Chapter 384: Sword Immortal World

"The array has collapsed!"

Cries to heaven, screams for mothers.

Iron chains connected the array, and a large number of Jiangzhou government troops entered the formation.

The array was broken, which indeed triggered a tremor in the Jiujiang water veins, causing floodwaters to backflow into Jiangzhou City.

Within the array, Jiang Qi, Shen Bao, and the various Daoist soldiers they brought also felt a sense of the universe turning upside down and the Heavenly River hanging in reverse; it was only because they were well-trained and each had their own cultivation that they did not sway or topple.

The next moment, the Jiujiang Shuidi Dharma Image merged with that Nine Rivers Map; this map transformed into a Nine Dragons Black Emperor Robe, which draped over the Dharma Image. Immediately, the Quanshen was bestowed upon him, and the Jiujiang Shuidi transformed into a great Dragon God, calling out to the Jiangzhou City God, all the various large and small Mountain Gods, Earth Deities, river deities, and masters of large and small spiritual sites.

One could see the river water backflowing into Jiangzhou; the water level was three feet higher than Jiangzhou City, yet it could not enter the residential areas. The common people in the city kowtowed and bowed: "A dragon! A true dragon has come to save us."

Xu Jia felt a secret sorrow; after all, he did not want to become a dragon, nor did he want to become an emperor.

It was just that after two thousand years of imperial rule, the culture had imperceptibly placed shackles on everyone; they desperately hoped for someone to take charge for them, hoped for a benevolent master, rather than wanting to be in charge themselves.

In fact, this was also quite normal; how many dragon-slaying youths eventually turned into evil dragons themselves?

Before sitting on the throne, everyone thought: "Are kings and nobles born with high status?" Everyone felt they had a chance. But once seated on the throne, they think: "I am the only true dragon in the world; you commoners actually dare to attempt rebellion?"

If one were to ascend to the top, who wouldn't want to rule over obedient subjects? If they heard the thoughts from below—"Trample the bones of the nobles on the heavenly street"—they would likely have only one thought: "It's just that they are fed too well."

Nothing else, it is merely a case of "in that position, one plans for that administration."

Xu Jia calmed the collapse of the Jiujiang waters, and the incarnation talisman edict collapsed; only the array map, the Nine Rivers Map, fell into the hands of Xu Jian.

Xu Jian did not covet this treasure and only said to Jiang Qi and Shen Bao: "Jiujiang is a special place, and this array also has its own logic. If we can absorb the spirituality of the nine waters to nourish the city, Jiujiang City might well become a city of cultivation. Moreover, it connects to Lushan; Lushan was anciently called Lingshan, meaning it is a mountain of spirituality and spiritual treasures. It has been famous for its scenery since ancient times; among the Three Mountains and Five Peaks, the Three Mountains are known for the scenery of Lushan."

"Our goal for now is not to head north, but we must hold this pass, recruit the local talents, and train troops, especially the navy. The Poyang water area is vast, and the water conditions here are complex; it will be much the same as we continue south in the future, so we need to train well here. Furthermore, there is the Yangtze River; if we grasp this key thoroughfare, build shipyards, and conduct trade, we will be very well-off."

Chen Gongming said: "We haven't even occupied Jiangzhou yet. Although it was said before that they would surrender once the array was broken, that was only said by those few Loose Immortals. I don't know if the Jiangzhou Prefect will honor that."

Just as they were speaking, the gates of Jiangzhou City opened wide. Several deputy generals had bound the Prefect and the Commander-in-Chief. The leader was a young general, the very one Xu Jian had seen before. His eyes were bright; having witnessed the flying immortals fighting and the Azure Dragon controlling the water—essentially a battle of gods—he had already developed an interest in cultivation.

One can also blame the dynasty's vernacular novels, which always bestow a pile of strange phenomena upon the "person of destiny," along with the help of strange people and talented scholars, or even bringing them back to life after death with the spiritual medicine of an immortal elder...

Originally, breaking Jiangzhou City would have been easy, but these Lushan Five Immortals and pre-Qin alchemists insisted on setting up an array, which changed the nature of the event. It was no longer the normal operation of a dynasty, but became involved in the "Great Tribulation" of many practitioners.

The Earth Immortal Tribulation, the Heavenly Immortal Tribulation, the Five Hundred Year Great Tribulation of demons, the Thousand Year Tribulation—tribulation linked to tribulation; perhaps it will turn into a chaotic mess again.

After taking over Jiangzhou City, the approach remained the same: first try the cases, then talk to the local wealthy families. Those who resisted stubbornly were killed off completely; for those who were obedient, they were shown a clear path: equal field and land distribution, public trials for death sentences at the market execution grounds...

On the other side, on Sanqing Mountain, five spiritual ghosts appeared beside Xu Jia. These five spiritual ghosts were the Lushan Five Immortals. Their magic tools and weapons were all brought over from the Dharma Realm, and after the canonization, they remained under their control.

Previously, the Nanchang Prefect had been ordered to record history, but these fellows had actually achieved the Earth Immortal stage according to the ancient Corpse Severance Immortal methods; they could be considered talents.

"The five of you were used as pawns without even knowing it. However, given the speed at which you shed your skin like shedding clothes, I suppose you were destined for this tribulation."

The five spiritual ghosts wanted to grumble, but Xu Jia did not allow them to speak. He thought to himself that their path was actually quite compatible with the "God Descent" method, except they liked possession, while the God Descent method was about borrowing and inviting power.

Xu Jia's thoughts shifted, and he said: "Since you belong to the Five Elements, I shall appoint you as the Five Directions Duty Cao Officials. Whenever there is a summons, you may not refuse. Three hundred and sixty-five days a year, you may not miss a single day of duty; on duty by day and guarding by night, no days off all year round."

He then separated five Register Texts and enlightened them. They instantly became Duty Cao Officials, though their expressions were sorrowful.

Xu Jia was too ruthless; all year round, absolutely no days off, and always subject to summons.

Xu Jia added: "If you are idle with nothing to do, whenever the local City God issues an edict, you shall assist the City God. You may not leave your post without authorization, otherwise, you will immediately die, your form will scatter, and you will be struck down from the Altar."

The five Cao Officials bowed their heads: "Yes."

They then dissipated into the air.

After finishing the appointment, Xu Jia thought secretly: "Five Cao Officials are still too few; they are still weak and cannot cover everything. But I don't fear the small number. This is a life-or-death struggle, and from what I've heard, it involves factional struggles in the Shangjie, even dragging in the Great Luo Immortals."

He stopped dwelling on it; in the end, when soldiers come, block them; when water comes, cover it with earth.

He took out an object, which was the Chaos Pearl. Inside this pearl were six layers, each layer having six portals, all corresponding to the Desire Realm Six Heavens. Each heaven had six worlds, all possessing the Yellow Heaven faith. In addition, there were separate spaces for receiving sacrifices.

At this moment, one could observe some water droplets and mist-like Qi within this pearl; this was precisely the water Qi that had almost caused a breach in the Nine Rivers Array.

If this water were to be returned, Xu Jia feared it might truly be returned a hundredfold; after all, it was a tool of "Heavenly Venerable Dharma Transmission."

But as he rubbed it carefully, under the guidance of his mind, he somehow opened a portal to a certain world within it. Suddenly, a suction force was generated, and this water, along with Xu Jia's consciousness, was sucked inside.

"The water is here! The water has really appeared!"

One could see on an altar that several Daoists dressed in yellow robes, chanting about the Yellow Lotus, were performing a chaotic ritual, but they were also offering a bowl—this bowl was precisely the Raw Rice Bowl.

"This is the holy object of our Yellow Lotus Sect, passed down by the Huanglian Holy Mother herself. It is used to save the world from disasters and difficulties. Today, you have all been rewarded; you exchanged for this with only these yellow and white things."

As the Daoist was speaking, his eyes suddenly rolled back, and he began to foam at the mouth. After a while, double pupils appeared in his eyes; the other pupil was precisely Xu Jia. The Xu Teacher had descended into another world again.

Previously, the Wanshou Emperor of the Longevity Sect had claimed he could roam the heavens; in fact, this was how he roamed. Holding this pearl, when someone prayed and offered sacrifices, their divine senses would interact, and a God Descent could occur.

Xu Jia had now descended into the body of this so-called "Yellow Lotus Sect Daoist."

There were hundreds of people gathered there, including officials, merchants, and some martial artists. The altar they had set up looked like one for seeking water or rain.

This Raw Rice Bowl was now continuously pouring out water, and the common people were holding containers to catch it. In front of it was a "Merit Box," and one had to donate money to "buy water."

Seeing this scene, and with the various miscellaneous thoughts of the body he had possessed manifesting, Xu Jia quickly understood what was going on.

The Yellow Heaven Sect had already declined in this world; it was also an Evil Sect from hundreds of years ago. Only the Raw Rice Bowl still possessed some Dharma Power, but they did not know how to utilize it, and since they did not cultivate, the rituals they performed were all like a performance.

This place had been suffering from drought for three years, and the land was located in the northwest, close to the Da Mo. These few evil Daoists of the Yellow Lotus Sect had united the officials and merchants to set up an altar and perform rituals, claiming they had borrowed water from the East Sea Dragon King.

Xu Jia understood in a single thought. Just as he was wondering how to deal with that Water Origin Qi, he pointed at the bowl.

The bowl suddenly soared into the air, and immediately the sky became covered in dark clouds, followed by thunderous sounds, and before long, it began to rain.

While the crowd was stunned, Xu Jia had already cast an Obstruction of Sight Method and left the place.

He found an ancient riverbed and vented the Water Origin Qi within him to his heart's content. The floodwaters washed the silt yellow and seeped into the deeper parts of the ground. Xu Jia simply decided to be a good person to the end; he connected it to the underground water veins and guided the river water into a lower-lying area, forming a large lake...

After finishing all this, only two or three days had passed.

Suddenly, he sensed thoughts of Incense Fire; it was a chorus of sacrificial prayers.

It turned out that because he had suddenly displayed his Divine Ability and performed magic two days ago, those people thought he was a holy son under the seat of the Huanglian Holy Mother who had descended to earth to save the suffering and manifest holiness. Following the name and image of the Daoist Xu Jia had possessed, they had built a temple.

Xu Jia ignored this; having resolved one matter, he was thinking of having a good tour.

Suddenly, a flash of fire carrying a flying sword slashed toward him.

Xu Jia was annoyed, only to see it was a wandering monk with an angry face: "It was you, this evil Daoist, who didn't know where you brought the rain from and ruined my good deed!"

That ascetic had a fierce expression and a cultivation level of roughly the late Human Immortal stage, yet for some reason, he was able to control a flying sword; in the world ahead, one cannot command a flying sword without reaching the Earth Immortal realm.

Xu Jia was curious, so he began to fight him. Even though this physical body had shallow cultivation and no powerful Magic Tools on hand, Xu Jia's habits of breathing during these few days of possession were those of a superior, wondrous method. Furthermore, by drawing water to create a marsh, he had gained Incense Fire and Merit; while he did not refine them to follow the Divine Path, using them directly was no problem, and Xu Jia was familiar with this, as he had previously possessed a Golden Body temple.

After a few exchanges, a few shamanic curses and heterodox techniques struck the ascetic, who knelt on the ground with a dark, sallow face. The flying sword also wobbled, and was finally pinched in Xu Jia's hand. It was not long, only about the size of a palm, and the sword body had Talisman patterns and was quite attuned to Dharma, but the quality was very poor, only at the level of refined steel; it could not be counted as a Heavenly Material or Earthly Treasure, and compared to his own Weiji Immortal Sword forged from Xiantian Kun Steel, it was worth even less.

"You are not an evil Daoist from the Yellow Lotus Sect, you are from the Desert Scorpion Sect of the North Desert!" The ascetic had no integrity and kowtowed to beg for mercy: "This little one offended you, Grandfather, and truly deserves to die. It is just that I was previously using the natural flame-gathering potential of this place to temper my flying sword, when suddenly heavenly water was drawn down, extinguishing the earthly flames. Not only was its power damaged, but its grade also dropped, which is why I was fighting others to the death. I hope you will spare my life, Grandfather."

"It is not someone else, it is precisely this poor Daoist." Xu Jia was just about to find someone to ask about the local customs and conditions of this world, and one had just happened to bump into him: "I have newly possessed a body, which is this one. It is a pity it has no Dharma Power. You, this fellow, have some Dharma Power, but you are an ascetic. I, your Grandfather, have a grudge against monks, and I am a proper Daoist, so I find you unlucky."

Xu Jia gave a cold, sinister smile, already possessing a bit of the temperament of a patriarch of a heterodox sect.

Upon hearing the word "possession," the ascetic was so frightened that his three souls and seven spirits scattered; he never imagined this was truly a patriarch of a heterodox sect, and wondered how such a person would go to the trouble of drawing water to save the people.

He said repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, this little one's appearance is filthy and unworthy of the Senior's eyes."

Then his expression shifted: "I know of one with a handsome appearance called He Yu Langjun. He was originally a flower-plucking thief and has only been refining Qi for a dozen years or so. He has refined a Wonderful Yin Flying Shuttle that is much better than this broken flying sword of mine. If the Senior wants to use his skin bag, it would be his good fortune!"

Xu Jia sneered: "I fear you have a grudge against him, hehe, or perhaps he is a powerful one, and you are thinking of having me deal with him. Since I, the Patriarch, have already possessed a physical body, my True Qi is greatly exhausted; why would I go and possess another one without first recovering my Dharma Power?"

"You will just follow me. Come, come, the Patriarch has a Talisman here to plant in your body, which can assist your cultivation, so you can rest assured and handle matters for me."

After saying this, Xu Jia pinched a Lingbao Daoist Citizen Register and gave it to him. He was initially terrified, but then felt many wonderful benefits. He was suspicious in his heart: "Is this not a mechanism to control a person's life and death?" Inside, however, he was even more wary, fearing only that his own insight was shallow and that this thing, which looked like a good item, would inevitably be disastrous when it took effect later; many demonic heads used such "fishing" cultivation methods.

Only then did Xu Jia undo the shamanic curse on him and ask about the situation and state of this world.

Although this world is also in the Desire Realm, it is a flourishing age for cultivation, and the path is followed step by step: first, one practices martial arts to develop acquired true energy, then reverses it into innate true energy; once Innate True Qi is refined, one can turn to cultivating as an Immortal.

Because it is a transition from martial arts to Immortal cultivation, there are basically very few profound principles; the major cultivation methods are all essentially methods of struggle, and only a few orthodox Immortal sects have methods for step-by-step Achievement.

An Earth Immortal is considered an expert in one area here, but the majority are still Innate Qi Refiners. So-called Innate Qi Refiners are martial artists who have refined Innate True Qi. Since Innate True Qi can already be projected externally, there are naturally all kinds of operations. Because flying swords are convenient, they are basically equivalent to the "firearms and guns" of Xianxia, and are thus the most popular. Therefore, this world is somewhat like the style of "Shushan Swordsman Biography," a great age of Sword Immortals.

Hearing the situation, Xu Jia secretly thought: "This is just like those traditional Spirit Root-style mortal Xianxia stories... I fear that a Foundation Establishment great cultivator is only equivalent to a Human Immortal, a Golden Core great cultivator is roughly an Earth Immortal, and Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing are roughly the God Immortal Realm."

Calculating it this way, Xu Jia felt it was about right and not too outrageous.

This ascetic was originally a disciple of a Jianghu sect, but later accidentally obtained the inheritance of a loose cultivator. Along with this flying sword, he had been bitterly cultivating in the Da Mo, and after ten years or so of refining his Innate Qi, he had been hanging around the North Desert, competing for resources like most ordinary loose cultivators to improve his flying sword in hopes of going further.

It was just that a secret realm had recently appeared in the North Desert, which was the ruins of an ancient kingdom from thousands of years ago, attracting many experts to come and explore.

Listening to this, Xu Jia only felt that the script was becoming increasingly familiar, and secretly thought: "Could this be a world fabricated according to some novel?"

(End of chapter)