Neon Robes World.
In the early morning, a fine rain fell. Ever since Yan Beichen of the Fourteenth Realm unsheathed his sword in the Neon Robes World all those years ago, it was as if a hole had been poked through the sky of this world. The northern lands, which had been blessed with sunshine year-round, became prone to constant drizzles.
Amidst the mountains and wilderness, a wine banner flapped noisily in the wind. This was the only tavern in the vicinity, and it was doing a modest business, with travelers coming and going incessantly.
On the side of the tavern facing the stream, a swordsman dressed in a green vine-colored long gown was drinking alone. In front of him lay a pile of chicken bones; a roast chicken had long since been devoured. A sword was slung across his back, and he had a languid expression, appearing more like a boastful but talentless wandering swordsman than a truly formidable one.
At another table sat three burly men, all cultivators from the Neon Robes World with fair skin and pale violet eyes. They merely glanced in the direction of the young swordsman and paid him no mind. Human cultivators frequently traveled to the Neon Robes World, but they usually kept to themselves. Such individuals were not worth their attention.
One of the burly demonic cultivators took a bite of the roasted lamb leg in his hand and frowned, "Damn it, the southern front is not going well. I'm afraid the humans' fire will soon burn its way to our Neon Robes World, and perhaps even the gods will suffer."
"Ah?"
Another man was astonished. "Weren't we told a few years ago that we could march into Jizhou at any time, break through White Emperor City, and capture that human boy emperor? How has the tide turned so suddenly?"
"Hmph!"
The man in the purple robe sneered. "The higher-ups are just saying pleasant words to appease the populace. I have a cousin who serves as a hundred-man commander in the army. His letter home said that our divine race's war in the south is going extremely poorly. Four out of ten divine cavalry captains are dead. Marshal Su Chan has already led hundreds of thousands of cavalry in a retreat from Yunzhou and Yanzhou. It's said that most of the main force has returned to the Neon Robes World, leaving only two hundred thousand cavalry near the Fusu Great Wall, who have now been cut off by the human army."
"Son of a bitch!"
The man in the green robe slammed his fist on the table. "Lin Baiyi is truly formidable. Ten years ago, his strategy has managed to ensnare both the demon race and the Neon Robes World. I also heard a rumor that a few days ago, a sword light rose from the bottom of Mount Wuwang, and someone emerged. Some say his appearance is strikingly similar to Lin Baiyi's back then!"
"If Lin Baiyi is not dead, then it truly will be a catastrophe."
"Alas..."
The man in the purple robe frowned. "Let's not talk about distant matters. Just today, the miasma-filled valley we three are going to is said to have been targeted by the White Dragon Sword Sect. Soon, the White Dragon Sword Sect will send a large number of inner disciples to search for treasures. Our venture... might portend great misfortune. It's not looking good."
"Tch!"
The man in the green robe scoffed. "Is the White Dragon Sword Sect reaching too far? They already occupy that vast, spirit-rich White Dragon Mountain Range, and now they want to snatch opportunities hundreds of miles away? Are they truly leaving no room for us rogue cultivators to survive?"
"Hmph, the Sect Master of the White Dragon Sword Sect, Qi Bailong, just broke through last month, becoming the first Thirteenth Realm Great Sword Immortal in our Neon Robes World. Who does he take seriously? Even Silver Dragon Sword Immortal Cao Yan has to give way. We should avoid provoking him."
"The arrogance of the White Dragon Sword Sect has long been rumored throughout the martial world," the man in the green robe said with a smile. "Not only do they have one Thirteenth Realm sword cultivator, but they also have four Eleventh Realm sword cultivators. They are deeply entrenched in the Neon Robes World. It's said they once boasted that they could destroy Lin Baiyi's Mountain Peak Villa with a flick of their finger. They don't even regard Mountain Peak Villa highly, let alone us mere rogue cultivators!"
"Alas..."
The man in the yellow robe, who had been silent for a long time, shook his head. "My two brothers, speak softer. Beware of eavesdroppers. The White Dragon Sword Sect is powerful and wealthy; we cannot afford to offend them."
"Right, right, right."
The men nodded repeatedly, raised their wine cups, and smiled with tacit understanding. "Drink, drink. Live for today, worry not about the world's affairs."
To the side, Lin Zhujie slowly pushed his wine bowl forward and stood up. "Waiter, the bill!"
He left behind a silver ingot of the Neon Robes World and departed. Since he had encountered this information, he would go to the White Dragon Sword Sect and see if he could find any clues about Old Huang, Tong Yu, and the others.
...
Neon Robes World, Central Provinces.
A range of spirit-rich mountains stood amidst the forests, stretching endlessly. Due to the recent snowfall, the mountain peaks were tinged with white, resembling a winding, roaming white dragon. Hence, this mountain range was named the White Dragon Mountain Range. Over a thousand years ago, a vagrant rogue cultivator arrived here.
His name was Qi Xiaodong. He was originally a ruffian in Divine Capital City, constantly getting into fights. Later, he spent all his savings to become a disciple of a wandering swordsman, learning sword arts for two years. It was a short-lived apprenticeship, as his master was decapitated in a street duel. After that, Qi Xiaodong began practicing sword arts alone and, to his surprise, displayed extraordinary talent, easily reaching the Nascent Soul realm.
Later, Qi Xiaodong, prone to brawls, killed a young man at a brothel gathering. He later learned that the young man was the heir of the powerful Liang Prince's mansion in Divine Capital City. Soon after, a large contingent of advisors and cultivators from the Liang Prince's mansion arrived, severely wounding Qi Xiaodong and nearly killing him.
Dejected, Qi Xiaodong had to leave Divine Capital City, the place he had grown up in, and went to the White Dragon Mountain Range to become a mountain hermit. He changed his name to Qi Bailong, dedicated himself to the sword arts, and finally reached the Twelfth Realm over a hundred years ago. He then directly challenged the descendants of the Liang Prince's mansion, wiping them out completely, beheading the Liang Prince, defiling over a dozen of the Prince's consorts, and killing many of his offspring. Afterward, he founded a sect on White Dragon Mountain, thus establishing the present-day White Dragon Sword Sect.
A street hooligan becoming a grandmaster was quite inspirational.
However, the dragon-slayer of yesteryear had, in the blink of an eye, become a vicious dragon. Qi Bailong managed the White Dragon Sword Sect for a long time, continuously accumulating spirit energy and wealth from the surrounding area, causing the White Dragon Sword Sect to grow stronger day by day. Yet, the common folk suffered immensely. Local officials and even the imperial family of Divine Capital were unwilling to intervene. Especially after Qi Bailong ascended to the Thirteenth Realm, even the Demon Emperor had to show him deference, let alone ordinary royalty.
A wisp of green bamboo leaf flickered in the wind, slowly approaching the White Dragon Sword Sect.
As Lin Zhujie neared the sect's mountain gate, he saw disciples of the White Dragon Sword Sect scattered on the mountain. Among them, one disciple carried a human head in his hand. He approached the mountain gate's restriction array and said with a smile to a group of disciples guarding the gate, "I'm back. Junior brothers, please let me pass."
"Senior Brother Chen is back!"
A disciple tilted his head, looking at the head, and said with a smile, "If I recall correctly, Senior Brother Chen's sect mission this time was to assassinate Li Dazui, the garrulous sect master of the Kitchen Knife Sect in Qingzhou? I heard that Li Dazui was a fat man. This head... doesn't look too fat?"
"Hahaha~~~"
Senior Brother Chen chuckled. "He was bloated, that's all. But this person was indeed garrulous. Before he died, he was still shouting the name of his beloved, someone named Huilan. I silenced him with a single sword stroke. Hmph, how dare he speak ill of our White Dragon Sword Sect? He was tired of living."
A group of disciples guarding the mountain gate burst into laughter, opened the restriction array, and let Senior Brother Chen ascend.
Not long after, three disciples came up the mountain. Their cultivation was not very high, the highest being a Third Realm sword cultivator. They held a rope that bound five women. The women were dressed in various styles, some in flowing robes of noble ladies, others in simple cloth dresses of rural folk, but each woman was quite attractive. They were likely the young women coveted by the young men in the local area.
"Senior Brother Lu!"
The gatekeeper disciple said with a smile, "You've had a good haul today!"
"Not bad."
The Third Realm sword cultivator laughed heartily. "But the women selected from the foot of the mountain this time are indeed of exceptional beauty. Especially the daughter from Chen Family Gully, tsk tsk, her face is well-proportioned, and her figure is quite good. I believe even the Sect Master will look upon her with favor. If the Sect Master truly fancies her, hehe... won't my bright future be secured?"
Everyone roared with laughter. One of them, with a lecherous glint in his eyes, looked at the woman and said with a smile, "She is indeed a peerless beauty. Have you inspected the goods yet? If Senior Brother Lu is too embarrassed, I can do it for you!"
"Get lost!"
The Third Realm sword cultivator kicked the man's buttocks and said with an angry laugh, "You dare to covet the Sect Master's maidservant? Are you tired of living? She's not an option, but you can have a look at the other four. If you really can't hold back, quickly take one to the back mountain and take care of it. You have an incense stick's worth of time. Remember to treat me to a drink when you get back."
"Hahahaha~~~"
The gatekeeper disciple laughed heartily. "Forget it, forget it. We'll talk about it next time. When Senior Brother Lu finally ascends Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, bring back that female sword immortal, Xu Zhi, and that female martial god, Yu Wanning, for brothers to enjoy, and I'll cover your drinks for a year!"
Everyone erupted in uproarious laughter.
"..."
Lin Zhujie, hidden in the branches of an ancient pine tree, frowned. His hand had already reached for the sword behind his back. How dare they so brazenly insult Mountain Peak Villa! Chopping these scoundrels to pieces would be no problem. Even if the Thirteenth Realm Qi Bailong descended, Lin Zhujie was confident that even if he couldn't defeat him, he could at least match him.
Just as Lin Zhujie was about to make his move, with a sudden "buzz," the clouds above the entire White Dragon Mountain abruptly churned as if pushed aside by something. Immediately, a boundless surge of sword energy erupted, and an immensely large golden footprint, breaking through the clouds, descended from the sky and slammed down towards the White Dragon Mountain's gate.
"Ah!?"
Lin Zhao looked up, his pupils contracting rapidly. Although it was a single stomp, the sword intent and demonic energy contained within were incredibly potent. The disciples of the White Dragon Sword Sect guarding the gate reacted a moment later. Looking up at the sky, they felt as if the heavens were unleashing a disaster, an unavoidable catastrophe!
A voice echoed from the heavens:
"Zhaoshan, I challenge the White Dragon Sword Sect! Let the old dog Qi Bailong come out and die!"