I Have the Martial Arts Heavenly Eye in the Storm Riders

On the great river, waves surge and roll.

A massive black ship lay across the middle of the river, its hull menacing and iron chains hanging down, effectively blocking most of the waterway.

From a distance, it looks like a steel beast lying on the water.

On the deck, Qingyuan, the leader of the Tianhe Gang, stood with one foot on the gunwale, his robes fluttering in the river wind.

He held a wine jar in his hand, tilted his head back and took a big gulp, then burst into laughter:

"Good! Well done, Duan Lang! This is a big, audacious undertaking, I love it!"

A one-eyed deputy gang leader behind him frowned and said:

"Chief, the Heavenly Realm is vast, and Mount Tai is not a body of water. If we go there, I'm afraid we won't be able to gain an advantage in terms of terrain."

"Advantage of location?" Qingyuan glanced back at him, his face full of disdain.

"All you know is the advantage of location."

"When a person encounters a great opportunity in life, what need is there for talk of favorable location and timing?"

"The news of immortality from the Outer Heavens is like setting a fire in everyone's hearts."

"Whoever arrives late will have to watch others eat meat while they don't even get a sip of soup."

The one-eyed deputy leader was still somewhat uneasy:

"Since Duan Lang dared to make such a statement, he must have a backup plan. What if this is a trap..."

"So what if it's a trap?" Qingyuan grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

"The martial world is a place where you risk your life for your future."

"Besides, there are so many people on Mount Tai. If something really happens, I won't be the first to die."

The bandits nearby were taken aback at first, then burst into laughter, banging their knives together loudly.

"The leader is right!"

"If you don't seize the treasure, what kind of life are you in the martial world!"

"Damn it, let's go to Mount Tai and give them a good fight!"

Qingyuan was overjoyed to hear this, and casually threw the wine jar into the river, creating a large splash.

"Pass down the order: close the net, withdraw the boats, and take the toughest guys in the gang with me to Mount Tai to broaden our horizons!"

He paused for a moment, then licked his lips, a hint of almost greedy excitement rising in his eyes.

"If immortality truly exists, I'll live for five hundred years first, then expand this eight-hundred-mile waterway to eight thousand miles!"

……

Sichuan and Shu, the Five Poison Sect.

In the damp, cold stone chamber, the candlelight was a pale green, poisonous insects crawled rustling in the corners, and the air was filled with a strange smell of herbs, rotting flesh, and venom.

Sect Master Tang Sen sat cross-legged on a stone couch, holding a palm-sized, colorful venomous spider in his palm, feeding it with a silver needle.

The venomous spider spat out a thin, silvery thread that wrapped around the needle tip, its poisonous light casting a ghostly glow that made Tang Sen's face turn a ghastly green.

Below, a black-robed elder whispered:

"Sect Master, the invitation to heroes has been delivered. After Duan Lang spread the news of immortality, many forces in Sichuan have already set off for Mount Tai. Shouldn't we also set off?"

Tang Sen did not answer immediately, but narrowed his eyes slightly, staring intently at the spider's silk-spinning movements, as if it were the most important thing in the world.

After a moment, he chuckled softly: "Longevity."

The laughter was thin and shrill, with a chilling tremor like a snake's tongue, sending shivers down one's spine.

"These two words are more potent than any poison."

"The emperor would go mad if he heard this, the common people would be furious, and even the self-proclaimed noble families would probably be envious."

The elder in black robes probed, "Sect Master, do you think this matter is true or false?"

"Whether it's true or false is unimportant." Tang Sen finally raised his head, a cold glint in his eyes.

"The important thing is that everyone believed it."

"As long as they believe, Mount Tai will become a pot of boiling poison."

With a flick of his finger, the venomous spider in his palm leaped back into his sleeve, while the silver needle remained in his hand, its cold light gleaming.

"The more chaotic it is, the better it is for my Five Poisons Sect to make a move."

"Issue the order: select fifty individuals skilled in stealth, poison, and disguise to accompany me to Mount Tai. On the surface, we'll be guests. But secretly..."

He snapped the silver needle in his hand, his voice as soft as a whisper in the wind.

"Whoever gets in the way dies."

……

From the north, the east, and the west, all forces moved at the first sign of trouble.

In the Giant Saber Sect, Yi Dao sat cross-legged in the saber hall, a long saber lying across his face, its blade reflecting the firelight and casting flickering light on half of his face.

After his disciple reported the news, he simply asked one question:

"Does Duan Lang even deserve to be ranked among the martial arts world's elite?"

The disciple dared not answer.

He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, only a sharp, piercing intent remained in his gaze.

"Prepare the horses and head to Mount Tai. Seating arrangements are never decided by words, but by the sword."

Inside the Cold Sword Sect, Blood Blade stroked his longsword. After listening to the scout's report, he suddenly chuckled softly, a laugh devoid of any warmth.

"Whether it's immortality or seizing the throne, I have no interest in either. But if all the masters in the world gathered at Mount Tai, that would be a perfect place to kill."

……

In an instant, countless heroes of the martial arts world, masters of prestigious families, and overlords of sects rushed towards the same direction from all corners of the country.

Someone rode a fast horse, trampling the ice and snow on the official road.

Some people are traveling upstream on multi-story boats.

A lone traveler, carrying a sword, journeys a thousand miles through the night.

Some people soared through the air, their clothes fluttering in the wind, like a streak of light across the sky.

Every road leading to Mount Tai has become bustling with activity.

People were whispering among themselves in the teahouse, probing each other's secrets on the post road, and in the mountains and forests, some had even drawn their knives on the spot because of a single argument or a single provocative glance.

Because everyone knows it in their hearts.

This journey is not just about attending a meeting.

They even went to fight for it.

They fight for fame, power, and life, and also for that one last chance at immortality that no one is willing to relinquish.

Before the wind arrives, the killing intent rises first.

The entire martial arts world seemed to be pushed by an invisible hand, rushing towards Mount Tai.

……

Deep within the Heavenly Gate, at the end of the ice ladder.

This is the end of the Free Realm, and also the only gateway to the Void Heaven Realm.

The surroundings were deathly silent, the chill was bone-deep, and even the air seemed frozen in place.

The priest walked up the ice, the soles of his boots making a very slight squeaking sound as they rubbed against the ice surface, which sounded particularly jarring in the stillness.

At the end, a huge mirror of ice stood silently.

It is crystal clear, smooth as a mirror, yet unfathomable.

If a person stands close to it, they cannot see their own shadow or the scene behind the mirror; they will only be gradually drawn away by that cold depths.

Every time the priest came here, he felt as if he were facing a formless abyss.

Beyond the abyss lies "heaven".

He walked to the ice mirror and immediately bowed, his waist bent at almost a right angle, even deliberately suppressing his breathing:

"A urgent report from the Central Plains: Duan Lang, the Lord of the Outer Heavens, has issued a call to arms, announcing a martial arts tournament to be held atop Mount Tai."

There was utter silence behind the ice mirror, without the slightest echo.

The priest dared not stop and continued, forcing himself to speak:

"In addition, Duan Lang also released the news that Tianwaitian has mastered the secret of immortality and intends to make it public at the Mount Tai Conference."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings became even quieter.

Cold sweat silently seeped from the priest's forehead.

He knew that, often, silence was more terrifying than speaking.

Because you never know whether that silence is a moment of reflection or a decision about who should die.

After an unknown amount of time, a voice finally rang out from the depths of the ice mirror.

Indifferent, ethereal, as if it came from a very distant place, or as if it exploded directly in my mind.

You can't tell if he's happy or angry, or whether he's male or female; all that remains is a chilling, oppressive aura that reigns supreme.

"Immortality..."

With just two words, the chill beneath the ice surface suddenly surged.

A thin layer of white frost immediately rose at the priest's feet and spread outwards at a visible speed.

A chill ran through him, and he quickly lowered his head even further.

"You brat Duanlang, what are you trying to do?"

The priest hurriedly replied, "This subordinate is incompetent and has not yet ascertained their true intentions. However, all parties in the martial world have been alerted and will mostly rush to Mount Tai."

After the ice mirror, silence fell again.

In the unseen depths of darkness, Indra's gaze gradually turned cold.

longevity.

These two words are a temptation to others, but to him, they are more like a needle suddenly piercing his heart.

He lived too long.

So long ago, what the world saw as the rise and fall of dynasties and the prosperity and decline of the martial arts world were nothing more than a series of recurring dramas in his eyes.

Because he had lived so long, he understood better than anyone what the word "immortality" truly meant.

He himself is a living example.

If the mystery of the Divine Dragon were to be revealed, it would be enough to drive the entire martial arts world into madness.

But Duan Lang, at this very moment, uttered the words "immortality".

Was it an accidental collision?

Or do they already know something?

Indra's first thought was to deny it.

impossible.

The secret of the Divine Dragon was something he had planned for a thousand years, spending countless resources and manpower to gradually deduce.

There should be no one else in this world who knows the whole story except him.

If it's not a coincidence, then what is it?

bait?

A test?

Or perhaps... it was bait specifically thrown to him?

Thinking of this, Indra felt a long-lost sense of unease.

This is not fear.

Rather, it is the instinctive sense of loss of control that arises when someone who has been at the game for a long time suddenly discovers an unfathomable piece on the board.

"snort."

A cold snort echoed from the depths of the ice mirror, causing the entire ice staircase to hum softly.

On the mirror surface, countless tiny ice patterns appear and disappear in an instant.

"Playing tricks." Di Shitian's tone returned to calm, but the chilling undertone within it only intensified.

"Send someone to Mount Tai to infiltrate various factions and secretly investigate the true nature of Duan Lang."

"If he's just bluffing, let him die on the stage he set up himself."

"Remember, do not disturb the Outer Heavens, and do not let anyone else know that the Heavenly Gate has already been attacked."

"yes!"

The priest respectfully accepted the order, took several steps back, and then turned and left.

He walked very fast, and only after he had walked out of the ice ladder area did he dare to exhale a long breath of white air, only to find that his back was soaked with cold sweat.

He clearly understood from those few words.

Heaven is angry.

And it wasn't a dismissive rage like crushing an ant.

It was a kind of anger that truly took Duan Lang, and even Tianwaitian, into its eyes.

After the ice mirror, all was silent once more.

Indra sat alone amidst the ancient ice, where there was no wind and no trace of human presence.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the ice and the void, landing directly on the distant Mount Tai.

It's been two thousand years.

He has seen too many emperors, tyrants, geniuses, and madmen.

But this time, for some reason, he had a vague premonition.

The gathering at Mount Tai may not be as simple as just a contest of interests among heroes.

Something beyond his expectations may very well appear atop Mount Tai.

Thinking of this, he suddenly smiled.

The laughter was extremely soft, yet chillingly cold and devoid of any human warmth.

"Broken Waves..."

"I'd like to see whether you're revealing secrets for the world or... ringing the bells to send me off to my grave."

As soon as he finished speaking, a chill swept through the entire void of the heavens.

He will also go to Mount Tai.

Because in this world, no one has ever truly finished their performance before "Heaven".