Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

Holding such a set of immortal swords, standing atop Mingqiu Mountain, Mu Ling'er looked down on everyone else as weaklings.

Among all the heroes of the world, renowned figures in the martial arts world, and talented young men, not one could defeat him!

It's not that Mu Ling'er is bragging, but she's not the leader of the Qingyang Sect, the sword immortal of the Lingyuan Sword Sect, or the fairy of the Hundred Spirits Valley...

They're all noobs!

Even Dugu Wuji, who has never been defeated in his sword-fighting career, is nothing special in Mu Ling'er's eyes.

Mu Ling'er handled the entire situation with ease using only one flying sword.

Little Dugu Wuji, take him down!

As for whether this counts as cheating or not, Mu Ling'er felt it couldn't be entirely considered cheating.

After all, the Five Elements Creation Sword was one with her, and she used her own power throughout the entire process.

Compared to using other magical treasures to overwhelm others with Mu An's power, the Five Elements Creation Sword fully utilizes Mu Ling'er's own power.

If Mu Ling'er were to go herself, she might not be able to unleash even 30% of her full power.

When one is in perfect harmony with the sword, one can unleash its full power.

These nine battles were indeed fought by Mu Ling'er herself, and her single Immortal Sword was still within the scope of the Celestial Martial Saint.

At most, it's like having a personal, elderly gentleman guiding you step by step.

The Five Elements Dharma Form, which was fifteen feet tall, was no weaker than anyone else present; it was just that Mu Ling'er herself didn't know how to use it.

The three days of battles also rapidly improved Mu Ling'er's combat skills and made significant progress in controlling her strength.

The rare and precious materials accumulated over decades are not wasted. As long as she can make full use of the power within her body, Mu Ling'er will also be one of the top people below the terrestrial immortals.

Even so, on this Lantern Festival, Mu Ling'er still gave up the Purple Spirit Crystal Arena on the mountaintop to Dugu Wuji and the chief disciple of Penglai Sword Sect.

Today's protagonist is not Mu Ling'er. She is not a person of the martial arts world after all, and it is already a great fortune for her to have these three days of experience.

The highest glory in the martial arts world still needs to be fought for by the martial arts practitioners themselves.

……

As dusk settles and lanterns illuminate the capital, a tapestry of splendor and prosperity unfolds.

Fireworks light up every house, and the winding stream reflects the Milky Way.

As dusk falls, the lights of the city illuminate the night.

The last rays of the setting sun had not yet faded when the lights of everyday life began to twinkle.

In the Great Qi Dynasty, the Lantern Festival was also known as Little New Year's Eve, and it was a grand festival second only to the New Year.

On this day, the night in Qi'an City belongs to the people, and to the thousands upon thousands of unique lanterns illuminating the streets.

Centered on the imperial palace of Qi'an City, tens of millions of lanterns lit up simultaneously along four straight avenues from the second ring road to the sixth ring road.

Octagonal palace lanterns lit up along four main roads, each a hundred meters wide, stretching for miles.

The buildings along the street are covered with colorful lanterns.

Some of these lanterns are hung on the eaves, some on the sides of the buildings, and some are connected by red ropes, adorned with tassels and colorful paintings, hanging in mid-air, rustling in the wind.

Children were running in the street when they suddenly looked up and saw the pictures painted on the lanterns.

The Celestial Master subdues demons, the Sage of Literature spreads the Way, the True Lord subdues dragons, and the Bodhisattva stabilizes the sea...

The candlelight shone through the silk, bringing the scenes on the scrolls to life and eliciting cheers from countless children.

Stories of immortals always inspire longing.

Children, with their innocent and playful nature, are always full of expectations for the future, fantasizing that one day they too can become a celestial being, save the world, and hold their heads high in front of their family and loved ones.

Their thoughts are always unusually simple. They want to become gods just so they can show off and do things that gods would never do.

……

Nine rivers, winding and turning, together form the water system of Qi'an City.

Thousands upon thousands of lotus lanterns lit up along the nine waterways of Qi'an City, dispelling the darkness and bringing warmth to the world.

Two- or three-story-high flower boats drifted slowly on the river, with countless lotus lanterns being lowered from the boats and carried downstream.

Lotus lanterns float on the water, their petals made of foil of different colors, with candles burning slowly in the night, casting colorful halos on the river.

The newlyweds brought their carefully crafted river lanterns to the riverbank.

The newlywed girl puts a piece of yellow paper filled with her wishes into the lantern, and under her husband's loving gaze, she puts the lantern on the water.

The playful child pestered his parents to buy his favorite lantern from a street vendor.

They couldn't write, but they knew to close their eyes and make a wish when they lowered the lanterns onto the river.

Thousands of lanterns floated down the water, their colorful candlelight filtering through the thin paper and reflecting onto the surface, creating a romantic ribbon of light that made it hard to tell whether what lay before them was the human world or the Milky Way in the sky.

Or perhaps it is the Milky Way falling from the sky to earth.

"thump!"

Just then, the sound of something falling into the water rang out on the river.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the drunken scholar leaped into the water, shouting, "Brother Wu, don't stop me! Today I'm going to ascend to the heavens and grasp the Milky Way!"

The man on the cruise ship was left bewildered, and it took quite a while to pull him back up.

The drunken scholar fell into a deep sleep, and the scholar called Brother Wu draped a large coat over him. He kept bowing to the tourists on the shore, which drew bursts of laughter.

On this festive day, even the usual jokes take on a more joyful and lively feel.

……

On the stone bridge spanning the river, an old woman helped an old man, the two leaning against each other on the bridge railing.

The two elderly people looked at the endless lights, the running children, the newlyweds clinging to each other, and the bustling street, their aged eyes filled with smiles.

As I get older, I enjoy things that are lively and festive, and I like to stand at a distance and watch other people's happy lives.

"Father, Mother, Qin'er and I bought you some Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls). Please try them while they're hot."

The voice rang in the old man's ears. He turned his head and saw his son and daughter-in-law, each holding a bowl of steaming hot glutinous rice balls.

The two men made their way through the dense crowd and, with beaming smiles, handed the glutinous rice balls they were holding to the old man.

"There are so many people tonight! It was so hard to buy this! Dad, Mom, you should try some."

Before the old man and woman could speak, a little girl of about six or seven years old squeezed out from between the couple and stared longingly at the old man.

"Grandpa, Grandma, Xiaoyuer wants to eat too."

Just as the couple was about to say something to their daughter, the old woman pulled the little girl into her arms.

"Okay, little Yu'er, eat first. Grandma will feed you. Make sure you eat your fill..."

"Ah... open your mouth."

The girl took a bite of the steaming hot glutinous rice ball. The moment the ball entered her mouth, the girl, who had just been smiling, suddenly turned pale. She was panting from the heat, but she couldn't bear to spit it out.

The soft and sticky glutinous rice paired with black sesame filling has a sweet taste that captivates the little girl.

The two old people were amused by the girl's comical appearance. They comforted her and gently told her not to rush and to eat slowly.

Further away, Mu Ling'er, who was standing alone on the riverbank, witnessed the whole scene and suddenly burst out laughing.

Long, long ago, she was the same way, afraid of getting burned but also craving delicious food, and her grandmother He scolded her many times.

I imagine that when Grandma He looked at her back then, it must have been in the same way this old woman did.

very nice……

"boom--"

In the midst of the festive atmosphere, a sudden roar exploded from underground.

Lost in her memories, Mu Ling'er hadn't even reacted when five immortal swords shot out from their scabbards, circling around her and forming a Five Elements Formation.

Like an earthquake, the earth began to tremble violently, and cracks spread across the land.

A chilling red light shone through the cracks, turning the street a blood-red hue.