Chapter 701: Duan Si Ya

Long Bad Dao got off the carriage, looked around left and right, hands on his hips standing on the riverbank, watching the few wooden boats tied to stone piles, then glanced at the mountain silhouette on the opposite bank shrouded in white mist, and spoke in a loud voice.

"What? Does your Zheng Family intend to charter a boat to ferry us across the river? Could the rumored Yunding Secret Realm be on the opposite bank?"

His voice echoed a few times over the open river surface, carried far away by the wind.

A number of people had already gathered on the bank, standing in small groups.

When they heard Long Bad Dao, some looked up, some remained still, and only a blue‑clothed man closest to them turned his head, a hint of unabashed sarcasm at the corner of his mouth.

The blue‑clothed man appeared to be under thirty, with a clear and handsome face, and a pride that radiated from his very bones.

A long sword hung at his waist, its sheath entirely dark green and set with several dark gems, clearly not an ordinary weapon. He glanced up and down at Long Bad Dao, let out a light snort, his voice neither loud nor soft, just enough for those nearby to hear.

"Where did this country bumpkin come from? If you've never seen the world, go back home and ask your parents properly, don't embarrass yourself here."

Long Bad Dao's temper flared instantly.

He took a stride forward to stand before the blue‑clothed man, taller than him by half a head, looking down from his height at the clear face, his voice hoarse and loud.

"Who the hell are you saying hasn't seen the world? Which family are you from? State your name, state your sect, let this Young Master hear how powerful you are."

The blue‑clothed man, pressed to the front like that, showed not a hint of fear on his face; instead his pride deepened. He calmly adjusted his cuff, and, unhurriedly, uttered a few words.

"His Seat, Young Master of the Boundless Sword Sect, Duan Si Ya."

When those words were spoken, the faces of several onlookers nearby, who had been watching the spectacle, changed slightly, their gazes carrying a hint of apprehension.

Within the martial world, there are four great sword Dao sacred sites that can be called Sword Sects; the Boundless Sword Sect and the Lingnan Sword Sect are jointly regarded as the finest southern sword Dao of the Empire.

Especially the Duan Family of the Boundless Sword Sect, whose foundation is so deep that no one in the southwest can match it; it is said that the Duan ancestors even produced a sword Dao Half-step Martial Ancestor.

Although that was long ago, the glory has been passed down, keeping the Boundless Sword Sect's position in the southwest as solid as a rock.

No wonder this Duan Si Ya, though young, dares to be so arrogant.

But Long Bad Dao's expression did not change at all after hearing the name; instead his smile widened.

He placed his hands on his hips, tilted his head, and repeated those words, deliberately stretching the sounds.

"Oh! So it's the Young Master Duan of the Spineless Sword Sect."

He enunciated the two characters 'Spineless' with particular emphasis; some nearby couldn't help but let out a laugh, then quickly suppressed it.

Long Bad Dao puffed his chest forward, a faint aura of a Half-step Celestial Being radiating outward.

"I, Long Bad Dao, the Young Master. Not convinced? Want to spar?"

Duan Si Ya, provoked by him, had his clear handsome face instantly darken.

His right hand had already rested on the sword hilt at his waist, his knuckles slightly pale, the blade in its sheath emitting a faint hum, as if drawn by his owner's emotions, restless.

"Then let His Seat give you a good clean‑up."

His voice deepened, and beneath that pride rose a genuine chill, like a sword slowly being drawn from its sheath.

The surrounding air tightened instantly.

At that tense moment, a voice came from across the river surface.

"Both of you, having come from afar, are honored guests of our Zheng Family. Do not start a fight here and spoil the harmony."

Long Bad Dao furrowed his brows, and Duan Si Ya's hand on the sword hilt froze.

Both looked toward the river surface at the same time.

In the morning light, a figure strode swiftly across the river water.

Each footfall landed on the water, each step creating only a shallow ripple, as steady as if walking on solid ground.

The speed was extreme; within a few breaths he reached the shore, the spray beneath his feet not yet fully dispersed, and he had already landed between Long Bad Dao and Duan Si Ya.

He was an elder.

Dressed in a gray‑white long robe, his hair was silvered and neatly combed, his face thin yet spirited, his eyes bearing the composure that comes from weathering countless storms.

He stood there without deliberately exuding aura, yet the natural pressure of a high‑tier strongman made the surrounding air settle slightly.

Jiang Feng stood nearby, watching the elder, his gaze flickering slightly.

He sensed the other's aura.

Half-step Martial Ancestor.

A person sent out casually to mediate is a Half-step Martial Ancestor; the Zheng Family's foundation indeed is on a different level from ordinary families.

People of this realm are exceedingly rare throughout Jiangnan, yet here he seemed merely a steward dispatched to handle routine matters.

The elder first turned toward Duan Si Ya, a gentle smile on his face, and bowed his hands.

"Young Master Duan, five years ago when I, Old brother, visited the Boundless Sword Sect, you were just barely of age. Seeing you today, your bearing surpasses the past. Could you grant this old man a small concession and stand down?"

Duan Si Ya's complexion shifted slightly.

Though arrogant, he recognized the man before him.

Zheng Yuanshen, one of the three‑generation heads of the Zheng Family, a top‑tier Half-step Martial Ancestor, has been famous for over thirty years.

Though he could scold Long Bad Dao verbally, facing such a genuine Half-step Martial Ancestor, if he still dared to be arrogant, it would show he knows nothing of the world.

He slowly released his hand from the sword hilt, stepped back half a step, bowed, and his tone softened considerably.

"So it's Zheng Gong in person. The youngster should render the proper respects to Zheng Gong."

After speaking, he retreated into the crowd; his gaze still glanced at Long Bad Dao, but he said nothing further.

Zheng Yuanshen turned toward Long Bad Dao again, his smile unchanged.

"I'm not the stingy type; I'll give the Zheng Family a face!"

Long Bad Dao crossed his arms and hummed, and though he didn't bow like Duan Si Ya, he also ceased his pursuit. He withdrew the Half-step Celestial Being aura and stepped back to stand beside Jiang Feng.

Seeing both had ceased, Zheng Yuanshen's smile deepened further.

"Thank you, Young Master Long."

He surveyed the gathered crowd on the bank, his hoarse voice rising again, carrying a composure befitting a master of the situation.

"Since everyone has arrived, it's time for our Zheng Family's Yunding Secret Realm to be opened."

He turned around, faced the broad river, and slowly raised his right hand.

"Transmit my decree!"

His voice suddenly rose in pitch, no longer the casual tone from before, but bearing a solemn, dignified rhythm as if it belonged to an ancient ceremony.

"Rise!"

When that word left his mouth, it was as if something had been switched on.

Between heaven and earth, a low rumble suddenly sounded.

The sound rose from the depths of the riverbed, muffled and heavy, as if a great beast were turning over underwater.

The ripples on the river surface first grew chaotic, then began to surge violently, wave after wave crashing against the stones on the bank, splashing up white spray.

Then! The river water split open in the middle.

The scene was so spectacular that one almost forgot Breath.

The Hundred-zhang-wide river surface was divided in two from the middle, slowly receding toward both sides, revealing the damp riverbed below and the jagged reefs.

The water wall was lifted by a formless power, forming two towering azure walls that glimmered faintly, like two massive doors being swung open.

In the middle of the fissure where the river split, a door slowly rose in the void.

The door was entirely resplendent in gold and jade, its frame engraved with intricate patterns, bathed in morning light that refracted layers upon layers of halos.

The door panel remained tightly shut, Surface glimmering with a warm jade-like luster, as if an entire massive Jade Stone had been carved into the shape of a portal, spanning the river's center, floating in midair.

"Sss, Yunding Secret Realm, truly a world beyond the heavens!"

Long Bad Dao at this moment widened his eyes……