Eternal Life

Number Ten of the Shan’he Ranking

Sword light flew amid the mountain forest causing a blue explosion. Wherever it went, trees were smashed and rocks were crushed.

The ‘Spirit Wind Sword’s blade was incomparably sharp. The Spirit Wind Array on it revolving to an extreme speed causing one to only be able to see a shadow.

“Hua’la!”

With a thought, the ‘Spirit Wind Sword’ immediately stopped, suspended in front of Fang Han. It descended, went into its sheath, and stopped moving.

“With a sword in hand, monsters truly die. If I entered the ordinary world with this sword, I would be able to face an army of a thousand people unless they set up a good ambush with the strongest bows and gunpowder and destroyed my body.”

Having seen the power of the ‘Spirit Wind Sword’, Fang Han unwillingly stored it away.

He now knew that if he entered the ordinary world, he no longer had to be afraid of being surrounded by an army.

An expert of the Mortal Realm, even if they trained to the tenth level of G.o.dly Transformation, would be afraid of being surrounded by an army. An army of a thousand troops that has some pract.i.tioners of the fifth level of the Mortal Realm, using knives, gunpowder, swords, spears, bows, and crossbows, could easily kill ten experts of the tenth level.

However, if one had a ling’qi flying sword and struck first from countless li away, an army of a thousand people couldn’t do anything.

A ling’qi was the enemy of armies.

Now that Fang Han had the ‘Spirit Wind Sword’, his power had greatly increased. The only problem was that this ‘Spirit Wind Sword’s defense capability was poor. If faced with a concentrated arrow shower, there was no way for him to intercept all the arrows with his sword.

Furthermore, he couldn’t ride it and fly.

Only bao’qi level flying swords, which were truly treasures, could both attack and defend, and infinitely change their shape.

For example, one could suddenly change into a transparent steel ball, encapsulating a person inside and giving them the ability to fly. Also, they could withstand the pressure of the water, allowing one to traverse the underwater world.

However, bao’qi level magic treasures were far too rare, each one capable of creating great destruction. If one didn’t have a lucky find, or one wasn’t a prominent pract.i.tioner, then there was no way for one to receive one.

When a bao’qi was refined, one first needed a very special material. Secondly, they needed to be at the ninth, perhaps even tenth, level of the Divine Realm, or someone who had already pa.s.sed into the Longevity Realm.

“Ling’qi are already so rare, let’s not even think about treasures. This ‘Spirit Wind Sword’ is already bound to me, although Mo and her group will probably fuss over it again.”

Finishing his practice, Fang Han once again used the ‘Spirit Tamer Tablet’ to call Crane Fairy over, and bring him back to Purple Lightning Peak to rest for the night.

The next day, he rode Crane Fairy to the central field of the Yu’hua Mountain. Previously, he had agreed to meet Liu Kang and Hong Yi right outside this field. He saw them both, each standing by their own crane. Their cranes were the same size as Crane Fairy, but were not as divinely pretty and bright as she was.

It seems as if these two, Hong Yi and Liu Kang, also have relations with some true disciple. Adding on the fact that first lady Fang Qing Xue has already left for the Han’hai Desert, what if the Demons and Devils this time ordered the attack on Blue Moon Country for other reasons? In the Yu’hua School, there were 108 true disciples, resulting in many conflicts between them. It seems I will have to be very cautious, thought Fang Han.

“Fang Han, you’ve arrived?”

Hong Yi saw Fang Han land, hurriedly arriving in front of him. “The people from the Da’de Empire and senior sister disciple Mo are already waiting for us.”

Sure enough, just as the words faded, tens of cranes covered the sky, and landed. It was the group from the Da’de Empire, as well as the inner court disciples headed by senior sister disciple Mo.

The people, Fang Han had all met before.

However, there was one male that had newly joined. This male stood by senior sister disciple Mo, and wore jade-green colored clothing, not the ordinary magic clothes given to outer court disciples, but also not the water-fire clothes given to inner court disciples. It seemed as if they were ling’qi!

His clothes were actually ling’qi! A priceless body-protecting ling’qi that was unable to be penetrated by evil Devils, protecting the flesh. It was much more priceless than an offensive ling’qi such as a flying sword.  

The flesh was the origin of the Divine. Even if one trained to the level of Divine Realm, one still needed to take great care protecting their body. Otherwise, if their body was beheaded, any Divine power would immediately disappear, like a flame in water.

“Senior brother disciple Yuan!”

Seeing this male wearing jade-green clothing, all the others hurriedly paid respects.

“This person is tenth place on the Shan’he Rankings, Yuan Jian Kong, senior brother disciple Yuan,” Hong Yi faintly told Fang Han.

Fang Han’s heart shivered with fear.

It was an inner court disciple, one that was ranked in the Shan’he Rankings.

There was a total of 3-5000 inner court disciples, all at the ninth level of the Mortal Realm. Those at the tenth level, they either had top level fa’qi or a ling’qi.

Every year, inner court disciples would hold a compet.i.tion, in which ten experts would be named, allowing them to be placed on the Shan’he Rankings.

At the same time, the school would give these top ten disciples extremely extravagant rewards. From medicinal pellets to ling’qi, they were given everything in effort to increase their cultivation, and help them break into the Divine Realm and become a true disciple.

You could say that the ten inner court disciples on the Shan’he Rankings had very high statuses that were perhaps even comparable to true disciples. They had complete freedom with their actions.

Their techniques were also very powerful, and relying magic treasures, they were comparable to pract.i.tioners of the Divine Realm.

These kind of people, from inside their hearts, gave Fang Han a very profound pressure.

“Senior brother disciple Yuan!” Fang Han shouted, following the others.

“Ah, you’re Fang Han? The person from Purple Lightning Peak?”  Yuan Jian Kong’s two eyes looked towards Fang Han, “Not bad, truly not bad. Are you the one who took away disciple Zuo’s ‘Spirit Wind Sword’? When we meet Fang Qing Xue, I will tell her about this.”

“How unfortunate, it seems as if Yuan Jian Kong is dissatisfied with me.”

Fang Han immediately felt the unfriendly tone of Yuan Jian Kong’s words.

“Okay, brother disciple Yuan, the large picture is more important. Let us first depart for the Han’hai Desert. Purple Lightning Peak’s senior sister disciple Fang has already arrived at the Blue Moon Country. We cannot let her gain advantages, otherwise, I’m afraid the ‘Yin Yang Longevity Pellet’…” said senior sister disciple Mo.

“Sister disciple Mo is correct!” Yuan Jian Kong deeply looked at Fang Han one more time, then, waving his hand, directly floating onto his crane. The crane moved its wings, and rose into the sky.

His clothes seemed to have the ability to float. Unlike others, he didn’t have to ride buried within the crane’s back feathers to avoid being blown off and killed.

“Leave!”

The people from the Da’de Empire, including Prince Bao, got on their cranes, and after looking at Fang Han, also rose into the air.

“Fang Han, you need to be cautious. This time, the accomplishment is unnecessary, but they are going for it. You can always stay behind in the city,” everything that pa.s.sed through Hong Yi’s eyes very clearly.

“Since I have to go, if I don’t go gain experience, what am I supposed to do? What if I also want to become an inner court disciple? In the future, perhaps my name will be on the Shan’he Rankings.” After refining the ‘Nine Aperture Golden Pellet’, he had unconsciously fused with a strip of the Yellow Spring Emperor’s tyrannical qi. Amid his speaking, he emitted a strong feeling of self-confidence which infected others. He had already completely broken away from that petty, timid, rule-following att.i.tude he had as a servant.

“These people want to deal with you. I will not just sit there and let them, and when facing Demons and Devils, they won’t dare to be excessive,” said Liu Kang, licking his fingers. “We are mainly here because we want to rely on their ling’qi to withstand the flying attacks from the Devils.”

“Leave! Let us speak again when we reach the Han’hai Desert.”

Fang Han got on the crane’s back, rising up into the air along with senior sister disciple Mo and senior brother disciple Yuan Jian Kong. In his heart, he tried to figure out the situation. He knew that he had taken a ling’qi and exposed that hidden on his body was some sort of powerful magic treasure. That by itself was already enough to give others reason to kill him.

This group of people, even though they were all disciples of the Yu’hua School, they were still people of ambition, and were constantly thinking sinister thoughts. One must know, only outstanding n.o.ble children were able to enter the Yu’hua school. These people were not only first cla.s.s talents, but absolutely ruthless.

Currently, the reason why these people didn’t dare to make a move wasn’t because of school rules, but because of Fang Qing Xue.

Because of a matter involving ling’qi, the friendship between Fang Han and these disciples from the same school was thinner than paper.

The Yu’hua School recruited disciples, not ordinary civilians. Ordinary people were too humble, and perhaps wouldn’t fight with each other over magic treasures. n.o.ble disciples were different. From a young age, they were taught to fight, and trained to be sly. Their bad habits to maximize benefit for themselves had long been brought to the Yu’hua School.
In his heart, Fang Han knew that if he reached the Han’hai Desert, they would get someone to kill him, and then take the ling’qi on his body.

Currently, his best idea was to stay at the Yu’hua School and not go. However, there would still be a number of people looking for trouble, and upon taking the opportunity to teach him a lesson, would take the ling’qi for themselves.

In the end, the more chaotic the better. It was better to take the opportunity to escape in chaos.

Furthermore, he currently needed to undergo a large amount of combat. Only the experience of constantly being between life and death could excite one’s spirit and cause one to enter the ninth level of Spiritual Expert.

The cranes flew very quickly through the air, leaving behind one mountain after another. However, every one to two shi’chen, they would all land for some rest. After all, the cranes were also made of flesh and blood. Flying while carrying a person who weighed one to two hundred jin for a long period of time was very exhausting, and required time to rest and drink water to replenish strength.

When this group of Yu’hua School disciples rested, they all clearly split into their own smaller groups.

Fang Han, Liu Kang, and Hong Yi formed a small group.

The three princes and two princess of the Da’de Empire formed a group.

Senior sister disciple Mo and the couple inner court disciples also formed a group.

Meanwhile, Shan’he Ranking rank ten, the mysterious Yuan Jian Kong’ rested by himself, occasionally talking with sister disciple Mo, but ignoring everyone else.

Roughly around midnight, Fang Han saw that in front of him, the prolonged chain of mountains finally disappeared, replaced by an immense desert. The moon shined upon the desert, a brilliant, clear, cold light spilling down from above. The desert seemed as if it had been painted with a layer of silver water.

“We’ve already reached the Han’hai Desert, it is truly boundless. Blue Moon City is in the central part of the Han’hai Desert, and we will have to fly another day tomorrow before arriving. Tonight, we must all rest well and revitalize our spirits. Our cranes are tired as well,” said Yuan Jian Kong as he landed his crane in the desert.

Seeing him land, Fang Han also landed.

This group of Yu’hua School inner and outer court disciples all lowered amid the desert, lighting fires, drinking water, and sitting down. Fang Han cautiously guarded Crane Fairy, his ears listening, his eyes watching.

At this time, they were well in the Western part of the desert. From within a sand dune about ten li away, a pair of sly, mysterious, devilish eyes watched them. It had been observing them since earlier.