Toiling All Day for Fame and Fortune, Why Bother?

Chapter 5 005~006: All Day Long for Fame and Profit, What Hardship for What Cause?

Nanxun Kingdom year 211, seventh month, thirteenth day.

At the far northern Ice Wind Forest, Misty Cliff revealed itself; immortals descended to the mortal world, the sky's clouds split open, unveiling a wondrous scene of stars and the cosmos.

Amid the starry clouds and mist, five immortals radiating light from their bodies displayed their immortal forms, their bearing flawless, making all who saw them forget their worries.

Boom—

Misty Cliff, like a dragon drinking water or a pillar holding up the sky, emitted a tremendous thunderous roar. As wind and clouds collided, thunderbolt arcs trembled, and wind and thunder crackled.

Great swaths of cloud and mist surged like ocean waves, forming dense peaks and troughs, spreading outward from the center to reveal the pillar of light channeling the Teleportation Array above.

"Immortals!"

"True immortals!"

Nangong Shuo and the others atop the peak—even the Xiantian Grandmasters of the mortal world—had never witnessed such a staggering scene. They were already prostrating in awe, their hair disheveled by the gale, their faces trembling with shock.

Whatever was called the number one martial arts master under heaven suddenly seemed laughable in this moment.

Then, everyone holding an invitation found that the invitation in their hands began to glow with spiritual light.

A peculiar force spread from it, enveloping their figures, making their bodies feel light as air as they floated toward the pillar of light.

"Damn you, Nangong Shuo! You and Shao Yufeng joined hands to steal my invitation. I, Hu Lei, and the Sword Sound Sect swear to be irreconcilable enemies with you!"

Hu Lei, Seventh Under Heaven, watched as invitation holders ascended one by one, his face twisted with unwillingness and fury. He glared at Nangong Shuo opposite him and spat out a curse.

Nangong Shuo frowned, then watched his own disciple successfully ascend. He turned to Hu Lei with a faint smile. "Chief Hu, can you not see the situation clearly? Now that Brother Shao Yufeng and my grandson have both joined the Ascension Convention, if even one of them becomes an immortal, would you and the Sword Sound Sect still dare to do anything to us?"

Hu Lei froze, as if a burning coal had been dropped into an ice cellar. His bones turned cold joint by joint, and his head drooped limply like a sick chicken.

Nangong Shuo smirked disdainfully, confident of victory. Just as he was about to mock further, his ear twitched. His gaze shifted in surprise toward the mountain path below, and he narrowed his eyes.

"Finally here?"

A thought stirred in his mind. At this moment, with a little scheming, wouldn't this be the perfect chance to turn conflict into goodwill while also venting his resentment?

He glanced at the dejected, crestfallen Hu Lei and sent a secret voice transmission. "Brother Hu, don't lose heart. I see another invitation holder arriving. If you can get the invitation from him, you could still join the Ascension Convention, no?

To show my apology, I'll also make a move at the right moment, hoping we can bury the hatchet. What do you say?"

Hu Lei was startled, but at the same time, his qi sense detected a powerful aura ascending the mountain. In an instant, his thoughts churned, and he made a decision.

At that moment, Chen Dengming's figure moved across the rugged, steep mountain path as if on flat ground. His internal energy consumption and recovery were nearly balanced—neither loss nor gain—his face unflushed, his breath steady.

"Is that Chen Dengming, the Chen Family Head?"

"So the Nanxun Saber King has arrived too."

"He has an invitation too? Damn, that means among the Eight Xiantian Grandmasters, only the Second Xiantian, Arctic Elder, lacks one. Everyone else has one."

On the mountainside, many gathered martial artists noticed Chen Dengming swiftly ascending and burst into exclamations and discussion.

"Grand Tutor Chen is here too."

"This Eighth Under Heaven has always kept to himself and rarely fought anyone. Who knew he was hiding his strength? Looks like the old rumors about him getting an immortal's Youth Preserving Pill are true. Along with that pill, he might have also gotten an invitation."

At the peak, the remaining crowd's minds stirred. Among them, the old eunuch with a sinister, smiling demeanor showed no surprise.

He had crossed paths with Chen Dengming in the Imperial Palace and knew this Eighth Under Heaven was no ordinary talent—a late bloomer.

Though he was the last of the eight grandmasters to break through to Xiantian, he had built up steadily and rapidly advanced from the first level of Xiantian all the way to the seventh. Not to be underestimated.

Whoosh—

Chen Dengming used his lightness skill, moving like the wind as he swept onto the snow-covered platform at the peak. His feet left almost no trace in the snow, arriving in an instant.

In that moment, over a dozen pairs of eyes fixed on him, and a suffocating pressure of qi immediately bore down.

Chen Dengming remained calm and composed, his face expressionless. He swept his gaze around, exchanged a glance with the old eunuch, then let his eyes pass over Nangong Shuo and Hu Lei, giving a slight nod.

"Saber King Chen!"

"Grand Tutor!"

At that moment, those familiar with Chen Dengming greeted him, showing goodwill.

Chen Dengming acknowledged each with a nod, then looked up at the pillar of light. From afar, he felt five lofty gazes descending from above, and an inexplicable, powerful pressure weighed on his qi.

Chen Dengming knew well that no matter whether the Ascension Convention carried risks, to gain benefits, one had to bear those risks.

He was about to take out the invitation that had already reacted in his bosom and let its guiding force carry him into the pillar of light.

But a voice tinged with probing and greed suddenly rang out.

"Saber King Chen, you've kept to yourself for years, yet you've also obtained an invitation? So the old rumors about you getting an immortal's Youth Preserving Pill must be true. Besides that pill, you must have gotten this invitation and other things too, right? You're truly a man of deep fortune."

"Oh?"

Chen Dengming turned his gaze and saw a middle-aged man with a pair of swords on his back. His cheekbones were high, his eyes narrow and long, giving him a cold, sinister air, his gaze sharp as needles.

Their eyes met like lightning striking, their qi clashing.

Seventh Under Heaven, Hu Lei.

This man was of the demonic path, having stepped into the Innate Realm earlier than him, thus ranking seventh under heaven. He was now over seventy years old.

"Chief Hu, you've come here—surely you don't lack an invitation? Just here to watch the excitement?"

Chen Dengming replied flatly, stepping into the pillar of light in one stride, ready to ride the invitation's pulling force and ascend upward.

But Hu Lei saw through his intent. No longer bothering with polite probing, he roared, "Leave the invitation!" and shot forward like a great bird taking flight. He struck out with a palm, unleashing a vast, overwhelming momentum, like ten thousand thunderbolts. The palm force had barely begun when the pressure already choked the breath from one's nostrils.

In that instant, Chen Dengming felt the flow of air within the light pillar shift, and the pulling force from the invitation in his bosom abruptly weakened.

"Bastard!"

Chen Dengming's brow furrowed. He swung his palm to meet the attack, erupting with a surge of powerful True Qi.

Boom! The ground beneath his feet trembled. Force rippled across the earth, and dust burst outward along with snowflakes.

On the mountain peak's platform, energy currents ran rampant. Countless pebbles and snowflakes seemed to leap up, scattering wildly in all directions.

"What?"

Hu Lei grunted, forced back by the shock.

He stared in astonishment at Chen Dengming, who stood as firm as a rock.

"You're also at Innate Fifth Layer?"

Nangong Shuo, observing the situation, relaxed his expression. "Just Innate Fifth Layer strength—same as Hu Lei. That's fine."

Chen Dengming coldly fixed his gaze on Hu Lei, then clasped his hands faintly. "Chief Hu, show some restraint. With our strength evenly matched, you won't take the invitation from me."

With that, ignoring Hu Lei's ugly expression, Chen Dengming felt the pulling force strengthen again. He prepared to leap and accelerate his ascent.

Suddenly, a burst of laughter came from another direction, accompanied by a pressing aura.

"Brother Chen, why push others away? Stay and spar with me a while!"

Nangong Shuo laughed, thrusting his sword forward. A fierce, unmatched pressure slammed down, once again disrupting the energy field within the light pillar, weakening and scattering the pulling force.

At the same time, the wind and clouds above shifted. The light within the pillar began to dim, as if the path to ascension was about to close.

"You two! Too far!"

Chen Dengming showed no further mercy. His brow lifted, his eyes like cold lightning, and he erupted with an overwhelming, peerless killing intent. In a flash, he drew the great saber from his back and slashed out.

Boom!

A terrifying, unmatched saber qi crashed down, cleaving the air like water splitting apart. The immense impact sent layer upon layer of shockwaves surging straight toward the pale-faced Nangong Shuo.

"Innate Seventh Layer!! Green Hill Mad Dragon!"

Nangong Shuo watched the domineering, wild saber qi—over ten zhang long—slam down, especially with Chen Dengming's suddenly soaring pressure. His mind trembled. With a long cry, he steeled himself and quickly raised his sword to block.

Bang!

In that hurried moment, he felt a savage, stone-shattering force press down heavily. It drove his legs to buckle as if struck by hammers, forcing him back step by step. His tiger's mouth split, and the longsword in his hand hummed and quivered.

All this happened in the blink of an eye. Many on the mountain peak only saw Hu Lei suddenly attack Chen Dengming.

The next moment, wind and snow exploded, and Hu Lei retreated.

Then Nangong Shuo struck, only to be forced back by Chen Dengming's single saber slash—a terrifying blade aura over ten zhang long.

That monstrous saber aura, like a green dragon rising above the snowy peak, stunned all four sides as it landed on Rainbow Bridge. Even the many Martial World experts on the mountainside witnessed it, crying out in shock, "Green Hill Mad Dragon!"

Green Hill Mad Dragon was the Nanxun Saber King's signature technique.

One slash unleashed thirteen zhang of saber qi, like a mad dragon dancing over Green Hill—domineering beyond compare!

And now, the moment Chen Dengming's saber wounded Nangong Shuo, how could he let such a golden opportunity slip? His movement was like a Divine Dragon leaving water, his cloak shifting like a phantom. He pressed his saber attack, following like a shadow, slashing diagonally at Nangong Shuo's waist.

But at that moment, Hu Lei suddenly roared and charged in again, joining the attack.

Chen Dengming seemed to have anticipated this. He let out a soft cry.

His body spun, and a streak of black light flew up from his cloak with the motion, like a black centipede dancing in the wind. Then a hissing sound filled the air.

A shower of black needles shot toward the two like a sudden rainstorm.

Hu Lei and the other immediately generated protective inner force around their bodies, their weapons easily scattering all the hidden weapons.

Yet in that instant, unnoticed by either of them, the Madness Gu dispersed in the air along with the projectiles had already been inhaled through their noses and mouths.

Amid the dazzled gazes of the onlookers, they only saw Chen Dengming burst out of the light pillar, saber light like endless bolts of silk, his movement like a raging hurricane. For a time, he fought one against two, pressing Hu Lei and Nangong Shuo back.

This was the Nanxun Saber King's fierce reputation—ascending the peak, surveying all mountains. Silent until he struck, then stunning the world.

But those with sharp eyes could tell that Chen Dengming's ferocious assault could not last. It only caught Nangong Shuo and Hu Lei off guard at the start. Once they regained their footing, they would soon stabilize the situation.

Nangong Shuo, in particular, had deeper reserves of power than Chen Dengming. As long as he seized an opportunity, he could counterattack and seize control.

Unfortunately, no one in this world had ever witnessed Chen Dengming's Madness Gu in action. They had no idea of the power of this Gu toxin, obtained from an immortal.

As time passed, twenty or thirty exchanges flew by.

The weaker Hu Lei suddenly faltered. His movements grew chaotic, his eyes bloodshot, his arms twitching.

In that flash, the long saber turned into a streak of harsh light.

Chen Dengming's form brushed past Hu Lei's in a flash.

A line of blood instantly appeared across Hu Lei's forehead. His body stiffened on the spot, the red streak racing down the bridge of his nose, then falling to his chin.

"Brother Chen, stop!! This is a misunderstanding—let's talk!"

Nangong Shuo's guts were torn apart. He felt his body go numb without warning, his inner strength refusing to obey his commands. He shouted in terror and retreated swiftly, but after barely seven or eight steps, his eyes were bloodshot, his frame convulsed in spasms, and he crashed to the ground with a thud, limbs twitching wildly.

The few Nangong family members who had just stepped forward saw this and were stricken with horror, knowing he had been poisoned by a lethal toxin.

But what poison in the world could silently fell a Xiantian Grandmaster, one said to be immune to all venoms?

Several Nangong family members were about to kneel and beg Chen Dengming for mercy.

Yet Chen Dengming's eyes suddenly blazed with fierce sharpness. The gale whipped up by his long blade condensed into a brutal, steel-hard momentum, and he slashed through the air with a single stroke!

Supreme martial arts: wound the soul, sever life.

The men were instantly frozen in shock, rooted to the spot, unable to move.

When they came to their senses, they saw only a black cloak fluttering in the air ahead. Chen Dengming had already sheathed his blade and flown away, casting down a calm gaze at Nangong Shuo as he murmured.

"A lifetime passes in a blink, like a white colt flashing past a crack. The first hundred years obsessed with being the best under heaven; the last hundred years scheming endlessly—what was the point?"

His words drifted down through the air, landing in the shocked, bewildered eyes of the dozens or hundreds below looking up.

Two of the Eight Grandmasters of the World, gone in the blink of an eye.

Nanxun Calendar, year 211.

Above the Ice Wind Forest's peak, below Misty Cliff.

Eighth Under Heaven, Chen Dengming, danced a mad dragon on the green hills, blade-slaying Seventh Under Heaven, Hu Lei, and flicking away First Under Heaven, Nangong Shuo, with a single finger, unveiling a mysterious and bizarre poison.

It turned out the Nanxun Saber King's greatest skill was not his saber technique.

Just as Shao Yu Feng had said.

The Eighth Under Heaven might not be eighth; the First Under Heaven might not be first.

Inside the Teleportation Array above Misty Cliff.

Shao Yu Feng and the others who had already reached the summit watched in shock as Chen Dengming flew up swiftly, finally grasping the true strength of this Eighth Under Heaven.

The Nangong family youth who had come up bearing the invitation wailed uncontrollably at the sight of Nangong Shuo's death.

As for the Five Immortals, they too looked down at the ascending Chen Dengming with expressions of surprise, their gazes tinged with curiosity and inquiry.

What puzzled and intrigued them was naturally not Chen Dengming's strength.

In their eyes, such Xiantian-level combat, no matter how fierce, could be swept aside effortlessly with Dao techniques and magical artifacts—utterly insignificant.

What puzzled them was Chen Dengming's appearance and the gu poison he had used.

"Judging by his bone age, this man is clearly over eighty, yet his face looks like that of a twenty- or thirty-year-old youth. Could there really be a beauty-preservation technique in the mortal world with such miraculous effects?"

"The toxin he just employed should be a type of gu poison. Though gu poison is a minor branch of immortal arts, it's rare and thus curious. Who would have thought this mere mortal was skilled in it?"

As the five immortals discussed with wonder, they also felt a measure of surprise. Though such gu poison posed little threat to them, it could still be dangerous to lower-ranked cultivators caught off guard. They couldn't help but grow somewhat interested.