Chapter 324 (1): So Thats How It Is

Chapter 324 (1): So That's How It Is

A light snow coin was pinched between the old Daoist priest's fingers, and it gradually vanished bit by bit.

He left the capital of Southern Garden Nation with a single stride, silently arriving at the ruins of Bull Mountain. Even Yu Zhenyi, who had constructed a thatched cottage and decided to cultivate here, didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

Right now, Yu Zhenyi was standing outside his simple thatched cottage, bathing in the moonlight with his hands clasped behind his back. He had already ordered the elites of Lake Mountain Faction as well as his several direct disciples to return to the sect, and they were told to keep a low profile for the near term.

The childlike leader of the righteous forces in the world was now wearing a silver-colored lotus flower hat. This was as per the agreement between them. After they succeeded, Ding Ying would give him this Daoist hat named Seeking Profound. This was the most mystical immortal treasure in the history of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. Not one of the most mystical, but the most mystical.

Apart from possessing the ability to automatically protect its owner's physical body and soul, it was also able to temper one's body and calm one's mind. Most importantly, this Daoist hat could help one find the otherworldly immortals who were hidden in this world.

Yu Zhenyi had roughly mastered the mystical ability to observe mountains and rivers through his palms already. When gazing at the capital of Southern Garden Nation from the distant peak of Bull Mountain back then, Ding Ying, Chen Ping'an, Lu Fang, and a few others had appeared like the most dazzling and eye-catching specks of light in the world.

Now that he had obtained this Daoist hat, his ability to find otherworldly immortals became even more comprehensive. As long as he managed to break free from the imminent encirclement, he was ninety percent confident that otherworldly immortals wouldn't be able to escape from his grasp in the future. They would find it extremely difficult to do anything.

A colored glaze flying sword hovered beside Yu Zhenyi.

Inside his sleeve was another valuable immortal tool that he had just obtained.

The young Daoist priest carrying a huge golden gourd on his back had indeed kept his word. Those who had walked down the city wall and been unwilling to ascend had all obtained an immortal treasure. After arriving at the flattened remains of Bull Mountain, Yu Zhenyi had found an imperial genealogy book. This was something that ancient rulers used to "inform the heavens" when paying homage to heaven and earth.

However, the characters in the book were strange, and there was no mention of the four nations. Yu Zhenyi knew that the answers most likely rested with Reverence Pagoda or Mirror Heart Hall, the two forces who understood otherworldly immortals from beyond the heavens the most.

Yu Zhenyi felt complete indifference toward Ding Ying's death. He naturally didn't feel any sadness. At most, he was simply irritated about Ding Ying falling at the final hurdle, forcing him to make many significant changes to his and Lake Mountain Faction's numerous plans.

Ding Ying was battling the heavens, while he was seeking to rule the mortal world.

This was the tacit understanding that had developed between Ding Ying and Yu Zhenyi. Their Great Dao complemented each other's, so the leader of the righteous forces and the leader of the demonic forces who should have been most likely to fight to the death with each other had instead chosen to form an alliance in secret, setting up the final battles in the capital of Southern Garden Nation.

The difference between them was that Ding Ying wanted to kill everyone on the list of Upper Ten Elites minus the two of them, while Yu Zhenyi only targeted otherworldly immortals. In other words, Yu Zhenyi had only targeted Zhou Fei, Tong Qingqing, Feng Qingbai, and of course the most recent arrival, Chen Ping'an.

Yu Zhenyi started to take a walk under the moonlight, with each inhalation and exhalation being a form of cultivation. This was also the fundamental reason Yu Zhenyi had the incredible will and resolve to abandon his pinnacle martial arts cultivation in the past.

The most important quality in cultivation was the strength of one's mind, and it was this lofty peak that Yu Zhenyi truly yearned to reach. The realm of martial arts was far too low and basic, and those brutes in the cultivation world were essentially rolling around in mud their entire lives without realizing their own crudeness.

People like Cheng Yuanshan were insatiably greedy, and they hoped to take possession of everything that they laid eyes on. People like Tang Tieyi coveted power and influence on the battlefield, and they dreamed of one day ruling over the world and possessing all beautiful women, thinking that it would be even better if they went down in history with a good reputation.

After all, things would genuinely become disastrous if Chen Ping'an teamed up with Mirror Heart Hall as well as Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu. At that time, with Tang Tieyi and Cheng Yuanshan's swaying loyalty, they would definitely choose the more powerful side and comprehensively side with Southern Garden Nation.

Yu Zhenyi returned to his thatched cottage, reaching out with a hand and lightly running his palm over the colored glaze flying sword.

He was able to fly on his sword with the demeanor of an immortal now, yet he was still far from becoming truly free and untroubled like those immortals in the books. He was unable to ascend to great heights, and unable to travel on the wind for great distances. This was truly a great shame.

Yu Zhenyi's gaze shifted upward toward the bright moon. There would eventually come a day when he would soar through the air on his flying sword and travel above the head of the mortal world. He would peer down at the mountains and rivers, and only the sun, moon, and stars would be loftier than him.

However, Yu Zhenyi suddenly lowered his gaze. A blurry figure was standing on the ruined city wall that was still undergoing repairs, yet in Yu Zhenyi's eyes, what appeared there was a radiant and detestable ball of light.

"You've come already?" Yu Zhenyi asked with a cold chuckle.

Atop the city wall was a young Daoist Nun with a sword strapped to her back. She was sitting cross-legged on a merlon, and holding a ceramic pot still piping hot in one hand.

An appetizing fragrance wafted through the air, and the chopsticks in her other hand moved like a blur as she enjoyed the delicious food and mumbled, "Good heavens, this dish is so incredibly delicious! However, it's just too bloody spicy. Ah, geez, I can't buy two portions at once next time."

Several soldiers on horseback exited the city gate beneath her, galloping toward the ten thousand soldiers in the distance to deliver a military command personally issued by the emperor.

Of the imperial guard and the three armies stationed around the capital, only the large army responsible for guarding the northern city gate was ordered to remain and defend the gate to their last breath. The other armies were all ordered to leave their stations and retreat ten kilometers.

It was as if they were creating space for someone.

Indeed, they were creating space for Yu Zhenyi and the breathtakingly beautiful Daoist Nun sitting on the city wall.

Huang Ting was still slurping up the delicious food, and would only look up occasionally to glance toward the direction of the flattened Bull Mountain. If Yu Zhenyi decided to flee with all his might, she would be left with no option but to watch him vanish. She definitely couldn't catch up to him.

After finishing her meal, Daoist Nun Huang Ting from Peace and Tranquility Mountain placed the ceramic pot beside her and lightly placed the pair of chopsticks on top of the pot.

She stood up and patted her stomach, her face filled with regret as she grumbled, "I went over the top with this midnight snack... Now I'm going to gain another kilo... Sigh... Fan Wan'er, you sure were into rice bowls. Or maybe I should say rice buckets."[1]

She sat and waited until all three elite armies of Southern Garden Nation started to slowly retreat from their position.

Huang Ting had an intense and unrestrained look in her eyes as she glared in Yu Zhenyi's direction. She wiped her mouth clean and said in a soft voice, "Well, anyway, I'll probably lose this weight again after I finish this battle."

1. Huang Ting is making a wordplay here out of Fan Wan'er's name. Fan Wan (樊莞) is a homonym of "rice bowl" (饭碗), and calling someone a rice bucket (饭桶) is calling them a glutton. ☜