Be the Hardest Working Demon Cultivator!

This was not because Zhao Huaiji had a special status, nor because they had confidence in him, believing that despite his hot temper, he could handle the situation well.

Rather, it was because, as long as Zhao Huaiji didn’t kill all the attendees of the Anxin Charity Meeting, and only injured or disabled a few, then to them, the cultivators of Sword Disciple Mountain, it was an irrelevant matter.

Sword Disciple Mountain had been exercising patience for too many years, and now there was no need to continue doing so!

The moment Long Zhangyuan was found, and the trajectory of the Heavenly Mandate began to move, they finally made contact with ancestors who had been lost for three hundred years!

Although the connection was now very weak, allowing only brief communication with the ancestors, it was enough for the ancestors to teach them some Divine Secret Skills.

Especially the Secret Technique that could lock one’s essence and greatly slow down the aging of the body, thereby greatly extending life—a technique that has made the power of Sword Disciple Mountain unprecedentedly strong!

Those hundred-year-old ancestors who once struggled to survive due to physical limitations could now act freely.

Had it not been for the instructions from their ancestors, demanding that they wait until the Son of the Heavenly Mandate has grown successfully, otherwise, the rejuvenated ancestors would have already hosted a banquet and invited all the Immortal Sects!

"With wine we lay down our arms," applies to the Immortal Sects as well.

...

Meanwhile, at this moment, amid the spoken praises and concealed scorn from those around him, Long Zhangyuan felt he was on the verge of an outburst.

Sword Disciple Mountain had undoubtedly given him a new lease on life, so hearing these people speak of Sword Disciple Mountain in such a manner—even if they were merely using ambiguous words without overt insult—made Long Zhangyuan’s rage reach its peak.

He, Long Zhangyuan, was certainly not an ungrateful person!

Sword Disciple Mountain, not to be insulted!

Clang!

Consequently, another Sword Qi slashed out.

But this Sword Qi was different from the previous one; it was only meant to silence people, so its power was much weaker. At least the strength of the sword within it was not as destructive as the previous Sword Qi.

However, this Sword Qi was not able to unleash its power.

It was snuffed out by the sudden appearance of a figure who reached out and dissipated it.

Even though the Sword Qi was dispelled by someone, it did not mean that someone was displeased with Long Zhangyuan, or that the upper echelons of Luoja Mountain and Qitian Pavilion had made a move. Because in the next second, an extremely sharp Sword Dao presence, like an endless tide, swept over to all the cultivators on the street.

This indiscriminate attack immediately made the cultivators on the street scream in agony.

The comer was none other than Zhao Huaiji!

As the Guardian designated by the ancestors of Sword Disciple Mountain for the Son of the Heavenly Mandate, Zhao Huaiji’s strength had not yet reached the level of a hundred-year cultivator, but he was getting close.

Moreover, Zhao Huaiji was a direct descendant of Sword Disciple Mountain, and both the Cultivation Technique he practiced and the Magic Artifact he used were top-notch choices.

"I, Zhao Huaiji, am very happy when you praise Sword Disciple Mountain, but I’m not at all pleased when you praise Sword Disciple Mountain in that manner," Zhao Huaiji said in a deep voice.

His voice was thunderous, with the faint sound of sword cries resonating within it.

Clearly, his Sword Dao cultivation had reached the transformation realm, having attained the level of Integration of Man and Sword—whether he was walking, sitting, lying down, or speaking, he was like a Spirit Sword itself.

And as Zhao Huaiji’s voice fell, the unceasing momentum of the Sword Qi suddenly intensified.

This forced Tan Shuchang, who had still managed to stand still, to retreat a few steps to avoid having his Daoist official’s robe slashed by the Sword Qi.

This Daoist official’s robe was not a Magic Artifact, but merely something considered a divine weapon in the ordinary secular world.

In the fluctuations of such a Sword Cultivator’s Sword Qi, it would be easily damaged.

Tan Shuchang’s movement inadvertently drew Zhao Huaiji’s gaze. Initially, Zhao Huaiji’s look towards Tan Shuchang was dark, but after a glimpse of Long Zhangyuan in the corner of his eye, he suppressed the murderous intent in his heart and merely said, "Boy, your action was really vicious!

My nephew merely injured you with an unintentional strike, and you retaliate with a malicious curse to take his life. If not for the Sect Leader’s gift of a life-saving treasure, my nephew would already be a corpse."

Zhao Huaiji deliberately spoke this way, and the purpose of his words was naturally to awaken Long Zhangyuan, allowing the Son of the Heavenly Mandate to seek personal revenge.

He agreed wholeheartedly with Sect Leader Su Huan’an’s words.

Although they needed to protect the Son of the Heavenly Mandate, the hardships and setbacks he ought to experience were also indispensable. Otherwise, there was no way for the Son of the Heavenly Mandate to grow.

They would only cultivate someone who relied on them for everything, appearing mighty but actually incapable of handling any significant challenge—a fancy but ineffective spearhead.

Therefore, Zhao Huaiji spontaneously decided to add another stepping stone for the Son of the Heavenly Mandate.

Yes, another one.

Because of his diary being stolen, and thousands of copies printed with his portrait explicitly left on it, several people recognized Tan Shuchang. But looking across the entire Jiawu Realm, the actual number was quite small.

Extremely few, to be precise.

Plus, a person of Zhao Huaiji’s stature would never care about a junior with such an insignificant background. Thus, although Zhao Huaiji knew that his Sect Leader brother had prepared a stepping stone named "Tan Shuchang" for Long Zhangyuan, the Son of the Heavenly Mandate, he had no idea what this stepping stone actually looked like.

Now, hearing what his uncle Zhao Huaiji said, Long Zhangyuan’s complexion changed abruptly.

And at this moment, he noticed the pile of powder at his feet.

He had no idea when his Jade Pendant could have been shattered like this, and whether he was as close to death as his uncle Zhao Huaiji had said.

Because this Jade Pendant was not a one-time use; it could withstand many attacks.

Non-fatal attacks that landed on him would only leave a hairline crack invisible to the naked eye.

"Daoist friend, it was just an accidental slip on my part; aren’t you being a bit too vicious?" Long Zhangyuan’s gaze was icy as he looked at Tan Shuchang, his face full of anger.

After all, he had almost been killed—who wouldn’t be enraged by that?

"You can make an accidental slip, but Tan Shuchang cannot?" At this moment, a voice as pleasant as that of a hundred birds chimed in, and as the voice ceased, the rampant Sword Qi was instantly suppressed.

As a consequence, Zhao Huaiji let out a muffled groan, fell to the ground, and had to retreat several steps before steadying himself.

"Luoja’s Mystical Attire, the God Concealing Drapery, what impeccable skill!" Zhao Huaiji was both shocked and furious, for he never expected a junior Cultivator to so easily dissolve his Sword Qi, and he was angry that Luoja Mountain seemed to show him no respect.

However, Zhao Huaiji immediately had to set aside his emotions, looking incredulously at Tan Shuchang and demanding, "Are you that Tan Shuchang?"