Chapter 1: The Seven-Colored Dragon Boat, Azure Pearl...

  "To the west, it borders the Yellow River; to the north, it controls the Great Desert; to the east, it connects with the passes of Daoma and Zijing; to the south, it blocks the dangers of Yanmen and Ningwu."

  This refers to Hanping in Jizhou, a major city in northern China.

  The world is in great chaos, with war raging for years on end. Hanping, which originally belonged to the jurisdiction of Zhongzhou, has been occupied by the northern Xiongnu and Qiang tribes, who are firmly holding it down and competing with various countries in the Central Plains.

  The Xiongnu and Qiang tribes have set up four departments to command, thirteen Wei Suo, with a force of 130,000, and 50,000 war horses. These troops are all equipped with the snow wolf steel knives unique to the Xiongnu and Qiang, with ferocious wolf heads on the handles and snowy white blades. When tens of thousands of troops move out together and draw their swords at the same time, just the murderous aura and the sudden burst of cold light can shake people's souls.

  The Xiongnu and Qiang tribes were heavily armed and occupied the land, but unlike other places, there were no bandits or invaders. In fact, it had been sixteen years since any war had occurred here. As a result, people from all over the country, including refugees, artisans, and merchants, flocked to this place, creating a thriving scene of prosperity, with flowers blooming everywhere and horses and carriages flowing like a river.

  From the city gate to the depths of the town, it is a four-carriage-wide road paved with bluestone flags. At this time, one carriage refers to four high-headed big horses, and a four-carriage-wide road refers to a road where sixteen horses can gallop side by side at the same time.

  A four-carriage highway runs north and south, with countless small paths like a spider web connecting this thousand-li radius metropolis, various shops are set up here, until late at night it is candlelight swaying red, without seeing desolation.

  Having been here for a long time, I'm afraid I will forget that outside there is war and strife, with nations vying for dominance. I will also forget that this place too can erupt into a great war at any moment.

  It's deep autumn now. Although it's still a good time for traveling in the south with its crisp and refreshing air, the coldness is getting heavier day by day in this far northern land.

  The frost on the roof of the house in the early morning is a sign that it will snow heavily after some time, as long as there is enough moisture.

  In this prosperous city, the largest wine house is located in the southeast, which is the Zhī Wèi Building. The Zhī Wèi Building is a property of Wang Xingji, the largest merchant in southern Jiangsu province, occupying several acres of land in Hanping, divided into three courtyards. Just by looking at the gate, you can see a pair of stone carvings of feasting scenes that are as tall as two people, with bright red doors and shiny copper nails, and ten robust house guards standing at the entrance, which shows that Wang Xingji's wealth and power are at their peak.

  Wang Zhiwei is the boss of this restaurant, and also the manager of the seventeen shops of various colors in this town.

  On this day, the cold wind was biting, and in the house, you could hear the sound of dry grass on the roof being blown off by the north wind. Wang Zhimeng had not yet gotten out of bed when he heard someone shouting loudly on the street, "Get out of here, if you're getting in the way, be careful with your lives."

  "Seal off all surrounding streets and shops, none of them are allowed to open today!"

  "What kind of people are these, speaking so loudly and domineeringly?" Wang Zhiwei was somewhat shocked, quickly putting on his fur-lined robe and pushing the window open a crack.

  The east of the city is the most prosperous and bustling section, where stalls can be set up along the way, and business signs can be established with the support of important military figures behind them. Some of these businesses even have many martial artists and high-ranking Taoist cultivators in charge, responsible for escorting goods and receiving cargo at post stations along the way. Large quantities of silk, cloth, rice, and other goods from the south, as well as furs, spices, and other goods from the north, are circulated through this method.

  "What kind of people are you? You say close and it's closed. Do you have four marshals' documents and orders?"

  Looking out from the gap of the second floor window, I only saw that at both ends of the street, there were nine big men standing guard.

  These nine men all wore a suit of black soft armor, the material of which was unknown. From afar, it seemed to be made up of small scales that shone with a faint blue-black light. The black soft armor covered their heads and faces, leaving only their eyes and two nostrils visible, giving off an aura of ferocity and brutality.

  Upon closer inspection, Wang Zhiwei discovered that these big men were all wearing long swords with black scabbards on their backs and long boots on their feet, which emitted a metallic luster, as if they were made of steel.

  Wearing armor and carrying a sword on one's back is already a clear violation of the four marshals' laws here!

  "It's Mr. Zhang Dà of Weizihao!"

  Now standing in the middle of the street are two middle-aged men wearing deep blue luxurious long gowns, looking from a distance, their faces can't be seen clearly, but it can be felt that there is an arrogant and overbearing aura on both of them. The one who just ordered to seal off all the surrounding streets and not allow any shops to open was obviously these two people. Standing in front of them and questioning them is a man wearing a goat skin short jacket, with a long mustache, lean and capable, with a sharp glint in his eyes, looking like a butler in his 40s.

  Wang Zhīwèi recognized him as Zhang Dàxiānshēng, the steward of the Wei family across the street.

  Wei Zihao, a wealthy merchant in the Hebei and Henan region, mainly engaged in pawnbroking and medicinal materials business. His financial resources and influence even surpassed those of Wang Xingji. Although Zhang Daxiong was not an impressive figure, Wang Zhikui knew that he was a formidable master who was difficult to fathom. Years ago, Wang Zhikui had witnessed Wei Zihao competing with another merchant named Hengshengji, refusing to give in to each other. As a result, Zhang Daxiong used his palm to send the entire cargo of Hengshengji's horse-drawn carriage flying into the air. Such an impressive display of power made even some of Wang Xingji's skilled men feel inferior. Over the years, Wang Zhikui had also become acquainted with Wei Zihao's shopkeeper and learned that Zhang Daxiong was well-versed in Taoist magic and knew many supernatural secrets.

  If it weren't for Wei's reputation and his own strength, he wouldn't have dared to jump out alone and question them when so many people in black armor were blocking both ends of the street.

  "Hmm? So you're a disciple of the Wangwu Sect, no wonder you dare to show your face."

  The two men in Chinese attire standing opposite Mr. Zhang were both pale-skinned, with a faint ivory glow on their faces. When they heard Mr. Zhang's stern questioning, the man with triangular eyes and an eagle nose suddenly narrowed his eyes, revealing a cold glint. "We don't need to tell you who we are, just retreat quickly. If you keep sticking your head out, you'll regret it."

  His master's reputation was ruined by a single sentence, and Mr. Zhang's heart trembled for a moment. However, he had been transporting goods marked with the character "Wei" on the road for over twenty years, and had seen countless large and small battles. He also had great prestige within a radius of thousands of miles. If he were to be easily intimidated by someone's casual and frivolous words, at least half of the awe-inspiring reputation he had built up in others' eyes over the past twenty years would crumble.

  "You don't even say goodbye and just tell me to leave? Isn't that a bit unreasonable?" Mr. Zhang straightened his back and said coldly.

  Two men in Chinese attire, as far as the eye could see, only saw some vendors and shops still standing in place, a cold smile instantly appeared on their faces. "It seems that these people are led by you, so good, just use you to kill the chicken and scare the monkey!"

  Two men in Chinese attire spoke with an air of killing intent, extremely overbearing. As soon as the words fell, a faint voice floated from afar, "Too much nonsense, isn't it laughable? A mere Wangwu disciple, just kill him."

  Kill him!

  Although this person's voice was calm and gentle, what he said made Wang Zhimi, who was peeking through the window gap, feel a chill all over his body.

  Even if he is the leader here, it's not necessarily easy for him to say something that controls life and death.

  As soon as the words fell, eighteen white lights had already wrapped around Mr. Zhang in the middle of the street.

  "Fly sword!"

  Mr. Zhang's pupils suddenly contracted, and his whole body felt like it had fallen into an icy cave.

  He could see that the black-armored swordsmen on both sides of the sealed road must have extraordinary skills, but he didn't expect that these people were not ordinary martial artists in the world, but cultivators who practiced flying swords!

  All those who cultivate the Tao, unless they reach the realm of Yuantianyi where heaven and man are united, will naturally reveal a certain amount of Fa power fluctuations on their bodies even if they stand still. However, it wasn't until these people released flying swords that Mr. Zhang felt strong Fa power fluctuations.

  It is the scaly black soft armor on these people that completely conceals their previous fluctuations in magical power!

  "You are people from the Hook Departure Path!" In a flash of lightning, Mr. Zhang remembered a sect in the North that had opened its mountain gate. The founder of this sect had killed a black-winged sea snake with thousands of years of cultivation in the North Sea, and used its flying wings and skeleton to refine a treasure flag called the Yinlin Black Flag, which could release poisonous smoke and water thunder. Another batch of black armor was refined using the outer skin of the black-winged sea snake, which could defend against knives and guns, avoid water and fire, and ordinary flying swords could hardly harm it. Moreover, it had another function, which was to allow cultivators to hide their own aura. In those days, the Hook Departure Path and a sect in the North were competing for supremacy, and a group of disciples from that sect wore this batch of treasure armor, sneaking into the opponent's mountain gate and catching them off guard, winning a great victory.

  "Don't be so arrogant!"

  Mr. Zhang spoke up, his words hinting at a desire to negotiate, and he first conjured up a cyan-colored cloth-like treasure that enveloped his body in a protective aura. However, the two men in magnificent attire did not respond, instead letting out a cold snort as they simultaneously pulled out a large black flag from thin air, each of them seemingly pulling it out of nowhere.

  As soon as the black flag was raised, a dark energy swept down from all directions. "Dark Scales Black Flag!" Mr. Zhang didn't know that this evil Taoist treasure had two sides, and seeing that these two people were not going to give in, he directly took out his powerful treasure, knowing that today's matter could no longer be resolved peacefully. He gritted his teeth, focused his energy, and threw out a golden talisman covered in lightning patterns.

  This golden light divine thunder symbol was thrown out, and with a loud clap of thunder, it transformed into a large golden-colored lightning hand, shocking the merchants on the entire street who were already terrified to the point of prostrating themselves on the ground.

  The Wangwu Sect mainly cultivates the method of talismans, and this talisman is the Golden Light Thunder Talisman in the Wangwu Talisman Taoist Method, one of the most powerful talismans in the Wangwu Talisman. Mr. Zhang also obtained it from his master, but he couldn't refine it himself, so it was a treasured method that had been put away. Today, seeing over ten flying swords forming an array and flying about, with the dark scales black flag coming at him with great momentum, Mr. Zhang could only throw out this Golden Light Thunder Talisman.

  "Chi la chi la" sounds, but just as the golden light of the divine thunder burst out, two substantial black winged serpents suddenly surged out from the two black flags. The two ferocious long serpents shook their bodies, and a large piece of dark blue lightning cold air spread out, blasting away the golden light giant hand.

  "Terrible! This dark scale black flag is actually so ruthless!"

  Until then, Mr. Zhang had just reacted and realized that the black-winged sea snake killed by the ancestor of Koudai Sect was not one, but two, and the ancestor of Koudai Sect actually suppressed the thousand-year-old snake soul in the black flag. The power of this dark-scaled black flag suddenly burst out, which was even more powerful than the golden light thunder symbol of his sect. The battle between cultivators is more dangerous than the sword fight between martial artists in the world. Mr. Zhang's handling was not timely, and he did not have the ruthlessness of Koudai Sect people. The Golden Light Thunder Symbol was broken, and it was too late to release other magical artifacts. This thought became the last thought in Mr. Zhang's mind.

  As soon as the golden light disappeared, a black gas rolled in, and Mr. Zhang suddenly stumbled, that blue cloth-like treasure flew back and forth without spirit, only revealing a few inches of gap, and the eighteen flying swords outside stopped spinning and flew in instantly.

  It was just a flash, and Mr. Zhang, standing in the middle of the street, was strangled into dozens of scattered pieces of flesh. The eighteen flying swords were ignited with yuanqi, and Mr. Zhang, who had some reputation on the northern Taoist path, didn't even leave behind a wisp of his yin soul, completely annihilating both body and spirit!

  In this world of ordinary people, when have you ever seen such a brutal and cruel fighting method!

  For a moment, the two men in Chinese clothes who were waving black flags did not make a sound, but instead let out a shout and rolled away quickly, leaving the originally crowded street suddenly empty.

  "Something big is going to happen!"

  Wang Zhiwei, who was on the top floor of the building, also saw it and his whole body trembled uncontrollably. After slowly closing the window, he calmed himself down and shouted, "Prepare horses! Prepare carriages! Gather account books, gold, silver, and valuables! Notify all people in the east and south of the city to evacuate to the west!"

  This experienced and knowledgeable manager of the large merchant house had already seen that something terrible was going to happen in this place. The struggle between these monks was such that even the army might not be able to intervene, let alone them. Although they were still two streets away from the sealed-off street, Wang Zhiwei did not feel a single bit of safety.

  In the west of the city, Wangxingji also has industries, and nearby there are troops stationed, which is the safest place in the city.

  "These cultivators who can determine life and death in an instant are making such a big show, but who exactly are they trying to deal with?"

  The servants of the big merchant were extremely efficient, and Wang Zhiwei's orders had only just been given when the luggage was already packed and the carriage was ready. As he nervously got on the carriage, Wang Zhiwei was stunned to see dozens of figures gathering from all directions in the city, rushing towards the street at an astonishing speed.