Li Ruoxi.
Palace Master of Jade Serenity Palace in the Sea of All Heavens.
Li Ruoxi's spiritual cultivation talent was quite extraordinary. It was said that she reached the Fourteenth Realm at the young age of 3000 years, and it was a remarkably stable Fourteenth Realm. Afterward, she established the legendary Jade Serenity Palace by dividing several mountains in the Sea of All Heavens.
Li Ruoxi's demeanor was quite domineering in the Upper Realm, and many of the sages there did not agree with her actions. However, realm and strength were the true currency of power, so despite many in the Upper Realm not approving of Li Ruoxi as a person, they had to acknowledge her Fourteenth Realm.
Lin Qing'er had never had a good impression of Li Ruoxi.
Firstly, Li Ruoxi was overbearing in her conduct. Despite being human, she maintained harmonious relations with the Boundless Mountain of the demon race, while having little interaction with the orthodox human forces such as the Eternal Realm and the Eternal Secret Realm.
Secondly, Lin Qing'er only learned after ascending that Qin Suihan had brought a World Tree spirit branch down to the mortal realm back then, preserving the last strand of majestic vitality for the human race. Afterward, he perished in the Sea of All Heavens due to heavenly punishment.
In fact, Li Ruoxi was one of those who had made the move.
Lin Zhao did not know about this, nor did little Jiu'er. Lin Qing'er, however, had always remembered it.
...
"Palace Master."
Lin Qing'er's gaze was serene, and she smiled, "Why is that? Are you trying to stop me, Lin Qing'er, from descending to the mortal realm?"
"Yes."
Li Ruoxi's lips curved upwards, and she said with a smile, "Sword Immortal Lin, please do not misunderstand. My Jade Serenity Palace harbors no disrespect towards Lin Qing'er of Deep Sword Mountain. We are merely acting in accordance with the Heavenly Dao."
"What is meant by acting in accordance with the Heavenly Dao?"
"Not long ago, a strand of undefeated inner demon infiltrated the mortal realm."
Li Ruoxi's expression was solemn. "This strand of undefeated inner demon merged with an ancient remnant of the Wind God in the mortal realm, and the merger was highly successful. It has become a malevolent entity in the mortal world. You and I both know that the power on the mountains in the mortal realm is far inferior to that of the Upper Realm. A single undefeated inner demon will bring about a catastrophe."
"So?"
Lin Qing'er asked, "Is this the reason the Palace Master is preventing cultivators from the Upper Realm from descending?"
"Yes."
Li Ruoxi pursed her red lips. "The barrier between the Upper Realm and the mortal world has always been as vast as the heavens, with strict and seamless rules and prohibitions. These undefeated inner demons originate from outside the heavens. How could they infiltrate the mortal realm? Undoubtedly, there are traitors within our Upper Realm."
She frowned. "Therefore, until that undefeated inner demon in the mortal realm is annihilated, this Void Mountain has been declared a forbidden zone, prohibiting anyone from descending to the mortal realm, to prevent anyone from carrying inner demons and bringing new calamities to the mortal world."
Lin Qing'er's eyes flashed with ferocity. "Li Ruoxi, do you take everyone for a fool? The Void Mountain belongs to the entire Upper Realm, not just your Jade Serenity Palace to seal as you please?"
"Oh."
From not far away, another figure emerged, an old man in gray robes.
He was known in the Upper Realm as True Person Ling Yu, his true name being Wei Lingyu. He was the Mountain Master of Martial City in the Sea of All Heavens, a martial artist who had lived for over ten thousand years, a living Thirteenth Realm martial artist, and the epitome of martial arts across the three realms.
Coincidentally, he was also one of the sages in the Sea of All Heavens who had participated in the demise of Qin Suihan.
Wei Lingyu clasped his hands behind his back, exuding the demeanor of a martial arts grandmaster. His eyes narrowed, and he chuckled, "Sword Immortal Lin, are you intending to force your way through Void Mountain? Defying the obstruction of the Sea of All Heavens?"
"..."
Lin Qing'er frowned and smiled, "Who else? Come out."
"And me."
From the depths of Void Mountain in the distance, a figure in fiery red hair drifted over. It was a girl with an incredibly sweet appearance, dressed in a red dress, but her sword intent was terrifyingly formidable.
Liu Qianling, a Thirteenth Realm sword cultivator, the Sect Master of Thousand Mountains Sword Sect in the Sea of All Heavens, and someone with a fiery temper.
"Lin Qing'er."
Liu Qianling raised her delicate eyebrows and said with a smile, "Void Mountain has been sealed. Do you intend to force your way through? Then do not blame us for being impolite."
"Hmph!"
Lin Qing'er smiled calmly. "If I do not force my way through, would you let me go today? This is a heaven-sent opportunity to kill me, Lin Qing'er."
"You are wise."
Li Ruoxi chuckled. "Indeed, you cannot leave today. As for killing... that might be going too far. No one wants to incur the karma of killing a Thirteenth Realm cultivator, especially since we have no enmity."
Wei Lingyu clenched his fists and said indifferently, "Palace Master Li, enough pleasantries. Let's subdue Lin Qing'er to avoid prolonged complications."
"Alright."
In the next moment, Li Ruoxi attacked. With a wave of her long sword, a torrent of green surged across the sky and earth. Although not a sword cultivator, her sword techniques as a Fourteenth Realm spiritual cultivator were exceptionally extraordinary.
Lin Qing'er gritted her teeth and thrust out her sword, her entire being surging with immense sword dao energy.
"Chish!"
The sword light parted the waves. Ignoring Wei Lingyu and Liu Qianling, Lin Qing'er's sword descended directly, unleashing dozens of sword lights straight towards Li Ruoxi. If possible, she would kill Li Ruoxi first!
"Hmm?"
Li Ruoxi's delicate brows furrowed. She had not expected Lin Qing'er's Thirteenth Realm sword intent to be so sharp as to break through her Jade Serenity Azure Wave Dharma Form. Perhaps... in a one-on-one duel, she, a Fourteenth Realm cultivator, might not be able to decisively defeat Lin Qing'er, a Thirteenth Realm cultivator!
For a moment, Li Ruoxi became somewhat enraged. Her natal magical artifacts appeared in rapid succession, unleashing dozens of offensive spells to suppress Lin Qing'er in one go.
Who would have thought that Lin Qing'er's counterattack would be equally fierce? With every swing of her sword, immense sword intent surged forth, her dense and complex sword qi like raindrops, constantly annihilating Li Ruoxi's assaults. Her four natal flying swords darted like dragons, launching their natal divine abilities from all directions!
Li Ruoxi frowned, completely taken aback by how strong the so-called heavenly prodigy of the Upper Realm's sword dao, Lin Qing'er, truly was.
"True Person, aren't you going to act?"
She subtly communicated with Wei Lingyu via mental transmission, "This Lin Qing'er's sword dao is quite impressive. Alone, I might be able to subdue her after a hundred moves, but the longer this drags on, the more unfavorable it becomes. If the Eternal Realm, Eternal Secret Realm, and White Jade Mountain discover something amiss, it will be disadvantageous to us all."
"Understood."
Suddenly, a formidable fist intent erupted into the sky. Following that, Wei Lingyu's body descended from the heavens like a divine being, bringing down a punch that heavily struck Lin Qing'er's back.
This was the punch of an ultimate Thirteenth Realm martial artist, so powerful that ordinary people wouldn't even have a chance to witness it.
Lin Qing'er felt her entire back about to be crushed by the potent fist qi. She hastily turned, instantly delivering three sword strikes. However, her sharp sword aura could not withstand it, being ground away by the fist intent.
Following that, Lin Qing'er spat out a mouthful of blood, her body sent flying by the colossal fist aura, crashing heavily against the rocky wall of Void Mountain, looking quite disheveled.
A Thirteenth Realm martial artist was even more terrifying than a Fourteenth Realm spiritual cultivator!
Even though Wei Lingyu's Thirteenth Realm had always been derisively called "paper-thin ultimate martial artist" by many great cultivators in the Upper Realm, and he was not fit to carry the shoes of the progenitor of martial arts, Mr. Bai, also a Thirteenth Realm martial artist.
But ultimately, he was still Thirteenth Realm. In the Upper Realm, apart from peak powerhouses like Ding Muchen, Old Daoist Wang, the Dao Saint, and Wei Huarou, Wei Lingyu's fists were practically capable of dominating the Upper Realm.
Without the support of such individuals, the Sea of All Heavens would not have been able to maintain its usual tranquility in the Upper Realm after the demise of Qin Suihan.
"Still struggling?"
Just as Lin Qing'er was condensing a new sword intent, a beam of blazing sword light swept towards her. Thirteenth Realm sword cultivator Liu Qianling had also made her move.
Lin Qing'er immediately responded with a horizontal sword strike. The two sword lights collided with a roar. In an instant, a victor was decided. Liu Qianling's sword qi was completely annihilated, and she was forced to deliver a second sword strike to block Lin Qing'er's residual sword qi, retreating rapidly with a pale face.
Liu Qianling harbored immense resentment. They were both Thirteenth Realm sword cultivators, could the gap truly be this vast?
At this moment, Wei Lingyu's body, enveloped in a vast martial destiny, descended with his second punch. For a time, the sky was filled with potent fist intent, and the golden radiance almost blinded Lin Qing'er, forcing her to muster her remaining strength and deliver three more sword strikes.
The fist aura shattered. Wei Lingyu's fist intent was too potent. An ultimate Thirteenth Realm martial artist was like some kind of taboo.
In terms of boxing techniques and the power of his fists, Wei Lingyu could hold his own against the Military Saint Ding Muchen. As long as Ding Muchen did not draw his sword, Wei Lingyu was confident he could defeat Ding Muchen in a fistfight. Unfortunately, Ding Muchen's sword was too formidable.
"Boom!"
With a deafening sound, the ancient sword in Lin Qing'er's hand was almost knocked away by a single punch. Following that, Wei Lingyu's figure flashed like lightning, landing a heavy punch on Lin Qing'er's abdomen, causing the sword immortal of Deep Sword Mountain to fly into the air again, crashing disheveledly into the mountainside.
"Lin Qing'er, people like you, self-righteous, hateful to live, but a pity to die!"
Li Ruoxi seized the opportunity and swung her sword. Dense sword qi surged forth, sealing Lin Qing'er within. At this point, Lin Qing'er was heavily injured under the combined assault of everyone. Her true combat power had rapidly fallen to at most the Twelfth Realm, making it impossible for her to break free from the cage Li Ruoxi had conjured.
"Alright, stop struggling, it's futile."
Li Ruoxi's hand slipped, and she produced a golden ancient lamp from her sleeve. This lamp was called the Everlasting Lamp, a treasure refined by Taoist practitioners. Unfortunately, after years of wandering in the Upper Realm, it had eventually fallen into Li Ruoxi's hands.
With a wave of her hand, the Everlasting Lamp drifted forth, emitting a gentle radiance. In an instant, it enveloped Lin Qing'er's body within its flames.
Then, with a push from Li Ruoxi's sword, the Everlasting Lamp sank into the rock wall of Void Mountain. The mountain wall and green vines regenerated, and in a flash, Lin Qing'er was sealed within the mountainside, henceforth isolated from the world.
...
Upper Realm, the Investiture of the Gods Platform.
This was an ancient ruin that had been abandoned for many years. It was said to be the place where the heavens had once enfeoffed deities. There was a grand investiture of gods in the Upper Realm back then, and under the resonance of heaven and earth, many sages were granted titles.
Those who received the enshrinement would establish a divine throne.
Sages possessing a divine throne were equivalent to having an inexhaustible source of divine power, possessing the power of the heavenly decree and words that manifested reality. Currently, the number of sages who could still possess a divine throne was extremely limited. Most of these deities had long since perished in the annihilation of the Great Dao.
"Rustle..."
On the overgrown Investiture of the Gods Platform, a figure descended.
He wore a blue robe and carried an empty silver scabbard on his back.
He frowned and looked towards the direction of Void Mountain, sensing that something was amiss. However, he could not deduce what had happened, as it was not his area of expertise. As a military strategist, deducing formations and chess games was no problem, but deducing the rise and fall of all things was rather difficult.
"Zizziz..."
In the air, a fiery red rift appeared, and another strand of undefeated inner demon infiltrated the Upper Realm.
"Again?"
Ding Muchen frowned. He lightly raised his hand, and from the empty scabbard, he grasped a sword intent condensed into the Fusang Sword. He soared into the air, rushing towards the numerous inner demons in the sky like a meteor.