Chapter 2

The Four Great Elements have always been omnipresent; why should there be any doubt about the feng shui here? Therefore, they should inspire me to write new poetry. The fragrant flowers in the ravine, the cold algae dancing in the ripples. If given wings by the Jade Stream, even celestial immortals might yearn for love. Still, the flowing water will send people back. The sun lingers on the peaks, and the dew on the grass has already soaked the clothes.

(Su Shi, Linjiangxian, Fengshuidong, as an epigraph.)

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In the southern part of Chaotian Continent, a range of green mountains stretches for thousands of miles, with hundreds of beautiful peaks always hidden in the mist.

The first great cultivation sect, Green Mountain Sect, is located here, and ordinary people rarely get to see its true appearance.

Scattered outside the Green Mountains are some ordinary towns and villages. One of these towns is located in the southwestern hills and is named Yunji because of the immortal mists that flow down from the mountains.

The scenery in Yunji Town is quite beautiful. It is early spring, with a gentle breeze and willow catkins dancing in the air. The mist is faint, like a fairyland.

The residents of the town walk through it as if it were nothing, while the tourists in the taverns are full of admiration.

Yin San, sitting by the window, only wanted to eat hotpot.

"There's no problem in the world that a hotpot can't solve. If there is, then two hotpots will do. This saying is very popular in Ming now, and it's said to have come from Chaoge, but I think it should be from Yizhou. You know, we never see the sun, and it's damp and cold all year round. Who doesn't like hotpot? Wishing for a good mushroom harvest? You people on the surface like to eat it, but we've been eating it for tens of thousands of years and are already tired of it. I just want to have a proper hotpot and then go back and brag about it. What's wrong with that?"

He watched the duck intestines rolling in the red spicy broth and the Sichuan peppercorns floating up and down, swallowing his saliva, and then looked up at a young girl sitting across the table.

The girl had a head of lustrous black short hair, with delicate features and a hint of childishness. If she smiled, she would probably look very playful. But she didn't. Her eyelids were slightly lowered, and her long lashes didn't blink, like a painting, not a real person.

The room was still quiet, and the footsteps of passersby outside the window became increasingly clear.

Yin San said, "Alright, I admit I stayed to see the commotion, but who in the cultivation world wouldn't want to see such a big event? Just because of this, you want to deal with me? That's a bit much. Little sister, could you please loosen this thing? Even if you don't let me go, at least let me have a couple of bites. The tripe and gizzard in the pot will be ruined if I don't scoop them out soon."

The duck intestines had already sunk to the bottom of the pot, the Sichuan peppercorns were still floating, and the tripe and gizzard were barely visible.

Yin San couldn't eat them because a thin silver chain tightly bound his body, making him unable to move, let alone pick up chopsticks.

The girl sat quietly at the table, saying nothing.

Yin San suddenly said, "Where's your sword? If you had ambushed me with a flying sword earlier, I would have had no way to defend myself. But now you're sitting right in front of me. Aren't you afraid I might suddenly attack? Do you really think this sword chain can control me?"

The girl still ignored him.

Yin San finally became serious, saying, "The Green Mountain Sect is a great sword sect and the leader of the righteous path. Do you want to kill without asking?"

The girl finally looked up, her eyes bright and clear, without any impurities.

Looking into such eyes, Yin San felt relaxed, but then he felt a slight coolness between his eyebrows, as if a raindrop had landed there.

A small sword was quietly suspended in the air in front of him.

He didn't know that a small, round blood hole had appeared between his eyebrows, so neat that it could even be described as delicate.

A thin stream of blood gushed from his forehead, falling into the hotpot.

The blood of a disciple of the Netherworld was hot, but compared to the broth in the hotpot, it was cold. The boiling surface of the pot gradually calmed down.

The vitality in his eyes also gradually cooled, leaving only a hint of confusion.

Hundreds of cold flames followed the chilling sword intent and drifted around the tavern, scattering upon contact with objects. These were the remnants of the Netherworld disciple's soul fire.

The girl's expression turned slightly stern, her eyebrows and the corners of her eyes rising like thin willow leaves, giving her a sharp look.

Soon, her eyebrows relaxed, and she seemed lost in thought.

The small sword flew out the window and disappeared down the street.

She moved her fingers, and the thin chain that bound Yin San turned into a silver bracelet on her wrist.

"I am an outer sect disciple, and I don't have a sword."

She said this to the already dead Yin San as she stood up.

Yin San's body fell to the ground.

She pushed open the door and walked out.

A cry of alarm rose in the tavern, and the diners and tourists panicked, running out of the building.

A middle-aged man appeared on the misty street, his expression indifferent, his face thin, and his eyes cold, exuding a transcendent aura.

"The Netherworld demon came to our Green Mountain Sect to cause trouble and deserved to die."

Hearing this, the people knew exactly who he was.

Tourists from other counties were frightened and quickly knelt down, not daring to look up.

The town's residents also fell to the ground, praising the immortal master, but since they lived in Yunji Town, they had heard many stories about the Green Mountain Sect and occasionally even seen the immortal masters. They quickly regained their composure and found today's events very unusual.

The Netherworld and the human race had been enemies for tens of thousands of years, with deep-seated enmity. However, since the Pure Yang Immortal of the Green Mountain Sect and the then Divine Emperor defeated the Netherworld Master's army in the Great Marsh two thousand years ago, there had been no major battles between the two sides for many years, and they even had some private interactions. Even in places like Chaoge and Fengdao County, Netherworld demons were usually sent to the Demon Suppression Prison for exchange or ransom, not just killed. The Green Mountain Sect, being a transcendent sect, usually acted calmly. Why would they be so ruthless today?

A gentle breeze blew, and the mist on the street dissipated. More than ten young people gathered in front of the tavern, all handsome and graceful, disciples of the Green Mountain Sect's outer sect.

"Master Meng."

The young disciples respectfully greeted the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man, called Master Meng, said solemnly, "A major event is approaching. Be careful."

The disciples all responded in unison.

Master Meng added, "Clean up and leave. Don't disturb the world for too long."

The girl walked out of the tavern.

Master Meng looked at her, his expression softening slightly, and said, "Lamei is doing well."

After saying this, a sword light shot into the sky, and his figure disappeared.

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"Senior Sister."

"Senior Sister Zhao."

The Green Mountain Sect disciples gathered around the girl, their faces full of admiration and respect.

Zhao Lamei was only twelve or thirteen, clearly younger than her fellow disciples, but for some reason, she was called Senior Sister. When she instructed everyone to clean the inn, eliminate traces, and ensure that the Netherworld demon's soul fire fragments wouldn't mutate, no one questioned her, showing her high authority.

"One of the senior disciples said correctly. Seven days ago, the Tian Guang Peak issued a three-thousand-li ban, and this demon still dared to linger. He was asking for death."

A disciple looked at the body being carried out and shook his head, saying, "I wonder what he was thinking."

"We're lucky here. I heard that even the senior disciples on the Two-forget Peak went to the Zhuo River to suppress demons, and the sword light illuminated the Southern River Province."

"That's nothing. The other night, the four great guardians suddenly awoke, and they ate half the stars in the sky!"

The disciples were excitedly discussing, but Zhao Lamei remained silent, looking at the gray sky, lost in thought.

The Green Mountain has nine peaks, hidden in the mist.

Tian Guang Peak is the ancestral peak, where the sect leader resides.

Two-forget Peak is the second peak, where the strongest young disciples of the Green Mountain Sect cultivate their swords.

When the Green Mountain Sect faces a major event, they activate a great array and issue a ban to the entire continent.

— No one is allowed to enter or leave within a certain distance of the Great Green Mountain, and those who enter without permission will be killed.

The longer the distance of the ban, the more serious the matter.

Before the Great Peace Immortal entered his final retreat, the Green Mountain Sect once issued an eight-hundred-li ban, shocking the world.

An eight-hundred-li ban from the Great Green Mountain covered one-fifth of the Chaotian Continent.

To support the Green Mountain Sect's ban, the Divine Emperor even dispatched tens of thousands of troops to march north overnight to intimidate the northern snow country and the Netherworld.

Now, the Green Mountain Sect has issued a three-thousand-li ban?

What kind of major event is about to happen?

Zhao Lamei's eyes suddenly narrowed.

Because the gray sky she had been watching suddenly brightened.

The sun was high in the sky, the mist gradually dissipated, and the distant peaks appeared and disappeared, like countless giant swords pointing at the sky.

The disciples' gazes followed hers, landing on the peaks.

The sunlight shone on these young faces, full of admiration.

Facing a great enemy, a three-thousand-li ban, it was because today the Green Mountain Sect was about to welcome the most important event in a thousand years.

Senior Uncle Jingyang is about to ascend.