Chapter 175: Forty-Nine Layers of Mountains

The barbarians cannot sense the Dao; those who have merged with the Dao may stand equal against a General.

But among those who arrived now were thirteen Warrior-Kings and countless Upper General barbarians.

The strength and explosive power granted by hardened flesh—including enhanced innate talents—far surpasses that of frail flesh.

Beneath the night sky, a cold moon hung high.

The silhouette of the Ten Thousand Mountains flickered faintly through distant thick fog, appearing endless.

The eight King-Generals from the Eastern Theater surged forth with overwhelming might, colliding instantly with the immortal sect Elders who rose into the air, stirring violent winds that surged toward the heavens.

They had planned to shake off their pursuers here and change course northwest, but with the powerful pursuers arriving, escaping was now impossible.

Thus, the original route became the best route.

Since they had already been exposed, the choice of route no longer mattered—the shortest was the least risky.

Heading straight north from here lies a thousand-li boundary between the demon race and the barbarians.

The barbarians dare not send large armies to tread there, for that boundary represents the demon race's honor; at this critical juncture before war, honor may seem useless, yet sometimes it is a vital factor in maintaining balance.

Under the night, Ji You summoned a spiritual light from his storage gourd, donned the Heart-Protecting Mirror he had purchased at great cost, and felt his heart still pounding.

That arrow earlier had been too perilous—it nearly made many in the Nine Provinces genuinely delighted…

And nearly left many women without the husbands they had envisioned.

He landed on the carriage's yoke, gazing at the Elder of Spirit Sword Mountain fighting alongside the Warrior-King barbarians; the brilliant sword qi was stronger than his own, the sword intent more fervent.

It seems that after the mission roster was finalized, the junior overseer of Spirit Sword Mountain once again left seclusion mid-journey, sending a Guardian of the Husband rank…

At this moment, Gongshu Chou landed on the carriage's yoke with his sword, recovering while gasping, then looked up at his own Elder, Yan Chuan.

"Why did Elder Yan save you?"

"Because Elder Yan is kind."

"?"

Gongshu Chou stared at him, believing not a word.

Could Elder Yan have been summoned by Ding Yao?

Though Ding Yao's realm is low and she has no noble lineage, as the overseer's maid and raised since childhood like a sister, her implicit status is very high…

Gongshu Chou furrowed his brow, unable to shake his head—he felt even Ding Yao's high status could not possibly summon a Boundless Realm Elder.

This is truly strange…

Ji You is clearly a disciple of the Heavenly Book Academy, yet he seems closer to Spirit Sword Mountain, as if he had relatives on the mountain.

"Zong Wei…"

Gongshu Chou narrowed his eyes: "Yes, it's Zong Wei!"

Ji You is the most trouble-prone person in the entire world, and when he causes trouble, he always uses Spirit Sword Mountain's sword arts; letting him live means he'll cause ever greater trouble, raising the prestige of Spirit Sword Mountain's sword arts.

Spirit Sword Mountain truly understands me.

Ji You did not know Gongshu Chou was pondering prestige—he stood on the carriage's yoke, frowning slightly as he gazed behind.

The pursuit flames stretched endlessly; the rushing air currents stirred hurricanes that turned the wild land chaotic, shaking the carriage violently.

The immortal sect Elders wielded myriad arts, fighting as they retreated, while the Warrior-Kings and Upper Generals continuously dove down, using their formidable aura to resist spells and sword arts directly.

But as the caravan continued hurtling forward, a scorching figure suddenly charged fiercely toward it.

With a thunderous boom, the entire carriage shuddered violently.

A barbarian Warrior-King, blazing like fire, smashed his fists into the ground, flipping the entire left side of the carriage onto the earth.

In an instant, everyone saw a figure torn apart, blood splattering the air, illuminating the barbarian Warrior-King's cruel and grotesque face.

"So strong…"

Clang! Swords rang out everywhere.

Jiang Chenfeng and others rose up, directly repelling the four approaching Upper Generals, yet the momentum-filled Warrior-King now had no one to stop him.

Immortal sect prodigies fight only battles they won't die in.

Whether they came for the position of direct disciple or for their family, the one thing they knew best was that death meant nothing.

Boom! The barbarian Warrior-King's iron fist slammed down, his arrogant aura surging straight toward the center of the caravan.

But before the punch landed, an iron blade slammed into it, blocking it.

The Elder of the Chen Clan Immortals broke free and surged forward, his overwhelming aura slicing the Warrior-King back.

But the Warrior-King he had just blocked now seized his chance, his entire aura exploding as he roared forward like a burning meteor, charging fiercely toward the center of the caravan.

Seeing this, Peng Dongyang, Director of the Divine Inspectorate, turned pale.

Humanity and the barbarians had been separated by the Northern Wall for a thousand years; their mutual understanding was insufficient.

They had assumed an Unbounded Realm escort was sufficient, yet still underestimated the danger of this journey—just as they had previously underestimated the barbarians' strict discipline.

If only a few Divine Wanderers or fully perfected Upper Realm experts had accompanied us…

Alas, such figures are regarded by immortal sects and noble clans as foundational treasures; even a thousand-year clan has few, and losing one could cause a clan's collapse, so they are never lightly dispatched.

In their view, if the demon and barbarian races did not unite but their own side collapsed from losing foundational experts, it would be better if the demon and barbarian races had united.

In fact, the Divine Inspectorate had pleaded repeatedly just to secure one Unbounded Realm Elder from the Chen Clan Immortals.

Had Spirit Sword Mountain not voluntarily sent another Unbounded Realm Elder to generously aid them, they might not have even reached this place…

Boom!

A tidal wave of fist energy surged forth, its reflection in Peng Dongyang's eyes rapidly swelling.

But at that moment, a figure suddenly leapt from the last carriage, intercepting the iron fist directly; his slender frame appeared pitifully frail before the mighty barbarian Warrior-King.

Under the thunderous crash of a collapsing mountain, the barbarian Warrior-King's punch was abruptly halted, yet the ferocious fist energy sent earth waves surging wildly outward.

Simultaneously, the figure who blocked the punch was blasted away like a cannonball, crashing like a broken kite far ahead of the caravan's advance.

Seeing this, Yan Chuan of Spirit Sword Mountain's eyes burst open, his head ringing violently.

Jiang Chenfeng and the other twelve prodigies, who had just repelled the barbarian Upper Generals, now widened their eyes in disbelief.

What did he gain?!

But at that moment, a hand suddenly gripped the yoke of the lead envoy's carriage, and a figure leapt inside, his labored breathing echoing within.

Ji You's face was pale, a trickle of blood oozing from his lip; the Heart-Protecting Mirror, said to withstand a full-force strike from an Answering Heaven Realm, was shattered more than half, its surface dim and lifeless.

Damn it, money is never wasted!

Just thinking of the mirror's price made his heart ache unbearably.

Inside the carriage sat three envoys: Wang Mingchang, Yu Shuheng, and Lu Ming.

As they neared the snowlands, the temperature was plummeting; they were wrapped in thick winter robes, staring at him now with blank, cloudy eyes filled with confusion.

"Young Master Ji…?"

Ji You grabbed Wang Mingchang: "Can you truly convince the Demon Emperor not to ally with the barbarians?"

Wang Mingchang swallowed: "We will do our utmost…"

"I don't know what great price the Great Xia prepared, or what the Seven Great Immortal Sects are willing to offer to appease the demons, but you're professionals at talking—you must be able to persuade them, right?"

Yu Shuheng clenched his fist: "Failure is not an option."

Ji You looked at the three of them: "Actually, if I ran alone, I had a chance to escape back—but I've always feared that if war truly breaks out, this tiny Tongxuan like me will be utterly useless. So I don't mind dying here, but you'd better keep your word."

Wang Mingchang stared at him, trembling as he raised his hand: "Young Master Ji is already an immortal… Why go so far?"

"I got carried away, so I'm a bit irrational…"

"I've never met an immortal like you before…"

"Soon, those prodigies will say the same—if the barbarian lands another punch."

Ji You released Wang Mingchang, pulled out the medicine box sent by the Yu Danzong siblings, consulted the instructions, took a pill, and immediately felt a torrent of energy surging through his body, his spiritual sense and stamina rapidly restoring.

Once the medicine's effect spread, he took spirit stones from his storage gourd, smashed them all with a punch, absorbed all the released spiritual energy into his body, then climbed onto the carriage roof.

Since their location was exposed, the caravan now had a "nothing left to lose" mindset and raced at full speed toward the nearest border.

With his vision, he could now see the border city ahead, beyond which stretched a vast white expanse.

Ji You retrieved his bow and arrow again, drew his arms back, and with a hum, shot dead one of the barbarian pursuers' warhorses, then walked toward the rear of the caravan.

At this moment, the immortal sect prodigies clashed with the several barbarian Upper Generals, their energies exploding and dust flying.

Brilliant sword qi, wild spells, and powerful physiques collided, bursting with explosive sounds.

The fiercest battlefield lay at the rear, where the six immortal sect Elders swept their hands, unleashing mysterious spells that forcibly blocked the thirteen Warrior-Kings; their clashing auras made the night boil, nearly draining the spiritual energy from the air.

Yan Qiubai had previously said that barbarian realm advancement merely enhances the body, strength, and innate talents.

But when strength becomes great enough, it can break spells.

Thus, the six Elders jointly resisting thirteen Warrior-Kings were far from effortless; that previous punch had occurred because one had broken through the encirclement.

As the barbarians' powerful, heavy assaults continued, the Elders' spell and sword barriers were breached once again.

A barbarian Warrior-King surged through the night, leaping into the air, his fist energy roaring so fiercely that everyone's faces paled, as if they saw mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Jiang Chenfeng slashed his sword, repelling the General-level barbarian before him: "We can't hold it—the barbarians' pursuit exceeds the Divine Inspectorate's estimates!"

Jiang Yan couldn't help glancing back: "We're almost at Hailongcheng—that's the border between barbarians and demons!"

"Don't all die here—fall back!"

Before the words finished, Huo Hong leapt into the air ahead of them.

Long ago, he had shattered all his spirit stones; now his spiritual energy was full.

Hailongcheng lay just ahead; abandoning everything, he could dash into the city and escape.

And "fall back" meant these cultivators would flee alone, leaving the envoy caravan to fend for itself—better than all dying here.

Beneath the night just before dawn, fist intent thundered across the sky, crashing down fiercely upon the laden caravan.

But unexpectedly, as a sudden sword howl rang out, the violent fist energy was once again halted midair.

Jiang Yan and Yan Qiu Bai suddenly froze, gazing ahead—before them, countless sword lights rose into the air, one, two… forty-nine spirit swords now surged with sword intent toward the heavens.

Amid the raging storm, Ji You's pupils blazed with golden light, then he raised a sky-spanning dragon of swords into the air.

The sword qi boiled uncontrollably at this moment.

His white robe flared wildly in the gusts.

A thread of blood trickled again from Ji You's lips, staining his silver teeth red, giving him a fearsome look.

Action and reaction are mutual: during his duel with Qiu, he had used only Seven Mountains, but now these forty-nine sword qi, heavy as mountain peaks, were crushing his hand bones with audible cracks.

In silence, a thunderous roar echoed across the universe—the forty-nine dao swords slammed down upon the barbarian warlord. The barbarian, caught off guard, was violently flung back by the crushing weight of the dao sword art, then struck squarely on the chest by Yan Chuan's sweeping blade.

At that moment, Ji You landed with a THUD atop the carriage, one foot shattering the wooden floor beneath him and sinking straight through.

His hands trembled violently, his skin reddened as if about to burst with blood.

He had used fifty-seven swords at the Heavenly Book Academy, but those were ordinary sword techniques—he had never wielded dao swords this way. Now, the backlash of qi tore through his body, and he spat a mouthful of blood…

Jiang Yan, Yan Qiu Bai, and the other prodigies who had decided to flee all halted, staring at that figure, their faces filled with shock.

【Dao Sword: Forty-Nine Mountains】

Swords shattered everywhere, clattering down in a rain of broken steel.

The uncrushed envoy carriage roared toward the city ahead, hooves crunching softly over the snow.

Hailongcheng was dilapidated, built entirely of yellow earth and stones; apart from a boundary stele, every corner was rubble and broken walls.

As the carriage thundered past, some demonic beings began to peek out from the ruins.

Seeing this, the barbarian warlords suddenly halted, their grotesque faces twisted with fury.

Who is that man?

Especially the warlord who had been flung back by the sudden dao sword—now wounded again by Yan Chuan's blade, his chest torn open, yet his killing intent surged even fiercer. He glared at the figure on the last carriage, clenched his iron fist, and growled a guttural, grinding sound.

It was now the hour of dawn; the deep night slowly paled.

Over the white expanse, icy winds howled like knives, but the envoy's carriage kept racing, until sunrise.

Several carriage horses collapsed with a clang, their heads slumped on the ground, nostrils flaring wildly.

Their breathing grew slower and slower—not from recovery, but from fading life, until their breath ceased and their eyes slowly closed.

Knowing exposure would mean a long chase, they had fed these horses Immortal Hemp Grass.

This spirit herb allowed horses to run without fatigue—but the moment they stopped, all accumulated exhaustion surged at once, crushing them utterly.

This wasn't cruel, for humans used the same herb on themselves.

For instance, when Chu He once spent entire nights meditating on the Heavenly Book, the pills he took contained Immortal Hemp Grass.

Now the envoy party had entered the decaying earth-city, built a fire on the flat ground, and sat in perfect stillness, drawing spiritual energy back into their bodies to replenish.

There had been casualties among the envoys.

Though the barbarian warlord's first punch was blocked, it shattered the carriage's protective artifact.

No one knew how many arrows had pierced the carriage until dawn, when they noticed the rear compartment drenched in blood—silent throughout, no sound emerging even after stopping.

Tu Xu had been struck by one arrow, his flesh pierced through.

Such external wounds meant little to cultivators, but the violent qi had surged deep into his body, leaving him teetering on death's edge.

Yet, at least, they had entered Snow Domain territory.

Long after, a crimson sun rose through the mist, bringing little warmth—only brightening the heavens and earth.

The immortal sect prodigies, having regained their breath, opened their eyes. After long silence, they gazed at the man leaning against the charcoal fire, eyes shut—every mind filled with the roaring image of 【Forty-Nine Mountains】, unable to return to stillness.

【He did not draw his sword—he crushed them to death with his fists.】

This was what they had heard from Jiang Yan and Yan Qiu Bai at the start of tonight's raid, after Ji You had slain two barbarian upper-tier soldiers with his sword.

Many had not believed it upon hearing those words.

But what followed told them it no longer mattered whether they believed or not.

Because Ji You had taken a barbarian warlord's punch head-on with a magical artifact—and still stood unharmed.

The artifact was indeed extraordinary, but it was never meant to be used this way…

The claim that it could "withstand a full-force strike from an Yingtian cultivator" referred to its use against a Rongdao cultivator—not any level. The most terrifying part? That warlord wasn't even Yingtian—he was Wujiang.

Otherwise, they could never have broken through the Elders' barriers.

So when that brutal punch came, the force blocked by the breastplate was only part—the rest Ji You bore entirely himself.

And even more astonishing: the forty-nine dao swords that surged skyward had directly severed a warlord who was poised to strike.

Among the female cultivators—Jiang Yan, Yan Qiu Bai, Jiang Yuerou, even Xiao Hanyan—the image of that man raising the sky-spanning sword dragon was seared into their minds. Every recollection left their dao hearts unsettled.

They had cultivated for years, seen countless cultivators in their clans and immortal sects—but never had they seen a man like this…

Self-taught, sword-slain a Rongdao, hand-to-hand crushed barbarians, dao sword felled a warlord.

"Humanity does have body-refining arts; combined with elixirs, they can reach astonishing strength."

"They say Ji You never takes elixirs."

"That's just what they claim publicly…"

Jiang Chenfeng smiled faintly, glanced at Jiang Yan, then the forced sneer vanished, leaving him silent.

Because he knew—even with body-refining arts and elixirs—it was impossible to reach such strength.

But the key wasn't that—it was those final forty-nine swords.

From afar, he had felt it: he could never have blocked those forty-nine swords.

Back in Fengzhou, Gongshu Chou had boasted everywhere that Ji You had sword-slain a Rongdao. He had scoffed, insisting that Rongdao cultivators from the Immortal Villa, who cultivated through time, weren't true Rongdao, and claimed he could do the same at Tongxuan.

Until those forty-nine swords drove back the barbarian warlord—it was as if a palm had slapped his face.

Yan Qiu Bai spoke softly, recalling the fist that had torn through the night: "Does he fear death?"

"If he feared death, he wouldn't have come."

"And him and Lingjian Mountain…?"

At this, everyone opened their mouths, remembering the scene on the carriage, all turning to Yan Qiu Bai.

After days together, they had learned Ji You's past—he was a Heavenly Book Academy disciple, yet never favored by them.

Many even wished him dead here.

When the arrow came, Elder Ge of the Heavenly Book Academy hadn't even moved—exactly as predicted.

Ji You's greatest difference from them wasn't his lower realm—it was that no one had ever protected him.

This explained why he wasn't afraid of spiritual sense restrictions, and why he insisted on refining his body.

A self-taught cultivator from the wilds, with no protection, must constantly face life-or-death situations—he must acquire more ways to survive.

But no one expected an Elder from Lingjian Mountain to intervene—even when Ji You was thrown by the barbarian warlord's punch, Yan Chuan nearly went mad.

As if Yan Chuan hadn't come to escort the envoy party—but solely to protect him.

Could he be Yan Chuan's illegitimate son, like Huo Hong, forced to hide their bond and secretly guard him?

But the moment this thought arose, everyone recalled Yan Chuan's slight bow after catching the arrow.

It wasn't the posture of an elder toward a junior—it was the posture of a subordinate toward his lord…

Yan Qiu Bai, under the stares of all, offered no answer.

She only knew Lingjian Mountain and the Heavenly Book Academy were not on good terms; when they received the Heavenly Book Academy's decree, the Tianjian Peak faction had mostly scoffed.

Especially since Lingzhou lay at the southernmost edge of the Nine Provinces—even if barbarians and demons breached the Cold Iron Pass, it would barely affect Lingjian Mountain.

So initially, the sect only planned to send a few token disciples.

But on the day of departure, she discovered an Wujiang Elder from Xuanjian Peak had joined them—his name hadn't been on the list.

In her view, only the Junior Master, who was her cousin by lineage, could have dispatched such an Elder—but the Junior Master had already entered seclusion, declaring he would not emerge until reaching Wujiang.

Yan Qiu Bai pursed her lips, decided not to overthink it.

Then her beautiful eyes turned to the figure lying behind the charcoal fire—should she go see him?

At her age, she should be seeking a dao partner; on the journey, asking Jiang Yan about partners and offspring had been no accident—she had been considering it.

Yan Qiu Bai rose, smoothed her skirt, tucked her hair, and prepared to walk gracefully over—only to find two figures had already moved ahead: Jiang Yan and Jiang Yuerou, even more graceful than she.

(End of Chapter)