Chapter 965: Speeding Up Cultivation (II)

That day, the newly rebuilt Silver Sword Peak of Mount Shu welcomed another visitor.

He wore a robe of royal purple and gold. His figure was tall and imposing, and his face showed signs of age, with streaks of gray in his hair.

When he arrived at the pavilion that belonged to Di Nufeng, he didn’t go inside. He simply paused at the entrance and peeked through the doorway.

"Yo," a playful voice rang out from within. "Isn’t this the Imperial Guardian himself? It’s only been a few days. How did you end up looking like this?"

Di Nufeng stepped out and stood in the doorway, quietly studying him. Compared to when they last met at the Divine Fire Hall, Mingde looked much older. But since his cultivation had weakened, that came as no surprise.

"Haha." Mingde couldn’t help but laugh at how defiant she looked. "You’re already the Dao Master of Incinerating Heaven. Why are you still acting like this?"

"I attained it on my own. Why should I change?" Di Nufeng gave him a sideways look. "Now that I’m the Dao Master of Incinerating Heaven, shouldn’t you be the one treating me differently?"

Mingde blinked. He had to admit she wasn’t entirely wrong.

"Come in and sit," Di Nufeng said as she tossed her head and walked casually over to sit on her bed.

Mingde stepped inside and glanced around the peak master’s pavilion. It was a mess, filled with wine bottles, painting scrolls, and all sorts of random clutter. For a moment, he couldn’t even find a place to sit and let out a helpless sigh.

"I came to talk to you about that exact thing," he said after a short pause. "Now that you’ve become the Dao Master of Incinerating Heaven, it’s time for you to take over my position."

Di Nufeng raised an eyebrow and said lazily, "What do you mean? Are you saying I get to be the father now?"

"

Cough.

" Mingde choked on his words, coughing hard before replying, "No need for that. Fatherhood isn’t something we pass around... I meant becoming the Imperial Guardian."

Hearing that, Di Nufeng laughed and said, "The imperial family already had guardians before. Just look at what you managed to protect. If it hadn’t been for my disciple, I heard the entire capital of Yu would’ve been wiped out, let alone those imperial bloods. Honestly, I’m hoping they all die out. Then I can just be the emperor myself. Why would I guard them?"

"Even if they all died, it still wouldn’t fall to you. There’s still the Guardian Ruler..." Mingde muttered under his breath.

Di Nufeng scoffed. "What gives him the right to fight for it with me?"

Mingde couldn't help but complain inwardly,

One of you looks a bit more like a human, while the other one is a bit more humane. If this were a competition of madness, I wouldn't know which of you two would win.

Still, both eighth-realm Eminent Ones of the Xia Clan had rebellious streaks a mile wide. The future looked grim.

Mingde slowly raised his head and sighed.

What kind of people have I been protecting all this time?

How has the once-glorious imperial family ended up like this?

Nevertheless, it was a good thing that Di Nufeng survived. Thanks to her, the Great Dao of Incinerating Heaven remained in the Xia Family after he died. In that final moment before dying, the one person Mingde had truly worried about was this daughter of his.

Though he had come back to life, his cultivation level had dropped below the Heavenly Gate. However, it felt like he had let go of a heavy burden. That near-century spent in quiet repentance now seemed like a distant memory.

"I know you don’t want to return," he said slowly. "So I just wanted to ask... if you’re not going back to the imperial city, would it be alright if I stayed here on Silver Sword Peak for a while?"

He gave a bitter smile and looked at Di Nufeng. "You know... I died once before. The last thing I saw flash before my eyes as I died was you. If I had to name the one regret I’ve carried in this life, it would probably be—"

"Of course, no problem," Di Nufeng cut him off before he could get sentimental. She then stroked her chin and added with a sly smile, "But you’ve been the Imperial Guardian for so many years. You must’ve saved up quite a bit of wealth by now, right?"

In Mingde’s warm, heartfelt gaze, what reflected back was Di Nufeng’s perfectly unfeeling face.

Her expression said it all.

Old man, it's time to cough up your spirit stones.

...

"Age is catching up with me. I’m not much use anymore," the Noble Dharma said with a smile as he stood before Lin Poyun and the Celestial Charm Master. His expression remained as kind and merciful as ever.

"That blow from the Golden Crow nearly finished me off. It was only by sheer luck that I managed to escape with my life."

Despite what he said, Lin Poyun was sure the old man was hiding something. They had both witnessed the explosion firsthand, and there was simply no way anyone could have survived it. For him to show up now as if nothing had happened, he must have used some hidden trick.

The Celestial Master, however, wasn’t the least bit surprised. It was as if he had expected his teacher’s return from the start. He might not have known exactly how it was done, but he clearly believed that someone like the Noble Dharma could never be taken down so easily.

"Esteemed Teacher, you are truly blessed," the Celestial Master said with a smile. "Not only did you survive, but Evil Ksitigarbha even destroyed the Demon God’s life essence. Now that the era of great contention has begun, it is finally time for you to pluck the fruits of your cultivation efforts."

"Heh." The Noble Dharma let out a quiet chuckle and shook his head. "I don't know yet."

"Now that all the beings on the brink of ascension have shown themselves," Lin Poyun said as he began to assess the situation, "there’s the Divine Phoenix King of the West Sea, Wuchao of the South Sea, Baize from Mount Shu, and the Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor."

He paused, then continued, "The Divine Phoenix King acts alone and isn’t much of a threat. Wuchao remains secluded in the South Sea and likely won’t make a move. Baize might be powerful with Mount Shu behind her, but she hasn’t recovered fully and has already fallen behind. That leaves only one true rival—the Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor. He’s been accumulating spiritual energy these past few days, so I think he’s preparing for something."

The Dark King Sect could not be rebuilt anytime soon. And so, considering they had collaborated several times before, Lin Poyun was hoping to avoid sinking by clinging onto the huge ship that was the Noble Dharma.

If the Noble Dharma truly reached the ninth realm one day, Lin Poyun could ride his coattails to glory. The Celestial Charm Master clearly shared the same ambition. It didn’t matter who held the higher position and who followed behind. As long as they followed the same path, they would both rise together.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

As Lin Poyun finished his analysis, the Noble Dharma simply smiled and shook his head again.

"Not quite," he said slowly. "The real threats aren’t the ones at the brink of ascension. The real threats are the sects in the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten. Baize is backed by the Mount Shu Sect, and the Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor comes from a sect with a long and powerful lineage. You were right that they are difficult to deal with, but the true problem isn’t them. It’s the forces standing behind them.

"The Divine Phoenix and Wuchao are too impatient. Trying to become gods while the human race is watching so closely is almost foolish. Still, after waiting thousands of years, it’s not surprising that they can’t hold back anymore. I believe they’ve prepared backup plans, but in the end, they will still lose to the humans.

"As for me, if I want to prove my understanding of the Dao and ascend to the ninth realm, my only chance is to wait until the fighting is over. I need to stay hidden, plan carefully, and strike when the others are too busy."

Lin Poyun looked into his sharp, thoughtful eyes and knew this sly old man already had a plan in mind. So he got straight to the point.

"What are you planning to do next?"

The Noble Dharma turned his gaze to the south and slowly spoke seven words, "Drive the tiger to devour the wolf."