"Crack!"

Chen Kuang held the paper crane and heard a crisp, earth-shattering sound, shaking his heart and making his scalp tingle.

Though the sound seemed so close, he felt as if it came from a thousand miles away, directly reaching his ears, needing no medium.

It was like a timely wake-up call, clearing the mind instantly!

Even though the paper crane didn’t convey images, Chen Kuang immediately knew what had happened—

The Grandmaster had broken his ruler and left Freedom Mountain!

This was a major event...

Previously, from Lin Er You and Zhang Zhizhou, Chen Kuang had heard that the Grandmaster on Freedom Mountain once said, "When the world is ruled by virtue, dedicate oneself to it; when it lacks virtue, sacrifice oneself for it."

When he found virtue in the world, he secluded himself, seeking freedom, welcoming students widely, using the world’s principles to perfect himself; thus, Freedom Mountain was his "place of learning."

And should he find a day lacking virtue, he would personally intervene in worldly affairs.

Specifically, from what Chen Kuang knew, the Grandmaster had already sent his two most trusted disciples to find a wise ruler.

Once the Grandmaster recognized this person, he would surely come out of seclusion to support them, becoming a saint of the nation like Donghuang or Wang Shu.

As of now, the two candidates were the second prince of the Zhou Kingdom, Zhou Yanwei, and naturally, the Little Princess Su Huaiying of the Liang Kingdom.

Frankly, Chen Kuang couldn’t decide which of the two had a better chance of winning.

Originally, he thought Zhou Yanwei was too kind-hearted, impulsive in his actions, more like a knight than a prince. If one were friends with such a person, they’d find satisfaction in their shared ideals and experiences, living freely.

But as an emperor, he would lack the necessary cunning and strategic support, prone to indecision and easily swayed by others.

Yet, Lin Er You, who chose him, was immensely intelligent, almost to the point of being supernatural, indifferent to others’ opinions and feelings, never hesitating to achieve his goals at any cost. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Together they became greater than the sum of their parts.

Meanwhile, Little Princess Su Huaiying had repeatedly nearly succeeded in restoring her country as the Empress in the cycle of illusions, launching revenge on the Zhou Kingdom. Her intelligence, ability, and skills were unquestionably sound.

But her issue didn’t lie in her capabilities.

It lay in Chen Kuang.

In those numerous cycles of illusions, why did Su Huaiying always fall one step short?

It wasn’t due to her intelligence, ability, or strategy, nor was it due to bad luck, but because the Liang Kingdom’s "destiny" was linked to Chen Kuang.

As long as Su Huaiying bore the banner of the Liang Kingdom, aiming to restore it, without the "destiny" returning to its rightful place, she could never succeed.

This was part of Su Yu’s scheme. By taking away the "destiny," he could ensure that no one could truly seize the throne of the Liang Kingdom until his resurrection.

As for the suffering of the Liang Kingdom’s people, being oppressed from all sides, displaced, and living in fear—that was beyond his concern.

To him, to preserve a nation, such insignificant sacrifices were not to be considered.

Nevertheless, as long as Chen Kuang could solve this problem, he naturally believed Su Huaiying had the upper hand.

Nonetheless, the person the Grandmaster would support must come from these two crown princes.

Chen Kuang gave this poem with no expectation that the Grandmaster would step out of his reclusion. He merely thought he would lend a helping hand at most...

As Zhou Yanwei and Su Huaiying were still in the development stage, how could the Grandmaster possibly leave the mountain?

Was it merely because of this poem?

Impossible...

Chen Kuang’s expression suddenly turned peculiar.

He had a bold idea.

But unless the Grandmaster personally confirmed it, Chen Kuang dared not voice it aloud.

"Your poem is exceedingly talented. If you had been enlightened in literary Taoism, this talent could have elevated you to greater heights."

The Grandmaster’s voice resonated through the paper crane, overflowing with remarkable admiration.

If Freedom Mountain’s disciples heard this, they would surely exclaim "unbelievable," for when had this often stern-faced Grandmaster ever praised anyone?

They had only witnessed how hard that ruler was.

Never had they seen the Grandmaster so amicable...

The Grandmaster continued, "Reciprocation is due, and so I shall return your favor with something."

"Throughout your journey, you’ve heard numerous maxims and words of advice, making your ears weary. I am not your teacher, lacking the qualification to instruct you, thus I won’t offer clichéd empty words."

"Instead, let me give you something tangible, how about a painting?"

Chen Kuang looked up as the Zhou Kingdom Grandmaster, who had rushed past, figured it out and raced back.

At this moment, there was naturally no room for criticism.

Chen Kuang nodded immediately, "The Grandmaster’s wise words, should you share them, I would naturally obey and accept with gratitude."

"But since the Grandmaster wishes to give me a painting, one that presumably others do not have, I am naturally even more delighted."

The Grandmaster scolded, "Flattery, bootlicking!"

Chen Kuang blinked and smiled, understanding perfectly well that the Grandmaster wasn’t genuinely angry.

The Grandmaster remarked, "Next time, remember not to utter such nauseating nonsense before me. Words without actions, a gentleman scorns them."

Oh, so I was blamed for not expressing genuine enough gratitude...

Suddenly, the paper crane in Chen Kuang’s hand flapped its wings and flew up again. However, it had barely left his palm before it instantaneously unfolded back into a slightly yellowed piece of paper.

The paper swelled in the wind, instantly transforming into a long scroll.

Like a ribbon, the scroll danced in the wind, immediately floating in front of the five Zhou Kingdom Grandmasters, surrounding them in a circle.

The Zhou Kingdom Grandmaster’s pupils narrowed, filled with uncertainty and suspicion.

He naturally heard the Grandmaster speak, yet the scroll before him bore no special aura, seemingly just an ordinary paper scroll.

At this critical moment, there was no way he could allow Chen Kuang to escape.

The Grandmaster hesitated for only a moment before crossing through the unfurled layers of scrolls.

But as he took that step, his expression turned blank, frozen in motion.

No one had restricted his movements, yet in front of him...

The world had changed!

In just a blink, before his eyes appeared a verdant, bird-chirping, flower-scented fairyland.

He believed he was entrapped, trying every means to break free, but no matter how far he wandered in this illusionary fairyland, he returned to the starting point!

Attempt after attempt, from steadfast resolve to anger, from bewilderment to despair.

He couldn’t tell how long it had been, until eventually even his thoughts turned into a void, leaving only emptiness as he idiotically smiled.

Chen Kuang stretched out his hand to catch the returning scroll.

He unfurled the scroll, revealing a length of five feet.

The scroll depicted in freehand brushstrokes a beautiful wonderland of peculiar flowers and rocks. As each foot passed, a figure was illustrated—cloths fluttering in the breeze, smiles tranquil as if these were carefree immortals.

—In the eyes of mortals, these five individuals were indeed immortals.

The five figures were precisely the five Zhou Kingdom Grandmasters!

Now transformed into vividly portrayed figures within the painting.

But merely in a blink...

Chen Kuang silently took a deep breath, glanced at the dumbfounded crowd, and Zhou Yanwei, who was immobilized, loudly declared:

"Thank you, Grandmaster, for this ’Five Immortals Painting.’ I will cherish it dearly!"

The Grandmaster flatly responded:

"You know how to gild, though these insignificant individuals, even if mastering the Grandmaster’s realm, remain irrelevant, trifling with petty pursuits. Living two to three hundred years at most, they might as well enter my painting."

Chen Kuang replied, "The Grandmaster’s gift is too generous; I do not know how to repay it."

The Grandmaster laughed, "As I cannot yet engage with the world, a parting gift must naturally be substantial."

Chen Kuang fell silent.

Indeed, he was about to leave.

However, before he departed, he intended to collect an interest from Ji Chengtian.

Chen Kuang put away the scroll, his gaze cold as it fell upon the suddenly panic-stricken Eldest Princess of the Zhou Kingdom, Ji Wangquan!