And since the various affairs of the mortal world disturb the Loose Immortals to some extent, more and more choose to relocate overseas, away from the mundane world, existing apart from ordinary society.
Beyond that lies the forbidden West Wastnd.
ording to the book, this area contains terrifying entities that are sealed away, with monsters rampant everywhere, and asionally they would strike the bordering territories of the Central ins and the West Wastnd, causing immense suffering to all living beings.
However, the information regarding the West Wastnd Forbidden Land was only limited to this, with no more avable.
It was the same with the Tianyang Battle, also limited in details.
As for the specific circumstances of the world more than three thousand years ago, there wasn¡¯t even a slight description mentioned.
¡°Pure Yang¡± had the same issue as well.
When introducing the past of Pure Yang Pce, it was very detailed about the various events over the past three thousand years.
However, when it came to the Tianyang Battle that happened three thousand years ago and the period before that, the description was just a brief mention.
There was hardly any expansion on the details.
Fortunately, it was still better than ¡°The World.¡±
After all, a brief mention is still better than not mentioning it at all.
This enabled Zhou Heng to roughly understand the situation of the world before the Tianyang Battle.
Pure Yang Pce was established in the Ancient Era, also known as the Mythical era, more than ten thousand years ago, but the exact number of tens of thousands of years ago was not specified.
At that time, immortals, buddhas, divine beings, demons, ghosts, and monsters roamed the universe,ing and going from various heavens. The major sects were high and lofty, holding power over everything in the world, and human empires could only survive under the protection of these major sects. It was apletely different situation from the current era.
Later, these powerful entities such as immortals and divine beings mysteriously disappeared, leaving no trace behind, and the first leader of Pure Yang Pce, also the founder, Pure Yangzi, vanished during this time.
This directly caused numerous sects, noble houses, and imperial powers to lose their restraints, and with no deities to support them, the umted contradictions between the major sects quickly erupted. The world suddenly became extremely chaotic.
In that era, killing for treasure was rampant, the mighty were revered as truth, countless sects emerged only to huddle together, forming alliances or opposing each other, and the original order thoroughly copsed into darkness.
This led to the loss of many martial arts, the disappearance of numerous unique divine weapons, and even many historical records were buried in dust, making them difficult to find.
The book referred to it as the ¡°Chaotic Cmity¡± or the ¡°Dark Age,¡± whichsted for about three thousand years.
At that time, Pure Yang Pce was not very strong, only considered above average.
And it was even targeted by the newly risen sects because it was once home to celestials and divine beings, with even its second leader falling during this cmity.
The present Divine First Rank Daoist Master of Pure Yang Pce tookmand during the Chaotic Cmity as the third leader, and with his power alone, upheld the precarious Pure Yang Pce.
After the end of the Chaotic Cmity came the Golden Age, where variousws emerged, a hundred schools of thought contended, over eight hundred countries were established, and thousands of academies dotted thendscape. New Divine First Rank entities appeared one after another, gradually constructing a new civilization, a new society, on the iplete texts left by ancient immortals and deities.
The book coined it the ¡°Middle Ancient Era¡± also named the ¡°Age of Saints,¡± in honor of the nine Divine First Rank beings who led the revival of civilization.
It was during this era that Pure Yang Pce, under the leadership of the third leader, reached its zenith, bing one of the most formidable sects in the world, able to stand alongside Tasang Dao Pce established by one of the Nine Saints, ¡°Dao Saint,¡± and Taixu Pce from the Mythical era, hence referred to as the three great Taoist pces, a legacy that continued to this day.
After the Middle Ancient Era, some five thousand years ago, following an upheaval, the Saints disappeared and the academies closed.
This led to the emergence of an empire that unified the Central ins. However, this Central Dynasty was also under the constraint of various major noble families. From then on, the empire and noble families jointly ruled over the world, putting great pressure on many sects.
The book called it the ¡°Empire-Noble Houses Era.¡± In the two thousand years that followed, there were no significant events in the human world, but many sects were restricted or even destroyed by the noble families and the empire.
The third leader of Pure Yang Pce stepped down at the end of the Middle Ancient Era and passed on the position to the fourth.
And this fourth leader went through the Empire-Noble Houses Era to the Tianyang Battle, and after the battle, cultivated his Taoist seed, passing on the leadership to the fifth, who is the previous leader of Pure Yang Pce and nominally its master.
Three hundred years ago, the fifth leader of Pure Yang Pce cultivated his Taoist seed, passing on the leadership to Yan Shouyi, who had his Primordial Spirit in the void and achieved the state of Celestial Man four hundred years ago, making him the sixth leader of Pure Yang Pce.
¡°The specifics of the Dark Age, how it transitioned to the Middle Ancient Age of Saints, how the dazzling Age of Saints ended, the detailed information of the Empire-Noble Houses Era, what exactly happened in the Tianyang Battle, and the situations beyond the Central ins, including when the West Wastnd Forbidden Land appeared, etc., are all not described¡¡±
After reading it, Zhou Heng couldn¡¯t help feeling itchy inside, much like the feeling he got when he encountered chopped-up stories while reading novels on Earth.
Nevertheless, he understood this situation.
In the nearly ten thousand years, how many once-dominant sects, ns, and kingdoms have fallen? How many times have the eras changed?
There must be many secrets unknown to the public within them.
And these secrets might imply crises or enormous opportunities.
If a disciple who has just started could know all of these things, Zhou Heng would start to doubt how Pure Yang Pce has managed to survive and thrive for so long.
Even though ZhouHengisof high seniority, he is still a neer to the sect. It would be strange for him to have ess to the core secrets of the sect.
¡°I wonder if these unknown secrets have anything to do with my transmigration,¡± he mused.
Zhou Heng had originally thought that this world had no connection with Earth, but the code names of the members of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officers made him reconsider this idea.
He began trying to find the reason for his transmigration as well as the possibility of returning to Earth.
¡°However, it should be difficult to obtain more information in Pure Yang Pce in a short period of time. Zhou Tian Boundary Officers will issue tasks to investigate hidden events, which might lead to some gains. It seems that I need to find an opportunity to leave the mountain and join the Zhou Tian Boundary Officers as soon as possible,¡± he said to himself.
After sorting out the information he had obtained this time, Zhou Heng set his future goals, then sat cross-legged and began to practice Innate Skill.
At this moment, his proficiency in Innate Skill had reached an advanced level. It had a stronger effect on nurturing the spirit and soul and could now rece sleep through mediation.
The next morning.
Zhou Heng went to the Jade Void Peak Golden Top as agreed.
Yan Shouyi was already waiting there, standing at the edge of a vast cliff, gazing at the rising morning sun in the distance.
¡°Senior Brother,¡± Zhou Heng greeted with a bow.
¡°It seems you had a good restst night,¡± Yan Shouyi turned around and smiled. ¡°Your Inner Qi is truly pure, with some innate characteristics. This Inner Strength is extraordinary, hardly inferior to the foundational martial arts of our Jade Void lineage.
¡°This actually puts me in a difficult position. I was nning to teach you a Seventh Rank Inner Strength, but then I thought it might be superfluous for you and a waste of your Pure Yang Body. After much consideration, I think the Sect Fifth Rank ¡®Pure Yang Dan Jing¡¯ would be most suitable for your foundation building.¡±
Zhou Heng took a scroll of scriptures and briefly looked through it to discover that it was indeed an extremely exquisite and profound Inner Strength technique and very powerful too.
Compared to the Innate Skill, it was like child¡¯s y.
The Pure Yang Dan Jing has a total of twelveyers. The first sixyers are for the Lower Third Rank stages of practice, while the second sixyers correspond to the Sixth Rank and Fifth Rank.
As soon as one reaches the tenthyer, one can cultivate a Pure Yang Golden Pill, transforming qi into divinity, the body producing a golden light, warding off all evils, impervious to myriadws.
When used to execute Taoist Forms, its power is boundless.
If practiced by someone with a Pure Yang Body, the Pure Yang Golden Pill will be even more pure and powerful, capable of contending against the Fourth Rank Dharma Body with just the strength of the Fifth Rank Golden Pill¡¯s Dharma Phase.
It is known that at the Middle Third Rank level, if one¡¯s cultivation is even slightly higher, it¡¯s like surpassing the heavens, while being even slightly lower leaves almost no chance to resist.
Only with various powerful secret treasures or Divine Weapons at hand could an exception ur.
This Pure Yang Dan Jing,bined with a Pure Yang Body, would allow one at the Fifth Rank to contend against the Fourth Rank, even if just barely for a moment, which is considered defying the heavens.
Moreover, this Pure Yang Dan Jing can also be linked to the fundamental grand technique of Pure Yang Pce, pointing directly to the Divine First Rank Dao Master level¡¯s unique Divine Skill ¡®Taiyi Pure Yang Sutra¡¯.
This is indeed the most suitable martial arts for him.
But there is one issue that concerns Zhou Heng quite a bit.
¡°Senior Brother, does practicing this Pure Yang Dan Jing require maintaining one¡¯s virginity until before reaching the Fifth Rank?¡±
Chapter 132: 132: Cultivation, Its Just That Boring
Chapter 132: Cultivation, It¡¯s Just That Boring
¡°So, has my junior brother taken a fancy to a certain girl already?¡± Yan Shouyi said with a smile.
¡°Not at all, I¡¯m just curious why there¡¯s still such a restriction,¡± Zhou Heng shook his head.
¡°The Pure Yang Dan Jing cultivates the essence of Pure Yang, which represents the purest and most yang principles,¡± Yan Shouyi exined with a smile. ¡°This is not only about the characteristics of True Qi and mana but also about the traits of thews being cultivated, and even more so, the demands on one¡¯s own convictions and will.
¡°Put simply, even if you were to lose your virginity, it would not affect the cultivation of the Pure Yang Dan Jing, at most the power would drop somewhat.
¡°However, if you can resist all sorts of temptations with your conviction and will, maintaining your virginity, then the power of the Pure Yang Dan Jing will be stronger, and your progress will be faster.¡±
To resist all sorts of temptations with one¡¯s own convictions and will?
Is it that thrilling?
A smirk of ideas ran through Zhou Heng¡¯s mind, but in the end, he nodded and said, ¡°Hmm, I choose to cultivate the Pure Yang Dan Jing.¡±
If it¡¯s a virgin¡¯s practice, so be it.
It¡¯s not like I have a girlfriend anyway.
Sigh, this doesn¡¯t seem to be something to be proud of.
¡°A wise choice,¡± Yan Shouyi said with a slight nod, smiling, ¡°This is the martial arts most suitable for someone with a Pure Yang Body to cultivate. However, it also depends on whether you can get a foothold in the practice. Go and meditate on it for a while. I¡¯ll protect thew for you over here. If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, you can ask me.¡±
¡°Thank you, senior brother,¡± Zhou Heng replied, nodding. He found a t stone to sit down on and began to peruse the Pure Yang Dan Jing in his hands.
¡°You are currentlyprehending the martial arts manual of the Pure Yang Dan Jing [Sect Fifth Rank], and because you have a foundation in inner strength, the difficulty ofprehension has been reduced, proficiency +0.1.¡±
¡°You are currentlyprehending the martial arts manual of the Pure Yang Dan Jing [Sect Fifth Rank], and because you have a foundation in inner strength, the difficulty ofprehension has been reduced, proficiency +0.2.¡±
¡°Congrattions! The proficiency of the martial arts Pure Yang Dan Jing [Sect Fifth Rank] has reached 1, and you have formally learned this martial arts technique.¡±
¡°Congrattions! The martial arts Pure Yang Dan Jing [Sect Fifth Rank] is empowered by a simr martial arts Innate Skill [Seventh Rank], proficiency +2000.¡±
¡°Congrattions! As you have learned a higher-rank inner strength technique, your understanding of Inner Qi has further deepened, enhancing yourprehension of the martial arts Innate Skill [Seventh Rank], proficiency +1000.¡±
[Seventh Rank] Innate Skill: Advanced (2858/3000)
[Sect Fifth Rank] Pure Yang Dan Jing: Third Layer (1/3000)
In less than a quarter of an hour, Zhou Heng had cultivated the first threeyers of the Pure Yang Dan Jing. This level of cultivation was alreadyparable to a martial artist who had just entered the Eighth Rank.
And learning the high-grade inner strength of the Pure Yang Dan Jing had also given a significant boost to his Innate Skill, propelling Zhou Heng¡¯s innate Inner Qi to the peak of the Eighth Rank.
He was only one step away from the Great Aplishment of the Innate Skill and the level of the Martial Path of the Seventh Rank.
Zhou Heng slowly opened his eyes, only to see a golden light circting around him, bright and dazzling.
If others saw it, they would probably think that he had be a big light cannon,¡± glowing with golden light all over.
¡°You¡¯ve already finished training?¡± Yan Shouyi looked at Zhou Heng and clicked his tongue in wonder, ¡°Junior brother, you¡¯re the fastest I¡¯ve seen to train in this virgin¡¯s practice, no, the Pure Yang Dan Jing.¡±
Zhou Heng¡¯s mouth twitched slightly at these words, did it have to be so direct??
However, it seemed that not all Celestial Powers were like the Immortals of the legends,pletely detached from earthly needs; their demeanor had quite the ¡°human touch,¡± and some even had a sense of humor.
Was this one way that Celestial Men maintained their humanity?
¡°Would you like to see what you look like right now?¡± Yan Shouyi casually condensed a screen of light in front of Zhou Heng andughed, ¡°You truly look like an Immortal descending to the world. This effect isn¡¯t just from the Pure Yang Dan Jing alone, it must be abination of your original inner strength characteristics.¡±
Zhou Heng looked at the light screen and was immediately bewildered.
What did he look like now?
His entire body was shimmering with a golden aura, even his hair stood erect, each strand enveloped in golden light, radiating brilliance, and shining brightly.
Was this a Super Saiyan or what?
¡°I think I cane up with a new name for thisbination of Inner Strength characteristics,¡± Zhou Heng slowly retracted his Inner Qi, the golden aura on his skin gradually fading away, ¡°Let¡¯s call it Innate Pure Yang Inner Qi.¡± ¡°Not bad, very vivid,¡± Yan Shouyi nodded in approval, ¡°Your original Inner Strength had elements of innate ingenuity, which endowed your Inner Qi with certain innate properties. Now, it has merged with the pure and yang power of the Pure Yang Dan Jing.
¡°Judging from the golden aura you disyed just now, this Innate Pure Yang Inner Qi is essentially no weaker than most Seventh Rank abilities. As long as used correctly, you might be able to break into the top ten of the human rankings,¡± he said.
¡°Yeah, I also feel like my strength has greatly increased,¡± Zhou Heng nodded. Right now, he was eager to find a few high-ranking human masters to test his skills against, to fight a match, and see just what level his abilities had reached. ¡°No need to hurry, I¡¯ll teach you a few basic Martial Arts moves to use with this Innate Pure Yang Inner Qi,¡± Yan Shouyi said and then began to demonstrate moves on the spot, every motion streaked with golden light, containing immense power.
However, when Zhou Heng watched, he saw that Yan Shouyi deliberately restrained his strength; otherwise, even just practicing moves could change the colors of the mountains and rivers with the capabilities of a Celestial Man.
¡°You are currently watching Yan Shouyi demonstrate the Martial Art ¡®Ring Gold Palm¡¯tSeventh Rank], gaining insight, proficiency +0.1.¡±
¡°You are currently watching Yan Shouyi demonstrate the Martial Art ¡®Grasp Gold Hammer''[Seventh Rank], gaining insight, proficiency +0.2.
¡°You are currently watching Yan Shouyi demonstrate the Martial Art ¡®Broken Gold Legs''[Seventh Rank], gaining insight, proficiency +0.1.¡±
The three moves taught by Yan Shouyi were actually a set of Martial Arts called ¡°Golden Light Three Forms,¡± which he had created on the spot after seeing Zhou Heng¡¯s Innate Pure Yang Inner Qi.
For a Celestial Man, creating a Seventh Rank Martial Art tailored to the characteristics of a particr Inner Qi is a very simple task, utterly effortless. Zhou Heng learned quickly; after Yan Shouyi finished demonstrating, he had already mastered the basics of the Golden Light Three Forms.
He could even envision himself in future battles, his body surging with a golden aura, his every move streaked with golden light, sweeping across all directions. Awesome!
¡°Your talent for martial arts is truly rare, even a reincarnation of a Celestial Man would find such aptitude exaggerated,¡± Yan Shouyi observed Zhou Heng with a mix of astonishment and disbelief.
He had guided many disciples before, even personally teaching a few, but he had never seen a prodigy like Zhou Heng who could learn by watching, understand by learning, and seed by practicing.
Even if it were the reincarnation of a Celestial Man, before fully awakening their memories, they would be at most a bit more talented than ordinary people. Zhou Heng¡¯s case was indeed somewhat overstated.
It could only be said that the spirit of nature had favored him, endowing him with a talent beyond that of ordinary people.
Of course, Yan Shouyi also spected whether this was rted to Zhou Heng being of a Pure Yang Body.
After all, both the Pure Yang Dan Jing and theter Golden Light Three Forms created for the Innate Pure Yang Inner Qi were highly suitable for those with a Pure Yang Body to cultivate.
¡°Senior brother, what should I do next?¡± Zhou Heng asked, having nearly learned all the basic Martial Arts. ording to the standard procedure, it seemed there should be some sort of sect mission or external task now, right? ¡°Next?¡± Yan Shouyi seemed momentarily taken aback. After a moment of thought, he shook his head, ¡°You don¡¯t need to do anything. Just recite the hundred ¨C word stele left by our ancestors every morning after you wake up.
¡°Then, after breakfast, meditate and refine your Qi, after lunch, practice your moves, after dinner, again meditate and refine your Qi. The next day, repeat. Just continue like this.¡±
¡°What?¡± Zhou Heng listened, bewildered and perplexed, ¡°That¡¯s it? There are no sect missions, no tasks that require going out?
¡°Those are for the outer sect disciples and inner sect disciples,¡± Yan Shouyi shookhis head and smiled, ¡°Did you think life in the mountains would be exciting?
¡°Meditating, refining Qi, eating, sleeping-this is the life of cultivating the way. Otherwise, how could we speak of tranquil cultivation?
¡°Junior brother, the path of cultivation is just this mundane.¡±
Zhou Heng fell silent for a long time. This reality waspletely beyond his expectations. Looking at Yan Shouyi, he asked, ¡°Senior brother, may I leave the mountain?¡±
Chapter 133: 133 Bottleneck, Accident
Chapter 133: Bottleneck, ident
¡°You just started and you already want to descend the mountain?¡± Yan Shouyi looked at Zhou Heng.
¡°Is there such a restriction in Pure Yang Pce?¡± Zhou Heng asked. If there were restrictions on descending the mountain, how would he farm Fortune Bags or improve his mastery of Martial Arts?
If it really was as Yan Shouyi had said, the life of seclusion in the mountains would mean that most of those who stayed in the various peaks of Pure Yang Pce were hermit Taoists, and their lives were devoted to wholehearted cultivation.
It would be somewhat inappropriate to disturb them rashly.
Moreover, most of those at the Lower Third Rank level were the seventh-generation disciples.
As a sixth-generation True Disciple, the former sect leader¡¯s disciple and the younger martial brother of the current sect leader, visiting as a junior uncle master to challenge them would be bullying the weak; it wouldn¡¯t sound good if word got out.
¡°There is no such restriction,¡± Yan Shouyi shook his head slightly and smiled. ¡°In fact, we even encourage disciples of the Lower Third Rank to leave the mountain to make their mark. Those who can enter the top ten of the Celestial Ranking will receive substantial rewards.¡±
¡°Really?¡± Zhou Heng¡¯s eyes lit up upon hearing this.
His main goal in joining Pure Yang Pce was to gain ess to information that was rare for ordinary people to see, but that was not something that he could achieve overnight.
The books ¡°Pure Yang¡± and ¡°The World¡± were pretty much the limit towhat he could learn right now, and if he wanted to delve deeper, he would mostly likely have to approach it from other angles.
Besides that, he wanted to find a strong support to back him up, and now that goal had also been achieved, with the unexpected joy of not only bing a True Disciple of Pure Yang Pce but unexpectedly bing the junior uncle master to all seventh-generation disciples.
His goal was almost reached, and it seemed like there was nothing left to do on Mount Ta Hua except meditate and cultivate Qi, which would be less appealing than descending the mountain.
Additionally, he still had unopened Fortune Bags and a promise to keep with the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer.
Descending the mountain was imperative.
¡°Of course, making a name on the Celestial Ranking, and bing famous all over the world benefits our Pure Yang Pce in recruiting outstanding disciples. It¡¯s quite normal to offer rewards; there¡¯s no need for doubt,¡± Yan Shouyi said with a smile. ¡°I think junior brother has the potential to be in the top ten of the Celestial Ranking. If you wish to descend the mountain, I won¡¯t stop you, but I still advise you to wait another month or two before leaving.¡±
¡°Are you worried that my leaving shortly after bing a disciple will cause dissatisfaction among our peers?¡± Zhou Heng said with a smile.
¡°That¡¯s not it. Pure Yang Pce doesn¡¯t have that many rules. Whether one chooses to stay in the mountains or leave is all a matter of the heart, and those who cultivate in solitude don¡¯t have so manyplicated thoughts,¡± Yan Shouyi shook his head and smiled. ¡°In one or two months¡¯ time, you should be able to cultivate your Inner Qi to the peak of the Eighth Rank, and by then, descending the mountain, you will have a different understanding.¡±
¡°Is that so?¡± Zhou Heng was surprised.
¡°You¡¯ll understand when your skills advance,¡± said Yan Shouyi with a smile.
Over the following period,
Zhou Heng cultivated at the halfway up the mountain retreat at night and absorbed the elemental energy at the golden summit of Jade Void Peak during the day.
Although he had already learned the more advanced Pure Yang Dan Scripture, he did not neglect the cultivation of Innate Skill since he was only a little more than one hundred proficiency points from achieving Perfection.
Reaching Perfection in Innate Skill meant aplete transformation, which was also known as the Seventh Rank of the Martial Path.
During this time, Cheng Jianjian returned to the mountain once. Upon hearing that Zhou Heng had be a sixth-generation True Disciple, she came to stay at Jade Void Peak for a few days, eating together with Zhou Heng, cultivating together, and yfully teasing him by calling him junior uncle master.
However, she did not stay long, leaving after just three days to temper her swordsmanship and other martial arts while also continuing her tasks for the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer.
Besides Cheng Jianjian, You Ziheng also visited him once. Seeing that he had entered a stable state of cultivation, You Ziheng was put at ease before the wine-loving Taoist went out again to collect various spiritual materials for brewing.
The one who visited the most was the young girl Zhu Zhenzhen.
And that water Kylin.
Taking the excuse of visiting Zhou Heng, she stole quite a few spiritual fruits from the halfway up the mountain retreat on Jade Void Peak.
¨C Behind the mountain retreat was an orchard with twelve spiritual fruit trees nted in it. It is said that they were left behind by a True Disciple hundreds of years ago. The medicinal effects were not strong, but the taste was excellent, sweet and delicious, making them perfect snacks.
A month flew by in the blink of an eye.
Zhou Heng found there was a problem with his cultivation; his Innate Skill¡¯s proficiency was not moving.
[Seventh Rank] Innate Skill: Advanced (3000/3000)
Even though his proficiency had reached the limit, there was no sign of breakthrough.
While he could still increase his Inner Qi strength and cultivation level by practicing Innate Skill as usual, his realm seemed to be stuck at the peak of the Eighth Rank of the Martial Path.
If he practiced the Pure Yang Dan Scripture, his proficiency could continue to grow, but still, there was no sign of breaking through the realm, as if he had encountered some invisible barrier.
¡°A bottleneck?¡±
Zhou Heng considered this concept, suspecting that he might be facing the bottleneck between the Eighth and Seventh Ranks and would need some special methods or approaches to break through.
This was actually quite normal.
Being known as ¡°a transformation beyond the birth,¡± the Seventh Rank of the Martial Path marks the stage where a martial artist¡¯s life essence truly begins to evolve. Naturally, stepping into this level would not be easy.
After carefully revisiting the ¡°Innate Skill¡± and the ¡°Pure Yang Elixir Scripture¡± for methods to break through to the Seventh Rank, Zhou Heng had nearly figured out the necessary conditions to step onto the Seventh Rank level.
After achieving Perfection in his Inner Qi, he needed to use his own will as the core, integrate the Inner Qi spread throughout his body, and based on the fundamental organs and nine orifices, construct a small inner world capable of initially resonating with the outer world. Ultimately, he would leverage this resonance of inner and outer forces toplete the muscle-flushing and marrow-cleansing stage of his cultivation, transforming his body through a process akin to shedding an old body and growing a new one.
This transformation leads to a further strengthening of the physical body, nourishment of the mystical ancestor orifices, enhancement of the spirit, and the Inner Qi begins to possess divine capabilities due to the characteristics of the small inner world.
This is the Martial Path of the Seventh Rank, aprehensive elevation of the essence, qi, and spirit.
But the problem lies in how to use one¡¯s own will to construct a small inner world, and what exactly should the inner world he wants to build look like?
Zhou Heng waspletely puzzled by this.
In the past, when he had no sect or fellow disciples, he could have only relied on his own meditation to find a way to ovee the bottleneck, or perhaps try to break through forcibly with the help of the System.
But neither of these methods was stable for cultivation.
Now it¡¯s different.
He has a sect, fellow disciples, and people to give him guidance.
So when Zhou Heng realized that he might have encountered a bottleneck, he went directly to the Golden Peak of the Jade Void Peak and asked Yan Shouyi for advice.
Yan Shouyiughed as if he had expected this, saying, ¡°Junior brother, do you now understand why I asked you to truly cultivate to the peak of the Eighth Rank before talking about descending the mountain?¡±
¡°Does the bottleneck have something to do with descending the mountain?¡± Zhou Heng asked in confusion.
¡°Irrelevant,¡± Yan Shouyi shook his head and smiled. ¡°Just who would you go to for advice if you encounter this bottleneck down the mountain? Would you want to return to the mountain shortly after leaving it?¡±
¡°¡¡± Zhou Heng was taken aback. Could this actually work??
He had always thought that Yan Shouyi had some important matter to remind him of.
¡°Your main confusion is about how to integrate everything with your own will, and what kind of inner world you want to build. Actually, the solution is very simple,¡± Yan Shouyi smiled and said. ¡°Fight more, summarize more, hone your martial arts in battle, draw on your experience, and finally create a unique Seventh Rank martial arts of your own.¡±
¡°Create a unique Seventh Rank martial arts of my own?¡± Zhou Hengwas initially stunned, then suddenly realized and smiled, saying, ¡°The martial arts I create will certainly contain my own martial philosophy, which is also a manifestation of my will in my martial path.
¡°Therefore, as long as this martial art takes shape, my will naturally integrates everything inside the body, and the small inner world that I build will also possess a prototype. This is indeed a very good method, thank you, elder brother!¡±
¡°It¡¯s just a small trick,¡± Yan Shouyi waved his hand andughed. ¡°With your insight, junior brother, even if you figured it out by yourself, at most it would only be a waste of a few months. You would¡¯ve understood it sooner orter.¡±
¡°Many times, all onecks is such a trick,¡± Zhou Heng valued this highly and thanked Yan Shouyi with a serious bow.
It¡¯s said, ¡°A few words can enlighten profound mysteries, what¡¯s the need for a thousand pages of elixirs?¡± Many profound andplex things that are hard to understand and grasp, in fact, just require someone to point out a way to knock on the door.
¡°Hahaha, junior brother, since you¡¯ve enlightened on your path ahead, it¡¯s time to descend the mountain,¡± Yan Shouyiughed. ¡°Where do you want to go? I can send you there directly.¡±
¡°Send me directly?¡± Zhou Heng looked at the undting sea of clouds before him and smiled, ¡°Pingzhou County, Huangtong Mansion City, can elder brother send me there?¡±
He nned to first go to Huangtong Mansion City to retrieve his brown-red horse, which was his goodpanion on his wanderings in the jianghu. Moreover, he hadn¡¯t even had the chance to use the Red Lotus Horse Tack on it yet.
-Previously, when he was in Yuanhe Prefecture City, he hade directly to the Pure Yang Pce of Taihua Mount with You Ziheng, and the brown-red horse was then entrusted to Bai¡¯s family to be sent back to Huangtong Mansion City.
However, Taihua Mount was tens of thousands of miles away from Huangtong Mansion City, spanning over a dozen counties. Even with the vast divine abilities of a Celestial Man, sending him back would surely take some time.
¡°It¡¯s a minor matter. Haven¡¯t you heard the storyteller say? A Celestial Power traverses the universe, reaching a hundred thousand miles in a moment,¡± Yan Shouyiughed heartily. ¡°Stand firm!¡±
Immediately after, Zhou Heng saw a sh of golden light before his eyes, and the next instant when he came to, he saw theing and going of passersby in his view, with the Golden Peak of the Jade Void Peak and the rolling sea of clouds nowhere to be seen.
ncing around, when he looked up, he found himself standing at the gates of Huangtong Mansion City.
¡°This is Celestial¡¡± Zhou Heng couldn¡¯t help but marvel, eximing, ¡°That was fast!¡±
He then confidently strode into the city.
But he had barely taken a few steps when he noticed that something seemed off.
Passersby who saw him would panic and lower their heads to avoid him, keeping their distance as if they were avoiding a gue.
Zhou Heng was well-known in Huangtong Mansion City; almost everyone was familiar with him. The people who were avoiding him likely recognized him, which meant these people were very clearly avoiding ¡°Zhou Heng¡± himself.
¡°What has happened in Huangtong Mansion City during this time?¡± Zhou Heng¡¯s brows furrowed, and just as he was about to ask someone, he suddenly saw a young girl approaching from not far away.
She appeared to be fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in a light blue dress with simple essories, but her features were delicate and lovely, clearly a great beauty in the making.
This was Yu He¡¯ s sister, Yu Yingying.
In Zhou Heng¡¯s recollection, she was always cheerful and lively, loving to y and jump around, but now her face was filled with worries, herplexion pale, and even a bit dusty.
Yu He usually wouldn¡¯t tolerate his sister suffering even a bit of injustice. Now, seeing Yu Yingying in such a state¡ had something happened to Yu He?
Zhou Heng¡¯s eyebrows shot up.
At that moment, Yu Yingying also noticed Zhou Heng. She first froze, then covered her cheek and burst into tears.
Chapter 134: 134 Doing it Quite Absolutely
Chapter 134: Doing it Quite Absolutely
In the roadside tea pavilion.
Zhou Heng, apanied by Yu Yingying, found a quiet corner with fewer people and ordered two bowls of tea.
¡°What happened, Yingying?¡± he asked.
¡°It was the Chang Xing Sect¡¯s doing!¡± Yu Yingying¡¯s pearly teeth lightly bit her red lips, anger filling her little face, ¡°They sent people to seize our Yu Family¡¯s property, and they beat my brother so badly he is bedridden, and my father has been sick with anger.¡±
¡°Why would the Chang Xing Sect target the Yu Family?¡± Zhou Heng frowned upon hearing this, thinking back to the looks those people had given him, his gaze hardened, ¡°Is it because of me?¡±
¡°Big Brother Zhou, don¡¯t think like that, none of us in our family me you,¡± Yu Yingying said, shaking her head repeatedly, ¡°It¡¯s all because the Chang Xing Sect is too despicable.¡±
¡°Right, Big Brother Zhou, you shouldn¡¯t return for now either. There are still people from the Chang Xing Sect in the city, and if they discover you, they will definitely cause you trouble.¡±
¡°Yingying, don¡¯t misunderstand, of course, I know your family doesn¡¯t me me, but I want to know exactly what happened,¡± Zhou Hengforted her, although he already had a rough guess in his mind, he still wanted to hear Yu Yingying¡¯s ount to be sure.
¡°Well¡ It started a month ago,¡± Yu Yingying began to recount the recent events in Huangtong Mansion City to Zhou Heng.
A month earlier, a group of Seventh Rank Warriors from the Chang Xing Sect suddenly arrived in Huangtong Mansion City. Their martial arts skills were exceptional, and they were generous with money, quickly befriending many influential figures.
In just half a month, these Seventh Rank Warriors had secured their footing in Huangtong Mansion City and even took over severalrge mansions in the North District, buying hundreds of servants, clearly intending to establish roots there.
Since one of the criteria the Imperial Court used to assess a prefect¡¯s performance was the number of resident Seventh Rank Warriors, the magistrate, Wu Zongshan, was pleased and did not mind.
However, unbeknownst to all, they had already secretly bribed various managers within the Yu Family¡¯s enterprises withrge sums of money. When problems began erupting consecutively within the Yu Family¡¯s businesses ten days ago, drawing public condemnation.
Yu Fuhai and Yu He were overwhelmed, and at that moment, the group from the Chang Xing Sect arrived, offering 30,000 taels of silver to buy out the Yu Family¡¯s properties.
This was naturally rejected.
But what followed was even more outrageous. Using public sentiment as leverage, they attacked Yu Fuhai and Yu He directly, eventually forcing them to concede and sell all their properties for 30,000 taels of silver.
Lin Cang of the Longxing Martial Arts Hall couldn¡¯t bear to watch and went to argue with them, only to be beaten severely. Even the Longxing Martial Arts Hall itself was implicated.
Those few people directly took out the warrant from Chang Xing Sect¡¯s Transmission Hall, revoking Longxing Martial Arts Hall¡¯s status as a sub-branch of the Chang Xing Sect and forbade those from Longxing Martial Arts Hall to use Chang Xing Sect¡¯s martial arts.
Although the Office of Martial Justice and the Prefectural city¡¯s yamen were inclined to help, given theplex rtionship between the Imperial Court and the sects, they could only attempt to mediate and were powerless to intervene forcibly.
The result was that the group of Seventh Rank Warriors acted as they pleased, using entirely legal means to almostpletely deal with everyone in Huangtong Mansion City who had a decent rtionship with Zhou Heng.
At this point, even a fool could see that this was clearly Chang Xing Sect¡¯s retaliation against Zhou Heng. Since they couldn¡¯t find Zhou Heng, they sought to settle the score with those close to him.
Moreover, whether it was the acquisition of the Yu Family¡¯s property or the revocation of the Longxing Martial Arts Hall¡¯s status as a sub-branch, they were actions difficult to fault.
The former had the backing of public opinion, and there was no evidence to im that the Yu Family¡¯s managers were bribed. Thetter was the exertion of Chang Xing Sect¡¯s rightful power to disband its sub-branches, leaving no room for interference.
¡°So it is indeed so,¡± Zhou Heng¡¯s gaze grew cold as he said to Yingying, ¡°But isn¡¯t there still 30,000 taels? The Yu Family should have some savings. How did you end up like this?¡±
¡°¡ A few days ago, those 30,000 taels of silver, along with our family¡¯s stored wealth and the silver notes from the money house, were all stolen,¡± Yu Yingying¡¯s eyes welled up with tears again as she sobbed, ¡°Now, our household is nearly out of food. I went to ask for grain from some friends of my father from years past, but no one dares to lend any, all fearing the people from the Chang Xing Sect.¡±
¡°They¡¯re really ying it to the hilt,¡± Zhou Heng¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke solemnly, ¡°Is the Chang Xing Sect doing this over Kong Chengshun¡¯s death? But wasn¡¯t there a im that it involved Daoist You Ziheng of Pure Yang Pce?¡±
Pure Yang Pce was extremely far from Huangtong Mansion City, and the news of his bing the sixth-generation sessor of Pure Yang Pce shouldn¡¯t be widely known in Pingzhou, especially among ordinary people.
Therefore, he continued to address You Ziheng as Taoist Priest to avoid having to exin a series of matters.
¡°How dare they provoke Taoist Priest You,¡± Yu Yingying shook her head and said, ¡°Of course they would choose the soft persimmons to squeeze. It is said that it was Kong Chengshun¡¯s master who confirmed that Brother Zhou¡¯s death had something to do with Kong Chengshun¡¯s, and so he wants revenge on you.¡±
¡°I am a disciple of Pure Yang Pce, and my name is known on the people¡¯s list. Don¡¯t they care?¡± Zhou Heng asked.
¡°The Chang Xing Sect might care, but I¡¯m afraid Kong Chengshun¡¯s master doesn¡¯t care at all,¡± Yu Yingying said with a bitter smile. ¡°Moreover, they are targeting us¡ not you, Brother Zhou. What can be said about that?¡±
¡°Yingying, do you know where those people from the Chang Xing Sect are staying?¡± Zhou Heng asked.
¡°Yes,¡± Yu Yingying nodded, then asked with confusion, ¡°Brother Zhou, what do you want to do?¡±
¡°Kill a chicken,¡± Zhou Heng said somberly.
¡
Huangtong Mansion City, North District.
This was the most bustling area of the entire prefectural city, and naturally, the residence prices were the most expensive. Ordinary Seventh Rank Warriors simply could not afford a house here.
Wang Qing felt extremely fortunate to have obtained the favor of Law Enforcement Elder Liu Songshan, who entrusted him to lead a group to Huangtong Mansion City to take revenge on the two families.
This task had earned him more money than he would in his lifetime and allowed him the pleasure of ying with others¡¯ fates, which was truly exhrating.
At this moment, he had summoned five Seventh Rank experts from the Chang Xing Sect to discuss how to further ¡°annihte¡± members from the Yu Family and Longxing Martial Arts Hall.
Wang Qing was very clear on his mission, which was to retaliate as viciously as possible against those who had offended the Law Enforcement Elder. Only in doing so could he gain the Elder¡¯s favor and live an even more prosperous life.
The other five understood this principle as well.
Therefore, everyone present at this discussion actively contributed ideas and strategies.
¡°Now that Yu Fuhai and Yu He, the two most important members of the Yu Family, have fallen, there¡¯s only one Yu Yingying left. Tsk, that little maiden is indeed delightful.¡±
¡°Thinking of capturing her for fun? However, we can¡¯t give people something to criticize us for. At least on the surface, we have to appear fair. Why don¡¯t we propose marriage? Marry that maiden, y with her however we want, and when the timees, it¡¯s a family affair and outsiders can¡¯t say anything.¡±
¡°Great idea! Let¡¯s use a small portion from the property we took from her home as a dowry. The Yu Family can hardly make ends meet now. It might be enough with just one hundred catties of rice, hahaha!¡±
¡°And that bunch of trash from Longxing Martial Arts Hall, we need to find an opportunity to drive them out of the prefectural city, make them return to their hometowns. That way, it would be convenient for us to make our move on the road.¡±
¡°Fantastic idea!¡±
The main hall of therge residence filled with subduedughter, Wang Qing and the others felt proud of their ideas, eager to put them into action.
Bang!!
Just then, a sudden loud noise came from outside, and the whole painted red door of the mansion copsed. Zhou Heng pulled Yu Yingying and stepped over the fallen door to enter.
His gaze was icy as he looked at the six men before him and spoke indifferently,
¡°Who is Wang Qing?¡±
Chapter 135: 135 Decisive Killing
Chapter 135: Decisive Killing
¡°Zhou Heng?!¡±
¡°Wasn¡¯t he taken away by You Ziheng?¡±
¡°Disciples of Pure Yang Pce descend the mountain so quickly?¡±
Wang Qing and the other five were all looking at Zhou Heng with shock and disbelief.
They had never thought that Zhou Heng woulde back so soon.
ording to previous information, even if Zhou Heng passed the assessment and was epted into Pure Yang Pce, he would only be an Outer Sect Disciple at best, and considering his ranking on the Martial Artists¡¯ Roll, he might at most advance to Inner Sect Disciple.
And usually, for an Inner Sect Disciple to leave the mountain to travel, they at least needed to have mastered a unique martial art of Pure Yang Pce.
Moreover, Pure Yang Pce was countless miles away from Huangtong Mansion City, and it could take years for a Martial Artist of Lower Third Rank to reach there. It was unlikely for an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple to have a Middle Third Rank powerhouse to escort them personally, much less have a custom route and designated arrival point.
ording to the people from Chang Xing Sect, they wanted to torture those rted to Zhou Heng in this ce for a long time, making their lives worse than death, in order to truly achieve the effect of revenge.
They would consider leaving when news of Zhou Heng reappeared in the martial world.
After all, Zhou Heng¡¯s strength was exceptionally formidable; he was able to fight against three Seventh Rank opponents alone without a scratch and y them. Such strength definitely surpassed these ordinary Seventh Ranks.
They couldn¡¯t afford to provoke him!
But Wang Qing and the others never expected that Zhou Heng would actually return now ande straight to them.
Therefore, without a second thought, upon recognizing Zhou Heng, they immediately chose to flee.
Escaping was the best strategy!
Wang Qing had the highest martial arts skills among them, and he was the first to react and act, immediately leaping up, smashing through a nearby window, and escaping the hall, aiming to climb over the wall and flee.
The other five also acted in quick session, either escaping through the window broken by Wang Qing or punching through the walls beside them to swiftly flee.
In short, none of these people thought about resisting after recognizing Zhou Heng; they all wanted to escape as quickly as possible.
They couldn¡¯t beat him!
Yu Yingying, who was beside Zhou Heng, was stunned, watching Wang Qing and the others escaping in disgrace, and momentarily wondered if she was dreaming.
In the past, when she saw Wang Qing and his group, they were always arrogant and despised everyone. She had never seen them in such a panicked state.
Outside the door, there was still a significant crowd gathered to watch the excitement.
In the previous days, the people of Huangtong Mansion City had seen how Wang Qing and his group had been pressing down on the Yu Family and Longxing Martial Arts Hall; they all knew the reason why.
Now that Zhou Heng had returned, looking ready to take revenge for the Yu Family and Longxing Martial Arts Hall, there was certain to be a good show.
But these onlookers had not expected that upon seeing Zhou Heng, Wang Qing and his crew would immediately leg it, showing not even a trace of the demeanor of strong Mmartial Artists.
They were like mice that had seen a cat.
¡°Incredible! Zhou Heng¡¯s reputation is indeed outstanding; he scared off six Seventh Rank experts without even lifting a finger!¡±
¡°Impressive, truly impressive! Maybe the spections on the Martial Artists¡¯ Roll weren¡¯t wrong, perhaps he really is the reincarnation of a great power!¡±
¡°Wang Qing and his men are Seventh Rank experts, after all. Even if Zhou Heng is powerful, he couldn¡¯t entirely overwhelm them, right?¡±
¡°Haven¡¯t you seen thetest Martial Artists¡¯ Roll? Zhou Heng is so formidable it¡¯s boundless, it is said he¡¯s even gotten involved in the strife among the pinnacle Fourth Rank experts!¡±
¡°Against the heavens! Zhou Heng is truly a genius!¡±
Many people were eximing in astonishment, full of admiration for Zhou Heng, while at the same time casting pitiful nces at Wang Qing and his crew.
It seemed that the Chang Xing Sect members were in for it today.
Most likely, they would be left with severe injuries.
After all, they were also disciples of Chang Xing Sect. Zhou Heng would probably not recklessly inflict heavy injury on them.
Just then, Zhou Heng made his move.
His figure was like a gentle breeze, light as if it had no weight, with just a slight flicker, he instantly spanned a distance of nearly thirty feet, and stood in front of Wang Qing.
¡°Where are you going?¡± Zhou Heng stood on the wall, looking down at him, and said indifferently, ¡°Are youing yourself, or should I make my move?¡±
¡°No, you can¡¯t kill me!¡± Wang Qing knew he couldn¡¯t escape and shouted loudly: ¡°I, I was just following orders, the misfortunes of the Yu Family and Longxing Martial Arts Hall were not my intention, you¡¡±
Bang!
Zhou Heng kicked Wang Qing in the chest, a faint golden light shing over his leg.
Wang Qing¡¯s ribs broke and his chest caved in on the spot, sending him flying backward, crashing into and shattering a rockery in the courtyard and getting buried under a pile of stones.
The other men didn¡¯t wait for Zhou Heng to stop Wang Qing before they elerated their run, without looking back. The speed of Zhou Heng¡¯s qinggong was terrifyingly fast, making their hearts tremble with fear.
If they didn¡¯t escape now, there would really be no chance!
ng!
A sword¡¯s ringing sound filled the air as a longsword materialized in Zhou Heng¡¯s hand. With a flick of his wrist, the longsword seemed to have a life of its own as it flew straight towards the five fleeing men.
Cross Mysterious Door Sword!
A sharp weapon!
Sword of a Hundred Steps Flying!
This sharp longsword traced an arc through the sky, effortlessly beheading the five men like slicing through vegetables, circled in the air once more, and then returned to Zhou Heng¡¯s hand.
¡°Congrattions! For killing the defenseless enemy Wang Qing, you¡¯ve acquired a Fortune Bag [Copper] +1.¡±
¡
¡°Congrattions! For killing the non-threatening enemy Wu Shengyi, no reward acquired.¡±
¡
¡°Congrattions! For killing the non-threatening enemy Bai Song, no reward acquired.¡±
Reward notifications sounded in Zhou Heng¡¯s mind.
His actions were clean and decisive.
He didn¡¯t leave a single survivor.
He dealt with Wang Qing and his six men right there and then.
All around, silence reigned, so quiet it was almost tangible.
Whether it was Yu Yingying or those who hade to gawk at the excitement, everyone was dumbstruck, their faces a picture of disbelief.
Zhou Heng sheathed his Cross Mysterious Door Sword with an unflustered demeanor.
He felt a tinge of regret.
Wang Qing and his Seventh Rank underlings were simply too weak; they weren¡¯t nearly a match to sharpen his martial arts.
¡°Although these six men were all Seventh Rank, they were so easily defeated, it seems unlikely that they achieved their breakthrough by constantly battling others to refine their martial arts and finally creating their unique Seventh Rank martial arts,¡± Zhou Heng thought to himself.
The method Yan Shouyi mentioned before was actually just a ¡°trick¡±.
It wasn¡¯t the only way to advance from Eighth Rank to Seventh Rank.
As long as one could build their inner heaven and earth and rify their will, they would have the basic conditions to break through to the Seventh Rank of the Martial Path.
There wasn¡¯t a single method to achieve this foundation.
The vast majority ofmon martial artists in the world use a method akin to ¡°grinding it out,¡± relying on decades of time to umte experience, bit by bit exploring their own conditions, and finally meeting the criteria.
Those who reach the Seventh Rank in this manner are certainly much weaker in actualbat than those who have been battle-hardened and have innovated their own martial arts techniques.
Later, Zhou Heng leapt down from the top of the wall, and just as before, like a wisp of breeze, floated to Yu Yingying¡¯s side.
At this, the crowd suddenly erupted.
¡°My goodness, that was so decisive!¡±
¡°Such a resolute killer, terrifying indeed!¡±
¡°This is what a top-ranked fighter looks like, this is what a jianghu hero is, this is the true spirit of swift retribution!¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t they afraid of retaliation from the Chang Xing Sect??¡±
The people discussed animatedly, their eyes filled with worry when they looked at Zhou Heng.
Even though Yu Yingying was happy about Wang Qing¡¯s death, she still felt a bit anxious.
She tugged timidly on the corner of Zhou Heng¡¯s clothing, whispering, ¡°Big Brother Zhou, are you really okay after doing this? After all, Chang Xing Sect is the strongest Martial Path sect near Huangtong Mansion City.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, nothing will happen,¡± Zhou Heng said as he patted her head and smiled, ¡°Come on, take me to see Yu He and your dad.¡±
¡°Okay,¡± Hearing Zhou Heng¡¯s words seemed to contain aforting power, Yu Yingying¡¯s previously chaotic mind instantly settled.
Zhou Heng left the residence with Yu Yingying, leaving behind a throng of onlookers still buzzing withmentary.
Before long, the head constable of the prefectural city, Meng Xing, arrived with his men. The overwhelming stench of blood and the sight of Wang Qing and the others¡¯ corpses made his brows furrow intensely.
¡°What exactly happened here, has Zhou Henge back?¡± He sent his constables to ask around, and after a short while, he had a rough idea of what had taken ce.
¡°What should we do now?¡± Meng Xing felt troubled, his head spinning with worry.
Six Seventh Rank experts of the Chang Xing Sect died in Huangtong Mansion City, and as a government authority, the Imperial Court definitely couldn¡¯t do nothing, or it would lose face. Even the promotion and career path of the mansion¡¯s lord, Wu Zongshan, would be difficult.
Although previously hindered by theplex rtionship between the Imperial Court and the Sect, the prefectural city¡¯s yamen office could not directly target Wang Qing and the others, but they still offered some covert assistance to the Yu Family and Longxing Martial Arts Hall.
This was to avoid Zhou Henging back and ming the prefectural city yamen office and to facilitate the future mediation between Zhou Heng and Wang Qing, ensuring they didn¡¯t directlye to blows.
However, they had never anticipated that Zhou Heng would return so quickly, nor had they expected him to act so swiftly and decisively, targeting the ¡°main body¡± as soon as he got back and killing Wang Qing and the others in the blink of an eye.
Setting other aspects aside, speaking of this strength alone, it was already terrifying.
The constables who hade with Meng Xing also had worried looks on their faces, unsure how to handle such a tricky situation; they could only look to their superior, Meng Xing, waiting for his decision.
Meng Xing was silent for a while before saying, ¡°You go back first and report the situation to the mansion lord. I¡¯ll go have a talk with Zhou Heng.¡±
¡
At the Yu Family.
Yu Hey on the bed with a swollen, bruised face. When he saw Zhou Heng and his sister walking into the room, he almost thought he was dreaming. Rubbing his eyes, he suddenly opened them wide andughed, ¡°Hahaha! You¡¯re back!¡±
¡°Mmm, I¡¯m back,¡± Zhou Heng nodded as he approached Yu He¡¯s bedside, frowning at the injuries on him, ¡°Did Wang Qing and those people do this?¡±
¡°That bunch of bastards really hit hard. I reckon I¡¯m going to need to spend a good half a month in bed,¡± Yu He forced a smile, ¡°I was nning to invite you out for drinks when you got back.
¡°That¡¯s out of the question now. Those bastards have left my family broke; we¡¯re even running out of food. And I¡¯m such a waste, stuck in bed, that I had to ask my sister to go out and borrow some grain¡Sigh.¡±
¡°Brother, no need to sigh,¡± Yu Yingyingughed, ¡°Just now, Big Brother Zhou and I went to the residence where Wang Qing and the others were staying, and he killed all of them.¡±
¡°What??¡± Yu He was stunned, staring at Zhou Heng in shock, ¡°You killed all six Seventh Ranks from the Chang Xing Sect??¡±
¡°Consider it just like killing chickens,¡± Zhou Heng said with a nod.
¡°Disaster!¡± Yu He ruffled his hair, turned to Yu Yingying and said, ¡°Yingying, do we still have any money left? Give Zhou Heng some travel expenses and let him flee right away. If people from the Chang Xing Secte, he¡¯s done for.¡±
¡°Ah??¡± Yu Yingying turned pale upon hearing this and quickly said, ¡°I, I will go look for it right away.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no need to worry,¡± Zhou Heng paused Yu He¡¯s hand and smiled, ¡°A mere Chang Xing Sect cannot trouble me. If they wish to seek revenge further, then let theme.¡±
¡°You¡¯re insane. The Chang Xing Sect has a Fifth Rank Sect Master. Even if it¡¯s just that old guy Liu Songshan who wants revenge, he is a Sixth Rank in the Martial Path and can easily crush any Seventh Rank,¡± Yu He said with wide eyes, ¡°Originally, Liu Songshan had no direct excuse to seek revenge on you, but now that you¡¯ve killed six Seventh Ranks from the Chang Xing Sect, you¡¯ve given him the perfect opportunity. Even if you are an Outer Sect Disciple of Pure Yang Pce, he might not let you off.¡±
¡°Dare Liu Songshan kill me?¡± Zhou Heng said with a lightugh.
¡°Even if he doesn¡¯t dare to kill you, he¡¯ll definitely leave you injured. And with swords and saberscking conscience, if he wishes to take revenge, what room is there for reason?¡± Yu He shook his head, ¡°Zhou Heng, I know you¡¯ve risen in the Martial Path, and you¡¯ve be a disciple of Pure Yang Pce, full of vigor, but this is still Huangtong Mansion, far from Pure Yang Pce. If you were an Inner Sect Disciple, perhaps you could intimidate the Chang Xing Sect, but the status of an Outer Sect Disciple might not be enough. Listen to me, leave quickly to avoid the storm.¡±
¡°If I leave, what about you guys?¡± Zhou Heng asked.
¡°Don¡¯t worry about us for now. Even if Liu Songshan is bold, he wouldn¡¯t go as far as to annihte my entire family,¡± Yu He mustered up some energy and pushed Zhou Heng, ¡°Go, now. Don¡¯t dy for a moment.¡±
¡°What if I¡¯m a True Disciple of Pure Yang Pce?¡± Zhou Heng said with a smile, ¡°Would Liu Songshan still dare to make a move?¡±
¡°If you¡¯re a True Disciple of Pure Yang¡what??¡± Yu He¡¯s entire being froze, staring at Zhou Heng in utter shock, ¡°You¡¯re a True Disciple of Pure Yang Pce??¡±
Right at that moment, Meng Xing happened to be walking over, guided by a servant of the Yu Family. When he overheard Yu He¡¯s words, he nearly stumbled, a Seventh Rank Martial Artist almost falling t on his face.
¡°Young Master Zhou, you, you¡¯ve be a True Disciple of Pure Yang Pce??¡±
Chapter 136: 136: A Request
Chapter 136: A Request
¡°That¡¯s correct,¡±
Zhou Heng nodded in acknowledgment, a smile on his face, ¡°I have been epted into the Pure Yang Pce¡¯s Jade Void Peak lineage and have learned the unique martial arts of the Pure Yang Dan Scripture.¡±
He did not go into detail about the fact that he was the sixth generation true disciple of the Pure Yang Pce.
That was too astonishing and shocking.
It was also ratherplicated to exin, and there was no need to be so explicit.
Simply being a true disciple of the Pure Yang Pce was enough to give Yu He a strong sense of reassurance.
¡°You¡¯ve really, truly be a true disciple of the Pure Yang Pce!¡± Yu He¡¯s eyes widened, and then he burst intoughter, ¡°Hahaha! Good, very good! Zhou Heng, you¡¯re incredibly powerful! Now, that old thing Liu Songshan definitely won¡¯t dare to make a rash move!¡±
For a small ce like Huangtong Mansion City to have a true disciple of the Pure Yang Pce was like having an unattainable existence.
And true disciples of the Pure Yang Pce were entirely different from those of the inner or outer sect; they were the chosen ones, destined to carry on the unique martial arts of the Pure Yang Pce, the future of Pure Yang Pce!
Even if Liu Songshan had ten thousand times the courage, he would not dare to harm a hair on a true disciple of the Pure Yang Pce.
Meng Xing also came over, looking at Zhou Heng with amazement and said, ¡°Earlier, I heard from the lord of the mansion that you were not amon person and would achieve great things in the future. I didn¡¯t quite believe it, but now I see that I was far too superficial.¡±
He was now extremely shaken, having originally thought of Zhou Heng as merely an outer disciple of the Pure Yang Pce, or at most an inner sect one. He had not expected that Zhou Heng would actually be a true disciple!
This was a true disciple!
A true disciple of a top martial dao sect like the Pure Yang Pce might not necessarily reach the Middle Third Rank or achieve great aplishments, but eight or nine out of ten could step onto the Sixth Rank.
Martial Dao Sixth Rank!
Within the region of Huangtong Prefecture, the strongest martial dao sect, the Chang Xing Sect, had a sect leader who was only a Fifth Rank grandmaster of martial dao. A Sixth Rank was already qualified to serve as an elder.
The Liu Songshan that had earlier instilled fear in Yu He, was at the level of a Sixth Rank.
And with the talent and aptitude Zhou Heng had shown, obtaining the true teachings of the Pure Yang Pce, it was almost an inevitability for him to reach the Sixth Rank, or even higher, in the future.
This was a great figure in the making.
Even though he was merely an Eighth Rank martial artist at present, the status of a true disciple of the Pure Yang Pce was incredibly noble. He could almost sit on an equal footing with Wu Zongshan, the lord of Huangtong Mansion.
¡°So, Big Brother Zhou is fine now, isn¡¯t he?¡± Yu Yingying didn¡¯t quite understand the affairs of martial dao, but she could hear the joy in her brother¡¯s voice.
¡°Haha, of course!¡± Yu He nodded andughed, ¡°No problem at all, we¡¯re all safe this time, Zhou Heng is amazing, really amazing! Ouch!!¡±
He was too excited and identally aggravated his wound, immediately crying out in pain.
¡°Don¡¯t move, let me heal your wounds,¡± Zhou Heng said as he ced his palm on Yu He¡¯s shoulder, transferring his inner qi into his body to treat the injuries.
A momentter, Zhou Heng withdrew his hand, and Yu He was surprised to find that his injuries had healed significantly.
¡°That¡¯s incredible, big brother, please also help heal my father¡¯s wounds,¡± Yu He said joyfully.
¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Zhou Heng said with a smile.
¡°Young Master Zhou, could you please apany me to the prefectural city¡¯s yamenter?¡± Meng Xing couldn¡¯t help asking. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, this is definitely not an action against you. It¡¯s just that having killed six Seventh Rank martial artists, you will inevitably need to meet with the lord of the mansion.¡±
¡°No problem,¡± Zhou Heng nodded his approval. He did not have a bad impression of Wuzong Shan, and he would give him this bit of face, ¡°but it will have to wait until after I¡¯ve treated someone¡¯s injuries.¡±
¡°Of course,¡± Meng Xing nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll wait outside the door.¡±
¡
The prefectural city¡¯s yamen remained as it was before, no different from Zhou Heng¡¯sst visit.
In Wuzong Shan¡¯s study room,
Meng Xing had already left, and Zhou Heng was sitting across from Wuzong Shan at a tea table.
The lord of Huangtong Mansion brewed a pot of clear tea and poured a cup for Zhou Heng, apologizing, ¡°Mr. Zhou, er, or should I call you Taoist Zhou?¡±
Pure Yang Pce was one of the three great Taoist pces, its disciples mostly Taoists.
¡°Just call me Zhou Heng,¡± Zhou Heng replied with a smile as he epted the clear tea.
¡°Then I¡¯ll still call you Taoist Zhou,¡± Wuzong Shan poured himself a bowl of tea, and with a wry smile said, ¡°Regarding the earlier matter with the Yu Family and Longxing Martial Arts Hall, please do not take offense, Taoist Zhou. I really couldn¡¯t intervene in matters rted to the sects.¡±
¡°I understand,¡± Zhou Heng nodded.
After reading ¡°The World¡± and ¡°Pure Yang,¡± he hade to generally grasp that the rtionships among sects, noble families, and the Imperial Court had always been quite delicate.
Especially between the sects and the Imperial Court, caution was always paramount.
Wuzong Shan, being merely the lord of Huangtong Mansion, held a position that was neither high nor low; taking action against a sect on his own might cost him more than he could bear.
This was understandable.
¡°However,¡± Zhou Heng continued, looking at Wuzong Shan, ¡°while I understand your lordship¡¯s difficulties, understanding does not mean I can pretend nothing happened.¡± Zhou Heng paused and then added with a smile, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m also aware that your lordship¡¯s people helped them out in secret.¡±
¡°Next time you speak, Taoist Zhou, try not to pause for so long,¡± Wuzong Shan said with a sigh of relief. ¡°Whatever your requests may be, feel free to bring them up. As long as they do not involve official Imperial Court matters that provoke conflict with the sects, I will do my best toply. Let this be my apology.¡±
If this had been the Zhou Heng of the past, he might merely have taken special care owing to the face of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer¡¯s Star Envoy, but not have been so deferential. However, now he was facing a true disciple of Pure Yang Pce.
He dared not show the slightest negligence.
Should there be an oversight that soured the rtionship of Pure Yang Pce with the Imperial Court, a sin of such magnitude was beyond what he, Wuzong Shan, could afford. To say nothing else, his career would certainlye to an end.
¡°Being an official is difficult, ah,¡± Wuzong Shan sighed inwardly, feeling deep frustration.
¡°Your lordship has looked after me quite a bit previously, and I wouldn¡¯t make things difficult for your lordship. There¡¯s no need to worry about that,¡± Zhou Heng said, drinking a cup of clear tea with a smile. ¡°In fact, I have just a small request. I hope your lordship can help me spread a message.¡±
¡°What message?¡± Wuzong Shan asked, puzzled.
¡°The Chang Xing Sect oppressed my friends and teacher without reason, so I must settle this score,¡± Zhou Heng stood up, looking towards the direction of the Chang Xing Sect. Standing with arms behind his back, his back to Wuzong Shan, he continued, ¡°Seven days from now, I will go in person to the mountain gate of the Chang Xing Sect and challenge all Lower Third Rank disciples of the sect. Time will be unlimited, as will the number of participants. As long as someone from the Chang Xing Sect dares to leave the mountain gate, I will ept the fight. I would like your lordship to secretly dispatch someone to spread the news far and wide.¡±
¡°What did you say??¡± Wuzong Shan stood up abruptly, looking at Zhou Heng in disbelief, ¡°Are you going to challenge an entire sect by yourself?¡±
¡°No, your lordship is mistaken,¡± Zhou Heng turned around, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly in a faint smile. ¡°This is not a challenge.
¡°I am going to, by myself, suppress an entire sect!¡±
Chapter 137: 137: Ruthless Person
Chapter 137: Ruthless Person
Longxing Martial Arts Hall, once a bustling ce in East City District.
However, it was now so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Since the Chang Xing Sect¡¯s Wang Qing and others withdrew their authorization, no longer allowing Longxing Martial Arts Hall¡¯s trainers to teach Chang Xing Sect¡¯s martial arts, the ce had be much quieter.
For many people, a martial arts hall is simply a ce to pay for learning martial arts.
It serves as a foundation for finding a job that can make moneyter on, or with some luck, one might even advance to Ninth Grade and never have to worry about food and clothing again. If one were extremely fortunate and got epted into a sect, they could rise to great heights.
Although there is generally a good camaraderie between trainers and students, when a martial arts hall truly can¡¯t continue to operate, most students will choose to leave and learn martial arts elsewhere.
After all, no one¡¯s moneyes with the wind, and there¡¯s no reason to spend money without learning the corresponding martial arts.
Therefore, Longxing Martial Arts Hall had be deste, with the once crowded training hall now barely holding onto a few steadfast individuals, and even several trainers had left.
Situations like this naturally attract those who would kick someone while they¡¯re down.
¡°Master Lei, are you really not giving it a thought?¡± the new head of Tongchang Martial Arts Hall, Huang Kaicheng, said with a sly smile: ¡°Given the current state of Longxing Martial Arts Hall, my offer of one thousand taels is already a high price. In a little while, you might not even get five hundred taels for it.¡±
He was the nephew of the former head of Tongchang Martial Arts Hall, Huang Jingfu, and he wanted to seize this opportunity to take revenge on behalf of his uncle.
More than three months ago, Huang Jingfu lost his position as the head and was stripped of most of his possessions because of the incident with Zhou Heng and Kong Chengshun. Yet, relying on his strong influence in Tongchang Martial Arts Hall, he managed to push his nephew, Huang Kaicheng, into the position of head.
¡°Huang Kaicheng, are you not afraid that when Zhou Heng returns, he¡¯lle after you?¡± Lei Xiuyan looked at Huang Kaicheng grimly and said, ¡°He¡¯s a disciple of Pure Yang Pce and a master on the prestigious roll of honor. If you treat us like this, he won¡¯t let you off the hook!¡±
¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Lin Cang also nodded in agreement: ¡°Zhou Heng came from Longxing Martial Arts Hall. If hees back and knows you¡¯ve forced the sale of Longxing at such a low price, he¡¯ll definitely seek retribution.¡±
The few remaining trainers and students of Longxing Martial Arts Hall also nodded in agreement.
¡°That¡¯s right, I know Zhou Heng¡¯s character. If he learns of this, he will definitely not let you go!¡±
¡°Huang Kaicheng, don¡¯t forget how your uncle was ousted!¡±
¡°You must¡¯ve healed and forgotten the pain. Just wait for Zhou Heng to return, and you¡¯re finished!¡±
They were all quite angry.
Though Longxing Martial Arts Hall wasn¡¯t any top-tier institution, it had never been humiliated like this.
These days had really been too suffocating.
Yet upon hearing these words, Huang Kaichengughed instead of being angry. He shook his head whileughing, looking at Lei Xiuyan, Lin Cang, and the rest as if they were fools. ¡°Are you genuinely stupid, or just pretending?¡±
¡°Do you actually believe Zhou Heng wille back? He has been epted into the Pure Yang Pce, an ancient Immortal Home sect that transcends this material world. Zhou Heng would be foolish to return to such a small broken martial arts hall.
¡°Even if Zhou Heng does feel nostalgic and wants to visit you, Pure Yang Pce is tens of thousands of miles away from Huangtong Mansion City. He, just an ordinary outer disciple at Eighth Rank on the Martial Path, will need at least three to five years.
¡°By the time these three to five years pass, even if we didn¡¯t take over your broken martial arts hall, it¡¯s likely to have nearly copsed by then, having lost the Chang Xing Sect¡¯s authorization. No one wille here to learn martial arts anymore.¡±
The group that came with Huang Kaichengughed out loud at his remarks.
¡°Haha, that¡¯s right, the head is absolutely correct. Even if Zhou Heng does hold onto the past and cares about you all, what does it matter? By the time he returns, several years will have passed!¡±
¡°Yearster, you might actually be thanking us, haha!¡±
¡°Stop hoping for Zhou Heng¡¯s return. He¡¯s a noble disciple of Immortal Home, soaring high; how could he possibly care about you mud-leggedmoners? You¡¯re grown men still so naive, it¡¯s hrious.¡±
¡°`
Sentence by sentence, the ridicule infuriated Lei Xiuyan, Lin Cang, and the others until they were trembling all over.
Just at this moment, a young man dressed as a martial arts student from the Longxing Martial Arts Hall came running up, his expression frantic and anxious. He whispered a few words into Huang Kaicheng¡¯s ear.
¡°How is this possible? This can¡¯t be!!¡± Huang Kaicheng¡¯s face changed dramatically, and he looked at the young man incredulously, his eyes widened as he demanded, ¡°Did you see this with your own eyes??¡±
¡°Yes, yes! I definitely saw it with my own eyes. How could I dare to give you unconfirmed news?¡± the youth nodded repeatedly, exining, ¡°It¡¯s true, it¡¯s really true, Hall Master!¡±
¡°Damn it, how can this be? How could he be so bold??¡± Huang Kaicheng was livid, hisplexion as if he had swallowed a dead rat. He waved his hand and snorted coldly, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±
He was actually about to lead the people from the Longxing Martial Arts Hall away, as if he had no intention of continuing the negotiation with Lei Xiuyan.
This sudden turn of events caught Lei Xiuyan and Lin Cang off guard, filling them with confusion.
What happened?
¡°Go? Where are you going?¡± Suddenly, an indifferent voice rang out.
Huang Kaicheng and the group of disciples from Longxing Martial Arts Hall stiffened, involuntarily shuddering.
There, standing at the entrance of Longxing Martial Arts Hall was a tall, lean figure with handsome features and an air of effortless grace¡ªlike a dashing young schr, blocking everyone¡¯s path.
It was Zhou Heng who had just returned from the prefectural government office.
His meeting with Wu Zongshan hadn¡¯tsted long. After saying his goodbyes, he headed straight for Longxing Martial Arts Hall, wanting to see what it was like now.
He hadn¡¯t expected to encounter such a ¡°good show.¡±
¡°Zhou Heng! You¡¯re back!¡±
¡°You rascal, how did youe back so soon?¡±
Both Lei Xiuyan and Lin Cang were delighted to see Zhou Heng and hurried forward to greet him.
Master Lin, Hall Master,¡± Zhou Heng nodded and smiled at them, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of the matters of the Hall.¡±
No sooner had he spoken than he turned to Huang Kaicheng, giving him a cursory inspection and chuckling, ¡°The way you look, it seems you might have some blood ties with that old man Huang Jingfu?¡±
¡°What, what do you want to do?¡±
Huang Kaicheng was visibly panicked. Although he was over forty, he was only Eighth Rank in the martial path, and in the presence of a ranking expert like Zhou Heng, he immediately felt an immense pressure.
Especially after just hearing from the apprentice who came to report the news that as soon as Zhou Heng returned, he killed Wang Qing and the other six peak of the Seventh Rank experts, sparing none, all dead, and it was seemingly as easy as chopping melons and vegetables.
Terrifying strength!
Ruthlessly vicious!
Too damn vicious, such a ruthless person!
This was Huang Kaicheng¡¯s assessment of Zhou Heng. He was acutely aware that he could not afford to provoke such a powerful figure.
But why was this happening?
Why did Zhou Henge back so early?
Just over a month ago, he had just been taken to the Pure Yang Pce by You Ziheng!
¡°`
¡°`
Why have you returned so soon?
Could it be that the immeasurable distance between Pure Yang Pce and Huangtong Mansion City is all a lie?
Huang Kaicheng started to doubt his life choices.
He had dared to kick someone while they were down because he was certain that Zhou Heng wouldn¡¯t be able toe back for several years, or even longer.
Moreover, in another year, his uncle would reach the peak of the Seventh Rank, and even if he might not be stronger than Zhou Heng, the peak of the Seventh Rank isn¡¯t something trivial. Zhou Heng might not dare to seek reckless retaliation.
But now¡ what should he do?
¡°I heard you wanted to use five hundred taels of silver to take over Longxing Martial Arts Hall?¡± Zhou Heng¡¯s cold gaze fixed on Huang Kaicheng as he spoke indifferently, ¡°Is that so?¡±
¡°Yes, yes, it was a momentarypse of judgement. Junior Zhou, Great Hero Zhou, I know my mistake!¡± Huang Kaicheng was surprisingly forting, immediately admitting his wrongdoing, then gripped his left shoulder with his right hand and exerted force abruptly.
Crack!
With that sound, he crushed his own left shoulder, and then, enduring the pain, he crushed the bones in his left arm as well, shivering in cold sweat, gritting his teeth in agony.
¡°Does this work for you? I¡¯ve severed my own arm as an apology for being led astray earlier,¡± Huang Kaicheng said, with a face full of humble submissiveness as he looked at Zhou Heng, nearly kneeling to beg for mercy.
The man before him had killed six Seventh Rank members of the Chang Xing Sect without batting an eye; as a mere Eighth Rank, if he didn¡¯t show the right attitude, he feared there would be no chance of survival.
However, this vendetta must be avenged!
A gentleman¡¯s revenge is not toote even after ten years!!
He made a silent vow.
¡°You are indeed a ruthless man,¡± Zhou Heng said with augh upon seeing this, lightly patting Huang Kaicheng¡¯s right shoulder and chuckling, ¡°Go on then. Honestly, I had no intention of making things difficult for you in the first ce.¡±
¡°Thank you, thank you! Great Hero Zhou is magnanimous, not stooping to the petty level of others, such benevolence!¡± Huang Kaicheng ttered profusely, his face obsequious, as if he had even forgotten the pain in his left arm and shoulder.
Afterwards, he hurriedly left with his followers.
¡°Little Zhou, uh, Zhou Heng¡ are you just going to let him go like that?¡± Lin Cang frowned and asked. He had started to reflexively call Zhou Heng ¡°Little Zhou,¡± but then thought that it might not be appropriate considering Zhou Heng¡¯s current status and corrected himself.
¡°Master Lin should still call me Little Zhou. Calling me by my name feels rather strange,¡± Zhou Heng said with a smile, then whispered, ¡°As for that man, Master Lin need not worry; I have always been one to uproot the problempletely.¡±
Especially someone like Huang Kaicheng who could decisively break his own arm to apologize, such a ruthless person shouldn¡¯t be left alive, as that would only be courting trouble for oneself.
The pat Zhou Heng gave to Huang Kaicheng¡¯s shoulder earlier seemed like a warning, but it was actually to leave behind an undetectable trace of Innate Pure Yang Inner Qi inside his body.
That Innate Pure Yang Inner Qi would gradually wear down his heart as it flowed through Huang Kaicheng¡¯s bloodstream.
In half a month, he would drop dead suddenly.
¡°Zhou Heng, I really owe you my thanks,¡± Lei Xiuyan sighed, ¡°If you hadn¡¯te back, we probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to keep this martial arts school. My father¡¯s decades of hard work almost came to nothing in my hands.
¡°s, even though we¡¯ve managed to keep Longxing Martial Arts Hall, it¡¯s going to be difficult to operate in the future. But when the lifeline of imparting martial arts is controlled by others, there¡¯s nothing that can be done.¡±
Although Longxing Martial Arts Hall was originally affiliated with the Chang Xing Sect, it was not established by the Chang Xing Sect but was a private martial arts school built by Lei Xiuyan¡¯s father decades ago.
However, the development of a private martial arts school is ultimately limited; it can impart only a few martial arts, its prospects are not particrly vast, and its opportunities for advancement are quite small.
Later on, when the Chang Xing Sect took an interest in the martial arts school, it was granted the authority to impart basic martial arts of the Chang Xing Sect, with the only condition that Longxing Martial Arts Hall would wholeheartedly cultivate disciples who could be nurtured on behalf of the Chang Xing Sect.
¡°`
Thus, Longxing Martial Arts Hall had the reputation of being a subordinate hall under the Chang Xing Sect, and they could teach even more powerful martial arts.
Now, the Chang Xing Sect had withdrawn its authorization from Longxing Martial Arts Hall, which essentially pulled out the foundation that the hall had developed over the past several decades. Relying only on the Lei family¡¯s own martial arts, it was nearly impossible to rebuild the hall.
Lei Xiuyan¡¯s words cast a shadow over the faces of Lin Cang and the other trainers beside him; they had taught martial arts at Longxing for many years and were deeply attached to it.
The few remaining students also lowered their heads, having stayed because of their good rtionships with their trainers. But everyone knew that as the hall¡¯s operations became more difficult, they would eventually have to leave.
¡°Hall Master, Master Lin, you don¡¯t have to worry about this,¡± Zhou Heng suddenly spoke up, smiling, ¡°I have a way to resolve it, but I¡¯ll deal with this matter after I return from the Chang Xing Sect.¡±
¡°You have a solution?¡± Lei Xiuyan¡¯s eyes lit up, but then he swiftly focused on thetter part of Zhou Heng¡¯s statement, asking in rm, ¡°What are you going to do at the Chang Xing Sect? Don¡¯t do anything foolish. The Chang Xing Sect has a Fifth Rank Sect Master.¡±
¡°Exactly, Zhou! Don¡¯t be rash. Although you are strong, you are only among the younger generation of experts,¡± Lin Cang also said worriedly, ¡°You have to know that even the strongest at the peak of the Seventh Rank finds it hard to resist a regr Sixth Rank, not to mention a Sect Fifth Rank. I know you want to stand up for us, but please, don¡¯t be impulsive.¡±
¡°Hall Master, Master Lin, rest assured, I have my ns,¡± Zhou Heng smiled, ¡°As for what I¡¯m going to do, you will soon find out. By the way, is my jujube-red horse still around?¡±
¡°Yes, it¡¯s being well fed and looked after in the backyard stable,¡± Lei Xiuyan nodded, still concerned, ¡°Zhou Heng, you¡¯re not an impulsive person, and you have your own thoughts, but I hope that no matter what, you prioritize your safety.¡±
¡°Do not take unnecessary risks. Your future achievements are immeasurable, so don¡¯t get hurt over something as trivial as the Chang Xing Sect,¡± Lin Cang also advised earnestly.
¡°Mm, I understand, don¡¯t worry,¡± Zhou Heng nodded, then he went to the backyard, led the jujube-red horse away, and left the city leisurely on horseback.
But no sooner had Zhou Heng left than a piece of news spread throughout Huangtong Mansion City.
In seven days, Zhou Heng would personally go to the front of the Chang Xing Sect¡¯s mountain gate and challenge all disciples below the Lower Third Rank, with no time limits or restrictions on the number ofpetitors, willing to fight anyone from the Chang Xing Sect who dared to step out of the mountain gate.
When Lei Xiuyan and Lin Cang heard this, they turned pale with fright and immediately decided to leave the city to chase after Zhou Heng, determined to stop him.
This was essentially courting death!
When the Yu Family heard the news, Yu He, still injured, sprang out of bed.
¡°Yingying, prepare a horse for me! Dammit, has Zhou Heng gotten tired of living??¡±
Suddenly, the entire Huangtong Mansion City was abuzz.
And as people came and went from the city, and with Wu Zongshan intentionally spreading the word, the news quickly reached other towns and even farther locations.
¡
Zhou Heng was very aware of what would happen after the news of his challenge against all disciples below the Lower Third Rank of the Chang Xing Sect spread.
It was precisely because of this that he chose to leave Huangtong Mansion City early, avoiding the nuisance of being dissuaded.
However, the challenge was set for seven dayster.
After equipping the jujube-red horse with the Red Lotus tack, it would take less than a day to reach the destination, and Zhou Heng did not want to waste the remaining time.
Shortly after leaving the city, he took out a cinnabar-drawn talisman.
Ignited it and burned it away.
This was a talisman given to him by a Fourth Rank expert from the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer, codenamed ¡°Five Emperors¡¯ Inner Seat.¡±
The talisman quickly turned to ashes in the mes.
The very next moment, a five-colored radiance emerged from the mes, carrying with it the brilliance of the stars.
Chapter 138: 138: Purple Tenuity Palace, The Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions
Chapter 138: Purple Tenuity Pce, The Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions
The talisman actually depicted a miniature transmission formation spirit guide.
As long as the talisman was ignited, the Five Emperors¡¯ Inner Seat would sense it, and then extend mana across the space to form a true transmission formation, descending upon him.
With the five-colored radiance growing brighter and brighter, Zhou Heng¡¯s vision gradually outlined the figure of a man with a noble and majestic demeanor, wearing a Five Emperors¡¯ Inner Seat mask and a Five-Color Gown.
¡°Young friend, it seems you¡¯ve made your decision?¡± said the Five Emperors¡¯ Inner Seat with a smile.
¡°Yes, I will join the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer,¡± Zhou Heng nodded lightly, ¡°I¡¯ve thought it through.¡±
¡°Wee aboard,¡± the Five Emperors¡¯ Inner Seatughed heartily, apparently quite pleased, ¡°Next, I¡¯ll take you to the Purple Tenuity Pce. There might be a bit of dizziness, so get ready.¡±
Purple Tenuity Pce¡ Is it really as I had spected earlier?
Zhou Heng¡¯s gaze slightly firmed as he nodded, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble my senior.¡±
Then, he saw the Five Emperors¡¯ Inner Seat wave his hand and bright starlight engulfed both him and the jujube-red horse beneath him; soon after, a slight dizzying sensation hit him, and theyers of light in front of his eyes rapidly disappeared.
Zhou Heng felt as if he was crossingyers uponyers of space, as well as walking down a long road, except this road was at times twisted, sometimes folded, extremely unstable.
He could sense myriad starlights of different colors, as if the brilliance of billions of stars had been gathered on this path or, perhaps, it was the light from these stars that paved the road.
In a trance, he felt as though he heard countless voices murmuring praises in his ears.
¡°Daluo Tianque¡ lofty abode of the North Pole¡ revered as Yudou Xuanzun¡ governing the measures of heaven and earth¡ traversing the celestial Purple Enclosure¡ Grandmaster of myriad phenomena¡ Sect Hierarch of myriad stars¡ Ziwei of the central heavens¡¡±
These voices made Zhou Heng¡¯s scalp tingle and gave him the sensation that his body and soul were about to be torn apart.
Finally, after passing through a mist of purple Qi, the murmuring praises stopped, and with them, the feelings of spirit tearing and dizziness faded away. Zhou Heng regained his senses to find that he was still riding the jujube-red horse but was no longer in the original ce.
All around was empty, with only purple Qi floating beneath his feet, but in the distance, mountain ranges stretched on and on, and as far as the eye could see there were still peaks. Below these mountains, there were vast, boundless waves of water encircling in the air.
Upon closer examination, Zhou Heng realized the water waves each shone with the light of stars, seemingly containing billions of stars, countless and much like a vast Star River.
¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
With his hands sped behind his back, the Five Emperors¡¯ Inner Seat flew with Zhou Heng to the highest peak in the distant mountains.
Beforending, Zhou Heng saw a grand and majestic pce with a que on it. The que was inscribed with a strange script that waspletely unfamiliar to him yet somehow conveyed its meaning.
¡°Purple Tenuity Pce.¡±
Zhou Heng stared at the text on the que, lost in thought¡ the Purple Tenuity Pce, was it really that Purple Tenuity Pce, or had the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer named it such for some reason?
¡°Impressed, are you?¡± The Five Emperors¡¯ Inner Seat noticed the unusual expression on Zhou Heng¡¯s face, assuming he was witnessing this magnificent and mystical sight for the first time and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s normal. This is the Purple Tenuity Pce, the true abode of immortals and gods.¡±
¡°Have there ever been immortals or gods who assumed the position of Ziwei?¡± Zhou Heng suppressed his curiosity and asked with restraint.
¡°It was more than just ordinary immortals and gods,¡± the Five Emperors¡¯ Inner Seat shook his head but did not borate, only smiling, ¡°One could say all of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer is but a part of the legacy left by this immortal god.
¡°Come, I will take you to view the Zhou Tian Star Map and see which Star Officer position has chosen you.¡±
In front of the Purple Tenuity Pce were two Taoist boys, one in a ck Taoist robe and the other in a white one. They looked about seven or eight years old with na?ve and adorable features, as if they were carved from jade, quite endearing.
However, the Five Emperors¡¯ Inner Seat treated them with great respect. From afar, he descended from the clouds, walked over with Zhou Heng, and bowed deeply to the two Taoist boys.
¡ªThe jujube-red horse was left behind where the purple Qi began and did not follow.
¡°A neer atst?¡± The Taoist boy in a white robe looked at Zhou Heng with a giggle, and asked the figure from the Five Emperors¡¯ inner seat, ¡°Will it be the independent star path or themon star path?¡±
¡°The independent one,¡± the figure from the Five Emperors¡¯ inner seat said with great respect, ¡°We¡¯re grateful for your efforts, Supreme one.¡±
¡°Thisd has an extraordinary air about him, and a profound destiny; I actually can¡¯t see it clearly.¡± Suddenly the ck-robed Taoist boy spoke up. With a serious expression and a weighty gaze on Zhou Heng, he contemted, ¡°Perhaps you will be a great Star Officer.¡±
Zhou Heng did not know how to respond and looked towards the figure from the Five Emperors¡¯ inner seat with confusion.
¡°Then we shall take the propitious words of the Celestial Man to heart,¡± responded the Five Emperors¡¯ inner seat with a bow and a smile, still with a tone of respect, then led Zhou Heng into the Purple Tenuity Pce.
¡
¡°Celestial Man, you couldn¡¯t see through the youth¡¯s fate?¡± The white-robed Taoist boy looked at hispanion of several thousand years with an air of surprise.
¡°More than just unclear, I wonder if my eyes would go blind if I looked a few more times,¡± the ck-robed Taoist boy rolled his eyes and said, ¡°This kid is no ordinary being, very much so. Yet at a time like this, having such a person join us is also a good thing.¡±
¡°Yes, the situation in the West Wastnd is bing more and more unsettled.¡± The white-robed Taoist boy sighed deeply and said, ¡°Just now, I noticed that the figure from the Five Emperors¡¯ inner seat still had traces of Demonic Qi on him; it seems his injuries from the West Wastnd have not yet healed.¡±
¡°Those demon entities that emerged this time were too strong; even though he¡¯s still able to move around, Heavenly Pir has already been lying in bed for over a month.¡± The ck-robed Taoist boy smacked his lips and nced at the Purple Tenuity Pce, ¡°I hope the kid we just saw can bring us some good news.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s hope so,¡± nodded the white-robed Taoist boy.
¡
As Zhou Heng stepped into the Purple Tenuity Pce, he found himself in a vast and empty hall with no one else around.
¡°Entering the Purple Tenuity Pce, you can open two paths: amon star path where multiple people can gather, and an independent star path that only you and specificpanions can traverse without encountering anyone else.¡±
The figure from the Five Emperors¡¯ inner seat exined to Zhou Heng, ¡°But no matter which path, those who step in arrive at the same Purple Tenuity Pce; this involves the fairly esoteric Taoist Rhyme Theory.¡±
He didn¡¯t go into any more detail, nor did Zhou Heng know if it was because he couldn¡¯t speak of it or he didn¡¯t understand himself.
¡°Those two earlier were¡¡± Zhou Heng inquired.
¡°They are two Celestial Men from our Purple Tenuity constetion, known respectively as ¡®The Supreme¡¯ and ¡®Celestial Man¡¯,¡± the figure from the Five Emperors¡¯ inner seat said. Soon, he led Zhou Heng deeper into the Purple Tenuity Pce.
Suddenly, Zhou Heng saw a starry sky.
A starry sky that waspletely different from this world, yet one he found strangely familiar, almost identical to the view of the stars from Earth.
Moreover, it was divided into celestial regions, with star charts drawn on it.
In the very center was ¡°Ziwei Enclosure,¡± where purple aura rose majestically¡ªthe epitome of splendor. To the sides were ¡°Taiwei Enclosure¡± and ¡°Tian Market Enclosure,¡± but their starlight was dim, nowhere near as bright as that of ¡°Ziwei Enclosure.¡±
Around the three enclosures were the twenty-eight constetions, encircling the four symbols: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and ck Tortoise. Among them, only the Azure Dragon emitted a blue light, while the other three symbols were also dim.
¡°The Three Enclosures and the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Three Enclosures and the Twenty-Eight Mansions! It¡¯s actually true!!¡± Zhou Heng¡¯s eyes widened as a storm raged in his heart.
He had his suspicions when he heard names like Xuan Ge, Tian Ji, Tian Xuan, and figures from the Five Emperors¡¯ inner seat; now, finally, he confirmed that this was a true ¡°thing¡± rted to Earth that he had encountered in this world.
The starry sky of this world was entirely different from that of Earth, and there were no tales of Earth¡¯s celestial patterns or Star Officers. Yet now, he was looking at a star chart based on Earth¡¯s sky.
¡°It¡¯s quite a sight, isn¡¯t it?¡± the figure from the Five Emperors¡¯ inner seat saw Zhou Heng staring at the starry sky and wasn¡¯t surprised, he smiled and said, ¡°I was also very shocked the first time I saw this starry sky, which was so different from the outside world, yet felt incredibly real.
¡°This is the Zhou Tian Star Chart, a remnant left by a deity who once lived in the Purple Tenuity Pce; however, in Da Qi, only the Ziwei Enclosure and the seven mansions of the Azure Dragon remain.
¡°Be calm andposed, close your eyes, feel the star energy around you, and you will perceive the energy that fits best with you¡ªthat will be your Star Officer position.¡±
Chapter 139: 139: Middle Sky North Pole
Chapter 139: Middle Sky North Pole
The chart of the stars and constetions of Zhou Tian, remnants left by a certain deity who once resided in the Purple Tenuity Pce.
Gazing at the vast starry sky, Zhou Heng couldn¡¯t help but be entranced.
He couldn¡¯t resist thinking about various things on Earth, wondering if the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer or this Purple Tenuity Pce really had any connection with Earth.
If unrted, why would there be a star chart of Earth¡¯s three enclosures and twenty-eight mansions here?
If rted, what exactly was the connection with Earth, and would he ever have a chance to return to Earth?
The Grandmaster of the Inner Seating saw Zhou Heng hesitating to activate his Inner Qi to sense the ster forces, and couldn¡¯t help but frown. Just as he was about to urge him on, he suddenly noticed the ster forces around him beginning to surge.
Almost the instant he perceived the ster forces surging, a majestic and nearly infinite stream of ster power suddenly fell from the starry sky, like the Star River pouring down, descending in front of Zhou Heng.
Subsequently, the entire Purple Tenuity Enclosure lit up, and billowing purple Qi, following the starlight, also descended, swirling around Zhou Heng as if it were guarding him.
The Grandmaster of the Inner Seating had just about to speak when he swallowed his words, staring dumbfounded at everything before him, his face filled with disbelief.
What¡¯s happening?
What on earth is going on??
It wasn¡¯t his first time bringing someone here to determine their Star Officer position, but previously only the corresponding Star Officer would brighten significantly, while the others stayed the same without any reaction.
But what¡¯s happening now?
Zhou Heng hadn¡¯t even activated his Inner Qi to sense the ster forces yet, so how had he caused such amotion?
Which Star Officer was hepatible with?
To nearly shake the entire Purple Tenuity Enclosure was just too bizarre.
Could it be a Taiyi Star Officer, ranking close to Lord Tianyi?
Tianyi is one of the two leaders of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officers today.
It is said that when he first sensed the ster forces, he too shook the entire star chart of the Purple Tenuity Enclosure, but there was no mention of ster power and purple Qi descending from the starry sky!
This is too strange!
But what followed was a scene that made the Grandmaster of the Inner Seating even more doubtful of life.
After the entire Purple Tenuity Enclosure lit up brightly with both starlight and purple Qi, the Azure Dragon¡¯s seven mansions also brightened, casting down beams of light that fell before Zhou Heng.
Then, the previously dim Pce of Taiwei and the Market Enclosure, as well as the twenty-one mansions of the White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and ck Tortoise thatcked any brightness, also lit up.
Their brilliance dazzled, shining to the utmost degree.
¡°They¡¯re all lit up, all lit up! Unprecedented, truly unprecedented!¡± The Grandmaster of the Inner Seating was immensely shocked, this was a scenario he had never seen or even heard of before.
The chart of the stars of Zhou Tian indeed contained aplete set of the three enclosures and twenty-eight mansions, and even parts beyond these, but they had always been dim and lightless.
Because on the side of Da Qi, only parts of the Purple Tenuity Enclosure and the Azure Dragon¡¯s seven mansions were present.
The Grandmaster of the Inner Seating had never seen all these Star Officers truly brighten before, and he hadn¡¯t expected to see it under such circumstances.
Even more bizarre was that.
This tremendous disy of power was all converging upon Zhou Heng!
¡°Could it be that Zhou Heng truly is the reincarnation of a great power, and moreover, one with significant ties to both the Zhou Tian Boundary Officers and the Purple Tenuity Pce?¡± The Grandmaster of the Inner Seating¡¯s gaze was almost stupefied as he watched the Star Officers continuously descend, thinking to himself, ¡°My heavens, this is epassing almost half of the star chart.¡±
At this moment, all the stars and Star Officers on the chart of the stars of Zhou Tian had lit up, casting down their light, following which these lights condensed into concrete forms.
Some were human-shaped, some were animals, and some were even objects or abstract concepts, all aligning with the symbolic representation of the Star Officers on the three enclosures and twenty-eight mansions.
¡°What is this, the Star Officers of Zhou Tian all arriving together??¡±
The Grandmaster of the Inner Seating felt that the scene before himpletely surpassed hisprehension, even considering whether to call in The Supreme and Celestial Man of Heavenly Principles from outside, to see what all this really meant.
But he quickly suppressed the urge, barely calming his emotions, and stood not far off, silently watching Zhou Heng, waiting for him to truly determine his final Star Officer.
¡°With such a grandmotion, this young man must match up with a Star Officer of no ordinary significance,¡± the Grandmaster of the Inner Seating awaited with anticipation, thinking, ¡°Even if it¡¯s not Taiyi, it could also be Gou Chen, or one of the Six Jia¡¡±
And it was at this moment.
The recently formed figures of the Zhou Tian Star Officers began to gather and merge into one another, ovepping in the process.
A few breaths of time passed.
The ¡°starlight,¡± symbolizing the Star Officers, truly converged and fused together, eventually forming a mask ascending with purplish qi, flowing with starlight, painted with imperial visage, and emanating a mystique and majestic charm.
Zhou Heng had, just moments before, involuntarily participated in the moment of resonance between the star power and his Inner Qi, and now that the star powers had unified, he naturally came slightly back to his senses.
His gaze fell on the mask floating in mid-air, magnificent and mysterious.
This time, he did not hesitate but took a step forward and took the mask in his hands.
Holding the mask, it felt lighter than air, and he did not know what material it was made of.
Zhou Heng was somewhat curious.
Immediately after, he once again heard the praise that he had heard on that star path before.
Only this time, what he heard was clearer and moreprehensive.
It was as if countless people were chanting in unison, praying together with utmost devotion, sounding very impactful.
¡°Daluotianque, Ziwei Star Pce.
¡°Revered at the heights of the North Pole, positioned above the center of the heavens.
¡°Named the Golden Chakra¡¯s Burning Splendor, Dao known as the Jade Dipper¡¯s Profound Honor.
¡°Rotating Jixuan and Yuheng align with the Seven Governments, governing the celestial metrics and earthly measures.
¡°Sun, moon, and stars mark the four seasons, traveling the Yellow Path and the Purple Enclosure.
¡°Grandmaster of Myriad Forms, Sovereign over All Heavens.
¡°Great Compassion, Great Desire, Great Holiness, Great Mercy.
¡°Sect Hierarch of Myriad Stars, Supreme Sovereign without Limits.
¡°Mid-heaven¡¯s Ziwei, Emperor of the North Pole.¡±
This was the Purple Tenuity Edict!
Zhou Heng¡¯s mind was filled with surprise and uncertainty; he had seen this in his past life as well.
This was clearly the edict of the Daoist Deity Ziwei the Great.
The content of the edict described the Great Emperor of the North Pole in the Purple Tenuity, one of the Four Imperial Majesties.
He presided over all stars, governed allws, ruled over Fengdu, the master of all celestial bodies.
Without a doubt, the ruler of the Three Enclosures and the Twenty-Eight Mansions was Ziwei the Great.
¡°Why would I hear the chanting of the edict of Ziwei the Great?¡± Zhou Heng¡¯s brow furrowed as he looked at the mask in his hand and thought, ¡°Could it be rted to this mask, the matching Star Officer for me, could it be¡¡±
¡°Young friend, put on the mask once, and you shall receive the information and inheritance of the Star Officer,¡± spoke over the Inner Seat of the Five Emperors at this moment, looking at Zhou Heng with anticipation and smiling, ¡°Themotion you¡¯ve caused is truly great, I¡¯m very curious to know which Star Officer¡¯s position is yours.¡±
¡°Hmm,¡± Zhou Heng nodded slightly, donning the mask made of starlight and purple qi on his face, and instantly, his entire being emanated an air of mystery and nobility,pletely transforming his aura.
Innumerable pieces of information poured forth from the mask, yet not a single one was jarring; they flowed before his eyes like gentle streams.
This made Zhou Heng aware of the identity and the name of the Star Officer that the mask represented.
¡°What is it?¡± the Inner Seat of the Five Emperors inquired.
Zhou Heng paused briefly, then said, ¡°Ziwei.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Note: The Purple Tenuity Edict has 116 characters, and this chapter has 2128 characters, so that part is not charged for. Please do not say I¡¯m padding the word count~
Chapter 141: 141: The Wishing "Pond
Chapter 141: The Wishing ¡°Pond
The Star Sea realm was not located anywhere specific and didn¡¯t even have a real passageway.
One only needed to concentrate within the Purple Tenuity Pce, focus their beliefs on the mask, and silently chant ¡°Star Sea realm¡± to directly enter it, a method that had already gone beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
Zhou Heng, following this sensation, stepped into a stretch of starry space, and to his amazement, he saw that it was an infinite expanse of darkness, with an incredibly gigantic fireball suspended in the void in the distance.
Even though he knew there was a dazzlingly vast distance between him and this great fireball, just by looking at it, he could feel that it contained an immensely vast amount of energy.
¡°What is this, a star?!¡± Zhou Heng eximed in shock, his face showing an expression of disbelief.
He had originally thought that the so-called ¡°Star Sea realm¡± was just a name and that it would be an independent space simr to You Ziheng¡¯s cave dwelling.
But now, it seemed that this was not the case.
This Star Sea realm actually contained stars, though whether they were real or not, Zhou Heng wasn¡¯t sure, as he looked in other directions to find simr fireballs at distances too far to discern clearly.
¡°Quite shocking, isn¡¯t it?¡± The Zhou Tian Boundary Officer came to Zhou Heng¡¯s side and smiled, ¡°See that great fireball? In the outer star space, such fireball-like celestial bodiesmonly exist.
¡°Don¡¯t think of it as just a fireball that doesn¡¯t seem very big; it¡¯s only because we are so far away. This great fireball holds extremely terrifying power.
¡°If it fell into the world, it could burn mountains and boil oceans.¡±
Burn mountains and boil oceans?
Zhou Heng was taken aback and turned his head to look at the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer.
What the heck.
This is a star, right? Is that all it can do, burn mountains and boil seas??
Maybe it just looks like a star?
Could there be a fundamental difference?
Indeed, that could be possible.
¡°No need to be surprised, there are far too many simr fireballs in this Star Sea realm.¡± The Zhou Tian Boundary Officer smiled, patted Zhou Heng¡¯s shoulder lightly, and said, ¡°Come, let¡¯s go to the Wishing Pool.¡±
As he spoke, Zhou Heng saw the great fireball speeding away, and in the blink of an eye, it was reduced to a mere speck of light, then after a little while, he discovered more and more specks forming a long river.
Eventually, the nearly infinite points of light gathered into a silver river stretching across the dark cosmic starry sky, much like a starlit Milky Way.
¡°Holy shit¡¡± Zhou Heng nearly cursed aloud at the sight. What the hell was this? This was a gxy containing who knows how many billion stars!
The Milky Way was just like this!
This must be fake, definitely not as vast as a true gxy, absolutely not.
The scene before himpletely overturned his previous understanding of the world.
A person who had lived for twenty-one years in Earth¡¯s technological society and barely three years in this world, whose interactions with martial artists were mostly at the ¡°Wuxia¡± level, and the strongest had only reached the level of moving mountains and filling seas¡ª
Suddenly witnessing the endless stars gathering into a river before his eyes, seeing the dark and profound, boundless universe.
Such a feeling was truly indescribable in words.
¡°If this is really in cosmic space, then how can I still breathe, still talk, still feel as if I¡¯m on solid ground?¡± Zhou Heng suddenly realized something and became puzzled.
However, the moment his spirit concentrated, he immediately sensed an invisible barrier wrapping around him and the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer,pletely isting them from the outside world.
It was because of this barrier that he had not noticed anything abnormal.
And it was because of this barrier that all kinds of harmful rays and so forth were kept outside.
The Boundary Officer¡¯s rapid movement just now must have been aided by the power of this barrier.
After all, he had gone from a ce where he could see a star like a fireball, to here where what he could see had turned into an endless sea formed by those points.
Such a span of distance was truly too exaggerated.
If one were to measure by the actual scale of the universe,
just now, within the Emperor¡¯s Inner Court, Zhou Heng had been carried across countless tens of thousands of light years in an instant.
For someone of Fourth Rank martial artist, this waspletely impossible.
¡°That was a star river, made up of hundreds of billions of giant fireballs like the ones we just saw, and some other celestial bodies. Hmm, I guess exining more would be beyond your understanding,¡± realizing Zhou Heng might not yet have touched upon this knowledge, the Emperor¡¯s Inner Court refrained from further details, ¡°You only need to know that this star river is actually one of many that flow out from the Wishing Pool.¡±
¡°¡¡± Hearing this, Zhou Heng fell into a long silence. A star river flowing out?
What on Earth was the Wishing Pool?
With such doubts, he arrived with the Emperor¡¯s Inner Court at a jade terrace built within the profound emptiness of space.
This jade terrace was about nine feet long, six feet wide, and twelve feet high, suspended motionless in the void.
Neat jade steps led upward from the bottom to the top of the terrace.
Zhou Heng and the Emperor¡¯s Inner Court stepped onto the jade stairs and climbed up to the terrace, then he suddenly found the scene before his eyes change dramatically, revealing sights previously unseen.
He saw that the previously empty universe was now filled with a shimmering giant star ocean, suspended in the void, vastlyrger than any star river Zhou Heng had seen before.
Thousands, even tens of thousands, or more tributaries of star rivers flowed out from this giant star ocean, each enacting different rules and principles, radiating diverse glows.
¡°Do you see it?¡± The Emperor¡¯s Inner Court looked at Zhou Heng, pointing to the immense star ocean, and smiled, ¡°This is the Wishing Pool.¡±
¡°The, the Wishing Pool??¡± Although Zhou Heng had already heard this term, hearing it now still felt unbelievably incredible. His expression was one of shock as he said, ¡°Does the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer manage this, this so-called ¡®Pool¡¯??¡±
A damned Wishing Pool.
Who has ever seen a ¡°pool¡±rger than countless tens of thousands of gxies??
It¡¯s preposterous.
¡°Not at all,¡± the Emperor¡¯s Inner Court shook his head with a lightugh, ¡°Of course, that is not our term for it. The Wishing Pool is a name left by the Ziwei Master; how could we dare to change it lightly?¡±
¡°The name given by the Ziwei Master? That makes sense,¡± Zhou Heng slightly nodded upon hearing this.
That way, it seemed more eptable. For a supreme authority like the Ziwei Master of the North Pole, the master of stars, naming such a star ocean a ¡®pool¡¯ didn¡¯t seem wrong at all.
¡°However, for us, the effect of this star ocean is indeed no different from a Wishing Pool,¡± the Emperor¡¯s Inner Court said with a slight smile, continuing to exin to Zhou Heng:
¡°Our official members have the chance toe here once every three months. By stepping onto the jade terrace and silently reciting their wishes in their hearts, if the Wishing Pool acknowledges the wish, you will naturally know how much good deeds are needed to fulfill that wish.¡±
¡°If there¡¯s only one chance every three months, what if the wish recited this time is not acknowledged?¡± Zhou Heng asked.
¡°Then you can only wait toe back after three months to change the wish,¡± the Emperor¡¯s Inner Court said, ¡°So before you really make a wish, you must think carefully, it¡¯s not good to waste the opportunity.
¡°Hmm, I¡¯ve also umted some tricks over the years. The more urate the description of the wish, the clearer the logic, the more it conforms to reality, and the smaller and more detailed it is, the more likely it is to be acknowledged.
¡°Of course, aside from those overly outrageous wishes, like bing Divine First Rank, ruling the world, or immortality, which are definitely not going to be acknowledged, even if it¡¯s a concise and precise description, there¡¯s a good chance it will be acknowledged.
¡°Ziwei, you can try,¡± the Emperor¡¯s Inner Court encouraged.
¡°But I¡¯m not yet a full member,¡± Zhou Heng frowned and said.
¡°You have obtained the position of Star Officer, so you are actually an official member already, justckingpletion of three tasks, and the organizational procedure has not been concluded,¡± the Emperor¡¯s Inner Court exined with a smile, ¡°Therefore, you can try making a wish.¡±
¡°Alright,¡± Zhou Heng nodded, gazing at the vast and boundless star ocean, which was curiously called a ¡°pool,¡± he focused his mind and fell into deep thought.
What wish should he attempt to make?
And how should he describe it?
Chapter 141: 141: The Wishing "Pond
Chapter 141: The Wishing ¡°Pond
The Star Sea realm was not located anywhere specific and didn¡¯t even have a real passageway.
One only needed to concentrate within the Purple Tenuity Pce, focus their beliefs on the mask, and silently chant ¡°Star Sea realm¡± to directly enter it, a method that had already gone beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
Zhou Heng, following this sensation, stepped into a stretch of starry space, and to his amazement, he saw that it was an infinite expanse of darkness, with an incredibly gigantic fireball suspended in the void in the distance.
Even though he knew there was a dazzlingly vast distance between him and this great fireball, just by looking at it, he could feel that it contained an immensely vast amount of energy.
¡°What is this, a star?!¡± Zhou Heng eximed in shock, his face showing an expression of disbelief.
He had originally thought that the so-called ¡°Star Sea realm¡± was just a name and that it would be an independent space simr to You Ziheng¡¯s cave dwelling.
But now, it seemed that this was not the case.
This Star Sea realm actually contained stars, though whether they were real or not, Zhou Heng wasn¡¯t sure, as he looked in other directions to find simr fireballs at distances too far to discern clearly.
¡°Quite shocking, isn¡¯t it?¡± The Zhou Tian Boundary Officer came to Zhou Heng¡¯s side and smiled, ¡°See that great fireball? In the outer star space, such fireball-like celestial bodiesmonly exist.
¡°Don¡¯t think of it as just a fireball that doesn¡¯t seem very big; it¡¯s only because we are so far away. This great fireball holds extremely terrifying power.
¡°If it fell into the world, it could burn mountains and boil oceans.¡±
Burn mountains and boil oceans?
Zhou Heng was taken aback and turned his head to look at the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer.
What the heck.
This is a star, right? Is that all it can do, burn mountains and boil seas??
Maybe it just looks like a star?
Could there be a fundamental difference?
Indeed, that could be possible.
¡°No need to be surprised, there are far too many simr fireballs in this Star Sea realm.¡± The Zhou Tian Boundary Officer smiled, patted Zhou Heng¡¯s shoulder lightly, and said, ¡°Come, let¡¯s go to the Wishing Pool.¡±
As he spoke, Zhou Heng saw the great fireball speeding away, and in the blink of an eye, it was reduced to a mere speck of light, then after a little while, he discovered more and more specks forming a long river.
Eventually, the nearly infinite points of light gathered into a silver river stretching across the dark cosmic starry sky, much like a starlit Milky Way.
¡°Holy shit¡¡± Zhou Heng nearly cursed aloud at the sight. What the hell was this? This was a gxy containing who knows how many billion stars!
The Milky Way was just like this!
This must be fake, definitely not as vast as a true gxy, absolutely not.
The scene before himpletely overturned his previous understanding of the world.
A person who had lived for twenty-one years in Earth¡¯s technological society and barely three years in this world, whose interactions with martial artists were mostly at the ¡°Wuxia¡± level, and the strongest had only reached the level of moving mountains and filling seas¡ª
Suddenly witnessing the endless stars gathering into a river before his eyes, seeing the dark and profound, boundless universe.
Such a feeling was truly indescribable in words.
¡°If this is really in cosmic space, then how can I still breathe, still talk, still feel as if I¡¯m on solid ground?¡± Zhou Heng suddenly realized something and became puzzled.
However, the moment his spirit concentrated, he immediately sensed an invisible barrier wrapping around him and the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer,pletely isting them from the outside world.
It was because of this barrier that he had not noticed anything abnormal.
And it was because of this barrier that all kinds of harmful rays and so forth were kept outside.
The Boundary Officer¡¯s rapid movement just now must have been aided by the power of this barrier.
After all, he had gone from a ce where he could see a star like a fireball, to here where what he could see had turned into an endless sea formed by those points.
Such a span of distance was truly too exaggerated.
If one were to measure by the actual scale of the universe,
just now, within the Emperor¡¯s Inner Court, Zhou Heng had been carried across countless tens of thousands of light years in an instant.
For someone of Fourth Rank martial artist, this waspletely impossible.
¡°That was a star river, made up of hundreds of billions of giant fireballs like the ones we just saw, and some other celestial bodies. Hmm, I guess exining more would be beyond your understanding,¡± realizing Zhou Heng might not yet have touched upon this knowledge, the Emperor¡¯s Inner Court refrained from further details, ¡°You only need to know that this star river is actually one of many that flow out from the Wishing Pool.¡±
¡°¡¡± Hearing this, Zhou Heng fell into a long silence. A star river flowing out?
What on Earth was the Wishing Pool?
With such doubts, he arrived with the Emperor¡¯s Inner Court at a jade terrace built within the profound emptiness of space.
This jade terrace was about nine feet long, six feet wide, and twelve feet high, suspended motionless in the void.
Neat jade steps led upward from the bottom to the top of the terrace.
Zhou Heng and the Emperor¡¯s Inner Court stepped onto the jade stairs and climbed up to the terrace, then he suddenly found the scene before his eyes change dramatically, revealing sights previously unseen.
He saw that the previously empty universe was now filled with a shimmering giant star ocean, suspended in the void, vastlyrger than any star river Zhou Heng had seen before.
Thousands, even tens of thousands, or more tributaries of star rivers flowed out from this giant star ocean, each enacting different rules and principles, radiating diverse glows.
¡°Do you see it?¡± The Emperor¡¯s Inner Court looked at Zhou Heng, pointing to the immense star ocean, and smiled, ¡°This is the Wishing Pool.¡±
¡°The, the Wishing Pool??¡± Although Zhou Heng had already heard this term, hearing it now still felt unbelievably incredible. His expression was one of shock as he said, ¡°Does the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer manage this, this so-called ¡®Pool¡¯??¡±
A damned Wishing Pool.
Who has ever seen a ¡°pool¡±rger than countless tens of thousands of gxies??
It¡¯s preposterous.
¡°Not at all,¡± the Emperor¡¯s Inner Court shook his head with a lightugh, ¡°Of course, that is not our term for it. The Wishing Pool is a name left by the Ziwei Master; how could we dare to change it lightly?¡±
¡°The name given by the Ziwei Master? That makes sense,¡± Zhou Heng slightly nodded upon hearing this.
That way, it seemed more eptable. For a supreme authority like the Ziwei Master of the North Pole, the master of stars, naming such a star ocean a ¡®pool¡¯ didn¡¯t seem wrong at all.
¡°However, for us, the effect of this star ocean is indeed no different from a Wishing Pool,¡± the Emperor¡¯s Inner Court said with a slight smile, continuing to exin to Zhou Heng:
¡°Our official members have the chance toe here once every three months. By stepping onto the jade terrace and silently reciting their wishes in their hearts, if the Wishing Pool acknowledges the wish, you will naturally know how much good deeds are needed to fulfill that wish.¡±
¡°If there¡¯s only one chance every three months, what if the wish recited this time is not acknowledged?¡± Zhou Heng asked.
¡°Then you can only wait toe back after three months to change the wish,¡± the Emperor¡¯s Inner Court said, ¡°So before you really make a wish, you must think carefully, it¡¯s not good to waste the opportunity.
¡°Hmm, I¡¯ve also umted some tricks over the years. The more urate the description of the wish, the clearer the logic, the more it conforms to reality, and the smaller and more detailed it is, the more likely it is to be acknowledged.
¡°Of course, aside from those overly outrageous wishes, like bing Divine First Rank, ruling the world, or immortality, which are definitely not going to be acknowledged, even if it¡¯s a concise and precise description, there¡¯s a good chance it will be acknowledged.
¡°Ziwei, you can try,¡± the Emperor¡¯s Inner Court encouraged.
¡°But I¡¯m not yet a full member,¡± Zhou Heng frowned and said.
¡°You have obtained the position of Star Officer, so you are actually an official member already, justckingpletion of three tasks, and the organizational procedure has not been concluded,¡± the Emperor¡¯s Inner Court exined with a smile, ¡°Therefore, you can try making a wish.¡±
¡°Alright,¡± Zhou Heng nodded, gazing at the vast and boundless star ocean, which was curiously called a ¡°pool,¡± he focused his mind and fell into deep thought.
What wish should he attempt to make?
And how should he describe it?
Chapter 142: 142: Speculations on Messaging
Chapter 142: Spections on Messaging
Zhou Heng had many wishes.
He wanted to know why he had transmigrated to this world, to understand the rtionship between this world and Earth, and to figure out how he could return.
Besides that, there was the whereabouts of his parents in this world, whether they had anything to do with his transmigration, what lied within the forbiddennds of the West Wastnd, and so on.
If it were possible to make an unconditional wish, Zhou Heng would definitely wish for the ability to freely travel between this world and Earth. He wanted to go back first to assure his parents he was okay and tell them not to worry, to pretend he was just working ¡°abroad.¡±
And he could also return home often.
The very thought was extremely tempting.
But it was unrealistic.
First of all, Zhou Heng did not know whether the wishes made here would be recorded.
If they were to be recorded, even if the Wishing Pool did not grant the wish, it would most likely leave a mark.
That would expose his identity as a transmigrator, which could lead to unpredictable consequences.
This couldn¡¯t be done.
Wishes rted to his previous life must not be made, at least not until he had enough strength.
It was very dangerous.
Then what wish should he make?
Should it be for a longer lifespan, some special abilities, or toplete his iplete martial arts?
If he were to make these wishes, how should he describe them?
For a moment, Zhou Heng found himself in the throes of choice paralysis, unable to decide exactly what kind of wish to make.
Should he wish for a breakthrough from his current bottleneck and step directly into Seventh Rank?
When Zhou Heng thought about this, he did feel somewhat tempted.
But then he immediately realized that he could not guarantee there wouldn¡¯t be hidden dangers in using a wish to break through, nor did he know if it would affect his future cultivation.
So, after careful consideration, he decided to give up this idea and continued to ponder.
Seeing that Zhou Heng seemed to be indecisive and lost in thought, the Inner Seat of the Five Emperors smiled and reminded him, ¡°Actually, I suggest you not make too great a wish to start with, as it will require a vast amount of good deeds. With your current strength, you simply can¡¯t umte enough, and it will only waste your opportunity to make a wish.¡±
¡°Ah?¡± Zhou Heng was startled at first, then felt a bit embarrassed and said, ¡°Senior, can you tell that I¡¯m struggling with some grand wishes?¡±
¡°Haha.¡± The Inner Seat of the Five Emperorsughed and said, ¡°Do you know what I wished for the first time I came here?¡±
¡°What?¡± Zhou Heng asked curiously, as this could serve as a reference.
¡°I made a wish to improve my Taoist forms aptitude,¡± the Inner Seat of the Five Emperors sighed. ¡°This was after some consideration, giving up some bigger wishes. However, the amount of good deeds required was still out of reach for someone who was only at the Sixth Rank of the Martial Path at the time.¡±
To improve Taoist forms aptitude, wasn¡¯t that the same as enhancing one¡¯s Spiritual Root?
Zhou Heng thought of the ¡°Spiritual Root +1¡± basic attribute he had previously acquired, which had now be ¡°Spiritual Root +2.¡± So this could also be achieved with a wish.
It was just unknown how many good deeds it would require.
But the amount of good deeds that even someone at the Sixth Rank of the Martial Path found unattainable was surely not a small number.
¡°Does senior have any suggestions?¡± Zhou Heng asked.
¡°I suggest you make some small and detailed wishes, ones that you really need right now, such as for weapons, martial arts, elixirs, and other tangible things,¡± the Inner Seat of the Five Emperors exined. He added, ¡°By the way, wishing for tangible things is much simpler than intangibles, and requires far fewer good deeds.¡±
¡°Hmm, I understand, thank you, senior.¡± Zhou Heng nodded and, after some thinking, decided to start with what he currently needed.
A handy de-grade knife weapon.
Now, both his sword and gloves were of de grade, but his knife was still merely amon hundred-refined weapon. Even though he could use the ¡°+2 Sharpness¡± attribute to enhance it, overall it stillgged behind.
It would be good to take this opportunity to get a suitable knife and also see how many good deeds were needed for a de-grade weapon, to make aparison with items of a simr level.
But how to describe it?
Following the advice of the Inner Seat of the Five Emperors, the more urate and logically clear the description of the wish, and the closer to reality and finer the detail, the more likely it was to be granted.
¡°This seems to be simr to the requirements of a ¡®prophecy¡¯ I received earlier. Is there some connection?¡± Zhou Heng¡¯s thoughts diverged and, after more contemtion, he came up with a precise description.
¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind,¡± Zhou Heng said.
¡°Good, then I will step down,¡± the Inner Seat of the Five Emperors nodded and descended from the jade tform.
When making a wish, only one person could be on the jade tform so the silently chanted wish could be conveyed to the ¡°Wishing Pool.¡± If there were two people, the wish would not transmit.
¡°I wish for a knife weapon of de grade that suits my build, contains thunder properties, is rtively light, and ideally has some enhancement for speed.¡±
Zhou Heng silently recited his wish in his mind and after about three breaths, he received feedback.
It required five hundred good deeds.
And while receiving the feedback, a stream of light shed on the jade tform, and Zhou Heng was directly transported from the tform to the bottom of the stairs, standing next to the Inner Seat of the Five Emperors.
¡°After each wish is made, if there isn¡¯t enough stored virtue in the mask, one will be teleported off the Jade tform,¡± said a smiling officer from the inner circle of the Five Emperors. ¡°How much virtue does your wish require?¡±
Asking someone what their wish was is very impolite, but inquiring about the amount of virtue required is quite a normal affair.
This also made it easier for him to select an appropriate task for Zhou Heng.
¡°Five hundred,¡± Zhou Heng answered truthfully and asked, ¡°Is that a lot?¡±
¡°Not too much, not too little,¡± the officer from the inner circle of the Five Emperors pondered for a moment and said, ¡°The transitional tasks that one starts with usually reward between fifty to a hundred virtue points. Most of these tasks are purely investigational and don¡¯t involvebat.
¡°If it¡¯s a task involvingbat, then it starts at a hundred virtue points, with tasks at the Lower Third Rank generally going up to a maximum of three hundred.
¡°Additionally, there are virtue rewards for eliminate ghosts and evil creatures.
¡°Fifty virtue points for Ninth Grade levels, eighty for Eighth Grade levels, and a hundred for Seventh Rank.¡±
¡°Looking at it this way, five hundred virtue points really doesn¡¯t seem like a lot,¡± Zhou Heng said with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s good, at least it¡¯s motivating and not an unattainable number.¡±
¡°It¡¯s because the wish you made was quite pragmatic,¡± the officer from the inner circle of the Five Emperors sighed and said with a wry smile, ¡°When I made a wish to improve my ability in Taoist forms, it required thirty thousand virtue points.
¡°Moreover, after stepping into the Middle Third Rank, killing Lower Third Rank ghosts only yields ten percent of the original virtue reward, making it even more difficult.¡±
Thirty thousand¡ that¡¯s rather excessive. Even if one kept killing Seventh Rank ghosts, that would mean extinguishing three thousand of them. And ghosts are adept at hiding; they¡¯re not so easy to find, are they?
¡°Has senior¡¯s wishe true then?¡± Zhou Heng asked curiously.
¡°Although the process was quite arduous, in the end, it was fulfilled,¡± said the officer from the inner circle of the Five Emperors with a smile: ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. From now on, you can pay attention to the information in your mask; tasks will be assigned.
¡°The initial three tasks are distributed by the inviter. Once you be an official member, you will have to choose for yourself from among those tasks listed.¡±
¡°This mask can also receive information?¡± Zhou Heng said in surprise. ¡°Are there no distance limitations?¡±
¡°None,¡± the officer from the inner circle of the Five Emperorsughed. ¡°The mask is essentially a part of the Zhou Tian Star Chart, and the information is distributed through this Unique Divine Weapon.
¡°Its essence is extremely high, sufficient to cover vast spaces. However, if one must speak of limitations, it¡¯s not rted to distance, but to region. You can only receive messages within the territory of Da Qi; outside of it, you cannot.¡±
So, it¡¯s a local areawork¡ Zhou Heng silently criticized in his mind.
But such a ¡°localwork¡± with extensive coverage was still incredible. The territory of Da Qi¡¯s thirty-three states was massive, and the ability to send messages over such distances without hindrance was truly powerful.
¡°Then, is it possible for members of the organization to contact each other?¡± Zhou Heng asked curiously, thinking of real-timemunication as a young man who had lived in the inte age on Earth.
¡°You mean for members to send messages across distances through their masks?¡± The officer from the inner circle of the Five Emperors grasped Zhou Heng¡¯s intention and said with a smile, ¡°This idea is good, but unfortunately, we cannot achieve that at the moment.¡±
After that, the officer from the inner circle of the Five Emperors exined in detail to Zhou Heng why it was not possible.
In fact, this idea had been proposed shortly after the establishment of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer, but attempts to implement it revealed that it simply could not be realized.
The Zhou Tian Boundary Officer could only distribute information through the Zhou Tian Star Chart to the masks, but the masks couldn¡¯t send information in the reverse direction. Thus, the transmission of information was one-way, only distributing task information to the masks.
And even if the masks could send information back, to enablemunication between two or more masks, a ry station would need to be built into the Zhou Tian Star Chart.
However, that required someone with a very high level of control over the Zhou Tian Star Chart, which no one at the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer had yet achieved, not even a Second Rank Tao Lord.
It was said that the two leaders spected that it may not solely rte to one¡¯s cultivation realm.
¡°I see,¡± Zhou Heng said, somewhat disappointed. He had thought he might relive the experience of using chatting apps in this world, but it seemed not feasible.
However, from the words of the officer from the inner circle of the Five Emperors, he learned another important piece of information: if the Zhou Tian Star Chart could cover vast spaces and ignore distance, could the Purple Tenuity Pce do the same?
With this thought, Zhou Heng¡¯s eyes brightened, and he inquired, ¡°Senior, since the Zhou Tian Star Chart can transmit messages regardless of distance, can the Purple Tenuity Pce also have the same feature, allowing us to enter it anytime and anywhere?¡±
He remembered that previously, the officer from the inner circle of the Five Emperors had just appeared out of thin air, and had also directly brought him from the outside into this strange void where the Purple Tenuity Pce was located.
¡°Where would such good fortunee from?¡± The officer from the inner circle of the Five Emperorsughed and said, ¡°However, what you said isn¡¯t entirely wrong; in theory, we could indeed enter the Purple Tenuity Pce from anywhere in this world.
¡°But our control over Purple Tenuity Pce is not sufficient to do sopletely at will. We can only establish entry points in certain specific locations to facilitate entry and exit.
¡°However, if one¡¯s cultivation reaches Fifth Rank, converts True Qi into Mana, and weaves it with principles to condense a Dharma Phase, then using some special talisman and spiritual guidance, one can descend directly from the Purple Tenuity Pce to the location of the spiritual guidance.
¡°Mm,ter on, I will send you the entrance locations of the Purple Tenuity Pce near each prefecture¡¯s city and the corresponding seal spell forms, along with the assigned tasks,¡± he said.
With that, Zhou Heng¡¯s initial induction process into the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer was almostplete. Next, after he finished three tasks, he would be a formal member.
The officer from the inner circle of the Five Emperors sent Zhou Heng and his jujube-red horse back to the road they were on before departing again.
He had to go back and select suitable tasks for Zhou Heng.
Afterward, Zhou Heng resumed his journey to the Chang Xing Sect, but along the way, he kept seeing urgent hoof prints, as if horses had just recently passed.
These meant that someone had been galloping along this road at high speed.
And judging by the hoof prints, it wasn¡¯t just one horse but at least three, which seemed to be in pursuit of someone.
However, the horses were close together, and ahead there were no traces of someone attempting to escape on horseback.
Who were they pursuing?
Suddenly, an idea shed through Zhou Heng¡¯s mind, and he frowned, murmuring to himself with some uncertainty, ¡°This¡ couldn¡¯t be a pursuit for me, could it?¡±
Chapter 143: 143: Horse Stepping on Red Lotus, The Roadside Inn
Chapter 143: Horse Stepping on Red Lotus, The Roadside Inn
¡°If someone really rode out of Huangtong Mansion City to chase me, it would likely be Master Lin, Leader Lei, and Yu He,¡± Zhou Heng looked ahead, pondered briefly, and thought to himself, ¡°Whether it is or isn¡¯t, I¡¯ll know once I catch up.¡±
¡°Giddy up!!¡±
With a fierce shout, the date-red horse he was straddling bolted off. It was like a gust of date-red wind, charging into the distance.
It must be said, this horse definitely qualifies as a steed of a thousand miles.
In every aspect, it far exceeded a normal horse.
But even with such speed, it was probably still hard to catch up to those three horses ahead.
After all, judging from the traces of the hoofprints, those three horses had been galloping for quite some time, and with the date-red horse¡¯s normal speed, it surely wouldn¡¯t catch up.
However, Zhou Heng still had something he had never had the chance to use.
A reward he obtained from opening the Fortune Bag.
¡°Red Lotus Horse Gear [Copper]: Hidden yet visible, as if a lotus blossoming amidst mes, iparably resplendent. It can be equipped on a horse, granting it the ability to spout fire, tread on water, and triple its running speed.¡±
Clip-clop-clip-clop!
The sound of hooves was crisp and clear, as the date-red horse sprinted furiously, but as it galloped with Zhou Heng on its back, mes of crimson suddenly red around it.
The mes rose with the wind, like red lotuses wrapping around the horse, and beneath this fiery shroud, a suit of golden armor as if crafted from golden threads appeared out of thin air, extravagantly reaching the pinnacle of opulence.
The mes and golden armor covered the date-red horse entirely, save for its eyes and mouth, leaving no vulnerable spot unguarded. The zing mes burned fiercely, the heat of the red fire intense, and the speed was now thrice as fast!
When the date-red horse reached its maximum speed, the mes burned even more fiercely, seemingly about to sweep over Zhou Heng, but he was not the least bit panicked.
The mes coiled and spiraled around him like obedient servants, not daring to approach even slightly, and even covered his body with ayer of crimson armor,plete with a helmet crowned by a red lotus.
Although the Red Lotus Horse Gear is said to be wearable by horses to grant them special effects, the rider is actually the true user of the gear.
Therefore, the effects of the Red Lotus Horse Gear also extended to the rider.
When the mes soared to their peak, Zhou Heng was d entirely in Red Lotus armor, entirely shielded. Even the helmet only left his eyes open to the outside world.
At this moment, Zhou Heng and his horse were both shrouded in the fierce red lotus mes, appearing to be a scene not of this world, as if a celestial steed of fire was being driven by a god.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
The intense heat generated fierce heatwaves, causing gales to rise everywhere the date-red horse and Zhou Heng passed.
Thus, the two of them almost formed a bundle of swiftly running red mes, moving as if flying along the road, resembling a blooming red lotus that soared with speed.
Along their path, all who saw the date-red horse were amazed, filled with awe. Many people couldn¡¯t help but rub their eyes, questioning if they had seen wrongly.
Too fast!
Too splendid!
What kind of horse was this, to be bursting with fire all over its body?
And that rider, he seemed to be d entirely in mes too, donning red armor, like a god!
It was incredible!
¡
Lin Cang, Lei Xiuyan, and Yu He had left the city together.
They shared the same purpose.
To catch up to Zhou Heng, stop him, and prevent him from doing something foolish.
What a joke, to challenge the Chang Xing Sect alone was no different from seeking death. Did he really think he was invincible?
They had to stop him!
Yet, even though the three had hastened their pace, by their original estimations, they should have already caught up to Zhou Heng, but they hadn¡¯t seen any sign of him along the way.
Now, it was around noon, with the September sun still scorchingly hot.
Lin Cang and Lei Xiuyan, with their considerable martial arts, could endure it; but Yu He, who was not yet at Entry Rank and just recovering from injuries, was struggling.
By coincidence, they spotted an inn ahead.
Therefore, the three decided to take a brief rest inside and to ask whether the innkeeper had seen Zhou Heng.
But upon approaching the inn, Lin Cang felt something was amiss, his face showing confusion as he scrutinized the surroundings. ¡°Strange, when did an inn open up here?¡±
He had passed by this ce more than two months ago.
Back then, it was nothing but wilderness and withered trees¡ªwhat inn?
How could an inn have been built in such a short amount of time?
¡°Master Lin suspects something¡¯s afoot?¡± Lei Xiuyan frowned as he spoke. Having roamed the martial world in his early years, he was sensitive to such rapid changes, realizing that this could very likely harbor danger.
¡°Possibly,¡± Lin Cang nodded slightly, his expression turning serious as he said, ¡°However, if there really is an issue, then we must go and find out. Zhou is inexperienced in the ways of the martial world. Even if his martial skills are strong, he could still fall victim to a trap.¡±
¡°You mean to say that if there¡¯s something wrong with this inn, it could have ensnared Zhou Heng?¡± Yu He was shocked and anxiously eximed, ¡°Then we should hurry over and check. What if we¡¯re toote and Zhou Heng has been chopped up into dumplings! ¡±
¡°You kid, I told you to cut down on the story-telling at tea houses, but you won¡¯t change,¡± Lin Cang flicked Yu He¡¯s forehead and said, ¡°Rest assured, it probably isn¡¯t that serious; it might just be an ordinary inn after all.
¡°Leader Lei, Yu He, let¡¯s just stay vignt. Being overly paranoid can arouse suspicion. In any case, we¡¯re only stopping for a short break to gather some information.¡±
¡°Hmm, staying alert should keep us out of danger,¡± Lei Xiuyan nodded in agreement and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
After that, the three dismounted.
After tying up the horses, they entered the inn.
The door was open, and the three of them walked straight in without the attendance of a waiter. There were few patrons in the lobby, making it somewhat deste, and most of them had only asked for a cup of tea.
It seemed that they were only here to shade themselves from the midday sun, sipping tea to cool off.
However, the inn was indeed cooler than the scorching heat outside, truly refreshing the spirit and invigorating the mind.
The three found seats and sat down.
Only then did someonee to greet them.
Not a waiter, but a sultry woman with a graceful figure, dressed in red silk and green clothes.
She appeared to be in her thirties, with beautiful features and a mature charm. Her figure was exquisite, with an ample bosom not typical of an ordinary woman.
Yu He was immediately entranced by her.
However, Lin Cang and Lei Xiuyan¡¯s brows furrowed, their hearts filling with increasing vignce, even preparing to take action at any moment.
¡°Sirs, are you here to escape the heat?¡± the woman¡¯s voice was soft and alluring, and her every movement was seductive. She smiled and said, ¡°Although we do serve meals here, we do not provide them to those who are not lodging guests. We only offer tea.¡±
¡°How much for the tea?¡± Lin Cang asked sternly.
¡°One copper for a cup of cold tea and one tael for a cup of hot tea,¡± the woman replied with a smile, looking toward Lin Cang. ¡°Which would you prefer?¡±
¡°What?¡± Yu He, shocked by the price, regained his senses and ring at the woman, frowned and said, ¡°What kind of hot tea are you selling at one tael per cup? Are you insane?¡±
¡°Because the cold tea is made from the blood of the dead, it¡¯s not worth much,¡± the woman¡¯s eyes suddenly gleamed with a green light as she began tough, ¡°but the hot tea is freshly drawn from the living!!¡±
¡°Attack!¡± Lei Xiuyan shouted, and sprang into action.
He opened his fingers into a w and reached for the woman¡¯s neck, his attack swift as thunder and mighty as a thousand catties, snapping her slender and tender neck in one strike.
Thud!!
The woman¡¯s head flew off, and blood gushed out like a fountain, immediately filling the entire lobby with the stench of blood.
Those seven ¡°patrons¡± who were quietly sipping tea all turned their heads, their eyes gleaming an oily green as they looked toward Lei Xiuyan, Lin Cang, and Yu He.
At first, the flesh on these ¡°people¡¯s¡± faces seemed normal.
But then, the skin on their faces began to rapidly rot and fall off, and even their eyeballs rolled out of their sockets, held by just a thread of flesh that had not snapped.
¡°What¡what is this!?¡±
Lei Xiuyan, in disbelief, gazed at the scene before him, which went far beyond his understanding of normal affairs. He had ventured through the martial world before, encountered shady inns, but never something like this.
¡°Innkeeper, Yu He, run!¡± Lin Cang made a split-second decision, attempting to flee with hispanions.
Bang!!
But at that moment, the door of the inn, which had been wide open, swung shut on its own, blocking Lei Xiuyan and the others¡¯ path.
But Lin Cang didn¡¯t stop. Instead, he quickened his pace, intending to break through the wall of the inn with his immense strength, determined to escape at all costs.
However, as soon as he sped up, he felt a sudden tightness around his neck, someone had grasped him from behind and lifted him up into the air.
Lei Xiuyan quickly dodged with Yu He and prepared to attack the ¡°person¡± who had captured Lin Cang.
But then, he clearly saw that the ¡°person¡± was the very hostess whose neck he had snapped earlier, and whose head had flown off!
The one who had caught Lin Cang was her headless corpse!
And the hostess¡¯s head was being held by her own other hand, blood continuously flowing from the severed neck, yet her green eyes still stared intently at Lei Xiuyan and Yu He.
¡°You, you!?¡±
Lei Xiuyan was horrified to the core, but as a Seventh Rank Warrior, his courage was not that of an ordinary person. Even faced with such incredulity and extreme horror, he was still able to circte his Inner Qi and exert his Martial Arts!
Boom!!
This time, Lei Xiuyan¡¯s punchnded on the upper body of the headless corpse of the hostess. Apanied by the explosion of robust Inner Qi, the upper body of the headless corpse burst like an explosion, turning into a mess of flesh.
Naturally, both arms disappeared without a trace, leaving only two hands falling to the ground.
Lin Cang managed to break free and hastily retreated to Lei Xiuyan¡¯s side, looking at the half-body corpse and the head that was still staring at them with fear and uncertainty.
¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Lei Xiuyan roared, attempting to flee with Lin Cang and Yu He.
But at that moment, the head inexplicably rose into the air, with a ghastly blue me burning at the severed neck, blocking Lei Xiuyan¡¯s path, opening its mouth to reveal a long tongue and a mouthful of sharp teeth as it began to shriek angrily.
¡°You cannot escape, you mustn¡¯t escape, or the Great King will not forgive us. Stay with me, be my hot tea supply, wouldn¡¯t that be nice!?¡±
Immediately afterwards, buds of flesh began to grow from the severed neck of the head, growingrger and faster, miraculously forming a new exquisite body in the blink of an eye.
¡°Hiss hiss!¡±
Lei Xiuyan, Lin Cang, and Yu He couldn¡¯t help but step back in shock, staring incredulously at the woman before them¡ not knowing what kind of creature she was.
¡°Humans, your strength ismendable, but I am no match for you,¡± the woman said as she brushed back her dark hair, proudly showing off her body with a smile. ¡°Yet you will never be able to kill me.¡±
¡°¡¡±
The three were silent, sweating cold sweat. The woman¡¯s unimaginable regenerative ability hadpletely surpassed their understanding, leaving them in despair.
Clip-clop clip-clop clip-clop!!
Just then, the sound of urgent horse hooves came from outside the inn, and a surge of red me light shone through the windows!
Chapter 144: 144 Mission Status
Chapter 144: Mission Status
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, the wall of the inn was shattered by a gigantic burst of fiery red light. Along with the ze, fragmented wood chips burnt up in the air, turning into red sparks that scattered all around.
The intense heat was nearly instant, filling every corner of the inn. The crimson mes floated in the air like blossoming red lotuses in an empty void.
This was a steed covered in golden armor, entirely engulfed in scarlet mes, with even a single golden horn emerging from its forehead, aze with roaring fire.
Atop the horse sat a tall and upright figure. His eyes, cold and filled with endless intent to kill, peered through the multitude of red lotuses made of me and settled on the woman¡¯s figure.
It was Zhou Heng.
¡°ying at gods and ghosts!¡± The woman shouted loudly, her body, which seemed boundlessly beautiful moments before, suddenly twisted grotesquely as spikes of bone pierced through her flesh and skin.
The spikes glistened with a sharp chill, as if weapons refined a hundred times had grown from the woman¡¯s body.
¡°Die!¡± The woman leaped towards Zhou Heng, who was seated on the ming steed, with arms and legs outstretched, aiming to skewer him with her bone spikes.
She intended to impale him directly with her spikes!
¡°Insignificant trick.¡± Zhou Heng scoffed coldly, giving the jujube-red horse beneath him a light pat, causing the surrounding mes to burst forth anew.
The jujube-red horse reared up, standing on its hind legs and focusing its gaze on the woman who had turned into a monster. It snorted derisively and two streams of crimson fire erupted from its nostrils.
These mes, like blooming red lotuses, contained the power of utmost yang and rigidity. The moment the woman came into contact with them, she was wholly enveloped.
Her body, as if doused in oil, burst into an intensely raging fire that in an instant turned her into ashes.
This time, she did not recover.
Next, the red mes that had reduced the woman to ash flowed in all directions, ¡°cleansing¡± the entire inn, purifying the miasma and banishing all specters.
The ¡°guests¡± who had suddenly rotted earlier copsed one after another, their flesh decayed into dust and dispersed into smoke.
When everything had been incinerated by the blooming red lotuses, the building of the inn itself suddenly twisted and transformed, changing from a not-so-small inn into a deste wilderness.
In several t areas, four white gs were nted, waving in the wind, consolidating an extremely chilly aura, making one shiver uncontrobly even at noon.
What bizarre circumstances were these??
Neither Lin Cang nor Lei Xiuyan had ever seen such a scene in their decades of life, and were immediately stunned and at a loss for what to do.
Yu He had fainted earlier from the immense psychic shock when the woman transformed, and she was still unconscious now.
¡°Thank you, noble hero.¡± Lin Cang and Lei Xiuyan were about to thank the strange man who hade riding on a horse of me, the very person who¡¯d saved their lives.
¡°Trainer Lin, Grandmaster Lei, no need for thanks,¡± Zhou Heng said, manipting his Inner Qi across the space to stop them from bowing in gratitude. Simultaneously, he concealed the effect of the red lotus horse gear, and both he and the jujube-red horse reverted to their original appearance.
¡°Zhou Heng?!¡±
¡°Little Zhou?! How is it you?¡± Lei Xiuyan and Lin Cang were utterly shocked, their eyes widening in disbelief as they looked at Zhou Heng, feeling that the world had turned utterly mad, defying all logic.
No wonder they were surprised.
Under the effect of the red lotus horse gear, Zhou Heng and the jujube-red horse were d in armor and me, appearing to others as a giant fireball, possibly even mistaken for the descent of a fire god.
Lei Xiuyan and Lin Cang didn¡¯t believe in gods descending to earth, but they understood very well that the knight¡¯s disy of elegance and demeanor, plus the strength he had shown in killing the strange woman in an instant, was extraordinary and powerful.
How could this be rted to Zhou Heng?
But the scene before them forced them to believe, to admit to what they saw.
¡°Impressive, truly impressive!¡± Lin Cangughed heartily. ¡°We were originally worried about you, wanting to stop and persuade you, but it turns out we were the ones saved by you instead.¡±
¡°Being in the martial arts hall for too long, I¡¯ve be toofortable to understand these strange events,¡± Lei Xiuyan sighed. ¡°Zhou Heng, your future holds great promise; are you sure you want to go looking for trouble with the Chang Xing Sect now?¡±
How old was Zhou Heng?
Not even eighteen yet!!
So young, yet he already possessed such strength and such mystical power¡ªhis potential was truly limitless.
If he were to fall at the hands of the Chang Xing Sect because of this incident¡
That would be a true pity.
¡°No worries, Grandmaster,¡± Zhou Heng smiled. ¡°Since I dared to have the lord of Huangtong Mansion spread the word, I naturally haveplete confidence. If the Chang Xing Sect dares to touch those close to me, they will have to pay the price.
¡°Trainer Lin, Grandmaster, take Yu He and go back. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±
In the two years since arriving in this world, Zhou Heng hadn¡¯t found many he truly valued, but the Yu Family and the trainers at Longxing Martial Arts Hall were definitely among them; the Chang Xing Sect had gone too far this time.
Lei Xiuyan wanted to persuade him further, but Lin Cang shook his head at him, indicating that there was no use. Having trained Zhou Heng for two years, Lin Cang knew his character all too well.
Having said so much, Zhou Heng obviously had made up his mind and would not turn back.
¡°Sigh,¡± Lei Xiuyan also understood Lin Cang¡¯s gesture, and he turned to Zhou Heng, saying, ¡°Then proceed as you wish, but remember, if you can¡¯t win, you must run. Do not throw away your life in vain.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandmaster, I always value my life,¡± Zhou Heng said with a smile.
Afterwards, the two groups split up, with Lin Cang and Lei Xiuyan taking Yu He back to Huangtong Mansion City, while Zhou Heng continued on his way to Chang Xing Sect.
¡
Since the Red Lotus Horse Gear was simply too shocking and drew far too much attention, Zhou Heng chose not to use its effects for the rest of his journey.
Rather, he simply rode on his jujube red horse at its normal speed.
In a ce with no one around on his way, Zhou Heng tried on the mask symbolizing the ¡°Ziwei Great Emperor¡± and received the task information assigned by the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer as well as the merit rewards obtained from ying that ghostly woman.
Eighty.
The ghostly woman was of Eighth Rank, and in terms of power alone, she was simply no match for Lei Xiuyan, hence why she was thoroughly crushed inbat.
However, the body of a ghost creature is nearly indestructible; it can resurrect and recover ceaselessly, and purely with martial arts of the Lower Third Rank and Middle Third Rank, it was practically impossible to y herpletely.
As a result, although Lei Xiuyan and Lin Cang were powerful enough to win against the ghost woman, they still had a tremendously difficult time and had no way to truly kill her.
If Zhou Heng hadn¡¯t arrived in time, they might have really died there.
¡°Hmm? This task¡¡±
After looking over the task content distributed by the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer, Zhou Heng startled for a moment, then chuckled lightly, ¡°It seems the Five Emperors¡¯ Inner Chamber has really selected a suitable task for me.¡±
¡°Task Briefing: Ansong County and Lufeng County of Huangtong Mansion in Pingzhou have been experiencing mysterious disappearances at night. Starting a month ago, till now, more than thirty people have vanished, including men, women, the elderly, and children.
¡°Task Objective: Investigate whether ghost creatures are involved and unveil the truth.
¡°Task Warning: Half a month ago, an organization member with the codename ¡®Siming,¡¯ of Seventh Rank in martial path, went to investigate and has since lost contact.
¡°Base Task Reward: One hundred and twenty merits, five hundred taels of silver.
¡°Additional Task Reward: If ¡®Siming¡¯ is sessfully rescued, an additional two hundred merits will be awarded.¡±
Ansong County and Lufeng County are the two closest counties to Chang Xing Sect, and for Zhou Heng, heading there wouldn¡¯t require any detour, he could just go directly.
Clearly, the task was distributed by the Five Emperors¡¯ Inner Chamber after some careful selection.
¡°However, something capable of causing a martial artist of Seventh Rank to lose contact must not be simple.¡±
Zhou Heng fell into deep thought, musing inwardly, ¡°Based on the task description, that ¡®Siming¡¯ is likely still alive, which means even if there¡¯s really a connection to ghost creatures involved, it¡¯s probably not beyond Sixth Rank, exactly within my ability to handle.¡±
And after calcting a bit, as long as hepleted this task, rescued ¡®Siming,¡¯ and then killed a Seventh Rank ghost creature, his merits would reach five hundred.
The wish he made before could then be fulfilled.
¡°These two counties are not far from Chang Xing Sect, at most half a day¡¯s journey. There are still six days left from the time I mentioned before, so there¡¯s no need for me to hurry over,¡± Zhou Heng thought. ¡°It would be better to let the news spread a bit more.¡±
The reason he asked Wu Zongshan to help spread the news was to let more people know about it, preferably drawing a sizable crowd to witness, so that he could humiliate Chang Xing Sect in full public view.
At the same time, this was also a form of security, for as long as Chang Xing Sect cared about their face, they wouldn¡¯t make a move against him openly in front of everyone.
Though even if a grandmaster were to take action, Zhou Heng had ways to deal with it, but being extra prepared never hurt.
¡
Underneath Ansong County City.
Herey a man-made cavern, vast in space, with seats, tables, stools, and even a small pce. It was truly another world. The area flickered with ghostly blue mes, chilling to the bone.
In the center of the cavern sat a man over nine feet tall, broad and muscr. He was cloaked in armor of an ancient design, his head adorned with a helmet, concealing his face. Only a pair of eyes could be seen, glowing blue.
Around this man stood more than a dozen others, also in tattered armor, gathered around the central seat with the utmost respect.
¡°Report!!¡±
Just then, a gaunt man rushed in from outside, panic-stricken. He knelt before the man, saying, ¡°Great King, there¡¯s trouble.¡±
¡°Speak,¡± the man said coolly, as if devoid of any emotion.
¡°The soulntern of ¡®Ah Hong¡¯ went out; she¡¯s dead,¡± the gaunt man said. ¡°Much of the martial blood we¡¯ve usedtely was collected by her, and now that she¡¯s dead, we¡¯ll receive much less martial blood.¡±
¡°No need to worry,¡± the man spoke with the same calmness, ¡°Has the ¡®Siming¡¯ from Zhou Tian Boundary Officer been found? If I can consume her, I can fully recover.¡±
¡°No, not yet¡¡± the gaunt man shook his head, his body starting to tremble.
¡°Useless!¡± The man suddenly let out a cold snort, the blue light in his eyes intensifying, revealing a face of skin and bones, riddled with scars, utterly ferocious.
At the same time, the man¡¯s mouth opened, and out came a withered tongue like a vine, piercing the gaunt man¡¯s head and drilling into his body. In an instant, he sucked everything inside dry.
All that was left was a piece of withered skin.
The dozen or so people around all kept their heads low, still showing utmost respect, as if they had seen nothing.
¡°The one who killed Ah Hong is most likely the member sent by Zhou Tian Boundary Officer to rescue ¡®Siming,''¡± the man retracted his tongue and swallowed, speaking indifferently, ¡°These days, there¡¯s no need for you to catch people. Wait until the person arrives before taking action.¡±
¡°As youmand, Great King!!¡± All the people spoke in unison, kneeling down.
¡°Just make sure you don¡¯t disappoint me like the worthless one just now,¡± the man¡¯s eyes flickered with blue light, ¡°Capture both ¡®Siming¡¯ and this new arrival in one fell swoop!¡±
Chapter 145: 145 The Best of Both Worlds
Chapter 145: The Best of Both Worlds
¡°`
Ansong County City is quite close to the Chang Xing Sect, just under fifty li away.
It could basically be considered the front gate of the Chang Xing Sect and thanks to this, Ansong County has been very stable over the years, with hardly any disasters.
It has developed quite well.
Usually, there would often be people entering and leaving the city gates, traveling to various ces.
But now, the gates are eerily deserted.
Only two or three soldiers stand guard, and even ordinary pedestrians are rare.
Despite it being summer, they felt chills.
If it¡¯s ¡°deserted¡± to an extreme, it really gets cold.
Because there were so few people, and thoseing and going were mostly familiar faces, the city guard soldiers became even more perfunctory in their duties.
Most of the time, at most, they would take an extra nce and assess the situation, without interfering further.
Squeak, squeak!
The sound of wagon wheels struggling to turn came over, as an old man, driving a donkey cartden with a pile of firewood and grass, slowly made his way into the city. He seemed to have a good rtionship with the city guards. As he passed by, he exchanged a few brief words with augh, and then continued on into the city.
There was no real inspection.
The old man, driving his donkey cart, moved along the main streets of the city, turning left and right, passing roads one after another, until he finally reached his own backyard and stopped the cart. Then he went back inside the house to drink water.
As he walked, he mumbled to himself, puzzled, ¡°Why is this firewood so heavy today? Could it be that there¡¯s too much water inside? Looks like I¡¯ll have to dry it out for a few more days before I can sell it.¡±
After the old man left the backyard, the cart filled with firewood and grass suddenly moved, and a teenager about seventeen or eighteen years old crawled out from underneath it.
It was Zhou Heng.
To avoid alerting the enemy, he hadn¡¯te in brazenly but had chosen a rtively hidden approach to sneak in.
After all, there were now so few peopleing and going in Ansong County City that he, a stranger who had never been here before, would be easily recognized once he showed his face.
That would mean revealing himself to the enemy before finding the source of the incident, which would be greatly disadvantageous as it would put him at a position of known vulnerability.
Moreover, Siming¡¯s whereabouts were currently unknown.
If his rash actions led to Siming¡¯s death, Zhou Heng would feel quite remorseful.
Plus, he wouldn¡¯t be able to im the additional rewards.
Zhou Heng moved silently, finding a secluded spot in the backyard that was not easily discovered, and temporarily hid himself there.
¡°This ce is indeed full of ghost energy,¡± he frowned, aware of the problem at hand.
It was because there was a ghostly presence here!
¡ª¡ªBenefiting from the addition to his spirit attributes and the nourishment of his Innate Skill, Zhou Heng¡¯s Divine Soul had grown very strong, and his sensitivity to ghost energy had naturally improved a lotpared to before.
Therefore, as soon as he quieted down and concentrated, he felt the powerful, unmatched ghost energy lurking within Ansong County City.
Then, he began to ponder over the missing poption cases in Ansong County and Lufeng County.
The mission information sent by the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer included introductions to the situations in Ansong and Lufeng Counties.
Starting a little over a month ago, people in Ansong County began disappearing into thin air, leaving no trace andpletely unfindable no matter what.
Moreover, they vanished silently, without the slightest noise.
Many people woke up in the morning to find their husbands, wives, children, or parents gone.
The locals reported to the authorities, but the result was the deaths of several constables and officers, with no alleviation to the situation, which instead intensified, with more and faster disappearances.
Thus, the county leader was out of options and could only report upwards, requesting the Huangtong Mansion¡¯s master Wu Zongshan to handle the matter.
Eventually, Wu Zongshan informed the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer about the situation in Ansong County.
Not long afterward, news came that simr incidents had urred in Lufeng County as well.
As a result, the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer dispatched a Seventh Rank Warrior codenamed ¡°Siming¡± to investigate here.
But over the following half month, there was no further sight of Siming.
She hadn¡¯t left the city, and should still be inside Ansong County City, but it was unknown whether she was hiding or had been caught.
After some thought, Zhou Heng decided to find Siming first.
He nned to rescue Siming and ensure her safety before delving deeper into the ghostly matters, to avoid the potential kidnapping by the ghost and the dilemma of being hesitant to act because of her.
At the same time, if Siming could be found, they could also gain a more detailed understanding of the ghostly situation here.
Of course, in the process of searching for her, it was equally possible to investigate the traces of the ghost, as the two tasks did not conflict.
Initially, however, Zhou Heng intended to prioritize the rescue.
¡°However, to rescue someone, one must first find out where Siming is,¡± Zhou Heng frowned slightly, with no clues at the moment. Blundering around in search like this was likely to expose his tracks directly.
¡°Sigh, I really should have added amunication function to the mask, as well as a feature to confirm each other¡¯s location. It would make searching for each other so much easier.¡±
Unfortunately, that was just wishful thinking.
The Zhou Tian Boundary Officer couldn¡¯t even manage to transmit information back to the star chart through the mask, let alone real-timemunication.
¡°`
¡°Right, there¡¯s a way!¡± Zhou Heng had a sh of inspiration and suddenly smiled, thinking to himself, ¡°Since it¡¯s inconvenient to search deliberately, I can ¡®identally¡¯ stumble upon it.¡±
He took out the talisman that he kept close to himself for sealing Yang Energy and put it into the Qiankun silk pouch provided to true disciples by the Pure Yang Pce.
With that, the aura of his Pure Yang Body was no longer suppressed.
If Siming was injured by a ghost and unable to leave quickly, her body carrying ghost Qi and following thew of Yin and Yang attraction, even if Zhou Heng was just strolling casually, he might encounter her.
If she was not injured by a ghost, it meant that either she hadn¡¯t encountered any ghosts, or that the ghosts here did not have the power to harm her, and even if he exposed himself, it wouldn¡¯t bring harm to her.
This method could be said to serve multiple purposes beautifully.
¡°If I can encounter the nest of the ghosts by chance, then it will be even simpler,¡± Zhou Heng¡¯s lips curved slightly, thinking to himself, ¡°Then I could strike directly at the source and obliterate the ghosts here in one fell swoop.¡±
Although his current strength was nearly equivalent to the top ten of the human rankings, facing Sixth Rank level ghosts, he would be no match, but that was just the standard of his own strength.
He still had a bunch of unused special ability cards.
The Five-Colored Divine Light was also still avable.
¡
Beneath the night sky, the moon hidden, the stars sparse.
The northern side of Ansong County City was the busiest area, with many grand mansions built there, alleys intersecting; naturally, there were also many vacant houses.
Chen Yingyu was hiding in a secluded firewood room of a big courtyard. She wore a mask and ck clothes, circting her inner strength to drive the blood Qi, expelling the ghost Qi nestled within her body.
This situation had been going on for six or seven days.
Fortunately, the ce was secluded enough, and the firewood room was rarely visited, so she had not been discovered; otherwise, she would have been forced to move and hide again, wasting days of hard work.
¡°Phew¡¡± Chen Yingyu exhaled a breath of turbid air, feeling the condition inside her body, and was slightly joyful, ¡°The ghost Qi has been cleared quite a bit. In at most three days, I¡¯ll be able to move normally.
¡°I must report the situation here back to the organization. This small county city has actually gathered arge number of ghosts, and there¡¯s a formidable ghost called ¡®Great King,¡¯ extremely dangerous!¡±
She was the Star Envoy ¡°Siming¡± dispatched here by the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer to investigate the situation.
Originally, Chen Yingyu thought that this ce was merely afflicted by ordinary ghosts since those who disappeared were all ordinary people; logically, the ghosts here shouldn¡¯t be strong.
But after arriving here and truly encountering the ghosts, she realized that Ansong County and the neighboring Lufeng County were actually just traps.
It was a bait for the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer!
The people of these two counties weren¡¯t the ghosts¡¯ true targets; they were merely bait. What the ghosts really wanted were the people from the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer.
That¡¯s why they only abducted ordinary people and never targeted martial artists with cultivation, creating a false impression of weak ghostly strength.
To avoid attracting the strong ones from the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer.
Chen Yingyu encountered three Seventh Rank ghosts at that time, powerful and with extraordinary abilities. Even though she was strong and had the divine skills passed down from the Star Envoys, she was still not a match for them and was injured by the ghost Qi, barely escaping with her life.
¡°I must recover as soon as possible and make contact with the organization. Otherwise, the organization will definitely send someone to investigate my disappearance. Due to theck ofplete information, it¡¯s unlikely they will send a Sixth Rank.
¡°However, considering my disappearance, they should send someone stronger than me, perhaps a Peak of the Seventh Rank, an expert who has just started to merge with the exterior scenery. But even with that, most likely they won¡¯t be a match for those ghosts!
¡°Coming here would just be sending them to their deaths¡¡±
Chen Yingyu bit her red lips, filled with regret.
In the three years since she joined the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer, every mission had gone smoothly, and she gradually lost her vignce. Had it been in the past, she would have conducted a thorough investigation before taking action.
Not as reckless as she was now.
¡°Worrying is useless; I should focus on expelling the ghost Qi,¡± Chen Yingyu thought to herself, preparing to circte her Inner Qi again, but suddenly her ears twitched, and she heard footsteps outside.
Someone wasing to the firewood room?
Was it a ghost, or a servant of this mansion?
Regardless of who it was, I can¡¯t stay here any longer, I must leave immediately.
Chen Yingyu immediately decided to escape through the window, but just as she was about to move, she felt an icy chill in her legs, losing the ability to move,pletely immobilized.
¡°Damn, why did the ghost Qi have to travel to my legs at this moment?!¡± She panicked.
She had been severely injured before, with ghost Qi infiltrating her bloodstream, which caused her legs to be immobile whenever the ghost Qi passed through them.
Normally, this would happen at intervals of an hour.
It had just been an hour since thest urrence, and she couldn¡¯t move.
¡°Let¡¯s see who it is first. If it¡¯s just a servant of the mansion owner, maybe there¡¯s room for negotiation,¡± Chen Yingyu thought to herself. ¡°If it¡¯s a ghost, I¡¯ll have no choice but to harm my own foundation and flee.¡±
Creak!
Just then, the door of the firewood room opened.
The figure that entered Chen Yingyu¡¯s vision was tall and slender, wearing a purple robe of immense luxury, and with a mask bearing the noble visage of an emperor on his face.
Behind this figure was a night sky originally devoid of stars, but for some reason, when he opened the door of the firewood room, the clouds that had been masking the stars and the moonlight drifted away.
As a result, starlight and moonlight poured down, shining through the window into the firewood room, and also enveloping the masked figure, giving him an air of mystery and nobility.
¡°Siming?¡± the person chuckled lightly, seeming quite pleased, ¡°I¡¯m here to rescue you.¡±
Chapter 146: 146: Swift and Decisive
Chapter 146: Swift and Decisive
¡°You, no, Your¡¡±
Chen Yingyu was startled as she raised her head to look at the figure that seemed to be surrounded by billions of stars, as if she had received some inspiration, ¡°Are you the Ziwei Emperor?!¡±
It was her ¡°Siming¡± mask that provided her with this information.
It automatically recognized the ¡°Ziwei¡± mask.
However, as soon as she uttered these words, an emotion of extreme shock filled Chen Yingyu¡¯s heart.
Being a member of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer, and having once watched the Zhou Tian Star Chart, she naturally knew very well what ¡°Ziwei¡± meant.
Such a position couldn¡¯t even be called a ¡°Star Officer¡±, this was the lord of all stars, the Grandmaster of all phenomena, this was the Ziwei Celestial Emperor, the supreme deity.
This was the ruler of all Star Officers in the entire Zhou Tian Star Chart.
How could someone acquire such a ¡°ster position¡±?
Too unbelievable.
Was this a new member who had just joined the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer?
Arade?
Although his cultivation seemed not to be very high, his temperament was certainly not that of an ordinary person.
¡°By luck, I gained the recognition of the ¡®Ziwei¡¯ star position, but I do not dare to call myself Emperor,¡± Zhou Heng said with a faint smile, stepping forward and adding, ¡°You are infected with ghost qi, I will help you expel it.¡±
¡°To expel ghost qi for another requires Celestial Power¡¡± Chen Yingyu thought that Zhou Heng was a newbie in the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer and was not aware of this, so she hastily reminded him.
But before she could finish her sentence, she felt a broad palm press onto her shoulder.
Immediately after, she felt a warm current enter her body, a tingling sensation arose, and she experienced an indescribablefort.
Chen Yingyu felt as if the tingling current were a warm snake traveling through her body, wherever it went seemed to be illuminated by the warm sun, and it quickly moved to her legs.
It was as if the winter snow met the zing sun, her legs which had been cold to the bone and immovable, as if frozen, ¡°melted¡± away immediately after the current passed through.
After a short while, Chen Yingyu felt her legs return to their normal sensation and became movable again.
¡°How is this possible??¡± She couldn¡¯t help but widen her eyes, disbelievingly sensing the situation within her body, then raising her head to look at Zhou Heng, gratefully saying, ¡°Thank you, Emperor!¡±
This was too unbelievable.
The ghost qi inside her body was expelled just like that, seemingly without any effort, as if the ghost qi that had previously taken hold inside her was not ghost qi at all, but merely ordinary cold qi.
Moreover, what shocked Chen Yingyu the most was that this ¡°Ziwei Emperor¡±, judging by his inner qi, seemed to only be at the peak of Eighth Rank, and yet he expelled the ghost qi so effortlessly.
Too miraculous.
¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet, we have visitors,¡± Zhou Heng said as he grabbed Chen Yingyu¡¯s hand to help her up, turned to look outside, and smiled, ¡°Since they¡¯re here, why hide any longer?¡±
¡°Visitors?¡± Chen Yingyu was first stunned, and then her expression changed dramatically, she eximed in horror, ¡°No, there are ghost creatures! Emperor, let¡¯s get out of here quickly, there are too many ghost creatures lurking around here, once one discovers us, the rest will follow!¡±
¡°No need to panic,¡± Zhou Heng replied with a calm smile, unhurriedly walking out of the shed and adding, ¡°I¡¯ll count to three, if they don¡¯t show themselves by then, they need note out at all.¡±
Chen Yingyu watched the tall, slender figure in the shed, slightly distracted; he was standing in front of her ¨C was he nning to confront the ghost creatures with the strength of an Eighth Rank?
To buy time for her to escape?
This feeling left her somewhat at a loss, as she had always fought alone, whether in the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer or within her own sect.
No one had ever stood in front of her like this to protect her.
¡°Three!¡±
Just then, Zhou Heng spoke, going straight to three, and almost at the same moment, he charged out and arrived at the corner of the courtyard.
Boom!
With a punch, he smashed down with horrifying force, causing the ground to tremble immediately. The brick-and-stone pavement formed a deep pit, and a ghost creature that was previously hiding there in stealth was instantly forced to reveal itself.
However, upon revealing itself, the powerful punch along with the innate Power of Pure Yang decimated it swiftly, turning it into countless fragments and igniting golden mes, burning it to ashes in an instant.
It didn¡¯t even have time to let out a scream.
¡°Congrattions! You have killed a weak enemy ¡®Yue Chong¡¯, Fortune Bag [Copper] +1.¡±
The notification rang out.
Zhou Heng stood up, brushed the dust off his body, and chuckled, ¡°Reallycks vignce.¡±
His statement about ¡°counting to three¡± was actually just a smokescreen he had used.
After all, he had just now not used any martial arts, merely channeling his inner qi to deliver a powerful punch.
If he didn¡¯t use a little trick, he might not have seeded.
Besides, counting to three starts from three, isn¡¯t thatmon knowledge?
This ghost creature has no culture.
¡°Just now, just now that was a Seventh Rank ghost creature¡ I¡¯ve seen it before.¡± Chen Yingyu was stunned, her delicate and beautiful face beneath the mask filled with astonishment, ¡°You, you used just one punch??¡±
She even began to doubt her life, wondering if she had experienced a hallucination just then?
That was a ghost creature!
Moreover, it was a Seventh Rank ghost creature; under normal circumstances, only a Third Rank Celestial Man would have the ability to utterly exterminate it.
Even for someone from the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer, they had to beat it to the point of no resistance before they could deploy Taoist forms and draw on the power of the Zhou Tian¡¯s stars to exterminate it.
But what happened just now??
Without using Taoist forms, without drawing on the power of the Zhou Tian stars, just by smashing with a fist, a Seventh Rank ghost creature was directly turned into ash!
What¡¯s more absurd is this person was only at the Eighth Rank of the Martial Path.
This, how is this possible??!
Could this be the miraculous aspect of the Ziwei Emperor¡¯s star position?
It must be too powerful!!
Chen Yingyu couldn¡¯t help but inwardly exim in amazement at Zhou Heng, her gazepletely fixated on him, almostpletely mesmerized.
¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Zhou Heng turned and said to Chen Yingyu.
¡°Ah?¡± Chen Yingyu came back to her senses, still full of confusion, tilting her head and muttering in bewilderment, ¡°Go where?¡±
¡°Just wandering around,¡± Zhou Heng said with a smile.
¡
In the underground grotto beneath Ansong County City.
The figure in the archaic armor who sat on the central throne suddenly stood up, the ghostly blue mes on his body suddenly surged, and he said solemnly, ¡°Yue Chong is dead.¡±
The dozen or so other battle-ready figures wearing tattered armor instantly emanatedyers of ghostly blue mes, seemingly quite shaken by this news.
Apart from these dozen ¡°people,¡± there were other ordinary ghost creatures in the grotto, mostly at the Eighth and Ninth Grades, totaling twenty to thirty in number.
Upon hearing the man¡¯s words, their faces too revealed expressions of utter shock.
¡°This, this, General Yue Chong wasparable to a Seventh Rank Warrior, and he had the ability to conceal himself and escape detection, how could he die?¡±
¡°Could it be, could it be that a Celestial Man hase?¡±
¡°Is it possible that the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer dispatched a Celestial Man to rescue Siming??¡±
These little ghost creatures were not very brave; hearing this news, they all inevitably started to fear, extremely worried.
¡°Shut up!¡±
The man on the central throne shouted sharply, then opened his mouth to suck in, immediately swallowing the ten little ghosts who had been the loudest, crunching and grinding them to pieces and swallowing them down.
¡°He has a Pure Yang Body, I have already sensed that delicious aroma!!¡± The man grinned, a little ghost¡¯s head falling from his mouth, ¡°Once I eat him, I will instantly return to my prime! Hahahaha!!¡±
¡°Great King is mighty!!¡±
¡°Great King¡¯s divine power!!¡±
The grotto immediately resonated with voices of praise, all from the remaining little ghosts shouting.
They all did not want to die.
As for those dozen or so closest to the throne, they stayed silent, heads bowed, standing there as if everything happening around them had nothing to do with them.
Boom!!
Just at that moment, the grotto suddenly copsed, a loud bang rang out, and then dazzling golden light pierced through the dust and debris, shining through.
Several Ninth Grade little ghosts were illuminated by this golden light and spontaneouslybusted, turning to ash in the blink of an eye; the Eighth Grade ghosts also hurriedly covered their eyes, but their skin was still scorched severely, and they screamed out in pain.
Only those dozen core ghost creatures in tattered armor seemed to be unaffected, standing there and slowly turning their heads to look towards the source of the golden light.
Whoosh!
A sudden whirlwind arose, scattering the dust raised by the copse of the grotto, and a figure donning an imperial mask and wearing a luxurious purple robe, with a majestic demeanor, slowly walked in.
Layer uponyer of golden light emerged from him, like a zing golden me containing an incredibly intense Power of Pure Yang.
It was Zhou Heng.
Chen Yingyu stood behind him, still shaken.
Zhou Heng looked around and finally set his gaze on the figure in the central seat, then opened both palms, operating the Innate Pure Yang Inner Qi, and lightning suddenly shed!
¡°Evil spirits of darkness, perish!!¡±
Chapter 147: 147: Overwhelming Force
Chapter 147: Overwhelming Force
¡°`
Boom, boom, boom!
Two Palm Thunders infused with the Power of Pure Yang burst forth from Zhou Heng¡¯s hands, like two long snakes wrapped in golden thunderous light, slithering through the void toward the ¡°Great King¡± in front of the central throne.
Wherever the thunderous light passed, the Power of Pure Yang surged and the sounds of thunder roared, chilling ghostly beings to the bone and filling spectral creatures with terror.
The Eighth Rank ghosts that had just managed to survive the illumination of the Pure Yang golden light had no chance to resist the assault of this thunderous light, and were instantly turned to ash.
And this was merely the aftermath of the Palm Thunders.
After cultivating the Pure Yang Dan Jing, Zhou Heng further awakened the strength of his Pure Yang Body. When he used the Palm Thunder, he imbued it with Pure Yang power, greatly enhancing its restraint over ghostly beings.
For him now, as long as they had not truly reached the level of a Sixth Rank, he could y any spectral creature!
¡°Form the array!¡±
¡°Protect the Great King!¡±
The ghostly beings wearing tattered armors were all Seventh Rank, with quite a few on par with the Peak of the Seventh Rank.
Once they moved, there was an immediate intertwining of the subtle principles of heaven and earth.
Layers of ghostly qi condensed into shades of Yin, forming dense purple-ck mists.
This purple-ck mist churned and expanded continuously, soon spreading out and enveloping them as well as the ¡°Great King¡± before the central throne, attempting to withstand the Palm Thunders unleashed by Zhou Heng.
Boom!!
Two bolts of thunder fiercely smashed into the violently churning purple-ck mist, piercing its surface almost instantly, allowing shes of golden lightning to sparkle amidst theyers of purple-ck mist.
Meanwhile, Zhou Heng moved again. The hands that had just deployed the Palm Thunder clenched into fists, and the golden mes burning on his body suddenly surged, shooting up into the sky, and formed above his head a tremendous golden arm and fist that stretched over three zhang.
Buzz, buzz!
The purple-ck mist trembled and shook, attempting to expand outward and keep the two Palm Thunders containing the Power of Pure Yang at bay.
But these two Palm Thunders were Taoist Forms designed specifically to annihte ghostly beings, and now, with the addition of Pure Yang power, and Zhou Heng¡¯s innate prowess with a special attack +2 advantage against ghostly beings, he enjoyed too many bonuses when fighting spectral creatures.
And so!
Boom!
With a loud bang, the dying purple-ck mist could not withstand the two Palm Thunders and ultimately was pierced through its defenses.
The blinding golden light burst forth, shredding the remaining purple-ck mist and also falling upon those several Seventh Rank ghosts, immediately reducing most of them to ashes.
Body and spirit annihted!
Standing behind Zhou Heng, ¡°Siming¡± Chen Yingyu waspletely dumbfounded, watching the figure enveloped in golden light in disbelief.
Too strong!
Truly too strong!!
Is this really an Eighth Rank Martial Artist? What were those two rays of thunder just now? Taoist Forms??
So incredible!
She was fully aware of how powerful those tattered-armored ghosts were.
Even if some of them were onlyparable to ordinary Seventh Rank Martial Artists,bined with their unique spectral abilities, they could stand toe-to-toe with the Peak of the Seventh Rank.
This is the disadvantage humans must face when confronting ghostly beings.
Chen Yingyu had been injured by ghosts and had been forced to flee and hide precisely because of this point.
But now, this ¡°Ziwei Emperor¡± before her had suddenly annihted a great number of them in an instant, and it was aplete and utter kill!
These were ghostly beings!
Seventh Rank ghostly beings no less!!
For humans, the most terrifying aspect of ghosts is their near-immortality, as even the gravest injuries could lead to resurrection.
Yet now, all of this seemed to have lost its effect before the ¡°Ziwei Emperor.¡±
It was unbelievable that the world could have such an Eighth Rank Martial Artist.
Truly too inconceivable!
At this moment, all of Chen Yingyu¡¯s panic had dissipated, and her gaze towards Zhou Heng was filled with shock and¡ reverence.
After the glow of the Palm Thunder faded.
¡°`
¡°`
Aside from the towering figure before the central throne, only five ghost creatures remained standing, all of which were equivalent to the Peak of the Seventh Rank.
However, even though they were not utterly annihted by the Palm Thunder, their bodies were charred ck and still emitting thick smoke. The remnants of their already damaged armor were nothing but empty shells, revealing their skin-stretched-over-bone corporeal forms.
¡°Ah! Humans, you¡¯re courting death!¡±
¡°Die!¡±
The surviving five ghost creatures were enraged to the extreme, with violet-ck mist pouring out of their seven orifices. An eerie and icy aura filled the cavern in an instant.
But, it was all to no avail.
As the five ghost creatures erupted, Zhou Heng¡¯s golden arm and fist, which he had just conjured, crashed down violently.
Golden Light Three Forms!
Grasp Gold Hammer!
Boom!
As the golden fist came down, the air was sted apart, setting off waves of air that cracked the surrounding cavern walls and shook the ground above, creating a web of fissures.
The golden fist seemed to be coated in ayer of fierce wind, carrying an unmatched force, like a celestial deity descending with a golden arm to purify the mortal realm, smashing hard into the five ghosts.
Bang!!
Suddenly, a loud collision resounded, and the powerful impact spread out¡ª
Instantly ttening the surrounding stone benches, chairs, and beds, and causing cracked walls to copse. A crack over thirty feet long tore through the ground, and nearbynds felt a degree of shaking.
This startled more than half of Ansong County City¡¯s people awake, and they all ran out of their houses, holding hands with kin and friends to prevent separation. They all looked towards the south.
There, waves of roaring, along with the collision of golden and violet-ck light, became visible to most of Ansong County City.
At that time, in the cavern.
The tall and majestic figure, called ¡°Great King¡± by the other ghosts, came to the center of the five Seventh Rank ghosts. He raised his palm and caught Zhou Heng¡¯s ¡°Grasp Gold Hammer¡± with one hand.
¡°I recognize this Inner Qi,¡± sneered the ghost creature called the Great King, looking at Zhou Heng with a grin, ¡°The secret techniques of Pure Yang Pce¡¯s not transmitted lightly¡ª ¡®Pure Yang Dan Jing.¡±
¡°I remember the person who used this Martial Arts against me was directly taught by your patriarch, named ¡®Chen Dongxuan.¡¯ I wonder if he¡¯s dead yet. Kid, why don¡¯t you tell me?¡±
Chen Dongxuan??
Zhou Heng was startled upon hearing this, for he recognized the name.
This was the previous patriarch of Pure Yang Pce, a Second Rank Tao Lord who had condensed the seed of Dao, and nominally his teacher. The current patriarch of Pure Yang Pce, Yan Shouyi, was his distinguished mentor.
This ghost creature was beaten by Chen Dongxuan using Pure Yang Dan Jing?
What a joke!
Chen Dongxuan had been a Celestial Man over two thousand years ago.
And this ghost creature looked to be no higher than Sixth Rank.
There was no need for a Celestial Man to intervene.
¡°Nonsense!¡±
Zhou Heng let out a low shout, his Inner Qi strengthening once again, making the Grasp Gold Hammer instantly swell to twice its size, its power greatly increased.
At the same time, he fought with both hands, his attention split between two actions.
His other hand formed a gesture.
Crackling!
Golden thunder light converged once again!
Yet, the Great King ghost remained unperturbed, still appearing confident as ever, steadily holding the golden hammer aloft with one hand.
No matter what, kill it first, then use the Memory Extraction Card!
¡°Little thing, back in the day, Imanded wars alongside Chen Dongxuan,¡± the ghostly Great King roared, his eyes glowing with a bluish me, staring fixedly at Zhou Heng. Its armor suddenly burst into mes, fully illuminating its gaunt face from the shadows.
¡°Grandpa here was known as Wan Shankong, the ¡®Great King Who Calms the Mountains,¡¯ under King Qi¡¯smand. Chen Dongxuan himself showed me great respect. You little thing dare to take me on?!
¡°You deserve to die a thousand deaths!!¡±
¡°`
Chapter 148: 148 The Truth Behind the Battle of Tianyang?
Chapter 148: The Truth Behind the Battle of Tianyang?
¡°Nonsense!¡±
Zhou Heng snorted coldly and immediately struck with a Palm Thunder.
The intertwining thunder and Pure Yang golden light descended right on top of the ghostly creature iming to be Wan Shankong¡¯s head, shattering its helmet and revealing a skin-covered, skeletal head resembling a skull.
However, as the helmet broke apart, the Palm Thunder also disappeared without causing any real damage to the ghostly creature.
¡°You¡¯re quite bold, little one!¡± Wan Shankong¡¯s mouth curled into a smile as he extended a tongue that resembled withered vines, which shot out like an arrow straight toward Zhou Heng¡¯s head, aiming to pierce through his skull and drain his blood and marrow.
ng!
A bell-like resounding mor emerged from Zhou Heng¡¯s palm as he struck out, golden light bursting forth like a colossal golden bell being struck, reverberating in all directions.
Ring Gold Palm!
The powerful force of the shockwave,bined with the special power of Innate Pure Yang energy, immediately shattered the withered vine-like tongue, and dark purple viscous blood scattered all over the ground.
Yet instead of being angered, Wan Shankong grinned at this turn of events, his gaze full of mockery as he watched Zhou Heng.
With a light movement of his idle left hand, and a flick of his fingers, the viscous blood on the ground seemed to gain its own consciousness, soaring up and turning into hundreds, even thousands of dart-like projectiles flying towards Zhou Heng.
¡°Be careful!¡± Chen Yingyu couldn¡¯t help but cry out in rm.
She drew her longsword and was about to rush in front of Zhou Heng to intercept the blood ¡°darts.¡±
However, before she could even start her sword move, a sword light suddenly sprang into existence, horizontally positioned in front of Zhou Heng.
It was an ancient-looking longsword with delicate patterns.
No one was holding it.
It simply hovered in mid-air.
Cross Mysterious Door Sword!
¡°Rise!¡±
Zhou Heng let out a low shout, his left hand forming a sword finger held upright before his chest, with Innate Pure Yang Inner Qi rapidly circting. Through his powerful Spirit, he directly infused the Cross Mysterious Door Sword with ayer of golden dawn light.
ng!
As the sword sang out, clear as the cry of a crane piercing the skies, resonating in all directions, bright golden sword light suddenly burst forth. As it danced in the air, it executed a series of masterful sword moves,pletely obliterating the iing blood ¡°darts.¡±
Hundred Step Flying Sword!
Sword Breaker Move!
Although Zhou Heng¡¯s Hundred Step Flying Sword was not yet perfected, with a strong foundation of Spirit enhancement and the nurturing of his Divine Soul by Innate Skill, his Divine Soul Power was incredibly strong, allowing him to control the sword closely.
At that moment, as he wielded the Cross Mysterious Door Sword in mid-air flight, he hadn¡¯t moved himself, but countered the hundreds of blood ¡°darts¡± unleashed by Wan Shankong.
Chen Yingyu found this situation utterly unbelievable.
Is he really Eighth Rank?
Could there exist such an astoundingly strong Eighth Rank in the world?
And what about that Sword Control Technique he just used? Isn¡¯t remote weapon control a talent only Sixth Rank experts possess?
What¡¯s going on?
Chen Yingyu waspletely baffled, her face under the mask filled with shock. The abilities Zhou Heng now disyed had utterly surpassed her imagination.
It was too incredible.
Even Wan Shankong, the old ghost himself, looked at Zhou Heng with a trace of doubtful surprise.
However, he appeared to be mentally unstable, and after just a moment of doubt, his eyes red with a sudden increase in gloomy blue light, as he once again became frenzied.
¡°You little thing, you even know Sword Control Technique!¡± Wan Shankong¡¯s tongue regenerated in his mouth, and with a leer, he said, ¡°This is getting interesting! Ha!¡±
With a roar from Wan Shankong, the dark purple light around him suddenly surged, enveloping his entire body and forming a massive pir of light that mmed brutally against the Grasp Gold Hammer pressing down on him.
Boom!
The deafening explosion shook the entire cavern violently, threatening topletely copse at any moment. The dark purple column of light shed with the golden fist, and for a time, it was a stalemate.
¡°Little thing, how can an Eighth Rank Martial Artist on the Martial Path possess Inner Qi of such high essence?¡± Wan Shankong was filled with doubt and surprise; Zhou Heng¡¯s Inner Qi quality and strength were the strongest he had ever seen among Eighth Rank Martial Artists.
ng!
Right as Wan Shankong was riddled with doubts, another sword cry was heard. The Cross Mysterious Door Swordnded in Zhou Heng¡¯s hand, and with a mighty thrust forward amidst a sh of golden light, it shed towards Wan Shankong¡¯s head.
¡°It¡¯s nothing but amon de!¡±
Wan Shankong sneered, raising his palm protected by the ancient armor, the dark purple light shining brightly as his fingers, like sharp swords, directly grasped the attacking Cross Mysterious Door Sword.
Yet his grasp did not stop the Cross Mysterious Door Sword¡¯s momentum; the sword edge instantly pierced through the dark purple light and his palm.
Then with a golden gleam of the sword light, it looped around his neck, severing his head.
The Cross Mysterious Door Sword was a superior de in its own right.
It had three special effects: toughness, piercing, and demon ying.
Additionally, with Zhou Heng¡¯s added sharpness +2 enchantment, piercing through Wan Shankong¡¯s palm was hardly an uncertainty.
After this sessful move, Zhou Heng immediately elerated the cirction of the Innate Pure Yang Inner Qi within his body and further enhanced the Grasp Gold Hammer, causing it to swell a bit more.
Boom!
A loud st shook the earth, as a golden fist smashed viciously into Wan Shankong¡¯s headless corpse. The supremely firm and yang energy instantly crushed the body filled with ghostly energy.
At the same time, the aftermath of the battle also whisked away the remaining five Seventh Rank ghosts, annihting thempletely.
¡°Phew!¡± Zhou Heng finally let out a long breath, but his expression remained tense.
¡°Is it finally over? Your Highness, you, you are truly too powerful!¡± Chen Yingyu, whose spirit had been on edge, rxed a bit and looked at Zhou Heng with admiration and longing eyes, now even more intense.
¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡± Zhou Heng shook his head, raised his hand to retrieve the Cross Mysterious Door Sword and held it in his hand as he approached the huge pit created by the Grasp Gold Hammer.
¡°Not, not over yet??¡± Chen Yingyu¡¯s eyes widened, and the tension in her spirit immediately ramped back up.
Boom!!
Suddenly, another huge st emanated from the pit.
Wan Shankong, whom Zhou Heng had just crushed, surged out again, now with half of his head mangled, his lower body covered in blood and flesh that was rapidly regenerating.
¡°You little thing, not bad, but that¡¯s not enough to kill me!¡±
Wan Shankong red with his almost dangling eyeballs and sneered, ¡°You humans once relied on ghosts in your conquests, yet now you seek to eradicate them; howughable.¡±
As he spoke, his body had already mostly regenerated, and he floated in the air, looking down on Zhou Heng. This was something beyond what a Lower Third Rank could aplish.
¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Zhou Heng furrowed his brows and asked.
¡°The truth about the Battle of Tian Yang, that deliberately concealed era¡ªdon¡¯t you want to know what really happened?¡± Wan Shankong said with a sly smile: ¡°Maybe the justice you uphold is nothing but a lie?¡±
¡°Stop your nonsense!¡± Chen Yingyu shouted sharply, ¡°Why should we believe the words of a ghost like you?!¡±
¡°Go on.¡± Zhou Heng, however, nodded and said to Wan Shankong, ¡°I am indeed interested in that.¡±
¡°Hahaha, then let me tell you all about it, so you may know everything with utter rity!¡± Wan Shankong¡¯s grin thickened, and heughed loudly: ¡°To satisfy your curiosity!¡±
Before his words faded, a mass of purplish-ck mist burst out from Wan Shankong¡¯s shattered body and quickly condensed into a beam of ck light, which shot towards Zhou Heng at high speed.
¡°Hahaha! Curiosity is also a w in the spirit! Don¡¯t worry, I will fulfill this wish of yours¡ª you will soon understand the affairs of the Battle of Tian Yang very clearly!¡±
Wan Shankongughed wildly, knowing he had caught a weak spot in Zhou Heng¡¯s spirit and could now initiate a preliminary possession.
This process once started, could not be stopped!
Unless Zhou Heng could kill him in this brief moment.
In Wan Shankong¡¯s view, that was impossible.
The Taoist forms of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer took a long time to prepare and simply wouldn¡¯t be fast enough. The previous Thunder technique didn¡¯t have enough power to kill him either.
All set!
Rumble!!
However, at that moment, deafening thunder roared, as if a world of thunder had descended, instantly filling the cavern with purple lightning.
Almost simultaneously, the purple lightning was dyed with gold. This was thebination of the Power of Innate Pure Yang and Palm Thunder.
The golden glow enveloping Zhou Heng¡¯s whole body also sparked with purple thunder, making him appear like the Thunder God incarnate.
South of Ansong County City, a purplish-gold light soared, and the thunderous sounds reached the ears of the residents. Many people knelt and prayed, thinking a great power had descended to y demons and purge evil from Ansong County.
¡°You think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re plotting?
¡°Just to draw out your ghostly spirit!
¡°Winter Thunderbolt!¡±
Zhou Heng shouted fiercely, using the Cross Mysterious Door Sword as a de to execute the fourth strike of the Purple Thunder Seven Strikes, shing down through the air.
The massive purplish-gold thunder lightyered upon itself, one after another, like a cascade of thunderous realms, thunderously crashing down!
The Power of Innate Pure Yang, the effectiveness of a sharp weapon against evil, the special attack against ghostly spirits, and the Palm Thunder¡¯s special effect against ghosts all became the death warrant for Wan Shankong.
On the spot, the ghost entity, which was rushing towards Zhou Heng in an attempt to possess him, was sted into scattering purplish-ck light fragments and could not regenerate, quickly dissipating into nothing.
¡°Congrattions! You have defeated the formidable enemy ¡®Wan Shankong¡¯s Distorted Remnant Soul,¡¯ Fortune Bag [Silver] +3.¡±
¡
¡°Congrattions! You have killed the hopelessly weak enemy Wu Ying, Fortune Bag [Copper] +1.¡±
¡
¡°Congrattions! You have killed the hopelessly weak enemy Cui Yuanzhong, Fortune Bag [Copper] +1.¡±
¡
The Seventh Rank ghosts all rewarded a Copper Fortune Bag each, while the final defeat of Wan Shankong even rewarded three Silver Fortune Bags!
It could be said to be a screen full of Fortune Bags.
However, what concerned Zhou Heng more was the description in the reward notifications.
Wan Shankong¡¯s Distorted Remnant Soul?
Could it be simr to the split soul of Xuan Yang from back then?
Of course, this did not affect his original n¡ª
¡°You used ¡®Memory Fall Card¡¯ on ¡®Wan Shankong¡¯s Distorted Remnant Soul,''¡± ¡°Wan Shankong¡¯s Distorted Remnant Soul¡¯s Memory Crystal +1.¡±
Chapter 149: 149: A Bountiful Harvest
Chapter 149: A Bountiful Harvest
All the dust has settled.
The caverns below Ansong County City finally returned to calm, all the ghosts that once lurked here had been eradicated by Zhou Heng, without a single one left.
Fortune Bag earnings total: sixteen Copper Fortune Bags, three Silver Fortune Bags.
Ghost eradication earnings total: 5,200 deeds of merit.
Reward for the mission total: 320 deeds of merit, 500 taels of silver.
What a bountiful harvest!
It was Zhou Heng¡¯s first mission, and he had earned more than 5,500 deeds of merit in one go¡ªan achievement that was simply legendary within the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer ranks.
If those within the Inner Circle of the Five Emperors knew about it, it¡¯s estimated they would have been so envious that their eyeballs would pop out, especially since one of them had nearly gone gray with worry for the sake of 30,000 deeds of merit.
Zhou Heng did not immediately read the Memory Crystal left behind by Wan Shankong.
For one thing, this ce was not suitable, and on the other hand, having just gone through a fierce battle, he was not in the mental state to probe into the secrets of the past.
¡°When I settle down, I¡¯ll open a few Fortune Bags to calm myself. ¡®Luck¡¯ too, never knows when it will be needed, so there¡¯s no point in always hoarding Fortune Bags.¡±
Zhou Heng¡¯s thoughts wandered slightly, using this to adjust his still-boiling emotions and vitality from the recent fierce battle.
¡°Incredible, absolutely amazing!¡±
Chen Yingyu eximed repeatedly in awe, excitedly looking around at the cavern where the ghostly energy had beenpletely purged, her whole being thrilled with excitement.
She turned to face Zhou Heng, took off her mask, and revealed a face that was clear and refined, beautifully radiant yet tinged with a bit of heroic spirit.
¡°Zhi Xu Sect¡¯s Sect Master, Chen Yingyu, pays respect to the Ziwei Emperor.¡± She revealed her true identity, and then exined, ¡°Having learned from those ghosts that Your Excellency is a disciple of the Pure Yang Pce, I felt it right to disclose my identity as well.¡±
Zhou Tian Boundary Officer does not require its members to reveal their true identities to each other, even if one party is aware of the other¡¯s identity; it¡¯s purely a matter of personal conscience.
Just like how Zhou Heng does not currently know the true identity of someone in the Inner Circle of the Five Emperors.
Although he has already learned the name¡ªwhich I owe to the System¡¯s prompt¡ªhe does not dare call out that name. It¡¯s quite amusing really, a mighty Fourth Rank expert called¡
Zhang Tienan.
However, if someone proactively discloses their real identity to other members, it¡¯s a very clear sign of goodwill, indicating a wish to engage in more in-depth interactions.
Yes, just ordinary friendship.
Nothing more.
Now with Chen Yingyu actively revealing her identity, it¡¯s clearly a manifestation of her goodwill towards Zhou Heng.
¡°Hmm, Sect Master Chen has taken up her duties in a time of crisis, and I have long heard of it,¡± Zhou Heng said with a smile. ¡°To manage such arge sect as Zhi Xu Sect at your young age is indeed no easy feat.¡±
He had actually heard about Chen Yingyu.
Two years ago.
The Zhi Xu Sect, a sect of Taoism inheriting from the Middle Ancient Era, was attacked by the heretical Nine Deaths Sect. The sect master, elders, and all Middle Third Rank experts perished in battle, and the sect¡¯s scriptures were almost entirely plundered.
In the end, the Zhi Xu Sect was left with no more than a handful, all told, only around twenty or thirty people.
Chen Yingyu was the strongest among them, a Seventh Rank cultivator, ranked on the list of notable people, and the daughter of thete sect master.
Consequently, she took on the urgent role, epting the position of sect master.
At the young age of twenty-one, she single-handedly took on the great responsibility of reviving the Zhi Xu Sect.
Speaking of which, the Pure Yang Pce once had some ties with the Zhi Xu Sect.
Although the sect was in decline before the attack, with only a Fifth Rank Sect Master to show face and the divine skills and scriptures of the Upper Third Rank almost entirely lost, during the Middle Ancient Era it was once a top-notch Taoist sect that was on par with Pure Yang Pce, if not superior.
It is said that the founding master of Zhi Xu Sect, Daoist Shoujing, was a friend of the founding master of Pure Yang Pce, Pure Yang Zi. The ¡°Zhi Xu Jing¡± that Zhou Heng had read on Jade Void Peak was written by Daoist Shoujing.
¡°Your Excellency tters me too much,¡± Chen Yingyu gently shook her head and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just taking things one step at a time. To be honest, if it weren¡¯t for joining the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer and seeing hope for the future, I really wouldn¡¯t know what steps to take next.¡±
¡°The Zhou Tian Boundary Officer is indeed a great opportunity,¡± Zhou Heng nodded slightly and said, ¡°However, Sect Master Chen should be more cautious in her actions in the future. Ghosts are mysterious and unpredictable, too dangerous.¡±
¡°Yes, I appreciate Your Excellency¡¯s reminder,¡± Chen Yingyu nodded gratefully. ¡°Had Your Excellency not rescued me this time, I¡¯m afraid I would have died here. I cannot forget this great kindness and debt.¡±
¡°Sect Master Chen need not worry about it; it is merely part of my duties,¡± Zhou Heng chuckled and then said, ¡°I have some matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave first. Take care on your way, Sect Master Chen.¡±
Having said that, without waiting for Chen Yingyu to respond, he activated his qinggong, leaping out of the cavern, and swiftly moved away under the cover of night, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Chen Yingyu also leapt out of the cavern, gazing in the direction Zhou Heng had gone, and bowed respectfully, vowing silently, ¡°This kindness, this emotion, must be repaid.¡±
¡
Zhou Heng left Ansong County City directly.
Perhaps it was because speaking with Chen Yingyu was somewhat tiring, he didn¡¯t know if it was because the girl had been a sect leader for too long, her mood was alright when excited or shocked, but once calm, she became somewhat rigid and formal.
She was only twenty-three years old, equivalent to just having graduated from college on Earth, yet her manner of speaking seemed much older than her actual age.
Talking with such a person was like matching couplets,cking interest.
It was a bit tiring.
After leaving Ansong County City, Zhou Heng went to the post station where he left his reddish-brown horse, nning to rest there for the night and continue riding to Chang Xing Sect early the next morning.
There were still three days left until the appointed time.
He wasn¡¯t in a rush.
Lying in the guest room of the post station, Zhou Heng pondered.
¡°Now I have eighteen copper Fortune Bags, I¡¯ll just open six for now, why do I suddenly feel like a tycoon?¡±
He looked at his stock and felt it would really be a disservice to himself not to open some of them.
Moreover, the battle this time made him realize that his martial arts traits were still too obvious.
Anyone who had seen the ¡®Ranking of Fighters¡¯ or was familiar with the martial arts of Pure Yang Pce could basically recognize his identity.
In that case, wearing the Ziwei mask didn¡¯t really have any effect in hiding his identity.
It would be best to acquire some new, unknown martial arts as soon as possible, to use when acting as the ¡°Ziwei Emperor¡±, so as not to easily expose his identity.
Hiding one¡¯s identity behind an alias is truly a technical task.
¡
¡°Fortune Bag [Copper]: It contains everything imaginable, having it all. Upon opening, you can receive unexpected rewards.¡±
¡°Open six!¡±
¡°Congrattions! You hit the jackpot! Acquired martial arts ¡®Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms¡¯ [Seventh Rank]!¡±
¡°Congrattions! Acquired a special skill card: Quick Hairstyle Change Card.¡±
¡°Congrattions! You hit the jackpot! Acquired martial arts ¡®Dou Zhuan Xing Yi¡¯ [Seventh Rank]!¡±
¡°Congrattions! You hit the jackpot! Acquired the spiritual medicine: Linju Pill.¡±
¡°Congrattions! Acquired an extravagant set of clothing.¡±
¡°Congrattions! You hit the jackpot! Acquired martial arts ¡®Xiao Wuxiang Gong¡¯ [Seventh Rank]!¡±
¡
What on earth is this Quick Hairstyle Change Card?
And what the heck is with the extravagant clothing??
Zhou Heng¡¯s eyes almost popped out.
These Fortune Bags really lived up to their name, containing all sorts of oddities. Could it be that one day he might even get a PS5??
No, that would be wrong, there wouldn¡¯t be a TV to y it with.
While the Linju Pill was a spiritual medicine, it wasn¡¯t intended for human consumption, but rather for enhancing the bloodline strength of mounts. The description seemed quite miraculous, so he could try it on the reddish-brown horse.
Several new martial arts suits were greatly to Zhou Heng¡¯s liking; he had initially thought that if he couldn¡¯t get suitable new martial arts from the six Fortune Bags, he would open a few more.
Now it seemed his luck wasn¡¯t bad.
Next, he would go to the nearest entrance of the Purple Tenuity Pce to fulfill his wish and get his hands on the promised weapon-grade ded weapon, so he wouldn¡¯t have to awkwardly use a sword for the Purple Thunder Seven Strikes.
But before that, he had to check the Memory Crystal dropped by Wan Shankong¡¯s twisted remnant soul to see if it really contained information about the Battle of Tianyang.
The Memory Crystal was a purple crystal stone, and Zhou Heng could directly read the information inside with just a thought.
As he began to read, he saw an endless ghostly aura filling the ins. It was an army, with soldiers numbering in the hundreds of thousands, led by none other than Wan Shankong.
But behind him,manding the troops, there were not only ghastly creatures but also¡ people!!
Chapter 150: 150 Clues, Weird Attitude
Chapter 150: Clues, Weird Attitude
If he hadn¡¯t seen it with his own eyes, Zhou Heng would never believe such a situation could exist.
Ghosts leading armies,manding hundreds of thousands of troopsposed of ghosts and humans alike, engaging in conquest, while the opposingmanders, although human, had forces that were also made up of ghosts and humans.
Even more so, both sides were predominantly ghosts.
What¡¯s going on?
Zhou Heng had thought Wan Shankong¡¯s previous words were nothing but gibberish meant to confuse the mind, but it turned out to be true.
During the battle of Tianyang, did ghosts really participate in the fight, fighting shoulder to shoulder with humans?
That¡¯s preposterous!
Suddenly, the scene shifted.
Zhou Heng saw a huge circr altar, at least a hundred yards in diameter, with seventy-twomps burning around its edge, all with pale blue mes.
Under the night sky, without moon or stars, only these blue mes struggled to illuminate the darkness.
Kneeling beneath the altar were tens of thousands, and beyond themy a vastplex of majestic and spectacr pces.
This seemed to be inside a massive imperial pce.
In the center of the altar stood three people.
One of them, not far from the center of the altar, was dressed in red ceremonial robes and wore a jade crown, appearing to be a man in his thirties, indifferent and dignified in demeanor.
His attire was quite ancient, but clearly high-ranking, not the garb of an ordinary person.
Another was standing in the center of the altar, tall and robust, at least nine feet tall, his presence like a mini-giant¡ªintimidating and ferocious.
It was none other than Wan Shankong.
And the third, it¡¯s uncertain if they could even be called human. It was a mass of purple-ck mist, hovering in the air, outlining a human figure but without substance.
¡°Once this ceremony begins, you will be a ghost with no chance for regret,¡± the dignified man in red spoke gravely, ¡°Shankong, you¡¯re a powerful underling of mine, already a Fifth Rank Sect Master at such a young age with the hope of ascending to Fourth Rank. Think it over carefully.¡±
¡°I am willing to sacrifice my life for you, my lord, and willingly be a ghost!¡± Wan Shankong knelt on one knee and dered loudly, ¡°I shall never regret this for eternity!¡±
¡
The scene ended there.
Following that, the Memory Crystal shattered, devoid of any continuation.
After all, it was only a fragment dropped by a remnant soul, so the information and images it contained were also iplete.
Yet, even these iplete memories had dealt a considerable shock to Zhou Heng.
¡°Was Wan Shankong originally human, a Fifth Rank Sect Master who transformed into a ghost through some special ceremony?¡± Zhou Heng was stunned and incredulous, hardly able to believe it.
He had previously read memories from a Memory Crystal about the sealing of ghosts and knew what form ghosts really took.
Ghosts were not born from the souls or spirits of the deceased.
Initially, they were ¡°Yin spirits¡± that emerged naturally from the murky Yin energy of nature.
ording to the naturalw of Yin and Yang convergence, these Yin spirits naturally crave to absorb Yang Energy and devour it.
Once a Yin spiritpletely devours its first living person, it gains its own intellect and thoughts, bing a true ghost.
But what Wan Shankong¡¯s memories suggested was that, during the Tianyang battle, humans could apparently be transformed into ghosts through a special ceremony.
And then they were thrown into the war?
This was another birth method for ghosts, distinct from ¡°natural birth¡±!
¡°Turning humans into ghosts for war is probably because of the nearly indestructible nature of ghosts. Such a characteristic where they can¡¯t be killed no matter what, is like having a cheat in arge-scale war.¡±
Zhou Heng fell into deep thought.
The information disyed in the memory fragments of Wan Shankong¡¯s remnant soul was hard for him to believe.
If all this were true, what would it mean?
It would mean that during the Tianyang battle, the existence of ghosts wasmon knowledge, far from the tightly concealed truth of the present.
Previously, Xuan Yang had also mentioned having experienced the Tianyang battle, after which he was sealed¡ The previous Wan Shankong was just a remnant soul; perhaps his true body was still in a sealed state?
Could it be that during the Tianyang battle, did humans truly rely on the power of ghosts to wage war against each other, only to seal the ghosts away after the conflict ended?
Of course, Zhou Heng didn¡¯t feel any pity or sympathy for the ghosts because of this.
No matter what experiences the ghosts from that time had gone through, all of the ghosts he encountered now spared no human life and killed at will.
Every single one of them deserved to be killed and eradicated.
Worthy of no pity whatsoever.
It was just that Zhou Heng was puzzled.
If the conditions during the Tianyang battle were indeed like what Wan Shankong remembered,
Then why has it be the situation we have today?
Was it simply a case of ¡°when the birds are gone, the bow is put away¡±?
Once the war ended, and ghosts lost their use, they were then sealed away?
That was indeed possible.
But such a reason is too simple.
Could that really ount for the deep taboo surrounding this topic, whether among the general popce, the Imperial Court, or the Great Sect?
Is it just for the sake of saving face?
Or did some grave, unknown event ur at that time that drastically changed people¡¯s attitudes towards ghosts, leading to the current scenario?
That is also a possibility.
In the midst of these changes, what role did the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer y, and what purpose did it serve?
Today¡¯s Zhou Tian Boundary Officer is responsible for suppressing and killing demons to maintain stability in the world; if you say they¡¯re unrted to the actions after the Tianyang battle that led to sealing the ghosts, Zhou Heng would not believe it.
In fact, the establishment of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer might very well be connected to the sealing of a vast number of ghosts.
And the foundation for the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer¡¯s establishment was the Zhou Tian Star Chart, which is the map of the Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions, a starmap not found in this world and likely rted to Earth.
¡°If that¡¯s the case, does it mean that if I can just find out what really happened during the Tianyang battle, why the ghosts were sealed, and why the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer was established, I might be able to find clues about Earth?¡±
At this thought, Zhou Heng¡¯s spirits couldn¡¯t help but lift.
Since the day he realized he had traversed to another world, he had been trying to figure out what was going on.
Why had he traversed, why had hee to this world, and was there still a chance to return to Earth?
His initial intent to learn martial arts was partly for these reasons.
But he had always been at a loss, until he joined the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer and saw the map of the Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions, which confirmed that this world was indeed rted to Earth.
However, his knowledge was limited to this, and he had no clear idea of how to proceed with the investigation. He could only ce his hopes on a desire that was uncertain.
As of today, it seemed that he had finally found a rtively clear line of investigation?
Indeed, there might also be clues at the Pure Yang Pce.
After all, if what Wan Shankong had said was true and Chen Dongxuan had taken action to suppress it, that would mean that the Pure Yang Pce must have also been involved in sealing the spirits after the battle at Tianyang.
This excited Zhou Heng greatly, giving him a sense of ¡°After endless mountains and rivers that leave doubt whether there is a path out, suddenly one encounters the shade of a willow, bright flowers, and another vige.¡±
¡°Next, I will continue to use the tform of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer to investigate matters rted to the spirits, and also pay more attention to the Pure Yang Pce,¡±
Zhou Heng set a n for himself, then got up from bed, opened the window and looked in the direction of the Chang Xing Sect, ¡°But first, I should handle the matters concerning the Chang Xing Sect.
¡°I¡¯ll take this opportunity to refine and integrate my own martial arts to see if I can create a martial art unique to myself. I¡¯ll use this as a foundation to build an innerndscape and a little world, and step onto the Seventh Rank¡¯s transformation.¡±
He then began to study the several martial arts he had obtained from the Fortune Bag.
¡
¡°You are contemting the martial art ¡®Xiao Wuxiang Gong¡¯ [Seventh Rank]. With enhancement from martial arts of the same tier and higher levels, the difficulty ofprehension is reduced, proficiency +0.5.¡±
¡
¡°Your martial art ¡®Xiao Wuxiang Gong¡¯ [Seventh Rank] has reached a proficiency of 1, and you have formally acquired this martial art. With enhancement from martial arts of the same tier and higher levels, proficiency +3000.¡±
¡
¡°You are contemting the martial art ¡®Dou Zhuan Xing Yi¡¯ [Seventh Rank], proficiency +0.2.¡±
¡
¡°You continue to contemte the martial art ¡®Dou Zhuan Xing Yi¡¯ [Seventh Rank] and trigger the ¡®Heaven rewards the diligent¡¯ bonus, proficiency +20.¡±
¡
Eventually, the night passed.
[Seventh Rank] Xiao Wuxiang Gong: Advanced (3000/3000)
[Seventh Rank] Dou Zhuan Xing Yi: Beginner (125/1000)
Zhou Heng did not study the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms because there was not enough time, andpared to Xiao Wuxiang Gong and Dou Zhuan Xing Yi, the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms were too distinctive to use in front of others.
He nned to use the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms as the martial art of the Ziwei Emperor identity, not exhibiting it as Zhou Heng.
Xiao Wuxiang Gong and Dou Zhuan Xing Yi would be very helpful for him in dealing with the Chang Xing Sect next.
The former could mimic the exertion of other martial arts, while thetter could borrow force to fight, dealing with others using their own methods against them.
The greatest humiliation between martial artists is to be defeated by your own best martial arts.
Vengeance must be fierce.
Zhou Heng had no intention of showing any mercy to the Chang Xing Sect.
As for whether the Chang Xing Sect would put abel on him for stealing martial arts and then send a Middle Third Rank expert to kill him, Zhou Heng was not worried in the slightest.
The trump cards he held were certainly not just for show.
Besides, if it came to casting me, he also had a hat to put on the Chang Xing Sect.
The matter of Chang Xing Sect disciple Chen Song colluding with the wicked gue Emperor Sect to attack the disciple of the master of the Pure Yang Pce¡ Zhou Heng hadn¡¯t yet asked the Chang Xing Sect for justice.
¡
Before heading to the Chang Xing Sect, Zhou Heng first visited a forested mountain over a hundred miles from the post station.
There was a portal to the Purple Tenuity Pce.
Walking along a path paved with the brilliance of countless stars, listening to the praises of the Treasure of Purple Tenuity, Zhou Heng passed through a purple mist and arrived in front of a mountain range that stretched endlessly.
Then he was stunned.
The ce where Zhou Heng now stood was a floating tform made of umted purple mist.
This ce was separated from the Purple Tenuity Pce by the same vast void spanning thousands of miles, as well as a magnificent Star River.
Thest time he went there, the Supreme had escorted him, riding clouds and mist, but this time Zhou Heng had no means to do so.
There was no direct path to the other side from here.
¡°Hehe, do you want to cross over?¡±
Just then, a sharp voice came through, but Zhou Heng did not know when a small, hunchbacked man wearing a mask had appeared on the purple mist tform.
The mask bore a simple design, just a single vertical line.
This was the constetion of the Star Officer ¡°Line,¡± part of the ¡°Huagai¡± constetion¡¯s handle.
Zhou Heng looked at the man, feeling his profound and vast aura, and greeted with a bow, ¡°Senior, do you have a way?¡±
¡°Of course, that¡¯s what I earn my living doing,¡± Line nodded repeatedly,ughing, ¡°I¡¯ll take you across, and you only need to give me thirty good deeds.¡±
¡°Good deeds can be traded?¡± Zhou Heng was surprised inside, but did not speak out loud, as he sensed another strong auraing swiftly towards them.
¡°Line, you¡¯re fooling the neer again!¡± The voice arrived before the person. The speaker was a woman, and her voice sounded quite mature.
In a moment, the woman hadnded on the purple mist tform.
She was gracefully curved, tall and slender, with a pleasing form.
She, too, wore a mask, painted with a Huagai.
There was no need to say more.
This was one of the Star Officers from the Ziwei Sector, ¡°Huagai.¡±
¡°Line is always like this. You shouldn¡¯t me him,¡± Huagai looked at Zhou Heng and was about to greet him, but suddenly froze, her gaze locked on Zhou Heng¡¯s mask, ¡°You, you¡¯re the new ¡®Ziwei¡¯ that appeared a few days ago?¡±
¡°What, Ziwei?!¡± Line was also startled upon hearing this, hurriedly looking up at Zhou Heng, his eyes fixed on the emperor image painted on the mask, ¡°I¡¯ll take you across right now, rest assured, no need for good deeds.¡±
¡°Me too!¡± Huagai said hurriedly.
Afterward, under the extra enthusiastic escort of these two, Zhou Heng arrived at the Purple Tenuity Pce and saw The Supreme and the Taoist Boy responsible for Tianli again.
But before Zhou Heng could speak, they took the initiative to greet him and weed him into the Purple Tenuity Pce.
What¡¯s going on?
Zhou Heng was utterly baffled.
The attitude of these people from the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer was bizarre, to say the least.
Luckily, he had chosen amon star path, and just as he entered the Purple Tenuity Pce, he met the Supreme.
But as he was about to ask a question, he saw the Supreme also pay his respects like the others before, then came forward with a smile.
¡°Senior, what¡¯s going on?¡± Zhou Heng asked in confusion.
Chapter 151: 151: The Master of Stars Specialty
Chapter 151: The Master of Stars¡¯ Specialty
¡°Are you referring to our attitude?¡±
The figure within the Five Emperors nodded with a smile as if he had expected the question, ¡°There¡¯s no need for confusion, maintaining a certain degree of respect towards you can strengthen the affinity between oneself and the corresponding constetions. The most direct benefit is that it can provide ess to more inheritances.¡±
¡°Is that so?¡± Zhou Heng was stunned and asked, ¡°Howe I wasn¡¯t aware of that?¡±
¡°Do you remember when I previously mentioned that your emergence as ¡®Ziwei¡¯ is a great advantage to the entire Zhou Tian Boundary Officer?¡± The figure within the Five Emperors said with a smile, ¡°That is why.
¡°Among the Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions, ¡®Ziwei¡¯ is held in the highest esteem, being the master of all stars. Although the corresponding celestial position does not signify the actual cultivation realm, its status is indeed above all other Star Officers.¡±
¡°In fact, the heavenly constetions chart contains not just a set of Upper Third Rank martial arts and the Taoist forms for borrowing ster force from afar, but also many other wondrous aspects.¡±
¡°However, these are not immediately essible, one needs to enhance their affinity with the stars to gain further ess.¡±
¡°The mostmon method is to ponder the meanings of the constetions and adjust one¡¯s behavior as a Star Officer, thus gradually strengthening the affinity to obtain more inheritances.¡±
¡°But after the appearance of ¡®Ziwei,¡¯ the Star Officers now have a new method, which is to maintain a certain degree of respect towards you, naturally enhancing the affinity.¡±
¡°Because in the ster system of the Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions, all the Star Officers are in fact ¡®Ziwei¡¯s subjects. By being respectful towards you, they are fulfilling the attitude of a subject.¡±
Zhou Heng was left dumbfounded by what the figure within the Five Emperors had said.
¡°There¡¯s actually such a thing.¡± Zhou Heng was extremely shocked, utterly astonished.
At the same time, his thoughts drifted. He remembered ording to the meaning of the star charts, ¡®Gou Chen¡¯ was actually the empress of the Heavenly Emperor. That would mean¡ However, the position of Gou Chen seemed to still be vacant.
¡°However, the effect is still quite limited for now, as your realm is not high. Saluting you once won¡¯t be useful again for the next month or two, and moreover, it only works in this world where Purple Tenuity Pce resides.¡±
The figure within the Five Emperors looked at Zhou Heng with a half-smile and said, ¡°If you were already in the Celestial Man Realm, a single bow from me would probably grant you a new inheritance instantly.¡±
¡°Then I really need to cultivate diligently,¡± said Zhou Heng with the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.
Me being so weak is really too embarrassing!!
But thinking about so many Middle Third Rank strong individuals and even the Upper Third Rank Celestials showing him such respect, he felt somewhat secretly thrilled.
¡°Haha, you have supreme talent and are sure to possess the stature of a Celestial Man,¡± the figure within the Five Emperors chuckled, then asked in confusion, ¡°By the way, what brings you back this time?¡±
He remembered that he had just assigned Zhou Heng a task a few days ago.
Had something difficult urred?
The task system of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer was still quite rudimentary, especially in terms of information transfer.
Since the mask could not send information back through space, the only way to know if a task waspleted was to update the task information at Purple Tenuity Pce with the mask in hand.
Hence, the figure within the Five Emperors did not know whether Zhou Heng hadpleted the task.
¡°I came to update my task info and, by the way, to fulfill a wish,¡± Zhou Heng honestly replied.
The Purple Tenuity Pce was quite empty at the time. Although he had taken themon star path when entering, there were still only him and the figure within the Five Emperors in the pce, without even a passerby.
¡°The task ispleted?¡± The figure within the Five Emperors was somewhat surprised, and with a smile, said, ¡°Well, with your strength, it¡¯s indeed possible toplete¡ Wait, you¡¯re here to fulfill a wish. Have you umted enough merit points?¡±
¡°Yes, I have,¡± Zhou Heng nodded and replied.
¡°¡¡± The figure within the Five Emperors fell silent.
He reflected on how he had to continuouslyplete tasks worth one or two hundred merit points each, desperately killing ghosts of the same rank to scrape together thirty thousand merit points.
Zhou Heng had managed to amass five hundred merit points so quickly¡
That was five hundred merit points!
Even if he had received every possible bonus from that previous task, it would amount to only three hundred and twenty merit points at most.
Did he kill a few ghosts to make up the five hundred?
But are ghosts that easy to kill?
One hundred and eighty merit points require killing a Seventh Rank and an Eighth Rank ghost.
Zhou Heng himself was only Eighth Rank and, though he might be strong enough to rank among the forefront of martial artists, ghosts have peculiar abilities and typically surpass those of the same rank, making them difficult to kill.
Could this be a reincarnation of a mighty being?
¡°By the way, can merit points be traded, senior?¡± Zhou Heng then inquired.
¡°They can be traded, but there are some restrictions,¡± the figure within the Five Emperors nodded and then looked at Zhou Heng with some surprise, ¡°However, after you use five hundred merit points to fulfill a wish, you still have some left over?¡±
¡°Just a little,¡± Zhou Heng said with a smile.
He didn¡¯t borate that he now had over five thousand merit points, for he feared that the figure within the Five Emperors might faint from excitement upon hearing that.
¡°If it¡¯s just a little, it¡¯s better to save it for yourself,¡± the figure within the Five Emperors advised kindly, then exined, ¡°At the tri-monthly gathering hosted by the Azure Dragon and Tianyi, a trade fair is held.
¡°There, offerings include weapons, martial arts, Taoist forms, heavenly materials and earthly treasures, and various other extraordinary items, all settled with merit points and typically costing fewer points than directly fulfilling a wish would require.
¡°Merit points can only be traded and transferred during that event. Of course, if people meet on regr days and decide to trade, they can make a note of it and transfer during the gathering.¡±
¡°Thank you for clearing my doubts, senior.¡±
Zhou Heng thanked the figure within the Five Emperors.
Afterward, he took his leave to settle his task and then went to the starry sea¡¯s Wishing Pool, where he spent five hundred merit points to fulfill a wish and received a knife with three special effects.
It was a saber three feet and three inches long, with a de as bright as starlight and a deep purple hilt adorned with exquisite and elegant patterns, exuding mystery and refinement.
The special effects were indeed in line with Zhou Heng¡¯s wishes when he made them at the Wishing Pool: to release lightning, be swift, and elerate.
They were just right for executing the Purple Thunder Seven Strikes.
Zhou Heng gave it a name, ¡®Purple Lightning.¡¯
Having achieved his wish, he left the Wishing Pool of the Star Sea Realm.
Upon leaving the Purple Tenuity Pce, he found that Huagai and Gou Chen had been waiting for him outside the whole time, escorting him to the Purple Qi tform opposite the pce. They were thoroughly dutiful.
Zhou Heng exited the world of the Purple Tenuity Pce, got back on his red date horse, and continued on his way to the Chang Xing Sect.
Now, there were only two days left until the appointed time.
Thanks to Wu Zongshan¡¯s vigorous promotion, the news of Zhou Heng¡¯s intention to challenge an entire sect single-handedly spread rapidly like a hurricane.
At the same time, his identity as a true disciple of the Pure Yang Pce was also revealed.
However, most people were dubious about his identity as the sixth-generation true disciple of Pure Yang Pce and the junior brother of the current sect leader ¡°Zhou Tian Boundary Officer¡± Yan Shouyi¡ªthey hardly dared to believe it.
Because that was simply too preposterous.
But without a doubt, the news that Zhou Heng was going to challenge all of the lower third rank disciples of the Chang Xing Sect hadpletely heated up.
This had be a major event in the martial world of Pingzhou, and it had even spread to other states and counties, drawing many onlookers who came to watch the excitement.
Meanwhile, Zhou Heng was casually riding a horse andprehending martial arts, not in a hurry at all.
¡
After escaping from the predicament in Ansong County, Chen Yingyu also returned to the Purple Tenuity Pce for a visit.
However, she had dealt with some local matters in Ansong County City and, without a fine steed like the red date horse, her journey on foot was somewhat slow, so she arrived a bitter than Zhou Heng.
After returning to the Purple Tenuity Pce, Chen Yingyu visited the ¡°Hall of Resolving Worries.¡±
This was the ce to update mission information.
She had previously epted a task to investigate the situation in Anxing County Town, and now that she had failed, she needed to update the information.
At the moment, a Heavenly Emperor from within the Five Emperors was here, picking out Zhou Heng¡¯s next mission, looking for something appropriate and with substantial rewards.
Finding such a task was no easy feat.
As he was searching, he saw Chen Yingyue back and smiled, ¡°Siming has returned, did ¡®Ziwei¡¯ save you?¡±
¡°Yeah, the emperor was truly amazing!¡± Chen Yingyu nodded again and again, excitedly saying, ¡°The emperor¡¯s strength is unbelievably strong for an Eighth Rank martial artist.
¡°He easily dealt with a ghost that surpassed the peak of the Seventh Rank, several ordinary Seventh Rank ghosts, and many Eighth and Ninth Rank ghosts. They were all like chickens and dogs before him, one by one effortlessly vanquished!¡±
¡°Yes, his strength is indeed not bad¡ wait, what did you just say??¡± The voice of the Heavenly Emperor trembled, and the booklet of mission information in his hands seemed to weigh heavier. He looked at Chen Yingyu in astonishment, ¡°You just said ¡®Ziwei¡¯ killed a lot of ghosts? One that surpassed the peak of the Seventh Rank, several ordinary Seventh Rank ghosts, and many Eighth and Ninth Rank ghosts??¡±
¡°Yes,¡± Chen Yingyu¡¯s eyes gleamed with admiration, ¡°The emperor is the strongest Eighth Rank martial artist I¡¯ve ever seen. I¡¯ve never seen anyone kill ghosts as effortlessly as him. It was like chopping vegetables, you should¡¯ve seen it; you would have been shocked too.¡±
¡°No, I¡¯m not concerned with that. I just want to ask, how much spiritual reward do you think ¡®Ziwei¡¯ got from killing those ghosts?¡± The Heavenly Emperor had a feeling as if he were being outdone by the neer, but he wanted to get an urate answer.
¡°How much spiritual reward? I haven¡¯t calcted it in detail, but let¡¯s say fifty for a Ninth Grade, eighty for an Eighth Rank, and a hundred for a Seventh Rank¡¡± Chen Yingyu pondered briefly, ¡°Probably around four or five thousand.¡±
¡°¡¡± The voice of the Heavenly Emperor was filled with profound self-doubt.
To think in the past, how hard he worked for thirty thousand spiritual rewards, and now this kid, on his very first mission, had earned four or five thousand?
Compared with others, one really gets thrown;pared with others, one might as well be dead!
Could it really be that he was too mediocre?
¡°This is truly the case of the new waves pushing the old ones.¡± The Heavenly Emperor heaved a sigh.
Suddenly, he felt that he might have misheard Zhou Heng¡¯s words before.
It shouldn¡¯t be ¡°a little bit,¡± but rather ¡°100 million bits,¡± right?
¡
With half a day left until the agreed date,
there were already many martial artists gathered in front of the Chang Xing Sect¡¯s gate. Some were Entry Rank who purely came to watch the buzz, and there were Ninth and Eighth Rank martial artists who came to witness the high-level confrontation.
Many well-known martial artists were also present.
After all, Zhou Heng had been in the limelight these past few months, and no one could be sure they wouldn¡¯t have to face him in the future. Watching hisbat and understanding his strength was beneficial.
Many disciples from the Chang Xing Sect had also arrived at the gate, waiting angrily.
In their eyes, Zhou Heng, originating from the Longxing Martial Arts Hall, was just a dog they had raised, and now he had the audacity to bite back. It was simply courting death.
So what if he¡¯s a true disciple of the Pure Yang Pce!
In the rules of the martial world, if youe to provoke, even if you¡¯re beaten to death, it¡¯s justified!
And so, amid the anticipatory gazes of thousands,
at noon,
Zhou Heng finally arrived leisurely on his red date horse, bathed in bright sunlight, slowly making his way, and his whole person seemed to be enveloped in a halo of light.
Immensely dazzling.
Chapter 152: 152 Exactly What I Wanted
Chapter 152: Exactly What I Wanted
¡°He really dide, he actually dared to show up!¡±
¡°That¡¯s some serious courage, unless he believes that because he¡¯s a true disciple of Pure Yang Pce, Chang Xing Sect wouldn¡¯t dare toy a hand on him?¡±
¡°Knocking on the door to provoke a fight, it doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re killed, that¡¯s the rule of Jianghu, and even Pure Yang Pce can¡¯t oppress with their power.¡±
¡°I heard that Zhou Heng is the sixth generation true disciple of Pure Yang Pce, the brother of the present true Yang master, Yan Shouyi¡ªis that true or false?¡±
¡°You believe that? Can¡¯t you use your brain?¡±
Zhou Heng¡¯s arrival set off a buzz of discussion among many people, most of whom hade to enjoy the spectacle because they had heard rumors; they were generally not of Entry Rank, or they were just ordinary Ninth Grade.
Other Eighth Rank and Seventh Rank practitioners, as well as renowned masters whose names were listed in the rankings, all watched Zhou Heng with serious expressions and a hint of wariness in their eyes.
With their ability to perceive, which was beyond what ordinary martial artists of Jianghu could match, they could see that Zhou Heng was in full spirit, and every move he made exhibited his martial arts skills, clearly indicating that his martial prowess was extremely profound.
Most likely, he had already reached the peak of Eighth Rank, just a step away from Seventh Rank.
In their view, Zhou Heng¡¯s visit to Chang Xing Sect this time was probably not just about seeking revenge for his mentor and friends; another likely objective was to use this as an opportunity to refine his martial skills, in an attempt to step into the Seventh Rank.
Zhou Heng had a record of single-handedly defeating three Seventh Rank Warriors while he was at Eighth Rank. How powerful would he be if he stepped into Seventh Rank?
For a moment, several young masters who ranked in the twenties and thirties on the rankings felt a surge of anxiety.
Currently, Zhou Heng was ranked forty-second, and if he made a breakthrough in his martial prowess, those with the most precarious rankings were them.
At this moment, a strikingly handsome young master with gentle features covered his lips with a folding fan and gazed at Zhou Heng, asking a youth in green attire beside him, ¡°Hey brother, do you think you can beat Zhou Heng now?¡±
The youth in green looked to be in histe teens, with rugged features, sharp eyebrows, and starry eyes, exuding a strong masculine aura and quite handsome.
Hearing hispanion¡¯s words, his sword-like brows rose, and he hummed softly, ¡°Little sister, are you underestimating me? Having cultivated our Pei Family¡¯s martial arts for over a decade, can¡¯t I beat someone like Zhou Heng whoes from a crude background?¡±
¡°Oh, brother! I am now the graceful young master of the mundane world! Don¡¯t call me little sister!¡± the exceptionally handsome young master shot a displeased nce at the youth in green andined, ¡°I don¡¯t think you can beat him, he¡¯s really powerful!¡±
¡°How do you know he¡¯s powerful?¡± The youth in green looked skeptical, examining his sister closely, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me when you ran away from home to have fun in Huangtong Mansion City, you went looking for him? But didn¡¯t you say you were visiting your best friend? No wonder you insisted oning with me this time.¡±
¡°Not at all, I went to y with Yun Xiu, brother, you¡¯re overthinking,¡± the exceptionally handsome young master responded with a guilty tone, covering half his face with the folding fan and whispering, ¡°I just witnessed him fighting others, that¡¯s all.¡±
¡°Well, I would like to see just how powerful he really is,¡± the youth in green said with a touch of disbelief, eyeing Zhou Heng and pondering whether he should issue a challenge after this matter was settled, to show his sister his true strength.
These two were none other than the legitimate daughter and son of the Pei Family head from Pingzhou, Pei Luoling and Pei Luoshu.
¡
Zhou Heng rode his chestnut horse leisurely through the crowd and stopped in front of the Chang Xing Sect disciples.
These disciples were easy to distinguish by their uniform attire¡ªa total of more than thirty gathered together, ring at Zhou Heng with anger seething in their eyes.
Since Chang Xing Sect wasn¡¯t among the mightiest of martial sects, none of these Seventh Rank warriors was under thirty; most were over forty, and there were quite a few in their fifties and sixties.
However, this didn¡¯t mean they were weak; older warriors tended to have much richerbat experience than their younger counterparts, and their skill was usually much more profound.
¡°It¡¯s surprising to see such enthusiasm from everyone at Chang Xing Sect,¡± Zhou Heng chuckled and greeted the crowd with sped hands, smiling, ¡°Since you all feel so passionate, I¡¯ll try not to kill anyone.¡±
Hiss!
Many in the watching crowd couldn¡¯t help but draw in a breath of cold air, stunned as they looked at Zhou Heng.
What a poisonous tongue.
And what immense courage.
Wasn¡¯t he afraid that the sect, in a fit of anger, would have thirty or forty Seventh Rank warriors surge forward and attack?
It is said that two fists are hard to contend with four hands.
For most Seventh Rank Warriors, this principle held true; facing an onught from arge number of same-level fighters, even if one were far stronger than any individual among them, they were likely to suffer a great loss.
Even more so considering that Zhou Heng was still just Eighth Rank and hadn¡¯t even reached Seventh Rank yet.
His courage was immense.
Naturally, the most enraged were the Chang Xing Sect disciples themselves; they were ustomed to throwing their weight around in Huangtong Mansion City, and had the power of life and death over various subordinate martial halls. When had they ever encountered defiance?
Thus, from the beginning, the fact that Zhou Heng came to challenge all the Lower Third Rank disciples of Chang Xing Sect infuriated them, and now hearing his words, they were beside themselves with rage.
¡°Zhou Heng, I don¡¯t know how skilled you are, but your mouth is truly disgusting!¡± A Seventh Rank warrior of Chang Xing Sect couldn¡¯t hold back any longer.
This was a bearded, burly man in his forties.
He stepped forward, blocking Zhou Heng¡¯s chestnut horse, brandishing his long saber before him and shouting loudly, ¡°Dismount and fight! I will see if I can¡¯t tear that foul mouth of yours!¡±
As he spoke, the spectators perked up, polishing their eyes, eager to witness an exciting fight.
¡°Dismount?¡± Zhou Heng merely nced at the man indifferently and chuckled, ¡°Do you think you¡¯re worthy?¡±
Following that, he gently tapped the Mysterious Door Sword hanging on his chestnut horse.
ng!
A sword cry rang out, a sh of silver light burst forth like a spring gushing from nowhere. The Mysterious Door Sword unsheathed itself and, without anyone wielding it, swiftly shed through the air towards the man!
¡°What?!¡± The man was shocked, having never dreamed Zhou Heng would use such a wondrous technique. He lost hisposure and became flustered on the spot.
Nevertheless, as a Seventh Rank warrior, even having lost the initiative, he still had a chance to fight back. He hurriedly raised his long saber, attempting to block the iing strike from the Mysterious Door Sword.
But his long saber was merely an ordinary hundred-refined weapon; how could it contend with a superior de like the Cross Mysterious Door Sword?
The moment they made contact, the saber was cut open with ease as if it were made of paper, utterly incapable of any resistance.
Broken into two, the sword de relentlessly thrust toward the man¡¯s face.
If this thrust connected, it would have pierced through the man¡¯s skull, killing him instantly on the spot.
Just then, the Cross Mysterious Door Sword suddenly stopped in front of the man¡¯s face, hovering there without actually stabbing down; but then the de tilted to the side, shing open the man¡¯s mouth, causing blood to gush forth.
¡°Ah!!¡± The man screamed, clutching his mouth and rolling on the ground in excruciating pain.
¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Zhou Heng sneered. With a flick of his sword finger, the Cross Mysterious Door Sword flew back into its sheath. He then cast his nce over the disciples of the Chang Xing Sect, chin slightly raised, and coolly said, ¡°Next, any more takers?¡±
This single question made a dozen Chang Xing Sect disciples unconsciously take a step back.
But the next moment they realized their retreat was embarrassing, so they stepped forward again.
Nevertheless, no one dared to speak up.
The surrounding onlookers were silent too, many with their mouths agape, staring at Zhou Heng in disbelief.
After a while, the crowd suddenly erupted.
¡°No way, what was that just now? A Sword Control Technique??¡±
¡°A Sword floating in the air, isn¡¯t that a secret technique that only Innate experts who have stepped into the Sixth Rank can practice?¡±
¡°How did Zhou Heng perform it? How does he know a Sword Control Technique??¡±
¡°It¡¯s too incredible, simply unimaginable!¡±
The sounds of discussion and astonishment were endless.
In the crowd, Pei Luoling had a face full of joy, excitedly saying to her brother, ¡°Brother, see, I told you he is amazing, hey, Brother, why aren¡¯t you speaking?¡±
¡°¡¡± Pei Luoshu was staring nkly at Zhou Heng, silently deciding that it would be best to avoid encountering Zhou Heng if possible, lest he be one of those whose ranks were knocked down by Zhou Heng from the top forty.
What a joke, how did a Martial Dao Eighth Rank learn a Sword Control Technique?
Even if some special Seventh Rank sword techniques could achieve an effect simr to the Sword Control Technique over short distances, such sword techniques are generally extremely difficult to practice, require a high demand on the Divine Soul, and are usually only possible to learn at the initial convergence of the external scenery at the Peak of the Seventh Rank.
Zhou Heng was merely at the Eighth Rank yet he was able to perform a technique simr to a Sword Control Technique.
It was utterly inconceivable!
In the crowd, there was a middle-aged man wearing a simple Taoist robe; seeing Zhou Heng wield the Sword Control Technique, his eyes revealed a look of sudden realization, and he looked at Zhou Heng with even more admiration.
On a distant mountain peak.
Cheng Jianjian sat at the edge of a cliff, watching the situation in front of Chang Xing Sect¡¯s gates, her gaze fixed on Zhou Heng, her lips curled into a smile, ¡°He¡¯s be much more formidable.¡±
After hearing about Zhou Heng¡¯s situation with the Chang Xing Sect, she had temporarily set aside her own tasks and rushed over as quickly as possible, ready to help at any moment, in case Zhou Heng suffered a disadvantage in a possible group attack.
At this time, the Seventh Rank Warriors of the Chang Xing Sect listened to the surrounding discussions and exmations, their faces turning the livid color of liver, their bodies trembling with indignant rage.
They sent out two people to carry back the one who had been injured by Zhou Heng to bandage his wounds.
Then they began shouting again.
¡°Relying on a superior weapon to bully others, what kind of master are you!¡±
¡°Exactly, put up a fair fight with your bare hands if you are capable and don¡¯t rely on sharp weapons to harm people!¡±
¡°Right! You¡¯re a true disciple of a prominent martial family, armed with a superior weapon, how could we stand a chance against you?¡±
¡°Do you dare to fight with just fists and feet?¡±
As soon as these words were uttered, the crowd immediately jeered; the look in their eyes toward them wasced with disdain.
How ludicrous!
Zhou Heng was merely at the Eighth Rank of the Martial Path, and here was a group of Seventh Rank warriors saying he relied on a superior weapon to harm others, audaciously demanding that he fight empty-handed.
What sheer audacity!
The group from the Chang Xing Sect hadshed out in heated foolishness, nearly losing their senses, but once they came to their senses, the words had already been said and could not be taken back; they could only grit their teeth and stand firm.
¡°Fine!¡± Zhou Heng agreed readily, surprisingly everyone.
He dismounted and approached the Chang Xing Sect warriors bare-handed without taking the Cross Mysterious Door Sword. He shook his hands and smiled, ¡°Actually, I think you might regret this in a minute.¡±
Fighting empty-handed was indeed his intention.
After all, using the technique of Transforming Shadows and Minor Wuxiang Power to return their own methods back on them, thus driving the Chang Xing Sect toplete despair and total loss of face, was his goal.
He had previously shown the prowess of the Cross Mysterious Door Sword with the hundred paces flying sword technique, precisely to make the Chang Xing Sect warriors feel he was bullying them with it, anticipating they would eventually ask him not to use his weapon.
As expected, the Chang Xing Sect were shameless just as he had anticipated.
¡°The one who will regret it is probably you! Boy, you may be young, but you have a big mouth!¡± A coldugh came, and a strapping middle-aged man emerged from the Chang Xing Sect crowd.
He stood there like a mighty spear, exuding an oppressive presence. He pointed at Zhou Heng and dered, ¡°Just now my junior was caught off-guard by you, and his weapon was not as sharp as yours. Don¡¯t think he genuinely could not match you!
¡°Hong Wanzai, known in the martial world as ¡®Mountain-Bearing Spear¡¯, let me test your skills! Boy, make your move!¡±
Chapter 153: 153: Beat Them As You Encounter Them
Chapter 153: Beat Them As You Encounter Them
Mountain-Bearing Divine Spear?
Zhou Heng sized up the man before him and found that there indeed was a murderous aura about him that came from wielding a spear; he did not seem like a martial artist from the pugilistic world, but more like an expert honed in the military.
¡°Have you served in the army?¡± Zhou Heng raised an eyebrow and inquired.
¡°To hone my killing intent, I spent ten years cultivating in the military.¡± Hong Wanzai grinned, his aura of murder intensifying as he circted his Inner Qi and adopted a stance, coldlyughing, ¡°Boy,e on, let¡¯s see how much killing intent your martial arts contain. Without your lethal weapon, are your fists still as sharp?¡±
Hong Wanzai announcing his identity like this immediately caused a sensation among the onlookers.
¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to be him; Hong Wanzai is actually from the Chang Xing Sect. Zhou Heng¡¯s in trouble now.¡±
¡°Is Hong Wanzai that formidable? I¡¯ve never really heard of him.¡±
¡°You haven¡¯t heard of him because you¡¯re young. Over twenty years ago, he was an Eighth Rank martial artist. He went to train in the Southern Jin military, spent a decade with the troops, and experienced various battles with the barbarian tribes of the vast wilderness mountains, ying countless enemies!¡±
¡°My goodness, that impressive? In that case, can Zhou Heng even defeat him?¡±
¡°Zhou Heng¡¯s martial arts rank is definitely much higher than Hong Wanzai¡¯s, but Hong Wanzai¡¯sbat experience is too rich. Often inbat, victory or death does not merely depend on one¡¯s martial arts rank and cultivation. Battle experience also ys a significant role.¡±
¡°It looks like Zhou Heng is really in trouble. When Hong Wanzai gets angry, it¡¯s going to get bloody!¡±
The crowd buzzed with discussion, recounting Hong Wanzai¡¯s background and his past glorious deeds.
Pei Luoling naturally overheard all of this.
The young girl immediately became nervous, tugging at the hem of her brother¡¯s clothes and whispering, ¡°Brother, if Zhou Heng can¡¯t beat that ¡®Mountain-Bearing Divine Spear,¡¯ remember to step in and mediate.¡±
Zhou Heng can¡¯t afford to have an ident. There are so many stories I haven¡¯t heard yet. No one else tells stories that are as novel and interesting as Zhou Heng¡¯s, and I like the sound of his voice.
¡°What??¡± Pei Luoshu, however, was stunned by his sister¡¯s abrupt remarks, replying in bewilderment, ¡°Why should I intervene? I don¡¯t even know him¡¡±
¡°Wuuu, you don¡¯t love me anymore!!¡± Pei Luoling¡¯s lips quivered, and tears began to well up in her eyes.
¡°Alright, alright, I understand, I understand,¡± Pei Luoshu, who couldn¡¯t bear to see his sister cry, quickly nodded, ¡°If Zhou Heng truly is no match for Hong Wanzai, I will step in and mediate.¡±
¡°Why didn¡¯t you just say so earlier!¡± Pei Luoling snapped her folding fan shut and pped Pei Luoshu on the shoulder, smiling, ¡°You almost made me cry. You owe mepensation, just a hundred taels in silver notes, not too much.¡±
¡°¡ I only get ten silver notes for my monthly allowance.¡± Pei Luoshu¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, and he turned to look at Zhou Heng, trying to change the subject, ¡°Though, if you ask me, this Hong Wanzai might not necessarily be a match for Zhou Heng.¡±
¡°Really?¡± Pei Luoling perked up with excitement, happily eximing, ¡°Is that true? But I heard from the people around that this Hong Wanzai is very powerful. He¡¯s battle-hardened from serving in the military and far stronger than the average martial artist of the same rank.¡±
¡°Is Zhou Heng your average martial artist?¡± Pei Luoshu rolled his eyes. This was a person who, at Eighth Rank, had already mastered the Sword Control Technique¡ªan extraordinary existence not to be judged by conventional standards.
¡°Hmm, he¡¯s indeed not your average martial artist,¡± Pei Luoling nodded and smiled, ¡°Now that you mention it, I feel better and more confident. Brother, stand aside a bit, don¡¯t block my view of Zhou Heng.¡±
¡°¡¡± Pei Luoshu had no choice but to obediently shift his position, solidifying his status as the ultimate supportive tool.
At this moment, Hong Wanzai had alreadyunched his attack on Zhou Heng. His entire body surged with Inner Qi, and his every movement whipped up a frenzy of wind, lifting sand and stones all around him.
Whoosh whoosh!
Amidst the howling winds, Hong Wanzai became like a thrusting spear, shooting forward in a sh, and appeared in front of Zhou Heng. His hands came together, fingers forming palms, with his fingertips pointing forward¡ªone hand in front, the other behind¡ªlike holding a great spear, he stabbed towards Zhou Heng¡¯s neck.
¡°You have witnessed Hong Wanzai performing ¡®Divine Spear Hand Technique''[Eighth Rank], based on past experience, you have discerned the essence of its martial secrets, proficiency +500.¡±
After all, Chang Xing Sect is not a major sect, and even a Seventh Rank expertmonly uses Eighth Rank techniques.
Almost the instant Hong Wanzai unleashed this technique, Zhou Heng saw through everything and learned it, even managing to use it with considerable skill.
Thus, he instantly adopted the same stance as Hong Wanzai.
It was the same hand formation, the same forward-pointing fingertips, and one hand in front, the other behind, as if holding a great spear as well, and he stabbed towards Hong Wanzai¡¯s neck.
However, this was merely the external stance. In essence, he was propelling this technique with his minor ¡°Formless Skill,¡± while simultaneously using the technique ¡°Turning the Cosmic Wheel¡± to borrow force against force.
Hong Wanzai failed to detect the subtleties and saw Zhou Heng deploying his most proficient martial arts. Enraged, he sneered, ¡°Ignorant fool, daring to use my martial arts against me in a duel, courting death!¡±
However, before he could finish speaking¡
Hong Wanzai saw Zhou Heng¡¯s ¡°spear-hand¡± lightly touch his outstretched palms, instantly diverting the force of his own ¡°spear thrust,¡± unexpectedly redirecting it back against himself!
At the same time, Zhou Heng¡¯s thrust followed the trajectory of this force, striking forward and pressing against Hong Wanzai¡¯s neck.
All of this happened in a sh, and before a single exchange had passed, Hong Wanzai was defeated.
¡°How dull.¡± Zhou Heng shook his head in disappointment.
The hand that was originally resting on Hong Wanzai¡¯s neck thrust forward, and Hong Wanzai¡ªthe martial artist renowned for his countless kills and battle-hardened experience¡ªwas struck so his eyes rolled back, he spat out foam, and fainted.
All the spectators were dumbfounded, immersed in extreme shock.
How could this be?!
What had they just seen?
Zhou Heng seemed to have used Hong Wanzai¡¯s own martial arts to defeat him, winning with an almost overwhelming advantage!
This was too strong, absurdly powerful.
There had never been a case where someone used the opponent¡¯s martial arts to down the opponent, but here it was, happening right before their eyes.
It was simply inconceivable.
The disciples of Chang Xing Sect were also stunned, looking at Zhou Heng in disbelief. They could not believe that Hong Wanzai had been defeated by Zhou Heng using his most skilled ¡°Divine Spear Hand Technique.¡±
This is the secret of the Chang Xing Sect that is not passed on to outsiders. How exactly did Zhou Heng acquire it?
Could it be that he had forced it out of Kong Chengshun?
However, Kong Chengshun practiced Eighth Rank swordsmanship and had never cultivated the Art of the Spear Palm of the yer.
Even if he had truly been interrogated, it¡¯s certain he wouldn¡¯t have divulged the Art of the Spear Palm of the yer.
So how did Zhou Heng learn it?
It couldn¡¯t be that he simply watched it once and learned it, could it??
This absurd thought shed through their minds but was instantly denied by themselves.
How could such a thing be possible, no, absolutely not!
¡°I¡¯ll take you on! I want to see if you really are that powerful!¡±
Whether spurred by anger at Zhou Heng¡¯s previous fighting method or wanting to prove that Zhou Heng didn¡¯t have the ability to learn Martial Arts after just a nce, another Seventh Rank expert from the Chang Xing Sect stepped forward.
He was an old man around sixty years of age, his hair still ck but his beard turning slightly gray, his body showing signs of age, yet his Inner Qi was incredibly robust, having almost surpassed the Peak of the Seventh Rank.
Such depth of Inner Qi could not be said to be anything other than powerful.
¡°Fan Xiao, known in the martial world as the ¡®Chang Xing Divine Fist,¡¯ is here to test your brilliant moves!¡± Fan Xiao stared coldly at Zhou Heng, speaking in a deep voice.
¡°Begin whenever you¡¯re ready,¡± Zhou Heng said with a lightugh.
¡
¡
Bang!
As the forceful energy surged, the air rang out with explosive sounds, and Fan Xiao was sent flying by a punch from Zhou Heng. He collided with the crowd in front of the Chang Xing Sect¡¯s gates and fell to the ground, unconscious.
This time, Zhou Heng used the same moves that Fan Xiao had used.
Another Seventh Rank expert from the Chang Xing Sect stepped up and ended up being beaten by Zhou Heng using the same techniques as well.
Afterward, every person who fought Zhou Heng met the same fate.
No matter what Martial Arts they used or what moves they executed, Zhou Heng would deploy the same tactics, and he did it even more powerfully, to defeat them!
Now, everyone had clearly seen it.
Zhou Heng was doing it on purpose; he was intentionally using the same techniques as those who fought him!
He was using their own methods to defeat them, effectively humiliating and overwhelming the Chang Xing Sect to the fullest extent!
Hiss!
What immense confidence was this?
After all, people have limited energy; nobody can learn too many Martial Arts, let alone master a multitude of them, and use the same Martial Arts to counter and defeat an opponent.
The strength and methods now disyed by Zhou Heng were simply unfathomable.
By now, it was night.
The full moon of September 15 had risen into the sky, and Zhou Heng, after a day of fierce battle, did not show the slightest sign of fatigue, still looking spirited while standing in front of the Chang Xing Sect¡¯s gates.
With the Innate Skill reaching an advanced level, his inner Qi was unceasing. Unless a tremendous amount of Inner Qi was depleted in a short time, his Inner Qi could recover at a very fast pace.
¡°Is that all?¡± Zhou Heng stood under the moonlight, looking at the people of the Chang Xing Sect with a cold sneer and said, ¡°The top sect of Huangtong Mansion City is only of this level?¡±
Silence ensued, nobody spoke.
All thirty-odd Seventh Rank experts of the Chang Xing Sect had been defeated by Zhou Heng using their best Martial Arts; no one dared to speak up.
Although Eighth and Ninth Grade disciples from the Chang Xing Sect also came out to assess the situation, their prowess was not sufficient to intervene in conflicts of such caliber, so they could only watch.
The onlookers were also curious about how the Chang Xing Sect would handle the situation next.
This was a significant loss of face!
Would they be enraged and send a Sixth Rank Innate expert to attack Zhou Heng?
¡°Zhou Heng, don¡¯t push people too far!¡± Finally, Hong Wanzai, who was the first to challenge Zhou Heng, could not endure it any longer and stood up saying, ¡°Why must you humiliate us so much? Remember, ¡®to forgive when one has the upper hand!''¡±
It had been a good half-day since he had fought Zhou Heng, and although he had passed out from the beating then, he had sincee to.
The other disciples of the Chang Xing Sect also nodded in agreement, and even many spectators thought Zhou Heng was being too excessive.
¡°To forgive when one has the upper hand? Hah!¡± Zhou Heng, upon hearing this, let out a coldugh and nced over the crowd, ¡°Why is it that you, the Chang Xing Sect, don¡¯t understand the principle you yourselves don¡¯t follow, yet expect me to abide by it?
¡°When the Chang Xing Sect pressured the Yu Family and targeted my mentor, why did you not think of this saying? I came here for revenge. There is no reason for me to be merciful!
¡°It¡¯s fine if no one else wants to fight. I¡¯ll just stand in front of the gates of the Chang Xing Sect, and fight whoeveres out.
¡°See one, beat one!¡±
Chapter 154: 154: Go Apologize
Chapter 154: Go Apologize
Once Zhou Heng made this statement, the members of the Chang Xing Sect became furious.
Yet they dared not express their anger.
The strength of ¡°Purple Lightning Thunder de¡± was too formidable, and his martial arts talent was nothing short of astonishing.
They still couldn¡¯t figure out whether Zhou Heng had secretly learned a vast amount of the Chang Xing Sect¡¯s martial arts, or if he had managed to learn them simply by observing during their exchanges.
In the crowd, Pei Luoling covered her lips with a folding fan, her eyes sparkling brightly as she watched Zhou Heng, and poked her brother Pei Luoshu, giggling, ¡°Brother, did you see that? He¡¯s so awesome, really awesome!¡±
¡°Weren¡¯t you just worried that he¡¯s no match for Hong Wanzai?¡± Pei Luoshu rolled his eyes, feeling that he could never understand a woman¡¯s thoughts. He really wanted to go home and practice, even if it meant getting beaten ck and blue by the trainer.
¡°Hmph, that was a legitimate concern!¡± Pei Luoling argued stubbornly, though her gaze never left Zhou Heng, thinking to herself, ¡°Once he finishes, I¡¯ll find him and have him tell me a story. But I¡¯ll have to ditch my brother first.¡±
Atop a distant peak.
Cheng Jianjian¡¯s expression had be serious.
She clutched the jade gourd at her waist, ready to take out her secret treasure to assist Zhou Heng at any moment. Zhou Heng had really attracted hate with his statement just now. It was very likely that a Chang Xing Sect expert couldn¡¯t help but make a move.
And within the crowd, the Taoist in the simple robe slightly narrowed his eyes, ncing at Zhou Heng, then raised his head to look at the Chang Xing Sect¡¯s summit hall.
Wondering something unknown.
¡
Inside the Chang Xing Sect¡¯s main hall.
There sat six people, including the sect leader Wan Fengchun, as well as Liu Songshan and four other elders. They represented the core leadership of the Chang Xing Sect.
Currently, they were all focused on a light screen in the center of the hall, which showed the scene and sounds from outside the gate. They could hear every single word of Zhou Heng¡¯s statement crystal clear.
Fight everyone I encounter!
These words entered the ears of everyone present and felt extremely harsh.
How many years has it been?
How many years since someone dared to be so brazen in front of the Chang Xing Sect?
Fifty years?
A hundred years?
Ever since the sect leader reached Fifth Rank and became a Grandmaster, making the Chang Xing Sect the strongest sect around Huangtong Mansion City, no one had dared to do such a thing.
And now they were being bullied right at their doorstep by an Eighth Rank martial artist, which was aplete loss of face!
But this was a disciple of Pure Yang Pce¡ a true legacy disciple.
Bang!
Liu Songshan mmed his hand on the table and stood up, pointing at Zhou Heng in the light screen, grinding his teeth, ¡°This boy has gone too far, not only has he killed our disciples but also dares to provoke us at our door, causing us to lose face. He deserves to die. Sect leader, let me handle him!¡±
He was a middle-aged man who looked to be around fifty, with a hooked nose and slender eyes that were filled with anger and hatred towards Zhou Heng.
It was as if he wanted to rush out and tear Zhou Heng to pieces right then and there.
¡°Silence!¡± Wan Fengchun barked, an old man who appeared to be in his seventies but had actually lived for several centuries. He said in a heavy voice, ¡°Have you forgotten who Zhou Heng is? He is a true legacy disciple of Pure Yang Pce!¡±
¡°Brother Liu, do not be impulsive.¡± Sitting on the other side was a woman who appeared to be in her thirties, frowning and sighing, ¡°There are also rumors in the martial world that Zhou Heng is actually the sixth-generation true legacy disciple of Pure Yang Pce.
¡°That is to say, he is the junior brother of the current sect master, ¡®Inhabitant of True Yang¡¯ Yan Shouyi, and the disciple of the fifth-generation sect leader of Pure Yang Pce, Chen Dongxuan, who has condensed his Dao Seed and achieved the position of Tao Lord.
¡°He¡¯s the junior brother of a Celestial Man, the disciple of a Tao Lord; even if the news is not necessarily true, there¡¯s no smoke without fire. We should be more cautious.¡±
¡°Brother Liu, don¡¯t be too angry. Zhou Heng hase because you oppressed his friends and elders, hasn¡¯t he?¡± Among those present, there wasn¡¯t a unified front, as a sallow-skinned middle-aged man sneered, ¡°It¡¯s quite justified for him toe seeking revenge now.¡±
¡°Qian Zheng! Who are you taking sides with?¡± Liu Songshan burst out in anger upon hearing this, ring at the sallow-faced man, ¡°If he hadn¡¯t killed my promising disciple, why would I target his master and friends?¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t it because your disciple acted improperly, attempting to cripple someone¡¯s martial arts during a publicpetition, and got struck back instead?¡± Qian Zheng continued to sneer, facing Liu Songshan head-on.
The two of them were the most likely candidates topete for the next sect leader of Chang Xing Sect. With not much difference in their qualifications, Qian Zheng naturally would not miss any opportunity to ridicule and suppress Liu Songshan.
¡°Enough, both of you stop!¡± Wan Fengchun grew impatient, turning to Liu Songshan, ¡°You go to the front of the mountain gate and apologize to Zhou Heng, and be sincere about it. You, a distinguished Sixth Rank Innate, apologizing to an Eighth Rank should be enough to put an end to this matter.¡±
¡°What??¡± Liu Songshan looked at Wan Fengchun incredulously, his eyes bulging with burning rage as he pointed at Zhou Heng in the light screen, ¡°Sect Leader Brother, what are you saying? You want me to apologize to this little brat?¡±
¡°If you don¡¯t apologize, should we let Zhou Heng block everyone¡¯s entrance and exit in front of our sect¡¯s gate?¡± Qian Zheng said with an air of righteousness, sneering, ¡°The longer this standoffsts, the more face our Chang Xing Sect loses. Surely you don¡¯t really want to get into a fight with Zhou Heng, do you?¡±
¡°Shut up! Qian Junior Brother, you talk too much!¡± Wan Fengchun massaged his temples, feeling a headacheing on, and said to Liu Songshan, ¡°For the sake of our sect¡¯s greater good, please just bear this indignity for now.
¡°As you know, that Zhou Heng is after all a true disciple of Pure Yang Pce. We cannot reallyy hands on him. Once this matter is over, I promise, I will definitelypensate you in the future; you will not be treated unfairly.¡±
At these words, Qian Zheng¡¯splexion changed slightly, and he looked somewhat flustered.
¡°Fine, fine, fine! I agree!¡± Liu Songshan said emphatically, nodding vigorously, ¡°I will go and apologize to that little brat¡ I mean, I will go and give Zhou Heng a proper apology!¡±
¡
Zhou Heng took a chair, a table, and some preprepared meals out of his Qiankun pouch and began to dine right in front of the Chang Xing Sect¡¯s gates.
From time to time, he would also take out hay to feed to the jujube-hued horse beside him.
It was as if he wasn¡¯t there to challenge them but to enjoy a leisurely holiday outing.
This attitude made the people of Chang Xing Sect itch with hatred, while the onlookers gaped in amazement.
How arrogant!
Pei Luoling¡¯s eyes shone as she said to her older brother, ¡°Brother, look, isn¡¯t this the very epitome of the storyteller¡¯s ¡®a person like jade standing alone in the world, a young master without equal¡¯? So free and easy, so carefree!¡±
¡°That¡¯s outrageous¡¡± Pei Luoshu felt as if veins might pop out of his forehead, suddenly feeling an impulse to pick a fight with Zhou Heng, but then thinking that he might not be able to beat him.
This is a dilemma, too tough.
In fact, Zhou Heng was not as leisurely as he appeared on the surface.
He had already secretly prepared ¡°Geng Metal Sword Energy Talisman,¡± ¡°Projection Card,¡± ¡°Peak Card,¡± ¡°Five-Colored Divine Light¡±¡ No matter what kind of powerful expert the Chang Xing Sect deployed, he had ways to counter them.
Boom!!
Just then, a thunderous boom came from the sky above the Chang Xing Sect¡¯s gates, followed by the changing of wind and clouds, a fierce gale, and a swath of the sky lighting up with golden light. Then, a cloud shimmering with red twilight descended from the mountaintop.
¡°Shameless child! You¡¯ve stolen so many of our Chang Xing Sect¡¯s martial arts and yet you dare to strut around here; you deserve to die a thousand deaths!¡± A thunderous shout, akin to the rumbling of thunder, came with the descending cloud, deafening to all who heard it.
Atop the cloud stood a figure in a green robe.
It was none other than the elder of the Chang Xing Sect¡¯s Enforcement Hall, the master of Kong Chengshun, the main culprit targeting the Yu Family and Chang Xing Sect ¡ª a Sixth Rank Innate, Liu Songshan.
The crowd was shocked, all staring at the figure in the sky with astonishment.
What¡¯s going on?
Could it be that Liu Songshan is nning to make a move on Zhou Heng?
He¡¯s gone mad!
The Pure Yang Pce is a top Martial Dao Sect of the present age, an ancient Taoist Immortal Sect, with a Divine First Rank in its ranks, an unparalleled sect that is always protective of its own!
And not one to be trifled with.
Nobody can withstand the wrath of the Pure Yang Pce.
A disciple of the gue Emperor Sect once poisoned an external disciple of Pure Yang Pce, leading to the task ¡°kill the disciples of the gue Emperor Sect¡± bing a daily mission for the disciples of Pure Yang Pce.
Even if by thews of the martial world, Zhou Heng being the aggressor wouldn¡¯t justify action from Pure Yang Pce if he were to be killed on his challenge, but is Liu Songshan not afraid of ndestine retaliation from them?
Moreover, this is a Sixth Rank Innate attacking an Eighth Rank on the Martial Path, a case of the strong bullying the weak, an oppressive use of higher cultivation level.
It would not sound reasonable to the outside world.
A careless move could bring disaster upon the entire Chang Xing Sect!
Yet Liu Songshan seemed to have lost his mind, flying high above in the sky, looking down at Zhou Heng with icy contempt. Without uttering a word, he reached up and grasped at the air!
Boom!
Suddenly, the clouds in the high sky burst apart, the qi of heaven and earth roiling, the ground trembling slightly. A colossal green hand, covering nearly a hundred zhang in radius, reached out from above the clouds.
It crashed down towards Zhou Heng with a ferocious m!
Chapter 155: 155: Little Martial Uncle of Pure Yang
Chapter 155: Little Martial Uncle of Pure Yang
The giant palm struck down from the sky, and heaven and earth changed color as sand and rocks flew chaotically in the great wind.
Zhou Heng stood there as if he were a mere ant facing the vast heavenly might, at any moment liable to be crushed into dust.
This was the power inherent to one born before the heavens.
Pei Luoling suddenly tensed up, grabbed Pei Luoshu¡¯s arm next to her, and shook it violently, saying anxiously, ¡°Brother, what do we do?! Think of something quickly!¡±
¡°Ah, this is my own life-saving trump card,¡± Pei Luoshu said with a pained expression as he pulled out a jade talisman from his Qiankun Bag, ready to activate it.
At the same time, atop a distant mountain peak.
Cheng Jianjian stood up all at once, having been ready, she threw out a piece of red silk, which transformed into a beam of red light across the sky.
She stepped forward onto the beam of red light, ready to join Zhou Heng at his side to defend against Liu Songshan¡¯s attack.
A Martial Artist of the Sixth Rank on the Martial Path was already capable of uniting with external forces; their Inner Qi could return to an innate state, and even casual motions could harness the incredible natural forces of the world, enabling them to leverage the power of nature with their bodies to unleash infinite might.
Normally speaking, even the weakest Sixth Rank Celestial would be stronger than the most powerful and invincible at the peak of the Seventh Rank.
This was an insurmountable gulf, a difference in the very essence of life.
Even Zhou Heng, with his current strength sufficient to rank near the top among martial artists and topete with outstanding heirs from major top-tier sects and noble families, had absolutely no ability to resist when facing a Sixth Rank on the Martial Path if relying solely on his own power.
He would need extremely powerful magical talismans to stand a chance.
However, Zhou Heng himself was not the least bit panicked, as he never intended to fight Liu Songshan head-on.
The instant Liu Songshan appeared, he had already started circting his inner qi, prepared to activate the Geng Metal Sword Energy Talisman.
Of course, although the sword energy from the talisman had the might of a Sixth Rank, it was definitely stillckingpared to a true Sixth Rank Innate.
With just one strike of Geng Metal Sword Qi, Zhou Heng wasn¡¯t expecting to defeat a Sixth Rank Innate; he nned to use it to distract Liu Songshan, buying time to use his projection card and materialize his projection.
Project the Qingxia God!
That was his real trump card.
But just at that moment, within the crowd of onlookers, a sudden surge of azure light soared up, forming a small mountain about thirty to forty zhang high almost instantly.
The various phenomena that had arisen due to Liu Songshan¡¯s use of his secret technique dissipated, the clouds ceased churning, the rocks stilled, and the wild wind settled, as if everything were subdued by this small mountain.
Immediately after, the small mountain streaked across the sky, colliding with the giant hand that Liu Songshan had mmed down.
Boom!
A deafening st resounded, with waves of qi spreading outwards, the ground shaking and clouds in the sky shattering into pieces.
Even the natural energies within several miles were so stirred up, it was like whirlpools upending rivers, causing Martial Artists at the peak of the Seventh Rank starting to integrate internally and externally to feel their blood and qi roil.
The once imposing and mighty giant hand shattered into countless streams of light upon the impact with the small mountain, yet the mountain remained undamaged, simply turning in the air before flying back above Liu Songshan¡¯s head.
Liu Songshan¡¯s face turned ashen with shock, his previous air of dominance instantly shattered, and he looked panicked, trying to mobilize the cloud light beneath his feet to escape while frantically looking around and saying, ¡°Whoever you are, high above, with neither past grudges nor recent quarrels against me, why do you attack me¡ ¡±
But before he could finish his words, the small mountain crashed down fiercely, covering nearly a hundred zhang around and casting arge shadow on the ground.
Boom!
As the mountain struck the earth, the ground trembled, cracks appeared in thend around the mountain¡¯s base, and the long-standing Sixth Rank Celestial, Liu Songshan, was heavily suppressed beneath the mountain.
This sudden turn of events all happened in the blink of an eye.
From the formation of the mountain to the point where Liu Songshan was smashed down from the heavens, it was all incredibly quick and smooth.
Many were still in shock and hadn¡¯t reacted when Liu Songshan was already pressed beneath the mountain.
¡°What the heck?! What just happened?¡±
¡°Who made that move, suppressing Liu Songshan in an instant?¡±
¡°Could there be a Grandmaster here? Was it the Grandmaster who struck?¡±
The crowd suddenly erupted, all incredulously staring at the small mountain that had formed out of nowhere and then instantly demonstrated its divine might.
This is a small mountain purely condensed from Heaven and Earth¡¯s vital energy!
The person who has disyed such a technique must possess a high cultivation realm and is extremely adept at refining and transforming Heaven and Earth¡¯s vital energy into form, with formidable strength far beyond the ordinary.
At this moment, Cheng Jianjian, who had just stepped into the red light, paused slightly before retreating back to look at the crowd, quickly locating someone in a modest Taoist robe.
¡°So it turns out that Brother Jiang from Pure Yang Pce¡¯s Cui Peak is here.¡±
She smiled, retracting the red silk treasure andpletely calming down, recognizing the identity of the Taoist. With him around, even if a grandmaster from the Chang Xing Sect made a move, they could still ensure Zhou Heng¡¯s safety without harm.
Inside the crowd, Pei Luoling patted her small chest and heaved a sigh of relief, joyfully saying, ¡°Is this a heroic expert stepping forward to lend a hand in the face of injustice? This is just like the main character in the stories the storyteller tells, where there is always a high personage to save the day in times of peril.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not about stepping forward in the face of injustice.¡± Pei Luoshu shook his head and searched the crowd, saying, ¡°This small mountain is not amon technique, but the Sect Fifth Rank martial arts ¡®Qing Mountain Suppressing the Vast Sky¡¯ of Pure Yang Pce¡¯s Cui Peak.
¡°Judging from the degree of refinement and power of this small mountain, the person practicing the martial arts must have trained the tenthyer of the technique to the seventh, with a cultivation most likely at the peak of the Sixth Rank.¡±
¡°Qing Mountain Suppressing the Vast Sky?¡± Pei Luoling tilted her head and waved her folding fan, saying, ¡°It sounds familiar. Have I heard it somewhere before, like in a story¡
¡°Ah, now I remember, it¡¯s a story about the person who was first on the people¡¯s rank six years ago, ¡®Tianshan Cui Peak¡¯s Jiang Taihe,¡¯ which I heard from a storyteller.¡±
¡°¡It seems that the storyteller¡¯s tales are not entirely without merit.¡± Pei Luoshu pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling his headache slightly alleviated.
Six years ago, the one who was first on the people¡¯s rank was indeed famous throughout the world, and even if time had diluted his past reputation, with a reminder, many people immediately recalled it.
¡°Tianshan¡¯s Cui Peak, is it Tianshan Cui Peak¡¯s Jiang Taihe who has re-emerged in the jianghu?¡±
¡°After reaching the Sixth Rank six years ago, Jiang Taihe returned to Ta Hua Mount¡¯s Cui Peak to enter closed-door cultivation, this must be his first time showing up in the jianghu in these six years.¡±
¡°Judging from that initial strike, Jiang Taihe can¡¯t be far from the Fifth Rank Sect Master Realm, huh? When he was of the Seventh Rank, so was I, but now he is almost at the Fifth Rank while I am still at the Seventh Rank.¡±
¡°But why would hee here? Could he havee together with Zhou Heng, just to secretly protect him?¡±
¡°How is that possible, Jiang Taihe is the personal disciple of the Cui Peak¡¯s master, does he need to protect a mere authentic inheritor like Zhou Heng?¡±
¡°Perhaps that rumor is true?¡±
While the crowd was abuzz with discussion, the young Taoist wearing the modest Taoist robe, stepping on ck cloth shoes and binding his hair only with straw, looking somewhat unkempt, walked out.
He had a handsome face, a tall frame, and appeared to be in his twenties, not yet thirty, but he emanated the aura of someone who had experienced the vicissitudes of life and seemed to have seen through the worldly dust.
¡°It really is Jiang Taihe, but how has he be like this?¡±
¡°I heard that Jiang Taihe was bold and vigorous, with heroic spirit, once pursuing a thousand li to avenge a friend, a chivalrous figure who righted wrongs with pleasure. But now, he doesn¡¯t seem quite the same.¡±
¡°Has he gone through some sort of ordeal?¡±
¡
Zhou Heng also gazed at Jiang Taihe, smiling and saying, ¡°Thank you for just now.¡±
It was thanks to his intervention that the use of a Geng Metal Sword Energy Talisman and a projection card was spared.
¡°Younger uncle is too kind,¡± Jiang Taihe gently shook his head and also smiled, ¡°Even if I had not acted, I am certain the younger uncle would have had means to manage that person.¡±
Younger uncle?!
Jiang Taihe¡¯s address to Zhou Heng left everyone present in shock.
That previously far-fetched rumor¡
Was actually true?!
Zhou Heng really is the sixth generation authentically inherited disciple of Pure Yang Pce?
A Celestial Man¡¯s junior brother!
The disciple of a Tao Lord?!
What sort of sky-reaching background is this!
Meanwhile, inside the control hall of the Chang Xing Sect, Sect Master Wan Fengchun, a Fifth Rank grandmaster, almost staggered and fell from his chair.
¡°Go, go, all of you follow me down the mountain to apologize!¡±
Chapter 156: 156: No Need
Chapter 156: No Need
Jiang Taihe addressed Zhou Heng as ¡°Little Martial Uncle¡±?!
Even Pei Luoshu and Pei Luoling were shocked, staring with wide eyes.
The siblings had originally thought that Zhou Heng was merely a typical disciple of Pure Yang Pce, perhaps with higher strength and talent, who might one day have the chance to be taken as a personal disciple by a grandmaster or a supreme master, but it would still take some time.
After all, Zhou Heng had only joined Pure Yang Pce a few months ago.
But now, he had suddenly be the ¡°Little Martial Uncle¡± of the seventh generation of disciples in the Pure Yang Pce.
This was too unexpected and simply outrageous.
¡°Is he really taken as a disciple by the Celestial Man, the head of Pure Yang Pce?¡± Pei Luoling said with a look of surprise, whispering to Zhou Heng, ¡°Fresh out of the gate and favored by a big shot, with connections reaching to the heavens¡ªthis is exactly the treatment of a protagonist in a story.¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s also possible that one of the other peaks¡¯ elders in Pure Yang Pce took him as a disciple.¡± Pei Luoshu shook his head and muttered, ¡°That rumor could just be hearsay, transforming Zhou Heng from a personal disciple of some elder into a direct disciple of the head of the pce.¡±
His guess was actually very reasonable.
Among the fifth generation of disciples still alive in Pure Yang Pce, there is not only the former head Chen Dongxuan, but also disciples from the Jade Qiong Peak, Taixu Peak, Jade Qiong Peak, and others, although they have rarely taken disciples in the past century.
Thest disciple of the sixth generation who stirred the martial world was from fifty years ago, a disciple of the former master of the Purple Virtual Peak of Pure Yang Pce.
Known as Wandering White Crane Immortal, You Ziheng.
¡°As long as it¡¯s not from the Jade Virtual Peak lineage, it wouldn¡¯t be considered too shocking,¡± Pei Luoling said with a light smile, ¡°But I still think that rumor is probably true, and the Chang Xing Sect is surely in trouble.¡±
¡°Hey, even if it isn¡¯t true, with that rumor out in the open, most people, upon learning that Zhou Heng is a direct sixth generation disciple of Pure Yang Pce, will first think he¡¯s a disciple of a Tao Lord.¡± Pei Luoshu looked up at the mountain peaks in front andughed, ¡°Actually, if the rumor is false, Chang Xing Sect¡¯s trouble might be even bigger.
¡°Zhou Heng¡¯s status as a direct sixth generation disciple of Pure Yang Pce is certain. If not taken as a disciple by the acting head, then his master would be one of the still-living elders of the various peaks, most of whom have already achieved Celestial Man status, or are Fourth Rank supreme masters who have prolonged their lifespans.
¡°The Tao Lord is in secluded cultivation, rarely stepping into the mundane world, and Yan Shouyi as the head of Pure Yang Pce also would not act rashly. These two are unlikely to take direct action because of Zhou Heng, leaving some room for maneuver.
¡°But if it¡¯s a Celestial Man who has retired from sect duties, solely wishing to find a good disciple, or a Fourth Rank supreme master who is aging and nearing the end of his life, and who has just epted a sessor¡ Once Zhou Heng runs into trouble, can you guess what they would do?¡±
¡°Then Chang Xing Sect would certainly be doomed,¡± Pei Luoling nodded.
¡°Exactly,¡± Pei Luoshu said with a light chuckle, ¡°If I were Wan Fengchun, I woulde down the mountain right now to voluntarily apologize and promise to keep a close watch on Liu Songshan, preventing him from taking even half a step out of Chang Xing Sect.¡±
¡°Would that happen?¡± Pei Luoling also looked towards the mountain peak where the Chang Xing Sect was located andughed, ¡°Isn¡¯t it supposed to be that after beating the young, the olde out and then engage in a life-or-death struggle with Pure Yang Pce, ultimately getting wiped out?¡±
¡°¡Who would be that foolish?¡± Pei Luoshu¡¯s mouth twitched slightly as he said, ¡°Pure Yang Pce is a supreme immortal gate with a Divine First Rank, only if Wan Fengchun has a problem with his brain would he sh with Pure Yang Pce to the death.¡±
¡°Many storytellers tell it that way, and quite a few people believe them,¡± Pei Luoling covered her lips with her folding fan and giggled lightly, suddenly noticing several streaks of cloud light floating down from the peak, ¡°Eh, down already?¡±
Wan Fengchun came flying down from the summit with Qian Zheng, Yue Rong, and others.
They descended from afar, stepped off their cloud, and walked up to Zhou Heng, bowing and apologizing in unison.
¡°Daoist Zhou, an elder in our sect has acted recklessly and without concern for martial world ethics, oppressing your friends and seniors. I cannot shirk my responsibility in this matter and hereby apologize to you,¡± Wan Fengchun said.
Wan Fengchun, a Fifth Rank Sect Master, was now bowing and apologizing to Zhou Heng with utmost reverence; to many onlookers, it truly seemed like he was thoroughly lowering his face.
The others, Qian Zheng, Yue Rong, and the rest of the Sixth Rank Innate masters, also took turns bowing and apologizing to Zhou Heng.
The sight thrilled everyone around them beyond measure.
Grandmasters, Innates!
These were usually big names on the martial path, top figures in a province, and even in County City, they would be honored guests of all the major forces, yet now they were humbly apologizing to a Martial Path Eighth Rank.
Many envied Zhou Heng, wishing they could be in his shoes to see what it felt like to receive apologies from Grandmasters and Innates.
However, many also soberly recognized that Wan Fengchun wasn¡¯t apologizing to Zhou Heng, but to Pure Yang Pce, to its supreme masters, Celestial Men, Tao Lords, and that Saint.
This was the depth of a sect¡¯s foundation.
Thinking of this, some people couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit of sympathy for Wan Fengchun and the others, feeling that they were being oppressed by one of the current top Martial Dao Sects, and that if Zhou Heng didn¡¯t let it go at this, it would be somewhat overreaching.
Of course, many still clearly remembered Liu Songshan¡¯s previous actions and the attitude of Chang Xing Sect before Zhou Heng¡¯s identity was revealed.
Such a predicament was purely self-inflicted.
Isn¡¯t it just bullying the weak and fearing the strong?
Not the least bit pitiable!
¡°Following the customs of the martial world, it seems I should readily ept your apology, and then we¡¯d drink together from a jar of wine, dissolving our grievances,¡± Zhou Heng said with a light chuckle, showing no intention of letting Wan Fengchun and the others stand up.
From a short distance, the half-dead Liu Songshan hung his head, not daring to look at Zhou Heng, but his eyes, fixed on the ground, were filled with darkness and hatred, his fingernails digging into the earth.
Damn it!
Damn it all!
His heart was filled with a fierce desire to kill, but he dared not show even a hint of it now; he could only wait for a future opportunity.
¡°If Daoist Zhou could truly be so magnanimous, then we would be eternally grateful, but Liu Songshan did indeed go too far earlier,¡± Wan Fengchun continued to bow, lowering his head to Zhou Heng, ¡°Rest assured, Daoist Zhou, I will bring him back to the mountain, strictly discipline him, and confine him within the Sect, forbidding him from taking even half a step out.¡±
¡°No need.¡± Zhou Heng shook his head with a coldugh, raising his hand in a sweep. The Geng Metal Sword Energy Talisman was immediately activated.
Zheng!
A sound of a sword cry echoed, the extremely sharp Geng Metal Sword Qi tore through the void, causing the metal weapons in the hands of the many onlookers to tremble, emitting a chorus of jingling and nging sounds.
Almost instantly, the Geng Metal Sword Qi struck the half-dead Liu Songshan, enveloping his entire being.
If it had been an uninjured Liu Songshan, facing this Sword Qi, he would have had the strength to dodge and defend, and at most, it would take some time without causing him significant harm.
But now, with him half-dead and suppressed by Jiang Taihe, the flow of True Qi within his body hadpletely ceased, and his body could hardly move, let alone have the strength to resist this Sword Qi.
He could only watch helplessly as the pure white Sword Qi flew towards him, covering him entirely, followed by the excruciating pain of skin peeling, flesh crushing, and bones breaking.
Liu Songshan knew that this was the Geng Metal Sword Qi grinding him to pieces.
Damn it!
He was actually going to die at the hands of such a youngster!
¡°Junior brother!¡± Wan Fengchun wanted to disperse the Sword Qi, but Jiang Taihe stepped forward to block him.
A momentter, the Geng Metal Sword Qi faded away, leaving only a trench hundreds of feet long on the ground. Liu Songshan had vanished without a trace; he waspletely obliterated.
¡°Congrattions! You have killed the doomed enemy Liu Songshan. Fortune Bag [Gold] +1.¡±
The reward notification sounded.
Zhou Heng turned his head towards Wan Fengchun and said indifferently, ¡°There¡¯s no need to confine him anymore, Sect Leader. I always repay grievances directly; killing him was the simplest solution.¡±
¡°You?!¡± Wan Fengchun, consumed by a burst of anger, suddenly looked up, ring at Zhou Heng, ¡°Very well, very well! Despite your young age, Daoist Zhou, you have a strong killer instinct. With such a decisive nature in killing at such a young age, you¡¯re bound to have limitless prospects in the future.¡±
¡°Then I thank Sect Leader Wan for your auspicious words.¡± Zhou Heng said with a coldugh.
If Wan Fengchun had brought Liu Songshan out to apologize and make amends when Zhou Heng first arrived here, he most likely would have let the matter go.
After all, his initial goal was to defeat Chang Xing Sect¡¯s Lower Third Rank disciples in front of many in the martial world, humiliate Chang Xing Sect¡¯s reputation, and thus avenge Yu He and Lin Cang among others.
Even, had Liu Songshan stepped forward to apologize to Zhou Heng on his own initiative after seeing that all the Lower Third Rank disciples of Chang Xing Sect were no match for Zhou Heng, things would not have escted to this point.
It was toote for Wan Fengchun, the Sect Leader of Chang Xing Sect, toe out now.
Bullying the weak but fearing the tough, and then wanting to apologize and make amends after realizing the other party is too tough to handle?
Where in this world do things work that way?
If apologies and amends were sufficient, then what¡¯s the purpose of cultivating?
Wan Fengchun was so infuriated by Zhou Heng¡¯s words that his breathing became rapid, his old face turned iron blue, and after giving Zhou Heng a re, he said to Jiang Taihe, ¡°Pure Yang Pce truly has gained a formidable junior uncle! Impressive, impressive!¡±
Having said that, he directly turned around, ascended into the clouds, and along with Qian Zheng and Yue Rong, returned to Chang Xing Sect.
The scene fellpletely silent, with not even a crow or sparrow making a sound.
Nobody had anticipated that matters would turn out this way.
To think a Sixth Rank Innate had died!
Martial Dao Sixth Rank, harmonizing with the external scenery, reversing the natural order, in many sects this rank is already equivalent to a sect leader, and even in sects with a Grandmaster, it¡¯s an elder¡¯s position, a truly significant figure.
And just like that, he perished?
¡°Junior uncle, you¡¯ve made an enemy of Chang Xing Sect.¡± Jiang Taihe spoke in a soft voice.
¡°Would there be no enmity if I hadn¡¯t killed Liu Songshan?¡± Zhou Heng chuckled, ¡°If I didn¡¯t kill him, once he recovered, he would surelye to kill me.¡±
¡°Actually, what I meant was, if I had taken action, I could have helped share some of the enmity for you, junior uncle.¡± Jiang Taihe said with a smile.
¡°¡Haha, there¡¯s no need for that.¡± Zhou Heng nced at the mountain gate of Chang Xing Sect, ¡°I fear that Chang Xing Sect will soon close off its mountain gate.¡±
¡°Close off the mountain?¡± Jiang Taihe wore a puzzled expression.
¡
Within the crowd.
Pei Luoshu looked at Zhou Heng, his eyes filled with admiration, ¡°What a resolute Purple Lightning Thunder de; that strike just now truly shocked me.
¡°Next, I reckon Chang Xing Sect will close off the mountain.¡±
¡°Ah?¡± Pei Luoling did not understand and asked in confusion, ¡°Why would they close off the mountain?¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
PS: I rmend a book by a friend of mine called ¡°For the Dragon¡±. Summary: This is the story of a genocide-surviving youth who aspires to be the Great Wilderness¡¯s number one True Dragon.
Chapter 157: 157 Insights on Swordsmanship
Chapter 157: Insights on Swordsmanship
¡°Actually, it¡¯s quite simple.¡±
Pei Luoshu chuckled, ¡°Just think about it, and you¡¯ll realize that Pure Yang Pce is the great sect of the current Martial Dao, not to mention an ancient and supreme Immortal Home, possessing a resident saint of the First Rank.
¡°Numerous forces that have wanted to curry favor with Pure Yang Pce but couldn¡¯t find any means are countless, and among them are forces with strengthparable to or even more formidable than that of Chang Xing Sect.¡±
¡°Humph, brother, you¡¯re saying I¡¯m dumb!¡± Pei Luoling first red at Pei Luoshu, then after a moment of contemtion, her eyes lit up, and sheughed, ¡°There was no chance before, but now there is one because of Chang Xing Sect, so is that why they¡¯re closing the mountain to avoid these forces?¡±
¡°If they don¡¯t close the mountain, Chang Xing Sect will have to face the suppression from various forces.¡± Pei Luoshu looked toward the entrance of Chang Xing Sect and said, ¡°This sect is going to have a hard time in the future.¡±
¡
As for Chang Xing Sect closing their mountain, Zhou Heng had a different thought on his side.
¡°To protect themselves.¡± Zhou Heng stood with his hands behind his back, and said lightly, ¡°This time I have humiliated Chang Xing Sect severely enough to say that I¡¯ve made them all lose face, and I¡¯ve even killed one of their Sixth Rank Innates, which will definitely attract a great deal of enmity.
¡°If Chang Xing Sect doesn¡¯t close their mountain and continues to let their disciples go out freely, it¡¯s inevitable that some wille after me seeking revenge, using both open and covert attacks, but that will only result in more deaths by my hand, and the enmity between me and Chang Xing Sect will only grow deeper.
¡°For Chang Xing Sect, there¡¯s not the slightest benefit to this, and there¡¯s even the possibility of losing many disciples¡¯ lives, or they might even put an end to their own lineage.¡±
Put an end to their own lineage? What does that mean?
That means the sect is annihted!
Once the sect is destroyed, the lineage naturally ends.
¡°Junior Uncle is making sense,¡± Jiang Taihe nodded, agreeingpletely with Zhou Heng¡¯s reasoning.
¡°But this is just what I think, who knows if Wan Fengchun sees it the same way.¡± Zhou Heng smiled, then mounted his horse and said, ¡°I still have some matters to handle, so I¡¯ll leave the aftermath here for you to deal with.¡±
He had already noticed the eyes of the onlookers, filled with frenzy and astonishment, and it wouldn¡¯t have been odd if these people rushed over the next moment to surround him with questions and touches.
Zhou Heng had seen this situation several times back on Earth.
Leaving was the best n.
After all, there was someone waiting for him.
¡°Eh?¡± Jiang Taihe was startled upon hearing this and watched, confused, as Zhou Heng rode away, ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±
The next instant, he saw the horse under Zhou Heng burst into crimson mes, don a golden silk armor, and be incredibly magnificent; its speed also quickened drastically, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.
Then, the crowd reacted, and many people rushed toward Zhou Heng, attempting to stop him to ask some questions, but Zhou Heng¡¯s horse was simply too fast to catch up with.
As a result, these people had no choice but to settle for the next best thing, hastily giving up on chasing Zhou Heng and heading back the way they came.
Then, they all swarmed around Jiang Taihe.
¡
After leaving Chang Xing Sect¡¯s entrance, Zhou Heng dispelled the mes from his chestnut-red horse, stopping the effect of the Red Lotus horse gear.
To avoid shocking the public.
Yet even so, the chestnut-red horse¡¯s speed remained extremely fast.
This was the effect of having consumed the Linju Pill.