The path of the Sword Sect requires fighting, requires struggling, requires exchanging one's life.

Huangfu Yi won, so Zhang San's life was exchanged for a plaque, a stick, a copy of "Beichen God Iron Sword Refining Qi and Casting Sword Skill"… and a horse.

But truth be told, Zhang San did have chances to win, at least three times.

After all, his three sword thrusts were truly well-practiced. If he had disregarded everything and exchanged life-for-life with those thrusts, even Huangfu Yi couldn't confidently say he could take it; in that moment, the one who might have died under the sword could have been him.

Reasonably speaking, with Huangfu Yi just having finished a battle with Six Gates, covered in fresh blood, skin split open, he didn't look like he could endure much longer. Delay for a while, and he might exhaust his Qi and bleed to death, easily being cut apart. Why not battle with life then?

So, ultimately, the sword was in Zhang San's own hand. His sword was slow, so he lost, and then he died.

Such is the fate of a swordsman, just like that.

Huangfu Yi flipped through the Qi Refining Technique; after all, it was Mystic Sect Qi Technique. With guidance from the overall principles like a pirated Heavenly Book, it didn't seem too difficult, and by following suit, he easily condensed a strand of Divine Gang Sword Qi.

He tried to infuse the Divine Gang Sword Qi into the Iron Plate, opened the storage waist card, and took out some clean robes, some baked flatbread and steamed buns. At last, with no disturbances, Huangfu Yi washed himself clean and could breathe a sigh of relief.

Looking up at the horizon, the Mad Woman took the sword and fled northward, now with no sense of her whereabouts. The blue sky and white clouds had no trace of that blue haze, and looking at the Iron Plate in his hand, Huangfu Yi was momentarily contemplative.

Matters had priorities; eliminating the Blood Demon was the first task, though the Sky Soaring Treasure Sword was advantageous, it would have to take a back seat in terms of priority.

Furthermore, although he lost the treasure sword, he couldn't break his promise; he had to at least deliver Pei Yuhuan to the Nine Yin Mountain to settle it.

The girl was accompanied by a dog; if she died midway and her body was lost, it would lead to a huge karmic debt.

Thinking of this, Huangfu Yi hesitated no longer, temporarily noting down the matter of the Sky Soaring Treasure Sword, and continued along the mountain path westward, heading straight towards Qianyang City.

As they say, Heavenly King Three Capitals, Qian capital being one; a commanding fortress, not for the unwise to inhabit. Controlling the mountains and rivers, sitting on the shoulders of the world, guarding against assaults, it holds the strategic points of the four passes.

Early in the Immortal Venerable era, Beidu Qianyang was the royal city guarding the Northern Territory, listed among the Immortal Emperor's Three Capitals, the Immortal King's arsenal, and the Emperor's Throne's permanent location. Back then, Immortal Venerable gathered the army here, stationed troops in the Pingyuan basin of Qianzhou, using Qian River to directly transport provisions from Sizhou, leveraging the perilous terrain of Qianzhou surrounded by mountains on three sides, with the eight passes sealing off the border, as a forward base, attacking to advance, retreating to defend, repeatedly striking, finally sweeping the Northern Demon Nest and Demon Cave.

However, Qianzhou's terrain, strong troops like forests, none but kings or overlords; if marching downriver, the army could enter the capital in a few days, without a bit of Immortal Venerable's abilities, it couldn't be truly controlled.

Thus, whenever there was internal conflict in the Immortal Palace, often Qianzhou raised troops in rebellion, entangled in it, until later a Xuan Nu popped out from the mountain valley, took over Qianyang, assaulted the Emperor's Throne, took the seat of power, and thus Qianzhou no longer belonged to the Immortal Palace.

All under heaven belongs to the King; the Immortal Palace naturally couldn't swallow this anger, repeatedly sending expeditions across eras, even reaching the gates of Qianyang City multiple times. Yet, the Mystic Sect people kept evolving through the sieges, with each generation emerging talents of exceptional brilliance, creating a mass of peculiar killing Secret Skills, using the mountain's height and dense forests, perilous terrain, for specialized guerrilla warfare.

In contrast, the Immortal Palace showed no progress, still relying on old Gang Fist until even in the later stages, they dared not enter the mountain pass. Constant defeats on the front line made the Three Constellations Court even more wary and distrustful of the front line's generals, suspecting them of harboring hidden intentions, trying to emulate past Demon Sect affairs, ultimately feeling that only noble family's sons and insiders were reliable.

Therefore, from then on, the position of officials became increasingly transmitted through blood relations, entirely monopolized by the Immortal Gate through mutual marriages and recommendations, formerly traditional channels for border guards to rise by protecting the country, slain demons and beheading heads, military honors transferred, becoming generals and ministers were almost completely cut off.

As time passed, ages drifted, the world fell into chaotic times, unresting, in the end, after Qianzhou, the Immortal Soldiers of Dui State, Kan State, and Gen State also successively rebelled. Forced to escape to the Southern Capital carrying the court.

Conversely, Qianyang City was in the heartland, surrounded by mountains, natural barriers, furthermore anchored by numerous major Mystic Sect clans, there were few demonic disasters, leading to peace and prosperity for the people.

Huangfu Yi rode alone galloping in the distance, gazing at Qianyang City while the sky darkened, the sun setting in the west, the evening glow rolling gold. He saw a massive fortress, embraced by three mountains, facing the plains in the south. The Qian River flowing from north to south, like a silver ribbon winding through the city, the trail along the river spreading out like tree roots on the vast ground. Carriages and horses bustling, crowds numerous, smoke from kitchens curling like mist nets, twinkling lights dense as stars. Just like the saying, "Mountains embrace the setting sun purple forests, returning ferries swarm like ants. In-stream creaking oar sounds, geese rise in flight on the sands' edge."

Such a mighty fortress, should one desire to conquer the Central Plains, establishing a foundation naturally would not be difficult. Yet, unfortunately, the Mystic Sect people have been swayed by Xuan Nu, only thinking that becoming a king and overlord offers not the same thrill as becoming an immortal, achieving enlightenment, longevity, and carefree enjoyment. So they focus exclusively on cultivation and enlightenment, losing interest in the mortal world's affairs.

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