Make the Immortal Sect Great Again

Year 860 of the Great Shun, Jiangnan Circuit, Suwu County.

As a widely renowned and prosperous region in the Great Shun, the county town grew bustling the moment morning broke. Pedestrians filed onto the streets one after another.

Breakfast vendors, traveling merchants, inns, taverns, and barbers began their day. As the sun rose higher, children ran outside, playing at doorsteps and darting through the alleys. Everyone here was a neighbor, greeting each other with a smile whenever their paths crossed. The town overflowed with the vibrant aura of ten thousand lit homes.

But among the many children, one stood out.

"La la la, la la la, I'm a little martial arts master..."

She was a young girl, no older than seven or eight.

She wore a worn, oversized cloth jacket—clearly a hand-me-down from an older child—and hummed a cheerful, made-up tune.

Every few steps, she would stop, drop into a horse stance, and throw two punches.

"Hi-yah!"

"Hmph!"

Before long, she was weaving her way through the streets and alleys. Many of the shopkeepers spotted her lovely, porcelain-doll-like face and flashed her warm, affectionate smiles.

"Little Zhao is out and about again."

Uncle Liu, the breakfast vendor, waved her over. He fished a hot, round, white bun out of his steamer and pressed it right into the girl's hands. "Here you go. Fresh from the first batch this morning, and the very first one goes to Little Zhao."

"Thank you, Uncle Liu!"

The girl obediently took the bun and took a bite. Her eyes darted around. It was chive-filled. She didn't like chives; she liked meat.

But not a trace of distaste showed on her face. Instead, she took a deep breath, smacked her lips, and devoured the whole bun in two or three bites. She then slipped a hand into her jacket pocket, fished out three copper coins, and secretly slid them onto his stall when he wasn't looking before turning on her heel and running away.

When Uncle Liu realized what had happened, he hurriedly looked toward the girl. "Hey, hey! You kid, get back here! I told you, I won't take your money..."

The girl pretended not to hear him, waving her hand happily as she sprinted off. "Thanks, Uncle!"

Only when she had turned the corner did she stop, patting her unchanged little belly in satisfaction before skipping down the street once more to wander.

Her good mood lasted until she neared her destination, interrupted by a burst of clamor.

Looking up, she saw a martial arts hall situated on a street corner. It seemed secluded but was actually quite large. Right now, its entrance was crowded with over a dozen burly men.

Seeing this, the girl curiously sidled up. "Are you guys here to take a shit?"

The burly men instantly turned around with vicious scowls. But when they saw it was just a tiny child, their expressions shifted to annoyance. "Get lost, get lost! Don't get in the way!"

The girl looked troubled. "But I live here. How am I supposed to get lost? With all of you crowding around, I can't even go inside."

The lead thug's expression immediately changed.

"You live here?"

"Yeah."

The girl nodded obediently. Seeing this, the burly man squatted down, dug around in his pocket, pulled out a copper coin, and casually shoved it into her hand. "Come here. Tell big brother, who is the best fighter in your Ping'an Martial Arts Hall?"

The girl crossed her arms over her chest, tilted her head, and thought for a moment before answering in a crisp voice, "My senior brothers, of course! Unless you think it's me?"

"Oh? How well can they fight?" the burly man asked cautiously.

"Super well!"

The girl instantly started throwing mock punches again. "Hi-yah, hoo-yah! I have thirteen senior brothers. They're known as the Ping'an Thirteen Grand Protectors, and they've beaten everyone in the whole county. They're invincible!"

"They protect the two or three streets around here. There used to be gangs that would come extort protection money from the uncles and aunties running the shops. But then my master brought my senior brothers here, beat them until they howled, and sent them all running! They never dared to show their faces again."

"You see that plaque above the door?"

She pointed at the plaque hanging over the entrance, which read 'Ping'an Martial Arts Hall.' She boasted, "The county magistrate wrote that himself, to reward us for our merits!"

"They only beat people?"

"Martial arts has to see blood. If you don't kill a few people, you can't exactly strike fear into anyone." The burly man lowered his voice, dragging a finger across his throat.

"Kill people? How could they do that!"

The girl was instantly terrified, her little face turning pale. "Murder is against the law in the city!"

"Hmm..."

The burly man rubbed his chin, ignoring the frightened girl. The corners of his mouth curled into a smirk. As he looked back at the Ping'an Martial Arts Hall, a trace of contempt flickered in his eyes.

'I see. It seems they've only beaten up a bunch of street thugs. They don't even have the guts to kill anyone. At best, they've learned a few flashy routines. They probably aren't even true martial artists, yet their reputation isn't small. That makes things easy. They'll be the perfect chickens to slaughter to frighten the monkeys.'

Old Knife Handle had a dream.

As a former bandit who had now turned over a new leaf and returned home, he planned to build an estate for himself in his hometown county, marry seventeen or eighteen wives, and have a bunch of kids.

Unfortunately, having spent the better part of his life fighting in the green forests of Shuzhong, he knew nothing about running a business. All he had were his excellent combat skills and the martial arts he had painstakingly cultivated for thirty years.

After thinking it over, he figured the criminal underworld suited him best. So, he gathered a group of men and decided to kickstart his enterprise. Ping'an Martial Arts Hall was his very first target. After all, this area was relatively remote, devoid of other gangs, and completely open for the taking.

Originally, he had been feeling a little nervous.

Because those who ran martial arts halls could potentially come from genuine martial families. If they had even one or two External Arts practitioners, he'd probably have to swallow his pride to avoid stirring up real trouble.

But now, his mind was at ease.

A bunch of naive youths from a small county town, unable to even kill local street thugs—what could they possibly know about martial arts? Dealing with them should be a breeze!

With that thought, Old Knife Handle looked back at the girl. "Where are your senior brothers?"

He tried his best to sound friendly. "We came here bright and early, but the door has been locked tight. No one answers no matter how much we knock. Can you call them out for us?"

"Just tell them someone is here to challenge their hall."

"What does challenging a hall mean?"

The girl scratched her head, looking utterly innocent. "If you guys came to learn martial arts, I'll take you inside. They should still be sleeping."

Sleeping?

Old Knife Handle grew even more scornful. First thing in the morning, and martial artists their age weren't even up practicing? How could they possibly sleep in?

He was in his forties, yet he still trained through the hottest days of summer and the coldest days of winter!

At that thought, Old Knife Handle immediately nodded. "That works too. You open the door."

"Okay!"

The girl happily pulled a key from her clothes and unlocked the main door of the martial arts hall. Her vibrant and lively demeanor made even Old Knife Handle find her quite adorable.

'Afterward, I'll take her along and sell her to the Lichun Courtyard in the neighboring county. She'll definitely fetch a good price... Perfect. It can be my first bucket of gold after returning home.'

That way, he would also have some startup funds to establish his gang.

Just as Old Knife Handle was thinking this over, he saw the girl turn around and wave them over warmly. "Here, here. This is the bedroom where my senior brothers usually sleep."

"Oh?"

Old Knife Handle focused his gaze, only to see the girl pointing straight at a side room. He sneered, walked right up, and launched a kick, intending to smash the door in.

Bang!

The door burst open.

But the very moment the door was kicked open, Old Knife Handle felt his vision turn black, followed immediately by an indescribable, agonizing pain erupting across his face.

Not only that, he felt his feet lift off the ground. His intelligence instantly reclaimed the high ground, and he realized exactly what was happening:

'Not good! It's a trap! That little girl purposely lured me here. The people in the hall have been up this whole time. They were lying in ambush, waiting to hit me with a vicious blow... And judging by the force of this strike, these aren't ordinary men who only know flashy routines. They are External Arts practitioners, just like me...'

'I've been tricked!'

In that split second, Old Knife Handle was absolutely furious. What a waste of a lifetime of fame! Back in his youth, he had been a true hero in the green forests of Shuzhong, a man who drank heavily and ate meat by the chunk.

Yet he had actually capsized in the gutter of a rundown martial arts hall.

These youngsters had no martial virtue! They deceived him, they ambushed him!

But soon enough, Old Knife Handle had no time left to curse them in his heart, because the originally quiet martial arts hall suddenly became extremely lively.

"Who wants to challenge the hall?"

With a clatter, thirteen men rushed out of the room. They were holding all sorts of weapons—tables, chairs, and wooden benches were all accounted for.

"Hi-yah, hoo-yah! The Ping'an Thirteen Grand Protectors!"

The thirteen men each struck a pose, then swarmed forward, surrounding Old Knife Handle and his men, mercilessly beating them to a pulp on the spot.

At first, Old Knife Handle wanted to resist.

After all, the person who had just smashed him with a bench was an External Arts practitioner, but it was impossible for all thirteen of them to be ones. As long as he seized a flaw in their attacks, he could escape with his life.

Then he realized in horror: 'There aren't any?'

No matter which direction he tried to break through, he was met head-on by a heavy, crushing strike. Every single one of them was an External Arts practitioner! Why weren't there any ordinary people?

'Not good! I've kicked an iron plate!'

In a flash, the already battered and bleeding Old Knife Handle felt his vicious nature flare up. His eyes darted around and finally landed on the little girl who had led him inside.

'A chance! These guys are careless after all! Their formation has a gap—no one is watching the little girl! And that brat is reckless, actually daring to get close to watch the fun... Good. I'll slide past their next attack and grab that girl to use as a hostage!'

With that thought, Old Knife Handle unleashed a massive roar. "Aooogh!!!"

This roar was no ordinary trick; it was the Tiger Roar Art he had meticulously practiced for thirty years. As expected, the roar made the surrounding attackers pause for a fraction of a second.

In that lightning-fast opening, Old Knife Handle bolted, sliding right between one man's legs and arriving instantly before the little girl!

Her panicked face was already reflected in his eyes.

Seeing the little girl actually raise her scrawny arm, curl her fingers into a fist, and throw a punch at him from afar, Old Knife Handle didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

'This brat didn't run away, and she actually dares to throw a punch at me?'

'She must be scared stupid.'

With that thought, Old Knife Handle reached out his hand.

'Hmm, looking at this tiny frame, I can't use too much strength. Thirty percent will do. If I accidentally kill her, it'll forge a massive blood feud...'

The next second, the sky went dark.

"Huh?"

This time, Old Knife Handle didn't even get a chance for his intelligence to reclaim the high ground. The moment his feet left the ground, all his consciousness plunged into absolute darkness.

Thud!

At once, everyone looked in the girl's direction, only to see her still wearing an utterly innocent expression as she maintained her horse stance and pulled back her fair, tender little fist.

"Senior brothers, are you guys up to it or what?"

The girl blinked her big, adorable eyes. "Hurry up. Knock them all out and stuff them into boxes... Murder is illegal in the city, so we'll drag them out and bury them tonight."

"We know, we know."

One of the men who had attacked sighed helplessly. "Little Zhao, it's not like you don't know. We brothers were busy all night burying the master of the Heavenly Dragon Gang from next door along with all his accomplices. We hadn't even been in bed for an hour before this group showed up. It's only normal that our attention is a bit off."

On the other side, another burly man had already started dragging bodies.

"Alright, alright, stop talking and get moving!"

"Old Six, you wash the floor."

"On it!"

Soon enough, everyone seamlessly divided up the labor.

In no time, the entire martial arts hall was spotless once again, leaving absolutely no trace of the brutal, merciless gang beating that had just taken place.

Actually, Old Knife Handle's judgment hadn't been wrong.

Ping'an Martial Arts Hall—at least when it first opened—truly was just established by a group of hot-blooded youths who only understood flashy routines.

But ever since one freezing winter night, when Old Eight of the hall saw a beggar child wandering the streets and kindly brought her inside...

Everything changed.

No one could understand why the haphazard, copied routines they'd picked up turned into genuine martial arts the moment they fell into the hands of this beggar child.

After thinking it over, they could only conclude that the beggar child was a one-in-a-million martial arts prodigy destined for greatness. So, they brainstormed and gave her a name: Lian Ruzhao, meaning 'This person's martial training shall shine as brilliantly as the morning sun.' Everyone felt quite cultured about it.

As time passed...

As Lian Ruzhao grew older, her talent became increasingly absurd. Eventually, she didn't even need routines. With a single glance, she could invent her own martial arts.

She even created a specialized martial art for every single person in the hall. Iron Head Art, Iron Throat Art, Iron Arm Art, Iron Elbow Art, Iron Fist Art, Iron Sand Palm, Iron Finger Art, Iron Knee Art, Iron Leg Art, Iron Foot Art, Iron Cloth Shirt, Iron Abdomen Art... They were completely tailor-made to her senior brothers' requests.

One of them loved visiting brothels.

When Lian Ruzhao found out, she went out of her way to conduct a field study at a brothel, then invented the Iron Ox Art just for him. It nearly made the man drop to his knees and call her Mother.

And then everyone found out about it.

After that, the senior brother who practiced the Iron Ox Art was brutally beaten by the other twelve combined. He lay in bed for three whole days before recovering.

In any case—

'Those were all happy memories.'

In Jiangnan Circuit, inside an armed escort agency's carriage, the now twelve-year-old Lian Ruzhao lay back lazily, a blade of grass in her mouth, thinking about the harvest from this trip.

Over the years, the business of Ping'an Martial Arts Hall had slowly expanded, naturally branching out into armed escorts. For example, Lian Ruzhao's current trip was a long-distance run, delivering cargo from Jiangnan Circuit to Shuzhong. It was said to be fraught with danger, so naturally, she, the strongest person in the hall, had to take charge.

Her senior brothers had originally wanted to refuse, feeling it was far too dangerous.

But Lian Ruzhao insisted on going. The reason was simple: since she was three or four, the precocious child had discovered she possessed a peculiar ability.

Intuition.

No matter what happened, as long as she followed her intuition, she would always encounter good luck. Sometimes, even the process of finding that luck surprised her.

And among all these strokes of fortune, Lian Ruzhao believed the greatest one was following her intuition on that snowy night and arriving at the doorstep of Ping'an Martial Arts Hall.

Thinking of this, she weighed the cloth bundle in her arms.

Inside were many little trinkets she had bought in Shuzhong as souvenirs. After months on the road for the escort mission, she planned to bring all these back as gifts.

"This one for Seventh Brother, this one for Eighth Brother, this for Eldest Brother... Hm, this is for Uncle Liu at the alley entrance, and this one for Aunt Chen next door..."

Lian Ruzhao carefully counted the items in her bundle.

"Hehe."

At that thought, she felt a little thirsty. She couldn't help pulling a small gourd from her clothes, popping off the stopper, and leaning in to take a sniff.

Inside was the bright yellow wine unique to Shuzhong.

Though she wasn't very old, she loved drinking alcohol. But her senior brothers back home would never let her drink, so she had to sneak sips on the side.

"Should I drink it or not?"

Lian Ruzhao blinked, deciding to follow her intuition... She could set off right now and ride non-stop, rushing through the night to return to Suwu County.

Or she could drink first and get dead drunk.

The latter might delay her arrival home by a day or two.

'I'll drink a little. One day won't make a difference anyway, and I won't be able to drink once I'm back.' Lian Ruzhao licked her lips. Her intuition told her to drink.

Gulp, gulp, gulp~

That night, riding the buzz of the wine, she had another good dream.

Until three days later, when she stepped out of the carriage and saw a county town where cries shook the heavens and blood flowed in rivers—a place completely stripped of the bustling life she remembered.

She saw a child lying over an old man's corpse. The elder had been reduced to a desiccated husk, utterly drained of blood, yet the child thought he was just asleep, shaking him incessantly. She saw a mother cradling a baby, both slumped against a corner wall, having entirely transformed into cold, shriveled corpses.

"How is this... possible..."

Lian Ruzhao stood frozen in place until a chill crept up her spine. Then, almost like a madwoman, she charged into the county town and sprinted toward her martial arts hall.

But all she found was a pile of ruins.

Her thirteen senior brothers, with their familiar voices and smiling faces, had all been reduced to cold corpses. Their blood and qi had also been extracted, and the terror of their final moments remained etched on their faces.

Boom!

Furious, Lian Ruzhao could barely control her Martial God Internal Force. Not daring to damage the martial arts hall any further, she channeled the blast violently into the sky above.

What drove her anger to the point of pure bewilderment was that it wasn't just the hall. Across the surrounding streets and alleys, Uncle Liu and Aunt Chen were completely gone.

She tried to ask who the murderer was.

But the answer she received was incomprehensible: "A weirdo."

"He could fly. He was holding a giant banner, and when he waved it in the sky, so many people died... Some of the corpses even flew right into the banner."

Lian Ruzhao could not understand it at all.

When dusk finally fell, she returned in a wretched state to the empty ruins of the martial arts hall. She sat on a stone stool, her fists clenched in fury, yet she had no idea what to do.

Until a voice suddenly rang out, "That was an extraordinary person."

In a flash, Lian Ruzhao struck out without hesitation. Her terrifying Martial God Internal Force formed a lifelike circular seal that blasted toward the newcomer.

But the person neither dodged nor retreated.

Clang—!

The internal force shattered. The newcomer's figure swayed slightly, and a hint of shock appeared on his young face before turning into endless admiration. "As expected, Almsgiver, your External Arts and Internal Force have both reached an unimaginably high level. Even though you are merely an Internal Force Martial Master without even a suitable weapon, you can already match many Titled Martial Masters. You could likely rank in the top hundred of the Armament Manual. It is truly unbelievable."

Only then did Lian Ruzhao turn to look.

She saw a young monk wearing a plain kasaya. His bald head was shiny, and the gaze he fixed upon her carried an indescribable sorrow and pity.

"Who are you?"

"This poor monk is Longshu." The young monk pressed his hands together and spoke in a low voice. "I am the walking disciple of this generation's Shenlong Temple. Perhaps I can clear up your confusion, Almsgiver."

"...Keep talking."

Lian Ruzhao's voice was calm and freezing cold. "What is an extraordinary person?"

"One who is different from those of the mundane world."

Monk Longshu sighed. "Such people can soar through the skies and burrow into the earth. They possess divine powers and wondrous methods. They do not enter the mortal dust, and they despise it even more, viewing the masses of humanity as nothing but dirt."

"The one who endangered Suwu County belongs to an extraordinary person sect in Jiangnan Circuit called the Blood Flag Gate. Every disciple there forges a magical flag capable of absorbing blood qi and refining blood souls. I was visiting the Corpse Liberation Ground, a sect on good terms with Shenlong Temple, at the time. When I heard the news, I rushed over immediately..."

"Unfortunately, my abilities are limited."

At the end of his words, Monk Longshu closed his eyes and chanted the Buddha's name. "The other party felt he had refined almost enough and was in a hurry to move on to the next city."

"So he didn't bother tangling with me."

"Since then, I chased him along the way, trying to stop him, but he never even spared me a glance. He sacrificed thirteen cities in a row before swaggering off."

"This is my sin."

The monk's tone remained steady, like a heavily tempered boulder, yet hot tears still flowed from his tightly shut eyes, sliding down his cheeks.

For a time, absolute silence fell.

A long while passed before a voice rang out softly, "Master, how high is your martial arts?"

The monk sighed. He knew what the young girl was thinking, but he couldn't bear to leave her unanswered. So, he replied softly, "This poor monk's strength is meager. I can barely be called a Grandmaster Rank."

"However, a Martial Dao Grandmaster Rank is absolutely beyond compare to an extraordinary person who is a Loose Immortal. For someone like me... if not for the fact that Shenlong Temple has a Great Grandmaster Rank watching over it, causing that Loose Immortal to grant some face, and the fact that he had already achieved his goal, a single Magical Treasure from him could have likely taken my life."

After he spoke, as if to emphasize the point, Monk Longshu lifted his left sleeve, revealing an arm forged of gold and iron, its movements slightly stiff.

"I asked a Daoist of the Qingtian Cult to forge this for me."

"As for this arm... it was an injury I sustained when I stumbled upon an extraordinary Loose Immortal blood-sacrificing a city. I tried to stop him, and this was the result."

"That extraordinary person was skilled in spirit fire. My Divine Intent cultivation was insufficient, and during our life-and-death struggle, my left arm caught a tiny speck of it. At first, I thought it was nothing, but the spirit fire used my flesh and blood as kindling. It burned incessantly, water couldn't extinguish it, and it even began spreading toward my torso."

"So, I had no choice but to chop it off."

"If I hadn't, I would have died right then and there... These are the methods of extraordinary people. Internal Force and martial arts simply cannot contend with them."

Hearing this, Lian Ruzhao frowned. "But Master, you just said that the other party spared your life because Shenlong Temple has a Great Grandmaster Rank watching over it."

"So a Great Grandmaster Rank can kill extraordinary people?"

"Ordinary extraordinary people, yes. But a Loose Immortal... is not enough."

Not wanting to give the girl too much false hope, Monk Longshu said heavily, "Even a Great Grandmaster Rank can only entangle an extraordinary Loose Immortal and secure their own survival."

"I understand."

Lian Ruzhao nodded, showing no trace of dissatisfaction. She patted her sleeves, stood up, and looked at the monk. "May I ask, Master, can I join Shenlong Temple?"

"Of course you can."

Monk Longshu nodded emphatically. In truth, that was exactly why he had come. The Internal Force Lian Ruzhao had blasted into the sky earlier that day had been incredibly massive.

He had followed her all day, confirming that such a monstrous talent actually existed in the countryside. Lian Ruzhao's External Arts and internal arts were especially astonishing. By his rough estimate, even the most profound secret traditions of Shenlong Temple probably paled in comparison to her martial arts!

That was also what excited him.

After all, as far as he knew, the Martial Dao had been passed down from long ago, even before the Great Shun. Perhaps this girl had obtained the inheritance of some ancient great sect?

Thinking of this, he quickly asked her.

"Ancient great sect?" Faced with the monk's question, Lian Ruzhao merely shot him a flat, indifferent look before whispering, "There's no such thing."

"If you are asking about the Thirteen Grand Protectors Hard Qigong and the Martial God Pictorial Record, I created those myself."

Thirty years flew by in the blink of an eye.

"Impossible... that's impossible. Just who are you!?"

The current master of the Blood Flag Gate, Daoist Blood God, widened his eyes. He stared in disbelief at the tall woman before him as he violently waved the blood flag in his hand.

The previous gate master had just stepped down. Having cultivated to become a Loose Immortal, he succeeded the position. Following the sect's rituals, he had been preparing to carefully select a few massive cities of tens of thousands of people in Jiangnan Circuit to gather essence blood and refine a blood flag of his very own. Yet at his very first stop, he encountered this woman.

The other party was clearly a martial artist.

Normally, he wouldn't pay any mind to a Mortal like her. Unleashing a few blood souls to tie her up would suffice; even a Martial Dao Grandmaster Rank wouldn't be able to stop him from killing.

But he was wrong.

She was completely different from the martial artists in his memories. Whether it was her Internal Force or her physical body, she was far, far more terrifying than any Martial Dao Grandmaster Rank he knew of.

'Could she be a Great Grandmaster Rank?'

It didn't make sense. Even if she was a Great Grandmaster Rank, it just meant that 'Divine Intent' nonsense of theirs was a bit stronger, allowing them to resist his divine sense techniques. But that was all.

They were absolutely nowhere near as strong as the woman standing before him!

While he was lost in thought, the gate master suddenly felt his vision blur. The woman locked onto by his divine sense vanished into thin air, startling him so badly he jolted in shock.

'Where did she go!?'

Before he could recover, a calm sigh whispered into his ear. "Is this all you have?"

He whipped his head around.

In that instant, the gate master did not see the woman's figure. He only saw a massive, lifelike palm of golden light, so detailed that even its palm lines were vividly clear.

Tathagata Divine Palm.

Boom!

There were no flashy, overcomplicated movements. A single strike of innate, limitless power blasted straight through the gate master's skull, pulverizing his bones and muscles, and tearing apart his magic power.

A martial artist's Internal Force was inferior to magic power?

Then increase the amount!

Ten times, twenty times, a hundred times—until quantitative change sparked qualitative change. This was exactly how the woman forcefully crushed the magic power of a Loose Immortal!

By the time the golden light faded, only the woman remained, along with a bloody streak imprinted on the ground. The Blood Flag Gate's master was entirely gone. Standing a short distance away, Monk Longshu—now looking like a middle-aged man—was full of awe. "Even using the exact same Tathagata Divine Palm, you are more than a hundred times stronger than me."

Lian Ruzhao, however, shook her head. "It's not enough."

"This Loose Immortal was too weak. The Blood Flag Gate still has a patriarch, the previous gate master... He is the extraordinary person who committed the atrocities in Suwu County back then."

"I still can't kill him."

Although Lian Ruzhao had never met her sworn enemy, her intuition told her that if they fought, there was an eighty percent chance she would be the one to die.

"This..."

Monk Longshu looked slightly helpless upon hearing this. "In thirty years, you have already traveled through Shenlong Temple, the Qingtian Cult, the Corpse Liberation Ground, and Guanchao City, gathering the strengths of every school."

"For the Martial Dao to reach this point, it has already hit its absolute peak."

"It is only because you are wary of the Armament Manual and purposely hide yourself from worldwide fame; otherwise, you would have been revered as the number one in the world long ago."

Just then, a childish voice piped up. "Really?"

"Master is number one in the world?"

Lian Ruzhao lowered her eyes and saw a bright-eyed child, six or seven years old, holding Monk Longshu's hand. The boy's face was filled with pure adoration.

"...Little kid, don't look at this bloody mess."

Lian Ruzhao shook her head. "Senior Longshu, this child of the Chen family is too young. If you let him see things like this, what will happen if he's too scared of blood to practice martial arts in the future?"

"What's there to worry about?"

Monk Longshu chuckled. "Back when you were only eight or nine, didn't you kill people like flies all the same? You must have taken out dozens of street thugs in total."

The little boy had been looking at the bloodstains on the ground, shrinking back slightly from the overwhelming rusty stench. But upon hearing Monk Longshu's words, he forced his chest out. "M-Master, don't worry, I definitely won't be scared! When I grow up, I'm going to avenge my parents, just like you!"

"...Then you'd better work hard."

Looking at the little boy, Lian Ruzhao sighed and gently patted him on the head. "Even if you can't match me in the future, you must at least be able to kill a few Loose Immortals."

"Don't worry, Master!"

The boy racked his brain, determined to think of an incredibly cool phrase to prove he wouldn't let his master down. Finally, he declared loudly, "In the future, I will definitely be invincible!"

Three years later.

The sudden death of their gate master had thrown the entire Blood Flag Gate into a furious uproar. Assuming a rival extraordinary sect had orchestrated the hit, they ran amok for quite some time.

On this day, Lian Ruzhao had invited the four Martial Dao Grandmaster Rank experts from the four great sects of the world—the four seniors who had taken such good care of her—into the small courtyard where she was in secluded cultivation.

Chan Master Longshu, Daoist Tianxin, the Tomb Guardian who had yet to assume his full role, and the Linjiang Heir apparent of Guanchao City. Without exception, all of them were Martial Dao Grandmaster Rank experts. They were the undisputed strongest of the younger generation, regarded by many as the rising stars of the contemporary Martial Dao.

However, only they knew the truth.

Their strength certainly came in part from their own talents, but a far more crucial factor was the woman sitting in this courtyard—the woman who had left them in absolute awe for thirty years.

Over these thirty years...

In the beginning, they were the ones who took her traveling around, stopping extraordinary people from slaughtering the innocent. But in less than five years, it had flipped—she became the main fighting force.

Without realizing it, they had adopted a new title for her.

"First Seat."

Daoist Tianxin cupped his hands and spoke first. "Did you summon us this time because you wish to lay siege to the Blood Flag Gate? That sect has poisoned Jiangnan for hundreds of years."

"If we can eradicate them, it will surely bring joy to everyone's hearts!"

At these words, all four men present looked visibly tempted by the idea.

But Lian Ruzhao shook her head, murmuring softly, "The four seniors misunderstand. I invited you here today to give you my final instructions."

"...What?"

Chan Master Longshu abruptly stood up. "Don't joke around. Your martial arts are securely at the Great Grandmaster Rank. Living for a hundred and fifty years shouldn't be an issue for you."

"Exactly." The Linjiang Heir waved his folding fan in front of his chest. "What do you mean, 'final instructions'? We're still counting on you to give us our send-offs in the future."

After speaking, he laughed to himself.

But his laughter soon faded away, because everyone noticed Lian Ruzhao's expression—it was one of absolute, unwavering resolve.

Finally, the most silent of them all, the next-generation Tomb Guardian, couldn't help but ask, "...What are you going to do?"

Only then did Lian Ruzhao continue. "I plan to charge into the Blood Flag Gate alone. I estimate their patriarch has already attained Divine Powers."

Divine Powers!

Those two simple words smashed into the hearts of the four Grandmaster Ranks like a brutal thunderbolt. Upon hearing them, Chan Master Longshu instantly shook his head without a second thought. "No!"

"A cultivator with Divine Powers is an extraordinary person even more terrifying than a Loose Immortal. Ancient records state that they truly possess the ability to move mountains and drain seas. Going there is a death sentence!"

"If I don't go, then what?" Lian Ruzhao asked in return. "Just one Loose Immortal of the Blood Flag Gate requires the Jiangnan Circuit to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of lives every thirty years."

"What about an extraordinary person with Divine Powers?"

"A million? Several million?"

"This..." Chan Master Longshu gritted his teeth. "Extraordinary people with Divine Powers won't stay in the mortal world for long. Ten years at most, and they will definitely ascend beyond the heavens."

Lian Ruzhao said nothing.

Chan Master Longshu clearly understood her unspoken meaning. Yes, ten years until ascension. But what about her revenge? Could a blood feud spanning thirty years just be forgotten?

"But you are the strongest among us, the number one person in the contemporary Martial Dao! You once said you wanted to forge a new path for a Martial Dao that had reached its absolute limits. If you just throw your life away, what about the future of the Martial Dao? You can already kill Loose Immortals. As long as you patiently deduce the next steps of the Martial Dao..."

"It's not enough!"

For the first time in many years, Lian Ruzhao interrupted Chan Master Longshu. "One Loose Immortal is not enough, and even a cultivator with Divine Powers won't be enough," she said calmly.

"My lifespan is limited."

"By patiently deducing, it took me thirty years to be able to kill a Loose Immortal. How long would it take to kill one with Divine Powers? Fifty years? Sixty years? What if I need to kill something even stronger?"

Lian Ruzhao's pace quickened.

"Seniors, there's no need to persuade me anymore. My mind is made up."

"I will head to the Blood Flag Gate and use that cultivator with Divine Powers as a sacrifice. Either I kill him and comprehend the path forward for the Martial Dao, or I die a martyr to the Dao."

"I only ask that you seniors watch the battle from afar."

"Even if I die, I will definitely be able to deduce more of the path forward. I will display everything I comprehend during the fight. Please, seniors, I leave it to you to pass on this legacy."

It was a massive battle that shook the entire Jiangnan Circuit.

At first, no one paid any attention to the woman who claimed she had come to challenge their mountain. It wasn't until a Loose Immortal was struck dead by a single palm that the entire Blood Flag Gate erupted in shock.

As expected, the patriarch of the Blood Flag Gate, the Blood Sea Demon Lord, was drawn out by Lian Ruzhao. And he truly had forged Divine Powers.

When he unleashed his Divine Powers, an ocean of blood instantly surged into the heavens.

Then, the four Martial Dao Grandmaster Ranks witnessed firsthand the number one expert of the era forging a path forward for the Martial Dao.

"Divine Communion, Manifesting Divinity—"

Lian Ruzhao's voice was utterly calm, echoing through every corner of the Jiangnan Circuit. It held not a shred of magic power; there was only the purest Divine Intent resonating with heaven and earth: "Before the True Martial."

On that day, blood rained from the sky.

The Blood Flag Gate was annihilated. The cultivator with Divine Powers, the Blood Sea Demon Lord, had fallen. Yet, not a single extraordinary person who learned of this ever connected the incident to a martial artist.

Meanwhile, the instigator of it all dragged her body—half of which had been reduced to mangled flesh—back to her secluded courtyard. Her beautiful face was painted with euphoria, and even a bit of ferocity. The cold indifference she had worn for years was gone, as if she had exhaled thirty years of suppressed rage in a single breath.

Seeing her condition, Chan Master Longshu barely knew where to begin treating her wounds.

"You... Sigh, you're too reckless!"

"Don't worry, Senior, I won't die."

Lian Ruzhao let out a loud laugh. "Did you see it, Senior? The technique I showed at the end—that is the future of the Martial Dao! Divine Intent! This is what Divine Intent should be!"

"I saw it..."

Speaking of this, Chan Master Longshu was also quite agitated. If he wasn't so worried about Lian Ruzhao's injuries, he would have been itching to enter secluded cultivation to digest the insights immediately.

Just then, Lian Ruzhao suddenly seemed to remember something. She pulled a bloodstained booklet from her clothes and tossed it onto the ground with a thump. Chan Master Longshu focused his gaze and saw the words 'Blood Sea Demonic Scripture' written upon it. It was the core foundational text of the Blood Flag Gate.

"It's kind of funny, actually."

Lian Ruzhao shook her head. "Senior, did you know? I actually have a spirit root. I looked through this Blood Sea Demonic Scripture, and the truth is, I can practice it too."

"What?"

Chan Master Longshu was momentarily stunned before suddenly lighting up with joy. "That's wonderful! If you can cultivate the Immortal Dao, your lifespan will no longer be limited by the hundred-and-fifty-year threshold."

"Indeed, it wouldn't."

"But Senior, I'm not going to cultivate this garbage."

"Of course you can't practice such an atrocious demonic art," Chan Master Longshu said, noticing nothing amiss as he continued. "I will find a way to get you a more righteous method..."

"Senior, you misunderstand."

Lian Ruzhao lifted her head and repeated, "What I mean is, I will not cultivate the Immortal Dao."

"...Why?"

"Because this is my Divine Intent." Lian Ruzhao half-closed her eyes. "The Martial Dao cultivates me. For the rest of my life, I fear I will not accept a single shred of the Immortal Dao."

"If I practice the Immortal Dao, it goes against my true intentions and will only harm my Divine Intent instead."

"I see."

Chan Master Longshu half-understood her words, but he clearly recognized Lian Ruzhao's unshakeable resolve. His face was full of helplessness. "But being so obsessed with the Martial Dao isn't necessarily the right path."

Speaking to this point, Chan Master Longshu grew somewhat dejected. "The Immortal Dao is vast. Even cultivators with Divine Powers are but a single drop in the ocean, whereas the Martial Dao is as insignificant as an ant."

"If you couldn't practice the Immortal Dao, that would be one thing."

"But since you can, with your talent, you might achieve something truly great. Being trapped on the narrow path of the Martial Dao only means it has doomed you..."

After thirty years of companionship, Chan Master Longshu had long since come to view the woman before him as his own daughter. Seeing her severely injured, risking near-certain death just to carve out a path for the Martial Dao, he could no longer suppress his emotions. He couldn't help but plead, "No matter what, cultivating the Immortal Dao to extend your lifespan can't possibly be wrong..."

"Hahaha!"

Before he even finished speaking, the woman burst into loud laughter. "Senior, you underestimate me far too much. Extend my lifespan? I don't need to practice some damn Immortal Dao to do that. I can extend my life by ten thousand years all the same!"

"As for whether the Martial Dao is right or wrong..."

Lian Ruzhao raised her head. "There is no wrong path! There is only the path I have chosen. Even if this path is wrong, to me, it will still be right!"

—

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