Chapter 421: Wu Su, Zhao Huangchao Falls from His Realm (A 6,000-character chapter, requesting monthly votes)

A banquet had already been set in the hall, prepared to entertain the honored guests.

There was no great pomp, not much different from the household of a well-to-do merchant; they did not set out the grand display of "striking bells and arranging tripods to dine," yet it made one feel a sense of intimacy, invisibly closing the distance.

The taste of the wine was quite good; Yu Liancheng drank seven or eight cups in a row, and Beiliang King Xu Xiao raised his thumb to praise his great capacity for liquor.

After the banquet, Xu Xiao took his leave, while Xu Fengnian led the three of them toward the most celebrated spot in the mansion: the Tingchao Pavilion.

Tingchao Pavilion—one could discern some of its meaning just by looking at the name.

The Beiliang Prince Mansion occupied the entire Qingliang Mountain, and after expanding the original lake at the mountainside by double, with the intention of turning the lake into a sea and building pavilions and towers, the majestic nine-story pavilion that rose into the clouds in the center was named "Tingchao" (Listen to the Tide).

Fifteen years ago, before he was enfeoffed as the Beiliang King, Xu Xiao trampled the martial arts world, wiping out martial arts holy lands like the Zijin Mountain Villa, and many of the secret manuals from their armories were confiscated into the Tingchao Pavilion.

Many martial artists were willing to be dogs for the Beiliang Prince Mansion, all for the sake of a single rare, secret manual.

There were ten thousand koi in the lake; a casual scattering of bait would create the marvelous spectacle of ten thousand carp facing the sky, a sight that even the Emperor, who came to escape the summer heat a few years ago, clicked his tongue in wonder at, sighing that he could not compare.

"Lao Huang has been pondering 'Sword Ten' these days; he wasn't paying attention while feeding the horses and got bitten on the hand. By the way, do you know the old Daoist from Longhu Mountain? The old Daoist was originally going to stay in the mansion for two days, but as soon as he heard your name, his face turned white, and he ran off that very day, saying he would take Huang Man'er to Longhu Mountain in a while."

Xu Fengnian spoke casually of the strange things happening in the mansion and tossed a handful of bait, instantly drawing a vivid scene of churning koi.

"Let me."

Murong Wuzhu's beautiful eyes brightened; she snatched the bait and scattered it, and that spectacular, enchanting scene of overwhelming abundance reappeared, making the young girl cry out in delight.

Xu Fengnian watched the other party scatter the bait as if it cost nothing and shook his head with a wry smile. Back then, when he, the Beiliang playboy, spent a fortune to win over a top courtesan, he would only give her a small box of fish bait; there was no such extravagance as this.

"Tonghuang, this is so fun, so interesting. Little Fengnian, is there any more bait? I've finished scattering it." Murong Wuzhu's exquisite face bloomed with a smile, as if spring had returned to the earth in an instant.

Xu Fengnian shook his head helplessly and waved his hand to have another box brought over, leaving his personal maids, such as Hongshu and Qingniao, astonished and secretly wondering how this young girl could have such great standing.

After a while, Murong Wuzhu went boating accompanied by two maids, and Yu Liancheng's party finally arrived before the Tingchao Pavilion.

The Tingchao Pavilion was tall and imposing, built near the water, with a pointed roof and layered eaves, looking the same from all four directions; it occupied a prime location where dragon veins converged, possessing the function of gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and absorbing the essence of the sun and moon.

Below the main pavilion were three plaques; the one in the due east was the "Magnificent and Peerless" nine-dragon plaque bestowed by the Emperor.

Standing before the Tingchao Pavilion, Xu Fengnian laughed and said, "The Tingchao Pavilion claims to have six floors to the outside world, but it actually has nine. Nine is the number of the supreme; out of concern that people in the Capital would make snide remarks, it became what it is now."

"The first floor holds thirty thousand volumes of introductory martial arts of the world; the second floor is a hidden layer, containing not only four thousand rare books on yin-yang and strategy but also forty-nine strange weapons—it is the place my second sister likes to stay the most."

"The third floor has twenty thousand volumes of profound treasure manuals; the fourth and fifth floors are for strange stones and antiques—very vulgar. The fifth and sixth floors are what those martial arts experts who risk sneaking into the mansion are after..."

Following Xu Fengnian's explanation, Yu Liancheng and Nangong Pushe gained a deeper understanding of the Tingchao Pavilion.

Yu Liancheng was in no hurry to enter the pavilion; he looked around and saw a square Buddhist pagoda on the terrace, with a Buddha sitting in the lotus position, looking solemn, and the base of the pagoda had stone carvings of Vajras holding up the structure.

Seeming to notice Yu Liancheng's confusion, Xu Fengnian lowered his head and explained, "My mother believed in Buddha all her life, so there are many Buddhist structures in the mansion."

Nangong Pushe looked at Xu Fengnian; he was meticulous and caught the trace of desolation hidden in Xu Fengnian's calm words, presumably because of the late Princess.

He had, of course, heard of the deeds of the Beiliang Princess Wu Su: the former Sword Crown of the Wu Family, a top-tier First Grade expert, who had once worn white mourning clothes at Xuleibi and personally beaten the war drum, the Fish Dragon Drum; the sound of the drum was like thunder, and the drumming would not cease until Western Chu was broken. She was a figure of peerless grace, and any one of her deeds could command the respect of men in the world.

Yu Liancheng suddenly asked a very strange question: "Little Xu, do you want to see your mother?"

Xu Fengnian was startled: "What did you say?"

"Nothing." Yu Liancheng shook his head, extended a finger, and tapped Xu Fengnian on the forehead in mid-air: "Let's go, let's go in."

Nangong Pushe looked at Xu Fengnian, whose eyes were dull after being tapped, and couldn't help but ask: "What happened to him?"

"Don't worry, I'm just preparing to let him have a dream." Yu Liancheng pushed open the great door and stepped into the Tingchao Pavilion first.

White Fox Face hesitated for a moment, then walked in as well.

In the main hall was a massive piece of white marble carved with "Dunhuang Flying Immortals," their robes fluttering as if they were about to ride the wind and leave. Even the well-traveled Nangong Pushe could not help but be startled.

"It took some effort, but we finally entered the Tingchao Pavilion." Yu Liancheng laughed: "Let's go, we're going straight to the fifth floor."

White Fox Face shook her head and said, "You go ahead. I'm afraid that once I go up, I won't have any interest in looking at the sixty thousand volumes on the floors below."

Yu Liancheng shrugged and said, "Alright, then I'm going up." He ignored White Fox Face and walked up the stairs alone, disappearing into the shadows.

White Fox Face, with the Xiudong and Chunlei blades hanging at her waist, watched Yu Liancheng's figure disappear and sighed softly, not knowing what she was thinking of. But when she looked back at the thirty thousand volumes of introductory martial arts on the first floor, her peach-blossom eyes shone brightly.

Yu Liancheng went up to the fifth floor in one breath; looking out, he saw rows of bookshelves neatly arranged with books. Any one of them, if thrown into the martial arts world, would be enough to make a group of martial artists fight until they beat each other's brains out.

"I shall enter the Finger Profound Realm right here in the Tingchao Pavilion; I wonder how much time it will take." Yu Liancheng flicked his sleeve, and a dozen or so books flew out simultaneously, circling him and flipping their pages.

Outside the door, Xu Fengnian was dazed, as if lost in a dream, until he was awakened by a maid; he scratched his head, not knowing what had happened before.

The Great Pillar Kingdom sat on the eighth floor of the Tingchao Pavilion, seemingly having arrived even earlier than Yu Liancheng and the others. Beside him was the disheveled Li Yishan, writing furiously as if he hadn't seen Xu Xiao.

Xu Xiao flipped through a bamboo slip casually and said to himself, "This Murong Tonghuang really did come for the Tingchao Pavilion. Since he has a desire, he cannot be 'without desire and thus strong,' so there is no need to worry. It is strange, though; my spies spent a fortune and still couldn't dig up this person's roots. A third-rate Murong Family could not cultivate such an expert. Yishan, the Wang First Grade Sijing—which realm do you think he is in?"

Li Yishan's voice, like metal and stone, rang out: "Great Vajra Realm."

"Great Vajra Realm? Isn't that the same as Li Dangxin of Liangchan Temple?" Xu Xiao said.

Li Yishan stopped writing, pondered for a moment, and added, "Three years in the pavilion, the Martial Emperor changes. In heaven and on earth, Martial Dao is supreme."

The Great Pillar Kingdom clicked his tongue: "Fengnian has found a treasure this time. By forging this good connection, perhaps he can exert his strength at a critical moment in the future. A martial artist may not be able to throw the country into chaos, but sometimes they can have unexpected effects, not to mention an expert of this supreme quality."

……

The night was deep.

Xu Fengnian, attended by his top-tier head maid, undressed and covered himself with an autumn-yellow, gold-threaded python-patterned quilt, preparing to sleep.

Before falling asleep, he couldn't help but think of that distant tap from Yu Liancheng and rubbed his forehead with his hand: "That guy, what exactly did he do to me? Why can't I remember?"

"Forget it, I'll go find him tomorrow and ask clearly. And I'll take him to visit the Zijin Lou while I'm at it. Heh, with his looks, I'm afraid there are women who would offer themselves to him even if they had to pay."

The mansion was laid with several underground heating tunnels that consumed countless charcoal; as the weather grew colder, the room was as warm as spring. Xu Fengnian closed his eyes and drifted into a dream.

Boom—!!

Suddenly, it was as if a thunderbolt had exploded in the heavens, piercing his eardrums.

Xu Fengnian opened his eyes abruptly and sat up, only to see purple energy rising and a massive head descending from the sky, followed by a body of dozens, even hundreds of zhang, coiling above the Beiliang Prince Mansion.

That head was clearly very similar to the python-dragon embroidered on Xu Xiao's python robe, and it was not obstructed by the buildings, as if it were merely a phantom.

But this phantom was terrifyingly real; it spat out purple energy, and its eyes, as large as lanterns, were filled with a horrific aura. Even Xu Fengnian, who had traveled the martial arts world, felt his heart crawl, as if the creature could swallow him whole with one opening of its mouth.

"Three sixty-year cycles have passed since I attained the Dao, yet I have never taken a head with a flying sword. No heavenly talisman has arrived from the Heavenly Court, I only listen to the flowing springs on Longhu Mountain." The long chant came from afar, drawing near, and a figure flew over as if from ten thousand miles away like a comet, landing on the head of the creature—whether it was a flood dragon or a giant python—looking down at Xu Fengnian with a disdainful gaze.

Xu Fengnian stared blankly, seeing only that the person was as crystalline as jade, with light flowing in their eyes, hardly like a person of the mortal world; only the Longhu Mountain Daoist robe they wore looked like an item of the mortal realm.

A Daoist came riding a dragon, his spirit Exiting Aperture.

The Daoist was named Zhao Huangchao.

"Descendants have their own fortunes and misfortunes; Wu Su, your lingering soul refuses to dissipate, why not hasten to the Yellow Springs?"

The Daoist did not look at Xu Fengnian, but instead gazed into the distance behind him.

Xu Fengnian turned his head, only to be shocked to discover a giant python coiling behind him, flicking its red tongue, confronting the glaring Heavenly dragon from afar.

For some reason, Xu Fengnian felt not fear, but a sense of intimacy toward this clearly more ferocious giant python.

"Fengnian."

In the void, a woman in white drifted with sleeves fluttering, her body translucent, floating slowly toward him, as graceful as a Dunhuang celestial being, suspended in the air, her beautiful eyes filled with tears, reaching out a nearly transparent hand to gently stroke her son's cheek.

Looking at the woman in white, Xu Fengnian did not know when he had become covered in tears, his voice hoarse, calling out with a choked, deliberately lowered voice: "Mother."

He feared that if he shouted too loudly, his mother would drift away with the wind.

……

Tingchao Pavilion, sixth floor, the lamps were all extinguished.

But if anyone could borrow the moonlight to glimpse the scene on the sixth floor, they would surely be greatly astonished.

A youth of peerless handsomeness sat cross-legged, dressed in black, almost perfectly blending into the night.

He rested his cheek on his right hand, his long black hair hanging down, his eyes closed, his long eyelashes casting a shadow, his expression serene, occasionally revealing a look of contemplation.

On both sides of the youth were bookshelves, and seven or eight books flew up from the shelves, spreading open, surrounding the youth, and turning pages from time to time, the speed extremely fast, emitting a rustling sound, and before long, a book was finished being read.

Then that book seemed to be held up by an invisible hand, placed back on the bookshelf, and another new book was taken down and read by the invisible hand.

This scene was as if the youth were using some special method to quickly read multiple books, which could be called unimaginable.

The moonlight spilled onto the youth and the books, revealing a sense of dignity and peace, as if he were a Buddha statue perched high upon a shrine.

Suddenly, the black-clad youth opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting in a playful smile, giving his whole person a touch of evil, as if he were a cat that had caught a mouse.

"You old thing, you really came; you truly think that apart from your bullshit Land Immortal, others have no means of Exiting Aperture? This time, I must give you a good beating."

The black-clad youth chuckled, closed his eyes again, and his consciousness left his body.

……

"Wu Su, the living and the dead are separated by yin and yang; a Residual Soul lingering in the human world is hardly the righteous path. Today, the old Daoist shall let everything return to dust and earth. Do not blame me; such is the Heavenly Dao, the cycle of cause and effect." The middle-aged Daoist raised his eyebrows, and vast Daoist Qi poured down overwhelmingly, his mouth issuing a thunderous command: "The Heavenly Dao is mighty, let the Demon disperse."

Not a single star could be seen in the sky anymore; clouds churned and stacked in layers, and countless bolts of thunder struck down from the clouds following Zhao Huangchao's command, intending to completely annihilate the Beiliang King's consort's Residual Soul, leaving not a speck of dust behind.

Wu Su was but a wisp of a Residual Soul; how could she withstand the power of thunder? Her body began to fade.

Xu Fengnian was powerless, tears streaming down his face as he cried out heart-wrenchingly: "Mother."

In the original timeline, he obtained the Great Huangting and already had the strength of a Third-Rank, and with the guidance of the Old Sword God Li Chungang, he still could not prevent the fate of Wu Su's Residual Soul being destroyed.

Let alone now.

"Zhao Huangchao, you old immortal, refusing to enter the Heavenly Gate, and for the sake of maintaining your own empire, using so many underhanded means in secret—you have the nerve to call it acting on behalf of the Heavenly Dao."

An ethereal voice rang out.

Zhao Huangchao's expression changed.

He was very familiar with this voice; although he had only heard a few words from it, the impression was profound, almost becoming his inner Demon.

Then Zhao Huangchao saw a palm with a jade-like luster.

This hand was soul-stirring, as if it had absorbed all the luster between heaven and earth, making the sun and moon dim, pressing toward the pitch-black dark clouds; the clouds were torn apart one by one, and the thunder they nurtured naturally disappeared along with them.

"It really is you." Zhao Huangchao had already seen that fluttering black-clad figure, and immediately recalled the vicious beating under Huishan back then.

"Heh, it is your grandfather here."

Yu Liancheng grinned.

This counted as his first attempt at a true spirit Exiting Aperture.

In fact, in the "Datang world," he had vaguely been able to do this, but lacking theoretical knowledge and fearing danger, he had almost never used it.

But in this world, the concept of Exiting Aperture truly existed.

Yu Liancheng had found similar methods in the Wending Pavilion of Huishan and the Tingchao Pavilion, and after brief practice, he was quite familiar with it.

"Zhao Huangchao, I remember I said that from now on, every time I see you, I will beat you once. Are you ready to be beaten now?" Yu Liancheng grinned, rubbed his wrists, and his expression seemed to reveal a murderous aura.

With the physical body's restraint on the spirit removed, the violent nature in his temperament was revealed without doubt.

"Hmph, this brat is courting death!!" Zhao Huangchao's face was ashen, and he snorted coldly, his glistening eyes flashing with a chilling murderous intent.

If the two had met at their normal levels, this Land Immortal might have fled immediately.

But now, both were Exiting Aperture.

And the opponent was merely a martial artist; how could he withstand his various divine abilities?

There was one more point that was particularly important: the higher one's cultivation, the more one needed a rounded state of mind; if one's thoughts were not clear, one was very likely to fall in rank.

Zhao Huangchao had been beaten up by Yu Liancheng at Huishan; with his strength as a Land Immortal, even if he had some injuries, he could recover quickly.

But that beating, combined with that dismissive attitude, had made Yu Liancheng almost his inner Demon; had it not been for his hundred years of cultivation, he would have fallen in rank.

But if left unchecked, something would go wrong sooner or later.

Now was the best time to eradicate the inner Demon.

Thinking of this, Zhao Huangchao's mind stirred, and the Heavenly dragon beneath his feet roared, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, rising into the air, opening its ferocious dragon claws, and pouncing toward Yu Liancheng with terrifying momentum.

Even Xu Fengnian, standing far to the side, felt as if he were caught in a landslide or tsunami, his body swaying, like a flame that might be extinguished at any moment.

The python beside Wu Su coiled its body, protecting Xu Fengnian and Wu Su.

"Haha, well come! Watch my Xianglong Shiba Zhang!!" Yu Liancheng laughed, pushing out a palm with steady force, with the faint sound of deep wind and thunder, meeting the dragon claw with one palm.

Compared to the dragon claw, Yu Liancheng's palm appeared insignificant.

But the moment the dragon claw and the palm collided, the Heavenly dragon's form trembled and actually became somewhat illusory.

"Impossible!!" Zhao Huangchao's expression changed.

Without waiting for him to react further, Yu Liancheng's figure flashed, suddenly darting onto the head of the Heavenly Dragon, and with a loud shout of "Dragon-Subduing Divine Leg," he stomped his foot onto the dragon's head.

The Heavenly Dragon let out a mournful cry, its figure becoming increasingly ethereal, until it finally collapsed and dissipated, disappearing completely between heaven and earth.

"He is clearly in an Exiting Aperture state, how can he still be this strong?"

Zhao Huangchao's expression turned ugly to the extreme; he flicked his sleeves, and a fierce gale arose. A Residual Soul like that of Wu Su would very likely have been blown away.

Yu Liancheng, however, remained motionless, like a rock in the wind and waves, and chuckled, "Fool, the true Martial Dao is the cultivation of both life and essence. Furthermore, with my formidable physique, my physical body nourishing my Primordial Spirit, this is definitely not something your little tricks can handle."

Zhao Huangchao's expression was uncertain; he flicked his sleeve, and a nurtured sword light flew out, slashing toward Yu Liancheng.

As for himself, he was even more decisive, directly transforming into a streak of light to flee, his speed even faster and more wretched than when he arrived. As an old turtle who had lived for hundreds of years, he naturally knew how to weigh the pros and cons.

"Thinking of leaving now, don't you think it's too late?"

Yu Liancheng reached out and grabbed, crushing the sword light, and then pursued his opponent.

Just as Zhao Huangchao was about to fly out of the Wang Mansion, two subtle sword lights suddenly flew out from the Tingchao Pavilion and stabbed toward him; they were precisely the two small swords controlled by Yu Liancheng.

Zhao Huangchao barely dodged them, but his speed slowed down. Yu Liancheng's phantom suddenly appeared before his eyes, grinning, "I said, every time I see you, I will beat you once."

The next moment, his fists came like a storm; the power was much weaker than in his physical state, but it was more than enough to deal with Zhao Huangchao.

How could Zhao Huangchao be willing to just take a beating? This person was worthy of being a Land Immortal-like figure; his large sleeves fluttered as he continuously summoned gales, lightning, flames...

But unfortunately, facing Yu Liancheng, it was difficult to achieve any effect.

Before long, Zhao Huangchao was restrained by Yu Liancheng, who grabbed him by the collar and rained punches directly onto his face.

It was fortunate that both were currently in the Exiting Aperture state, otherwise, Yu Liancheng could have blown the opponent's head off with a single punch.

"This..."

Xu Fengnian, standing to the side, was almost dumbfounded.

Today's dream seemed too bizarre and unpredictable.

But turning his head to look at this woman in white, tears could not help but well up in his eyes again.

"Mother, Fengnian misses you so much."

"Mother misses Fengnian very much, too."

Bang, bang, bang!!

Not to mention the touching scene of the mother and son reunited, Yu Liancheng's fists fell like raindrops, beating the Exiting Aperture, soul-wandering Zhao Huangchao until he became transparent and drifted about.

But no matter how he struck, he was ultimately unable to shatter him.

"You..." Zhao Huangchao looked at Yu Liancheng, gritting his teeth.

"You are quite resistant to a beating, but don't think I truly have no other means." Yu Liancheng chuckled, "Actually, in this current state, I have a martial art that is particularly useful; would you like to see it?"

"Fine, since you want to see, I will let you broaden your horizons."

Suddenly, Yu Liancheng's eyes overflowed with seven colors.

When Zhao Huangchao met those eyes, he felt only seven-colored light surging, boundless and vast, which actually transformed into a sea of desire, causing one to sink.

Countless emotions swirled in Zhao Huangchao's heart, among which anger and fear were the most intense.

Anger that he, a Land Immortal, was being bullied like this by a youth, and fear of the youth's formidable strength and tyrannical methods. The two emotions intertwined and surged continuously in Zhao Huangchao's heart.

And just as these two emotions were about to erupt like a volcano, Zhao Huangchao bit the tip of his tongue hard, a trace of clarity returned to his eyes, and he glared fiercely at Yu Liancheng before his entire figure suddenly dissipated.

"Heh, it really is hard to kill someone in the Primordial Spirit Exiting Aperture state; I am still a bit weak in this regard."

Yu Liancheng shook his head, though he did not mind. Next time they met, he would just beat Zhao Huangchao again, and he chuckled, "But this old fellow definitely won't have it easy. If he doesn't drop a realm, I'm his father."

Longhu Mountain.

In a secret chamber, Zhao Huangchao, who was sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes, his aura weak, and he gasped violently, still shaken.

That pair of seven-colored eyes echoed in his mind, unable to be dispelled, as if they had turned into the deepest, most primitive nightmare.

Then.

Zhao Huangchao's vast and majestic aura began to leak out, like a flood breaking through a dam. His momentum grew weaker and weaker, and before long, he fell out of the Land Immortal Realm.

And this falling of the realm had not yet ended.

"No!!"

Zhao Huangchao let out a roar of unwillingness.

No matter who it was, having hundreds of years of cultivation go down the drain would result in this, and it might even be more embarrassing than him. And the more this happened, the more unstable his state of mind became, causing his aura to leak even faster.

"Murong Tonghuang!!"

A shrill cry echoed in the secret chamber, like the wail of a night owl, chilling to the bone.

PS: Eight thousand words updated today, asking for monthly tickets.