Who Are You?

Bang!

Two blood-red saber lights collided, and the stray saber qi split open the gleaming jade floor.

Screech! Screech! Screech!

At the same time, sword radiance filled the sky, materializing out of thin air.

Like a torrential downpour, it poured down upon Jiang Chuan and Lu Chenling.

A violet longsword appeared out of nowhere in Lu Chenling's hand.

The sword was three fingers wide, its blade long and narrow, as though meticulously carved from jade—crystalline and translucent.

Lu Chenling swung his sword as well.

Countless strands of Sword Qi howled from the blade, blocking the overwhelming sword radiance.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thousands upon thousands of Sword Qi collided, and the scattered sword qi swept through all directions like a raging gale.

Caught in the aftermath, Jiang Chuan helplessly unleashed Darkness Space, devouring the Sword Qi that kept shooting toward him.

"Immortals fight, mortals suffer! If it were an ordinary third-realm cultivator, they'd be dead or severely wounded in this situation."

As Jiang Chuan sighed, a figure in black robes and a black mask flashed before him like lightning. Clenching a fist seal, the figure threw a punch.

A towering phantom of a treasured mountain emerged from the fist.

It was as though a treasured mountain had smashed through the void and crossed realms to descend, intending to suppress Jiang Chuan. Its vast, majestic aura made even space tremble.

"Treasured Mountain Seal?! Who are you?!"

Jiang Chuan's pupils contracted sharply. As he shouted his question, he threw a punch as well.

Treasured Mountain Seal!

Boom!

Their fists collided. Jiang Chuan felt an enormous force surge toward him, numbing the web between his thumb and forefinger as it forced him back several steps.

The black-clad figure was likewise forced back several steps.

"Ghost Rain Sword!"

Jiang Chuan shouted, connecting with the Ghost Rain Sword within the treasured mountain.

The next moment, Jiang Chuan felt an icy, sinister force flood into his body.

Jiang Chuan stepped forward. His right arm seemed to transform into a divine sword, his fist becoming the black edge of the Ghost Rain Sword, spitting killing intent as it blasted toward the black-clad figure.

Facing Jiang Chuan's punch, the black-clad figure once again used the Treasured Mountain Seal, but Jiang Chuan was ultimately one step faster.

Bang!

Jiang Chuan's fist pierced through the black-clad figure's body, yet the expected sight of blood splattering did not appear.

"What is this? Could it be..."

At that moment, combining it with their previous exchanges, Jiang Chuan inferred a possibility.

Treasured Mountain Seal!

In the instant Jiang Chuan was thinking, the black-clad figure's punch had already arrived.

Bang!

The black-clad figure's fist smashed into Jiang Chuan's chest. Fresh blood and white bone flew everywhere.

Pain!

It hurt so much!

The intense pain twisted Jiang Chuan's face.

"Damn it!"

Enduring the agony, Jiang Chuan slapped at the black-clad figure's mask.

Bang!

The mask shattered into pieces, revealing a strikingly handsome face.

That face was identical to Jiang Chuan's own!

"So, this was subduing the Restless Mind and Wild Horse. No wonder you knew the Treasured Mountain Seal and the Demon Slaying Saber. You were me."

Having solved the mystery, Jiang Chuan crashed heavily onto the polished jade floor of the palace.

"Jiang Chuan! Hold on! I have a Life Creation Pill here! Don't die! You absolutely can't die!"

On the verge of death, Jiang Chuan heard Lu Chenling's urgent voice and the increasingly shrill ringing of swords.

Then, a crisp voice sounded in Jiang Chuan's mind.

You were pierced through the chest and killed by an inner demon manifested by the Demonic Heart Illusion Array during your battle against it.

This romance simulation has failed.

The neat pavilion and distant verdant mountains once more entered Jiang Chuan's sight.

"Damn it! Failed again!"

He had clearly already earned Gong Suxin's approval, left the Cave Heaven World, formally become Dao partners with Lu Chenling, and obtained the reward!

Yet inside the Cave Heaven World, he had exchanged his life for his inner demon's.

The more Jiang Chuan thought about it, the angrier he became. He kicked the wooden stool in front of him, sending it flying. It smashed open the window and tumbled into the courtyard.

"Ow! Which bastard ambushed me?!"

Jing Hui's cursing voice immediately rang out.

"Jiang Chuan, it must be you, you bastard! I'm going to beat you to death, you bastard!"

Jiang Chuan: "..."

Could it really be such a coincidence?

Jiang Chuan had not expected that a casual kick would hit Jing Hui.

Listening to Jing Hui's curses, the anger in Jiang Chuan's heart gradually faded.

"Failure is the mother of success! I'll keep at it—I'll definitely get the simulation reward. Besides, this time's gains weren't small."

In this simulation, Jiang Chuan had obtained not only the Supreme Yang Limitless Body and the Jade Liquid Elixir Canon, but also cultivation experience for the Treasured Mountain Seal, along with the secrets of Taixu Immortal Palace, the Seven Kill Demonic Sect, and the Cave Heaven World.

"I just wonder what Taixu Immortal Palace and the Seven Kill Demonic Sect are actually plotting."

Jiang Chuan then shook his head.

Even if Taixu Immortal Palace and the Seven Kill Demonic Sect truly were plotting something earth-shaking, with his current strength, rashly involving himself would only mean dying without a burial place.

"When immortals fight, mortals suffer! The Buddhist Dao and Maha Hall will go to war in the future, while Taixu Immortal Palace and the Seven Kill Demonic Sect scheme in the shadows. When that time comes, the entire Qingyuan Realm will surely be fraught with danger!"

"If I want to live, I need strength!"

Jiang Chuan clenched both fists, and the desire for power rose within his heart once more.

He immediately headed down from the pavilion, intending to go to the External Affairs Hall.

Seeing Jiang Chuan emerge, Jing Hui rushed over in a single stride, grabbed Jiang Chuan by the collar, and glared at him.

"Jiang Chuan! You still dared to come out?"

"Uh, Senior Brother Jing Hui, it was just a wooden stool. You weren't hurt either. There's no need to be so angry."

Since it was his fault after all, Jiang Chuan tried to settle the matter.

"Is this about the stool?"

Jing Hui's eyes widened in fury. "What if someone saw it and word got around? Jing Hui would become the monk who got hit by a stool. How would I put on a holy display before others after that?!"

So he was afraid it would affect his grand display before others.

Jiang Chuan's eye twitched slightly. "No one saw it anyway, Senior Brother Jing Hui. Let's just forget about it. At worst, I'll compensate you with twenty or thirty Spirit Stones."

Jing Hui released Jiang Chuan's collar, a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

"Junior Brother, how about you hit me a few more times?"

Jiang Chuan: "..."

So long as it didn't affect your grand display before others—

Your dignity was worth less than Spirit Stones?

After giving Jing Hui a long look, Jiang Chuan walked out of the courtyard.

"Junior Brother, where are you going?"

"To the External Affairs Hall. I'm going to pick up a task."

"Pick up a task? I've never accepted a task from the temple before. I'll go take a look with you."

Jiang Chuan controlled the Flame Sun Needle, carrying Jing Hui as they shot into the sky.

After crossing several mountain peaks, Jiang Chuan brought Jing Hui down at the foot of a thousand-zhang mountain.

A nine-story Buddhist pagoda stood there.

Monks with hurried expressions streamed in and out of the pagoda.

"Hm? Jiang Chuan, Jing Hui, why have you come to the External Affairs Hall?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Jiang Chuan and Jing Hui's expressions changed slightly.

Then they saw Elder Jing Zhen, clad in bright yellow monk's robes and wearing an aged face, smiling as he approached them.

"I really want to punch this old bastard!"

Recalling how Elder Jing Zhen had squeezed him dry, Jiang Chuan found the elder's smile more hateful the longer he looked at it.

After Jing Hui briefly explained why they had come, he asked, "Elder Jing Zhen, are you here to accept a task too?"

Elder Jing Zhen shook his head. "I'm not here to accept a task."

"Then what is Elder doing at the External Affairs Hall?" Jing Hui asked in confusion.