The Silver Moon had used Xiang Ning’s body to shatter Jinping’s Dragon Vein. As Zhuoming suddenly disappeared, that patched-together Territory Map was also annihilated in the spiritual wind, and the Silver Moon withdrew from Great Wan. 

On Sanyue’s West Peak, Xiang Ning sat in his room without moving a muscle. He was like a human-shaped glass lantern, glowing all over, lighting up the whole room, a peculiar smile fixed on his face. Then, as if operated by clockwork, both the Silver Moon above the West Peak and Xiang Ning simultaneously turned in a half circle to face Great Wan. 

Northern Li, Southern Shu, even the Queen Mother of the West and the others who had already returned to the Land of Turmoil, all of them sensed the upheaval in Jinping. 

Outsiders couldn’t work out at first what had happened. They could only tell that the Xuanyin Mountains were on the point of collapse—it was even more heart-stopping than the crying of the Lingyun Mountains. 

First Lingyun, then Xuanyin. The impregnable spiritual mountains seemed to have turned into paper houses overnight, ready to topple at any moment. 

In the Lingyun Mountains, the still fearful sect leader, elder, and all the Xiuyi masters were gathered near the fretful Cauldron of Nine Dragons, their hearts brought into their throats by the ominous noises coming from across the sea.

And just then, news reached Lingyun’s summit that the inner sect masters who had been ordered to capture the Miah rebels had all passed away. 

Apart from the sect leader and the shed skin elder, whose emotions didn’t appear on their faces, all the Xiuyi erupted. Public sentiment was aroused. 

Amid the pandemonium, Lingyun’s sect leader at last gave a quiet sigh. “The Miah acting clan leader and two elders betrayed the nation. Without someone to sponsor them, all Miah on the main island must return to the Three Islands to face inspection. The Three Islands will be overseen by the main island’s Dragon Subduing Knights. From this day forth, all Miah cultivators in both the inner and outer sects will be strictly investigated. But do your best not to disturb…” 

The voice of the Lingyun Mountains struck word by word against the mortal world, sending clouds of dust flying. 

The sect leader’s conclusion of “Do your best not to disturb the mortal common people” was drowned out by rage and didn’t reach anyone’s ears. There was only the sorrowful wailing of the Cauldron of Nine Dragons. 

In the mouth of the next life spiritual fish in the depths of the sea, Wangge Luobao felt the lotus seal on his consciousness quietly vanish. Like a sigh, he breathed in the stench of freedom. His song didn’t stop. 

This scheming “savior” had waited long enough; the disaster he wanted had arrived. 

In Western Chu, after all the previously broken lines of transportation between Chu and Shu had been reconnected, today the Chu-Wan border was tightly locked down. All the boats on the Xia River received emergency orders to return to port. The Cloud Soaring Flood Dragon was canceled without warning. 

Across the river, thick clouds covered the sky in Southern Wan’s Yuzhou, and there was smoke everywhere. It was said that major and minor earthquakes were coming nonstop. And everyone knew that these were no ordinary earthquakes, because there were absolutely no tremors in Chu. 

Rows of cannon were set up along Western Chu’s border. The Xia Waterborne Troops all stood by awaiting orders. The riverbank was covered with standing Qilin Guardsmen. In mountainous Chu, a rare gale blew in. Raising your head, you could see the major and minor “offerings” of local thugs everywhere. Though it was nearly late morning, there was still a moon fixed in Western Chu’s sky. 

Taking advantage of the chaos, after eight years, the red-eyed Yu Chang passed through the Slumbering Dragon Sea and returned to Western Chu. He was toying with a new reincarnation wood amulet. 

Between Wan and Chu…one was sure to come to a bad end today. 

Only Tao County couldn’t be reached by the wild wind. The earthquakes couldn’t shake this place. It was as calm as a lone boat carrying a divine blessing in the midst of a stormy sea. 

Men shouted, working together to chop down reincarnation wood trees. Aproned women moved deftly, gathering a large quantity of seeds in one place. 

Tao-er-nainai was standing with some old neighbors by the street, watching the young people work. Waving a fan, she said, “Back when the government soldiers came and also wanted to cut down the trees, in order to save these misty willows, our people nearly started a fight with the Xia River Waterborne Troops… Who would have thought that one day we’d be bustling about cutting them down ourselves?” 

“The misty willow can still grow as long as you don’t dig up the roots. Haven’t many of the ones that got cut down back then grown back?” a person next to her responded. “This time it’s Tai Sui himself telling us to do it… In a flash, it’s been a decade, and we’ve heard him speak once again.” 

“Tai Sui doesn’t speak, but when you’re asleep at night, you can always hear qin music in your dreams. Any irritations that happened during the day vanish. Since spiritual energy was prohibited, these last eight years, I haven’t had any nightmares.” 

“I haven’t heard it recently. I’ve heard people say there’s trouble everywhere outside.” 

“That’s right, the southern border has been locked for months, and now in the east…” 

“Let it go to hell. We follow Tai Sui.” Tao-er-nainai’s voice rose, the power of her lungs no less than in previous years. “This is Tao County. Even a god who shows up here has to walk on the ground. If a monster or demon stirring trouble outside dares to barge in, we’ll get together and beat him up like we did before. We’re not scared of anything!” 

A large quantity of reincarnation wood trees were transported to the center of the Xia River Waterborne Troops’ garrison to await the Luwu there to send them batch by batch through the Law Breaker space to the various Kaiming Department branches. 

Zhao Qindan had just secured a large quantity of silk dragon hearts off the black market. She stopped to catch her breath and looked east—towards her old home. 

When Tai Sui had asked her to move silk dragon hearts from the black market, he had naturally told her the current situation with the Territory Map, regardless of whether she needed to know. Now, outside of the Kaiming and the Luwu, she was one of the few people who knew what had actually happened in Southern Wan. 

A half-immortal forced into foreign exile who was living under an assumed identity in a strange land—when the mountains were collapsing and the earth was cracking, apart from obeying orders and rushing around, what could she do? 

Zhao Qindan stared blankly towards the sky-blotting dense clouds to the east for a moment. Suddenly, she strode back to the little school where she taught female students to read and write, picked up a brush, and started drafting a letter. 

Those who had debated with her, those who had sympathized with her, those who had called her a hen crowing at daybreak…

The silk dragon hearts from the black market and from Rosy Cloud Peak were sent into the Territory Map, bringing spiritual energy. 

In recent years, because Xuanyin had expanded the threshold for outer sect disciples to establish a foundation, the demand for established foundation pills had greatly increased, making the price of silk dragon hearts rise sharply—and this had been a valuable material that the evil cultivators of the Land of Turmoil would crack their heads open to snatch. Rosy Cloud Peak had been forced to reduce the remainder of its expenses, tightening its belt while wrangling with the Principal Peak for resources. 

For the sake of these silk dragon hearts, Wen Fei’s medicine-making disciples had each cultivated themselves into accountants. It could be said that at present all of Rosy Cloud Peak’s fortune was concentrated in these silk dragon hearts. 

Wen Fei silently swallowed a begrudging mouthful of stale blood, forced an “it’s nothing” expression onto his face, and managed to say nothing. Clearly you had to be a man of iron to have served as the general commander of Heaven’s Design Pavilion.

The above-mentioned man of iron went behind the others’ backs and, through the reincarnation wood, settled the account with Xi Ping at length: “Listen, sword god’s disci…ancestor, even if you can bring together all the silk dragon hearts on the black market, empty out all the silk dragons in Southern Shu and let them die without progeny, bring all the spiritual energy from Rosy Cloud Peak here, will that be enough? No amount of spiritual energy can turn you into a shed skin. You’re only ‘eight years old,’ you only know two sword moves. Wake up, you can’t pluck an unripe sprout like this—anyway, the real shed skin is no use, either. Didn’t you see that for yourself?” 

Xi Ping gave him a wary glance and quickly retorted with his consciousness, “Who says I only know two sword moves? For a medicine cultivator, Peak Master Wen, you have quite the ‘understanding’ of the way of the sword.” 

Had they not been surrounded by people and eyes, Wen Fei would have put his face in his hands. “You smacked the Territory Map dozens of awe-inspiring times, and your posture throughout ‘changed superficially without departing from the central idea.’ A boiler-tender like me has no understanding of the way of the sword, but that doesn’t mean I can’t count!” 

Xi Ping: “…” 

At the same time, Zhi Xiu’s voice came through the reincarnation wood. “Shiyong, you don’t understand the Territory Map. Do not put on airs.” 

“I know, I just got pulverized by it,” Xi Ping said. “Before the Territory Map escaped, only the Territory Map rubbing could touch that worm. But for some reason, Xuanyin Mountain only has the rubbing for Jinping and the surroundings. The reincarnation wood trees on the outside originally couldn’t touch the black dragon shadow, but because I’m inside it, they could just now. I know I can’t compete against the Territory Map, but I can act as a ‘rubbing’ to connect the inside and outside.” 

“Be a rubbing for whom? Your shifu?” Wen Fei immediately said through the reincarnation wood. Because only the two of them could hear him like this, Wen Fei didn’t need to worry about splashing cold water on anyone. He was rather free of scruples. “Allow me to explain. Your shifu’s connection to the Territory Map isn’t what you think. He isn’t the ‘master’ of the Territory Map. He was only the person who got trapped at the rupture in the Dragon Vein… Let me put it like this, he’s connected to the Territory Map at one end and to the Dragon Vein seal at the other. If he submitted to the spiritual mountains and became a sage, the spiritual mountains could naturally use him as a medium to suppress the Territory Map. But if he becomes an unconventional shed skin, Xuanyin won’t acknowledge him. The Territory Map might have some friendly feeling towards him, but if you want to make a new shed skin whose boundary is unsteady do the work of three high elders, wouldn’t that be pushing him beyond his strength?” 

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” said Xi Ping, “Peak Master Wen, your surname isn’t Zhao, and you’ve had no dealings with the Zhao family. Why do you know the inside story about the Territory Map so well?” 

“That’s not important.” Wen Fei waved a hand. “Anyway, I’m afraid this Territory Map that’s always ready to make trouble won’t wait for Zhi Jingzhai to become a shed skin. You don’t have…” 

Even without his fan. Wen Fei’s crow’s mouth was just as powerful. 

Before he could finish saying “you don’t have time,” another ominous snap sounded inside the Territory Map. Wen Fei said, “Oh no!” 

This time, a vein of the earth had snapped in Yuzhou. 

Fortunately, reincarnation wood was plentiful in Yuzhou. As soon as the vein of the earth began to split, before it could swallow up the surroundings, Xi Ping’s consciousness had instantly moved there. Wen Fei was afraid he wouldn’t be able to handle it on his own. “Take me!” 

Xi Ping didn’t stand on ceremony. The next moment, Wen Fei’s vision swirled as Xi Ping swept his consciousness to the corresponding area in Yuzhou inside the Territory Map. Rapidly growing reincarnation wood trees clustered thickly to block the hole in the Territory Map, connecting to the reincarnation wood on the outside. 

Wen Fei felt the pressure of the Territory Map that no one but a true full moon god could subdue pour into the top of his skull. As one of the medicine cultivators famous for the firmness of their consciousnesses, he felt extremely despairing—this was only a crack, and it had brought two great ascended spirits to this pass. Who could take care of the whole Territory Map?! 

“Help me hold out a while!” said Xi Ping. 

“You…you don’t ask for much…” said Wen Fei. 

Fortunately, Xi Ping had learned from experience. His speed in repairing the vein of the earth was much more practiced than before. 

But despite this, the two of them still used up quite a bit of the silk dragon hearts that Lin Chi had just sent in. 

“You said it yourself, how could I make a shed skin whose boundary is unsteady do the work of three elders?” Xi Ping took a breath. “It’s not like the three elders are dead.”

Connecting inside and out, the reincarnation wood trees that had repaired the crack in the vein of the earth were clustered as if they were planted within the earth and towered to the sky. Looking from a distance, they were like the legendary pillar holding up the sky. 

“I just asked some friends to help me prepare a large quantity of reincarnation wood seeds. There’s the Kaiming Department to provide support on the surface. I want to use this spiritual energy to drive ‘pegs’ into the Territory Map at all the veins of the earth throughout Great Wan.” 

Before Xi Ping could finish, throughout Great Wan, the veins of the earth tore again and again, and some places had no reincarnation wood nearby! 

“Stop bragging,” said Wen Fei. “There’s the Kaiming Department to provide support on the surface, but who’s going to plant the seeds underground?” 

Before he could finish, he saw Pang Jian, who had also worked out Xi Ping’s predicament, take the initiative, flying up on his sword. “Give me the seeds. Split up to maneuver!” 

Wen Fei’s consciousness immediately returned to his body. He shouted towards Pang Jian, “G—g-g-get down! An est-established foundation’s bit—bit of essence can’t match an a-ascended spirit’s, don’t use spiritual—spiritual energy, even a silk dragon heart can’t b-block the Territory Map’s encroach—encroach…” 

“Peak Master Wen, you are a senior.” Wen Fei’s speech truly couldn’t keep up with Pang Jian’s progress. Before he could finish shouting this sentence, Pang Jian had already vanished. Only his voice came their way. “Have you forgotten that to leave one’s bones in the ground is all a walker in the mortal world of Heaven’s Design Pavilion asks for in this life?”