Chapter 350 – One Sword Flashes Thirty Thousand Miles, Yesterday Unknown in Central Province…

Central Province, Jade Void Mountain.

“Though I knew your Azure Cloud Sect had profound foundations, I must admit I’m quite surprised to see another Dao Lord True Person like Your Excellency quietly emerge at the Peak of the Nascent Soul Stage.”

In the Void Cloud Hall of Jade Void Mountain, Ji Qiushui, the Sect Leader of Jade Void Mountain who bore the Daoist Title Perfected Red Maple, narrowed her eyes as she studied the mysterious guest from the Azure Cloud Sect while fiddling with a chess piece in her hand.

The Sword Cultivator from Azure Cloud Sect before her wore blue-and-white Flowing Cloud Robes and a Seven-Star Mask. Though the mask wasn’t ornate, the seven-star pattern on it held an indescribable profundity. Combined with the subtle yet sharp Sword Intent that seemed harmless on the surface but concealed hidden edges, even though Ji Qiushui was unfamiliar with this person and had never heard of any ‘Shangqing Daojun’ before, she could still sense his extraordinary nature.

After all, just in terms of cultivation, this person before her was no weaker than herself. If one added in that astonishing Sword Intent that merged Heaven and Man, in a real fight, she would most likely be no match for this mysterious Sword Cultivator.

Though Jade Void Mountain and Azure Cloud Sect had always maintained good relations, they were ultimately two separate Schools. Therefore, even though this Shangqing Daojun had been nothing but courteous since arriving at Jade Void Mountain, Ji Qiushui still felt compelled to test him.

Their current chess game appeared to be a simple pastime, but in reality, it was a covert confrontation. The only difference was that their clash wasn’t manifested through techniques, but focused on the chessboard before them.

“Hmm… After much consideration, I think I’ll place it here.”

As Ji Qiushui spoke, she placed her chess piece on the board. Instantly, their surroundings shifted from spring to autumn, with numerous crimson maple leaves drifting through the air, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

Yet contrasting with this beautiful scenery were the rapidly withering flowers and plants around Void Cloud Hall. Shangqing Daojun across from Ji Qiushui seemed to pay no mind to these changes. Picking up his black piece, he calmly said, “Stillness cannot match movement. Hoarding wealth… will ultimately lead to having none.”

With these words, Shangqing Daojun placed his black piece on the chessboard.

Tap!

The crisp sound of the piece hitting the board echoed through Void Cloud Hall. In the next moment, the previously calm chessboard underwent a startling transformation. The black pieces on the board began emitting ink-black smoke one by one. These smoke trails converged, forming an ink-wash True Dragon that coiled above the chessboard.

Under the influence of this ink-wash dragon, the autumn maple leaves around them seemed to be pulled by some invisible force. The leaves in the air began crumbling one after another. Boundless darkness started devouring the late autumn scenery Ji Qiushui had created.

Faced with this, Ji Qiushui didn’t remain passive. Both she and Shangqing Daojun before her had infused their respective Dao into the chess pieces. Their respective statuses destined them to represent not just themselves in this encounter, but the Schools behind them.

Moreover, his remark about “hoarding wealth ultimately leading to having none” was clearly hinting at Jade Void Mountain’s current strategy.

Regarding the situations at Martial God Mountain, and even the distant Western Divine Continent’s Little Thunderclap Temple, Jade Void Mountain had naturally received reports. Little Thunderclap Temple being far away, Jade Void Mountain’s inaction was somewhat understandable.Yet Martial God Mountain is not far from Jade Void Mountain.

But faced with the chaos at Martial God Mountain, Jade Void Mountain still chose to turn a blind eye, even going so far as to seal off their entire mountain gate.

They maintained an attitude of non-interference as long as Martial God Mountain’s troubles didn’t spill over to their Jade Void Mountain.

This isolationist approach, shutting their doors and ignoring matters beyond their walls,

clearly painted them as the kind of misers who hoard wealth without regard for broader consequences, just as the other party had described.

However, every sect has its own circumstances.

Ji Qiushui did not believe her decision was wrong in the slightest.

Thus, when faced with the fiercely charging ink-wash dragon unleashed by Shangqing Daojun,

Ji Qiushui raised her hand, picked up another chess piece, and silently placed it on the board.

With this move, the white pieces, which had been steadily losing ground, suddenly surged with renewed vigor.

A massive red maple tree materialized out of thin air behind Ji Qiushui.

The falling maple leaves transformed into sharp blades, shooting toward the ink-wash dragon not far away,

easing the previously collapsing situation.

Having made her move, Ji Qiushui lifted her head, the usual lazy, alluring charm completely gone from her expression.

In its place was the authoritative aura unique to a sect master.

“To intervene without understanding the full picture—our Jade Void Mountain has no desire to recklessly become someone else’s pawn.”

Hearing this, Shangqing Daojun, seated across from her, picked up a black piece once more.

Tap!

As the black piece landed, the ink-wash dragon that had been coiling behind him suddenly opened its maw.

“Roar!”

The resounding dragon’s roar pierced like a sharp sword, not only tearing through the Concept surrounding Ji Qiushui

but also shattering the enormous maple tree behind her into dust.

Countless cracks appeared across the tree’s trunk before it dissolved into powder, scattering into the heavens and earth.

In an instant, the Conceptual manifestations within Void Cloud Hall vanished completely,

restoring the hall to its original state of serene, transcendent tranquility.

After accomplishing this, the ink-wash dragon behind Shangqing Daojun also dissipated into the air,

transforming into a black immortal sword that hovered inverted behind him.

Ji Qiushui looked at Shangqing Daojun before her, her expression growing unprecedentedly grave.

“The Great Dao Transformation Divine Power… I never imagined that besides that blockhead Gu Liqing, your Azure Cloud Sect would harbor another monster capable of stepping into the realm of Great Divine Power at the Nascent Soul Stage.”

As she spoke, Ji Qiushui lowered her gaze to the chessboard.

On the board, the white pieces representing her had been completely annihilated by Shangqing Daojun’s black dragon,

mirroring how her Concept had been utterly torn apart moments earlier.

Though she had lost in this contest of Dao,

Ji Qiushui would not alter her original stance because of it.

“I don’t know what your Azure Cloud Sect is thinking, but I must take responsibility for all of Jade Void Mountain.”

“The greater trends of the world right now are unclear to both me and my Jade Void Mountain.”

“To enter the fray under such circumstances would mean operating in the dark while our opponents move freely—hardly an opportune moment.”

Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish; managing a sect is much the same.

Or rather, when a sect makes decisions, there are even more factors to consider.

Because cultivators have long lifespans,

the pros and cons of many matters may not be apparent in the short term.

But over time, even a minor misstep can evolve into an irreparable, fatal error.

Therefore, for major sects like Jade Void Mountain,

every decision must be made with extreme caution.

Otherwise, suffering a significant loss of Origin Qi would be the least of their worries.

It’s entirely possible for the entire sect to be dragged into a quagmire, or even face annihilation.Moreover, due to the long lifespan of cultivators,

they possess more patience than anyone else.

Although the current chaos at Little Thunderclap Temple and Martial God Mountain is filled with strangeness everywhere,

it has not yet reached the point of endangering the entire Central Province.

After all, when all is said and done, Central Province is merely part of the Lower Realm.

As long as their ancestors who have ascended to the Upper Realm remain unaffected,

they can continue to sit back and watch safely.

Of course, summoning ascended ancestors back to the mortal realm is no simple matter either, requiring significant sacrifices.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, they would never want to resort to this step.

In fact, putting himself in their position, Lu Chen also felt that observing calmly and waiting to gather sufficient information before taking action was an excellent strategy.

But when already aware that Gu Xian was advancing aggressively and the Nine Realms were poised for a full-scale invasion at any moment,

taking the initiative to strike quickly, suppressing Gu Xian’s influence in Central Province, and preemptively consolidating the forces of Central Province

was undoubtedly the best choice.

After all, with every step you retreat, the enemy advances one step further.

Once you fall behind, you remain behind step by step.

But just as Lu Chen was about to speak, he seemed to suddenly sense something.

He then turned his head to look in a certain direction outside the Void Cloud Hall.

This abrupt movement was naturally noticed in full detail by Ji Qiushui sitting opposite him.

“What’s wrong, Fellow Daoist Shangqing?”

Lu Chen did not answer immediately but instead picked up a piece from the nearby go stone container.

Under Ji Qiushui’s astonished gaze, Lu Chen actually placed an extra stone on the board.

And this single move completely annihilated all the white stones on the chessboard.

However, this act of placing an extra stone clearly violated the rules of go.

After all, who could take two consecutive turns?

Almost simultaneously with Lu Chen’s placement of the stone, the previously dormant black stones surged again, erupting with copious amounts of ink-like black Qi.

But this time, the target of this ink-black Qi was no longer Ji Qiushui before him.

The black Immortal Sword soared into the air, wrapped in the swirling ink surrounding it.

Like a true dragon riding clouds and mist, it shot out of the Void Cloud Hall and vanished beyond the horizon.

Witnessing this scene, although Ji Qiushui didn’t understand exactly what Lu Chen had done,

she felt certain that this extra move by Lu Chen must carry profound meaning.

Just as she was about to say something,

a Jade Void Mountain disciple arrived at the entrance of the Great Hall.

Seeing the disciple’s serious expression, Ji Qiushui knew something must have happened.

“Speak, what is it?”

The disciple didn’t speak immediately, first glancing at Lu Chen sitting opposite Ji Qiushui.

Ji Qiushui waved her hand: “Fellow Daoist Shangqing follows the Righteous Path, speak without reservation.”

“Yes.”

Having received Ji Qiushui’s permission, the Jade Void Mountain disciple immediately reported: “Sect Leader, while monitoring the chaos at Martial God Mountain, some of our disciples observed that Nascent Soul Stage cultivators from Martial God Mountain, along with other disciples, appear to be pursuing and attempting to kill their Quasi-Celestial disciple Xing Li. Should we intervene?”

“Hmm?”

Ji Qiushui was momentarily stunned, seemingly not expecting such a situation.

But upon second thought, she immediately understood the profound implications.

Even Martial God Mountain’s former Quasi-Celestial was being hunted.

This indicated that Martial God Mountain must have undergone major changes.

It couldn’t simply be a matter of demons breaking free.

And if they could find that Quasi-Celestial,

they would likely be able to uncover what had truly happened at Martial God Mountain.Therefore, Ji Qiushui immediately spoke: “Tell them not to hesitate, first bring the people safely to the sect.”

“No need.”

Ji Qiushui looked at Lu Chen, frowning as she asked: “Why does Fellow Daoist Shangqing say this?”

Lu Chen didn’t answer, only calmly looked at Ji Qiushui.

Ji Qiushui recalled Lu Chen’s earlier actions, combined with his words.

How could she not guess the whereabouts of Lu Chen’s Immortal Sword.

But the distance between this place and where Xing Li and the others were located was over thirty thousand li.

At such a distance, let alone a Sword Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Stage.

Even a Sword Cultivator at the Transformation Soul Stage would find it difficult to kill an enemy from ten thousand li away.

Moreover, the target was at the Nascent Soul Stage level.

Yet looking at Lu Chen’s calm eyes.

Ji Qiushui instinctively felt that Lu Chen wasn’t joking.

If he could truly kill a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator from ten thousand li away.

Then the implications contained within this would be utterly terrifying.

Could swordsmanship at the Transformation Dao Realm truly achieve this?

At the border between Jade Void Mountain and Martial God Mountain.

The Great Thousand Mountain Fiend Yan Qiu, at the Nascent Soul Stage, looked at Wu Xiao who had stood up again and couldn’t help but laugh: “Not bad, not bad. I didn’t expect you to still have the courage to stand up in such a state.”

“But in the face of absolute power, courage… holds little meaning.”

As he spoke, Yan Qiu prepared to raise his hand to deliver the final blow to Wu Xiao.

But just as he raised his hand, a terrifying Sword Intent locked onto him.

In that split second, Yan Qiu immediately looked up toward the distant horizon.

He saw a massive ink-wash true Dragon breaking through the sky, charging toward him.

The one it was targeting was precisely him.

And at the head of this ink-wash Dragon, there was strikingly a dark, mysterious Black Immortal Sword.

The terrifying Sword Intent originated precisely from this.

Although the Immortal Sword was still some distance away from him.

Yan Qiu could already feel the bone-chilling cold.

As if countless steel needles were piercing his skin.

Danger!

Without any hesitation, Yan Qiu immediately manifested the Law of Heaven and Earth.

His body began to twist continuously, flesh and blood constantly reorganizing.

Soon, he transformed into a massive and ugly lizard Yao Beast.

“Roar!”

Yan Qiu roared at the ink-wash Dragon not far away, then swung his tail toward it.

The hundred-meter-long tail swept through like a mountain range, with immense momentum.

But when this tail made contact with the ink-wash Dragon, it couldn’t provide the slightest resistance.

The Black Immortal Sword within the Dragon’s head easily pierced through Yan Qiu’s Law of Heaven and Earth, ultimately stabbing into Yan Qiu’s chest with a single thrust.

Boom!

Yan Qiu crashed heavily onto a small mountain.

The terrifying impact actually caused the small mountain to break in half.

As the dust settled, Yan Qiu was now breathing more in than out.

His aura was feeble.

Struck in his chest was unmistakably a Black Immortal Sword.

Under the horrified gazes of Yan Qiu and the others, large amounts of ink-wash began to emerge from the hilt of the Black Immortal Sword.

Finally, these ink-wash converged into a stranger wearing a Seven-Star Mask.

Feeling his life force rapidly draining and his Nascent Soul completely shattered, Yan Qiu bitterly laughed: “Who… are you?”

The figure expressionlessly glanced at him and calmly replied: “Qingyun… Shangqing.”

“Shangqing…”

Yan Qiu murmured these two words, his eyes gradually dimming until they completely lost their light.And from this moment on, a massive dark cloud directly enveloped the area.

Subsequently, countless points of light descended from the sky, resembling rain yet not quite rain.

Upon closer inspection, what fell were unmistakably sharp Sword Qi.

Facing this overwhelming Sword Qi, the members of the Great Thousand Mountains had no chance to retaliate.

Wu Xiao stared blankly at the scene, seemingly still unable to comprehend what had happened.

But at that very moment, the ink-wash figure instantly appeared before him.

“Bring this Dao Lord’s Sword back to Jade Void Mountain.”

With that, without waiting for Wu Xiao’s refusal, Lu Chen transformed into a wisp of smoke and vanished before Wu Xiao’s eyes.

After a moment of recovery, Wu Xiao looked around.

He saw that the once lush mountain forest was now in complete disarray, covered in Sword marks everywhere.

The area covered by these Sword marks spanned several kilometers.

It was clear that besides Yan Qiu and the others before him, the Sword rain had also eliminated other hidden disciples of the Great Thousand Mountains in the vicinity.

Considering that all of this originated from Jade Void Mountain, thousands of miles away,

Wu Xiao felt profound awe for the so-called Azure Cloud Supreme Purity Dao Lord.

After all, such methods were no different from those of an Immortal.

(End of Chapter)