One Man Rising

Amidst the rolling hills and wilderness.

A man wearing a bamboo hat stood on a small boat, drifting leisurely along the river until he reached a small pond at the end.

On the pond, a short and frail old man was fishing. He looked up at the bamboo-hatted man arriving by boat and asked, puzzled:

"I thought I was just fishing."

"I've come uninvited, don't mind me," the bamboo-hatted man chuckled softly, standing on the boat and making eye contact with the old man.

"So what business do you have with this old fellow, Fourteen Sons of Vast Sky, Hu Linye? Or should I call you Fox Saint now?"

Hu Linye removed his hat and shook his head, saying: "The elder flatters me. I'm simply here on behalf of our leader to bring back the former elders of the Blue Sky Sword Sea."

"The Blue Sky Sword Sea is gone, what use are we old relics?" the old man asked with a frown.

"The Blue Sky Sword Sea will return, but before that, we need you all to come back first," Hu Linye replied.

The old man's frown deepened. His fishing rod twitched slightly as if he had a bite. He jerked it, but the hook came up empty. He shook his head and said:

"The fish aren't biting."

"Why aren't they biting?" Hu Linye asked in return.

"Because I didn't use any bait," the old man replied with a light laugh.

Hu Linye understood then. The old man wanted something in return. He nodded and said to the elder:

"I'm trying to reason with you."

"So am I," the old man answered similarly.

"Let's change the subject," Hu Linye patted his hat and asked with a smile:

"You called me Fox Saint earlier, right?"

"That's correct," the old man nodded.

"Then guess why I'm a saint. Is it because I have a good temper, or because I don't engage in killing?"

"N-neither..." the old man's body trembled as if he had realized something, but it was too late. His vision suddenly went black, and he fainted completely.

Hu Linye bundled him up and tossed him into his own Small World.

Inside the Small World sat many old men. Seeing Hu Linye arrive, they hurriedly begged for mercy:

"Fox Saint, we know we were wrong. We're willing to return to the Blue Sky Sword Sea. Please forgive us lowly ones and spare us."

"We'll discuss this when we get back," Hu Linye said as he closed the Small World. He counted how many old men he had captured so far - twenty-seven in total. He chuckled softly.

Not bad, a satisfying number.

Whether it was due to spending time with Chen Xia and his group, he had now become quite adept at "reasoning," especially with old men.

He put on his bamboo hat and continued steering his small boat, planning to visit other stars to find more old men based on recent intelligence.

Meanwhile, things weren't going as smoothly for the four from Emperor Capital. They went around promoting the unification of the Star Region, using the Heavenly Dao Reckoning and Dark Invasion as reasons to persuade the saints and great saints.

After listening, a great saint asked in a deep voice:

"I have just one question: who will be the leader after unification?"

"Naturally, it will be my brother Chen!" Emperor Capital answered without hesitation.

"Then forget it. Unify whoever you want, but don't cause trouble in my territory," the great saint waved his hand, feeling it wasn't worth his time.

"Damn it!" Emperor Capital flung his arm, unable to contain himself. He pointed at the great saint's nose, about to curse, "Your mother..."

"Let it go, Brother Di. Chen isn't here!" Jia Bai hurriedly went to hold Emperor Capital back.

Emperor Capital's eyes widened as if he suddenly remembered something. He quickly changed his words:

"How is your mother's health?"

"She passed away long ago," the great saint replied coldly, then added: "If there's nothing else, please take your leave."

"Alright, sorry to have bothered you," Jia Bai hastily replied.

Chi Yu and Huang Can had been silent the whole time, not saying a word.

The four left, dejected.

Standing among the stars, Emperor Capital took out his Recording Spirit Stone and angrily dictated:

"Great Saint of Linshui, terrible attitude, vulgar language, unwilling to cooperate. A true menace to the Star Region and disgrace to great saints. Should be executed!"

After finishing, he muttered:

"When we get back, I'll tell Brother Chen. We must capture this scoundrel and thoroughly subdue him!"

"Brother Di, stop recording. Your Recording Spirit Stone is almost full," Jia Bai advised. If he kept recording like this, all the other saints and great saints in the Star Region would end up on his list.

"Shut up, or I'll record you too and have you executed along with them!" Emperor Capital snarled.

Jia Bai could only keep quiet helplessly.

Chi Yu remained cool as ever, standing with his arms crossed.

Huang Can could only be described as Chi Yu's counterpart.

Among the four saints, two didn't like to talk, one couldn't get a word in, and the only one who could negotiate was Emperor Capital.

How the hell were they supposed to get anything done?!

At the edge of the Star Region.

Qiu Li was constructing a formation while Li Yang and Li Yue acted as his bodyguards.

Their progress was quite smooth, with the formation being built methodically according to the Mysterious Dao.

Li Yang stood to the side and suddenly asked:

"This formation is based on your Mysterious Dao, so you'll be its sole controller in the future, right?"

"That's how it should be," Qiu Li smiled.

"What if..." Li Yang paused, his voice becoming more serious as he continued:

"What if you were to betray us?"

Qiu Li's hands froze for a moment. Then, standing in the vast expanse of space, he said resolutely to Li Yang:

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

"I hope so," Li Yang nodded.

"Who do you think is most likely to betray us?" Qiu Li suddenly asked, then added with a smile:

"Of course, this is just speculation. You can guess freely; it doesn't have to come true."

"Naturally, those who fear death and have attachments are the most likely," Li Yang replied.

"So, who?" Qiu Li looked at Li Yang, a strange smile on his lips.

Li Yang frowned and asked in return: "You think it would be me?"

"No," Qiu Li shook his head and bent down to continue constructing the formation. As he worked, he said:

"I hope none of us will betray each other. Because more than death, I fear the betrayal of comrades. That's why I've been able to work with that idiot Emperor Capital for thousands of years. He might cause me trouble, but he won't betray me."

Li Yang didn't respond. Instead, he turned to look at Li Yue standing guard in the distance.

She was his attachment.

Seeing her aunt looking at her, Li Yue happily waved.

Li Yang smiled back.

"This is probably why Chen Xia didn't want Li Yue to join. Any of us could watch the others die, but you couldn't bear to see Li Yue die."

"Chi Yu couldn't bear to see Chen Xia die," Li Yang countered.

"It's not the same. I couldn't bear to see Chen Xia die either. I might even die in his place..."

Qiu Li's tone grew solemn. He looked up at the sky, knowing how brutal the battle against the Dark Invasion was at the highest level. So he continued:

"Because if Chen Xia dies, we lose."

This wasn't an ordinary battle between cultivators. This was resistance against the Way of Heaven.

When the Star Region collapses and cultivators fall like grass, can one person rise alone, shoulder the fate of all, and forge a grand path?!

Qiu Li believed:

Chen Xia could!