Retreat

It was the effect of good fortune again.

Chen Xia thought for a moment and realized this good fortune should be triggered by some event. He had to take action to trigger the event.

Lazing around wouldn't work.

He pondered and stretched out his arm with thick, yellow primal energy swirling around it, vaguely taking the form of a flood dragon.

This should be beginner's flood dragon energy.

With a thought from Chen Xia, the flood dragon energy suddenly shot forward, rolling arrogantly on the ground like an earth dragon tossing and turning, and dug out a ditch dozens of meters long.

The flood dragon energy really seemed like a thought flood dragon.

Chen Xia let out a breath, blinked, and the yellow energy disappeared. He casually shook his sleeve, glanced at the collapsed mountain range, and had a general understanding of his own strength.

It was probably around the level of destroying mountains. In cultivators' realms, it was equivalent to the third layer of Foundation Establishment, probably between the seventh and ninth layer. The exact level was unknown.

After all, Chen Xia had never actually fought with Foundation Establishment cultivators and couldn't confirm their exact abilities.

Within a hundred miles of the Great Song Dynasty, there was only one immortal in seclusion in his self-created sect. Chen Xia certainly couldn't go knock on his door and ask the immortal out to compare skills.

Chen Xia's footsteps suddenly halted as he nodded.

Actually it wasn't impossible. If he could win, he really could go directly to compare skills. He was just afraid of losing.

Fellow cultivators exchanging pointers didn't have to be a life or death battle. It would also let him see the methods of a real immortal.

As Chen Xia thought this, he headed home.

Halfway there, a great river blocked his path with turbulent waves.

He looked upstream and figured the sluice gates dozens of miles away must have opened to release water, creating turbulent floods that blocked the way.

Chen Xia also looked at the night sky and could clearly see dark clouds gathering in the distance, looking rather gloomy.

It was probably going to rain heavily, so they urgently opened the gates upstream.

No matter.

Chen Xia crouched halfway and flicked his fingers at the turbulent water.

The entire river suddenly stopped flowing, as if cut open by a sword, cleanly carving out a riverbed exposing a path to the other side!

With his hands behind his back, Chen Xia slowly walked across the path.

He could have actually jumped across.

But there was no need.

Destroying mountains and stopping rivers, this was what immortals were capable of.

--

The next morning, hunters who got up early made a shocking discovery.

The deep mountains in front of Weilixi Town...were gone...gone?!

Outrageous news always spread faster the more it was passed on. By early morning, the whole Weilixi Town knew.

"Did you hear, the deep mountains collapsed. It's said to be the mountain god getting angry and the earth dragon turning over, destroying the entire mountain range."

"Really? Last night I felt it too and thought it was an earthquake."

"Even an earthquake wouldn't make the whole mountain collapse. How could you still be alive and well?"

"You're right."

Not only did the news spread faster as it passed on, it generally became more outrageous.

Those in eastern town said it was the mountain god getting angry. Those in western town said it was someone who ate wild rabbit and potatoes last night, offending the heavens, so the heavens destroyed a mountain range first as a warning.

But rumors were just rumors in the end, idle chatter for townspeople, without much impact.

Chen Xia was also rarely concerned, as he planned to resign from town chief and start slacking off.

Additionally, some people in the jianghu speculated that it might have been Chen Xia who destroyed the mountains, but most didn't dare believe it for now.

"How is that possible, such a huge mountain, gone overnight?!"

"Why not possible? This is the might of immortals. Since this Chen Xia is an immortal, it's not strange he has such abilities."

"If that's the case, then he truly is half invincible in the mortal realm!"

"Why only half invincible?" some wandering jianghu knights asked, puzzled. With the ability to destroy mountains, the 'half' should be removed.

"You forgot, there's still an immortal in seclusion within a hundred miles. And it's said one or two terrifying existences live in seclusion overseas. Since Chen Xia hasn't fought them, he can only be considered half invincible."

"That makes sense."

For ordinary people, the destruction of the deep mountains was just ordinary news occasionally brought up in conversation.

But in jianghu circles, the legend of the 'immortal who destroyed mountains and was half invincible' appeared.

The protagonist was none other than Chen Xia, living in seclusion in Weilixi Town.

This resulted in Weilixi Town's popularity for taking in disciples not decreasing, but increasing. Many people from jianghu snuck into Weilixi Town.

They may have come to take Chen Xia as their master at first, but things changed.

Some came specifically to do jianghu business, some came seeking vengeance, and some came just to catch a glimpse of the chivalrous heroes' true appearance.

Over a hundred different kinds of people came.

As long as they didn't break Weilixi Town's rules, Chen Xia never intervened.

Additionally, Weilixi Town had experts from the Patrol Bureau to control and monitor these jianghu figures, so despite the large number, public order remained surprisingly good.

The border wars had also fully erupted over the past two years. The Great Song Dynasty sent out a million troops to defend the border, but without much effect, barely defending.

They were even mocked by the barbarian general.

"The Song people are useless, hiding in their turtle shells, cowardly and afraid to show their heads?!"

These words angered all the ambitious people of the Song Dynasty. They rushed to the battlefield wanting to exterminate the barbarians, including many jianghu figures.

But it was useless. The Song forces were still being suppressed.

National level wars couldn't be turned by individuals.

Over the years, Chen Xia had also gradually stopped caring about worldly affairs, utilizing the Great Turtle Breathing Art to enter a quiet, tranquil state.

In short, closed door cultivation.

With his cultivation reaching the Qi Condensation stage, he could initially abstain from food and wholeheartedly cultivate.

But his cultivation actually had nothing worth mentioning. He just slept.

In the second year after Chen Xia closed his door, the jianghu figures in Weilixi Town gradually grew unrestrained, as they hadn't seen him in a long time. They started brawling and fighting in town.

Although experts from the Patrol Bureau supervised, it wasn't very useful. After all, some of these jianghu people were also experts.

In the third year, the Patrol Bureau experts had to leave Weilixi Town for the border battles, and were replaced by ordinary patrols managing Weilixi Town.

But how could ordinary patrols control these jianghu figures?

Especially now during the war, with Weilixi Town in a remote area, the government was increasingly powerless.

The whole Weilixi Town instantly descended into chaos. The various jianghu experts split into factions, none willing to submit, frequently fighting and killing ordinary townspeople.

The townspeople fled in panic to the city ten miles away.

Thus, only the jianghu figures remained in Weilixi Town.

It could even be said this had become a little jianghu world.

In the fourth year, Weilixi Town was truly renamed Little Jianghu. Many jianghu experts established sects and widely recruited disciples.

As for the national turmoil, they certainly didn't care. Whoever became emperor was the same to them. Jianghu martial artists had high status. As long as they showed loyalty, they could continue living in peace.

Their jianghu matters weren't resolved yet, how could national matters take priority?

Present day Weilixi Town, also called Little Jianghu, mainly had four sects competing, each wanting to stand out as boss.

But none willing to submit to the others, and none able to defeat the others, they could only remain in this deadlock.

More and more people came, and Little Jianghu had to continue expanding outward. By the fifth year, it was already comparable to the big city ten miles away.

Chen Xia's house was overgrown with weeds, completely abandoned, yet no one dared demolish it or even look inside.

Because this was the immortal's house.

Moreover, the four big bosses of Little Jianghu had prohibited anyone from approaching this house without permission.

No one dared provoke this misfortune. Offending the immortal was clearly worse than offending the four sects.

In the sixth year, the border battles eased up a bit as a brave general took back one city, catching the barbarians off guard.

The situation in the Great Song Dynasty gained some hope again.

The next few years were relatively stable. The border battles decreased. Although the barbarians still watched covetously, the situation had stabilized.

Until the tenth year.

The reigning Song emperor passed away.

The 17-year-old crown prince succeeded the throne. Three days later, the barbarians began fiercely attacking the border again.

The crown prince knew nothing of war. Although he tried his best to send supplies to the border, it couldn't be defended.

The first border city fell and the Song Dynasty lost a hundred miles of territory, retreating to the second line of defense.

That same year, the immortal's sect within a hundred miles of Little Jianghu had an immortal emerge. Riding a lotus flower and wielding a cyan steel sword, he floated down the river straight toward Little Jianghu.

Some seniors of the jianghu recognized this immortal and immediately announced his identity.

"That's Yang Gang who became a disciple at the immortal sect thirty years ago!"

"Yang Gang has found the immortal path. Why does he now emerge riding a lotus and wielding a sword, heading downstream toward Little Jianghu?"

"At the river's end leading to the ocean seems to be Little Jianghu?"

"Yang Gang is going to Little Jianghu wielding his sword?!"

In no time, the news of Yang Gang emerging and heading straight for Little Jianghu spread through the whole hundred mile region.

Including Little Jianghu.

The four big sects received the urgent news and were now anxiously conferring.

"Why is Yang Gang, after cultivating for thirty years, heading to Little Jianghu as soon as he emerges?"

"The reason is still unclear, but it's definitely not simple. When the time comes, we must speak prudently and respectfully to him. He cultivates immortal arts, so he's definitely not the same as before."

"Should we notify that one of ours then?"

One of them, a man, shook his head.

"He's been closed off for too long, likely at a critical point. If we disturb him, it may interrupt his cultivation."

"Alright."

That concluded the four sects' discussion. They waited for Yang Gang to arrive and planned to receive him courteously, politely persuade him to leave peacefully.

On the third day, Yang Gang arrived at the Little Jianghu port. Without a word, he directly slashed the entire port bridge with his sword, standing in the middle of the water, and coldly said,

"Go call your spokesmen here."

The leaders of the four sects quickly arrived and respectfully yielded to Yang Gang with clasped fists.

"An immortal has graced our little world of martial arts, we apologize for not giving you a proper welcome. Please allow us to make amends and join us."

"Little world of martial arts?" Yang Gang scoffed as he stepped off the lotus and onto the shore, shaking his head.

"This is no little world. This is Tail Creek Town."