Chapter 157: The Human Dao, Beneath the Blue Sky (Combined)

Following the principle of caution, the three did not eat in the shop but went to the counter and asked the white-bearded shopkeeper for three superior rooms.

The shopkeeper was a mortal, rarely seeing immortals stay at his establishment, and even when collecting silver, his hands trembled slightly.

Yet as the shopkeeper took the silver, a faint clinking sound came from the cabinet beside his right foot, inside the counter.

At the sound, all three raised their heads.

The shopkeeper seemed unaware, still bowing his head, but his shoulders trembled faintly.

Then he fumbled, grabbing a silver coin without even using the small scale beside him and thrusting it into their hands, still keeping his head down as his temples began to dampen.

"You've given too much."

"?"

The shopkeeper instinctively looked up and saw Ji You returning the coin he had grabbed, his eyes slightly stunned.

Ji You then turned and walked away, leading ahead of Cao Jingsong and Pei Ruyi, stepping on the wooden stairs with a creaking sound as he hurried upstairs.

"There's a little girl hidden in the cabinet," Pei Ruyi whispered.

Ji You nodded silently: "About the same age as Qiu Ru—likely the shopkeeper's young child."

"It seems that in the eyes of the people of Fengzhou, we cultivators are no different from demons and evil spirits."

"Don't belittle yourself—demons and evil spirits are worse than cultivators."

"?"

Ji You's words were indeed true.

In Fengzhou, everyone knew that cultivators kidnapped children to make elixirs, so to the local populace, all immortals carried this image.

When they entered the shop, the owner had likely had no time to drive the girl away and had shoved her into the cabinet instead.

But such mortals, lacking any cultivation, did not realize that under a cultivator's spiritual sense, such hiding was utterly meaningless…

Across the Nine Provinces, the people suffered—but in Fengzhou, one could see every form of suffering the Nine Provinces held.

Ji You had once heard from Qiu Zhong that the late patriarch of the Ji family, who died four years ago, had once said something ironic yet true.

The living mortals are not alive because they worked hard enough—they should thank the immortals for being too lazy to kill them.

Ji You now reached his guest room door and pushed it open.

Yecheng bordered the provincial capital and, by geography, should have been quite favorable—but blocked by mountains, its ties to the capital were weak, making it no better than Yuyang County.

The gray bricks laid on the floor of the room were missing chunks here and there.

This, already, was considered quite good.

Ji You now opened the window facing the rear wall and looked outside.

Along the entire main street, from south to north, every side was lined with watchers.

These watchers' cultivation was low—the best among them were barely at the Initial Illumination realm, all aged thirty to forty, some even older, with even lower cultivation.

Such disciples of immortal sects couldn't even match the merchants of Shengjing in status, yet here in Fengzhou they strutted about arrogantly, abusing their power—all because they were born into noble families, granted the innate right to cultivate. This was the most absurd thing of all.

Ji You now stepped away from the window, sat cross-legged on the bed, and entered meditation.

Spiritual energy around him surged toward him, drawn in through his qi orifices, then dispersed through his damaged spiritual core to every limb and organ.

This scene resembled spring rain falling into natural depressions, gradually gathering into a gentle stream.

As the rain intensified, the depressions widened, and the stream began to rush.

Then his spiritual sense stirred, igniting the rushing streams of spiritual energy.

His white robe swelled and fluttered with qi, while Ji You's brow tightened, his expression etched with suppressed pain.

This was his fourteenth Initial Illumination, and his thirteenth Spirit Fire Body Tempering.

The ignited spirit fire now surged through his body at his will, piercing and refining him from within outward, breaking through his skin.

At first, it was only flickering sparks, then multiplying and spreading like oil-fire racing across a surface.

It surged from his abdomen, crawling along his skin, eventually engulfing his entire body over time.

In the Lower Realms, the Nirvana realm was much the same—except that instead of spiritual cores being burned, it was Ji You, a living man, now undergoing the trial.

Hours later, Ji You's body steamed with sweat; as he held his breath and exhaled, his shoulders slumped, gasping heavily, the golden light in his eyes dimming.

Both external observation and internal inspection required spiritual sense.

External observation could see a thousand li away; internal inspection demanded microscopic perception.

Now, sweat dripped from his forehead, mixing with dust on the floor to form murky droplets.

Even when he had endured the final 【Si Wu Xie】 strike from Elder Qi on Spirit Sword Mountain, he had not suffered this much—clearly, this fourteenth Initial Illumination was no easy feat.

"Burned out…"

"Need to reserve time to recover spiritual sense and spiritual energy…"

Outside the inn, in tea houses and taverns, many still watched the inn, their murmurs never ceasing.

Everyone knew a student from the Heavenly Book Academy had learned the sword art of Spirit Sword Mountain.

They were curious about Fengzhou's ultimate fate—but even more curious about his sword.

Now the world said that during the Autumn Duel at the Heavenly Book Academy, Chu He, wielding the 【Hun Tian Technique】, had been peerless—yet still cut down by him.

Thus, those who had only heard but never seen the sword now longed to witness its peerless art.

"Two hours have passed—will they leave the city today?"

"Not necessarily."

"How do you know?"

"The carriage was unhitched earlier and taken to the back courtyard, not to the front horse trough."

Amid the murmurs, a commotion suddenly rose from the tea house; some turned their gazes down the street.

At dawn, when a large number of cultivators entered the city, the terrified people of Yecheng had locked their doors and windows or fled beyond the walls, leaving the main street empty.

Yet now, in the sight of all, a man in a dark blue short robe, sword at his side, appeared on the street.

He walked toward the inn, paused at the door for a long while, then lifted his robe and stepped inside.

"Who is that man?"

"Luo Pingshan, deputy lord of Break-Moon Immortal Manor, Initial Profound realm, descendant of the Luo family of Zhongzhou. The Luos aren't a top-tier clan in Zhongzhou, but several elder ancestors there are close to the Heavenly Book Academy."

"What is he…?"

"It seems not all immortal manors want to fight—if they can negotiate, they prefer it. After all, Ji You is now a registered inner-disciple of the Heavenly Book Academy."

Someone in the tea house, familiar with these immortal manors, spoke up to explain.

Hearing this, a wandering member of the Chen Shixian clan who had come to watch frowned.

"This situation resembles the standoff between the Mountain Sea Pavilion and Spirit Sword Mountain's Heaven Sword Peak against my Chen Shixian clan…"

This Chen clan member spoke with extreme caution—after the Qiling incident, the Chen Shixian clan had been surrounded, yet he cleverly replaced "surrounded" with "standoff."

But the others paid no mind to his word choice—they cared more about the deeper meaning of his analogy.

Back then, the Mountain Sea Pavilion and Spirit Sword Mountain's Heaven Sword Peak had attacked the Chen Shixian clan under the banner of seeking justice for their dead disciples.

Yet in the Qingyun Realm, both noble families and immortal sects knew their true goal was always profit.

In the end, the Chen Shixian clan secretly ceded much, and the battle never broke out.

This Chen clan member's implication: the current situation in Yecheng may unfold just as the Chen clan's had.

That is—cede benefits, negotiate, and see if an agreement can be reached.

"After the Ancient War, the human race has rested for many years. As long as the profit is great enough, they won't fight unless forced."

"All under heaven bustle for profit; all under heaven rush for profit. Every war is merely about unequal distribution. In other words, if distribution were equal, peaceful coexistence would be possible—depending on how much these immortal sects are willing to give."

"One percent, two percent, three percent…"

"I heard Ji You loves money—let's see how much these immortal sects must offer to make him move."

Indeed, as this Chen clan member said, the immortal manors of Fengzhou had been vacillating between fighting and negotiating.

Since Ji You entered Yecheng, near the military frontier, someone had suggested sending a messenger to sound out his intentions—Luo Pingshan was now that envoy.

Their offer: Ji You could establish a noble family in Fengzhou, but could take no more than one percent of the tax tribute.

"Tax tribute" did not mean only grain.

Fengzhou also had small spirit mines and spirit seed fields, all included.

Of course, Fengzhou's resources were meager—but even so, one percent of an entire province's tribute was already generous; some outsider immortal manors had operated here for four or five years without securing even one percent.

In their eyes, Ji You was alone.

Even with endless vitality, building a great family required decades—so one percent was already sincere.

At this moment, numerous intelligence reports had spread through the sect's outside agents, and the situation in Fengzhou was gradually becoming known to all major immortal sects and noble families.

For the Heavenly Book Academy, if both sides could negotiate—even if one side gained more and the other less—it would be excellent.

For other noble families, it was the same.

Yet soon, those in the tea house saw Luo Pingshan emerge from the inn, frowning as he hurried away.

"Looks like negotiations failed…"

"That's how it always goes—no one agrees on the first offer. The immortal manors are also holding back, expecting the price to rise further."

True enough, soon after, Luo Pingshan returned and entered the inn again.

This time, the immortal manors offered two percent of Fengzhou's tax tribute.

In and out, in and out—the offer kept rising: from two percent to eight percent—but when Luo Pingshan emerged again, his brow remained furrowed.

By his eighth visit, they didn't even mention nine percent—they directly offered twenty percent.

Twenty percent of Fengzhou's tax tribute was an astronomical sum.

Remember, the human lands of the Qingyun Realm totaled only nine provinces, with thousands of noble families—twenty percent approached the share of a thousand-year-old clan.

Many believed such a high bid was only possible because these immortal manors respected the Heavenly Book Academy's face.

If Ji You were a sensible man, he would have agreed by now.

But to everyone's surprise, when Luo Pingcheng emerged from the inn again, his brow was even more furrowed.

"Two percent is already too much."

"Indeed. Even if Fengzhou is impoverished, such a large share has already insulted the dignity of our Tian Shu Academy."

The three directors of the Management Office had specially arranged for spirit-message transmission; now, seeing the result, they couldn't help but frown deeply.

At first, Ji You had the moral high ground in this matter, but as the price kept rising, some truly began to think he was being overly greedy.

In Shengjing, Princess Changle, Dou Yuan Kong, and other aristocratic youths were discussing it fervently, while Wei Rui sat quietly to the side, listening intently.

Because she knew that Master Ji was the closest friend of Master Kuang.

"Ji You has always looked down on everyone. I'm not at all surprised he refused two percent."

Zhao Yunyue sneered: "When I cut down Chuhe, I sent him a hairpin, asking to become his Dao partner—he still looked down on me. How could two percent in tax revenue possibly appeal to him?"

Dou Yuan Kong also snorted coldly: "He probably thinks the entire Fengzhou tax share already belongs to him—how could two percent possibly satisfy him?"

Wei Rui couldn't help speaking up: "No—that's not it. Master Ji is fighting for the people of Fengzhou; of course he won't compromise!"

"Rui'er, you're too easily fooled. If Ji You truly cared for the people, he would've drawn his sword already. Why hide in this inn, pretending to wait for bids? That Kuang scholar with him is the same kind—yes, we're greedy, but we don't hide it. They're far more cunning than we are!"

Zhao Yunyue lifted her teacup: "Next, those spirit estates won't bid anymore—they'll just ask Ji You outright how much he wants."

"…."

At midday, Luo Pingshan returned to the inn once more.

He was now thoroughly practiced—he climbed the second floor, pushed open the door, and entered Ji You's room: "Master Ji, making such an offer only wastes time. My lord and several other estate lords have asked me to find out: how much will satisfy you?"

Hearing this, Ji You slowly opened his eyes and opened his lips.

At that moment, across the vast, empty expanse of Fengzhou, farmers holding empty bowls wept in the open fields.

Paper money rides the autumn wind; peasant homes add new grief.

Upon hearing Ji You's words spoken slowly and clearly, Luo Pingshan's face turned ashen; he rose in fury and swiftly left the inn.

At the teahouse, everyone witnessed this, stunned.

Soon after, a brilliant light erupted from the mountains behind Yecheng, intense spiritual radiance surging skyward and staining the clouds and mist.

Immediately, countless disciples from spirit estates rushed toward Yecheng, spreading a message.

A naturally born spiritual treasure has appeared in the mountains of Yecheng. A band of rogue cultivators entered the mountains to seize it. The major spirit estates of Fengzhou now unite to exterminate them. Therefore, a thirty-li perimeter around Fengzhou is under total lockdown—anyone attempting to enter or leave will be executed on sight.

Hearing this, the cultivators in teahouses and taverns erupted in uproar and rose to their feet.

There are many coincidences in the world—but this cannot be one.

Everyone knew: the claim of a spiritual treasure appearing in the mountains was false; the bandit suppression was pure fabrication. The only truth was the lockdown—these outside spirit estates planned to kill.

Ji You's establishment of a family here was legal; thus, even if they moved against him, they needed a legitimate excuse.

And those lies were the excuse.

Under Fengzhou's lockdown, anyone caught trespassing in the mountains and killed would be declared a bandit, regardless of innocence.

In other words, Ji You had broken off talks with these mountain sects.

Before anyone could recover from this sudden news, they suddenly noticed a figure stepping out of the inn.

He wore a white robe, carrying seven long swords; his sword intent surged along the city's main road, his gaze sharp as a blade.

Cao Jinsong and Pei Ruyi followed behind him, swords drawn, their expressions grim, walking with him into the mountains, their killing intent rising.

Those seated in the teahouse had merely been spectators; now, watching them until the western city gate, seeing them head into the mountains, they suddenly snapped back to awareness.

War is coming!

The instant this thought struck, the outer disciples rushed to send word, swiftly transmitting the shocking news.

More people stood dumbfounded, mouths agape, staring at the trio advancing toward the mountains.

"Why did war break out so suddenly? How much did he demand?"

"Yes—how much did Ji You demand?"

"The spirit estates here had wanted negotiation—surely, it was only a matter of degree. Why such an extreme reaction?"

At this moment, as the sudden news spread rapidly, countless faces turned pale.

In Shengjing: Princess Changle, Dou Yuan Kong, Wei Rui, and other imperial clan members and high official scions.

Lu Qingqiu, He Lingxiu, Wen Zhengxin, Ban Yangshu, and other Tian Shu Academy inner and outer disciples, along with the three directors of the Management Hall.

Even the two academy masters engaged in a game of weiqi had frozen mid-move.

Simultaneously, within the grand, deep palace, the emperor, devoted to new reforms, stepped out of his main hall.

How much did Ji You demand, that the spirit estates refused even to consider it and immediately launched a massacre?

"He must have demanded everything."

"Everything?"

"He rushed to Fengzhou precisely to claim its entire share. If he hadn't demanded everything, the spirit estates would never have reacted so violently!"

"Word has arrived."

"?"

"What Ji You demanded…"

Not all spirit estate cultivators joined the battle—those of the Microillumination Realm who acted as spies were merely cannon fodder.

But they knew exactly how much Ji You demanded. When the sword qi surged into the sky, the cultivators stationed in Yecheng had already extracted the answer—and now it was rapidly transmitted across the land.

Zhao Yunyue couldn't help leaning forward: "How much did he demand?"

"He demanded…"

"Say it!"

"He said he wanted every child in his household to grow up, every traveler to return home no matter how late, every corrupt spirit to fear the law, and every Dao in this world to exist beneath the blue sky…"

As the words ended, the teahouses of Shengjing fell utterly silent.

All within the Tian Shu Academy, inner and outer, turned their gaze toward the ten-thousand-li sky.

"!"

The mountains of Yecheng were vast, but mostly consisted of low hills—not steep. This was precisely why the spirit estates chose this battlefield.

Ji You stepped up the mountain; his boiling sword intent made the mountain winds roar in response.

Seeing this, the cultivators atop the hills narrowed their eyes—and suddenly, killing intent howled through the air.

They were all Tongxuan Realm cultivators—eighteen in total—renowned warriors from their estates, either senior retainers or deputy lords. Some, with high talent, still had black hair; others were already streaked with white.

They were all aristocratic youths from other provinces, too untalented to enter a true spirit sect.

Some had once entered spirit sects, but failed to break through after their term ended, so they left, enduring years of hardship and pill-fueled cultivation to reach the upper five realms—yet they knew their path to immortality had reached its end.

Such cultivators were everywhere in the Qingyun Realm.

When they saw the end of their lives, when immortality became impossible, the desires they had suppressed through cultivation surged back violently—greed for wealth and power intensified.

These men could never sit quietly in deep mountains, guarding their Dao hearts. They were driven by the seven emotions and six desires.

So they left their clans, came here, and began to dominate the land, their minds filled with filth.

"Teacher, Sister, go ahead."

"Understood."

Tongxuan Realm cultivators couldn't stop a Rongdao Realm cultivator—even with numbers, it offered no real advantage.

Because they knew five estate lords waited behind them.

Their target was Ji You, also Tongxuan Realm—and he was the key to this entire matter.

Whether they killed him or crippled him, the other two would be useless even if they reached Fengzhou.

So Cao Jinsong and Pei Ruyi moved ahead, heading deeper into the dense forest.

"They say Ji You is strong—but even so, he's only Tongxuan. We have eighteen Tongxuan."

"True. When the Poyue Estate Lord offered one percent to appease him, I thought: why bother?"

Amid their murmurs, a black-haired Tongxuan stepped forward, gazing down at Ji You, sword in hand: "I too was once a Tian Shu Academy disciple. Even then, I never dared to be so arrogant, relying on my sect's name. You, boy, are far too full of yourself."

No sooner had he finished speaking than seven spirit-laden Dao swords suddenly shot skyward.

Intense sword qi soared like white clouds; the heavy sword intent shook the mountains instantly.

【Spirit Sword Mountain Dao Sword: Sevenfold Mountain】

Seeing this, the eighteen Tongxuan cultivators leapt into the air, blades, spears, halberds, and sabers flashing with cold light.

BOOM!

Ji You slammed his arms downward—seven great swords crashed onto the hilltop. The black-haired Tongxuan, leading the charge, raised his sword to meet it—but before the sword intent struck, his pupils shrank violently, then widened in horror.

A spray of blood—CRASH! The sound of the blade's descent echoed like thunder; the entire cliff collapsed.

Amid the storm, the sword cultivator's long hair flew wildly, his body radiating scorching aura.

"This is the famed Sword Path of Spirit Sword Mountain…"

The spectators who had sat in the city all day had now rushed here; they stood nearby, stunned, watching seven men fly backward, blood gushing from mouths and noses.

There is a difference between spirit sect disciples and spirit estate disciples.

And the difference between outer and inner disciples of a spirit sect is even greater.

Even at the same realm, their cultivation base—built through years of grinding fueled by pills—could not compare to this young Tongxuan. That was the truth.

Only those who had long ruled Fengzhou with impunity would look down on everyone, assuming his arrogance stemmed from Tian Shu Academy…

But those with good intelligence, like travelers from other sects, knew: since Tian Shu Academy sought Dao from Spirit Sword Mountain, half its arrogance came from him…

Now, all eighteen Tongxuan cultivators turned pale—some still bleeding, their eyes filled with terror.

Ji You climbed the mountain; his massive, heavy sword intent surged again—then he froze, his gaze locking onto several figures retreating into the forest.

"Don't retreat—anyone who retreats today, I'll behead first."

"?"

Hearing these words, the onlookers around them all froze.

Because they knew Ji You's purpose in coming here was to reach Fengzhou Prefecture, to establish his own clan.

Just moments ago, his sword strikes had been brutal, clearly terrifying these men into submission; letting them leave now would have saved his strength, which would have been ideal—but now, for some reason, he refused to let them go.

Ji You stepped forward with sword in hand, gazing at the Cultivation Base: Void-Transcending cultivators as he spoke slowly: "Some things—the Old Age Pavilion, even eating one's own child—once seen, bring sorrow; but seen often, seen over time, they breed rage. I believe even good people in this world rarely receive good fortune—how then could you expect to end well?"

"So when I left Yuyang County, I had already decided: not one of you will leave alive today. It's not that you blocked me—it's that I lured you here on purpose to kill you."

"Because tonight there are bandits—don't you remember the decree: 'Kill anyone who enters the mountains'? You all come from clans, while I'm merely a private cultivator from the countryside. If I miss tonight, how else will I find a reason to draw my sword against you so freely?"

Ji You stood amid the scattered rocks and slowly raised his hand; an unbearably sharp sword qi shot straight to the ninth heaven.

(Boosting average subscription, so I've merged two chapters—please support with monthly votes…)

(Recommend a friend's book: "The Life of a Burnout Professional: From Ant to God of Martial Dao"—direct link in the author's note below.)

(End of Chapter)