In the eyes of others, Wang Qi's laughter was downright eerie. Xiang Qi could not help elbowing Li Ziye. "Senior Brother Li, could this fellow have gone mad?"
Li Ziye glanced at Wang Qi, who was still laughing wildly, and gave a bitter smile. "I'm not a disciple of Yangshen Pavilion, so I can't say whether there's something wrong with his mind."
"This fellow was always spouting strange nonsense." Zhen Chanzi joined the conversation. "He has always considered sitting in meditation and cultivating qi the most dreadfully boring things in the world. If not for the final promise of immortality, he absolutely would not do them. But whenever he encounters something interesting, he has to investigate it thoroughly and enjoy himself to the fullest. He probably thinks the Modern Dharma is far more interesting than the Ancient Dharma."
Zhen Chanzi was not someone who disliked talking. He had simply feared that, if the secret of his existence were exposed, other cultivators would ambush Wang Qi and seize the jade ring. It would be fine if the jade ring fell into the hands of a kindhearted person, but if an evildoer took it, Zhen Chanzi would truly be doomed for all eternity. However, the two people before him already knew he existed, so he no longer put on airs.
Disgust showed on Xiang Qi's face. "Did you really cultivate your brain into ruin?"
"Ahahahaha... That so-called immortal path the old man told me about... it was one big pile of dog crap... It looked like people were coming and going in a lively struggle, but in truth, every cultivator acted exactly the same... Hahaha..." Wang Qi was beside himself with glee. "Broadly speaking, it was like a bunch of shrimp, crabs, fish, and frogs fighting over food in a pond destined to dry up. Whoever liked living day after day hoping to 'stumble upon an opportunity' could go ahead and live that way."
Zhen Chanzi snapped angrily, "Looks like I really did tell you too much before. Besides, how do you know modern cultivators don't seek opportunities?"
Wang Qi pointed at the ball of light on the horizon—the battlefield of that mighty Mahayana cultivator. "I don't know what the Immortal Alliance is, but from the name alone, I can roughly tell that it must be an alliance of multiple sects. And to be willing to deploy four Mahayana..."
"Tsk, still calling them Mahayana." Xiang Qi suddenly cut in. "A Free and Unfettered Lord cannot be compared to some so-called Ancient Dharma Mahayana cultivator."
Wang Qi was greatly surprised. "Free and Unfettered? The classification of realms has changed from ancient times too?—That's not the point. The point is, being willing to use four Free and Unfettered Cultivators to encircle and kill one person proves that the Immortal Alliance either has no overly powerful external enemies, or that modern Free and Unfettered Cultivators are no longer worth much. But since Free and Unfettered corresponds to Mahayana in the old system, it should be the highest realm of modern cultivation, right?"
Li Ziye smiled and nodded. "That is indeed the case. Little brother, you have some insight."
Wang Qi continued, "Since they united because there were no external enemies, that can only mean that, for modern cultivation, the benefits of cooperation have already outweighed the benefits of struggling against one another. Since those Free and Unfettered Cultivators mentioned that Old Man Hai—cough, Improper Taoist—was hiding here because he had violated the Immortal Alliance's rules, that means the Immortal Alliance at least has a powerful and strict system on the surface. This shows that the cooperation between modern cultivators must be long-term, rather than something temporary for the sake of making a quick profit."
Li Ziye nodded in agreement. "Indeed."
"Since modern cultivation isn't particularly pressed for resources, then with my ability to get along smoothly with all sorts of people, becoming an immortal in peace and stability shouldn't be impossible, right?"
Zhen Chanzi sneered. "Your ability to get along smoothly with all sorts of people? Stop ruining a good phrase! If you really had that ability, how could over a hundred people in Dabai Village have treated you as a laughingstock?"
Xiang Qi sneered. "You really take modern cultivators for fools. You want them to raise a parasite?"
Li Ziye shook his head as well. "Modern cultivation isn't something one can master just by being good at wheeling and dealing—what? Look out!"
Li Ziye's expression suddenly changed drastically. He slapped the sword case on his back with his right hand. "Sky Sword! Draw!"
A Sword Light silently flew out of the sword case and hovered above Li Ziye's head. In the blink of an eye, it burst into dazzling radiance!
Then the ball of light imprisoning Improper Taoist shattered like a soap bubble.
Several translucent streams of light flew out from the radiance of the exploding sphere. One of them shot directly toward Wang Qi and the others!
"Go!"
Li Ziye guided it with a sword incantation. The Sky Sword erupted with a radiance as dazzling as the sun, then slammed into that stream of light!
Zhen Chanzi had been watching this battle between Free and Unfettered Cultivators the entire time.
Since he and Improper Taoist had lived in the same village for five years without discovering each other, Improper Taoist's methods had to be somewhat superior to his own. His repeated releases of divine sense over the past few years, and even his instruction of Wang Qi in immortal cultivation, must certainly have been noticed by the other man.
And when he left the village and released his divine sense over a wide area, he had discovered the four Free and Unfettered Cultivators who arrived later. Those four must have discovered him as well.
Therefore, he simply stopped hiding and boldly divided off part of his mind to directly observe this battle between Free and Unfettered Cultivators.
The reactions of the five Free and Unfettered Cultivators were exactly as Zhen Chanzi had expected. For the time being, none of them had the leisure to deal with an Ancient Dharma Mahayana cultivator who was at most half-crippled and incapable of interfering with the battle.
Just now, he had seen Improper Taoist release several translucent rectangular sheets from that treasure he could not see through at all, sending them toward the ball of light. He immediately realized that something might go wrong and hurriedly warned Li Ziye, whose cultivation was the highest among those nearby.
Sure enough, a trace of the aftermath of Improper Taoist's spell finally spilled out, transforming into several streams of light. One of them fell toward Wang Qi and the others.
"Go!"
The Sky Sword's radiance was already blindingly bright, nearly scorching Wang Qi's eyes. Yet when this imposing sword collided with that stream of light, the impact was utterly silent.
Then the light on Li Ziye's Sky Sword began to spread, slowly filling the entire sky. A crack appeared in the heavens for no reason, gradually spreading outward. Finally, under Wang Qi's astonished gaze, the sky dyed golden shattered with a thunderous crash, revealing... the sky's original color.
"So... what happened? How did a barrier suddenly appear in the sky?"
Wang Qi finally understood that it was not the sky that had shattered. A translucent membrane had suddenly appeared above his head, and what had broken just now had been that membrane, not the sky.
Xiang Qi also looked at Li Ziye, clearly curious about a divine ability of this level.
"The Great Matrix Diagram of Heaven, Improper Taoist's Natal Treasure." Li Ziye looked shaken. "Many years ago, a senior of the Myriad Dharma Sect created a branch of mathematics called the Returning Matrix Art in order to organize the countless complex methods into a single system. It could return the myriad dharmas to matrices. In the past, Improper Taoist used the Returning Matrix Art to solve one layer of the Heavenly Dao. That layer of the Heavenly Dao merged with a third-order matrix, allowing it to refine the myriad dharmas and refine their magical power into the matrix. It was terrifying beyond compare!—I wonder how the battle ended just now."
A long string of expletives jammed in Wang Qi's throat. What the hell? This setting is a little bizarre. Has the Heisenberg of this world even developed matrix mechanics?
"Improper Taoist used the Great Matrix Diagram of Heaven to break free of his restraints and escape. The other four chased after him. However, his movement technique is truly bizarre. The other four were completely unable to encircle him again."
Li Ziye nodded. "Indeed. Improper Taoist is said to possess the most bizarre movement technique under heaven and on earth. Even if an immortal descended, they still wouldn't be able to hit him."
Zhen Chanzi's tone held a trace of disappointment. "You clearly possess only Golden Core-level magical power, yet you can unleash an attack at the Spirit Transformation level... Perhaps I really am old..."
"Golden Core!" Wang Qi cried out in shock. He had originally thought that this amiable, unassuming man was at most a Foundation Establishment cultivator, just like Xiang Qi. He had never expected him to be a Golden Core cultivator!
According to Zhen Chanzi, Golden Core cultivators could already be considered a different order of life. If one descended into the mortal world, even the emperor himself would have to bow and scrape before them! Putting himself in Li Ziye's place, Wang Qi felt that, after achieving the Golden Core, not going to the mortal world to fully experience the joy of stomping all over people's faces would be practically unforgivable. Yet he had never expected the first Golden Core cultivator he met to be so amiable.
Li Ziye wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "Old sir, you flatter me. If we were competing through divine abilities and techniques, I could defeat an Ancient Dharma Nascent Soul cultivator without difficulty. But no matter what, I lack the explosive power of an Ancient Dharma Spirit Severing cultivator. That strike just now only possessed such might because of the Sky Sword in my hand."
Wang Qi sucked in a cold breath. Zhen Chanzi had said that a Golden Core cultivator defeating a Nascent Soul cultivator was nothing but wishful thinking. Yet according to Li Ziye, defeating a Nascent Soul cultivator was no difficult task. Just how far had this immortal path's cultivation methods developed? To what inconceivable degree?
"Those Mahayana... Free and Unfettered Cultivators just now also mentioned the Sky Sword. Is this Sky Sword a standardized treasure?"
Zhen Chanzi asked. In his impression, standardized treasures were generally not very impressive.
Li Ziye shook his head. "The Sky Sword is indeed a flying sword, but it is somewhat special. If the two of you don't mind being bored, I can start from the beginning. Would that be all right?"
Zhen Chanzi said, "We have nothing else to do anyway."
Wang Qi was also deeply interested in this bizarre world, so naturally he had no objections.
"When the Modern Dharma Sects and the Ancient Dharma Forces fought back then, some Ancient Method Cultivators defected to our side as well. Those whose cultivation was still shallow and whose Dao hearts were weak, we did our best to help them switch to the Modern Dharma. But some among them had profound attainments and firmly established cultivation methods. We could neither kill them nor allow them to grow stronger, so we sealed them away to rule territories in the mortal world. Their descendants thus became non-Modern-Dharma cultivators tacitly permitted by the Modern Dharma immortal path."
"Seven hundred years ago, there was a dynasty called Great De. The Emperor De of that generation, the Xi Clan's heir, was an ambitious man. Not only did he simplify the imperial cultivation method and promote it among the soldiers, he also used his eloquence and political skill to bring high-level cultivators under his command. Other countries followed suit one after another, and as a result, the immortal path lost control over the mortal world for a time."
Zhen Chanzi said, "The history of immortal cultivation spans eighty thousand years. The imperial clans of Shenzhou were the strongest sect, and there were plenty of eras when princes, nobles, and aristocrats were all cultivators. Something like this is hardly unusual."
"But in the end, the war launched by Emperor De swept across the entire world. For some reason, he actually managed to persuade Improper Taoist Haishenbao of Piaomiao Palace, Xuyan Shenzun Ao Hai'en of Burning Gold Valley, and others to join his side."
Zhen Chanzi sighed. "This man was no simple figure. He should be remembered as a wise ruler of his generation."
Xiang Qi shook her head. "Later, he exposed his identity as a devilish cultivator. It turned out that he had somehow obtained an ancient devil-path manual and was actually willing to plunge the world into chaos, using the resentment of the troubled times to increase his cultivation."
Li Ziye continued, "Emperor De knew that, relying on his own strength, he could not stand against any modern Free and Unfettered Cultivator. If his identity as a devilish cultivator were exposed, Improper Taoist would be the first to refuse to spare him. Yet Emperor De was quite capable. He actually incited Improper Taoist and the others to forge a World-destroying Devilish Artifact for him! Among the Modern Dharma Sects, Guanghua Hall and Piaomiao Palace could be considered two branches that had different origins but reached the same destination. Their foundations differed, but at the highest levels, their methods could interconnect. Thus, the two sects exchanged quite a bit. The foundation of that World-destroying Devilish Artifact was a game creation of Taiyi Tianzun Ai Citam, a Free and Unfettered Cultivator of Guanghua Hall!"
"In his early years, Taiyi Tianzun had been bored and pushed one of the minor spells derived from his cultivation method to its utmost limits. At the time, the Tianzun still felt that this method was too fierce and could only remain at the theoretical level. Unexpectedly, Nuclear Chain Dharma King Fermi eventually deciphered the technique. But in the Dharma King's view, once this method was unleashed, it would inevitably rebound upon its user. It was a technique that could only end with both sides destroyed. The sword-control technique of Liuyun Sect gave this spell the possibility of being activated, while the Sword Art independently created by Star-Plucking and Moon-Capturing Feng Bu'en made this mighty spell even more powerful. Taiyi Tianzun then sent an urgent letter to Meidi of the Luo Clan. For the sake of all living beings, Meidi gathered the remaining cultivators of Piaomiao Palace, Burning Gold Valley, the Myriad Dharma Sect, and Liuyun Sect to establish the Sky Sword Palace and oppose Emperor De."
"Using Meidi's power, the Sky Sword Palace gathered all the resources in the world. After several years, it finally forged the Heavy Weapon before Emperor De could. It was powerful enough to unleash Taiyi Tianzun's world-destroying technique. When the Sky Sword first emerged, it reached the blue vault of heaven above and the Yellow Springs below. It struck like thunder, and within the four borders, none failed to submit and obey its command. Afterward, Emperor De's identity was exposed, and Improper Taoist and the others were disgraced. The great battle came to an end."
"Unexpectedly, Meidi of the Luo Clan suddenly died after going berserk with cultivation, and the treacherous Du Clan usurped supreme power, intending to monopolize the Sky Sword. The Sky Sword Palace saw through their plot and invited cultivators from throughout the world to discuss the Dao of the Sky Sword. The Du Clan sent troops to suppress them. Later, a cultivator actually annihilated five divisions of the Meidi army alone. At the time, people gave him the nickname Five Masters' Extinction. That was the Xiao Qian Palace Master from just now."
Zhen Chanzi sighed. "It was quite stirring... Kid, isn't this the part you're most interested in? Why haven't you said a word since just now?"
Wang Qi stared fixedly at the Sky Sword above Li Ziye's head. Only after hearing Zhen Chanzi's call did he come back to himself. "Senior Li... this Sky Sword of yours... is it called 'Fat Man,' 'Thin Man,' or 'Little Boy'?"
"Huh?"
Even Li Ziye, a Golden Core cultivator with lightning-fast reactions, had no way to respond to such a question. He froze on the spot. But if Li Ziye had been struck by thunder, Wang Qi felt as though he himself had been blasted by the legendary Flying Immortal Tribulation Lightning for three days and three nights.
This is basically the immortal-xia version of the Manhattan Project! Hey, do you people really understand what you're holding in your hands, you nuclear-bomb sword immortals?!
Before you continue