Chapter 151: Finding a Mountain, Having a Talk, and Strutting Boldly into the City

The Ink Pond was a treasure bestowed upon An Le by the Master of the Sixth Mountain. Although its initial grade was not very high, it suited An Le remarkably well because it was a sword of calligraphy and painting.

An Le had once painted inked bamboo and wild horses; hence, this inked bamboo and the sword matched him exceptionally well.

An Le's calligraphic and artistic aura could nourish the sword.

And the Ink Pond did not betray expectations, slowly rising from a sixth-grade sword artifact to its current fourth-grade status.

If a magical treasure was elevated to the third grade, it could be called a high-grade magical treasure—quite rare and exceptionally hard to come by.

Sixth-grade magical treasures were very common, but third-grade magical treasures were exceedingly precious.

Furthermore, the Ink Pond contained a Lesser Sage Token. Having completed the three predetermined conditions set by the mountain masters and gained the approval of all six, the Lesser Sage Token naturally and automatically guided the Ink Pond to find An Le.

After all, conversing with the Sage Master was not merely a matter of empty words; it required the Lesser Sage Token as a credential.

Having fulfilled the three conditions and crushed the Lesser Sage Token, An Le had accepted this opportunity for a dialogue with the Sage Master.

In fact, such an elegant affair as conversing with the Sage Master was rarely witnessed by the mortal world.

Back then, Li You'an had met the Sage Master by finding an obscure, untrodden green mountain outside Lin'an Prefecture, where he crushed the Lesser Sage Token on the peak, conjuring the miraculous manifestation of the Sage Master's countenance.

The manifestation of the Sage Master overlooking the mortal realm seemed difficult for anyone below the tenth realm to perceive, so very few in the world had truly witnessed such a sight.

Yet today, things were vastly different.

An Le was outside Lin'an Prefecture, facing the wrath of the Zhao family's Emperor, who had ordered the powerful figures within Lin'an Prefecture to pour out in full force solely to capture him.

Naturally, An Le had crushed the Lesser Sage Token right in front of the entire world.

Causing the manifestation of the Sage Master overlooking the mortal realm to appear above the firmament—a spectacle never before seen by anyone below the tenth realm...

Even the Zhao family's Emperor, sitting high within the Heavenly Mystery Palace of the imperial city, felt his pupils constrict at that moment. He abruptly stood up from his imperial throne, vanished in a flash, and appeared upon the white jade plaza, tilting his head to gaze at the unimaginably huge face manifested across the sky.

The Zhao family's Emperor had never broken through to the tenth realm; he had always remained at the ninth realm, and thus he too had never beheld the visage of the Sage Master overlooking the world.

In fact, throughout his five-hundred-year reign, very few in the world had actually seen the Sage Master. Over these five hundred years, there seemed to have been only two or three.

Li You'an was one, and the State Preceptor of the Kingdom of Dali, whose hands could pluck the stars, was another.

And now, An Le was to be the newest person to converse with the Sage Master.

Moreover, An Le had summoned the Sage Master's manifestation right outside Lin'an Prefecture...

This was the first time the Zhao family's Emperor had beheld the Sage Master in five hundred years... This was the first time in five centuries that he had laid eyes on the aloof Sage Master of the sacred mountains, transcendent of the mortal world!

In his youth, he too had held a Lesser Sage Token and charged up the Lesser Sage Rankings.

Pity that he had failed to successfully meet the Sage Master.

Yet now, five hundred years later, he was beholding the countenance of the Sage Master in a manner that filled him with bittersweet emotion.

Even if it was merely a fleeting glance, even if the Sage Master's face appeared utterly blurred and impossible to discern clearly in his eyes,

it still filled the Zhao family's Emperor with an inexplicable sense of awe.

He parted his lips, desperately wishing to ask the Sage Master how to break through the tenth realm.

This was his dream of dreams. He knew the Sage Master could certainly guide him, point the way to the light, allow him to step into the true tenth realm, and grant him the opportunity to extend his life.

From youth to old age, he had perused countless ancient texts left behind by various dynasties. Every dynasty regarded the sacred mountains with utmost reverence and awe, and even the First Emperor from ten thousand years ago held respect for their existence.

Similarly, the transcendent status that the sacred mountains had always maintained was part of what set the heart of the Zhao family's Emperor pounding.

The Sage Master... perhaps he had stepped into the twelfth realm, transcending the Emperor of Yuan-Meng who had reached the dual-tenth realm, and even surpassing that peerless imperial sovereign of the eleventh realm from ten thousand years ago, stepping into an unprecedented twelfth realm!

The current Emperor of Yuan-Meng, the greatest under heaven, possessed a peerless and radiant grace, having stepped into the dual-tenth realm and even seeking to borrow the dragon veins of the Central Plains to assault the eleventh realm. Yet before the sacred mountains, before the Sage Master, even the Yuan-Meng Emperor did not dare to act presumptuously.

"So that's how it is... So that's how it is..."

"Is this your reliance, An Le?"

Upon the white jade plaza, the Zhao family's Emperor stood in solitude. In the past, Eunuch Tong would have accompanied him, standing side by side, but now only his solitary self remained.

He closed his eyes, adjusting his composure.

He had not expected that An Le had already completed the three conditions for conversing with the Sage Master.

He knew An Le had killed Zhao Pei, which amounted to a formidable ascent to the top of the Lesser Sage Rankings. Yet even as the top-ranked youth, when An Le dared to kill Zhao Pei right outside the gates of Lin'an City, the Emperor still possessed the capability to capture An Le and imprison him in the Grand Court's Hell.

He could spare An Le's life, but slowly strip away the heart-sword within his body.

Sparing An Le was out of respect for the sacred mountains.

And once thrown into the prison, An Le would lose any possibility of fulfilling the third condition. As the Lesser Sage Rankings of this era vanished, An Le would ultimately... fade into the crowd, lose the protection of the sacred mountains, and in the end be easily crushed by him like an ant.

Yet never had he imagined that An Le would actually complete the third condition...

As everyone knew, far too many prodigies had fallen short before the third condition, unable to obtain this coveted opportunity.

Because the third condition was simply too difficult.

When had An Le completed it?

The Zhao family's Emperor drew a deep breath, inevitably recalling the moment when An Le had resolutely and decisively swung the Green Mountain before the Yuan-Meng capital in the northern lands.

At that time, he had mocked An Le for courting death.

But looking at it now, perhaps... that had been the third condition for conversing with the Sage Master.

……

An Le raised his head and gazed at the unimaginably huge face upon the firmament.

Even he instinctively felt a wave of pressure welling up from the depths of his soul. Was this the Sage Master?

It was as if the mortal realm could not contain the Sage Master; merely casting down a projection of his face caused endless pressure to wash over the world, much like a giant looking down upon a tiny and restricted mortal realm.

It was as if they existed in entirely different tiers and dimensions of reality.

An Le looked up, his eyes bright and dazzling, his spine remaining straight and rigid. Even while facing the peerless Sage Master, the transcendent Sage Master, he did not lower his brow or bend his waist in the slightest.

As he looked at the Sage Master, gradually, he found that the Sage Master's face was becoming exceptionally clear in his vision.

It was an aged and kindly face, devoid of any ethereal detachment or unworldliness, and even... somewhat resembling an old grandfather from next door who liked to drink aged yellow wine, carrying a very rich aura of human fireworks.

The Sage Master's gigantic face seemed to descend from the starry skies, looking down calmly at An Le. Within those eyes, which clearly reflected all things and matters in heaven and earth, he looked only at An Le, and his eyes held only An Le.

An Le gazed at the Sage Master.

He put the Ink Pond away into his sword box, kept the Green Mountain hanging at his waist, cupped his fists, and bowed slightly to the Sage Master.

"An Le, greetings, Sage Master."

The Sage Master smiled, gradually fading away, leaving only an ethereal voice—audible to An Le alone—to ring beside his ears.

"Find a mountain, have a talk..."

……

Grand Preceptor Liu Guanshi and Grand Court Minister Su Qingke stood one before the other, blocking An Le's path. Yet at this moment, they felt as though they were sitting on pins and needles.

Because they were too close to An Le, and precisely because of this proximity, the gaze cast down by that blurred face in the firmament seemed to let them perceive a fraction of its presence.

Merely because of this closeness and this slight perception, they felt as though the celestial platforms erected within the spiritual spaces of their mud-pill palaces were about to collapse under the strain!

Mortals must not gaze directly upon gods.

Although they were ninth-realm experts, they were still mortals, and therefore they could not gaze directly upon the god-like Sage Master!

Terrifying, boundless, vast, transcendent...

Such were the initial sensations of Liu Guanshi and Su Qingke. The two men hastily reined in their perceptions radiating around them, and the Sage Master's face, which had seemed somewhat clear in their eyes, gradually blurred once more.

As the image blurred, the oppressive weight upon them slowly vanished, and they no longer needed to fear a mental collapse caused by staring directly at the Sage Master!

The two withdrew their gazes, their hearts struck with boundless terror.

Both of them finally understood what gave An Le the confidence to brazenly kill the Second Prince, Zhao Pei, right outside Lin'an Prefecture.

It was not Sumu Zhe's Great Yan Sword Formation, nor the Green Mountain held in his hand, nor that unknown First Emperor's will that might or might not awaken...

It was the sacred mountains!

An Le's reliance was the Sage Master!

He had completed the predetermined conditions required to converse with the Sage Master.

That was why he could calmly and confidently kill the Second Prince Zhao Pei, and why he possessed the backing and confidence to step into Lin'an Prefecture completely unscathed.

This boy was truly... far too dazzling!

Such talent, such temperament, and such unyielding pride were simply rare to behold in this world.

The Old Imperial Uncle's judgment was indeed extraordinary; he had bestowed the Green Mountain while the youth was still in his humble beginnings, recognizing a person by their essence and observing their unyielding spine. He had truly unearthed a priceless treasure!

Su Qingke's face was a complex mix of emotions. He knew that from the moment An Le crushed the Lesser Sage Token and summoned the Sage Master's manifestation, he would have to treat An Le with the utmost caution.

Taking him into the Grand Court's Hell was an absolute impossibility.

Unless the Zhao family's Emperor had the sheer audacity to defy the Sage Master's will and issue a decree throwing An Le into prison.

However, in Su Qingke's view, the Zhao family's Emperor... did not possess that kind of daring.

If he had such daring, he would not have made the decisive choice to move south to Greater Zhao, choosing to cower in Lin'an Prefecture and shrink back for five hundred years.

It was not only Su Qingke's mindset that had changed.

Every powerful figure present had witnessed the manifestation in the firmament, filled with shock and bewilderment.

Was that...

The Sage Master?!

The world had never seen the Sage Master, yet today, thanks to An Le, they were granted a glimpse—even though the appearance of the Sage Master they witnessed remained blurred and indistinct.

Yet the sight of that giant face, covering the entire dome of the heavens and looking down upon the mortal world, truly delivered an incomparable impact.

Zhao Huangting and Wan Jieliuliu had long known that upon defeating Zhao Pei, An Le would be considered to have fulfilled the three conditions to meet the Sage Master on the sacred mountains.

Therefore, the two of them had not been overly worried.

However, the others did not know.

For instance, Su Muzhe, and Li Qingchuan...

Su Muzhe was better off; the moment the Sage Master's manifestation appeared, the immense pressure weighing upon her abruptly lifted.

Maintaining the Great Yan Sword Formation was naturally a heavy burden for her, and Zhao Huangting had also called for her to retract the Great Yan Sword and disperse the formation.

Su Muzhe did so, feeling immensely relieved. She knew that with the appearance of the Sage Master's manifestation, An Le would no longer be in any danger.

In this world, the sacred mountains were the most transcendent faction—far more transcendent than the Sword Pool Palace, the Heavenly Master Mansion, the True Wu Taoist Temple, and all the rest.

As for Li Qingchuan, his entire body had gone numb.

The Sage Master...

His dear master had actually turned out to be the peerless prodigy who obtained an audience with the Sage Master?!

So An Le had always been fully confident. No wonder he dared to be so audacious, slaying a noble prince right in front of the Zhao family's Emperor!

Li Qingchuan suddenly understood what the Old Heavenly Master meant when he said that becoming An Le's dao-servant wasn't actually a loss.

Even as a dao-servant, if An Le could become the Master of the Sacred Mountains in the future, his hundred-year tenure as a dao-servant... might just need an extension!

Qin Lishi's gaze was profound and his expression solemn. The moment the Sage Master's face appeared, he had already dropped back down to the city tower of Lin'an Prefecture.

As he looked at An Le, his heart felt overwhelmingly heavy.

This boy... was becoming more and more monstrous.

How was he ever going to avenge Qin Qianqiu?

For a time, heaven and earth plunged into a dead silence, especially among the armored golden and silver soldiers pouring out of Lin'an Prefecture, along with the Grand Court's Temple Tigers and the Black Yamen constables...

They froze in place, their fighting spirit largely collapsed.

An Le... had actually summoned the Sage Master. Did they intend to fight the Sage Master?

Fortunately, however, they were not left to endure that oppressive atmosphere for too long, because the Sage Master's face on the firmament slowly faded away, turning into the night sky. The night sky gradually dimmed, and was finally replaced by a grey, hazy sky rolling with dusk clouds.

Yet just as the Sage Master's face vanished,

at the edge of the sky, a white crane could be seen flapping its wings and flying slowly toward them.

It was the white crane of the First Mountain Master.

"Lesser Sage Ranking's An Le has fulfilled the three conditions of the Lesser Sage Token, obtained the gracious consent of the Sage Master, and may choose a mountain to converse with him."

On the crane's back, a lazy, sleepy, crane-haired old man sat sideways with an immortal, otherworldly air, his voice resounding in a grand and ethereal manner.

At this moment, everyone snapped back to their senses, their eyes rippling, their hearts churning with monstrous waves of shock. Cheers gradually erupted, merging into a roaring, sea-shattering wave of astonishment both inside and outside the city.

Although they had guessed as much when the Sage Master's manifestation appeared, when the First Mountain Master truly arrived riding a crane to proclaim it to the world, they still found it difficult to remain calm.

Following the legendary top scholar Li You'an, another genius capable of conversing with the Sage Master had been born!

An Le... this figure even more legendary than the legendary top scholar!

An Le withdrew his gaze and looked toward the First Mountain Master riding the crane, offering a slight bow. The First Mountain Master responded with a warm smile.

"Congratulations, An Le. I hope that after your conversation with the Sage Master, you can strike while the iron is hot and become the Master of the Seventh Mountain."

The warm voice echoed from the First Mountain Master.

This was an expectation, but it also laid down a heavy burden of honor. To wear the crown, one must bear its weight.

"The mountain you find to converse with the Sage Master may well become the Seventh Mountain of the sacred mountains."

An Le gazed intently at the First Mountain Master and nodded.

Without further ado, with the Green Mountain at his waist, he turned his gaze to Grand Preceptor Liu Guanshi and Grand Court Minister Su Qingke.

"You two, do you still wish to capture me?"

An Le asked softly.

Liu Guanshi and Su Qingke looked at An Le with complex expressions, then stepped aside to clear the way.

Two high-ranking, powerful ninth-realm officials were forced to yield the path to An Le.

Though An Le's white robes were stained with blood, his graceful strides were filled with utter nonchalance.

He walked slowly forward, passing one powerful figure after another.

The Left and Right Jinwu Guard Senior Generals, who had been confronting Li Qingchuan and Wan Jieliuliu, gazed solemnly at An Le, unable to hide their awe at the miracle created by this youth.

They too stepped aside, watching An Le pass.

The densely packed golden and silver armored troops, along with the streams of Grand Court Temple Tigers and Black Yamen constables, also parted to both sides.

Before An Le even reached them, a path cleared for him automatically.

They allowed An Le to tread forward step by step.

With his sword box strapped to his back, An Le walked on foot to the base of Lin'an City's wall, turned around, and waved at Zhao Huangting, Su Muzhe, Li Qingchuan, and the others.

"Let's go, back to Lin'an."

A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Zhao Huangting's mouth as he said to Su Muzhe beside him.

Wan Jieliuliu put away his sword, and Li Qingchuan withdrew his lightning. The two exchanged glances and followed.

Lin'an was full of countless powerhouses, yet no one stepped forward to stop them, nor did anyone dare...

An Le's identity was different now. An Le, who possessed the status of one who conversed with the Sage Master, could not be touched by anyone—at least until he completed his conversation with the Sage Master.

Because touching him meant offending the unfathomable sacred mountains.

However, everyone was still waiting for the attitude and command of the Zhao family's Emperor within Lin'an Prefecture and the imperial city.

"Your Majesty, are you still going to capture me?"

"If you're not going to capture me, I'm going to swagger right into the city."

An Le said.

His voice rang out clearly both inside and outside the city.

Was he arrogant?

Everyone felt that An Le was arrogant, yet at the same time, they all felt it was entirely justified.

Would the Zhao family's Emperor dare to withstand the pressure of the Sage Master and make a move against An Le? Capture An Le?

He probably lacked that kind of daring.

An Le smiled softly.

Walking to the base of the city tower, he raised his head. The corpse of the Second Prince Zhao Pei was nailed to it, blood trickling down in a crooked path along the city wall...

With a movement of An Le's mind, the Swallow Returning to the Nest, which pinned the Second Prince Zhao Pei to the wall, let out a soft hum.

It instantly pulled itself free from Zhao Pei's body.

The sword blade trembled slightly, and all the bloodstains evaporated completely.

Amidst flashing sword qi, it zipped back like a swallow returning to its nest, sliding into the pear-wood scabbard strapped to An Le's back.

An Le stepped forward, walking slowly toward the interior of Lin'an Prefecture.

Upon the city wall.

Deprived of the support of the Swallow Returning to the Nest, the corpse of the Second Prince Zhao Pei...

Plummeted powerlessly.

Amidst the gazes of countless Lin'an powerhouses, it slammed onto the ground with a dull thud. The rising dust blurred the figure of An Le as his white robes fluttered.

Inside and outside Lin'an City.

The golden and silver armored armies, along with numerous ninth-realm experts, could only watch helplessly as An Le, having killed the Second Prince Zhao Pei, acted as though nothing had happened. Step by step, alongside Zhao Huangting, he crossed over the blood-splattered corpse of the Second Prince lying on the ground and entered Lin'an City.

Tap, tap, tap.

Each clear footstep fell like a heavy slap across the face of the Zhao family's Emperor.

They had mobilized in full force, acting as if... they were holding a welcoming procession for An Le, comical and ridiculous.

And until the figures of An Le and Zhao Huangting completely vanished into the darkness of the city gate tunnel...

That same Zhao family's Emperor, who had been immensely furious and issued a decree for the entire Greater Zhao Dynasty to hunt down An Le, made no expression whatsoever from beginning to end.

Not a single further word was uttered.

P.S.: Begging for monthly votes and recommendation votes!

(End of this chapter)