Unreliable Sword Immortal.

Lu Chaoding was in a very good mood. He maintained his team status with Lou Jialan and stood in front of the mountain gate, waiting for the people from the four major sword sects to come and attack.

而四大剑派派出的讨伐之人也极有规律，都是一派一人，从最开始的平均等级50级，到60级、70级、80级、90级、100级……

The next day, four level 110 sword cultivators arrived together.

A level 110 being is already considered a peak-level expert. Such a person would be considered a transcendent existence in the outside world of Hongchen Sword Realm. It should be noted that the two pillars of the Great Yu Dynasty, which is known as the strongest power, are only level 100.

Lu Chaoding and Lou Jialan joined forces to defeat the four people, gaining a great deal of benefits. With these gains, Lu Chaoding upgraded his [Gaze Sword Technique] by one level, bringing it to LV6.

At this point, the gaze sword technique had become quite powerful. Lu Chaoding could lock onto a target with his gaze, causing the target to lose 64 health points per second.

Half a day later, the leaders of the four sword sects that Lou Jialan feared most finally appeared.

These four NPCs are all level 120, all old women with white hair, wrinkled faces, and a very old appearance. They lean on the same dragon-headed cane and look extremely similar, except for the color of their clothes, which are red, yellow, blue, and green.

"Quadruplets?"

Lu Chao looked at the four people with curiosity. He could see their basic information. The one in red was the leader of the Great Luo Sword Sect, named Hua Manlou, who was a Thunder Gang Sword God.

The one in yellow is the leader of the Qinglian Sword Sect, named Hua Manting, a master swordsman.

The one in blue is the leader of the Hongchen Sword Sect, named Hua Mantian, whose profession is the Void-Transcending Sword Immortal.

The one in green is the leader of the Heavenly Demon Sword Sect, named Hua Mandi, whose profession is the Undying Sword Demon.

At the same time, Lu Chaoding also received a system notification that all four of them were carrying fragments of the Hongchen Dao Box.

Upon seeing the four, the Azure Mist Sword Saint's face contorted with resentment. He gritted his teeth and said, "You four old bastards, you've finally arrived."

The four sect leaders stood at the foot of the mountain, their expressions calm. They glanced at Lu Chaoding and Lou Jialan, and said in unison, "Hand over the fragments of the Hongchen Dao Box, and we will forgive and forget. We acknowledge the Reliable Sword Sect and will allow you to mine the minerals without further disturbance. Otherwise, we will raze this mountain to the ground, destroy this sect, kill you, and take the fragments ourselves. You have ten breaths to decide. Don't make a mistake!"

Lou Jialan put her hands on her hips and immediately replied, "Stop talking nonsense and bring it on. Today, the sect leader and I will join forces to fight the four of you. The outcome is still uncertain."

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The four sect leaders burst into laughter simultaneously, then said in unison, "Lou Jialan, can you represent the will of the Supreme Heavenly Demon?"

"certainly!"

Lou Jialan looked at Lu Chaoding and said, "Sect Leader, I'll make the first move. After pulling those four old geezers into the battle space, it's up to you to decide what to do."

"No problem!" Lu Chao patted his chest confidently, but then his expression froze, and he said, "Wait a minute! I think the martial arts world should value harmony. Can we please stop fighting and killing..."

"Um?"

Lou Jialan was taken aback and looked at Lu Chaoding with confusion.

Lu Chao gave an embarrassed smile and said, "Why don't we all laugh it off and let bygones be bygones!"

Lou Jialan was even more confused.

Lu Chaoding also sighed.

He originally planned to meet the leaders of the four sects with Lou Jialan, since he was blessed with good fortune and was immortal.

However, occasionally the unreliable system would suddenly activate and issue a task. The task required not to fight the leaders of the four major sword sects and to hand over a fragment of the Hongchen Dao Box. Completing the task would reward you with four unreliable lottery tickets, goodwill from the four sect leaders, and their gifts. Failing the task would result in the hatred of the four sect leaders and the loss of the fragment of the Hongchen Dao Box.

Lu Chaoding naturally chose not to fight the leaders of the four sects.

"The task only requires delivering a fragment of the Hongchen Dao Box, not the whole thing. That doesn't seem to have much of an impact. But if I don't complete this unreliable task, I'll be in big trouble. The unreliable system might just scatter all the Hongchen Dao Box fragments I've collected..."

Lu Chao was extremely annoyed, but helpless. He decided to back down and ignored Lou Jialan, who was standing there dumbfounded. He took out a fragment of the Hongchen Dao Box and generously threw it to the four old women, saying, "This is a fragment of the Hongchen Dao Box. Here you go. From now on, we are all friends."

"Sect Leader! You..."

Lou Jialan's eyes widened, seemingly enraged. With a "whoosh," she spat out a mouthful of blood, then clutched her chest and took three steps back, panting heavily.

Lu Chao looked completely innocent. He walked up to Lou Jialan, patted her shoulder, and said, "Junior sister, junior sister, what's wrong? Junior sister, please don't die!"

At this moment, the leaders of the four major sword sects opposite them burst into laughter and said in unison, "Good, good, good, Supreme Heavenly Demon, you are very good. The four of us will make you our friend today. From now on, your Reliable Sword Sect will be under the protection of our four sects. As long as our four sects stand, we will ensure the safety of your Reliable Mountain!"

"That's wonderful!"

Lu Chaoding said with a smile, "I'm new here, so please take good care of me."

The four sect leaders replied in unison, "Of course!"

Then they simultaneously waved their sleeves, and four treasure chests appeared out of thin air, landing right in front of Lu Chao.

Clearly, that was the thank-you gift from the leaders of the four sects.

Lu Chaoding immediately opened the four treasure chests and found that they were filled with jade items, totaling two hundred pieces.

"The returns are pretty good, aren't they?"

Lu Chao muttered something under his breath.

Next, the four sect leaders retreated, and Lu Chao waved goodbye, which angered the Azure Mist Sword Saint Lou Jialan so much that he fainted.

After she regained consciousness, Lu Chao said to her, "Junior sister, actually, I had no choice. It's not that I'm afraid of those four old women, but this unreliable system forced me to. When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. I don't have the strength to fight against this unreliable system. But don't worry, I'm still very reliable. I only gave them a fragment of the Hongchen Dao Box. I still have two more here. Don't worry, I'll get that fragment back sooner or later..."

Lou Jialan didn't understand Lu Chaoding's explanation at all. She was stunned and ignored everyone after that. She stopped going to the mine to mine and sat cross-legged in the sect's courtyard like a statue, with a mournful look on her face.

To Lu Chao's surprise, just half a day later, four more NPCs from the four major sword sects arrived. These were level 50 NPCs, and as soon as they arrived at the mountain gate, they started shouting and yelling, intending to attack the mountain.

"What's going on? Wasn't the agreement to prioritize peace? Why are we attacking the mountain again?"

Lu Chaoding received a system notification and went to the foot of the mountain to observe. Lou Jialan also stopped daydreaming and stood next to Lu Chaoding.

As a result, the four NPCs from the four major sword sects bowed down and begged for mercy as soon as they saw Lou Jialan.

Lou Jialan then recruited them into a reliable sword sect and sent them to mine.

Lu Chaoding watched all this quietly, with many doubts in his heart.

"Could it be that the leaders of the four major sword sects have targeted me again and are about to launch a new round of attacks...?"

To verify his thoughts, Lu Chaoding simply stayed at the mountain gate.

An hour later, four level 60 NPCs from the four major sword sects came to attack the mountain...

Two hours later, four level 70 NPCs appeared, followed by level 80 NPCs...

As Lu Chaoding had predicted, the four major sword sects did indeed launch another attack against him.

Another day passed, and Lu Chaoding and Lou Jialan joined forces to defeat four powerful level 110 NPCs. The leaders of the four major sword sects reappeared.

"Hand over the fragments of the Hongchen Dao Box, and we will forgive your past transgressions. We will acknowledge the Reliable Sword Sect and allow you to mine the minerals without further disturbance. Otherwise, we will raze this mountain to the ground, annihilate this sect, kill you all, and take the fragments for ourselves. You have ten breaths to decide your choice. Do not make a mistake!"

Their lines were exactly the same as before. After they shouted, Lu Chaoding received a system notification: "Ding, the Occasionally Unreliable System has been activated and issued a task: Do not fight with the leaders of the four major sword sects, and hand over a fragment of the Hongchen Dao Box. If the task is completed, you will receive four Unreliable Lottery Tickets, the favorability of the four sect leaders, and their gifts. If the task is failed, you will gain the hatred of the four sect leaders and lose the fragment of the Hongchen Dao Box."

"It really is exactly the same. Does this mean that as long as I still have fragments of the Hongchen Dao Box here, they will come to attack the mountain?"

Lu Chaoding pondered silently.

Lou Jialan finally regained her fighting spirit. She looked at Lu Chaoding with resentment and said, "Sect Leader, you must not hand over the fragments of the Hongchen Dao Box to them. If we join forces, we may not necessarily lose to them."

"Junior sister, you're right, but this sect leader has no choice!"

After Lu Chao finished speaking, he took out another fragment of the Hongchen Dao Box and ruthlessly threw it down the mountain.

"Senior brother! You..."

Lou Jialan was puzzled again.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the four sects at the foot of the mountain were all smiles again.

"Very well, Supreme Heavenly Demon, you are very wise. The four of us will befriend you today. From now on, your Reliable Sword Sect will be under the protection of our four sects. As long as our four sects stand, we will ensure the safety of your Reliable Mountain!"

The four sect leaders spoke at the same time, and then presented their gifts of gratitude again, which were four more treasure chests. Lu Chaoding opened them and found 222 jade items.

After seeing off the four sect leaders, Qinglan Sword Saint Lou Jialan immediately turned hostile towards Lu Chao, shouting, "Sect Leader, what do you mean? Why did you hand over the fragments of the Hongchen Dao Box to them? Why didn't you dare fight them? Do you know what will happen if they control the fragments of the Hongchen Dao Box? You've practically ruined me!"

Lu Chao retorted, "Junior Sister, don't be anxious. This is my strategy—to cast a long line to catch a big fish, understand? Don't worry, I still have a fragment of the Hongchen Dao Box here."

"I don't understand! I'm leaving the Reliable Sword Sect, and from now on we'll keep to ourselves!" Lou Jialan roared.

Lu Chao immediately received a system notification: "Ding, the Occasionally Unreliable System has been activated and issued a mission: to express your stance to the Qinglan Sword Saint Lou Jialan and dissuade him from leaving the Reliable Sword Sect. The mission has a three-day time limit. If completed, you will gain great favor from the Qinglan Sword Saint Lou Jialan. If the mission fails, Lou Jialan will defect."

"There's still a three-day grace period? This task shouldn't be too difficult..."

Lu Chaoding pondered for a moment, knowing that Lou Jialan would not defect within three days, so he was not in a hurry to interact with her.

A day later, just as Lu Chaoding had hoped, the NPCs from the four major sword sects came to attack the mountain again. As before, the first to arrive were four level 50 NPCs.

"Junior sister, let's go! Fight the enemy together! This time, your senior brother is determined, and there will be no compromise!"

Lu Chao called out to Lou Jialan and teamed up with her.

After several rounds of attacks on the mountain, Lu Chaoding met the leaders of the four major sword sects again.

"Hand over the fragments of the Hongchen Dao Box, and we may acknowledge a reliable sword sect and allow you to mine. Otherwise, we will raze this mountain to the ground and annihilate you today. You have ten breaths to decide. Don't make a mistake!"

The four sect leaders' lines were almost identical. After they finished speaking, Lu Chaoding received another system notification. It was still the same unreliable system issuing a task, with the exact same content.

However, this time Lu Chaoding did not rush to hand over the fragments of the Hongchen Dao Box, because he only had one left. Handing it over would certainly allow him to complete the task issued by the unreliable system, but it would be almost the same as failing the task and being punished, since he would lose all the fragments of the Hongchen Dao Box anyway.

"Junior sister, what do you think?"

Lu Chaoding casually asked Lou Jialan this time.

Lou Jialan said indignantly, "We absolutely cannot hand over the fragments of the Hongchen Dao Box to them! Let's join forces and fight those four!"

"That's exactly what I was thinking!" Lu Chao laughed heartily, then added, "However, before the battle, to express my gratitude, I'm entrusting you with the safekeeping of this last fragment of the Hongchen Dao Box!"

After speaking, Lu Chao, with a smile on his face, handed the [Fragment 2 of the Hongchen Dao Box] to Lou Jialan.

"Senior brother, you..."

Lou Jialan had an expression of disbelief on her face.

Lu Chaoding added, "The fragment is useless to me anyway. Junior Sister, you are the successor of Daoist Hongchen, so it's more appropriate for you to have this fragment. Alright, take it quickly. Your senior brother is about to fight the leaders of the four major sword sects. Your senior brother is very reliable."

"Senior brother, let's join forces, I'll help you!"

Lou Jialan revealed a rare smile.

Lu Chao laughed heartily, immediately rode his tiger and flew down the mountain on his sword. He glared at the leaders of the four major sword sects and shouted, "I am the leader of the Reliable Sword Sect. You four have repeatedly violated my sect's rules and your crimes are unforgivable. Today, I will teach you a lesson."

After saying that, Lu Chao activated the [Gaze Sword Technique] and unleashed a sword shadow, directly attacking the four sect leaders.

"Don't worry, senior brother, I'll help you!"

Lou Jialan followed closely behind.

Soon, the battle was triggered, and Lu Chaoding, Lou Jialan, and the leaders of the four major sword sects entered the battle space at the same time.

Lu Chao laughed heartily. His level was the lowest among the six, but his speed was the fastest. He was the first to enter the action round and started with [Sword Immortal Twelve Hatreds]. In one round, he actually killed Hua Manlou, the leader of the Great Luo Sword Sect.

"Senior brother's skills are unparalleled; he truly deserves to be the leader of our reliable sect!"

Lou Jialan shouted excitedly, and Lu Chao immediately received a system notification: "Qinglan Sword Saint Lou Jialan has given up the idea of ​​leaving the reliable sword sect. The mission is complete. You have gained great favor from Qinglan Sword Saint Lou Jialan."

Upon receiving this system notification, Lou Jialan reacted as if she had been electrocuted, acting strangely and wildly.

(End of this chapter)