Outside the sect, the mountains and fields were buzzing with discussion.
Inside, the disciples were the last to know.
The ancient bell on Zhijian Peak was struck once again, for the first time since the incident in Yecheng.
As the echoes of the bell lingered, all Wendao Sword Sect disciples prepared for war.
Between the thousand peaks, streaks of light leaped across and landed on Wendao Square.
The Pavilion Elders and ordinary Elders who usually never showed their faces...
...led the way, standing ready at the Longevity Bridge.
The heavy sound of the ancient bell met the resonant cry of sword intent.
“It’s the war bell...”
“Wendao Sword Sect is preparing for war...”
“Let’s go, we can’t stay here. If we get caught in the crossfire, we only have ourselves to blame.”
The cloud boats that had come to pick people up turned around, moving away and ascending higher...
In the mountains outside One Sword Gorge, the onlookers’ eyes were filled with mockery and playfulness.
Watching the tens of thousands of Wendao Sword Sect disciples draw their swords for battle, they showed no sign of panic, only disdain.
“Heh... there are plenty of them, but they’re just ants in the end.”
“Aren’t they?”
“There are still too few. It would be marvelous if they could fill up One Sword Gorge, haha!”
“Interesting...”
At the bridgehead,
Qiaofu appeared, Yuren showed up, Ruan Hao arrived, Elder Yao came, as did eighth-stage Pavilion Elders and seventh-stage Deacons...
Every Sword Bearer from Zhijian Peak was deployed.
Li Qingshan,
Ye Xianyu,
...they had all arrived.
The newly laid formations were activated.
In front of One Sword Gorge, though the sect-protecting formation had been destroyed, new formation lines soared into the sky.
Ye Xianyu: “Senior Sister.”
Li Qingshan: “Sixth Senior Martial Aunt.”
The three Guest Elders: “Lady Jiang.”
The disciples: “Sixth Grand-Ancestor!!”
Jiang Wanyin, dressed in plain robes, suddenly appeared at the bridgehead. Everyone bowed in greeting, and she nodded in response.
Her expression was calm, showing no ripples of emotion.
She took a step, her figure flickering, and in the blink of an eye, she stood atop the long bridge.
The iron chains sounded cold, and the wind was freezing. Facing the mountains and fields, her voice was melodious and clear.
“Coming uninvited is an act of enmity. It seems Fanzhou is becoming increasingly lawless.”
The rules of the Wendao Sword Sect stated that no saint from outside the sect could set foot in the Northern Borders in their true body. For ten thousand years, all factions had tacitly obeyed.
But today, in the mountains before her, let alone tribulation transcendence and great ascension experts...
...there was far more than one saint.
Outside the mountains, all was silent.
Some smiled with disdain, some watched with heavy eyes, and some glowed with cold light.
Most ignored her.
Not because they looked down on her, but simply because they feared trouble.
The Wendao Sword Sect had declined, and its sect-protecting formation was gone.
Of its four saints, two were trapped in the far north, and another was in the East Desolation, likely unable to make it back in time.
Within the mountain gate,
Only one remained.
Yet this one person was also extremely difficult to deal with.
If they were to show off now and get into a verbal spat, they might be targeted once the real fighting started. That would be troublesome.
If things went wrong,
They might even die here.
And though they had many people—from the Three Sects, Six Schools, Hundred Schools, and thousands of sects and races—with peerless experts from over half of the Central Plains present...
...including the spirit race, the Twelve Demon Caves, and several great grotto-heavens and blessed lands...
Those were the ones visible.
There were also those hidden.
Some wanted to be the first to step through the gate,
While a large group wanted to be the mantis stalking the cicada.
Naturally, there were also those who wished to sit back and wait for the spoils.
A fight would happen eventually, but when and how it started was something they each had their own calculations for.
None of these people were here for anything other than profit. If you got tied down by this Lady Jiang, they wouldn’t just refuse to help; you’d be lucky if they didn’t stab you in the back.
Don’t forget.
They might be in the same camp now, but they were also competitors.
Once the mountain gate was breached,
The scramble between them would inevitably begin.
Seeing that no one replied for a long time, Jiang Wanyin sneered, “What? Are all the saints filling these mountains mutes?”
“Hahaha, Lady Jiang’s words are as unpleasant as ever,” a voice replied from the mountains with a hearty laugh.
The person did not show their face, but their aura was present. Jiang Wanyin controlled the Water Dao; though human, her mastery in this area was not at all inferior to the great spirit powerhouses born from vast rivers.
Heaven’s dew and Earth’s moisture were all hers to command; a single glance could see through clarity for a thousand miles.
Her tone was cold as she warned, “Xuanji Zi, if you dare come, are you not afraid I will slaughter my way into the Xuan Tian Sect, massacre your entire sect, and wipe out your lineage?”
Xuanji Zi laughed awkwardly.
“Naturally, I am afraid....”
No one questioned it, because she was truly capable of it.
Jiang Wanyin looked down upon the four directions, gazing at the mountains. “What about the rest of you?”
No one answered.
If Jiang Wanyin wanted to run, even if everyone here joined forces, they couldn’t stop her unless her spiritual energy was exhausted and her lamp ran dry.
But a saint’s spiritual energy reserves were like a vast sea. Exhausted?
Not that easy.
Suddenly, from the distant sky, a strange bird’s long cry rang out.
“Li!”
People looked up and saw a massive black bird blotting out the sun as it approached.
Its wings were wide, dragging black mist behind it, with malevolent energy churning...
Finally,
It landed on a great mountain before the Longevity Bridge.
The towering mountain actually collapsed halfway under its weight.
It flapped its wings, sending gales in all directions; the hundreds of mountain peaks around it were not spared.
The fierce wind rushed straight toward the Wendao Sword Sect.
It kicked up dust and debris.
Jiang Wanyin’s brows furrowed, and she waved her sleeve.
A spiritual wind rose to meet it,
Easily neutralizing the attack.
The giant bird remained in its true form, its voice roaring like a tide.
“Little girl!”
“I have no descendants. What will you do to me then?”
“Hahaha!”
No one wanted a fight to the death; unless necessary, who wouldn’t want to minimize risk and loss?
Especially after Yun Zheng swept through the East Desolation eight years ago, sounding an alarm for the world.
Provoking the Wendao Sword Sect came with a price.
And a heavy one at that.
Four thousand years ago, Lei Yunche swept through the Demon Abyss for the sake of a single city.
Eight years ago, Yun Zheng threw the East Desolation into chaos because Red Moon crossed the line.
Today,
No one could guarantee that if the woman before them was pushed too far, she wouldn’t also stage a scene of flooding the Central Province and destroying sects and lineages...
She could do it, and she would.
But they still came.
Because they had reasons they had to come.
The Sky Gate must be opened.
More than their sects, blood relatives, or legacies, they cared about whether they themselves could become immortals.
Humans are selfish by nature.
Especially in the face of life and death.
Therefore,
Jiang Wanyin’s threats could buy time, but they could never stop the slaughter.
Of course,
If they could protect themselves, no one was unwilling.
So they waited.
And then this one arrived, and they smiled.
What they wanted was someone like this—someone with no concerns and immense strength—to step forward and lead the charge.
Jiang Wanyin was dismissive.
“Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow, I didn’t expect you to still be alive.”
“I can’t help it. I am blessed with great fortune and belong to a long-lived race, unlike your master, that short-lived ghost, hahaha!” the giant bird retorted.
“Heh...” Jiang Wanyin gave a cold laugh.
On the sect square, the disciples were whispering in small groups.
Who is it?
What kind of creature is it?
“The Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow, a great mountain spirit. Ten thousand years ago, it was already a powerhouse comparable to a saint. I didn’t expect it to still be alive...” an old disciple explained.
The disciples were in an uproar, their expressions filled with panic.
An old monster from ten thousand years ago, a being from legends, was actually still alive?
Rumor had it,
This beast was born bathed in moonlight.
Its divine ability was devouring, and it was incredibly powerful.
It loved to eat all things,
And its mouth could swallow the heavens.
It belonged to the spirit race, but was also an ancient ferocious beast.
The Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow murmured mockingly, “Enough nonsense, little girl. I am not an unreasonable person. Years ago, Li Taibai spared my life. Today, I will show mercy and point out a path for you. Take your people and leave; hand this place over.”
“Past grudges will be wiped clean, and I will not make things difficult for you.”
“How about it?”
Jiang Wanyin was amused, laughing so hard her whole body trembled.
“Hahaha!”
“Hahaha!”
“What are you laughing at?” the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow asked with suppressed anger.
Jiang Wanyin mocked, “I am laughing at you—hiding your head for ten thousand years, as childish as a toddler.”
The Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow’s feathers stood on end.
“Do you really wish to die?”
Jiang Wanyin stood firmly on the long bridge and calmly spat out four words.
“Attack if you dare!”
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