The mountain wind howled, and the peaks stood in stark isolation.

Whirling clouds tumbled across the sky, the moon shone bright and the stars were sparse; tonight's wind seemed especially cold.

No birds chirped, no insects buzzed; they too sensed danger, and all beasts fell silent.

Standing atop a stone pillar, Xuanyuan Mingjing called out, "Are you here to stop me, or to kill me?"

The man in black sitting on the branch of the Guest Welcoming Pine yawned, stretched leisurely, and said discontentedly, "If you hadn't come soon, I would have fallen asleep."

Such thin and soft pine needles seemed to possess infinite strength, actually able to support his heavy body.

Even with his grand movements, the branches did not shake in the slightest.

Xuanyuan Mingjing's expression was serene as he said, "Why forsake reading the true scriptures, and refuse to worship the immortals? Why bother wading into these muddy waters?"

Zhong Zhengshen, from the Zhong Royal Family, the Imperial Uncle Zhong Daolong.

None were more noble than the Shen Family.

Yet, even with their nobility, they were but servants.

The Zhong Family were the true masters, the owners of this vast Empire.

Centuries of the nation's fortune had fostered successive generations of Zhong talent.

With such abundance of talent came even more severe internal strife, that could be described as 'cruel.'

Zhong Zhengshen was an anomaly.

He had no interest in power, focusing solely on his Taoist practice.

In his eyes, the Taoist scriptures were far more enchanting than the scheming and plotting within the Phoenix Palace.

Practicing and practicing, he became a Grandmaster.

Then, still practicing, he ascended to become a Great Grandmaster.

Others sought the 'Tao' in their practice, but he cultivated within the Tao itself.

It was precisely because the Royal Family always had their own Great Grandmasters for protection that their reign remained as solid as a rock, enduring to this day.

"You think I wanted to be here?" the man in black said with a helpless look. He stood up from the tree branch, and only now could one see that his black robe was actually a black Taoist robe. "Being of Zhong blood, how could I stand by and do nothing?"

"Besides, if they keep up this strife, whether this foundation remains that of the Zhong Family will become uncertain."

"So, you've come to me… worried that I might take action?"

"The disciples of a Great Grandmaster fighting to the death, how could you endure it? With your authority as a Great Grandmaster, once you intervene, the situation would likely reverse."

"They are both my disciples, thus I have even less reason to act. Both the palm and the back of the hand are flesh."

"In that case, I will guard you here for three hours. After three hours, I will leave White Crane Mountain immediately."

"Ha..." Xuanyuan Mingjing let out a cold laugh and said, "This White Crane Mountain belongs to the White Crane Academy. I come and go as I please. No one can stop me."

With his authority as a Great Grandmaster, when had he ever feared others? How could he be restrained?

I might stay, but only if I wish to.

You're pressing me to guard White Crane Mountain, not allowing me to leave...

Ah, with my rebellious nature, I just might have to take a walk outside.

If a Great Grandmaster cannot act as he pleases, what good is being a Great Grandmaster?

"This White Crane Mountain is also part of the Empire, and you are nurtured by the Empire. When the Empire is in peril, shouldn't you step forward?"

Zhong Zhengshen wanted to remind Xuanyuan Mingjing that all the land under heaven belongs to the king.

Even a Great Grandmaster has the duty to be loyal and protect his territory.

"Hasn't my White Crane Academy done enough by guarding the land for the people and nurturing talent for the state?"

"It seems you're set on leaving the mountain?"

"That is my plan."

"That Tang Fei... do you really value him so much?"

"You, an old Taoist, can't forget blood lineage, so what's wrong with me cherishing my disciple?"

"He is a traitor."

"In my eyes, he is merely struggling for his life."

"No convincing you?"

"No convincing you."

"Then, let's fight," Zhong Zhengshen sighed.

Xuanyuan Mingjing stretched out his hand and plucked a bamboo twig to hold in his grasp.

That was his sword.

Zhong Zhengshen scoffed and said, "Although at the Grandmaster Realm, even flying flowers and falling leaves can harm, but... aren't you being a bit too casual?"

"With my full Sword Intent, this is enough."

"Then I must take things seriously."

Zhong Zhengshen took from his bosom a four-sided, foot-and-a-half-long ruler — the Tianpeng Ruler used to dispel evil and chase away ghosts.

The Tianpeng Ruler, typically used in Taoist rituals, was engraved with gauges and adorned with auspicious designs and mysterious runes.

The "Taoist Book of Divine Assistance" states, "In ancient times, evil was exorcised with peach twigs; Hou Yi died by a peach wood stick; thus in later times, ghost-chasing used this. Today's Tianpeng Ruler is of this lineage."

It spoke of the Tianpeng Ruler.

A tool of great power and profound Taoist knowledge.

"The visitor from afar is a guest; you go first," Xuanyuan Mingjing invited.

"To tell the truth, I've always been afraid to climb the mountain," Zhong Zhengshen, holding the ruler, said looking at Xuanyuan Mingjing: "I am afraid I can't withstand your unparalleled Sword Qi."

"And yet here you are?"

"Standing in front of you now… I find myself filled with anticipation," Zhong Zhengshen looked at his ruler and said, "I want to test it, and it wants to test... who truly is the number one person in the world."

"Every day you knock on a wooden fish to chant sutras, resulting in but loneliness. Even now you can't escape the two words of 'fame and fortune,'" Xuanyuan Mingjing retorted with ridicule.

"Yes, it's shameful to say..." Zhong Zhengshen looked at Xuanyuan Mingjing and spoke, "The old Taoist is troubled by inner demons and suffers from the seven emotions, and so are you."

"Otherwise, we would have long transcended our physical forms and entered the legendary Burning Star Realm. In the vast Star Sky, only I would roam freely."

"A single wandering soul could traverse the ten directions of the world, the mere thought of it sends ripples through one's heart, filling it with yearning."

"Enough talk, let's fight," Xuanyuan Mingjing urged.

Does this old fellow always talk so much?

Doesn't he have anyone to talk to at the White Cloud Temple?

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