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A crack of thunder boomed across the ground.

The tip of the Armored Glacier drove the air in a single deadly point, the mountain winds howling as it did so, its sword qi wild and untamed like a herd of stallions charging across the plains…

Unlike the previous few swords of Li Hanyi, this sword was aggressive, lacking any of the poetic sense the previous ones had; all it had was a terrifying desire to kill.

This incomparably aggressive sword wasn’t one of Li Hanyi’s creations, instead it was created by that oddball swordsman of the Lei Clan, Lei Hong.

Back then, a youthful Lei Hong came to Snow Moon City, carrying a decidedly unique sword. He seemed a little shy or even reserved at first, but his words were anything but. “The phoenix bears news of a legend rising, while thunder booms for a change incoming. I have a sword named “A Swathe of Thunder”. I humbly submit for instruction.”

Today, it was now Li Hanyi’s turn, eyes closed, to perform that sword, though he quickly withdrew it after.

“Lei Hong, it seems like we finally have to meet again…” Li Hanyi mumbled.

With his Raging Inferno Lightning on the left, and his Brush Like Unfettered Clouds on the right, it could be said that Lei Wujie had reached the peak of his current swordsmanship. Yet under the sheer force of A Swathe of Thunder, he could only retreat, step after step. Although Li Hanyi had already withdrawn his sword, the force of his sword had not decreased. That single sword he let forth actually called forth the thunder. The sky immediately darkened and rain came pouring down.

Li Hanyi turned around to face the boy. Though the rain was thick, not a single drop landed on his clothes.

Lei Wujie, however, was drenched. Standing there in a wet daze, he suddenly struck once more. It was an ordinary sword strike, like one a child would use, no method to it, and lacking in any sword essence.

Yet Li Hanyi unexpectedly raised his head to look at the sky. He gently lifted up a finger, and a droplet of water landed on it. With a soft swing, he pulled out a stream of smaller droplets, slowly forming them into the sword of a sword. By now, the incoming sword had already reached him. He lowered his head, focused his gaze, and the watery sword instantly burst forth, brimming with sword essence but bereft of any killing intent.

“And what sword was that?” Li Hanyi asked.

“An Ordinary Man’s sword, a normal thrust.” Lei Wujie answered.

Li Hanyi laughed and turned around. Ordinary that sword might have been, it managed to rip his face shawl. And as the shreds fell gently to the ground, the sword qi surrounding him dissipated -the rainwater once more allowed to land on him. There stood a Sword Immortal of his times, allowing the rainwater to soak his clothes, his hair, and all the while silently immobile.

Lei Wujie sheathed his sword, but his eyes suddenly went wet with tears.

It was then that Sikong Changfeng, Tang Lian and Xiao Se rushed to the mountain peak and witnessed that scene. They saw the might of A Swathe of Thunder, and Lei Wujie’s ordinary thrust. An Ordinary Man’s Sword… that was the beginner’s book to swordsmanship, something you could find anywhere in the martial world, sold at a pittance in any bookstore, and filled with moves that even a ten year old could execute. A sword like that actually reached the Sword Immortal?

Yet it was just such a sword that eventually ripped the face shawl that Li Hanyi religiously kept on.

From beneath the face shawl, came an unmistakably beautiful face.

Tang Lian was stunned. “Second Master is a woman?”

While no longer young, the face beneath could still be considered breathtaking. Yet the expression it had on was icy cold, one that prevented any attempt at close contact.

No wonder Lei Hong praised the sword as beautiful after watching her swordsmanship… that was precisely why.

No wonder the Confucian Sword Immortal, Xie Xuan, said that there were two beautiful ladies in Snow Moon City, one was the Immortal Maiden Luoxian, and the other was… a little fierce.

Lei Wujie suddenly fell to his knees, and in a soft voice, said, “Sister.”

Li Hanyi lowered his head to face him, face still cold. “You knew from the start.”

Though Lei Wujie said that he began learning the sword when he learnt of its beauty from Lei Hong, he had actually come into contact with the sword at an even younger age. Back then, he, his father, his mother and his sister stayed in a large city. His father was often out, and so was his mother, leaving his sister the only one at home while she practised her sword. When she was bored, she would often drag him along for sword practise. That was where this normal thrust came from. Being as young as he was, the only move he could really execute was this normal thrust.

And that was why when Lei Wujie mentioned this sword, Li Hanyi knew.

“Third Master, what’s the matter?” Tang Lian turned to face Sikong Changfeng.

Sikong Changfeng sighed. “Li Hanyi entered our teacher’s tutelage a month earlier than me, but in actuality, she was younger than me by four years. Her mother was the successor of the Sword Tomb, Li Xinyue. Her father was one of the elders of the Lei Clan, Lei Mengsha. Because she never joined the Lei Clan, her surname remained that of her mother’s.”

“Lei Mengsha? Li Xinyue? Those are…” A stunned Tang Lian couldn’t finish his words.

“That’s right. A Sword’s Heart has a Moon, A Fleeting Dream, A Fleeting Life. They were once very famous martial artists. During the Rebellion of Revelations twenty years ago, as His Majesty’s personal guards, they protected him as he slew his way into the Hall of Serenity. Later on, Lei Mengsha became one of the eight pillars of the kingdom, his charge was to handle the south. Ultimately, he died on a battlefield there. Li Xinyue however became the head of the Four Guardians of Revelations. Her post was the East; her title was the Blue Dragon. Four years ago, after the case involving Prince Langya, she left Revelations and disappeared.” Sikong Changfeng sighed once more.

“Lei Mengsha and Li Xinyue both occupied an esteemed position within the martial world, so they had sent their children out of Revelations long ago. One came to Snow Moon City, the other went to the Lei Clan. Only a scant few knew of this. The fact that Li Hanyi, as a Sword Immortal, rarely left the city, meant that even fewer knew that she was actually a woman.”

“So the reason you came to find me wasn’t because Lei Hong was about to die?” Li Hanyi stated.

Lei Wujie shook his head. “Teacher is indeed gravely ill. I did actually come here for his sake. It’s that when I saw you that day, I felt a strange sense of familiarity. That heavy rainfall just now made me remember an incident from my childhood. Back then, I snuck out to play and ended up lost. It rained heavily on that day as well. I couldn’t find my way home so I stood there crying. Suddenly, Sister appeared before me amongst the heavy rainfall, like a light illuminating the world before me. The rain just now made me remember that day. Back then, Sister was looking at me the same way as well, a little bit of admiration but mostly angry. I wasn’t sure whether I should ask for forgiveness, so I ran right into your embrace and cried.”

Li Hanyi sheathed her Armored Glacier and sighed. She slowly strode forward, lowered herself and gently hugged him. “Jie, these past years must have been hard on you.”

Lei Wujie cried once more, but he merely shook his head and said no more.

Sikong Changfeng quietly turned around and walked down the mountain path, muttering to himself as he did so. “As I watch you from one end of the world, an expanse of ten thousand leads to our next meeting.”

Tang Lian quietly followed behind. Such a scene truly wasn’t one which they should stay behind at. Yet Xiao Se still stood there quietly, as if he was in a trance. Tang Lian tugged at his clothes. “What are you thinking about?”

Xiao Se murmured, “I was just thinking, some things truly are predestined.”

“What?”

Xiao Se merely shook his head and walked down the mountain path.

****End of Snow Moon City Arc****

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“Flowers at daybreak in a mid-autumn day, like a rainbow glare climbing the heavens.” ¹

Lei Wujie sharply drew out his sword, pointing it shakingly at Li Hanyi. “The first sword, inherited from the Sword Immortal, Moon in Obscurity, Flowers at Daybreak.”

A whistle ran through the mountain peaks, but there was no flower storm this time, nor was there any moonlight bathing them; this sword was pure and clean. Yet though there were flowers, nor was there any moon in sight, there was the essence of flowers, and the shadow of a moon!

The sword…it was a stroke worthy to be called elegant!

Lei Wujie’s strike came piercing through the air, sword glistening with a cold light. This was already his fourth attempt at the move, yet this time, his sword bore a hint of a Sword Immortal’s manner.

Li Hanyi nodded lightly at that. His fingers curved into a beckoning sign, calling forth Armored Glacier from its sheath. “Fall!” He yelled lightly, and the Armored Glacier came crashing down, shattering the flowery essence of Lei Wujie, destroying his moonlight. His sword came barrelling through with the frigid coldness of the mountain peaks themselves, aura bursting at the seams, and sword qi rushing forward like a herd of wild stallions, all charging right at Lei Wujie.

Lei Wuije pressed down on his sword using it as a bulwark, his body refusing to budge even an inch. His sleeves came off in shreds, but he persevered silently, knuckles white from gripping Rainfall.

“A dancing flower in the rain, a waving willow in a breeze, both clad in yesteryear’s allure. A fresh burst of greens and reds, like a frenzied mix of spring and morning.” Lei Wujie stepped back, gave his sword a quick flourish, then struck once more. ²

“The second sword, inherited from the Sword Immortal, A Scarlet Bloom, A Misty Sward.” Lei Wujie stabbed his sword towards the heavens.

This was a move he once saw his teacher, Lei Hong, execute. With it, he once made a peach blossom flower on the last night of winter solstice!

It was a move filled with the warmth of life. Used with the demure Rainfall, its blade was bathed in a tinge of red. And the harsh coldness of Armored Glacier was gently pushed back. Not expecting his own move to actually triumph, Lei Wujie pushed forth, boosted by the elation of victory.

Li Hanyi nodded lightly. “Good. A Scarlet Bloom, A Misty Sward: that was a sword I created during my youth. That year I was travelling through Jiangnan when I spotted budding leaves on a willow by the lakeside -that was how I created this sword. You did very well. But you were originally from Jiangnan to begin with, comprehending this sword isn’t difficult.” Having said that, he lightly hooked his finger, and Armored Glacier rose once more!

Back in Snow Moon City…

Sikong Changfeng stepped out of his own hall and gazed at the distant Cangshan.

“Third Master, what are you looking at?” Spotting Sikong Changfeng in the distance, Tang Lian lifted his head and asked.

“Your junior is about to leave the mountains.”

“Leave the mountains?” Tang Lian and Xiao Se exchanged a glance.

“If you hurry, you might just make it in time for the last sword.” With a turn of his body, Sikong Changfeng sped off in the direction of Cangshan.

Tang Lian and Xiao Se immediately sprinted off. That day in Snow Moon City, Lei Wujie and Li Hanyi did in fact cement an agreement: whenever Lei Wujie could exchange three blows with him, he would leave the mountains with him. Yet it had only been three months, could Lei Wujie actually accomplish this?

Lei Wujie’s second sword, A Scarlet Bloom, A Verdant Sward, brought forth a wave of warmth that instantly melted the snowflakes around Li Hanyi. Yet the coldness of Armored Glacier instantly froze the water on the ground solid once more. Lei Wujie exploded in heat, his foot smashing into the frozen snow water.

Blazing Arts: Garuda Realm!

Li Hanyi frowned slightly. Is this his trump card? Then he has severely underestimated a Sword Immortal’s sword. The Blazing Arts can’t be even counted as a top tier martial art, let alone his lowly Garuda Realm.

It was then that Lei Wujie’s pupils burned a fiery red, his qi exploding once more as an uncontrollable primal flame filled his eyes.

His Blazing Arts had risen once more— the Origin Flame Realm!

“Very good. When Lei Hong was your age, he wasn’t at your level.” Li Hanyi lightly praised him. Once more his fingers curved into a hook and Armored Glacier rose to the skies before diving downwards with a force to rend the earth asunder.

“You may have your raging flames, but can you stand up to my Thousand Inches of Ice?” Li Hanyi proudly declared.

Lei Wujie waved his right arm and barely deflected Li Hanyi’s sword, retreating ten steps in the process. Suddenly, the frigid cold of Armored Glacier overwhelmed him, leaving him in a dazed trance.

His thoughts drifted to a certain grey clad man who often sat in a daze in the courtyard. He remembered what that man told him once.

“A sword has a life of its own, should a person form a bond with a sword, then that sword is his friend, and when a friend is in trouble, that sword would sense it. That is why some swords would start shaking if it senses killing intent.”

“I hand the Murderous Dread Sword over to you, from now on, as long as the person stands, so will the sword.:

“And if the person falls, so does the sword?” Lei Wujie asked in a grave voice as he received the sword.

“Come to me, sword!” Lei Wujie’s eyes snapped wide open, his lungs straining from the sheer force of his shout.

Back at the gates of Snow Moon City, the sword which had been stuck there for three months suddenly stirred.

The people below the gate heard a deafening boom as they raised their heads to stare at the crimson sword above.

It was said that this sword was forged from the combination of explosives and metal, etched with the markings of flame. At its tip was the picture of a fire breathing dragon. This was the Murderous Dread Sword. Because of its extraordinary lethality, it once swept through the martial world. With it in hand, Lei Hong was basically half a Sword Immortal!

Right now, the Murderous Dread Sword was about to seek out its master.

“Come to me, sword!” Standing atop the mountain peak, Lei Wujie stretched out his left hand and bellowed once more.

The Murderous Dread Sword finally broke free from its stony prison, rushing straight towards Cangshan in a fiery red line across the sky.

Sikong Changfeng, Tang Lian and Xiao Se were in the midst of rushing towards the scene when a sudden blast of wind blew past them. Raising their heads, all they saw was the Murderous Dread Sword.

“A bond of sword and man. For your junior brother to reach this stage… he has stepped into the first tier.”

“The first tier?” Tang Lian revealed a look of shock.

Lei Wujie stretched out his left hand and caught the incoming Murderous Dread Sword. The etchings on the blade started to flow. He swung his left hand outwards, forcing away the Armored Glacier.

“A jet black night, a booming sky, winds blowing like a thousand crossbows. The darkness passes and the deities smile above. The third sword, inherited from the swordsman of Lei, Lei Hong, its name is Raging Inferno Lightning.” ³

“A drunken haze, a falling brush. A poem turned jade, and one for the ages. The third sword, inherited from Li Hanyi, A Brush Like Unfettered Clouds.” ⁴

Rainfall in his right, and Murderous Dread in his left, combined the two were unstoppable. He slowly raised the twin swords, Rainfall encased in cold, Murderous Dread wrapped in flames – one hot and one cold. Then, he said in a slow voice, “This third sword, I present to my teacher.”

Li Hanyi nodded. “Good.” In that very instant, it was as if he was looking at his younger self. His teacher was the former Citymaster of Snow Moon City, Su Zhemu. Back then, all their martial arts were learnt in pairs. Baili Dongjun made his name as a wielder of both a sword and a blade. Sikong Changfeng wielded two spears of unequal length. As for him, he once carried a pair of swords as well.

Li Hanyi gently hooked his finger once more and Armored Glacier came flying back into his hands. Up till now, he had only commanded his sword with his finger as he blocked two of Lei Wujie’s strikes. Yet this third strike… it was one that was finally worthy of him wielding his sword -a true battle.

That was because Lei Wujie’s sword… had already stepped into the realm of the Mortal Vajra.

“Your teacher has a sword for you as well. This sword has a name…” Li Hanyi slowly said. “And its name is A Swathe of Thunder.”

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Like the brush of summer winds, the hustle and bustle of the season waned.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye, and the most beautiful season of Snow Moon City, spring, departed from the city. In its place came a cooling summer breeze. Tang Lian was once again out on several missions. As the Head Disciple of the Snow Moon City, the weight on his shoulders were heavy. He often had to partake in missions outside of the city year round. Yet similar to his status as disciples of Snow Moon City’s Citymasters, Xiao Se and Sikong Qianluo were decidedly more free. Each day was spent in a game of cat and mouse. Having exhausted himself in that, Xiao Se would then lay on the roof for a quick baking, or perhaps a moon viewing, or perhaps a round of chess with Sikong Changfeng. At times, he would flip through the nameless book given to him by the Confucian Sword Immortal, Xie Xuan. Today, it so happened that Sikong Qianluo was out of the city, which meant a gleeful Xiao Se could now spend the entire day sunbaking on the rooftop, staring in the direction of Cangshan.

Speaking of Cangshan, it has been a long while since that person descended from the mountains. Since the farewell at the Hundred Flowers Banquet, not once have I stepped into Cangshan. Yet today, Xiao Se had this feeling that something was about to happen. He lowered his book and looked in the direction of Cangshan. A breeze blew past him. A second later, Tang Lian was already standing right beside him.

“You’re back?” Xiao Se looked at the new arrival.

Tang Lian nodded his head. “We’re both disciples of a Citymaster, so why is it you get to suntan everyday while I have to run around the world. I nearly lost my life this time too.”
“And who are you exactly? Our Eldest Martial Brother, that’s who. A person who might just become the Citymaster in the future, I’m sure a little bit of hard work is only to be expected.” Xiao Se gleefully gloated at his misfortune.

Tang Lian tapped his foot against the ground lightly. Immediately, a fragment of the roof tile went flying towards Xiao Se. Xiao Se smiled. With a slight roll of his body, he moved aside an entire inch.

“Seems like Qianluo has been treating you well all this while, that movement skill of yours just seems to get more and more sublime.” Tang Lian chuckled.

Xiao Se stood up, patted off the dust on his body. “Oh spare me, if you really wanted me dead, Eldest Martial Brother, you would have just shattered all the roof tiles, then toss a Flying Flowers, Ten Thousand Trees at me. Oh right, you said you almost lost your life, who did you meet?”²

“A couple of old acquaintances, ‘the Lunar Maiden bids with a smile, the Nether Duke kills in fury’. Still remember them?” Tang Lian asked.

“We were almost killed by them, why wouldn’t I?”

“The Nether Duke was originally the eldest son of the master of Seekers Cloth Pavilion. Years ago, when the Seekers Cloth Pavilion was massacred, he was knocked out cold, waking up only after the fact with memory loss. After searching many years for a clue, he finally found an answer in Wuxin. The killer of Seekers Cloth Pavilion was the Nether Duke’s very own teacher, the Old Man of Heavenly Springs. The Nether Duke was planning a visit to the Heavenly Springs Hall to seek vengeance, proclaiming his desire to massacre everyone.”

“What happened then?” Xiao Se wasn’t all too surprised by what he heard.

“What happened was that the Heavenly Springs Hall was destroyed. The Old Man of Heavenly Springs escaped; the Nether Duke was severely injured but rescued by the Lunar Maiden.”

“Pity, a wretch like that old man would have been better off dead in a blade stroke.” Xiao Se sighed once more.

Tang Lian didn’t carry on from that. He turned towards Cangshan and suddenly asked, “What about that silly kid, anything happened recently?”

“No idea.” Xiao Se shook his head.

“You have no idea?” Tang Lian’s brows furrowed.

“It has been three whole months since the last time he left the mountains. Most likely he was locked up after that day at the Hundred Flowers Banquet. I don’t have any martial arts, so I don’t dare to pay him a visit either, else that Sword Immortal up might just slice me up.” Xiao Se replied after some thought.

“That silly kid even said that the three of us would go gallivanting about the martial world, just like the Three Heroes of Snow Moon when they were young. But by the time he’s done learning, who knows when that would be.” Tang Lian murmured.

Mt. Cangshan, atop the Peak of Ten Thousand Flowers…

The Sword Immortal Li Hanyi was seated there in meditation, the sword, Armored Glacier, resting quietly beside him.

Today was the date of their three months agreement. According to it, his disciple would duel with him. If he was satisfied with the result, he would let him leave the mountain for a final meeting with Lei Hong at the Lei Clan. As for Li Hanyi himself, it had been four years since the last time he left the city.

The Daoist Sword Immortal, Zhao Yuzhen, the Confucian Sword Immortal, Xie Xuan, and the Murderous Dread Sword, Lei Hong: these were all well-known names, yet they seemed to have popped up once more in recent times. Li Hanyi sighed to himself. It has been so many years, but it seems like the time has come.

Rainfall in hand, Lei Wujie slowly made his way up the mountain. These past three months, Li Hanyi had still trained him on a daily basis, yet it was only done through words, never demonstration. He knew that the next time he and his master exchanged blows would be at the conclusion of these three months. Yet just a month ago, Li Hanyi suddenly left his grass hut for one of the nineteen peaks of Cangshan in order to train, leaving behind Lei Wujie to practise on his own. At least that was so up till a week ago when Lei Wujie suddenly stowed his sword and began mediating like his teacher.

Hidden Sword of Wind and Thunder: Eight-sided Draw! A technique of the Sword Immortal, Li Hanyi’s!

“But as I am right now, am I even qualified to duel with the Snow Moon Sword Immortal?” Looking down at his sword, his eyes glazed over a little.

Barring that mythical, almost immortal-like realm of Divine Mysteries, a top tier martial artist could be divided into three realms, the Mortal Vajra Realm, the Unrestrained Earth Realm, and finally the Unfettered Heavens Realm. The Snow Moon Sword Immortal was said to have entered the Unfettered Heavens Realm at the tender age of nineteen. Today, he was at the peak of that realm.
As for himself, he wasn’t even at the edge of being considered a top tier martial artist. Amongst all the disciples of Snow Moon City, only Tang Lian could officially be counted as having entered that prestigious realm of Mortal Vajra -Sikong Qianluo was still a smidge short of it. As a swordsman below even the realm of Mortal Vajra, yet still daring to face a Sword Immortal in the realm of Unfettered Heavens, would he end up like that day at the Tower of Ascension: defeated in just one strike? After all, could his current self compare to the combined might of his previous self and Li Fansong?

But I still have to fight either way. Lei Wujie grimaced as he scratched his head.

It was said that the mountains held four seasons. As Lei Wujie slowly climbed up the mountain, he wasn’t all that in a hurry to be honest. He climbed up the slightly warm mountain base, then to the still forested but slightly cool mountain range where he took a quick break before continuing upwards, all the way to the frigid mountain peak. Upon seeing the Snow Moon Sword Immortal, Li Hanyi, dressed in his white robes, seated up atop the peak like an immortal, Lei Wujie straightened his back and bowed.

“You’re here.” Li Hanyi slowly stated, eyes still closed.

“Teacher, I’ve come to fulfill our agreement.”

Eyes still closed, Li Hanyi said no more.

Suddenly, Lei Wujie grasped down on his sword hilt, the sword beneath vaguely crackling with qi. Just moments ago, he was the picture of a carefree teen, now his eyes held a dangerous glint as he said in a deep voice, “I have three swords, I hereby submit to the master!”

Originally dormant at the side, Armored Glacier roared to life -Li Hanyi finally opened his eyes. “Good!”

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Though Ye Anshi no longer addressed himself as the monk, Wuxin -even going through the step of not carrying his rosary -he still wore a long white robe; still kept his head bald. When he broke that last Rain Knife, he still insisted on not killing. At times, the Violet Duke would think to himself, was such a compassionate person really suited to be sect master of the Outheaven? Yet it was just such a person that garnered the support of everyone in the sect within record timing. There were even some old timers, who upon laying eyes on him for the first time ever, claimed they saw the old sect master returning to them.

“Sect master, about those friends of yours, there’s been some news.” The White Hair Immortal suddenly chimed in.

Ye Anshi paused for a second, then smiled. “Oh? How have they been?”

“Tang Lian returned to the Tangmen after leaving Khotan for a brief visit to his master, Tang Lianyue. Xiao Se and Lei Wujie roughly traveled for another three more months before finally reaching Snow Moon City. Lei Wujie climbed the Tower of Ascension all the way up to the sixteenth floor and fought side by side with the Daoist Sword Immortal’s disciple against the Snow Moon Sword Immortal, Li Hanyi. Even though he was beaten down by a single sword strike in the end, he became a disciple under his tutelage, his first ever disciple.” The White Hair Immortal slowly reported.

Ye Anshi chuckled at that. “That kid seems to have pretty good luck -for him to actually be accepted by the Snow Moon Sword Immortal. But his teacher, Lei Hong, does have a little disagreement with that Sword Immortal, I don’t doubt that there’s a deeper backstory behind all that. What about the other? That stingy inn owner. He returned to his Fallen Snow Villa?”

“Xiao Se, he stayed behind in Snow Moon City as well, he even became the disciple of the Spear Immortal, Sikong Changfeng.” Silent till now, Violet Duke suddenly spoke up.

“The Spear Immortal, Sikong Changfeng? I thought it would have been the Drunken Immortal, Baili Dongjun. Honestly, if the two of them ever met, I have a feeling the both of them would get along famously” Ye Anshi stretched out his hands, and the fallen wine cup promptly flew back into his palm. “I kind of want to have a taste of his famous Seven Bowls under a Starry Night as well. The one that even triumphed over the Little Diaolou’s White Autumn Dew.”

“There’s been word that the First Citymaster, Baili Dongjun, left the city the night Lei Wujie entered the city. There’s been no word since.” White Hair Immortal muttered in a low voice.

“Honestly, for the past few years, Sikong Changfeng has always been the one handling the matters of Snow Moon City. The other two Citymasters were either busy brewing wine or practising with the sword -both extremely carefree. So what if he has gone missing, how about you guess whether or not that Baili Dongjun has entered into the Divine Mysteries Realm? At that time, he could probably traverse the lands within the blink of an eye -so what if he was no longer in Snow Moon City?” Ye Anshi slowly explained, having guessed the rough intentions of White Hair’s words.

The two subordinates exchanged a silent glance. The Drunken Immortal, Baili Dongjun, had already shown signs of being the strongest in the world twelve years ago, yet he kept to himself mostly, rarely fighting with another, choosing instead to focus on his wine brewing. Even so, it was said that the Lone Sword Immortal, Luo Qingyang, who safeguarded the city of Exalted Frost year round, refused to claim the title of the strongest precisely because he wasn’t sure of a victory against Baili Dongjun. A person like that could probably step into that legendary martial realm that only appeared once every hundred years.

“I’m sure my three friends would soon spread their names across the martial world, just like those three teenagers that stepped out of Snow Moon City all those years ago. I’m looking forward to the day we meet again.” Ye Anshi turned around and slowly walked away.

“Sect Master, where are you going?”

“To the Blessed Pearl Corridor.” Ye Anshi blandly stated. “Now that the internal strife within the Outheaven has been settled, the next few years shouldn’t be an issue with the both of your powers. I wish to go into seclusion at the Blessed Pearl Corridor.”

“And when will you return, Sect Master?” The Violet Duke furrowed his brows.

“When I step into the Divine Mysteries Realm.” Ye Anshi leaped into the air, landing onto the western wall, before declaring so in a clarion voice.

The Violet Duke and White Haired Immortal were stunned. Ye Anshi, however, turned around to smile at them. “I’m being serious.” With a twist of his body, he shot off into the distance.

“Do you think our Sect Master can really step into the Divine Mysteries Realm?” The Violet Duke asked his companion.

The White Haired Immortal paused for a second, then replied, “The first time I met him, he was already nearing the Unfettered Heavens Realm. Now that he has been back in the Outheaven for three months cultivating his Six Higher Knowledges, his martial realm has risen above the both of us. He’s only seventeen now. Compared to the old sect master, his talent seems to have outstripped the out sect master by quite a bit; who knows, he might just be able to do so. At that time, us returning to the Central Plains would end a lot differently than twelve years ago…”

At that, the Violet Duke merely snorted, “Aren’t you the optimistic one? If he really steps into the Divine Mysteries Realm, our Sect Master would surely whisk away to that land beyond the seas for a jaunt with some immortal, not lead you back into the Central Plains.

White Hair laughed and shook his head, “Being stuck with such a powerful sect master that so happens to lack even a shred of ambition -I wonder if that’s a blessing or a curse.”

The Violet Duke turned to look at the floor blanketed in flowers and muttered, “So the old sect master’s hometown was in Hangzhou…”

At the same time in Snow Moon City, there was also a person admiring the moon.

With a piece of grass hanging off his mouth, and his back sprawled out lazily atop a roof, that person stared at the moon in a daze.

A spear wielding girl spotted him, and with a twist of her body, leapt onto the rooftop as well. “Blasted Xiao Se, so this is where you were hiding.”

Xiao Se closed his eyes, not all that interested in dealing with her. “It’s late, enough with the chasing already, it’s time for rest. How’s your practise with the Silvery Moon Spear Techniques?”

“The Silvery Moon Breaks the Intestines… I’ve reached the fourth tier now, how about a taste of it?” Sikong Qianluo grinned a mischievous grin.

“Hah, perhaps tomorrow morning I just might. Let me tell you, don’t force my hand here, if not I’ll take out my Wuji Staff and knock you off the roof!” Xiao Se’s eyes snapped open in what looked like an attempted glare.

“I’ve heard those words a million times now. Go on then, hit me.” Sikong Qianluo immediately glared back.

“Childish.” Xiao Se turned away.

“Scrooge. You come here all the time to stare, exactly what are you even staring at? Last time it was in the direction of Cangshan, don’t tell you were staring at Lei Wujie… I knew there was something going on between the two of you, pft. “ Sikong Qianluo stuck out her tongue.

“Have you been to Revelations?” Xiao Se suddenly asked.

“The Imperial Capital, Revelations? Nope.” Sikong Qianluo shook her head. “Have you?”

“I have.” Xiao Se nodded.

Sikong Qianluo answered with an offhand “oh”. “What was it like? Compared to Snow Moon City.”

“Not as beautiful, but it was big. Roughly the size of seven to eight Snow Moon Cities, bustling and full of people from all the four seas and five lakes. Every year, there were a number of fairs where you could find all manners of trinkets and baubles from distant lands. I once saw a massive crystal, purely natural, about the size of a wine vat -the foreigners used it to store their grape wine. I tried some, it wouldn’t be an overstatement to call it heavenly. There was also a gambling den, known as the Ring of a Thousand Golds, I won an entire city there…” Xiao Se suddenly started to ramble.

Yet Sikong Qianluo strangely fell silently. She had this sudden feeling that Xiao Se became different when he talked about Revelations. Yet it was this new Xiao Se that made people feel more at ease with him. After listening to him continue on for a long while, she suddenly asked, “If there’s a chance, would you bring me to Revelations?”

Xiao Se smiled. “Sure.”