A massive cyan-blue Flying Sword suspended in the air, its Sword Qi pulsing as it instantly pierced through layers of clouds, soaring straight up into the sky.
The sword light, like a rainbow, swept away the haze hanging over the Great Marsh.
Jiang Yuechu stood atop the blade.
She slightly lowered her eyes, silently observing the mountains and marshes rapidly receding beneath her feet.
This Fifty Thousand Li Great Marsh truly lived up to its name.
Looking as far as the eye could see, the mist-covered waters were vast, and the water and sky shared a single color.
Islands scattered like chess pieces were like emeralds dotting the azure waves.
Occasionally, a giant soft-shelled turtle surfaced, looking like a mountain range crossing the river; from time to time, the shadows of flying birds flickered, appearing like clouds hanging from the heavens.
If not for the members of the Jieqing Sect leading the way, wandering blindly in this vast expanse of water alone would likely result in losing one's direction immediately, with no telling when one might find a way out.
Jiang Yuechu silently withdrew her gaze, her mind stirring as she summoned the system panel in her mind.
Lines of text emerged before her eyes.
[Available Demon Bodies: Immortal Lord Guanlan, Black Water Immortal Lord, Azure-Armored Giant Crab, Red-Tailed Water Ape...]
Aside from the two great demons, Immortal Lord Guanlan and Black Water Immortal Lord, who were Chess Players of five or six pieces, the remaining three or four were all demon generals with a cultivation of one or two pieces.
To fully reshape these demon bodies, she had spent a full eight million years of Dao Cultivation.
Looking at the sharply reduced balance of Dao Cultivation on the system panel, Jiang Yuechu's expression remained calm.
What is the point of earning Dao Cultivation... if not to spend it?
If one were to clutch it tightly like a miser and never use it...
What damn use would it be?
However, she was in no hurry to use these demon bodies to perform Condensing the Chess Piece.
Although these demon bodies were now in her possession, she still knew very little about the intricacies of Condensing the Chess Piece after all.
If she squandered her Dao Cultivation blindly like this, it would likely be a waste of precious resources.
It was better to first visit the Jieqing Sect, investigate the mysteries within, and then make further plans.
While she was lost in thought...
A voice suddenly came from ahead.
True Lord Linghan, now dressed in a brand-new, dry robe, had at some point regained his air of an expert, as if the previous embarrassing incident had never happened.
Standing with hands behind his back at the sword's tip, facing the oncoming gale, he spoke loudly without turning his head: "Little Friend Jiang, we are about to leave the territory of the Great Marsh."
True Lord Linghan waved his wide sleeve, pointing toward the continuous mountain range hidden in the sea of clouds in the far distance, his tone carrying a hint of pride that was hard to hide.
"Once we pass that stretch of water and go further ahead, we will be in the jurisdiction of my Jieqing Sect."
Hearing this.
Jiang Yuechu narrowed her eyes, silently observing the vast silhouette hidden in the sea of clouds ahead.
After waiting a while and receiving no response, True Lord Linghan stole a glance at the young girl behind him.
Along the way, this girl had been surprisingly quiet.
She showed none of the restraint of someone entering a great Sect's territory for the first time, nor any anxiety about her future prospects.
Although he hadn't asked where Jiang Yuechu came from, back on Guanlan Island, this girl didn't even recognize that person from the Southern Immortal Palace... she most likely came from some other region of Yunmeng.
However, he did not ask further.
Among those who walk the path of cultivation, who doesn't have a few secrets they wouldn't tell outsiders?
If one were to pry rashly, it would be seen as poor form and cause annoyance.
As long as this girl's Heart-Nature was not bad, she acted with propriety, and was not of the demon kind, that was enough.
As for anything else, given the Dao Sect's current situation of having a gap between generations, they were truly in no position to be picky.
The Flying Sword pierced through the air.
After another while.
The vast and boundless Fifty Thousand Li Great Marsh beneath their feet finally receded completely.
Peaks towered, shrouded in mist and clouds.
The Flying Sword slowly came to a halt before a seemingly ordinary lonely peak.
Jiang Yuechu was slightly taken aback.
Her gaze swept over the surroundings; aside from a few old pines and some jagged rocks, there wasn't the slightest bit of the grand atmosphere expected of a major Sect.
Forget about continuous halls and pavilions; she didn't even see a mountain gate stone tablet inscribed with the Sect's name.
She turned her head in confusion: "We've arrived?"
True Lord Linghan turned around, meeting the girl's puzzled gaze, a mysterious smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
"We've arrived."
Jiang Yuechu's brow furrowed slightly, just as she was about to speak.
Tang Wanyin, seeing this, stepped forward two paces and explained softly.
"Fellow Daoist Jiang might not know... for powers like the Nine Great Dao Sects, their Sect locations are not built within the mountains and rivers of Yunmeng..."
"Oh?" Jiang Yuechu raised an eyebrow.
Tang Wanyin continued: "The Nine Great Dao Sects all have senior experts who, with supreme Divine Ability, found a Painting Realm world independent of Yunmeng Township... What we see now is merely the entrance that Painting Realm world left in the outside world."
As she spoke, her expression was quite proud.
Jiang Yuechu listened quietly, her eyes thoughtful.
A Painting Realm world?
Isn't that just like the situation over in the Great Tang?
True Lord Linghan, seeing the girl remain silent, thought she was intimidated by the revelation and waved his hand casually: "Actually, it's not as mysterious as Wanyin makes it sound. It's simply that the Sect's Ancestral Master disliked the noise of the mundane world and casually cordoned off a quiet area... It can't be considered some heaven-defying creation, it's just for the sake of peaceful cultivation."
Though he spoke humbly, the pride in his eyes could not be hidden.
To be able to open a Painting Realm world independent of Yunmeng Township—how many powers in the world possessed such a foundation?
Hearing this.
Jiang Yuechu agreed: "Yes, I know."
"..."
True Lord Linghan's expression froze slightly upon hearing this.
However, he didn't say much, only shaking his head slightly and laughing in his heart.
This girl is quite good at keeping her composure.
She can barely keep a straight face and pretend to be calm now, but once she truly steps into that world, no matter how much she pretends, she'll probably be unable to even walk.
Furthermore.
In a so-called Painting Realm world, what truly inspired awe was never the unique scenery independent of the world.
But rather the other signal it represented... that this place was overseen by a Painting Realm expert!
Above the Chess Player lies the Painting Realm.
Once one enters the Painting Realm, they can use heaven and earth as their scroll, splashing ink and wielding the brush to create a world of their own.
Such great Cultivators with heaven-reaching abilities are the true foundation of the Jieqing Sect's status as a Dao Sect.
True Lord Linghan composed his thoughts and spoke no more.
He tucked both hands into his sleeves, faced that seemingly ordinary lonely peak, and muttered an incantation.
Then.
He suddenly joined his fingers like a sword and pointed toward the Void Realm ahead.
Cyan-blue Sword Qi erupted from his fingertip, instantly vanishing into the nothingness before the lonely peak.
The originally empty Void Realm suddenly rippled with visible waves.
Immediately after.
The Void Realm split open from the center, revealing a massive portal a hundred zhang high.
Immortal Qi swirled, spiritual cranes danced, and countless high mountains pierced the clouds like sword peaks.
A vast Sword Intent faintly poured out from the world, making one's heart and soul tremble.
"Little Friend Jiang, please."
True Lord Linghan stepped aside, extending a hand, a hint of expectation in his eyes as he waited for the girl to show a shocked and overwhelmed expression.
Instead, he saw the girl glance at the hundred-zhang-high massive portal.
Her expression remained unchanged.
She only nodded slightly.
Then.
Her black robes fluttered slightly.
Without the slightest hesitation, the girl stepped into that Painting Realm world.
Her movement was extremely casual.
As if she were merely stepping over the threshold of her own courtyard.
"..."
True Lord Linghan's extended hand froze in mid-air.
Wait...
Give me some damn reaction at least!!!