“What’s too bad?” Li Mu asked directly.

Huang Long said, “The end of the… oh, nothing. I was just spouting nonsense.”

Then, he came to his senses and hurriedly began to explain. “Your Honor, please don’t mind a country bumpkin’s babbling. Thank you very much for your benevolence and hospitality today. We people of the Yellow Dragon Tribe are grateful to you for your kindness. We have to leave now because there are no elites guarding our base at the moment. I’m afraid that something bad will happen. Please allow us to take our leave.”

Li Mu smiled. He didn’t pursue the matter any further, but instead he changed the subject. “Well, I want to go to Qinling to have a look at the Gate of the Ancestors, but I’m all alone. I would like to borrow two of your men. I wonder if you will agree.”

Huang Long’s face suddenly changed when he heard that.

“Alone? That’s just an excuse.

“There are so many masters in the Mind-clearing Sword Sect. Do you really need to borrow people from the Yellow Dragon Tribe?”

He wanted to refuse Li Mu’s request tactfully.

However, Elder Zhou frowned and threatened. “Why are you talking so much nonsense? Is it because His Honor Li is so polite to you that you forgot who you are? Huh?”

“Er…” Huang Long shuddered, gave a wry smile, and hurriedly said, “How dare I? I don’t dare to disobey His Honor Mr. Li’s order. It’s just that I don’t know who His Honor Mr. Li wants to borrow.”

Li Mu smiled faintly and pointed at Huang Ye’er and Huang Shu.

Li Mu was defeated and captured by the Sword Whizzes, and no one knew whether he was alive or dead.

This piece of news had spread all over the world in just a few days.

The last image released by Luo Liang, a host on the cryptic web, before he disappeared could prove that the news was true and not just a rumor.

At the same time, the image of countless oriental Sword Whizzes flying through the sky with swords in their hands like a meteor shower shocked the whole world.

For many western powers, it was like a nightmare.

That image showed the formidable power of an ancient oriental country.

The situation in the country calmed down when Li Mu suddenly showed up and overcame the power of the Cultivators’ Association. However, after he disappeared, the situation became complicated again.

In particular, the president of the Cultivators’ Association was overjoyed.

After he ended his closed-door training, he learned that the Cultivators’ Association had suffered heavy losses and felt furious beyond words. In the end, he showed up at the Zhongtian Building and announced that he would rebuild the Cultivators’ Association and take revenge on Li Mu’s relatives and friends. His attitude was one of pure arrogance.

Some powers and sects of practitioners in various regions had begun to expand.

More and more cultivation powers emerged and refused to follow the government’s regulations. They put forward all kinds of requirements and conditions. It was as if they were going to declare themselves as kings.

At the same time, various famous mountains with long histories in the country, such as Mount Hua, Mount Tai, Mount Taihang, Mount Qilian, Mount Kunlun, Mount Tian, and Mount Huang, underwent great changes. Many practitioners from these mountains turned up.

They were self-righteous, ignored the national laws and went about doing things in their own ways. Their thoughts were out of place in the modern society, but they were so powerful that the government could not discipline them at all.

Those who didn’t comply with the laws were the better ones. Some of them liked to kill, rob, and disrupt public order. Their unbridled behavior threw the country into chaos.

Some Immortal Clans even developed their agents, determined to rule the mortal world.

Some people even coveted the important positions of the country and attempted to take control of the country.

The country fell into utter chaos.

The atmosphere in Baoji City was tense.

Baoji City was located at the foot of Qinling Mountain, which was known as the “dragon vein” of the Divine Land. The downtown area stretched from east to west, and the buildings in the main downtown area were situated along the Wei River. The scenery was beautiful, and the streets were clean. Before the advent of the Great Era of Cultivation, it was already one of the top ten most civilized and livable cities in the country.

Since the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth began to revive, the Spiritual Qi in Qinling Mountain had continuously been released. Due to their geographic proximity, Baoji City underwent great changes. The flow of the Wei River increased drastically. Many waterfalls formed in the high mountains of Qinling, which looked like jade belts when the people in the downtown area viewed them from the distance. Many spirit birds and beasts appeared on the streets and and were good-natured and friendly toward the people. This place was almost a paradise.

The scenery became more beautiful, and mysterious mist swirled about in the air, which made the place seem like a mythical fairyland.

It was no exaggeration to say that the scenery of Baoji City suddenly became one of the best in the country.

Moreover, in the past few years, several famous big shots had emerged in the cultivation circles in Baoji City.

Wang Shiwu and Su Yutong, who were known as the “Zither and Sword Couple”, were among them.

The two of them had mysterious origins and had been living in Baoji City. Their strength was unfathomable. There was once a Qi practitioner from another place who coveted the Spiritual Qi in Baoji City and tried to establish a sect to expand his power. However, Wang Shiwu defeated the Qi practitioner with only one move. Some monsters and demons that committed offences in Baoji City were also annihilated by Wang Shiwu and his wife.

Back then, Li Mu once said, “Any practitioners that dare to climb the mountain of Randeng Temple or commit offences in Baoji City will be killed without mercy.” Because of his warning, Baoji City had been regarded as a pure land in the domestic cultivation circles for a very long time.

Thus many practitioners acted guardedly when they came to Baoji City.

However, the situation had changed now.

As the video showing Li Mu being taken away by the Sword Whizzes was circulated and spread, the deterrent effect created by him disappeared.

Many cultivation powers became restless and readied themselves for action.

After all, the Spiritual Qi and environment in Baoji City were perfect. After several years of development, Baoji City had become more mature. It was now a place of perfect geomantic omen. Any power that could seize the city and use it as their base could guarantee their fortune in the coming hundreds of years.

Moreover, as the news about the Gate of the Ancestors continued to spread, many sects in the small worlds began to take action, which further highlighted the strategic significance of Qinling Mountain, the ‘dragon vein of the Hero Country’. In this way, as the entrance to the world in Qinling, the Qinling Mountain became more significantly important for many powers.

A storm was brewing.

Countless powers began to gather in Baoji City.

They secretly contended against each other like fierce sharks circling under the surface, ready to make their appearanc at any time and bring about destruction and death.

Jintai Temple, Baoji City.

A young Taoist priest in a Taoist robe with the Tai Chi Yin and Yang symbol and the Eight Trigrams rode a black donkey into the inner courtyard.

“Amitayus, this shrine and I seem to be connected by fate. From today on, it will be one of my palaces.”

He smiled as he rode on the back of the donkey.

“Amitayus, the inner courtyard of this temple is not open to tourists. My friend, where are you from? Why did you break into the inner courtyard?” A gray-haired old Taoist priest said. He and other Taoist priests in the Jintai Temple surrounded the young Taoist priest.

“Which ever place I feel at peace at will be my hometown.”

The young Taoist priest was quite pretentious.

“This place gives me a feeling of peace.”

Several white men with strong auras came to Baoji City at night.

“Let’s find a place to settle down and observe the situation. We’ll find the Zither and Sword Couple tomorrow. We can’t kill Li Mu, but killing the couple can be regarded as avenging our Marshall.”

They found an ordinary hotel near the train station down the mountain of Jintai Temple and settled down for the night.

A white man with blond hair and wings stood among the clouds in the sky, looking down at Baoji City. He couldn’t help exclaiming. “Tut-tut, this place is so beautiful. It’s simply an oriental divine city. As long as the Garden of Eden is set up here, the gods will definitely be awakened and my clan will regain its former glory.”

His eyes flashed and finally fell on the northeast of Baoji City.

“That is a good place. Let me sow the seeds of the sacred trees first.”

He flapped his huge white wings and slowly landed on the ground.

“Hey, Mr. Wang, please peel a white radish, put more salt, and add some sauce.”

In Randeng Temple, several old men were playing cards. One of them turned his head and shouted to the old fellow who was practicing boxing under a light bulb hanging on a pine branch.

Soon, a plate of delicious white radish with sauce was served.

“Ha-ha, I won.”

The old faker suddenly showed his cards, stood up, and did a jig excitedly.

“Wow, you won again! Did you cheat?”

“That’s right. We’ve played thirty rounds, and you won nine times. Master Li, you’re so lucky today.”

His playmates were all gray-haired old men in their 80s, but they were in high spirits and as energetic as 17 or 18-year-old young men. They talked loudly, and when they spoke, their voices rumbled like thunder.

The old faker ate a few pieces of sour radish with relish, put his hands on his hips, and laughed triumphantly. “Ha-ha-ha, what do you know? I won by my skills. I’ve been in Jianghu for so many years because I know how to rely on tricks and… I rely on skills and virtue. Come on. Each loser has to do 1,000 push-ups in three minutes. If you couldn’t finish the task, the number of push-ups would be doubled. Ha-ha-ha.”

Those words were quite scary.

Even a national athlete couldn’t do 1,000 push-ups in three minutes. How could he ask those old men in their 80s to do that? They would probably die of exhaustion.

However, when the three old men heard that, they immediately began to do push-ups beside the table.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

They did push-ups like high-speed piling machines. The muscles of their arms bulged and looked like iron chunks.

The three old men finished the task in less than two minutes.

However, they showed no signs of exertion; their faces did not turn red nor did they gasp for breath.

The other old men were mocking them. “Oh, Mr. Wang. You’re not doing well enough today. You are 0.7 seconds slower…”

“Ha-ha! Those who lost should stop playing. It’s our turn to pay!”

The other old men who were practicing boxing rushed over like tornados and took three seats at the table.

“Damn it. This is life. Why do you have to fight, ha-ha…” The old faker felt very happy after eating a few pieces of sour radish. He sat down and began to shuffle the cards.

After shuffling the deck of cards for a while, he suddenly stopped and looked at the dark mountain road outside the temple.

“It looks like we have a guest.”

The old faker laughed with a mischievous look on his face.

The other old men stood up and rubbed their hands.

“Why is he coming so late? Is he another weak and boring master? I can be kind and deal with him.” A bald old man with bulging muscles like those of a kangaroo said confidently.

The other old men also looked eager to have a fight.

They were a group of bellicose old men.

The old faker shook his head and said, “The situation is a little tricky. You can’t handle it… Hey, since you are here, why not show yourself? It’s boring to hide there.”

Clang! Clang!

The sound of a bell rang out.

On the mountain road outside the temple, a small black donkey walked out of the shadow.

There was a golden bell tied to a red chord hanging from the donkey’s neck. As the donkey walked, the bell swayed back and forth, emitting pleasant tinkling sounds.

On the back of the donkey was a young Taoist priest.

The Taoist priest looked like he was only 18 or 19 years old. His skin was as white as that of a woman. He had a handsome face and a square Taoist hat on his head. He wore a Taoist robe with the Tai Chi Yin and Yang symbol and the Eight Trigrams, leg wraps, and a pair of dusty boots and carried two swords on his back, one long and one short. A silver horsetail whisk was inserted in the collar behind his neck. He looked relaxed and had a faint smile on his face before he spoke.