In front of the main hall of the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion, a group of Golden Armor Immortal Soldiers poured in. Wu Wang and his two companions imdiately raised their hands to show they would not resist and were courteously invited into the hall by the Immortal Soldiers.
Another two people lifted Lin Qi and dragged him into the hall.
Witnessing this scene, Mao Aowu imdiately grew anxious. He looked at the group of Immortal Soldiers before him and hurriedly asked, "Grand Elder, what should we do now?"
"No need to worry," the Grand Elder said with a calm smile, giving Mao Aowu a look that ant ’stay calm and don’t be hasty,’ and spoke slowly, "Our Sect Master is standing up for Ji Mo of the Ji Family, and the Ji Family will certainly not sit idly by."
Before he had finished speaking, several female mbers of the Ji Family were already approaching on clouds in the distance.
Mao Aowu pondered for a mont and then said, "Grand Elder, I an, should we take this opportunity to shout a few words to show our loyalty to the Sect Master?"
"Oh?"
The Grand Elder looked at Mao Aowu, puzzled. "Why have you suddenly co to your senses?"
"How could I not co to my senses? How could I not at this point?"
Mao Aowu sighed deeply but reached out and tugged at the Grand Elder’s sleeve, explaining a few things in a whispered voice.
When two Heavenly Immortals made contact and communicated through voice transmission, even a Transcendent Realm expert would find it difficult to eavesdrop.
Mao Aowu said, "Grand Elder, our Sect Master’s identity is extraordinary. I finally understand why the old Sect Master passed the position to him. Alas, when I brought the Sect Master back to the Sect, I really did want to repay a debt of gratitude; but later, when I forced the Sect Master to take the position, I admit there was so reluctance."
The Grand Elder looked at Mao Aowu with a hint of skepticism in his eyes.
How did this guy find out that the Sect Master is the Little Golden Dragon? Could it be that the Human Emperor directly told Mao Aowu when he was summoned? But shouldn’t such a matter be kept secret among as few people as possible? How could...
The Grand Elder was slow to respond, hesitating a while longer. Unable to contain himself, Mao Aowu grabbed the Grand Elder’s arm and transmitted from his heart, "I now have enough certainty to prove sothing!"
"What is it? Don’t keep in suspense."
"Our Sect Master is the Human Emperor’s own grandson!"
Own!
The Grand Elder looked at Mao Aowu’s utterly convinced expression, felt a pang of doubt, and then seed to understand sothing.
This was indeed possible.
"Should we, perhaps, shout a few tis?"
Mao Aowu imdiately nodded in agreent. The two de facto Elders of the Annihilation Sect, after a brief discussion, began to shout loudly towards the front, "Sect Master! We will definitely find a way to rescue you!"
Wu Wang turned his head and waved his hand nonchalantly.
Although he wanted to say he would be fine, the occasion and timing were really not appropriate. Claiming to be fine while being captured by the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion would be a real slap in their face, wouldn’t it?
In that mont, Ji Mo and Ling Xiaolan both heard many voice transmissions, mostly reassuring them not to worry and to accept the punishnt of the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion calmly, as the Pavilion would not treat them unfairly.
Shortly after, the four of them were escorted to a corner of a spacious main hall. Columns of Immortal Light ford four cages that temporarily imprisoned them there.
Wu Wang, Ji Mo, and Ling Xiaolan exchanged glances and, in silent understanding, all sat down in lotus position, now trying their best to appear obedient, elegant, calm, and anable.
After a while, Lin Qi finally woke up.
The once immaculately white robe of this Lin Family’s young master had turned to a dirty gray, his hair was a jumbled ss, his face swollen, and he sat up sowhat groggily, his eyes filled with confusion.
Who was he? Where was he? It seed like soone had hit him hard on the head with a hamr...
Then, Lin Qi’s eyes bulged as he fixed a rigid stare on Wu Wang nearby and cursed, "You!"
He paused mid-sentence. With a cold snort, Lin Qi said no more but took a deep breath and closed his eyes to ditate and heal his injuries.
Wu Wang and Ji Mo both opened one eye to glance at Lin Qi, surprised that the latter had actually managed to contain his anger.
Ji Mo said, "Brother Lin, how would you describe the outco of this duel?"
"A loss is a loss. Would I, a man of cultivation, stoop to being a sore loser?"
Lin Qi glanced at Ji Mo, a cold smirk touching the corners of his lips. "Using tricks to win, still employing such underhanded tactics, Ji Mo, you truly regress more and more."
"What works, works," Ji Mo responded indifferently. "Your cultivation level is so much higher than the three of us; of course, we needed to win by surprise."
"A fine ’win by surprise’," Lin Qi took a sharp breath. "I lost to you all carelessly this ti. The duel shall abide by the conditions as written. If I see you again in the future, I will! I will..."
Lin Qi clenched his fists tightly, seeming to endure trendous humiliation, and said decisively, "I will definitely keep a wide berth and make way for Young Master Ji."
Ji Mo curled the corner of his mouth. "You and I don’t need to see each other in the future; just avoiding one another will suffice."
"HMPH!" Lin Qi turned to look aside, a look of annoyance filling his eyes.
Wu Wang smiled from the side. "You two don’t seem to have that big of a grudge against each other?"
"I have countless grievances against him," Ji Mo sighed. "But to tell the truth, the Human Domain has its rules. We can only beat one another to vent our anger, but we can’t actually take a life."
Lin Qi said indifferently, "Don’t flatter yourself. Even if I stood still, could you hurt ? Laughable!"
Ji Mo’s eyes widened in anger, and he was about to stand up, but Lin Qi revealed his signature cold smile, ready to have a fight with Ji Mo across the bars of the cage.
So these are a pair of rivals, not true enemies, I thought. Could Lin Qi’s Daoist na be ’Emptiness’? That makes sense. If there were blood feuds between the Military Families in the Human Domain, the border would likely erupt in chaos. Forget it, I’ll leave them be.
Wu Wang turned his head towards Ling Xiaolan, just about to share so complaints with Fairy Ling through voice transmission, but he saw the Fairy, floating in ditation, suddenly emit streaks of Immortal Light around her. The Immortal Light swirled like a tornado sweeping outward, and her aura rapidly rose a great deal.
Outside her tightly stretched clothes, the faint shadow of a small figure appeared, wearing a fairy dress with cloud-like hair, resembling Ling Xiaolan. It opened its mouth and inhaled the streaks of Immortal Light into its body.
Following that, the small figure gradually beca more ethereal and flew back into Ling Xiaolan’s chest.
Ling Xiaolan opened her eyes, frowned as she looked at her palm, and muttered, "How did I break through to the Ascending Immortal Realm... Strange, why is it that every ti I am with Brother Wuwang, I always have so many realizations?"
Wu Wang and Ji Mo simultaneously brought their hands to their foreheads.
Lin Qi laughed loudly a few tis. "Good! Fairy Ling is now qualified to have a frontal battle with !"
Ling Xiaolan, however, ignored him completely and closed her eyes once more to concentrate, continuing to comprehend her newfound realm.
Wu Wang and Ji Mo exchanged glances, their eyes conveying a silent conversation.
Wu Wang: *Do you call this ’deeply scheming’?*
Ji Mo: *Perhaps he was beaten silly just now, or the shock was too great. He really was quite gloomy before.*
At that, they both looked at Lin Qi with a bit more sympathy. A promising candidate for Human Emperor, a holder of the Yan Emperor’s order, had just had half his potential ruined.
At that mont, a clamor ca from outside the hall:
"These four young people are spirited, aren’t they? Throw them in the large camp to the north! Just find one far from the border. Let them clean the tents every day and practice battle formations! Let them know how tough it is for the Human race! Each one idle and brawling in public! Carrying the Human Emperor’s Yan Emperor’s order around to show off, are they itching for death?!"
The noise gradually receded. If Wu Wang rembered correctly, that should be the Pavilion Master of the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion. —Right now, their Spiritual Sense was confined around their bodies, unable to probe outward.
Then, an old woman’s voice spoke with anxious concern, "These four have complex identities. Are they really going to endure such training?"
"Train them for half a year, then send them away. The army has no place for idlers!"
"Yes, Pavilion Master."
Punished with half a year of labor in the military camp? The Pavilion Master of the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion doesn’t even show his face. Truly calculating and well-intentioned.
Wu Wang frowned slightly, unable to refrain from pondering for a mont.
Ji Mo hastily said, "Brother Wuwang, is there a problem? If half a year is too long, I’ll go and ask for leniency on your behalf."
"It’s a minor matter. Let it be half a year," Wu Wang said with a smile. "It’s just that I’ll miss a few song and dance performances, which is sowhat regrettable."
Question marks seed to pop up over Ji Mo’s head, but seeing Wu Wang’s relaxed expression, he also breathed a sigh of relief.
A slight smile touched Lin Qi’s lips as he lightly clenched his fists.
Going to the military... that’s his Lin Family’s territory. Of course, it’s also the Ji Family’s.
「And so, half a day later.」
A dense green shuttle streaked across the azure sky, leaving no trail behind as it descended towards the only mountain in the thousand-mile plain below.
Wu Wang humd a tune from Blue Star, gazing out through the shuttle’s window.
This mountain seed to have sprung from the ground while the earth was unguarded. Upon closer inspection, it was clear it had been moved here by a great master’s earth-moving and sea-filling techniques.
Atop the mountain was an umbrella-shaped platform, where one could see orderly buildings, yet the periter was protected by thick barriers of light from a great formation.
The Human Domain border: Garrison Mountain.
This place was in the northwestern part of the Human Domain, still a considerable distance from the border.
Looking down from the sky at this mont, most of the plain below had turned into neat wheat fields: every ten miles a village, every hundred miles a fortress. One could also see, on so slightly undulating terrain, small Sects covered by formations.
This reminded Wu Wang of Lin Suqing’s hotown, the sadly ruined Clear Wind and Moon Sect, which was of a similar scale.
Mortals and Immortals mingled, each residing peacefully; pathways intersected, the sounds of chickens and dogs carried from neighboring households.
The defensive formation at the outskirts of Garrison Mountain opened a crack, and the erald bamboo shuttle accurately entered through it.
As soon as they entered the formation, a rich spiritual energy washed over them, almost intoxicating Wu Wang with a sensation he’d call ’spiritual drunkenness.’
The formation also had a camouflage effect; from the outside, it looked like a nearly deserted camp, but inside, it was very lively.
In the sky, hundreds of cultivators clad in purple Immortal Armor were practicing charge formations. At various corners on the ground, many uniformly dressed male and female cultivators were sitting and practicing cultivation.
Buildings were neatly lined up everywhere, with many houses having activated their own formations, likely with people inside cultivating.
Wu Wang noticed an interesting phenonon: aside from the cultivators practicing military formations in the sky, the male and female cultivators on the disc-shaped camp were separated. Seen from above, the camp took on the shape of a Tai Chi symbol, with the military camps of the male and female cultivators divided according to the Yin and Yang boundaries, clearly demarcated.
The cultivators here largely ranged from the Nascent Soul Realm to the Jumping God Realm, with most of the leaders in the Immortal Realm, indicative of an elite force.
The Immortal Soldiers who appeared at the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion were, of course, the elite of the elite; the border army garrisons could not possibly all maintain that standard.
Moreover, the area of the do in the sky was far more extensive than what was visible from the outside, adorned with artificial hills and erald bamboo. In the center, there were a few manors shrouded in formations.
Ling Xiaolan sighed softly. Although she had just broken through, her expression was sowhat gloomy at this mont.
She obviously disliked the environnt here.
Ji Mo, however, smiled calmly and winked at Wu Wang, indicating that everything had been arranged.
The General controlling the erald bamboo shuttle spoke warmly, "The four of you, please descend. The local commander has already received orders from the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion and is ready to receive you."
"Thank you for your trouble, General."
Ji Mo replied with a smile, and the gray-haired General managed a strained smile.
The shuttle vanished into thin air, and the four of them floated down. Below, eight Immortal Soldiers—six n and two won—waited for them. As soon as the four landed, they were encircled, cutting off any retreat.
Fairy Ling was naturally escorted by the won.
One of them said, "Please co with us."
The four didn’t resist and obediently followed along to a sparse forest.
In the shade of the trees, there was a recliner. On the recliner sat a man in armor with his back to them, his face covered with a helt as if he was taking a midday nap.
Behind this man, dozens of Soldiers stood quietly.
An Immortal Soldier said, "General, the people have arrived."
"HMM!"
The General lying in the recliner responded, his voice deliberately strange, and said indifferently, "The four of you—either scions of noble families, the Saintess of a Major Immortal Sect, or the Sect Master of a Demonic Sect—are all elites of the Human Domain, punished to co here for your offenses. Making you sweep the floor or do nial work is obviously out of the question; I wouldn’t dare to drill you like that. Stand in line! Chests out! Heads up! Do you think this is your family’s private villa?!"
The General suddenly raised his voice and scolded them. Wu Wang, Ling Xiaolan, Ji Mo, and Lin Qi were sowhat taken aback and silently stood together.
Ling Xiaolan even deliberately moved to Ji Mo’s right side, sticking close to Wu Wang on her right, to avoid being too close to Lin Qi.
The General then coldly said, "From left to right, hand over all your storage magic treasures. They will be returned to you when you leave!"
A female soldier clad in armor approached leisurely. Lin Qi, with a troubled expression, reluctantly took out several storage magic treasures.
Ji Mo gritted his teeth and took out his Treasure Sack containing Immortal treasures. Ling Xiaolan cautioned the female soldier a few tis not to let her belongings gather dust, and placed her rings and bracelet into the soldier’s hands.
Wu Wang hesitated for a mont. He couldn’t hand over his storage magic treasure; it was linked to his identity and would lead to endless trouble. Carrying a fortune, one mustn’t flaunt it carelessly!
"General, can I choose not to hand it over?"
"Hmm, you can," the General answered so readily, it almost made the four youngsters’ spines snap.
The other three imdiately tried to grab back their storage magic treasures, but the female soldier turned around dexterously, returning to the General’s side.
Dozens of cultivators glared at Ji Mo and the others, deterring them from any rash action.
"Take them away and keep them safe," the General commanded in a rough voice. The female soldier acknowledged the order and left to place restrictions on the storage magic treasures.
Is there a trick to this? Wu Wang wondered.
Again, the General said, "Since you’ve co to the military camp, you should also get to know the rules here. I’ll ask questions, and you answer. Whoever performs the best will have wine to drink tonight. Now, I’ll ask you, Wu Wangzi, where is this place?"
Wu Wang answered, "It is a border garrison of the Human Domain."
"Correct answer. Ling Xiaolan, in which direction is this place?"
Ling Xiaolan replied in a crisp voice, "The northwest."
"Not bad. Ji Mo, about how many troops are stationed here?"
Ji Mo smiled and said, "This won’t stump . It should be around five thousand."
"Very well. Then Lin Qi, what are the nas and Daoist titles of these five thousand-plus people?"
Lin Qi’s eyes widened, and his fists clenched slightly.
Wu Wang chuckled. "They bear the surna Loyalty and the given na Righteousness; their Daoist title is Heroes of the Human Domain."
"HAHAHAHA!"
The General on the recliner laughed heartily, took off his helt, stood up, and turned to face Wu Wang. He said with a laugh, "You surely know how to talk, Brother Wuwang."
Wu Wang’s eyes lit up, and he laughed. "Brother Xu Mu, why are you here?"
Ji Mo opened his mouth, the word ’Teacher’ caught in his throat. He didn’t know whether he should say it or not. Were they really going to ignore their previous relationship dynamics like this?
This Xu Mu was the True Immortal expert who had followed Ji Mo to the Northern Wilderness and the Won’s Country when he had participated in the Four Seas Pavilion trial years ago.
When Ji Mo gave up on the Four Seas Pavilion trial, Xu Mu also left the Pavilion and beca a general at the border.
In the Won’s Country, Xu Mu and Wu Wang had gotten along quite well; they had beco friends through both conflict and camaraderie.
Ling Xiaolan visibly relaxed, standing with her hands behind her back in a composed and leisurely manner, no longer worried about the cultivation environnt for the next half a year.
Xu Mu quickly stepped forward, and Wu Wang went up to et him. The two n grabbed each other’s arms and gave them a strong pat, then burst into loud laughter together.
After a brief conversation, it beca known that Xu Mu had been assigned here by the Ji Family, serving as the vice-commander of the local garrison. This ti, when the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion arranged for a military camp to receive Ji Mo and the others, Xu Mu’s post was chosen.
Of course, what the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion did not expect was that Xu Mu’s primary concern was not Ji Mo, but Wu Wang.
It was already evening, and Xu Mu did not keep Wu Wang for a long catch-up. He just told them to rest individually and that they would talk more the next day.
This half-year sentence would probably just be spent here drinking wine, chatting, and ditating; it would pass by in a blink of an eye.
That night, the four were settled into four separate wooden houses. Each activated a formation and sat in ditation to conserve their energy.
A slight smile always played on Wu Wang’s lips as he sat quietly, waiting.
As expected, in the dead of night, a thread of voice transmission floated outside Wu Wang’s wooden house’s formation—it was Lin Qi.
Lin Qi spoke with a touch of restraint, whispering, "Brother Wuwang, I caused so offense earlier. I am here to apologize."
Wu Wang raised an eyebrow, stood up to open the formation, let Lin Qi inside, and then closed the formation again.
A trace of sharpness flickered in Lin Qi’s eyes. Facing Wu Wang, his previously handso and seemingly honest face now took on a touch of grimness.
He stared at Wu Wang, suddenly chuckled lightly, and said indifferently, "Brother Wuwang, do you realize what you did wrong today?"
Wu Wang calmly sat back on his ditation cushion and said with a smile, "Opened the door for Brother Lin?"
"Even if you hadn’t opened the door, I could have called over a general familiar with my family to open your formation. That Xu Mu is rely a vice-commander."
Lin Qi’s palm began to emit a faint sword light as he said coldly, "You should never, ever have helped that trash Ji Mo, and even less should you have sched against . So people, you just can’t afford to provoke. Don’t worry, I won’t take your life. I just want to make you, a Nascent Soul cultivator, the center of attention for a bit and rough you up."
Wu Wang’s expression gradually beca more serious as he replied in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist, have you not figured out how you were knocked out before?"
Lin Qi paused briefly, and a purple crescent moon mark had already lit up on Wu Wang’s forehead.
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