Chapter 338
Senior Brother, Xing Tian Dao
“Dwelling in the vastness of the Heavenly Dao, establishing the righteousness of the Heavenly Dao, and practicing the benevolence of the Heavenly Dao.
Therefore, acting on behalf of Heaven.
This is called the Xing Tian Division.”
Since Yue Xuanming entered the Xing Tian Division, he had kept this teaching in his heart. For over a hundred years, he had served diligently, acting as a lapdog for the Imperial Sect, guarding the vast territory of the Central Domain for the Imperial Sect.
Loyalty and benevolence were the Dao Heart he sought in this life.
The “Heaven” in Xing Tian Division referred to the Emperor of the Central Domain.
As long as they supported the Emperor of the Central Domain, there would be peace and prosperity. Cultivators in the Central Domain could attain a leisurely path, and mortals could glimpse the aura of true immortals.
He had always believed this until the day he heard the Empress speak, only to realize that his “acting on behalf of Heaven” for the past hundred years was utterly worthless.
A hundred years of Dao Heart had turned into scattered debris in a single day.
Inside the Xing Tian Pavilion, Yue Xuanming, clad in a golden Daoist robe, stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the room. He gazed at the calligraphy on the wall in the most prominent position, a hint of confusion in his eyes, unsure of where to go from here.
It was ironic. He had been the Imperial Sect’s most loyal lapdog.
But now, he was following the Empress’s orders to help the Demon Emperor destroy the Imperial Sect.
Yue Xuanming wondered if things would have been entirely different if he hadn’t listened to the Empress.
When the Demon Emperor approached the city, he would have closed the gates and set up formations, helping the Imperial Sect push the demon race back beyond Tianan City.
The demon race, unable to breach the city’s defenses, would have been forced to retreat within months under pressure from the Taibai Sect of the Southern Domain.
Afterward, the Central Domain’s Imperial Sect would have continued as usual. He would have remained the Deputy Commander of the Xing Tian Division, receiving a generous salary from the Emperor of the Central Domain each year. If he had just quietly accumulated power for another hundred years, achieving Deity Transformation wouldn’t have been out of the question.
What did the Emperor of the Central Domain’s descent into demonic cultivation have to do with him?
He didn’t know the children who were refined into “Inverse Star Pills.”
Wasn’t it better to be an unknown, ordinary person?
Why abandon the foundation of his career, built over a century, for the sake of the so-called “righteous path,” just to achieve acting on behalf of Heaven?
Yue Xuanming walked to the room’s window and looked out at Tianan City. The night market in the West District was still bustling with activity, and the entire city was alive with music and dance, as if in a golden age.
Although he knew clearly in his heart that the prosperous Tianan City before him was merely a facade, maintaining this prosperous facade seemed to…
“Not be a bad thing?”
As he was pondering this, a somewhat mature female voice suddenly came from behind him.
“Has Lord Yue’s Dao Heart become disordered?”
Upon hearing this voice, Yue Xuanming’s expression tensed. This voice belonged to…
He quickly turned around and bowed with cupped fists without a word.
“Pavilion Master, you… weren’t you in seclusion?”
A young woman, dressed in a golden Immortal Robe with a scarf draped over her shoulders, stood in the center of the room. Though she appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, her demeanor exuded a captivating charm that far surpassed her apparent age.
—The Pavilion Master of the Xing Tian Division, Fu Xuan Shangxian, with a cultivation of Mid-Stage Deity Transformation.
Fu Xuan Shangxian smiled and said, “Can’t I come out for some fresh air while in seclusion? Besides, with all the commotion in Tianan City lately, how could I possibly meditate peacefully?”
Hearing this, Yue Xuanming’s heart sank. He realized that “Fu Xuan” likely already knew of his plan to open the city gates and welcome the demon race.
He was unsure of Fu Xuan’s stance at the moment.
If she sided with the Emperor of the Central Domain, he would be as good as dead.
However, seeing Yue Xuanming’s nervous expression, Fu Xuan Shangxian shook her head.
“Why are you so tense, Lord Yue?”
“…”
Fu Xuan Shangxian walked to the calligraphy Yue Xuanming had been looking at and read aloud, “Dwelling in the vastness of the Heavenly Dao, establishing the righteousness of the Heavenly Dao, and practicing the benevolence of the Heavenly Dao. Therefore, acting on behalf of Heaven. This is called the Xing Tian Division.” She then added, “Hmm… I wrote this. Are you lost about this Heavenly Dao?”
Yue Xuanming observed Fu Xuan Shangxian’s expression, finding it impossible to discern her thoughts. After a moment of silence, he asked back, “Pavilion Master, you already knew about the King’s actions?”
“Yes, of course. That old man started tinkering with his ‘Inverse Star Pills’ centuries ago.”
“Then why didn’t you stop him? As an elder of the Imperial Sect, you should have intervened to dissuade the Emperor of the Central Domain…”
Fu Xuan Shangxian subtly shook her head and raised her hand to interrupt, “I am merely a cultivator of Deity Transformation. How dare I critique the actions of a Void Realm cultivator? I wish to live a few more years.”
Yue Xuanming fell silent for a moment, then retorted, “Are you here now to stop me on behalf of the Emperor of the Central Domain?”
“No… I’m not that idle; I’m busy cultivating.” Fu Xuan Shangxian smiled and said, “As I said earlier, I just came out for some fresh air and to see what mischief you were up to. What you do is your business, and it has nothing to do with me.”
“…”
Yue Xuanming was somewhat confused and fell silent.
Seeing his reaction, Fu Xuan Shangxian sighed and said, “You stubborn old mule, what I mean is, if you fail, the Emperor of the Central Domain will at most give me a reprimand for ‘failing to discipline my subordinates,’ which is insignificant. If you succeed, then…”
“If I succeed?”
“Then you succeed.”
Fu Xuan Shangxian smiled slightly, tapped the calligraphy beside her, and continued, “Yue Xuanming, I watched you grow up. From a young age, you made the Xing Tian Division your Dao Heart. For a cultivator, abandoning one’s original intention is a great taboo. You must know what to do…
I will leave you with one question. The Xing Tian Division acts on behalf of Heaven. So, what is the ‘Heaven’ of the Xing Tian Division? Is it the Emperor of the Central Domain, or your Dao Heart? Think it through, and then tell the person who enters shortly.”
“The person who enters?”
Yue Xuanming felt a slight puzzlement. Just as Fu Xuan Shangxian’s figure dissolved into a stream of light and disappeared, hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the pavilion’s door.
Then, bang—
Two Imperial Guards, wielding spears, kicked open the pavilion door with a single stomp.
A middle-aged man with a long beard and a scar on his right eye entered, carrying a Spirit Sword.
Upon seeing the middle-aged man’s face, Yue Xuanming immediately realized that something had gone wrong on the Empress’s side.
—This man was Jiang Chengfu, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards, with a Mid-Stage Nascent Soul cultivation.
He was one of the Central Domain Emperor’s confidants, enjoying immense privileges. He held a jade token personally bestowed by the Central Domain Emperor, allowing him to execute Imperial Sect disciples without needing to ask questions first.
Yue Xuanming’s brows furrowed. He glanced at the spear on the weapon rack behind him, took a step closer, and asked, “Deputy Commander Jiang… what brings you here?”
“Lord Yue, the King, in remembrance of your hundred years of loyalty, has sent me to ask you a question.”
“What question?”
“Lord Yue, do you wish to bear the name of ‘traitor,’ or do you wish to continue serving as the Deputy Commander of the Xing Tian Division, enjoying wealth and honor?”
Yue Xuanming’s brows furrowed upon hearing this question. He suddenly understood the intention behind Fu Xuan Shangxian’s question earlier.
He remained silent for a moment, then frowned and said, “Dwelling in the vastness of the Heavenly Dao, establishing the righteousness of the Heavenly Dao, and practicing the benevolence of the Heavenly Dao. This is the Dao Law of the Xing Tian Division.”
“Oh?”
“Then I must ask Deputy Commander Jiang the same question. —Do you think the Central Domain Emperor is worthy of the title of Heavenly Dao?!”
“…”
As his words fell, silence descended upon the room. Jiang Chengfu narrowed his eyes, his right hand tightening around the Spirit Sword in his grip, fixated on Yue Xuanming’s eyes.
He knew Yue Xuanming’s capabilities. Although Yue Xuanming appeared to be a civil official, he bore the title of the Imperial Sect’s Spear King, and his spear techniques were certainly not mere tricks.
However, Yue Xuanming was also in a predicament. He knew Jiang Chengfu’s strengths and lacked the confidence to kill him in one blow. With so many Imperial Guards present, a fight would be like walking into a pack of wolves, leaving him with no chance of winning.
Both men stared intently at each other, neither daring to make the first move. But at this very moment, a woman’s voice drifted in from outside the window.
“Well asked, Deputy Commander Yue!!”
Then came a thunderous “boom.”
The pavilion’s ceiling was instantly shattered by an icy blue sword qi, revealing the boundless starry sky above Tianan City.
A magnificent golden dragon coiled above Yue Xuanming’s head, emitting a low rumble.
“Roar…”
Although Yue Xuanming’s eyes were filled with fear, upon seeing the silver-haired woman standing atop the golden dragon, her finger pointing a verdant green Spirit Sword, he immediately understood. The Saint Emperor’s lineage was also part of the Heavenly Dao.
Yue Xuanming opened his right hand, and the long spear, adorned with dragon motifs, was drawn from the weapon rack behind him into his hand.
Thunder—
Ten thousand feet of lightning flashed across the sky.
The spear spun in his hands, its immense power like a charging dragon breaking through the sun, instantly reducing the twelve-story Xing Tian Pavilion to rubble and dust that scattered downwards.
In mere moments, a figure accompanied by dismembered limbs crashed down from the top of the pavilion, landing on the white stone plaza below. He leaped up again, and after several more ascents and descents, he finally managed to stop.
“Haaa—!!”
Jiang Chengfu roared, raising his sword and pointing it directly at the golden dragon above. His Nascent Soul spiritual energy dispersed, instantly tearing up the paving stones around him. But in the next instant, Yue Xuanming, wielding his spear, appeared before him.
The tip of the spear, imbued with lightning spiritual energy, struck Jiang Chengfu’s Protective Spirit Shield, driving his feet into the ground.
Yue Xuanming’s gaze remained fixed on Jiang Chengfu’s eyes, and he amplified his voice to the golden dragon coiling above his head.
“Many thanks for your assistance, fellow Daoist Feng. I will handle this person myself. I hope fellow Daoist Feng will use the golden dragon to protect the members of the division.”
“Handle him alone?” Jiang Chengfu felt a cold sweat on his forehead. He looked at the golden dragon above and sensed something was amiss. He immediately amplified his voice and shouted, “All Imperial Guards, listen to my command! Form up and slay the dragon!!”
As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of Imperial Guards entered the Xing Tian Pavilion in an orderly fashion. They formed two lines, holding shields and spears. Instantly, a formation diagram appeared out of thin air, and spiritual light transformed into countless arrows, aimed at Feng Yu Die above.
Yue Xuanming’s expression turned grim. These were all suicidal soldiers. Although Feng Yu Die possessed the Saint Emperor Dragon Body, she would absolutely not withstand such a coordinated attack from so many Core Formation cultivators. He immediately prepared to shift his spear’s aim, intending to break the Imperial Guards’ formation and help Feng Yu Die.
However, his momentary distraction allowed Jiang Chengfu to parry the tip of his spear with his sword.
Swish—
A bloody mark was etched onto the shoulder of his golden robe. Yue Xuanming, regaining his focus, had to defend himself with his spear.
“Lord Yue, I am not a second-rate cultivator. Do you think you can afford to be distracted and still defeat me? You have the Saint Emperor’s golden dragon to aid you, but I have the Imperial Guards fighting alongside me. It is still uncertain who will emerge victorious today. Haa—”
Clang clang—
Cold sweat beaded on Yue Xuanming’s forehead. He saw that the Imperial Guards’ formation was nearing completion. He couldn’t resolve the fight with Jiang Chengfu in such a short time. With Feng Yu Die’s Foundation Establishment stage spiritual energy, the golden dragon would not be able to manifest for long, and it would eventually be exhausted by the Imperial Guards.
However, as he was contemplating a solution to break the deadlock.
Swish—
An icy blue arc of light flew into the center of the ten Imperial Guards.
Boom—
A Xuanbing-colored Spirit Sword directly plunged into the ground.
The icy cold energy instantly coated the plaza floor with frost, freezing the boots of all the Imperial Guards in place.
The Spirit Sword arrived first, followed by the person.
Pei Lianxue flashed into the midst of the Imperial Guards. Gripping her Snow Jade Heavenly Spirit Sword, she drew an arc around herself, bisecting three surrounding Imperial Guards.
Blood splattered, but as it neared Pei Lianxue, it was instantly transformed into blood-red ice by the cold air and fell to the ground.
The formation diagram that had been forming above the Imperial Guards did not fully materialize before it shattered and dissipated due to Pei Lianxue’s intrusion.
Charging headlong into the enemy formation was akin to seeking death, unless one’s cultivation vastly surpassed the enemy’s. Even shattering the formation was useless.
Jiang Chengfu continued to swing his sword towards Yue Xuanming, sneering, “Heh, reckless… To break a Core Formation formation with a Foundation Establishment cultivation? Are you tired of living?”
Yue Xuanming immediately shouted, “Miss Pei, retreat quickly! Those Imperial Guards…”
Swish—
Ding—
The clash of spear and sword prevented him from finishing his sentence.
Facing Pei Lianxue, who had suddenly charged into the formation, the Imperial Guards, though momentarily flustered, quickly recovered. They immediately aimed their Spirit Spears at Pei Lianxue in the center of the formation and thrust forward.
“Not good!”
Yue Xuanming’s heart pounded. He felt that Pei Lianxue would not be able to evade the attack. He immediately prepared to absorb Jiang Chengfu’s sword strike and rush over to save Pei Lianxue.
However, just as he was about to do so, a white light flashed across the sky.
Thunder—
Countless heavenly lightning bolts, fireballs, and ice cones rained down upon Pei Lianxue, as if she were a catalyst guiding these spells, completely engulfing her and the Imperial Guards surrounding her.
Jiang Chengfu, who was fighting Yue Xuanming, saw his Imperial Guards buried by a barrage of low-grade talismans and spells, and he looked puzzled. “Where did all these talismans come from?”
But as soon as he finished speaking, an icy blue sword qi shot out from within the smoke and dust kicked up by the spell bombardment.
Pei Lianxue flashed out from among the Imperial Guards in a single stride. Holding her Snow Jade Heavenly Spirit Sword behind her back, she arrived at the side of a young man in a green shirt at the entrance of the plaza.
“Junior Sister, are you injured?”
“No, Senior Brother used these little spells to hit me every day before. I’m used to it.”
Seeing that Pei Lianxue wasn’t even dusted, Ye Anping nodded. Then, he raised the Spirit Sword in his hand and shouted towards Yue Xuanming in the center of the plaza, “Lord Yue, you don’t need to worry about us. Focus on defeating Deputy Commander Jiang. We’ll handle these Imperial Guards…”
Hearing this, Yue Xuanming suddenly noticed the twenty-odd disciples of the Xing Tian Division behind Ye Anping.
Their cultivation levels were not high; there wasn’t even a single Core Formation cultivator among them. The most accomplished was the Deputy Constable of the Late Foundation Establishment stage. They were essentially the lowest-ranking disciples in the Xing Tian Division, almost cannon fodder if anything were to happen.
However, he also noticed that these individuals, when facing the Core Formation stage Imperial Guards who were a level higher than them, showed no fear or apprehension in their eyes. Instead, they were filled with righteous fervor.
Indeed, the bold youth fears no tiger.
The events of today were tantamount to rebellion. Most old cultivators who roamed the Immortal Realm understood the principle of reserving some strength to protect themselves. These disciples, however, had not yet experienced hardship and did not understand. It was precisely because of this that they were so high-spirited in everything they did.
Everyone went through this stage.
To maintain goodness and seek eternal life. This was the original intention of cultivating in the immortal path.
Not for personal gain.
Yue Xuanming’s gaze deepened. He clenched the Spirit Spear that had accompanied him for a hundred years and pointed it forward.
Boom—
The spear transformed into a charging dragon, like an arrow at dawn breaking through the night.
Jiang Chengfu’s eyes widened. Before he could even raise his hand to block, he was engulfed by the qi, torn into a bloody mist, and exploded. Only a dark spiritual light shot towards the sky.
Seeing this, Ye Anping gave Pei Lianxue a look. He placed his hand in a sword finger pose in front of his chest and commanded his Spirit Sword with spiritual energy, shooting towards the dark spiritual light, shouting, “Junior Sister, finish off his Nascent Soul.”
“Okay.”
Pei Lianxue leaped gracefully, stepping onto Ye Anping’s flying Spirit Sword. Then, using it as a springboard, she soared above Jiang Chengfu’s Nascent Soul. Raising her Snow Jade Heavenly Spirit Sword, she drew a vertical sword light across the sky above the plaza.
The icy blue sword qi flashed, and Jiang Chengfu’s Nascent Soul split in two, directly dissipating into wisps of spiritual light without even a whimper.
At this moment, the golden dragon coiled above also dissipated. Feng Yu Die leaped down from the sky and landed steadily beside Ye Anping, hands on her hips, and asked, “Is it over?”
“It’s over. You still have a fight ahead of you later, so conserve your spiritual energy and just act as a deterrent.”
“…With whom?”
Ye Anping smiled and encouraged her, “A fox spirit. You can do it.”
After speaking, he paid her no further mind and took a step forward, raising his sword and pointing it at the leaderless remaining Imperial Guards. “The Emperor of the Central Domain has fallen into demonic ways. If you persist in your folly and continue to follow him, you will be defying Heaven. The Xing Tian Division acts on behalf of Heaven, and we will no longer spare your lives.”
Upon hearing this, the armored Core Formation stage Imperial Guards looked at the Xing Tian Division disciples behind him, then at Yue Xuanming, who was kneeling in the center of the plaza with his spear as a crutch, and finally at Jiang Chengfu, who had turned into a pool of blood.
Clang—
A long spear fell to the ground, followed by a series of clanging sounds.
Ye Anping breathed a sigh of relief. These were all desperate soldiers. If they had continued to fight, it would not have been easy for his side, and many would have inevitably died.
He retracted his Spirit Sword into his Storage Bag and walked to the center of the plaza. He bent down to Yue Xuanming’s shoulder and carried him, “Lord Yue, are you alright?”
“Cough cough—” Yue Xuanming glanced sideways at the seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy through narrowed eyes, a wry smile on his face. “Young Master Ye, do I look alright? That spear strike just now cost me seventy years of True Essence.”
“The Empress has now been exposed and is currently in the Heavenly Harmony Palace. The plan has changed. Lord Yue need not trouble yourself with the Demon Emperor matter. I have already arranged for Brother Liang to go to the East Gate to welcome him. However, there is one thing I hope Lord Yue can assist me with.”
Yue Xuanming was silent for a moment and asked, “Are you really seventeen?”
“…”
Ye Anping glanced at him and ignored the question. He took out a map from his Storage Bag and spread it out with spiritual energy. “The map shows four formation eyes, and the red dot in the center is the main formation eye, which is the city-protecting formation of Tianan City. I hope Lord Yue can go there. There should be seven or eight Core Formation stage Imperial Guards there. Break the formation eye at the lunar eclipse today.”
“First, answer me, how long have you actually lived?”
“I’m eight years old. Any more questions?”
“…”
Yue Xuanming smiled helplessly, shook his head, then withdrew his hand from his shoulder, forcing himself to stand up straight. He then approached the twenty-odd low-ranking Xing Tian Division disciples at the entrance.
“Thank you all for your assistance today. I am deeply grateful, but what comes next is beyond what you Foundation Establishment cultivators can handle.”
“Lord Yue, Young Master Ye called us over earlier, saying we could get five thousand Spirit Stones by helping you.”
?
Yue Xuanming paused slightly upon hearing this. He had previously thought these people had come to help out of reckless bravery and righteous fervor.
He had been about to deliver an inspiring speech, but upon hearing this, he was dumbfounded. He immediately turned to look at Ye Anping.
Ye Anping sighed and said, “I originally wanted to play it safe and recruit some Core Formation stage disciples from the Xing Tian Division. But I only found two people. One offered two hundred thousand, and the other offered three hundred thousand. The matter was urgent, and I didn’t have time to haggle with them, so I only brought these people. Five thousand Spirit Stones each. Please remember to pay them later.”
“…”
Yue Xuanming was silent for a moment, and his eye twitched. Twenty-four people, five thousand Spirit Stones each, totaled one hundred and twenty thousand. And these people had only thrown a few talismans.
He suddenly remembered that when the Empress had wanted to marry the Second Princess to Ye Anping, Liang Zhu had said that he was particularly stingy and insidious.
He had not taken it seriously at the time, but now…
“Liang Zhu was indeed not wrong. Heh heh…”
“What did Brother Liang say about me?”
“Talented, a true dragon among men.”
“Then, Lord Yue, when you see him next, please convey my gratitude for his kind words to my Sixth Brother.”
