang apart from the next, so that everyone could quietly cultivate. The attendant walked directly toward Ji Ning.

“Daoist fel—” The attendant’s voice was high and thin as he called out, simultaneously reaching out to pat Ji Ning on the shoulder.

…

Absorbed in cultivation, Ji Ning’s heartforce naturally spread out, even covering this entire minor world. He was completely immersed in his meditations, using Daofather Fuju’s sword-traces to endlessly extrapolate one sword-art after another. The extrapolated sword-arts numbered in the tens of thousands, with more than a dozen of them being superior to the ‘Three-Foot Sword’.

Occasionally, gaining some insights, Ji Ning strode further and further along the path of ‘Sword Force’.

At this moment, Ji Ning was wholeheartedly deducing a powerful sword-art.

“Bam!”

A hand slapped his shoulder.

Ji Ning instantly snapped back to wakefulness. The sword-art he’d been deducing just moments before was completely ruined.

“My heartforce covers this entire minor world. If a True God or True Immortal level expert had come, I would have sensed them long ago! Who is interrupting my meditation?” Ji Ning felt a flicker of anger. Being disturbed during cultivation was the worst possible offense. He immediately turned his head to look behind him and saw the attendant with his pale, beardless face.

With a single glance, Ji Ning could tell that he was merely a Primal Daoist.

“Daoist friend,” the attendant said, pointing at the cushion below Ji Ning, “My prince is here to meditate on sword-arts and needs a seat. He has taken a liking to yours.”

Ji Ning frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping past. He saw the gorgeously dressed youth in the distance, surrounded by a crowd. The youth glanced over at Ji Ning with what seemed like contempt.

“You should know what to choose,” the attendant said, his eyes full of arrogance. Seeing that his opponent had three Primal Daoists as followers, he should be able to guess that their prince had an extraordinary background. Immortal cultivators generally knew how to avoid danger and court good fortune.

“Do not disturb my dao-meditation,” Ji Ning said coldly, glancing at the attendant. Then he closed his eyes and continued his meditation.

“You—!” The attendant pointed at Ji Ning, momentarily at a loss for words.

“Daoist friend, don’t bring disaster upon yourself!” the attendant shouted.

Ji Ning ignored him.

Given Ji Ning’s current strength and status, these little fellows were as weak as ants. Even if an ant roared a few times, Ji Ning wouldn’t care much. He was too lazy to bother. Besides, this was Mount Chongyun, a place for comprehending a Daofather’s sword-arts; generally, very few dared to start a fight here. Ji Ning believed that after a few roars, the other party would have no choice but to leave in disappointment.

“Your Highness.” The attendant ran back to the prince’s side.

“What’s going on?” the prince said, somewhat annoyed.

“That brat in the white robes is as stubborn as a rock. He completely ignored me,” the attendant said helplessly.

“Courting death.” The prince’s face darkened. “Make a move. Throw him out.”

“We cannot,” the attendant hurriedly said. “This is Mount Chongyun, a place for meditating on a Daofather’s sword-art. If we start a fight, it will disturb many of the Immortal cultivators and great demons who are also meditating. They will all be angered. It’s one thing to provoke one, but we can’t provoke all the Immortal cultivators and demons.”

“I said to throw him out, not start a life-and-death battle,” the prince said, frowning. “Those who are truly immersed in dao-meditation won’t wake up just because there’s a fight outside. The ones that wake up are those who aren’t truly absorbed. Also, when we make our move, just set up a small formation around us to prevent any shockwaves from affecting others.”

“You three, go.” The prince gave the order.

The attendant and the two guards glanced at each other, then replied in unison, “As you command.”

The three of them walked toward Ji Ning.

“Humm.”

A fiery red crystal ball floated in front of the attendant’s chest, and a fiery red barrier appeared around them, enveloping Ji Ning.

“Daoist friend!” the attendant bellowed directly, his voice exploding like thunderclaps in Ji Ning’s ears.

Ji Ning opened his eyes and looked at the three of them.

“Leave this place immediately and give up your seat. Otherwise, do not blame us for being merciless,” the attendant shouted. The two guard captains beside him were also brimming with murderous intent. Some of the nearby Immortal cultivators and demons who had stopped their meditation noticed the commotion and watched curiously.

“Interesting.”

“It’s rare to see a conflict on Mount Chongyun.”

“Those three are too arrogant. If the owner of a seat is willing to give it up, fine. But if they’re unwilling, they should wait until the meditator leaves Mount Chongyun before fighting, no?” The surrounding Immortal cultivators and demons all murmured.

A little conflict and they killed each other. It was extremely common among Immortal cultivators.

But they rarely fought directly on Mount Chongyun.

I ask you to yield. You don’t. Then when you leave Mount Chongyun, don’t blame me for being ruthless!

Thus, those who felt their strength was inferior would usually yield the seat obediently.

…

“Leave immediately!”

“Scram!”

The two guard captains also shouted. With their extraordinary backgrounds, why would they care about an ordinary Primal Daoist?

“How noisy,” Ji Ning said, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

Boom! An invisible shockwave instantly struck the three Primal Daoists. The attendant and the two guard captains, who had been about to make their move, felt an overwhelming force crushing down on them and were involuntarily sent flying backward. In particular, the guard captain who had just shouted the word ‘scram’ let out a blood-curdling scream the moment he hit the ground.

“Ah! Ah! My, my Violet Palace… My Violet Palace!” The guard captain was in both pain and terror.

The other, chubbier guard captain and the attendant also hit the ground. They scrambled to their feet and saw their companion.

“H-he… his Violet Palace has been crippled.”

“Crippled.”

Both of them were terrified.

In just one exchange, all three had been sent flying, and one was crippled. Although their backgrounds were formidable, the reason they didn’t dare to provoke Earth Immortals and Loose Immortals before was precisely because of this. Even if their backgrounds were impressive, they’d still need time to call for reinforcements. If they were killed by a Loose Immortal or Earth Immortal before help arrived, it would be a truly unjust death. That was why they had specifically targeted the seemingly weakest white-robed brat.

“We’ve hit an iron wall,” the chubby guard muttered, “one with spikes.”

“Shut your dog mouth!” the prince roared angrily.

The chubby guard was so frightened he didn’t dare to make a sound. Secretly, he was glad. His companion, who was usually too sharp-tongued, had really stepped in it this time.

“Your Highness.” The attendant hurriedly said, “This man’s strength is considerable.”

“He dares to cripple one of my men.” The prince’s gaze was terrifying as he stared fixedly at Ji Ning in the distance.

More importantly, at this moment, a good half of the Immortal cultivators and demons on Mount Chongyun were watching the scene with great interest. After all, they weren’t Ji Ning. Ji Ning could dive into his cultivation for a month or two at a time, but those other cultivators were too weak. The Daofather’s sword-art was too profound for them; they’d comprehend a little and then have to stop.

Being stared at by so many cultivators made the prince even more furious, and he transferred his anger to Ji Ning.

“Daoist friend.” The prince walked over directly, with the attendant, the chubby commander, and other guards following closely behind.

The prince’s voice was clear but filled with rage: “Your hand is truly vicious.”

Ji Ning, however, still had his eyes closed and ignored him completely. The prince didn’t dare to attack directly, as he had just seen how Ji Ning had struck. He was only at the early Primal Daoist stage himself, so how could he possibly be Ji Ning’s opponent?

“Five junior apprentice-brothers!” the prince bellowed.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Instantly, five figures flew down from above Mount Chongyun, each exuding powerful auras. They were all at the Loose Immortal level.

“Five Loose Immortals.”

“Five Loose Immortals guarding Mount Chongyun for the Sword Sect.”

“This young man calls the Five Loose Immortals his junior apprentice-brothers? Is he a member of the Sword Sect? But look at his age. Those Five Loose Immortals are far older.”

“That goes without saying. He dare call them junior apprentice-brothers, so this young man must be a formal disciple of the Sword Sect.”

“I recognize him. He is the third prince of the East Luan Dynasty, and he has taken the Three-Scorpion Celestial Immortal as his master.”

“So that’s it. Looks like this white-robed man is in trouble. He’s crossed a formal disciple of the Sword Sect. This is bad.”

“This white-robed man is too ignorant. Since the other party dared to act so arrogantly on Mount Chongyun, they must have some backing. The white-robed man should have been more cautious. Now he’s provoked a great enemy.”

All sorts of discussions broke out.

The five Loose Immortals descended from the sky. The surrounding Immortal cultivators and demons all gave way, not daring to provoke the Sword Sect. The five Loose Immortals politely bowed to the prince.

“Senior Apprentice-Brother Dongji.”

“Greetings, Senior Apprentice-Brother Dongji.”

The five Loose Immortals who had flown in had each lived for over a hundred thousand years, but they still spoke with great respect. They were all disciples of the Sword Sect, but merely outer-disciples, assigned to maintain order and the beautiful environment around Mount Chongyun. In simple terms, they were gatekeepers. In contrast, this prince before them was a formal disciple!

The prince, Dongji, flipped his hand over, producing a golden medallion with the character ‘Sword’ on it. He immediately shouted, “This white-robed brat has shown disrespect to my Sword Sect, and even crippled one of my Primal Daoists. Please, five senior apprentice-brothers, seize him and throw him into the Sword Sect prison.”

“It’s true he’s a Sword Sect disciple.”

“A formal disciple.”

“Look at that golden medallion.”

“I heard the Sword Sect is a very powerful sect throughout the entire Three Realms, and their founder is Daofather Fuju himself.”

Another wave of discussion surged. The Sword Sect was founded by Daofather Fuju. In its heyday, its status was comparable to Mount Innerheart! But after Daofather Fuju’s death, when the tree fell, the monkeys scattered. Adding to that was Daofather Fuju’s relatively poor guidance of his disciples—not a single one had become a Daofather. Of those who remained in the Sword Sect now, only three were True Gods or True Immortals. Today’s Sword Sect was inferior even to the Starseizing Manor.

Even so, a sect with three True Gods and True Immortals was still considered a top-tier major power in the Three Realms. A formal disciple of such a sect held a much higher status than an ordinary Earth Immortal or Void Fiendgod.

“How dare you show disrespect to my Sword Sect!”

“Seize him!”

“Seize him!” The five Loose Immortals transformed into streaks of light, flying toward Ji Ning.

Ji Ning opened his eyes and swept his gaze over them.

Bam!

As if struck by a solid blow, the five Loose Immortals were sent flying back like shooting stars, disappearing beyond the range of sight.

Ji Ning then turned his gaze to the prince.

“No—!” The prince was so terrified he stumbled backward, falling flat on his seat. It was too terrifying. He hadn’t even seen what method the man used. It seemed like just a glance, and five Loose Immortals were sent flying. The guards behind him were scared out of their wits, not daring to even breathe.

“Whoosh.”

A streak of light flashed.

A bald old man appeared beside Ji Ning, saying hurriedly and respectfully, “Fǔ-zhǔ, your subordinate has arrived late.”

“A small matter.” Ji Ning smiled faintly.

Heavenly God Nine-Fang was actually quite angry. He had been sleeping in a nearby tavern, but as a Heavenly God, he was still aware of everything around him. If any powerful figure appeared—even a Celestial Immortal—he would notice immediately. The prince only had a few Primal Daoists with him, so Heavenly God Nine-Fang hadn’t paid them any attention. It was only when Ji Ning swept his gaze over them, unleashing his power, that Heavenly God Nine-Fang was startled awake and realized someone was provoking his master.

“How dare you provoke my master! Courting death?” Heavenly God Nine-Fang glared at the prince.

The prince, still sitting on the ground, realized that this white-robed youth probably had a terrifying background.

“I am a disciple of the Sword Sect!” The prince hurriedly pulled out his golden medallion, grasping at it as if it were his last straw. “I am a formal disciple of the Sword Sect! My master is an Immortal patriarch, a Celestial Immortal. He is guarding the East Luan Realm! My master’s master is Patriarch Mo Wu!”

“Nine-Fang, we came here to meditate on Daofather Fuju’s sword-arts, after all. Be polite,” Ji Ning said with a laugh.

The prince felt a moment of relief, secretly sneering. It seems he’s still afraid of my Sword Sect. But he didn’t dare act too arrogant on the surface. As powerful as the Sword Sect was, it couldn’t save him right now.

“He offended Fǔ-zhǔ, so…” Heavenly God Nine-Fang hurriedly began.

“No need to bother. Oh, right, this brat says his master is the Celestial Immortal guarding this East Luan Realm. Summon his master here,” Ji Ning said.

“Yes.”

Heavenly God Nine-Fang nodded, then stretched out his right hand.

Whoosh!

His right hand instantly swelled, cutting through the air and traversing tens of thousands of li to directly seize the Celestial Immortal patriarch in the East Luan Dynasty’s imperial palace.

Within the palace, the Three-Scorpion Celestial Immortal was drinking fine wine, watching beautiful dancers perform before him in comfort. He was of the demon race, but had joined the Sword Sect. This time, he had been ordered by his master to guard the East Luan Realm, primarily to keep an eye on Mount Chongyun.

“How comfortable this is! I’m so lucky to be assigned here by my master. My other senior and junior apprentice-brothers all have to be ready for battle against that Seamless Gate at any moment.” The Three-Scorpion Celestial Immortal was feeling quite pleased with himself. Being assigned here was truly a stroke of good fortune. “And my luck has been good since I arrived in the East Luan Realm. I even found a promising seedling. That Dongji is quite gifted.”

“No need to join the battle, and I’ve taken on a good disciple. Comfortable, so comfortable.” The Three-Scorpion Celestial Immortal squinted at the beauties.

Bam!

The Three-Scorpion Celestial Immortal looked up sharply, only to see a massive hand glowing with black light piercing through the roof, reaching down to grab him.

“Ah!” The Three-Scorpion Celestial Immortal was caught instantly, and with a whoosh, he was dragged away.

The dancing beauties stared blankly at the now-empty throne, then looked up at the gaping hole in the palace roof. They still remembered the enormous, glowing black hand.

“The patriarch has been taken!”

“The patriarch has been taken!” Various cries of alarm rang out.

…

“This…”

“Heavens.”

“This is simply…”

The Immortal cultivators and demons present were all dumbstruck, staring up at the arm that extended all the way to the horizon. Could an arm really be this long? They didn’t know that Heavenly God Nine-Fang was a bat by nature. If he transformed into his true body, he would be tens of thousands of li in size. The body of a Snow-Scorpion Heavenly God was similarly vast. For him, simply extending an arm could reach a limit of a hundred thousand li.

At the level of a True God or Daofather… someone like Daoist Threelives could slap an entire major world to smithereens with one blow.

“Whoosh.”

The right arm, which had stretched across the sky, retracted. The bald old man now held a Celestial Immortal by the scruff of his neck with his chicken-claw-like right hand.

“Brat, is this your master?” Nine-Fang pointed at the captured Three-Scorpion Celestial Immortal.