Nightfall

An indescribable bout of awe-inspiring energy descended from the summit of Peach Mountain, enveloping the entire plateau.

All the people who were present felt an unearthly power.

Inside the Sacred Sedan, the Hierarch knelt without hesitation.

Ye Hongyu thought for a moment, then dropped from her seat into a kneeling position.

At first, Zhao Nanhai was about to reprimand her. Once he felt the mood shift, as well as the imposing presence of this bout of Sublime Heavenly Power, he did not dare to speak. He knelt on the ground with an expression of respectful solemnity.

Everyone in the Divine Hall of West-Hill were kneeling. Those from the South Sea were all on their knees. The Golden Tribe’s national master, who had travelled hundreds of miles to the Peach Mountain to be part of the Rite of Light just to see the face of the heavens, had also solemnly knelt a long time ago.

Everyone in the front yard of Peach Mountain were kneeling without exception, including the Buddhist monks.

Chen Pipi was still sitting on the white stone altar. He thought, I’m almost a dead man, there’s no way I’m kneeling now.

Tang Xiaotang knew who was on Peach Mountain, so she did not want to kneel. If you were Haotian and I were a Light Sect disciple, how could I kneel to you? If you are Sang Sang and I am your friend, why should I kneel to you?

She stubbornly remained upright, resisting the immense pressure on her body. Blood gushed out of every gash on her body. It was a wretched sight. Her knees seemed ready to snap, creaking and bending slowly under the force.

No matter how obstinate she was, she was only human. How could she possibly withstand the terrifying Sublime Heavenly Power? Just as she was about to be pushed down to her knees, she caught sight of Chen Pipi sitting on the altar. She followed his lead, plonking her bottom directly on the ground. Grinning at Peach Mountain, she thought, How will you deal with me now?

Chen Pipi beamed at her and gave her a thumbs-up in approval of her quick-wittedness, effectively praising his own ingenuity as well. However, he did not realize that being the sacrificial lamb on the altar, he was experiencing the full, concentrated impact of the Sublime Heavenly Power. Almost instantly, he found that he was no longer able to stay seated.

The sky was filled with peach flowers that were swirling around in the whistling autumn wind. Chen Pipi swore loudly and found himself sprawled awkwardly on the altar. Although this was an exceedingly inelegant position, it was once again a victory against Haotian.

Ning Que had knelt very quickly, almost faster than the scrappy servants next to him. As he knelt he comforted himself by thinking, You’ve knelt to wash my feet so many times over the years, so what if I return you the favor today?

The wind blustered around. Then, the sound of sacrificial worship rang through the air.

It was West-Hill’s Anthem to Heaven, but it emanated from the mouths of the South Sea Divine Priests.

None of the South Sea people, including Zhao Nanhai, knew why they started to worship. It was as if an unknown noise had commanded them.

The color drained from their faces. Their eyes brimmed with awe and admiration.

The Divine Hall of West-Hill’s Divine Priests, the disciples of the Revelation Institute and the thousands of trembling, kneeling disciples on the plateau all joined the South Sea Divine Priests in worship. Their solemn, sacred chants carried across Heaven and Earth.

The Anthem to Heaven, passed down between the South Sea Divine Priests, became even more exquisite. Compared to the sacrificial ceremony at the very beginning, it was obviously going to be much more successful this time. Haotian would hear it much more clearly.

Countless rays of light from the autumn sun appeared, shining upon the white stone altar.

Chen Pipi was bathed in the light. In his discomfort, he tried to roll over, only to realize that he could not move.

At the Anthem to Heaven’s final word, the rays of light would turn into pure Haotian energy and he would be incinerated, becoming green smoke. What would happen after that, nobody knew.

Looking at the azure sky, he seemed to see another thread forming.

He exclaimed in wonder, “Look, everyone, the sky is opening up!”

Nobody heard his cry. Most of the crowd on Peach Mountain’s plateau were concentrated on their worship.

At the sight of him, the young South Sea girl Xiao Yu wept, her face filled with anguish. Even though he was her fiancé, this was the wish of Haotian, so she did not dare to defy the will of nature.

Tang Xiaotang gazed at Chen Pipi and said, “Let me try again.”

She felt that since he was her man, she should at least do something. A rush of strength entered her body from some unknown source. Somehow, it allowed her to stand under the force of the Sublime Heavenly Power!

She did not know how she could defeat Haotian. Since it was a battle, she needed a weapon, but her iron rod had been hurled some distance away earlier on.

With great difficulty, Tang Xiaotang stood and searched for a weapon.

Suddenly, she saw a sword.

She did not know that it was Liu Bai’s sword, but she found it quite suitable.

This was because the sword was stationary and floated in the air before the altar.

Even before the Sublime Heavenly Power came from Peach Mountain, everyone was already kneeling. Even the fence of swords forming the Confinement were bent towards Peach Mountain, almost as if they were kowtowing.

Only this sword remained still and unyielding, unwilling to bend.

Tang Xiaotang reached out to grab the sword but found that she could not move it.

She was unwilling to accept this and drew on all the strength in her body to pull, but the sword refused to budge. It was as if the sword was not even in their world.

The more she realized that the sword was no ordinary sword, the less she wanted to let go. The harder she exerted herself, the quicker the blood flowed out of her body. It flowed along her wrist and onto the sword.

To get here from Chang’an, she flew nonstop across hundreds of miles. She had never stopped fighting. Her blood was always boiling hot. It flowed onto the sword with a sizzle.

Suddenly, the sword moved.

The sword trembled slightly, then slowly raised until it was pointing directly at the Divine Hall of Light on the summit of Peach Mountain.

Tang Xiaotang’s eyes grew round and wide. She stared at it curiously, not understanding what had just occurred.

Chen Pipi suddenly broke out into a broad smile and said, “Great Sage of Sword, rescue me quickly.”

Ning Que looked at the steadily rising blade without a word.

Yu Lian said there would be no change because it was true that no human plan could upbraid any plan of the heavens. Therefore, she had made no plans, deciding instead to let events unfold according to their natural course.

The change he was always waiting for had finally happened.

…

Three hundred miles* from Peach Mountain was South Jin, where the Sword Garret was.

When the disciples of the Sword Garret knelt before the sword-like peak, they formed a solid sea of black.

After Chao Xiaoshu’s visit to the Sword Garret, the Sword Sage Liu Bai went to Linkang City. After returning to the Sword Garret, he went into isolation.

Cultivators often needed to go into isolation. Liu Bai devoted his life to swordsmanship, so the number of times he went into isolation was numerous. This time was a little different, however, because he had chased all the students out of the Sword Garret.

Deep in the hillside, the water of the lagoon was as frigid as ever.

Liu Bai sat at the edge of the lagoon with his eyes closed in deep thought. An ancient sword hung suspended over the lagoon.

After decades of work, he had finally cultivated the ancient sword to perfection. Last autumn, the Headmaster of the Academy had borrowed it and used it to defeat the Golden Dragon and the Divine General. Since then, nobody had the right to use the sword.

Not even he deserved to use it.

He sat facing the sword for days and nights at a time.

The shadow that the sword cast on his body became darker and darker, as if the man and the sword were about to meld into one.

The ancient sword suddenly began to vibrate gently.

Liu Bai felt it happen. He opened his eyes to look at the sword and said to himself with a smile, “The hot blood of a young girl is indeed the best at firing up the bravery of mankind.”

The ancient sword began to whistle. It threaded through the hole in the mountain’s peak and flew into the sky.

The lagoon was still freezing cold but, Liu Bai’s figure was nowhere to be seen.

…

The sacred words of West-Hill’s Anthem to Heaven reverberated throughout Peach Mountain. Everyone present was kneeling and devoutly offering their prayers and worship. Only the sword in the air before the altar was slowly raising its head.

Instead of bowing, the sword looked up. This represented that person’s attitude toward Peach Mountain where the blade was pointed at, toward the Divine Hall of Light and toward the person inside the Divine Hall of Light.

The Hierarch was most affected by this scene. He became enraged, then confused. He could not understand it. There was a deep enmity between the Sword Garret and the Academy; Liu Yiqing had been blinded in both eyes by Ning Que and innumerable Sword Garret students had died at the hands of the Great Tang. The most Liu Bai could do in this fight between Taoism and the Academy was to remain neutral. Why would he do what he was doing now? How could he dare to use his own sword to provoke the one who stood atop Peach Mountain?

When Tang Xiaotang’s hot blood dripped onto the sword, it evaporated into a bloody mist which spread amongst the broken peach flower petals dancing in the sky. The mist of blood secretly scattered the sword’s haughty will. The devoutly kowtowing disciples and Divine Priests were pierced by the sword’s will. They only became aware of a ghastly cold, then felt an intense pain in their throats, which made it hard to produce any sound.

The Divine Priests who, like Zhao Nanhai, had strong Taoist Hearts and a high cultivation, resolutely continued to chant the Anthem to Heaven. However, the tens of thousands of disciples, servants and slaves found it impossible to speak. The sound from before Peach Mountain steadily became weaker, less unified and more garbled.

The rays of light shining down from the autumn sun had also dimmed significantly. On the white stone altar, Chen Pipi had no idea what had occurred. He gazed doubtfully at the sky.

The bout of Sublime Heavenly Power that shrouded the front yard of Peach Mountain felt the change in the atmosphere and seemed to conceal a divine rage. The Hierarch felt his heart trembling. He stood and glared angrily at the sword.

He had already guessed what Liu Bai was going to do. Although he was shocked at his decision and infuriated at him for making Haotian unhappy, he actually welcomed this situation.

Since the Twenty-Three-Year Cicada has not dared to make an appearance, then let me destroy your sword and kill you, the strongest person in the world, and thus help the West-Hill Divine Hall rebuild its prominent status!

The West-Hill Hierarch was a very strong individual who had already transcended the Five States. After he was cured by Haotian, he had become even stronger. Even so, when he faced Liu Bai years ago, he never would have had this kind of confidence. Although Liu Bai had not broken through the Five States, the reason was not because he could not surpass them, but because he did not want to. His sword could weave through hundreds of miles*, how could it not be able to cross the barrier that seemed sky-high to normal cultivators?

Yet the Hierarch was now sure that he could defeat Liu Bai. He was prepared to destroy the Academy at the Rite of Light, so could he fear Liu Bai, who was merely one person? Still, the question remained – where did his confidence come from?

His assurance came from the Divine Hall of Light on Peach Mountain, and from the person inside the Divine Hall.

In fact, the Hierarch’s divine ability to transcend the Five States was due to Tianqi, which was essential to Taoism. Tianqi was a cultivator using their greatest sincerity and faith to ask Haotian to grant them power. Since Haotian was now on Earth and was only separated by the distance of the mountain, his Tianqi did not need to travel across the sky and thus would not sustain any damage. Once he offered a prayer to the sky, he would then possess unfathomable power. How could any opponent match him?

The Hierarch outstretched his arms, with his palms spread across the large Sedan, welcoming the clear blue sky.

A bout of majestic strength descended from the Divine Hall of Light on Peach Mountain and arrived in the front yard of Peach Mountain.

This bout of strength was terrifying. It was many times stronger than the Sublime Heavenly Power from before.

The Hierarch looked at his soft, reborn palms and smiled, thinking: I am the strongest under heaven. It doesn’t matter if it’s Liu Bai or Lin Wu. Even if the Headmaster of the Academy comes to life, none of them can oppose me!

Just at that moment, Liu Bai’s sword silently turned and flew forward, whistling through the air!

The sword’s hilt scraped Tang Xiaotang’s hand.

The young girl’s hot blood on the sword’s body quaked and separated into countless drops, sprinkling into the sky.

The shining, yet ordinary blade pierced the Sedan and launched into the face of the Hierarch.

The Hierarch’s broken shout was as loud as thunder. He moved to use the Tianqi to crush the blade.

Yet…he suddenly realized that he had remained unchanged!

He did not feel a single trace of Divine Power developing anywhere in his tiny, weak body.

What about the Tianqi? Didn’t I just activate the Tianqi Divine Ability? Why do I not feel any Divine Power in my body? Just what had happened?

Liu Bai’s sword did not even enter the Sedan, and it was not hovering before the Hierarch’s face. Following the requests of the Academy, it had only used its will to attack, then flew towards Peach Mountain.

The sword never launched towards the stunned Hierarch, because it came from Earth but there was nobody left on Earth with the right to stain it with blood.

Furthermore, the person controlling the sword had to remain focused. If anyone who tried to challenge Haotian became distracted for a split second, it would be offensive to Haotian and to themselves. It would be unforgivable.

The sword’s will came from hundreds of miles* away. It spanned across the space between heaven and earth.

The sword flew towards Peach Mountain.

Two Blows of Light were set up around Peach Mountain. Each Blow of Light was stronger than the last. Even a strong individual who had reached the peak of the Knowing Destiny State would find it hard to break free quickly.

Yet Liu Bai’s sword moved too quickly. It was as fast as lightning.

Liu Bai’s sword was too sharp for anything on Earth to stand in its way.

Two bright shattering sounds rang clearly from atop Peach Mountain.

That meant that the two glass lamps in Xuankong temple had been shattered.

It meant that the ink slab in Zhishou Abbey had been broken.

It meant that the white bones in the Front Gate of the Devil’s Doctrine had cracked.

It meant that the iron plate on the stove of the Academy’s Back Hill had collapsed.

Two blows of radiant light flashed, announcing destruction!

Liu Bai’s sword turned into a single sharp line. It never entered the Divine Hall of Light!

Before the altar, the sounds of worship subsided, and the sword vanished into thin air.

Inside the Sedan, the Hierarch’s silhouette appeared huge in the boundless light. Although he offered his palms straight out, the sight of him seemed laughable and humiliating.

The sword shot straight up Peach Mountain and did not pay him any mind.

On the altar, Chen Pipi saw the sight and laughed, thinking, You’re still an idiot.

The Hierarch was still the same old Hierarch. He did not transform into the most powerful person in the world because his Tianqi failed.

How could it have failed? When the Hierarch used his Tianqi, everyone present felt a bout of majestic and fearsome Divine Energy come down from within the Divine Hall of Light on Peach Mountain.

Haotian had already bestowed the Divine Energy, but it had not entered the Hierarch’s body.

Where, then, did that majestic Divine Power go?

The people looked around the plateau pale-faced. The Golden Tribe’s national master and Qi Nian seemed especially worried and could not help but wear expressions of worry.

That area was some distance from the altar. The position was off to the side. Over there, in a patch of black, huddled some of the Divine Hall’s ordinary deacons and lowly servants from the Revelation Institute.

The majestic Divine Power from the Divine Hall of Light fell somewhere amongst that crowd.

It fell directly onto a scrappy manservant, clothed in green.

Haotian’s Divine Power charged endlessly into his body.

It seemed like a bridge.

One end of the bridge was on the mountaintop, and the other end was at the mountain’s base.

One end was on her body, the other end was on his body.

This was fate, as well as a reunion.

They could never even think about separating again.

…