Immortal Road.

The Battle of Yuxi Valley ended after one incense stick's time.

The Black Lotus Sect lost half of its Nascent Soul stage cultivators. Only Lin Shan, along with his close associates Chi Hong and the four-person group, and Protector Feng, escaped underground through Cang Kun's territory.

All other powerful cultivators, including Nascent Soul cultivators, were killed, their achievements becoming battle merits for the Immortal Envoy camp, which in turn were converted into Earth Spirit Pills!
“Brother Yuxi, there’s no need to pursue him. That Xun Gu Sect Master possesses a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure, making him difficult to kill. Let’s let him go and check on everyone’s injuries first.”

The Holy Lord Haoran called on everyone to gather the army and quickly heal the wounded cultivators under his command. This time, Lin Shan detonated nearly a thousand spiritual veins of all sizes in the Jade Creek Holy Land, causing extremely large bloodshed. The Shangxiao Sword Sect suffered heavy losses, the worst since the start of the war!

Even if reinforcements arrive later, it can still be said that the enemy will suffer eight hundred casualties while the enemy will suffer a thousand of their own, especially since the Supreme Elder of the Shangxiao Sword Sect lost an avatar, which is a huge loss!

The low- to mid-level cultivators were affected by the turbulence of the earth's veins, and more than half of them went missing. The land was in ruins. Some lucky ones were dug out from under the mounds of earth, but most were gone forever.

Seeing this scene of utter devastation, even the Holy Lord Haoran couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

"The karma behind this is enormous. The leader of the Xun Gu Sect has ruined his own fortune through this sin, and he will inevitably be plagued by disasters in the future, bringing him immense trouble! We won't even need to lift a finger; he will fall ill and die on his own. As the saying goes, those who do many evil deeds will surely perish."

The Holy Lord of Yuxi couldn't help but nod in agreement. All the spiritual veins in the Yuxi Holy Land were detonated in one fell swoop, which was like digging up the foundation of the world.

"Even if such a villain dies and goes to the underworld, he will probably be condemned to not be reincarnated. Why would he do such a thing?"

The elders of Shangxiao Sword Sect looked sad, each of them hating the leader of Xun Gu Sect to death. Although it is true that two armies are not careful in battle, many of their disciples had their promising futures ruined in such a muddle. Any elder would feel heartbroken in this situation.

"Let's wait for Brother Yuanjian to arrive before we proceed. You should rest here and not advance further. This Holy Lord needs to return. I'll leave the rest to Fellow Daoist Yuxi."

It was already quite generous of the Holy Lord Haoran to bring people to provide support. He couldn't let things linger on his own for too long, so he hurriedly took his leave as soon as things were settled here.

Yu Xi Shengzhu and the others expressed their gratitude and told them to go back first.

"By the way, Fellow Daoist Yuxi, you've deployed your true form."

Before leaving, the Holy Lord of Vastness hesitated slightly, as if worried about his condition.

"Hehe, the Holy Land has been destroyed, how can we live on? From now on, life and death are up to fate."

The Holy Lord of Yuxi laughed with great nonchalance, seemingly having completely disregarded his own safety and already prepared for death.

The Black Lotus Sect severed his foundation; he would retaliate even at the cost of his life.
Lin Shan led his remaining troops back to Blackwater Cliff, only to find that another group of people had returned even earlier and were in even worse shape than them!
It turned out that the force sent to resist the Haoran Holy Land had only managed to escape with two Nascent Soul cultivators and one powerful cultivator; the rest were wiped out.

The crucial point is that the Black Lotus Sect's leader, the Dharma Protector, also died in battle!
The Black Lotus Sect disciples died unjustly. In such large-scale wars, the lower classes are cannon fodder, completely powerless to influence the course of the war. They can only rely on ideology to occupy land, and precisely because of this ideology, they will be completely wiped out by the enemy!
"Then am I now one of the three remaining protectors of the Black Lotus Sect?"

A mischievous thought suddenly ignited in Chi Hong's mind. He realized that if the ranking was based on the available slots, his chances of ascension would be much greater!

All that could be heard was Protector Feng inquiring about the situation. The three survivors looked distressed and recounted what had happened. Their group was not strong to begin with, and even a powerful figure like the Old Ghost of the Scattered Demons had been temporarily transferred away. The remaining people had all been tricked by You Meiji.

In the Black Lotus Sect, the probability of death for Nascent Soul stage cultivators is quite high, and for those with great supernatural powers, it's even more of a nine-out-of-ten chance of survival!
But strangely enough, one of the survivors on their side always managed to escape danger.

This person looks to be a young man in his early twenties, full of youthful vigor like the spring sun. Such a young master of supernatural powers is able to escape from defeat time and time again!

Anyone else would have been easily killed by that powerful being.

The fact that the two surviving primordial spirits actually held this person in high regard piqued Lin Shan's curiosity.

"This fellow Daoist appears to have a distinguished and imposing presence. May I ask your name?"

Upon seeing Lin Shan's inquiry, the man quickly bowed and greeted him.

"Senior, you flatter me. I am Jian Guhan."

"Sword Lonely and Cold"

Lin Shan muttered to himself, and he knew at a glance that it was the name of some peerless genius. The higher one climbs, the lonelier it gets, and the intention was very proud. Since he had nothing else to do at the moment, he would chat with You Meiji's army before they returned.

Through the accounts of several people, it was learned that this young man was extremely powerful, able to steadily fight against most of the Yuan Shen stage cultivators' Yuan Nian avatars, making him a peerless master of supernatural abilities!
As a rising star of great supernatural powers after the end of the spiritual tide, he also has titles such as "Number One Sword of the Southern Heaven", "Sword Child Resurrection", "Sword Sect's Successor from Another Generation", and "Dark Horse of the Loose Cultivator".

Even a 'modern-day Little Yu Xing' has emerged!

Ten thousand years ago, Yu Xing Shenjun was able to roam freely among the Nascent Soul stage thanks to his Zhou Tian Xingti body, making him a rare and formidable figure among great supernatural beings.

Most powerful cultivators can barely contend with those at the Nascent Soul stage; in reality, they would shatter upon contact. Exceptions like Jian Guhan are extremely rare!

Lin Shan seemed to see a reflection of himself in him, and his words revealed admiration:

"The Immortal Envoy camp is incredibly powerful, with half of the holy lands in this world joining them. Even I am not sure I can protect myself in every major battle. Fellow Daoist, you are half a realm below us, yet you are handling things with ease. It is truly admirable."

Chi Hong and the others were also amazed. It was truly unexpected that a great supernatural being could survive a battle of this magnitude, and not just once or twice.

"Hehe, luck also plays a part, but I still can't compare to you seniors."

Jian Guhan was very modest and waved his hands repeatedly.

However, the other two exposed his past, seemingly to elevate his status.

"You may not know, but Fellow Daoist Jian Guhan possesses a sword aura that is sharp and unstoppable, capable of cleaving through any supernatural power with a single strike. Those primordial spirits on the other side are no match for him; once their supernatural powers are broken, they can only flee in terror!"

Everyone was surprised and asked curiously what kind of sword energy it was.

Fearing that others might covet his property, Jian Guhan quickly explained:

"This is a talisman my master left me before I left. It is called the Great Calamity Annihilation Sword Qi. It contains the true understanding of swordsmanship and the power of calamity annihilation. It can deconstruct and reconstruct supernatural powers on its own, and is intended to protect me during my training."

"Sigh~"

Everyone was amazed when they heard this. Upon learning that there was a master behind him, they immediately realized that he must be an extraordinary person and asked him his name.

"My master doesn't have a cultivation name; he only has a name he used in the martial arts world when he was a mortal, which he still uses today: the Sword Saint of Southern Frontier!"

When Jian Guhan mentioned this title, his face showed undisguised respect, a respect that came from the bottom of his heart.

Southern Frontier Sword Saint?

Those present had all heard about it to some extent, and they all stared wide-eyed as they discussed it amongst themselves.

"But that Southern Border Sword Saint who caused chaos in the Shangxiao Sword Sect back then, was refined in the Tongtian Spiritual Treasure for eighty-one years, and instead of dying, broke through the iron furnace and was reborn in the fire, and went head-to-head with the original Sword Daoist's true form?"

"I remember the Supreme Elder of the Dan Ding Holy Land. I don't know how he was found and killed by this person, which caused this ancient Dan Dao Holy Land to collapse."

"Rumor has it that this person is a seed of swordsmanship that has been dormant for countless years in the Sword Dao Era, gathering the hopes of countless sword spirits wandering in the void, and carrying the hope of civilization. He is only dedicated to reviving the Sword Dao Era in this life. I wonder if this is true or not."

"There are also reports that this person is fickle and two-faced, saying one thing today and not the next, as if he has multiple personalities."

"That's right, he's my master."

Jian Guhan wore an arrogant expression, as if he were the one in question, feeling proud and astonished by the other's surprise. Lin Shan was secretly shocked!

I haven't heard from my cheap master in a long time. I never expected that he would train a junior brother for me without me even noticing.

Protector Feng quickly stepped forward, took his hand, and sighed with emotion.

"Oh dear, fellow Daoist, with such a background, why didn't you say so sooner? We would have taken special care of you when arranging the routes to avoid any danger to your life."

"Hehe, you didn't even ask~"

Jian Guhan seemed naive and scratched his head sheepishly.

Seeing this, Chi Hong felt disgusted. This old geezer is worried about other people's lives and deaths. You should take care of yourself first!

"Where is your master now? Could you ask him to come and lend the World Honored One a helping hand?"

It turned out that Protector Feng had his eye on the powerful figure behind him and was eagerly trying to recruit outside help. Jian Guhan shook his head slightly, indicating that he didn't know either.

"Master is searching for relics from ancient eras all over this world, busy looking for the remaining true essence of swordsmanship. It seems he is preparing for the realm of swordsmanship and has no time for anything else."

Kendo realm?

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines!
A domain is a characteristic that only Void Transformation stage experts can possess. Ma Yuanjue hasn't been rising in power for very long, yet he has already grown to such a level.
No wonder he's managed to train so many apprentices; he's a real freak.

"It is truly enviable that your master has such an outstanding disciple as you."

"Hehe, Master has more than one disciple besides me; there were others before me."

The crowd became interested and gathered around Jian Guhan to listen, showing great curiosity about the legendary figure.

Lin Shan's heart skipped a beat. Could they be talking about me?

But when I met Sword Saint Ma Yuanjue in the Song Dynasty, I was only at the Foundation Establishment stage. He didn't know about my later development, and we never had any contact again after that.

Could it be that his cheap master has been looking for him all along?

His breathing became slightly rapid, and he could hear Jian Guhan counting on his fingers.

"Before me, there were seven senior brothers, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven... sigh, there were too many to count. Anyway, I'm the youngest!"

Lin Shan: "."

So Ma Yuanjue and Bu Suanzi are the same kind of people. In order to promote swordsmanship and divination, they recruit disciples all over the world, casting a wide net, taking in one by one, and taking in a whole bunch of them.
What a fuss!

So I was being dramatic?
Jian Guhan suddenly made a 180-degree turn:
"Actually, those were all taken in by my second and third masters. They were old scholars and martial arts instructors who believed in teaching without discrimination, so there were no requirements. But my first master had recruitment standards. Before me, there was only one senior brother."

Oh, that's more like it!

Lin Shan breathed a sigh of relief. Ma Yuanjue's body was possessed, and there were two other personalities living inside. It was understandable that he liked to teach and take on disciples everywhere.

However, Ma Yuanjue himself had very high standards. Back when the Song Dynasty was in peril, he was the only one among hundreds of people to stand out and become a personal disciple!

Thinking of this, his hope was rekindled, and he stared intently at Jian Guhan, thinking about how to go back and secretly reunite with his fellow disciples.

Unexpectedly, the kid turned around and said something else.

"My senior brother is named Sunflower Fairy. He cultivated Master's unique secret manual, the Sunflower Manual. He broke through to the Great Divine Power Realm before me before the spiritual tide ended. However, I heard that he seems to have changed his gender. I don't know why."

Lin Shan: "???"

Sunflower Fairy?

Isn't this my brother's wife? How did they suddenly become fellow disciples? This whole generational hierarchy is messed up!
No, it seems I'm not from the same sect as them at all. The senior brother that Jian Guhan is talking about isn't me.

Everyone listened with great interest and quickly continued to ask questions.

"Changed your surname? What did you change it to?"

Jian Guhan quickly explained:
"It's not that I changed my surname, it's that I changed my gender!"

He recounted the story of the Sunflower Fairy, and everyone suddenly realized what had happened. Several Nascent Soul stage cultivators among them remembered.

"But I remember there was a prodigy from the Ping family of the Spring and Autumn Sword Sect in the Holy Land who was also called the Sunflower Fairy?"

"Yes, that's him!"

When Jian Guhan mentioned the Sunflower Fairy, he hesitated whether to call her senior brother or senior sister. However, his past experiences had made him used to calling her senior brother, and he found it difficult to change his address in a short time.

Lin Shan listened in the crowd, feeling depressed. It was as if his master had forgotten about him and had never mentioned him, the eldest disciple, to the other disciples.

However, since both Sunflower Fairy and Jian Guhan are sword cultivators, and he grew up in a haphazard and wild manner, strictly speaking, he is not from the same lineage, so it is normal that he is not recognized.

As the group chatted, the outside of Blackwater Cliff became bustling, and finally, some sounds came in.

It turns out that Youmeiji achieved a great victory in her campaign!

The woman was beaming with pride as she led her entourage back, surrounded by a large entourage. Behind her were two late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, the Old Demon of the Scattered Demon and the Water Demon of the Qinghe River, flanking her on either side. Numerous high-level cultivators filed in.

After investigation, it was learned that they led the main force of the Black Lotus camp and, after a long and bloody battle, defeated the Scorpion Venerable of Hunshan Sandy Land in one fell swoop, almost killing most of the demon race's primordial spirits!

Needless to say, the lesser demons below were all wiped out, a truly tragic end.

The five-pronged encirclement strategy originally devised by Layman Jinglian has now been broken down to only two prongs, with the other three prongs being snapped off one by one, like fingers.

The Black Lotus Cult also paid a heavy price, with at least the other two factions suffering major defeats. However, because they also restrained and damaged the other factions, they still came out ahead in this round.

"Gentlemen, there will be no more barriers at Blackwater Cliff. The enemy will likely regroup and rest on the outskirts for the time being, while gathering reinforcements from the rear to prepare for the final assault. That will be the real decisive battle!"

"After five battles, we have completely brought them down to the same level as us. Now it's up to you!"

"Notify those fallen comrades to quickly dispatch new Yuan Nian avatars to join the battle. This is the last chance."

"If we succeed, we will all ascend to the Immortal Realm; if we fail, we will all perish and our cultivation will be wiped out!"

Youmeiji's gaze was sharp as she surveyed the entire area.

"I am about to ask the World-Honored One to give a speech. Are you all ready?" (End of Chapter)