Chapter 154: The Mortal Path, Beneath the Azure Sky (Two-in-One)
Following the principle of caution, the three did not dine at the inn but instead approached the counter to request three upper rooms from the white-haired innkeeper.
The innkeeper was a mere mortal, unaccustomed to the presence of cultivators gracing his humble establishment. Even as he received the silver, his hands trembled slightly.
Yet, just as the transaction was about to conclude, a faint rustling noise emerged from within the cabinet behind the counter, near the innkeeper’s right foot.
Upon hearing this, the three simultaneously lifted their gazes.
The innkeeper seemed unaware, keeping his head bowed, though his shoulders trembled slightly. In his haste, he grabbed a silver piece and handed it to them without using the small scale beside him to measure the weight. His temples grew damp with sweat.
“You gave too much.”
“?”
The innkeeper instinctively looked up, only to see Ji You tossing the silver back, his expression calm.
Ji You turned away, leading Cao Jin Song and Pei Ru Yi up the wooden staircase, its planks creaking beneath their hurried steps as they ascended to the second floor.
“There’s a little girl hidden in that cabinet,” Pei Ru Yi murmured.
Ji You gave a slight nod, his expression unreadable. “About the same age as Qiu Ru, likely the innkeeper’s child.”
“It seems that, in the eyes of Feng Prefecture’s common folk, we cultivators are no different from malevolent demons.”
“Do not belittle yourself. Demons and fiends are far inferior to cultivators.”
“??”
Ji You’s words were not false.
In Feng Prefecture, the notion that cultivators abducted children to refine pills was well known. To the people of this land, all immortals shared this dreadful image.
The innkeeper had likely not had enough time to send the child away when they entered, so he had no choice but to hide her within the cabinet.
Yet, as a mortal without cultivation, he did not realize that such concealment was meaningless before the divine senses of a cultivator…
Throughout the Nine Provinces, mortals suffered in hardship, but in Feng Prefecture, one could witness the accumulation of all those sufferings.
Ji You had once heard from Qiu Zhong that the old master of the Ji family, who had passed away four years ago, once said something that, though sarcastic, was an undeniable truth:
“The mortals who still live today do so not because of their own efforts, but because the immortals have been too lazy to kill them.”
Ji You arrived at his guest chamber, pushing open the door.
Night City was near the prefectural capital and should have been in a favorable location. However, due to the mountains obstructing direct travel, its connection to the capital was weak, making it no better than Yuyang County.
The gray bricks paving the guest room’s floor were uneven, with some missing entirely.
And yet, this was already considered excellent.
Ji You stepped to the rear wall and pushed open the window, gazing outside.
The main thoroughfare running north to south was lined with watchers on either side.
These spies had low cultivation; the strongest among them had only reached the Initial Minor Illumination Stage, and they were already in their thirties or forties, some even older with even lower cultivation.
Such lackluster talent would not even be worthy of being a merchant in Shengjing, let alone a disciple of an immortal sect. Yet in Feng Prefecture, they could flaunt their authority, all because they were born into noble families and had the right to cultivate from birth.
A truly laughable matter.
Ji You stepped away from the window and sat cross-legged on the bed, entering meditation.
The surrounding spiritual energy began to surge towards him, circulating through his meridians before dispersing into his limbs and bones through his damaged Ling Yuan.
It was as if spring rain had fallen into a parched streambed, gradually gathering into flowing currents.
As the rain intensified, the streambed expanded, and the current surged.
With but a thought, Ji You ignited the torrent of energy.
His white robe billowed as the force within him swelled, his brow furrowing slightly as a flicker of pain passed across his expression.
This was his fourteenth Minor Illumination, his thirteenth Refinement by Spirit Fire.
The ignited spiritual fire rampaged within, cleansing and tempering his flesh from the inside out.
At first, it was but a flickering flame. Then, it grew, spreading like oil-fed fire.
It started at his abdomen and coursed along his skin, expanding over time until it enveloped his entire body.
In the Essence Refinement Stage, the process was much the same, except that rather than refining Ling Yuan, Ji You himself was undergoing the burning.
After several hours, sweat poured from Ji You, steaming like mist. As he exhaled his held breath, his shoulders slumped, his breathing heavy, and the golden light in his eyes dimmed slightly.
To observe externally and internally, one had to use divine sense.
External observation allowed one to see a thousand miles, while internal observation required meticulous focus.
Sweat dripped from his forehead, mixing with the dust on the ground to form murky droplets.
Even when he had faced Elder Qi’s final strike of Thought Without Evil at Spirit Sword Mountain, he had not suffered more than this. This fourteenth Minor Illumination was indeed no easy feat.
“Burned through…”
“I should reserve some time to recover my divine sense and spiritual energy…”
Outside the inn, at tea houses and taverns, many continued watching the establishment, their discussions ceaseless.
All knew that the Heavenly Script Academy had a scholar who had mastered the sword arts of Spirit Sword Mountain.
While they were curious about the fate of Feng Prefecture, what truly intrigued them was his sword.
It was said that at the Autumn Duel of the Heavenly Script Academy, Chu He, possessing the Huntian Spell, had been unmatched—until he was ultimately cut down.
Those who had only heard the tales longed to witness his unparalleled swordsmanship with their own eyes.
“Two hours have passed. Will they leave the city today?”
“Not necessarily.”
“What makes you say that?”
Just now, the carriage had been unhitched and taken to the backyard by a stablehand instead of being left at the inn’s front trough.
Amid the murmurs of discussion, a commotion suddenly arose from the tea pavilion above, drawing some gazes toward the street.
At dawn, as a large number of cultivators entered the city, the common folk of Night City, unaccustomed to such a grand spectacle, had already shuttered their doors or even fled outside the city, leaving the main streets utterly deserted.
Yet at this moment, a blade-wielding swordsman dressed in a deep-blue short robe appeared on the street within everyone’s sight.
He strode toward the inn’s entrance, hesitating briefly before lifting the hem of his robe and stepping inside.
“Who is that man?”
“That is Luo Ping Shan, the Vice Manor Lord of Broken Moon Mountain Villa. He is at the Mystic Enlightenment Stage, a descendant of the Luo Family from Central Prefecture. While the Luo Family is not a top-tier noble clan in the region, several of its elders have close ties to the Heavenly Script Academy.”
“What is he up to…?”
“It seems that not all from these Immortal Manors are eager to fight. If negotiations are possible, they would rather talk things through. After all, Ji You is currently a registered Inner Court Disciple of the Heavenly Script Academy.”
On the upper floor of the tea pavilion, a cultivator familiar with the Immortal Manors could not resist speaking up to clarify the situation for the crowd.
Hearing this, a member of the Chen Clan of Immortals, who had come to witness the spectacle, frowned.
“This situation feels eerily similar to when Mountain and Sea Pavilion and Spirit Sword Mountain’s Heavenly Sword Peak joined forces to stand against our Chen Clan of Immortals…”
His words were chosen with great care. Though the Chen Clan of Immortals had been besieged during the Qiling Incident, he subtly replaced “siege” with “stand against” to shift the narrative.
However, the others paid little attention to his wordplay, more interested in the deeper implication of his comparison.
Back then, Mountain and Sea Pavilion and Spirit Sword Mountain’s Heavenly Sword Peak attacked the Chen Clan of Immortals under the banner of avenging their fallen disciples.
But in the Azure Clouds Dominion, both noble clans and immortal sects understood the truth: what they truly sought was profit.
Thus, the Chen Clan of Immortals had secretly ceded much behind the scenes, preventing an outright war from breaking out.
What this Chen Clan member implied was that Night City’s current situation might mirror their past ordeal.
That is—concessions, negotiations, and seeking a middle ground.
“After the Ancient War, humanity has spent centuries recovering. As long as the offered benefits are sufficient, they will avoid conflict.”
“The bustling world moves for profit, and all wars are merely the result of unequal distribution. If the division is fair, peaceful coexistence is not impossible—it all depends on how much the Immortal Sects are willing to concede.”
“One-tenth? Two-tenths? Three-tenths…?”
“I heard Ji You is particularly fond of wealth. Let’s see what price the Immortal Sects will offer to make him tempted.”
Indeed, as the Chen Clan of Immortals’ member suggested, the Immortal Manors of Feng Prefecture were wavering between war and peace.
Once Ji You entered Night City, nearing the battlefront, some suggested testing his stance first. Now, Luo Ping Shan had come as an envoy.
Their initial offer: Ji You could establish his own noble clan in Feng Prefecture but could only claim one-tenth of the Feng Prefecture Tax Tribute.
The so-called Tax Tribute was not merely grain.
Feng Prefecture contained small spiritual ore veins and immortal sapling fields, which were also included in the tribute calculation.
Though Feng Prefecture was impoverished, a full tenth of its tribute was still considerable. Some Immortal Manors had operated there for four or five years without ever securing such a share.
In their eyes, Ji You was alone.
Even with his Everlasting Growth, it would take decades to build a formidable noble clan. One-tenth was already a show of great sincerity.
At this time, multiple intelligence reports had already been sent out by various sect operatives. The situation in Feng Prefecture was now becoming known among all the Immortal Sects and noble families.
To the Heavenly Script Academy, if a peaceful resolution could be reached—regardless of how the benefits were divided—it would be an optimal outcome.
For the other noble families, the same logic applied.
Yet soon, the onlookers at the tea pavilion saw Luo Ping Shan exiting the inn, his brows furrowed as he departed in haste.
“It seems they didn’t reach an agreement…”
“As expected. No one strikes a deal on the first offer. Those Immortal Manors are trying to lowball him. They’ll raise their bid soon.”
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Luo Ping Shan returned to the inn with a new offer: one and two-tenths of the Feng Prefecture Tax Tribute.
Then, he went in and out again, the tribute increasing each time, from one and two-tenths to one and eight-tenths, yet his brows remained furrowed with each departure.
By the eighth time, they no longer haggled in increments. Instead, they outright offered two-tenths.
Two-tenths of Feng Prefecture’s Tax Tribute—this was an astronomical sum.
To put it in perspective, among the nine provinces of Azure Clouds Dominion, with thousands of noble families, only millennia-old aristocratic clans could secure such a share.
Many believed the offer had reached this height only because the Immortal Manors had to consider the Heavenly Script Academy’s stance.
If Ji You was wise, he would accept at this point.
But to everyone’s surprise, when Luo Ping Shan stepped out of the inn again, his frown had deepened further.
“Two-tenths is already a great deal.”
“Indeed. Even if Feng Prefecture is poor, this much tribute is already pushing the Heavenly Script Academy’s patience.”
The three Stewards of the Office of Affairs had specially arranged for an Immortal Message Transmission to ascertain the outcome. Now, seeing the result, their brows furrowed deeply.
At the start, Ji You had the upper hand in reasoning, yet as the price soared higher and higher, some began to perceive him as overly greedy.
Within Shengjing, the Titled Princess Chang Le, Dou Yuan Kong, and other scions of noble houses were engaged in heated discussion, while Wei Rui sat quietly to the side, attentively listening.
She knew well that this Young Master Ji was a sworn brother of Kuang Cheng.
“That Ji You has always held himself above others. The refusal of even a mere twenty percent tax tribute is hardly surprising to me,” Zhao Yun Yue sneered coldly. “The day he cut down Chu He, I sent him a Spirit Hairpin, intending to forge a Daoist bond, yet he spurned even that. So how could a trifling twenty percent tax tribute ever catch his eye?”
Dou Yuan Kong scoffed. “He likely believes that all of Feng Prefecture’s Tax Tribute rightfully belongs to him, so why should he settle for a mere fraction?”
Unable to hold back any longer, Wei Rui interjected, “That’s not it! Young Master Ji acts for the people of Feng Prefecture—he would never compromise at such a time!”
“Rui’er, you’re too naïve,” Zhao Yun Yue chuckled, lifting her teacup. “If Ji You truly had the people in his heart, he would have already drawn his sword instead of idly waiting in an inn, watching the bids rise. And that Kuang scholar who follows him—he is cut from the same cloth. We may be greedy, but at least we don’t hide it. Unlike them, who bury their ambitions so deeply.”
She took a slow sip of tea before setting the cup down. “Next, I expect those Immortal Manors will stop bidding and instead ask him directly—what price will satisfy him?”
—
By midday, Luo Ping Shan once again arrived at the inn.
Familiar with the place by now, he strode to the second floor, pushed open the door, and entered Ji You’s room. “Young Master Ji, raising the price further serves no purpose beyond wasting time. My Manor Lord, as well as the other Manor Lords, have sent me to ask you—what exactly will it take for you to be satisfied?”
Ji You slowly opened his eyes and parted his lips slightly.
At that very moment, across the vast, desolate lands of Feng Prefecture, farmers holding empty bowls wept silently in the open fields.
The autumn wind carried away the ashes of burnt paper offerings, adding yet another sorrow to their homes.
Inside the guest chamber, Luo Ping Shan listened to Ji You’s every word, his face twisting in shock. Then, as though struck by lightning, he abruptly stood and stormed out of the inn in a rage.
At the Tea Pavilion, many had been observing this exchange from afar. Seeing Luo Ping Shan’s reaction, they were left in utter astonishment.
Before long, a sudden surge of radiance erupted from the mountains behind Night City. Dazzling Immortal Light shot into the sky, painting the clouds in brilliant hues.
News spread rapidly—
A Heavenly Treasure had emerged in Night City’s mountains, drawing a horde of rogue cultivators seeking to claim it. The major Immortal Manors of Feng Prefecture were joining forces to eradicate these bandits. Effective immediately, a thirty-mile lockdown around Feng Prefecture was imposed. No one was permitted to enter or leave—violators would be killed without mercy.
The proclamation sent a ripple through the tea houses and taverns. Cultivators exchanged glances, some rising in alarm.
Coincidences existed, but not like this.
Everyone understood: there was no treasure. There were no bandits. The only truth was that Feng Prefecture had been sealed off, and the Immortal Manors had come to kill.
Ji You’s establishment of a noble house in Feng Prefecture was, by all laws, legitimate. If they wanted to strike, they needed a righteous pretext.
These lies—fabricated though they were—provided that very excuse.
With Feng Prefecture under martial law, any who entered the mountains would be labeled as outlaws. And outlaws deserved to be exterminated.
In other words, negotiations between Ji You and the Immortal Manors had collapsed.
—
As the crowd still reeled from the sudden turn of events, someone spotted a figure emerging from the inn.
Draped in flowing white robes, he carried seven long swords upon his back. A Sword Intent as vast as the ocean churned around him, surging down the city’s main thoroughfare, his gaze like a blade of ice.
Following behind him were Cao Jin Song and Pei Ru Yi. Their swords were already drawn, their expressions solemn as they advanced toward the mountain, murderous intent rising around them.
The spectators at the Tea Pavilion could do nothing but watch, their eyes tracing the trio’s departure toward the Western City Gate, beyond which lay the looming mountains.
Then, as if awakening from a daze, realization struck them all at once—
A battle was about to begin!
As the gravity of this moment dawned on them, envoys from various sects scrambled to deliver urgent reports. The shocking news spread like wildfire.
Many were left bewildered, their expressions mixed with disbelief, as they stared at the three figures vanishing into the distance.
“How did things escalate so quickly? Just how much did he demand?”
“Indeed, how much did Ji You ask for?”
“The Immortal Manors of Feng Prefecture seemed willing to negotiate. Surely no mere increase in percentage should have provoked such an extreme reaction!”
As the news reached further and wider, expressions darkened across the realm.
—
In Shengjing, the Titled Princess Chang Le, Dou Yuan Kong, Wei Rui, and other members of the imperial lineage and high-ranking officials took in the report.
From within the Heavenly Script Academy, its inner and outer disciples—including Lu Qing Qiu, He Ling Xiu, Wen Zheng Xin, and Ban Yang Shu—held their breath, while the three great Stewards of the Office of Affairs exchanged grim looks.
Even the two Hall Masters of the Heavenly Script Academy, in the middle of a leisurely game of chess, found themselves unable to place their next move.
Meanwhile, deep within the imperial palace, the emperor—who had long championed new governance—stepped out from the grand hall, his gaze sharp as he listened to the urgent whispers of his attendants.
“Just how much of the tax tribute did Ji You demand,” a voice asked, “that the Immortal Manors would forego all deliberation and resort to slaughter?”
Someone drew in a sharp breath. “He must have demanded it all.”
“All of it?”
“He rushed to Feng Prefecture for this very reason—to claim the entire tribute. If he had only asked for a portion, there would have been negotiations. But for the Immortal Manors to react with such decisive aggression—he must have asked for everything.”
At that moment, a messenger arrived hastily.
“The latest report has come.”
“And?”
“Ji You’s demand was—”
Not everyone from Feng Prefecture’s Immortal Manor joined the battle. Those at the Minor Illumination Stage were merely pawns in the grand scheme, cannon fodder at best.
Yet, they knew exactly how much Ji You demanded. The moment sword qi soared into the sky, cultivators stationed in Night City had already pried the answer out and swiftly relayed the message across the land.
Zhao Yun Yue couldn’t help but lean forward. “How much did he ask for?”
“He asked for…”
“Speak!”
“He said he wants the children of his home to grow up safely. He wants those who leave their houses to always return, no matter how late. He wants even the most heartless specters to tremble under the weight of justice. He wants every path in this world to stand upright beneath the boundless sky…”
The words fell, and suddenly, silence blanketed Shengjing Tavern.
Within and outside the Heavenly Script Academy, all eyes turned skyward, gazing into the boundless clouds above.
“!?”
The mountains of Night City sprawled vast and open, though the terrain was gentle rather than steep. It was precisely for this reason that the Immortal Manors chose this place as their battlefield.
Ji You ascended the mountain, his surging sword intent stirring the winds into a frenzied howl.
Witnessing this, the cultivators stationed atop the peaks narrowed their eyes as a chilling killing intent filled the air.
Among them were eighteen cultivators at the Mystic Enlightenment Stage, all famed experts of their respective manors. Some were revered elders, others vice lords, while a few bore black hair, marking their youth, and others had already grown streaks of white.
These were not cultivators who had entered Immortal Sects, but scions of esteemed clans from distant prefectures. Their talent was insufficient to join the sects, so they sought power through other means. Some had once been part of an Immortal Sect, but upon failing to break through, they were cast out. Over years of struggle, alchemy, and perseverance, they clawed their way into the Upper Five Realms, yet the path to true immortality had long been severed.
Such cultivators were commonplace in the vast expanse of Azure Cloud Continent.
Upon recognizing their limits, with no hope of attaining immortality, the desires they had long suppressed in their pursuit of cultivation came surging back. Greed for wealth, power, and influence consumed them.
These were not men who would seclude themselves in mountains, guarding their Dao hearts in isolation. Instead, they surrendered to their desires and left their clans to dominate regions, their hearts filled with worldly ambitions.
“Instructor, Senior Sister, you both go ahead.”
“Alright.”
Cultivators at the Mystic Enlightenment Stage could never hope to stop someone at the Dao Fusion Stage. Even if they outnumbered their foe, victory was uncertain.
They were well aware that the five Villa Masters stood at their backs.
Their true target was Ji You—the key to this entire ordeal.
Whether they killed him or crippled him, those two others would be useless even if they reached Feng Prefecture.
Thus, Cao Jin Song and Pei Ru Yi pressed deeper into the dense forest ahead.
“They say Ji You is strong, but even so, he is merely at the Mystic Enlightenment Stage. We are eighteen.”
“Indeed. When Villa Master Broken Moon proposed offering him a share of our tax tribute for peace, I thought—why even bother?”
A black-haired cultivator stepped forward, staring down at Ji You, who approached from the slopes with sword in hand. “I, too, was once a disciple of the Heavenly Script Academy. Yet even during my time there, I never relied on my sect’s reputation to act so arrogantly. You, boy, think too highly of yourself.”
The moment his words fell, seven swords, brimming with spiritual radiance, shot into the sky.
Sword qi flared like white sunbursts, and the sheer force of the sword intent sent tremors rippling through the mountains.
[Spirit Sword Mountain’s Dao Sword: Sevenfold Peaks]
The eighteen Mystic Enlightenment cultivators immediately took to the air, their weapons—sabers, spears, swords, and halberds—gleaming with chilling light as they surged forth.
Boom!
With a fierce motion, Ji You swung his arm, sending the seven great swords crashing down upon the mountain peak. The black-haired cultivator at the forefront lifted his sword to meet the attack, yet before the sword intent even arrived, his pupils contracted in terror.
A wet splatter of blood. A thunderous clash as his sword was shattered. The entire cliffside collapsed under the immense force.
Amidst the storm of debris, Ji You stood unmoved, his long hair wild in the winds, his presence like a blazing inferno.
“So this… is the fabled Sword Dao of Spirit Sword Mountain…”
By now, those who had been watching from the city had already rushed to witness the battle in person. They stood in silent awe as they watched seven figures hurled through the air, their mouths spilling blood.
Disciples of Immortal Sects and descendants of noble clans—there was an insurmountable difference between them.
And between an Outer Court Disciple and an Inner Court Disciple of an Immortal Sect? The gap was even wider.
Even if they stood at the same realm, those who relied on alchemy and the slow passage of years to advance could never compare to the young Mystic Enlightenment cultivator before them. This was an undeniable truth.
Of course, only those who had spent their lives reveling in Feng Prefecture’s tyranny would be blind to such a truth. They assumed Ji You’s arrogance came merely from the reputation of the Heavenly Script Academy.
Yet, those well-informed among the sects knew the reality—
Ever since he asked Spirit Sword Mountain its Dao, half of the Heavenly Script Academy’s arrogance had stemmed from him.
The eighteen Mystic Enlightenment cultivators were now stricken with fear, some bleeding profusely, their eyes filled with dread.
Stepping onto the ruined cliffs, Ji You once more raised his sword, and towering sword qi erupted towards the heavens.
He saw several of them retreating toward the depths of the forest. His gaze sharpened.
“Do not flee. Anyone who retreats—I will kill first.”
“…?”
The gathered onlookers froze in disbelief.
They knew Ji You had come to Feng Prefecture to establish his own noble clan.
A moment ago, his sword had already cowed his enemies. Allowing them to flee would have saved him effort—so why was he stopping them?
Holding his sword, Ji You spoke slowly to the stunned cultivators.
“Some things—like the Orphan’s Hospice, or the horror of parents devouring their children in famine—witnessing it once brings sorrow. But seeing it again and again, for years on end, breeds nothing but rage.
I have come to believe that in this world, even the righteous may not receive their due reward.
So why should you villains meet a good end?”
“From the moment I left Yuyang County, I had already decided—none of you will leave here alive.”
“It was never you blocking my path.
It was I who set this trap, just to slaughter you all.”
“For tonight, there are bandits in the mountains.
And all who enter—must die.”
(This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation)