Chapter 33: A Narrow Encounter

Chen Yuchong certainly did not understand why Yun Zheng would risk his life so recklessly. A man who loves life would naturally abhor loss, to say nothing of the brutal siege of Guiyang that Yun Zheng had already endured. Yet, charging into the fray and indulging in the bloody slaughter allowed him to lose himself, preventing him from dwelling on things he wished to forget.

In truth, even the fair-weather allies like Tu Huaichen, Huo Kuangyan, and Mu Chuansheng, who had defected only temporarily, left a faint, lingering melancholy in Yun Zheng’s heart when they met their violent ends within the city of Dahuang. The position of tribal leader would likely fall to their descendants, and Yun Zheng had no intention of discarding the promises he had made to them—even those merely spoken in passing to their servants—just because they were dead and their debts supposedly settled. A man’s word, once given over three cups of wine, should weigh heavier than the five sacred mountains.

Yun Zheng took the lead, approaching an altar alongside Daoist Li and his retinue. The altar was massive, rivaling the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in the capital. Crafted entirely from white begonia marble, it possessed a beige hue and was covered in intricate, curvilinear patterns. Deep within the underground city of Dahuang, it showed no signs of weathering, even after two centuries. The edges of the altar were inlaid with numerous glowing green Khotan jades. Marble, of course, took its name from the city of Dali, once held by the Duan clan, while Khotan jade was a specialty of the Dian-Yun region; such high-quality nephrite was not found solely in Khotan. After the An Lushan Rebellion, the Central Plains lost the Western Regions, and during the Great Ming Dynasty, the Khotan jade used was primarily sourced from Yunnan.

"This is the spot," Daoist Li remarked.

The altar was in a desolate location. Even with a compass to guide them, it had taken the group two hours to navigate the maze-like stalactite formations and dispatch a swarm of blind subterranean monsters. The power of space pulsed within the altar, clearly perceptible to everyone, causing a stir in their hearts. Just then, an unexpected figure slowly appeared before them.

"Chen Yuchong, how dare you, you old dog, show your face before me!"

Seeing Chen Yuchong emerge, Daoist Li’s fury flared, and he pointed an accusatory finger at him. It was indeed Chen Yuchong, hobbling along with a cane as he circled from behind a stone pillar. Yun Zheng had known his bullet had struck Chen Yuchong, and having heard from An Miaotong that he had shattered the man's leg, he was not surprised to see him using a cane. What surprised him was that Chen Yuchong had the audacity to appear. Lacking the "Heavenly Eye," Yun Zheng could not have guessed that Chen Yuchong had stumbled upon a miraculous encounter.

Daoist Li had no patience for the disabled, and given their long-standing blood feud, he lunged at Chen Yuchong without a second thought, intending to capture him on the spot.

Chen Yuchong turned as if to flee, but a pained expression crossed his face, and he stumbled to the ground. The next moment, he seemed on the verge of being captured by Daoist Li.

*(So, Yun Zheng, you enjoy putting on a show? This time, I shall indulge you. When you are at your most arrogant, I will unleash my newly acquired divine skills and shatter that self-righteous expression of yours.)*

Clearly, Chen Yuchong was deeply resentful of how Yun Zheng had toyed with him while disguised as She Fangshu. However, not everyone was interested in the game of pretending to be a pig to slaughter a tiger, and at this moment, Chen Yuchong was not entirely the master of his own body.

Within Chen Yuchong’s mind, the voice of Duan Zhengyan thundered: "A royal scion cannot be touched by such a mountain-dwelling priest. Die!"

The vast combat experience of Duan Zhengyan instantly flooded Chen Yuchong’s mind. He felt his body cease to be his own; his right hand raised the iron cane, and with lightning speed, he thrust it toward Daoist Li. Due to the bloodline inheritance, the empowerment ritual not only granted Chen Yuchong immense power, but Duan Zhengyan—utilizing the fragment of his spirit that had entered Chen Yuchong’s Purple Mansion—could directly bestow upon him centuries of combat experience to react to any situation.

Yun Zheng, who had been waiting for Chen Yuchong to surrender, saw his expression shift abruptly. He raised his enchanted rifle and fired at Chen Yuchong in the blink of an eye.

The iron cane moved faster than imagined; it arrived in an instant, striking Daoist Li’s chest with an eerie, silent precision. The seemingly unremarkable poke caused a massive indentation in Daoist Li’s chest, sending him flying backward like a torn sack. As Daoist Li was flung several yards away, collapsing outside the altar while coughing up blood, Ye Xi and the others were astonished to find an invisible wall manifesting in the air. A mysterious force had partitioned the altar from where they stood. They could clearly see the standoff between Yun Zheng and Chen Yuchong, but their palms could only strike uselessly against the intangible barrier, which withstood every attack without the slightest damage.

"Yun Zheng, be careful! The old thief Chen has clearly acquired some extraordinary means. I recognize his moves—they seem to belong to the Duan clan of Dali, which fell two hundred years ago..." Ye Xi shouted, her voice shrill with uncontrolled concern. As the granddaughter of Heavenly King Ye, her insight was truly exceptional. But it was too late; beyond verbal warnings, she could offer no help. Though they could see each other, they were worlds apart.

After instantly striking down Daoist Li, Chen Yuchong managed, in the blink of an eye, to calmly swing his iron cane and deflect Yun Zheng’s lightning-fast bullet. It was because he had reserved strength to parry the shot that Daoist Li’s life was spared, though the injured man was sent flying outside the altar. Almost simultaneously, the spatial array guarding the altar was activated by the spiritual power of Duan Zhengyan.

The iron cane, infused with vast internal energy, collided head-on with the bullet, which carried terrifying power. The resulting roar was deafening, like two chariots crashing together. Amidst a shower of sparks, the bullet fired by Yun Zheng was deflected by the immovable force of Chen Yuchong, who stood like a monolith, unswayed.

Bullets could easily pierce iron armor. If it were an ordinary weapon, even one infused with the internal energy of a top-tier master, it would have been deformed and damaged by such a violent impact. However, this iron cane was a treasure of the Dali Duan clan, rumored to be the favorite exotic weapon of Emperor Duan Zhengyan’s late biological father; it could not be judged by common standards.

Yun Zheng looked Chen Yuchong up and down as if he didn't recognize him, then chuckled, "So, you’re possessed. Chen Yuchong, how did your body become like an inn, where anyone can just walk in?"

Hearing Yun Zheng’s concise but crude summary, Chen Yuchong couldn't help but snort coldly. He had originally planned to feign capture by Daoist Li before launching a surprise attack to kill Yun Zheng. In his view, even if his current strength was far superior to Yun Zheng’s, a sneak attack was not dishonorable. Strategy and intellect were part of the art of war—the most important part.

However, Yun Zheng’s intuition had detected the trap, and by opening fire, he had ruined Chen Yuchong’s primary plan. Thus, he initiated the second, with Duan Zhengyan activating the spatial array so the two could settle matters in a limited space.

"Possessed? Very well, very well."

Duan Zhengyan’s voice was flat, but the golden light erupting from Chen Yuchong’s body betrayed the wrath of an emperor. In an instant, Chen Yuchong felt he had completely lost control of his own body.

The smile on Yun Zheng’s face froze, then the corners of his mouth curled upward, his amusement growing. In Chen Yuchong’s eyes, the shrewdness and calculation familiar to Yun Zheng had vanished, replaced by the majesty of one long accustomed to power, a hidden depth, and a piercing, soul-reaching sharpness. To Yun Zheng, although Chen Yuchong’s features had not changed, he felt as if he were staring at an entirely different person.

"Chen Yuchong" furrowed his brows, forming two steep ridges, and stared down at the junior who dared to provoke him. He spoke then, his voice deep and magnetic, like the tolling of an ancient bell: "Audacious Yun Zheng, you dare offend the Imperial Might! Do you know your crime?"

"Even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses its full strength," Duan Zhengyan remarked within the spiritual realm. "I shall fight this battle for you. After you slay this Yun Zheng, your body will develop the muscle memory, and your own practical combat skills will surely improve greatly."

Taking control of Chen Yuchong’s body was not a move born of fleeting anger, but the most rational decision reached by Duan Zhengyan based on his centuries of experience.