Chapter 25: Chapter 25 — Tenth on the Mountain–River Rankings

Chapter 25 — Tenth on the Mountain–River Rankings

Sword light streaked through the forest, weaving back and forth like a living thing. A fierce green gale followed in its wake, shattering trees and splitting rocks wherever it passed.

The sharpness of the Spirit Wind Sword was terrifying. When the Spirit Wind Formation on the blade was driven to its limit, all that could be seen in flight was a single green shadow.

Shiiing—

With a thought, Fang Han halted the sword’s movement. It hovered before him, then quietly slid back into its scabbard.

“One sword in hand, and even ghosts and gods retreat. If I returned to the mortal world now, this single sword could slaughter a thousand elite soldiers. Only a carefully prepared ambush—heavy crossbows, siege weapons, and explosives—could threaten my life directly.”

After testing the Spirit Wind Sword’s power, Fang Han reluctantly put it away.

He knew that if he returned to the secular world now, he would no longer fear ordinary armies.

Even a cultivator who had reached the tenth level of the physical realm would still fear being surrounded by troops. A thousand-man force, mixed with a few warriors at the fifth level of cultivation, armed with blades, spears, heavy crossbows, and siege weapons, could easily kill such an expert.

But with a spirit artifact, a single flying sword could kill from miles away—armies were powerless.

A spirit artifact was a _one-man army_.

Now that Fang Han possessed the Spirit Wind Sword, his strength had surged dramatically. The only shortcoming was defense—it couldn’t fully block dense volleys of arrows.

Nor could it carry a person in flight.

Only treasure-grade artifacts could attack and defend at once—splitting into countless shadows, forming shields, transforming into transparent steel spheres that could encase the user, fly at extreme speed, block weapons, or even dive beneath the sea.

But treasure artifacts were unimaginably rare. Each one could spark bloody wars. Without immense fortune or sect backing, they were impossible to obtain.

“Spirit artifacts are already extraordinary. Treasure artifacts are something I won’t even think about for now. This Spirit Wind Sword is mine—but Mo and her group won’t let this go easily.”

After finishing his practice, Fang Han summoned Crane Fairy via the Beast Command Token and returned to Purple Lightning Peak, resting quietly through the night.

---

**Departure for the Vast Sea Desert**

The next day, Fang Han rode Crane Fairy to the central plains of Yuhua Mountain. At the rendezvous point, he saw Liu Kang and Princess Hongyi—each standing beside a massive immortal crane, though none as graceful as Crane Fairy.

So they also have ties to True Disciples. And Senior Sister Fang Qingxue has already gone to the Vast Sea Desert… Could there be more behind this demon invasion? Even the 108 True Disciples compete with one another. I must be extremely careful.

“Fang Han, you’re here,”
Princess Hongyi said as he landed.

“The Dade royal group and Senior Sister Mo are already waiting.”

As she spoke, over a dozen cranes descended from the sky—bearing Prince Bao and his companions, along with several inner disciples led by Senior Sister Mo.

But there was one unfamiliar man.

He stood beside Mo, wearing a robe of deep emerald green—not the outer disciple uniform, nor the inner disciple’s Water–Fire Dao Robe.

It was a spirit artifact robe.

Even clothing that was a spirit artifact was extraordinary. Defensive artifacts were often more valuable than weapons, as the physical body was the foundation of all divine powers.

If the body was destroyed, even cultivators of the Divine Ability Realm would perish instantly.

“Senior Brother Yuan!”

Liu Kang and Princess Hongyi bowed respectfully.

“This is Yuan Jiankong, ranked tenth on the Mountain–River Rankings,”
Princess Hongyi whispered to Fang Han.

Fang Han’s heart tightened.

The Mountain–River Rankings.

Among the three to five thousand inner disciples—experts at the ninth or tenth physical realm—the top ten were listed on this ranking.

Each received enormous rewards: pills, spirit artifacts, and sect support, all designed to help them break into the Divine Ability Realm and become True Disciples.

These ten figures held immense authority—comparable to True Disciples themselves—and wielded power approaching that of Divine Ability cultivators.

Yuan Jiankong’s presence alone exerted overwhelming pressure.

“Senior Brother Yuan,”
Fang Han said politely.

Yuan Jiankong’s gaze swept over him.

“So you’re Fang Han of Purple Lightning Peak. Interesting. Very interesting. You’re the one who took Junior Brother Zuo’s Spirit Wind Sword? I’ll personally speak to Fang Qingxue about this matter.”

This is bad. He’s clearly dissatisfied with me.

“Senior Brother Yuan,”
Mo said calmly,

“The greater mission comes first. We should head to the Vast Sea Desert immediately. Fang Qingxue has already arrived—if she gets ahead of us, that Yin–Yang Longevity Pill…”

“Senior Sister Mo speaks wisely.”

Yuan Jiankong gave Fang Han one last look, then mounted his crane and soared skyward. His robe seemed to grant him effortless levitation—unlike others, who had to cling tightly to avoid being blown away.

“Let’s go!”

Prince Bao and the others followed, casting cold glances at Fang Han.

Princess Hongyi lowered her voice.

“Be careful. Don’t seek merit—just avoid mistakes. You could even choose not to go.”

“I must go,”
Fang Han replied calmly.

“Without trials, how can one grow? I still want to enter the inner sect. One day, my name may stand on the Mountain–River Rankings as well.”

His words carried a natural authority—no trace of the timid stablehand he once was.

“If they move against you,”
Liu Kang said quietly,

“I won’t stand by. But when facing demons, they won’t dare go too far. We’re mainly relying on their spirit artifacts to counter the demon generals.”

“Let’s move. We’ll see once we reach the desert.”

---

**Under the Desert Moon**

Fang Han mounted Crane Fairy and followed the group into the sky, his thoughts racing.

He knew the truth: possessing a spirit artifact—and revealing a powerful treasure—was a death sentence.

These people were not benevolent fellow disciples. They were princes, nobles, and inner sect elites—ruthless, calculating, and trained from childhood in power struggles.

They refrained from attacking only because Fang Qingxue stood behind him.

Brotherhood means nothing in front of a spirit artifact.

Better chaos than stagnation.

And more than anything, Fang Han needed real combat—life-and-death battles to awaken his spirit and break into the ninth realm: Spirit Communion.

The cranes flew swiftly. Every few hours they landed to rest—the immortal beasts, though powerful, still required water and recovery.

During these stops, the group naturally split into factions:

Fang Han, Liu Kang, and Princess Hongyi

The Dade royal heirs

Senior Sister Mo and the inner disciples

Yuan Jiankong alone—aloof and untouchable

Late at night, the mountains vanished ahead, replaced by an endless sea of sand.

Moonlight poured down, silvery and cold, making the desert look as though it had been coated in liquid mercury.

“We’ve reached the Vast Sea Desert,”
Yuan Jiankong said as he landed.

“Blue Moon City lies at its center. We’ll arrive tomorrow. Rest tonight—the cranes are exhausted.”

Fires were lit. Water was shared. Some meditated, others rested.

Fang Han stayed alert, guarding Crane Fairy, eyes and ears wide open.

At the same time—

Dozens of miles away, among rolling sand dunes to the west,
a pair of sinister demonic eyes had already locked onto them.