The leader of the Long Life Gate stood still, blood appearing from his neck. His head was about to fall, but his eyes were still wide open.
"I have practiced the path of immortality for over three thousand years, and I am the leader of the Immortal Sect. Yet you, even with a thousand years of power, are nothing more than—"
"Nothing more than a seventy-year-old martial artist because of the Long Life Gate." Xue Changhe stepped forward and said calmly.
"The difference between the strong and the weak has never been fixed. If one chooses to remain weak and is afraid to take action, then a thousand years will only be a repetition of each year."
"The martial arts of my Xue family is the path for the weak to become strong."
The headless body of the Long Life Gate leader suddenly fell to the ground, and his head was pierced by vast true strength. When it hit the ground, it shattered like porcelain, bursting apart.
……………………………………
"…It seems that fifty years truly is a very long time. The martial arts of Jiu Province have indeed come a long way." Qiao Mu said slowly.
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanbei was momentarily lost in thought.
At one hundred and forty years old, he was no longer an ordinary person but a body remade from a leaf-like fairy lotus, having gained fame long before Martial Saint.The two brothers walked side by side through the time known as the "Old Martial World" and witnessed the so-called modern methods created by Martial Saint and his disciples.
After experiencing three amazing years of legendary martial arts emerging like a fountain, they faced another fifty years of storms after the fall of Qiao.
During the nearly one hundred years that Immortal Gate suppressed the mortal world, the martial arts scene in Jiu Province changed greatly. Now, when this one hundred and forty-year-old man looks back, he truly feels the swift passage of time and the enormous changes it brought.
Whether it was the rising star Xue Changhe or the ten thousand Immortal Slaying Army breaking through the formation, they caused him to feel a deep sense of wonder.
"Yes," Lu Yanbei replied, feeling moved.
He couldn’t help but recall the scene from over fifty years ago when he mistakenly entered the Hundred-mile Desert.
Now in his later years, with weakened energy and declining skills, Lu Yanbei met in that Hundred-mile Desert the white-headed soldier trapped in a lonely city, as well as a member of the Qiao family who later entered the city.
The white-headed soldiers were certainly brave, holding out for forty years in the lonely city, but even skilled cooks cannot make a meal without rice.
Having the will to resist is not enough.
Only those who talk about strategy on paper will speak of spirit and will; there are many challenges in this world that cannot be overcome by will alone.
The gap between martial arts and immortality is more than just hundreds of years. Practicing martial arts is a dead end, and studying the path of immortality is merely stumbling without real progress, with no chance of fighting against the Immortal Gate.
Martial Saint, who was once invincible and swept through the martial world decades ago, could not achieve it.
A member of the Qiao family, who has spent millions of years calculating and developing incredible skills, could not transform the martial arts of Jiu Province into a towering tree that stands alongside the path of immortality in just three short years.
Fifty years of hardship and struggle have left many traces of blood and tears, but it is also a necessary path.
"Every step taken so far is not just the work of one or two extraordinary talents," Lu Yanbei said seriously, as he compared Xue Changhe, who stood far away with his sword, to the ten thousand soldiers fighting fiercely.
"It includes the efforts and accumulations of the martial ancestors of the Qiao family and generations of those who came before."
"By accumulating soil, a mountain is formed; by gathering water, a deep abyss is created. That is all."
"Gathering soil to build a mountain…" Qiao Mu looked at the people before him.
Xue Changhe is indeed a rare talent from the Xue family, but his deep abilities also come from generations of Xue family members throughout the years.
And this enormous army, with over ten thousand soldiers, is the strength of many combined.
"Gathering soil to build a mountain… Is the martial arts of Jiu Province today just as Hai Wuya imagined back then…"
A slight ripple stirred in his heart, and as Qiao Mu returned to the human world, he felt a touch of emotion once again.
Memories from many years ago emerged; Hai Wuya created the "Xumi Mountain King Sutra" to capture the meaning of gathering soil to build a mountain.
The prosperity of martial arts today is also greatly influenced by the remarkable contributions of the ancient ancestor Hai Wuya.
……………………………….
Night fell, the bright moon was dim, and the stars sparkled brightly.
A faint starlight enveloped the ruins of the Long Life Gate.
Qiao Mu noticed the renewed determination in the Xue family members and felt a slight sense of emotion in his heart.
The Sky Piercing Water Spirit next to him had been somewhat silent; at this moment, he could no longer hold back a sigh.
"Why are you sighing? Isn’t this a joyful time for the Xue family members as their great wish comes true?" Qiao Mu asked casually.
"Senior Qiao Huo, don’t forget about the Great Collapse that swept across all realms."
The Sky Piercing Water Spirit’s mood was somewhat low as he spoke softly:
"Look at these members of the Xue family who wish to live long; they all believe they can live for many more years."
"But in reality, this world has also reached its end; this moment is just a brief calm before the storm."
"Xue Changming and others, who think they can live for several more decades, might not even reach fifty… of course, we are the same."
"Perhaps, just as Immortal Diyuan said, the martial artist’s efforts in this world for fifty years end up being just empty."
"So it doesn’t really matter whether the Long Life Gate or Soul Predicting Path rises or falls; it doesn’t matter if the people of Jiu Province win or lose."
Though the Sky Piercing Water Spirit sighed, it kept its voice low so as not to spoil the mood of others at that moment.
"Senior Qiao, what do you think?"
The Sky Piercing Water Spirit has existed for only about seventeen or eighteen years; after fifteen years of traveling through many worlds, it has already gained the power of the Sky Piercing Demon King.
Yet, amidst the great catastrophe of life and death sweeping through all realms, it still has unresolved confusion and uncertainty in its heart.
"Stop overthinking." But Qiao Mu did not give him a clear answer, only saying:
"In this world, there will always be hard challenges we cannot overcome, so we should focus on what is in front of us."
The Sky Piercing Water Spirit asked, "What is in front of us… So, Senior Qiao Huo, do you plan to go to Southeast Province to find the Soul Predicting Path Immortal Gate?"
Qiao Mu was about to nod when he suddenly felt something.
A mirror in his sleeve flashed with light; it was a communication item left by Immortal Diyuan, similar to the Message Jade Talisman used by Immortal Gate cultivators to contact each other.
"Immortal Diyuan has gone to Nan Province’s Qingming Medicine Valley to search for Qiao Canxue, and since he contacted me, it must mean he has found something."
"If that’s the case, let’s go to Nan Province first."
With this thought, Qiao Mu felt a familiar sense of unease rising in his heart.
"Am I feeling uneasy?"
Qiao Mu, who is sixty-nine thousand years old, cares about every small change in emotions.
"Perhaps it’s homesickness…"
……………………………
In the Imperial Capital of Zhong Province, inside the palace.
"Good news has arrived from Dong Province: The Long Life Gate has been broken by ‘Millennium Master’ Xue Changhe and the Immortal Slaying Army, leading to its downfall…"
The Flying Fish Guard, known for spiritual refining, serves as the eyes and ears of the Great Yan Emperor.
Such significant news about the downfall of the Long Life Gate was naturally reported to the palace immediately.
"I am not surprised by Xue Changhe’s strength."
Upon hearing this news, Founding Emperor Yan began to critique sharply.
Millennium Master Xue Changhe, like him, is one of the seven towering pillars of Jiu Province. Although they have not fought each other in a life-and-death battle, they are aware of each other’s strengths.
"I am not surprised that Xue Changhe could kill the leader of Long Life Gate."
"The main surprise is that the ten thousand Immortal Slaying Army… also known as the Mountain Army of the South King, was able to break through the Mountain Protection Formation together."
"The Mountain Protection Formation is an inanimate object and cannot dodge… but being able to break through the Mountain Protection Formation shows how terrifying the Spiritual Human Mountain Battle Formation is," continued Founding Emperor Yan sharply.
"What do you think, if our Great Yan military also trained in this Spiritual Human Mountain Battle Formation…"
He is particularly interested in the advanced martial arts of Jiu Province.
However, at this moment, he did not notice that Emperor Wuping looked thoughtful after hearing about this.
In fact, the royal army has already begun to practice the Spiritual Human Mountain Battle Formation.
For the past fifty years, Founding Emperor Yan has been fighting outside and has become more hands-off.
First, the Immortal Gate is powerful, and the Founding Emperor Yan, as a champion of martial arts, cannot just stay locked in the palace of the Imperial Capital.
Secondly, there is a need to avoid suspicion.
A country cannot have two leaders, and Founding Emperor Yan is not an ordinary king but the founding emperor.
His prestige is so high that as long as he remains in the palace, he will have some influence on court matters, and even he cannot change this.
When Emperor Wuping was young, Founding Emperor Yan was similar to a regent, but he had already grown tired of being an emperor.
Therefore, after Emperor Wuping could handle matters on his own, Founding Emperor Yan almost stopped intervening and had not entered the Imperial Study for many years, similar to how he acted during Emperor Yonghe’s reign.
So, when the hands-off Founding Emperor Yan is not fully aware, the court’s military has already begun to practice the Spiritual Human Mountain Battle Formation.
"Over these years, to struggle for survival against the Immortal Gate’s subordinates, the Great Yan Imperial Court’s connections with Nan Province Peach Blossom Villa and the South King have been much closer than what our ancestors thought…"
Emperor Wuping did not say these words out loud but instead turned the topic to something else.
"Ancestor, unexpectedly, there is not just the Spiritual Human Mountain Battle Formation."
He spoke up:
"In addition to the sect leader of Long Life Gate, there are also two Soul Changing Taoist Lords."
"One of them died at the hands of the Lu Yanbei brothers, and the other…"
Emperor Wuping smiled slightly as he said this:
"Ancestor, do you still remember the incident a while ago when the Sky Piercing River briefly flowed backward and strange phenomena appeared?"
Founding Emperor Yan looked noticeably taken aback.
Some time ago, when the Sky Piercing River briefly flowed backward, he analyzed the situation and planned to observe the Immortal Gate’s reaction to determine the cause of the phenomenon.
However, he did not expect that before the Immortal Gate could investigate this matter, members of the Qiao family had already attacked the Long Life Gate in Dong Province.
"So fierce and swift, it really is the way Qiao family members used to act…"
Founding Emperor Yan murmured:
"If it is truly a Qiao family member returning from beyond the heavens, appearing in this troubled season, that would indeed be a great fortune…"
The Great Yan Imperial Court has eyes and ears all over Jiu Province, so they naturally know about some recent changes in the great world of Jiu Province.
The Kunlun Mountain broken peak that appeared near Northwest Prefecture Tongtian Mountain is not the only strange thing to show up in the great world of Jiu Province…