The Last Sentinel

You won't be shortchanged!

The regular customer was somewhat annoyed: "Answer me quickly!"

The scholar said, "Sir, you are a long-time patron of our Heavenly Secrets Alliance. You must have heard of Ye Feng, the peerless genius of the carbon-based universe, the Sentinel!"

The old customer said, "Of course, back then, the ancestors crossed the river of time to assassinate him, but were instead cursed by his red hair. Later, he was sealed into the river of time."

"He's back," the scholar said. "According to reliable intelligence, he has gained much from the River of Time, creating a new cultivation system that can overturn the current one. He's even reportedly formed a partnership with the Myriad Realms faction!"

The old customer said, "The myriad forms and the myriad realms have always been irreconcilable. Now he's creating a new system; doesn't that mean the Sentinels have become a major threat to the Heavenly Court?"

The scholar proudly waved his paper fan: "That's right! Killing the sentinel and seizing the new cultivation system he possesses is the mission of the Seven Prodigies! Whoever among the Seven Prodigies obtains this new cultivation system will be a strong contender for the next position of one of the Four Emperors of Heaven! That's why Heaven has sealed the North Heavenly Gate, and the Seven Prodigies are in seclusion."

The regular customer said, "I understand. The third question is, how can I sneak through the North Heavenly Gate and enter the dimensional battlefield?"

"Haha!" the scholar laughed, "You've come to the right person! Our Heavenly Secrets Alliance senses that there are an unusually large number of experts entering the dimensional battlefield this time, so we're launching a special all-inclusive discount package for our loyal customers. You just need to get a membership card..."

At this point, the scholar smiled so much that his eyes narrowed into slits, and he pulled his fan back to his chest, striking a pose as if he were discussing a big business deal.

The regular customer interrupted, "I don't want a card, I just want to buy the road!"

The scholar curled his lip: "I'll find someone named Tong Linglong in my Taiqing Heaven Water Moon Cave. She'll be in charge of the smuggling business!" He was clearly disappointed that he didn't get a card, his lips drooping, and he spoke a few words faster.

The old customer said, "Don't bother with that shabby compass you're carrying; it won't find me. Also, the money is behind the notice board; go get it yourself! Goodbye, little fox!"

The scholar was startled, sweat beading on his forehead, and the compass in his sleeve clattered to the ground. The compass spun twice on the bluestone slab, the needle still spinning wildly, before finally snapping with a "crack".

While we were talking, I was searching for the other person's whereabouts, but no matter how I used my divine sense tracking compass, I couldn't find any clues!

The other party had actually seen through my little trick. This was so embarrassing.

He stood there, his face flushing and paling in turns, forgetting to fan himself. The wind blew from the ferry, messing up the stray hairs on his forehead, but he didn't bother to smooth them.

The scholar realized that the person opposite him was a true expert, and after searching behind the bulletin board, he actually found a card.

The card was made of jade, warm to the touch, and engraved with the mark of a bank he recognized; it was a fairly large denomination. He held the card, his fingers trembling slightly.

The scholar took the card and left in a hurry, not daring to delay any longer!

What if the person on the other end is a heretic? With my little trick just now, if they kill me, no one will stand up for me!

He walked very fast, the hem of his brocade short shirt was lifted by the wind, revealing a row of odds and ends hanging from his waist, jingling.

After leaving the ferry, he looked back one last time. The bulletin board was empty except for the two notices that were still glowing.

No sooner had the scholar left than an old man and a middle-aged man arrived at Fengling Ferry.

The waves crashed against the boulders at the ferry crossing, splashing water droplets onto the old Taoist's shoes, but he paid them no mind. The old Taoist was dressed in a yin-yang robe, carrying a divination flag with an iron divination handle. The flag fluttered in the wind, its corners worn white, showing its age. His face was deeply wrinkled, but his eyes shone brightly, like two cold stars hidden in two dry wells.

A weathered middle-aged man, wearing a straw hat and a faded sword robe, carried a broken sword bound with strips of cloth on his back. His stubble added to his air of江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world). He walked slowly, but each step seemed measured, landing precisely on the ground. The broken sword on his back was wrapped with layers of gray cloth, revealing only a rusty section of the hilt.

The old Taoist priest said, "Xie Jiu, what are you trying to achieve by going to the dimensional battlefield? With your sword cultivation, catching up with your senior brother, the Primordial Sword Emperor, is only a matter of time! If you go to learn Sentinel Ye Feng's new cultivation system now, wouldn't your swordsmanship be wasted?" As he spoke, he slammed the divination flag on the ground, a spark flashed on the stone surface, leaving a faint white dot.

The middle-aged swordsman adjusted his bamboo hat, watching the scholar's disappearing figure, his eyes gleaming: "I have no interest in the new cultivation system, nor in the destiny of the Heavenly Court." His voice was flat, like a stagnant pool, but something burned in his eyes.

The old Taoist priest asked, "So, what are you interested in?"

The sword cultivator said, "My senior brother often talks about Sentinel Ye Feng, saying that he's no match for Ye Feng. If I were to defeat Ye Feng, wouldn't that mean I'm stronger than Ye Feng, and stronger than my senior brother?" As he said this, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, but it wasn't a smile; it was more like the instinctive reaction of someone whose obsession had been spoken aloud. His right hand unconsciously pressed on the hilt of the broken sword, his knuckles turning white.

The old Taoist priest said, "Are you crazy? You are a wanted criminal of the Heavenly Court. If you go, the Seven Absolute Prodigies will be the first to attack you!" The old Taoist priest's voice rose slightly, and the divination flag slammed down on the ground again. This time the force was greater, and cracks spread across the stone surface.

The swordsman said, "Master, you once said that I am a golden talent born at the wrong time." He withdrew his gaze, no longer looking in the direction where the scholar had disappeared, but instead looking at the surging sea of ​​clouds above. The shadow of his bamboo hat covered most of his face, with only the stubble on his chin gleaming blue in the hazy light.

The old Taoist priest nodded: "Yes, I did say that back then I gave you the Dui hexagram - Facing danger without fear towards the light! Gold will always shine..." He paused here, his tone softening, as if recalling something from a long time ago.

The swordsman interrupted the old Taoist priest: "The saying 'gold will always shine' is incorrect."

The old Taoist priest asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

The swordsman looked up at the rolling sea of ​​clouds above: "Gold itself cannot emit light; gold is reflective. It can only emit light when it is near a light source." His voice was soft, but each word was deliberate and clear, like a sword blade rubbing against a stone.

"The same principle applies to gold, and to people."

"I am gold."

"Ye Feng is the only prodigy of this era, a peerless genius, a source of light, a sun!"

"Only by fighting Ye Feng can I shine like the sun!"

As he spoke his last sentence, his right hand had already gripped the hilt of the sword. Although he didn't draw it, a faint, extremely thin wisp of sword energy emanated from the blade wrapped in gray cloth, slicing a fallen leaf at his feet in two. The cut was clean, as if measured with a ruler.

The old Taoist priest was speechless for a moment, looking at the dark clouds that rolled around his head all year round: "The Heavenly Court is like these dark clouds, obscuring the vast sun, and also obscuring the secret of whether others know if they are gold." He sighed, the divination flag leaning diagonally on his shoulder, the flag hanging down to cover half of his face.

"The Heavenly Court must be overthrown." Xie Jiu looked up: "Who is gold and who is not gold is not determined by them, nor by who wins the battle of the chosen ones, but by who stands shoulder to shoulder with the sun, who has fought against the sun!" He tilted his head back, his hat slipping slightly, revealing a pair of frighteningly bright eyes. Above the clouds, a flash of lightning happened to streak across the sky, reflected in his pupils like two inextinguishable flames.

"I must go to the dimensional battlefield."

Even if it means certain death.

"I also want to see just how big the gap is between me and a true peerless genius!"

After he finished speaking, he fell silent, gazing at the sea of ​​clouds. The wind made his faded sword robe flutter loudly, and the end of the cloth strip of the broken sword on his back also swayed gently in the wind.

The old Taoist priest stood beside him, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. He simply straightened the divination flag again and watched with him as the dark clouds churned eternally.

In the distance, the ancient giant Kun slowly swung its tail, causing half of the sky's clouds to swirl back, and lightning flashed once more before returning to silence.