Chapter 3: White Jade Lad

Having acted thus, it would be impossible for him to deny it in the future, and presumably Fang Qingyan would not let the matter rest easily once she awoke.

"Since you are here, make yourself at home!" Sitting in silent meditation by the Yang Thunder Pool, Yang Nan simply focused on his cultivation, paying no heed to whatever trouble Long Yao wished to stir up. Well-pleased with the outcome, Long Yao beamed as she placed the Celestial Rainbow Skiff into Yang Nan's Jiangshan Ring, retiring instead to the Undying Thunder Skiff. The spiritual energy of the Yang Thunder Pool was immensely powerful, yielding nothing to the Heavenly Origin Divine Talisman. Noticing three kinds of primordial spiritual flora planted by the pool's edge, Long Yao proceeded to transplant all the medicinal herbs from the Dragon Palace around the pool as well, giving it the grandiose title of: The Herb Garden!

Originally, Commander Shrimp had only a hundred or so demon soldiers under his command, but suddenly more than ten thousand demon soldiers were added to his ranks. Together with Commander Turtle, Chief Crab, General Shark, and Guard Captain Whale, there were now five commanders in total. With each commander directing over two thousand demon soldiers, Commander Shrimp was grinning from ear to ear, unable to close his mouth.

"Our young master truly has extraordinary abilities! Not only did he abduct a princess, but he also brought along a massive mountain of gold as a dowry. If he were to take a few more wives, wouldn't our young master become the wealthiest person under heaven?" Such wild ambitions inevitably sprouted within Commander Shrimp's small heart!

The over ten thousand new sea demons belonged to various races. Commander Shrimp, leading a hundred or so personal guards, first had to teach them to observe the Four-Slash Code. Once they entered the House of Yang, failure to obey the laws meant they would die without even knowing how it happened. Yang Nan naturally did not care how Commander Shrimp paraded in borrowed authority and lorded it over the flock of minor demons, and Long Yao raised no objections whatsoever. Commander Shrimp picked out a few troublemakers from among the sea demons, making them experience the Three Penalties and Six Paths—three hundred and sixty kinds of excruciating human tortures—which left the entire assembly trembling with terror and completely cured them of any lingering inclination to violate orders.

With these ten thousand-odd demon soldiers, the number of personal guards was once again greatly augmented. Selection for the personal guards required three criteria: first, absolute loyalty; second, fearlessness in the face of death; and third, outstanding strength. After rigorous screening, Commander Shrimp finally gathered over two thousand burly, uniquely skilled personal guards.

Among these two thousand-plus guards, whale demons were the most numerous, followed by shark demons, with various other races making up the rest. Even the rarest of sea creatures, the merfolk, were included, and most precious of all was the addition of a bizarre and rare kind—the Sturgeon-Merfolk!

The lineage and origin of the sturgeon-merfolk were deeply intertwined with the Dragon Clan, and their elegance and nobility were no less than those of the imperial families in the mortal realm!

In ancient times, the supreme rulers of the Divine Continent's lands were none other than the sturgeon-merfolk!

This sea demon clan exclusively produced stunning beauties and handsome youths. Their breathtaking and striking appearances made even Commander Shrimp—who always prided himself on being second in good looks only to his master—feel somewhat inferior. Endowed with natural gifts and few in number, the sturgeon-merfolk could discern changes in celestial phenomena and excelled at locating treasures deep within the ocean. In Long Yao's palace, they had always held extremely high positions as grand chamberlains, treasure appraisers, and diviners.

Commander Shrimp cared little for the mysterious origins of these strange sea demons; regardless of everything else, he drafted all of them into the ranks of the personal guards to serve the young master. When Yang Nan accidentally noticed that his attendant had suddenly changed her appearance, a brief reflection made him realize the truth: what kind of merfolk was this? It was clearly the Chinese sturgeon of his previous life!

In his past life, the Chinese sturgeon was a national treasure, and in this world, it was equally exceptionally rare. Yang Nan treated them with generous leniency; once they entered the personal guard unit, cultivation techniques and magical treasures were naturally bestowed upon them without stint. With Commander Shrimp's iron-fisted discipline and Yang Nan's conciliatory approach, this batch of guards with extraordinary backgrounds had long since become utterly devoted and docile.

Backed by countless treasures from the Dragon Palace, Ni Cai finally succeeded in refining the Nine-Origin Turtle-Shell Formation once more. Originally, the Undying Thunder Skiff had all its magical treasures destroyed by heavenly lightning, leaving only a few methods: the Nine-in-One Myriad Thunder Array and the Dragon-Slaying Stakes. Now, with these new materials at his disposal, Ni Cai drove the personal guards to refine the Nine-Origin Turtle-Shell Formation layer upon layer.

Ni Cai did not spare even Long Yao's Celestial Rainbow Skiff. Refining the two vessels simultaneously, whether it was the Thunder-Gathering Array, Golden Light Array, Mysterious Ice Array, Water-Piercing Array, Soaring Array, Myriad Thunder Array, or the Nine-Origin Turtle-Shell Formation—as long as it was a formation that could be of use, Ni Cai refined them endlessly like a spendthrift prodigal. The lifelong pursuit of his craft was to forge supreme divine-slaying extermination formations, immortal-ascending formations, and two-realm reincarnation formations—peerless immortal formations of epoch-making power. However, constrained first by a lack of materials and second by the absence of formation diagrams, he had been forced to abandon those ambitions.

For a disciple of the Formation Sect, practicing martial arts meant deploying formations. With Yang Nan, the wealthy patron, footing the bill, Ni Cai's cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, progressing a thousand miles a day. He refined formation upon formation, running the minor demons ragged, yet they also managed to acquire quite a few spells and incantations, resulting in universal satisfaction.

When the Undying Thunder Skiff reached the borders of the East Sea, Ni Cai brought it to a halt. Since the Turtle Sage Primordial Armor grotto-heaven could not be taken away on that day, Yang Nan had imparted the Six-Word Retrieval Incantation to Ni Cai. Having long yearned for this massive turtle shell, Ni Cai could wait no longer now that they had returned to the East Sea region. The moment they arrived, he personally led hundreds of personal guards off the skiff to search the waters below.

As Yang Nan sat within the Yang Thunder Pool, absorbing and exhaling lightning force in his cultivation, he suddenly heard the rhythmic, overlapping strains of a zither from outside the skiff, resembling rolling sea waves. A clear, resonant voice, grand and solemn like a great bell, rang out: "Might this immortal skiff belong to Daoist Brother Yang Nan? I, your younger brother Baili Lang, have come to pay a visit!"

The voice was exceptionally loud and clear, awakening even Yang Nan, who was deep within the center of the thunder skiff. Commander Shrimp hurried into the cabin, cupped his fists, and said, "Young master, a strange man in white is sitting in a flat skiff outside, asking for an audience. Shall I drive him away?" As he spoke, Commander Shrimp made a shadow-boxing gesture. Ever since he gained thousands of demon soldiers, his status had become akin to that of old Crab back in the day, and seeing someone dare to offend his master naturally made him eager to teach the intruder a lesson.

***

Yang Nan waved his hand, feeling deeply perplexed within. This so-called Baili Lang had no ties or relations of friendship with him; what business could he possibly have in seeking an audience?

Upon coming out onto the deck, he saw a solitary flat skiff drifting horizontally across the sea. A man dressed in white surpassing snow stood erect upon the skiff, with an ancient zither laid out at his feet and a wisp of sandalwood incense slowly curling upward. The azure sea, the handsome visage, and the otherworldly, ethereal temperament truly resembled an exquisite landscape painting that was a delight to behold.

His body seemed like drifting clouds and his demeanor like a warm breeze; he looked precisely like an peerless young gentleman traveling upon the ocean to meet friends and summon companions.

"Fellow Daoist, this humble cultivator is Yang Nan. I wonder what important business brings you here to seek me out?" Yang Nan raised his hand in a gentle gesture, signaling this eccentric man to board the skiff and converse. If this person was willing to come aboard, he harbored no malicious intent; if he refused, Yang Nan would have to capture him and demand an explanation.

Seeing Yang Nan's welcoming gesture, a smile bloomed across the man's handsome face. With a slight tap of his toes, he leaped into the thunder skiff in an instant. Penetrating another person's magical treasure with such ease, as if strolling through a leisurely courtyard, and displaying such an unyielding and fearless demeanor secretly won Yang Nan's admiration.

Without supreme strength, no one would dare venture inside another's magical treasure; otherwise, their life and death would be entirely controlled by others!

"Daoist Brother Bai, you and I are complete strangers. May I ask what brings you to find this humble Daoist?" Yang Nan's expression remained unchanged, warm and composed. Practitioners possessed distinct spiritual auras, yet Baili Lang's crown flower was startlingly white—clearly a demon rather than a human. What was the purpose of this demon striking such a posture to seek him out?

Baili Lang cupped his fists and said, "I have long heard that the Kunlun Military Sect represents the orthodox path of the world. Untalented as I am, I wish to spar with Daoist Brother Yang before we converse further. Might that be permissible?"

Yang Nan's sword-like eyebrows rose as a trace of a cold smile surfaced on his face. "Daoist Brother Bai truly does not visit the Hall of Three Treasures without a purpose. Whatever skills you possess, Yang Nan will accept them all."

Baili Lang bore five spiritual flowers atop his head, and his cultivation had reached the fifth tier of the Grandmaster realm. Yet, Yang Nan had fought grandmasters and venerables alike; how could he possibly fear a fifth-tier grandmaster?

A faint smile appeared on Baili Lang's handsome face as he slowly said, "Brother Yang, I harbor no ill intent. Offense taken, then!"

With a gentle sweep of his palm, the air before him suddenly grew stagnant. His jade-white palm vibrated fiercely, and suddenly two glowing swords—one azure and one white—appeared in his grasp. Raising his hand, Baili Lang thrust them straight toward Yang Nan's chest in an instant!

As the azure and white swords descended together, they emitted a shrill, piercing shriek, faintly tearing the surrounding air into powder. Within Yang Nan's spiritual vision, countless blade-like fragments, as tiny as knives, filled the space around him, every single air fragment razor-sharp and surging toward him like a swarm of hornets!

These wind blades, propelled by demonic power, contained grandmaster-level might and were extremely troublesome when swarming in.

"Oh? Military Sect divine abilities?" Yang Nan frowned. The Yin-Corrosion Dharma Weapon burst into a ball of black light, instantly transforming into thousands of black threads that met the attack!

Once he attained the grandmaster realm, the Nether-Soldier Devouring Heaven Record had yielded several divine abilities. This cluster of black light blocked before his chest, carrying precisely the artistic conception: *The utmost yielding is yin; though rigid, it cannot be destroyed!*

Yang Nan's three thousand black threads were densely intertwined, tightly wrapping his body in the center like a black fabric. The roaring air fragments collided with the black threads, equivalent to a direct clash of two people's magical power!

Strong though the myriad wind blades were, they could not surpass a holy-grade dharma weapon! With a single thought from Yang Nan, the black silk fabric rolled forward fiercely, counter-wrapping all the air fragments instead!

"Twist them for me!" The three thousand black threads tightened instantly, twisting like the body of a snake to shred all the air fragments into nothingness!

"Wonderful divine ability! Now receive this move of mine—Wings of Life and Death!" Seeing that Yang Nan could actually counter and shatter his Military Sect divine ability, Baili Lang's face showed admiration. He clapped his hands together forcefully, causing the azure and white swords to blaze with brilliant light, instantly crossing like two gigantic luminous wings to slash toward Yang Nan!

Yang Nan smiled faintly, and another thunder dragon flew out from between his brows, instantly intertwining with the black snake to form a massive Yin-Yang Shear that met the luminous wings!

Boom!

Countless spiritual lights scattered across the sky. The azure and crimson wings were shattered by the Yin-Yang Shear in an instant, splitting from two into four before flying back into Baili Lang's hands, their spiritual light appearing severely diminished!

Baili Lang widened his eyes and said in disbelief, "Undying Yin-Yang Swords? You are actually able to wield such a divine ability all by yourself?"

The Undying Yin-Yang Swords possessed a resounding and formidable reputation!

Such high-powered divine abilities had always been cooperative techniques utilized jointly by the master and disciples of the Kunlun Military Sect. For Yang Nan to execute a two-person divine ability entirely by himself was no wonder it filled Baili Lang with astonishment!

"You are mistaken; this is the Yin-Yang Shear, still a long way from the Undying Yin-Yang Swords." Yang Nan reached out to recall the Yin-Yang Shear, looking at Baili Lang with a smile on his face. Although he now possessed the two qi of yin and yang within his body, cultivating the true Undying Yin-Yang Swords was still far off!

After Yang Nan lost his water-elemental cultivation power, the Dragon-Serpent Shear had transformed into the Yin-Yang Shear, yet its might had become even sharper and harder to withstand!

The awe-inspiring momentum of his master, Bu Xu, slicing through ten thousand laws with a single sword seemed as though it were still right before his eyes. As sharp as this Yin-Yang Shear was, how could it compare to even a ten-thousandth of the Undying Yin-Yang Swords?

Had he successfully forged the Undying Yin-Yang Swords, Baili Lang would have been either dead or severely injured upon their very first encounter!

Baili Lang exhaled a hot breath, his face glowing with fervent passion as he sighed, "Truly worthy of being a high disciple of the Military Sect! With such divine ability, Brother Yang is well-equipped to roam the world unhindered!"

He had clearly lost the contest of Military Sect divine abilities, yet he cared not a whit. To spar in divine abilities with a legitimate successor of the Military Sect and win would have been the true oddity!

Military Sect divine abilities were simply not his signature trump card!

Using Military Sect divine abilities to spar was precisely an expression of his respect for Yang Nan!