Death-like stillness.

Death-like stillness.

Death-like stillness—this was Kunwu at this moment.

The mountains were softly painted with wispy clouds, yet they glowed red under the residual might of Jian Chou’s axe.

Beneath the red sun, crimson colors lingered, carrying the magnificent aura of severing all things.

Xu Lan’er had long since fallen, her life or death unknown.

Jianzhu Sect’s Sect Master Zhuxin, standing halfway up the mountain, instantly changed color!

The disciples at the foot of the mountain who were still opening wagers and gambling on the outcome, holding spirit stones in their hands with boastful words still on their tongues, could no longer utter a single word.

How many hadn’t even had time to place their bets before the battle had already ended!

Countless cultivators all had a dreamlike feeling: they had originally expected an extremely exciting fierce battle, but the moment the result emerged, they realized they were wrong—utterly wrong.

Jian Chou was here to settle grudges, to use this opportunity to openly resolve private vengeance in broad daylight.

For anyone else, as long as they could win in the end, it would be a good result.

But when it came to Jian Chou…

She was a disciple of Yashan—how could she possibly waste too much effort on a mere Xu Lan’er?

Just speaking of her status as Yashan’s Grand Senior Martial Sister, engaging in prolonged combat with a small disciple to determine victory would be shameful to speak of!

So…

A single strike to kill!

Clean and decisive, without any dragging!

Xu Lan’er had scheming and methods, but she alone could not withstand this harsh and resolute axe!

Pitiful, lamentable!

Jian Chou held her axe, gazing at the infinite red curtain in the sky that her axe had cleaved, also feeling a sense of trance.

Her entire body seemed to be burning, seemed to be emitting flames.

But she knew it was her blazing illusion.

“Bang.”

There was a tremendous sound beneath her feet.

The Heaven-Connecting Platform that belonged to Xu Lan’er, having lost its master, automatically flew toward her feet.

Perfect fusion!

Thus, the view before Jian Chou’s eyes became even more expansive.

The massive Heaven-Connecting Platform passed through that red curtain and rose another thirty zhang!

Three hundred and thirty zhang, eleven platforms!

In the first battle, Jian Chou was victorious!

“Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Jian Chou.”

A faint voice carried a kind of friendliness.

At the same height, a man in maple-red robes stood not far away, cupping his hands slightly toward her when Jian Chou reached this height.

It was Jiang Wenchao.

He originally had eleven Heaven-Connecting Platforms, and now that Jian Chou had risen from ten to eleven, she naturally became his neighbor.

After all, they had once traveled together to Kunwu, and Jian Chou had a good impression of him. Moreover, during the preliminary selection, he had shown such dazzling skill.

Jian Chou also cupped her hands: “Just luck.”

Everyone on the Heaven-Connecting Platforms heard these words as if a breeze had blown past their ears.

Whether it was truly luck or not, they all knew very clearly.

At this moment, how many of those who could still stand on the Heaven-Connecting Platforms were there by luck?

The first round might have had some, but once the brutal killing began, all the mud and sand would be washed away, leaving behind brilliant and dazzling true gold.

And Jian Chou was the most radiant piece among these dozen or so true gold.

Everything seemed to have settled into dust.

Standing halfway up the mountain, Fudao Shanren watched Jian Chou’s figure with only a feeling of great comfort in his old heart, holding his chicken leg, too stunned to speak.

Hengxu Zhenren also had some indescribable emotion in his eyes. Just as he was about to speak, unexpectedly, his expression changed in that instant: “That is…”

A faint light appeared from the southwest direction, immediately noticed by countless sect masters and elders of various sects on the mountainside.

Hengxu Zhenren finally couldn’t help but step forward: “Nine Heavens Tablet…”

“It’s the Heavenly Tablet!”

“Heaven!”

“What’s happening…”

“How amazing…”

…

The sudden discussion sounds, coming from the mountainside, immediately attracted everyone’s attention.

Jian Chou couldn’t help but turn to look, only to see Hengxu Zhenren, who had barely spoken, suddenly step forward and raise his hand directly toward the horizon!

Whoosh.

Like a great wind sweeping through, or like directly sweeping away all remaining red curtains with his sleeve, he cleared a gap in the azure sky. Thus, everyone through this “gap” in the firmament immediately saw the current situation of the Nine Heavens Tablet on Western Sea Plaza!

“My heavens!”

“Look quickly, look quickly!”

“The first place on the Second Heaven Tablet has changed!”

“What’s happening?”

“Heaven, above Xie Buchen’s name is…”

—Jian Chou!

Standing at the highest point, Zhou Chengjiang suddenly became somewhat dazed.

Once, his name had also been engraved in that place, but later, after a devastating defeat, this title of first place on the Second Heaven Tablet had changed hands.

Even after he reached Foundation Establishment Great Perfection and successfully formed his Golden Core, he had never been able to reclaim this honor from Xie Buchen.

Now, Xie Buchen’s name had not disappeared, but above it appeared Jian Chou’s name…

The moment she saw her own name, even Jian Chou herself felt an indescribable sense of trance.

She had passed beneath the Heavenly Tablet several times, and she would forever remember the scene she saw when she first set foot on the land of Shijiu Zhou…

Crowds of people, all gathered beneath the Heavenly Tablet.

All the cultivators stood below the Heavenly Tablet, looking up, while on the tablet were engraved name after name—each one was the strongest in the realm represented by that tablet!

“Ten-day Foundation Establishment, Xie Buchen, first place on the Second Heaven Tablet…”

She would also forever remember these words that echoed in her ears at that time.

Xie Buchen had preceded her by more than ten days, using blood to pave a path and step onto the immortal way.

All along, he had been the target that Jian Chou desperately wanted to catch up with, the enemy she desperately wanted to kill with her own hands.

And at this moment…

The scenes of the past seemed to surge from her memory all at once.

She still remembered standing beneath the Heavenly Tablet, looking up at others’ names, and now, her name hung high on that tablet, right above Xie Buchen’s head!

In the past, she stood below looking up; now others stood below looking up at her.

All along the way, time had passed swiftly, yet it felt as if it were just yesterday.

The high-altitude wind blew from afar, seeming to carry the sound of Jiutou River’s flowing water and the joyful songs from distant mountain forests. In that “gap” in the firmament, there was no sound—only the boiling crowd below and the silent Heavenly Tablet!

But in her heart, there was tremendous noise.

It was shouting: You can, you can!

Her robes fluttering, Jian Chou held her ghost axe, gazing at that scene, with more than ten tall Heaven-Connecting Platforms behind her.

At this moment, infinite glory was bestowed upon her.

The focus of ten thousand eyes!

“Congratulations, Senior Sister Jian Chou!”

From the crowd below, no one knew who spoke first, and thus, in an instant, the waves of sound merged into one.

“Congratulations, Senior Sister Jian Chou! Congratulations, Senior Sister Jian Chou! Congratulations, Senior Sister Jian Chou!”

…

Countless cultivators, countless voices, all gathered together, resounding through the clouds, continuously echoing among the eleven peaks of Kunwu, echoing endlessly…

Jian Chou was also filled with surging emotions, but in a flash, she became like white clouds floating in the blue sky, quiet and silent.

Having her name engraved on the Heavenly Tablet felt so novel and strange. She instinctively turned back to look toward the mountainside.

Fudao Shanren was also staring at the Heavenly Tablet in a daze. After a long while, he began to laugh heartily: “Heavenly Tablet, Heavenly Tablet! Hahahahaha, hahaha!”

“…”

Hengxu Zhenren remained silent. He glimpsed a figure disappearing into a teleportation array beside the Nine Heavens Tablet, already knowing that Zhao Zhuo was on his way back and would arrive shortly.

At present, he said nothing, his face bearing some gravity, and faintly said: “Congratulations to Brother Fudao as well.”

“I’ve long said that my disciple is extraordinary!”

Fudao Shanren shouted boldly and spiritedly.

Even from such a distance, Jian Chou could hear every word clearly. Her mind immediately recalled her master’s disdainful expression when she first became his disciple, compared to now…

Originally, there wasn’t much to say, but in the end, for some reason, a smile unconsciously curved at the corners of her lips.

Looking far into the distance, she saw all the Yashan disciples below, each one beaming with joy. Jiang He and others were even excitedly waving their arms toward her!

Although Xie Buchen’s name on the Heavenly Tablet had been sensational, no one knew what the actual result of his battle with Zhou Chengjiang had been.

But now Jian Chou had displayed her stunning technique before countless sect masters, elders, and disciples at the Zuosanqian Small Gathering, not only defeating Xu Lan’er but also directly earning her place on the Heavenly Tablet with that amazing axe strike!

For a moment, all of Kunwu boiled with excitement, even more so than when Jian Chou’s axe had appeared earlier.

Everyone knew that Kunwu’s Xie Buchen had missed the Zuosanqian Small Gathering due to his travels for cultivation. Everyone knew that Yashan’s Jian Chou was currently the only genius among the younger generation who could match Xie Buchen.

Now Yashan’s eldest senior sister had come, but Kunwu’s Xie Buchen was absent. How disappointed were those who wanted to watch the excitement?

But now!

Following Xie Buchen, Jian Chou’s name had also appeared on the Heavenly Tablet.

This was another kind of competition and confrontation. No one would ignore their respective presence, and many couldn’t help but turn their heads, wanting to see what expression Kunwu’s First Seat Hengxu Zhenren currently wore.

Unfortunately, the distance was too great to see clearly.

And those who were close could only see an unfathomably deep calm!

“Your damned master took in a disciple and proudly sent me wind messages about it, hahaha, ten-day Foundation Establishment, so amazing!”

Fudao Shanren recalled the past and now felt completely vindicated.

He waved the chicken leg in his hand, his eyes shining, utterly arrogant.

“What was the result? Now you’ve been slapped in the face! Later generations can surpass their predecessors, especially my Jian Chou! Old monster, when you and I fought half to death at the Zuosanqian Small Gathering, today I’ll let you know that my disciple is the most formidable one!”

“…”

Is that so?

Hengxu Zhenren listened to his boastful words, his gaze inevitably passing over Jian Chou and noticing the Jianzhu Sect members below who had suddenly gathered in a certain direction.

Half-dead, worse than death.

Although Jian Chou’s axe strike had amazed the entire Central Domain, what might follow could be endless trouble.

One thought after another arose in his mind. Hengxu Zhenren looked at the figures on the Heaven-Connecting Platforms, then turned back, his voice very light: “You and I both know the rules of the Nine Heavens Tablet very well.”

“What do you mean?”

Fudao Shanren glared, asking rudely.

Hengxu Zhenren said: “Those whose names appear on the Heavenly Tablet are the strongest in their realm. If someone already has their name on the tablet and is defeated by another, their name will disappear from the tablet. If no one can defeat this person within their realm, their name will remain on the tablet forever for that realm, or… if this person breaks through to the next realm and becomes a cultivator of the next level, their name will also remain permanently on the tablet.”

“That means there are only two possibilities for my thirteenth disciple’s name to still be on the tablet: at the moment your proud disciple Jian Chou’s name appeared, either my disciple died, or he broke through.”

“…”

Died, or broke through?

Fudao Shanren’s face suddenly became somewhat ugly. He squinted his eyes, wanting to smear chicken leg all over his face: “It seems your disciple, trapped in Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm, really has bad luck and died so early.”

“His life tablet hasn’t shattered.”

Hengxu Zhenren replied faintly, turning his head to see a beam of light already speeding toward him.

Zhao Zhuo, who had been at Western Sea Plaza earlier, had already entered the teleportation array, reached Jiutou River, and then directly entered to find Hengxu Zhenren to report the situation.

Hengxu Zhenren smiled slightly, but his eyes held an indescribable gravity. He said: “My eldest disciple has returned, presumably with some clues about the Qingfeng Nunnery hidden realm affair. I’ll leave the matters here to Brother Fudao and excuse myself for a moment.”

Zhao Zhuo had already landed nearby, bowing respectfully to Hengxu Zhenren from afar.

Kunwu’s eldest disciple Zhao Zhuo was truly a dragon among men. Although he had always found it difficult to surpass Qu Zhengfeng on the Heavenly Tablet, he had already demonstrated his amazing abilities in many other aspects.

His sudden return naturally attracted the attention of many people on the mountainside.

Fudao Shanren’s expression was uncertain. Hengxu Zhenren courteously cupped his hands, then walked directly toward Zhao Zhuo. Without speaking, he took the lead and walked ahead, heading toward the mountain top at the end of the mountain path.

Both men moved quickly and soon disappeared from sight.

Jian Chou, high in the sky, took this scene into her eyes.

It seemed Hengxu Zhenren had said something that made her master’s expression become less happy.

What could it be?

Flashes of inspiration burst in Jian Chou’s mind as she looked toward the distant scene that was gradually disappearing along with Hengxu Zhenren.

Xie Buchen…

The isolated island in the human world, Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm.

In a patch of void, fragments of countless objects from within the hidden realm floated like ruins in the void.

His simple, elegant azure robe could barely be recognized for what it originally was. All radiance had been completely restrained, as if nothing had happened here, as if the greatest energy had never erupted from his body.

Only his state of suspension in the void would probably seem eerie to anyone who saw it.

His face was pale, lacking any color.

His brows also seemed shrouded in several traces of bleakness.

After everything settled, even the countless chaotic spiritual energies in his body finally followed the trajectory of meridian circulation and gradually calmed.

He opened his eyes.

Finally.

Thus, the now-obedient spiritual energy flowed through his body’s meridians, instantly condensing into a massive battle disc beneath him. Each Kunxian line was illuminated—it was the rarely seen Tianpan!

However, the moment he saw this battle disc, Xie Buchen’s eyes showed three parts bitterness, three parts smile, and four parts inscrutability…

“Two zhang and five chi…”

When his realm was suppressed at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, he still had a three-zhang battle disc. Who would have thought that he would be struck from behind by the dignified second disciple of Yashan’s Fudao Shanren…

Nascent Soul stage was a full two realms higher than Foundation Establishment, and moreover, he wasn’t Wu Duan—this wasn’t like the sparring matches between fellow disciples of the past, where one would hold back.

Qu Zhengfeng’s palm strike had been brutal and vicious!

He had already suffered severe injuries and was on the verge of death. Forcibly forming his Golden Core was a method with only one chance of survival in nine deaths.

Unexpectedly, perhaps as Hengxu Zhenren had said, he truly was heaven’s favored son…

Such a dangerous gamble had actually succeeded.

Only…

The battle disc that decreased instead of increased ultimately indicated the gains and losses of his journey to Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm.

“Cough cough…”

Raising his sleeve, coughing sounds arose. On his frost-cold, indifferent face, red and white intermingled, revealing a faint weakness and sickly air.

Damaged meridians, a battle disc reduced by five chi—for him, this was ultimately a heavy blow.

Taking a step, Xie Buchen stepped across the void and directly appeared on the massive chessboard within the hidden realm, walking forward. Soon he saw the great gate of the hidden realm.

Every word Qu Zhengfeng had spoken before striking him down appeared in his mind.

“Calculating with my fingers, two short years pass in a flash. The Zuosanqian Small Gathering is imminent. I wonder if Junior Brother Xie will also participate?”

“When heroes gather, how could I not go?”

“Yes, when heroes gather, how could one not go? Unfortunately, now I must play the villain…”

“The villain…”

Qu Zhengfeng had long ago climbed the One Person Platform and was an outstanding figure among his peers with none to match. His attack was simply because of the small gathering?

Or were there other reasons?

As a Yashan disciple, after attacking him so ruthlessly, what explanation would Qu Zhengfeng give to the outside world after leaving the hidden realm?

Did he know whether Xie Buchen lived or died?

If he knew, how would he respond?

If he emerged from the hidden realm alive, what would stand between Yashan and Kunwu?

Layer upon layer of mysteries all surfaced in Xie Buchen’s mind.

He slowly stopped walking and raised his head to look at this massive gate, a hundred zhang tall!

As long as he pushed open these two giant doors…

Everything would be exposed under the bright light of day, and all the fog would disperse!

Xie Buchen’s slender, pale fingers extremely slowly came to rest on the rough stone door.

Exerting force—

Push it open!

Infinite brilliant light emanated from this hundred-zhang giant gate. Standing beneath it, Xie Buchen appeared as small as an ant!

But in that instant, an array formation thunderously rotated into being, engraved upon the giant gate.

Rumble…

A deafening roar.

A ray of faint light suddenly leaked from the narrow crack in front of Xie Buchen, gradually spreading and enveloping his entire person in flying dust…

“This wretched life of mine…”

At Kunwu, the residual image in the sky had completely disappeared. Qu Zhengfeng stood with his hands behind his back, slightly narrowing his eyes, and finally withdrew his gaze.

It was time.

Lowering his eyelids, he glanced at his junior brothers who still stood ahead in excitement, pondered for a moment, then cast his gaze toward Jian Chou, who still stood on the Heaven-Connecting Platform.

She was like a bright shadow on the horizon, tranquil and composed, appearing gentle and tolerant compared to the other Yashan disciples.

If she had once been weak and frail, then now, holding her ghost axe, she had become a new source of glory for Yashan…

“After the small gathering, would Senior Brother Qu be willing to fight me?”

“Willing…”

He still remembered his reply, but…

It was already too late.

Raising his hand, his fingers traced along the exquisitely embroidered collar, slowly sliding down to smooth every wrinkle on his gold-threaded robe.

Qu Zhengfeng’s gaze lingered on Jian Chou for a long time before finally moving away.

At this moment, he thought of many things, yet seemed to think of nothing at all. He only glanced at the crowded masses, then moved against the flow of people, silently and soundlessly departing from behind his junior brothers toward the edge of the mountain forest.

An old man in tattered Daoist robes stood there, short in stature, with a small mound of earth bulging beside him, as if waiting for someone.

Qu Zhengfeng walked over.

Yushan Xing saw him and was about to speak, but Qu Zhengfeng seemed unwilling to acknowledge anyone. He just casually waved his hand and walked deeper into the mountain forest.

After being stunned for a long time, Yushan Xing finally reacted, slapped himself, and hurried to follow.

“Whoosh…”

The small mound of earth instantly scattered without a trace.

At the same time, in the sky above, the residual image of Western Sea Plaza’s Nine Heavens Tablet finally couldn’t be seen even a trace, and the sky returned to its normal appearance.

Jian Chou thoughtfully withdrew her gaze.

That day, she had asked Qu Zhengfeng to spare Xie Buchen’s life so she could kill him with her own hands…

And now?

Had Xie Buchen died or broken through?

Instinctively, she turned her gaze toward the many Yashan disciples standing at the foot of the mountain: chubby Jiang He, the dandy Shen Jiu, the simple-minded giant Chen Weishan, sword-bearing Kou Qianzhi, the little radish from Pills Hall…

Only Qu Zhengfeng’s figure was missing.

She remembered he had been standing in the back earlier.

Slightly frowning, Jian Chou pondered, thinking she would have to find time to ask later.

As for Xie Buchen…

Whether he returned or not—what did it matter?

Jian Chou looked at the ghost axe in her hands, covered with blood-red myriad ghost patterns, then cast her gaze toward the highest point of Kunwu’s main peak, that lofty Cloud Sea Plaza—

Even if ten thousand enemies stood before her, so what?

She would fight bloody battles for this One Person Platform that everyone yearned for!