Unsheathed

Chapter 364 (2): Irresolvable Conundrum

The Ding Clan was situated at the center, while the Fang Clan and the Hou Clan were standing on either side.

However, Du Yan, the direct disciple of Parasol Leaf Sect that had always been seen as the Ding Clan's greatest backer, wasn't present.

Having said that, this was a blessing of sorts for the three clans. In his absence, they were able to converse with one another in a much more free and relaxed manner, rather than having to constantly be careful and apprehensive with their words in case they unintentionally said something to offend Du Yan.

The Parasol Leaf Sect was so powerful that the entire continent that was home to it had been named after it. It was far too formidable to contend with, even if all of the major clans of Old Dragon City were to combine their powers. On top of that, the major clans of the city had always been in competition with one another, so they were never going to be able to come together and combine their powers anyway.

Eastern Treasured Vial Continent had always been the smallest one of the nine continents, while Parasol Leaf Sect was the most powerful sect on Parasol Leaf Continent.

Both the Fang Clan and the Hou Clan were secretly very glad that Du Yan was only protecting the Ding Clan due to his marriage with a woman from the Ding Clan. If the Parasol Leaf Sect's connection with the Ding Clan was any deeper than that, then all of the other major clans would have to be very apprehensive.

At the moment, the Fang Clan was faring the worst out of the three clans as their entire manor had almost been demolished by Zheng Dafeng.

However, on this day, the young man from the Fang Clan whose actions had led to all of this was looking very elated and excited, and he wasn't sullen or subdued in the slightest. At this moment, he was chatting with a friend of his from the Hou Clan in an animated fashion.

And how could he not be excited? That madman from the Dust Medicinal Shop was about to be beaten to death for everyone to see on the Dragon Scaling Platform.

He had already set aside a large quantity of silver so that he could throw a massive celebratory banquet as soon as he returned to the city, and he was going to throw all of the female employees that had worked in the Dust Medicinal Shop into the lowliest of brothels in Old Dragon City to serve as prostitutes, whether they were old or young, beautiful or ugly.

Even once Zheng Dafeng crossed over to the other side, he was going to make him regret ever messing with the Fang Clan!

The Sun Clan and Fan Clan were standing very far away from the Ding, Fang, and Hou Clans, and barely anyone from the two clans had come to spectate the upcoming battle.

Sun Jiashu wasn't present, while the Fan Clan had only sent an old man from their ancestral hall. The rest were all just side branch clansmen who had displayed outstanding talent.

As the three horse-drawn carriages rolled into view, the people gathered at the foot of the Dragon Scaling Platform didn't do any pointing or jeering. Even the young man from the Fang Clan, who was convinced that Zheng Dafeng's fate was sealed, had fallen silent, and the smile had vanished from his face.

Regardless of what their personalities were like, all of the people present were here on behalf of their clans, so they knew not to do anything that would bring shame upon their clans.

Similarly, none of the clans had used any immortal artifacts such as hovering pavilions or miniature ships to rise up into the air so that they could watch the battle in comfort. Instead, all of them were standing at the foot of the Dragon Scaling Platform, watching the battle set to take place on the platform using things like enchanted picture scrolls.

In fact, no one had even dared to make such a suggestion, and that was all owing to the tremendous reputation that the Fu Clan had built up over the past several thousand years, as well as the survival instincts of the other major clans of Old Dragon City.

The three carriages slowly drew to a halt near the foot of the Dragon Scaling Platform, and even though all of the members of the Fu Clan were looking on with mocking expressions, none of them jumped out to verbally provoke Zheng Dafeng. Not only would doing so potentially lead to their death, they would also be embarrassing the Fu Clan, so even if they were to die, the Fu Clan wouldn't stand up for them.

Zheng Dafeng scaled the platform on his own, leaving no parting words for Chen Ping'an and the others prior to his ascent.

Chen Ping'an took a glance at his surroundings, then quickly focused his gaze back on the staircase leading up to the Dragon Scaling Platform.

In the distance, Fu Nanhua was observing Chen Ping'an with a very surprised expression. From his perspective, the dark-skinned young boy from Clay Vase Alley had undergone a massive transformation. It had only been a few years since their last encounter, and he had developed the confidence to not only not avoid Fu Nanhua and Old Dragon City, but even get himself involved in this very messy situation.

On top of that, Cai Jinjian from Dawn Cloud Mountain had been among the people who had traveled to Old Dragon City to congratulate the Fu Clan on its marriage alliance with the Jiang Clan. Fu Nanhua had thought that she had died for sure in Jewel Small World, but instead, not only was she very much alive, she had made significant strides in her cultivation base.

Additionally, the attitude that she had displayed during their last meeting had also been rather peculiar.

As Zheng Dafeng reached the summit of the Dragon Scaling Platform, Chen Ping'an continued to look up at him from down below, but he was unable to see anything through the sea of clouds.

Only by boarding a ship and looking down from high up in the sky would one be able to see the summit of the Dragon Scaling Platform.

According to Zheng Dafeng, this sea of clouds had been present over Old Dragon City for thousands of years, and it was the fundamental source of the city's power.

In fact, the history of the sea of clouds could be dated all the way back to when the final True Dragon in this world reached Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

That was also the origin of the underground dragon channel. After that came the horrific spectacle of dead cultivators falling like rain after being struck down in battle in Jewel Small World, as well as the crab archway, the small town, that well, that snowy night, the young girl that fell unconscious and almost froze to death in front of Chen Ping'an's ancestral residence on Clay Vase Alley... the one who was saved by Chen Ping'an only to go on and become Song Jixin's maidservant.

The old Daoist priest from the East Sea led Chen Ping'an on a journey of countless years in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, one that spanned an immeasurable distance, and during the journey, he said to Chen Ping'an that all of the events that took place in the world were traceable, as was the case for human thoughts.

However, this was still too profound a concept for Chen Ping'an to explore.

High up above everyone's heads, Fan Junmao was laying on top of the giant sea of clouds, staring blankly at the heavens above, wishing that she could see just a little further.

The girl that had stepped onto the Dragon Scaling Platform earlier wanted to seize control of the sea of clouds from her, most likely in order to mend the robe crafted by the Fu Clan. If she could accomplish such a feat, then there was a chance that she would be able to elevate the Old Dragon Robe from a pseudo-celestial tool to a bone fide celestial tool.

This was something that Fan Junmao was taking very seriously.

It was a battle of the Great Dao, even more perilous than any life-threatening danger.

For someone like her, dying once didn't mean anything. As long as her Great Dao wasn't severed, she could easily come back.

Hence, the old man in the Yang Family's medicine shop was the only one who couldn't be allowed to die. As long as he was still alive and well, Fan Junmao, Li Liu, and all of the other people chosen by him would never truly die.

As for whether Fan Junmao was afraid of anyone else in this world aside from Old Man Yang, the answer to that question was... no. Not in the slightest.

Even if the founders of three teachings were to personally descend upon Old Dragon City and erase her out of her existence with their unfathomable powers that outstripped even those of Old Man Yang, she would still harbor only resentment toward them, and there would be no fear or veneration in her heart.

Even though her Great Dao conflicted with that of Zhi Gui, the two of them were very similar in this regard.

All of a sudden, she sat up as she cast a perplexed gaze toward Fu Qi.

At this point, Zheng Dafeng had already reached the summit of the Dragon Scaling Platform, where Fu Qi was waiting for him.

On this day, Fu Qi hadn't borrowed the pseudo-celestial tool of the Fu Clan's Nascent Tier ancestor, nor was he wearing his Old Dragon Robe, and the pseudo-celestial tool that protected the Fu Clan's ancestral hall wasn't in his possession, either.

On top of that, he wasn't able to control the sea of clouds overhead, so the only thing that he was carrying with him was the pseudo-celestial tool he had only recently bought from another continent, an ownerless flying sword left behind by a deceased sword immortal.

It was clear to Fan Junmao that something wasn't right.

She slapped the sea of clouds beneath her, and it abruptly descended, skirting around the Dragon Scaling Platform to instantly encompass the entirety of Old Dragon City. At the same time, she bit through the skin of her index finger, inscribing a talisman on the palms of her hands with her own blood.

It was an ancient talisman that had been lost for countless years, and the mystical ability of Qi refiners to observe mountains and rivers through the palms of their hands was nothing more than a pale imitation of this talisman.

After the inscription was completed, Fan Junmao's complexion was left looking a little pale, and she joined her palms together before abruptly spreading her arms open. A series of images began to flash over her hands, and she stared intently at those passing images, trying to glean the secrets that they harbored.

The Fu Clan's ancestral hall, the Sun Clan's ancestral residence, the Dust Medicinal Shop...

One setting after another flashed before her eyes, and in the end, the image settled on an elderly figure standing atop the city wall of the outer city, upon which the talisman that Fan Junmao had inscribed onto the palm of her hand instantly shattered.

The skin and flesh on the palms of her hands had been torn open, and she forcibly gulped down a mouthful of blood that had gushed to the base of her throat. On top of that, she had just lost over ten years worth of cultivation base for a normal Nascent Tier earth immortal, but she didn't care about that at all.

Instead, her mind was still focused on the elderly figure that she had seen in the instant before the talisman on the palms of her hands had fallen away.

She could tell that the old man was at least a twelfth tier Qi refiner.

Could it be that old fart from Parasol Leaf Sect?

She had always had a very nonchalant personality and was very rarely fazed by anything, but at this moment, her brows were tightly furrowed with vexation.

If Zheng Dafeng were to die by the hands of Fu Qi on the Dragon Scaling Platform, then he would have no one to blame but himself.

However, if he were to leave the Dragon Scaling Platform alive, only to be inexplicably struck down by an outsider, then that would be a far more difficult outcome for her to stomach.

Old Dragon City had always been her territory, but was it really worth sacrificing her life as Fan Junmao for Zheng Dafeng, a man who she wasn't even particularly fond of?

She lay back down onto the sea of clouds and began to weigh up her options. Well, objectively speaking, there weren't really any options to be weighed up. Hence, she closed her eyes and heaved a faint sigh. At the very least, she had decided that she was no longer going to bear witness to Zheng Dafeng's demise.

The entire Dragon Scaling Platform began trembling violently, and the water of the East Sea and the South Sea began crashing against the shore, only to be suppressed by the mystical abilities of all of the earth immortals in the city.

On the surface of the sea not far away from the ferry station on the island, a young Dao was standing on a giant golden gourd with a wide smile on his face.

Chen Ping'an's oil paper umbrella was able to conceal his aura, thereby saving his life, but it also prevented his backers from conducting divination on him and providing him with timely reinforcements.

Essentially, it was a double-edged sword.

You're screwed now, Chen Ping'an! You've messed with the one guy you can't afford to mess with on Parasol Leaf Continent! If you were dealing with anyone from the Jade Tablet Sect, Planchette Writing Sect, Peace and Tranquility Mountain, or even anyone else from Parasol Leaf Sect, then you would be fine.

I'll admit that you do have some tricks up your sleeve, so you don't have to fear anyone of the same cultivation base as yourself, and you can perhaps even hold your own against a Golden Core or Nascent Tier earth immortal.

As for the cultivators of the Upper Five Tiers, an Unpolished Jade Tier cultivator may not be willing to bully a young pure martial artist like yourself, and for those at the Immortal Tier, they may be able to see deeper than everyone else, and they most likely won't be willing to target you.

Unfortunately, you're dealing with the most unreasonable person in the entire Parasol Leaf Sect, and he also just so happens to be the second most powerful cultivator on the entire Parasol Leaf Continent. Even if you're willing to give up everything you have and even put your own life on the line to save Zheng Dafeng, all our efforts will ultimately be in vain, and there's a very good chance that you'll die here.

That wouldn't be a bad outcome. I can take your body back to the Daoist temple, and you can serve as fertilizer for the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.

With that in mind, a look of schadenfreude appeared on the young Daoist priest's face, and he chuckled to himself, "There are going to be some hard times ahead for Eastern Treasured Vial Continent."

The battle on the Dragon Scaling Platform concluded after no more than an hour, and the outcome was astonishing for everyone present.

The one to walk down from the Dragon Scaling Platform was Zheng Dafeng! On top of that, he didn't seem to be carrying any injuries, and he certainly didn't look like he was on the brink of death.

Fu Donghai and Fu Chunhua were both astonished to see this.

Could it be that Fu Qi was dead?

If that was the case, then that wasn't necessarily a bad thing...

The two of them exchanged a glance with each other, as if some type of tacit understanding existed between them.

Meanwhile, Fu Nanhua remained calm and composed with a smile on his face. Right at this moment, a voice rang out in his mind's lake, and he flipped a hand over to make a subtle gesture.

Over at the Ding Clan, an elder stepped forward and whispered something into the ear of the clan leader, following which the latter quickly approached the leaders of the Fang Clan and the Hou Clan for a secret conversation, at the end of which the two displayed different reactions, but both of them still nodded in agreement to whatever had been proposed.

That subtle gesture from Fu Nanhua had been like a huge rock plunging into a lake, sending massive waves erupting in all directions.

After Zheng Dafeng descended from the Dragon Scaling Platform, he remained silent and got into one of the three carriages with Chen Ping'an, following which his complexion instantly turned deathly pale as he said in a raspy voice, "Fu Qi surrendered halfway through the battle. It's clear that he never intended to fight me to the death in the first place!

“Not only did he not fight me to the death and give me a chance to break through my tenth tier bottleneck, he didn't pull out any of his pseudo-celestial tools, either. Instead, he merely traded some blows with me so that we both sustained some injuries before suddenly forfeiting out of the blue.

“Hence, we're definitely going to be attacked on the way back to the medicinal shop, so make up your mind now, Chen Ping'an. Do you want to get off the carriage now, or return with me to the medicinal shop?"

"Fu Qi may be a shameless scoundrel, but I value my dignity," Chen Ping'an replied in a calm manner.

Zheng Dafeng tipped his head to the side, then wiped away the blood that flowed out of his ears as he chuckled, "Do you even believe that yourself? If you truly valued your dignity, would you have gone around delivering letters back in the town every morning just for a few copper coins?"

"Is there any shame in that? I was simply doing paid work," Chen Ping'an countered.

A wry smile appeared on Zheng Dafeng's face as he sighed, "Do I have to beg you to leave?"

"Even if you beg me, I'm not going anywhere," Chen Ping'an replied.

"What the hell do you want?" Zheng Dafeng asked as he leaned back in a defeated manner.

Chen Ping'an hesitated momentarily, then explained, "The breakthrough that I made in Old Dragon City last time was quite strange. At the time, it wasn't very clear to me, but following my return from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, as soon as I arrived in Old Dragon City, my instincts told me that there was a sinister force lurking in my heart, and that if I were to leave, then it would immediately be set free to wreak havoc.

“Perhaps this is an inevitable tribulation that I must transcend for going against the will of the heavens to reconstruct my bridge of immortality. As I was crossing that stone arch bridge, I felt like I was finally being accepted by heaven and earth, but that was nothing more than an illusion. In reality, it seems like Majestic World has finally set its sights on me, and if I run away today, then I'll have to spend the rest of my life on the run."

Zheng Dafeng believed this, but even so, he was still convinced that this was nothing more than an excuse from Chen Ping'an.

"Even so, don't throw your life away because of me," Zheng Dafeng sighed. "Go sacrifice yourself for someone else. I'm most likely not going to live past today, don't make me owe you such a massive favor before I die! Go to Li Er, or go find your friend, Liu Xianyang. Just don't stay here and die for nothing..."

Chen Ping'an pointed at Zheng Dafeng's eye as he said, "You're bleeding out of your eye. You're not the best-looking guy anyway, so make sure you clean yourself up. Otherwise, no woman is ever going to fall for you. Honestly, the girl who worked for you must've had terrible taste in men. Hell, even she wouldn't like you anymore if she saw you right now."

Zheng Dafeng aimed a light kick at Chen Ping'an out of a combination of vexation and amusement, only for Chen Ping'an to casually swat his foot away.

The three carriages began traveling back to Old Dragon City. All three coach drivers were servants of the Fan Clan who had made death pledges, so they were all quite calm and ready to face whatever fate awaited them.