His voice arrived before he did.
Azure Sword Qi swept straight through the seven men, splitting apart the seven Foundation Establishment cultivators who had surrounded Bai Shang.
Ning Kang's expression was utterly grave. He had unquestionably used all his strength to drive the Frostblade Saber just now.
Yet this single, seemingly weightless strand of sword qi had knocked aside the Frostblade Saber he had wielded with all his might.
The power attached to this sword qi was nowhere near as simple as it appeared!
When Ning Kang recalled the Frostblade Saber and saw the notch in its edge, his expression grew uglier still.
This was the only high-grade magical artifact he possessed.
"Who goes there? Why hide your face?" Lei Zhen roared. A violent wave of spiritual power laced with lightning spread outward, ravaging the surrounding woods.
"Heh!"
With a soft chuckle, a handsome, distinguished Daoist in azure robes and a jade crown strolled into view.
His expression was composed, as though he were taking a leisurely excursion through the wilderness, as though he faced not seven Foundation Establishment cultivators but seven stones.
"I am Jiang Sheng, a qi practitioner of Qingping Mountain. Greetings, everyone."
Jiang Sheng's voice was clear, not as loud as Lei Zhen's, yet it exploded beside all seven men's ears at once. Beneath its apparent calm lay a sudden thunderclap, and both the Zhao Family members and the rogue cultivators grew solemn.
A man had his reputation, just as a tree had its shade.
Everyone said that a Daoist Jiang on Qingping Mountain could defy the gap between realms and slay a Purple Mansion cultivator while still in the Foundation Establishment realm. Most cultivators, however, considered this an exaggeration. At the very least, they assumed he had earned that reputation with someone else's help.
Yet now that Jiang Sheng had appeared, a single strand of sword qi and a single sentence showed Zhao Hong, Chen Ping, and the others what an accomplished master of the Daoist Tradition truly was.
Sensing Jiang Sheng's unmistakable foundation establishment late-stage strength, Zhao Hong immediately smiled. "So it is Daoist Jiang of Qingping Mountain. I am Zhao Hong of Sea Commandery. Greetings."
Zhao Rui and Zhao Jun likewise cupped their fists in greeting.
Jiang Sheng nodded slightly and smiled. "So I am in the presence of the chief elder of Sea Commandery's Zhao Clan of Purple Mansion. Forgive my lack of courtesy."
Gongsun Yulong had personally witnessed Ning Kang's humiliation, so he felt quite favorably toward Jiang Sheng. "I am Gongsun Yulong. Greetings, Daoist Jiang."
"Hearing a hundred accounts cannot compare to seeing something once. Now that I have met you, Daoist Jiang, your bearing is indeed extraordinary, unlike certain arrogant fools who sit at the bottom of a well and think they know the sky."
Ning Kang's face darkened again. Every word Gongsun Yulong said, openly or otherwise, was a jab at him.
Chen Ping glanced at Ning Kang, then at Jiang Sheng, before finally forcing a smile. "What brings you here, Daoist Jiang?"
"Surely you all know perfectly well? A foundation establishment late-stage Black Fire Snake makes a fine medicinal ingredient." As Jiang Sheng spoke, he took the snake's head, cut into two halves, from his storage pouch.
The hideous head, thirty feet across, came into view. Although the demonic beast was dead, the killing intent of a creature on the verge of the Purple Mansion realm remained concentrated and undispersed. Even the faintest wisps leaking out were enough to frighten off a crowd of cultivators.
Zhao Hong, Chen Ping, and all the others were startled by the sight.
They were no fools. How could this be an ordinary foundation establishment late-stage Black Fire Snake?
This was clearly a Black Fire Snake about to break through to the Purple Mansion realm.
The skull and scales of such a ferocious beast were immensely tough, far surpassing bronze or iron.
Looking again at the wound, they saw only one cut running through the entire skull, dividing it cleanly in two. What a swift sword!
None of them dared claim they could deliver that single strike.
Zhao Hong looked at the hideous, defiant tongue, then at Jiang Sheng, who stood as casually as though strolling through his own courtyard. After a moment, he smiled. "The commandery governor entrusted me with slaying this demon. Since the monster has now been eliminated, I must return to the commandery seat to report."
"Daoist Jiang, do come to the Zhao Family for tea when you have time. I shall offer you the warmest hospitality."
Jiang Sheng nodded. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Zhao. I shall certainly impose upon you when I have time."
With that, Zhao Hong turned and left without hesitation, taking Zhao Rui and Zhao Jun with him.
Gongsun Yulong glanced at Ning Kang, then smiled. "I saw quite a fine show today. This trip was well worth it. I shall take my leave. Fellow Daoist Ning, no need to see me off."
Once Gongsun Yulong had also left, only Chen Ping, Ning Kang, and Lei Zhen remained.
Lei Zhen's expression was grim, while Ning Kang's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
Chen Ping, however, was unquestionably the most composed. Seeing that the Zhao Family members and Gongsun Yulong had departed, he cupped his hands toward Jiang Sheng, transmitted a few words to Lei Zhen and Ning Kang, and led them away.
In a short span of time, the clamorous woods fell quiet once more.
Bai Shang looked ashamed. "Daoist Jiang, I have caused you trouble."
Jiang Sheng remained composed, gazing in the direction Zhao Hong, Chen Ping, and the others had gone.
"What does this have to do with you, Fellow Daoist Bai? Put plainly, wealth stirs men's hearts."
"Whether it was a foundation establishment late-stage Black Fire Snake or some heavenly treasure that might exist here, those were what drew these people."
"Fellow Daoist Bai, I fear peace will be hard to come by in the days ahead."
Bai Shang was puzzled. "Daoist Jiang, didn't you frighten them away?"
Jiang Sheng shook his head. "The Black Fire Snake is already dead, so they have no reason to clash directly with me. With several factions present, they withdrew temporarily rather than let someone else reap the fisherman's profit."
"They simply cannot yet confirm whether there is anything valuable in the mountain. Once they do, they will come back up."
Bai Shang could not help growing worried. "The Jade-Green Lotus has not matured yet. If they really come up the mountain again..."
"Then I shall cut them down with a single stroke!" The chill in Jiang Sheng's words made even Bai Shang stiffen.
Looking at the stunned Bai Shang, Jiang Sheng smiled. "Fellow Daoist Bai, let me ask you something. What do you think of me?"
Bai Shang stammered, "Naturally, you are an accomplished master who has attained the Dao, with a heart full of..."
Jiang Sheng smiled. "An accomplished master? Spare me such nonsense, Fellow Daoist Bai."
"If an ownerless object appeared before you, would you contend for it?"
Bai Shang nodded.
"If a treasure with an owner appeared before you, and its owner was weaker than you, would you contend for it?"
Bai Shang hesitated.
Jiang Sheng said, "If that treasure were useful to me, I would certainly contend for it. Do you still consider me some accomplished master who has attained the Dao?"
"Well..." Bai Shang froze.
Jiang Sheng smiled. "However one puts it, it seems I have harbored greed and wicked thoughts, coveting another's possessions. But why should it mean I harbor evil rather than that the object is destined for me?"
"Greed and wickedness—everyone has their own opinion."
"Fellow Daoist Bai, you seem to have read quite a few books in that predecessor's abandoned abode, so many that you have become far too much like a human."
"Let me tell you something found neither in scripture nor in books. Only when you are strong are your words right."
"Whether it is the Great Heavenly Dragon Temple in the west or Penglai of our Eastern Continent's Dao Sect, they all acknowledge this principle. It is the simplest and most universally applicable truth."
With that, Jiang Sheng strolled away, leaving Bai Shang standing where he was.
Amid the surrounding wreckage and disorder, Bai Shang, a foundation establishment early-stage fox, sank into deep thought.
After returning to Boundary County, Zhao Hong's group and Chen Ping's group did not leave. Instead, they remained hidden there.
Zhao Hong gazed toward the rolling stretches of Qingping Mountain beyond Boundary County, his tone utterly certain. "If he was only here to slay a demon, Jiang Sheng should have left once it was dead. Why did he stay?"
"There must be something in the mountain, and Jiang Sheng is guarding it."
Zhao Jun asked, "Then, Chief Elder, should we fight for it?"
Zhao Hong sneered. "No hurry. Let us see what that old bastard Chen does."
"Our Zhao Clan of Purple Mansion can do without one such treasure, but that old bastard Chen cannot."
"If an opportunity truly arises, we can fish in troubled waters. If not, we can show Jiang Sheng some goodwill and earn a favor."
Meanwhile, on Chen Ping's side, Ning Kang was trembling all over with rage.
Looking at the crack in the Frostblade Saber, Ning Kang clenched his fists so hard that blood seeped out. "Gongsun Yulong, Jiang Sheng—they both deserve to die!"
Lei Zhen also raged, "Why did we leave? Jiang Sheng is obviously hiding something valuable. We should have taken him down!"
"With all three of us attacking, why should we fear one Jiang Sheng?"
Chen Ping, however, was calm. "It is not fear. The timing is simply wrong. Do you really think that old bastard Zhao Hong has left?"
"That old bastard Zhao would love nothing more than for us and Jiang Sheng to fight to the death, so his Zhao Family can swallow all the spoils!"
"Let us endure for now and see whether that old bastard Zhao can hold himself back!"
Both Zhao Hong and Chen Ping chose to wait for the time being.
In the mountain, Jiang Sheng also waited patiently for the moment the Jade-Green Lotus matured.
The turmoil stirred up in Boundary County subsided again within a short time.
The Black Fire Snake was dead, and the Zhao Family members and Chen Ping seemed to have left. Boundary County returned to peace.
Only a few unwilling qi refining rogue cultivators continued searching the mountain, hoping to find something valuable that others had overlooked.
This peace lasted for several whole months, and Boundary County fully regained its former tranquility.
The terrifying Black Fire Snake seemed to have become little more than a topic of conversation among the county's residents.
Then, on the night of the summer solstice in June, a clear, emerald light appeared within Qingping Mountain, and an exotic fragrance drew countless birds and beasts surging through the woods.
The instant that azure light appeared, several figures shot into the sky from Boundary County and flew toward Qingping Mountain.
Several more figures followed close behind.
Although their faces could not be seen in the darkness, each figure radiated the unmistakable pressure of the Foundation Establishment realm.
Only then did the people of Boundary County discover that so many Foundation Establishment cultivators had been hiding among them!
The sight of so many cultivators releasing their pressure and taking to the air threw the entire county into a frenzy of squawking chickens and barking dogs.
Boundary County's magistrate, Lin Zhiyong, and its local strongman, Wu Fang, rushed out of their rooms before they had even dressed properly, watching helplessly as streak after streak of light shot straight toward Qingping Mountain.
Inside the abandoned abode, Bai Shang watched in astonishment as the Jade-Green Lotus absorbed an entire pool's spiritual resonance. Every other lotus in the pool withered, and the clear water drained away in an instant. Only the Jade-Green Lotus bloomed fully, swaying as it released a radiance that shot into the heavens.
"With such a display, the beasts in the mountain will likely run wild." Bai Shang watched the azure light pierce through the mountain, his eyes full of worry.
Jiang Sheng, who had been sitting cross-legged regulating his breathing, slowly rose. "I shall leave the mountain's beasts to you, Fellow Daoist Bai."
"Daoist Jiang, where are you going?" Bai Shang asked.
Jiang Sheng loosely closed his right hand, and the Qingping Sword appeared in his palm:
"To greet our uninvited guests, naturally."
Today's first update~
Still three thousand words.
Even if it didn't get a recommendation, so be it. I promised everyone three thousand words, and I will not go back on my word.
(End of chapter)
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