Volume One, Chapter 75: A Sham Marriage

“You do have it!” Su Ningxia spoke in a low voice, “Isn’t that right, Brother Qin?”

A meteor crashed to the ground, striking the earth with a thunderous explosion. Dust billowed, shockwaves surged, and a fierce gale swept over the land. The great hall was reduced to powder, while the surrounding houses and chambers were turned to ruins. Cries of agony from disciples of the Kunlun Sacred Domain echoed ceaselessly, and Yuan Kun and his companions, who had been inside the hall, fled hurriedly before the blade could descend.

Step by step, they retreated. Yun Ting’s eyes glinted cold as he stared down Wang Meng, the two of them separated by only a blade’s length. Yun Ting pressed forward, while Wang Meng backed away with every step. No words were exchanged; only heavy, ragged breathing and the silent, menacing whistle of their swords filled the air.

On closer inspection, Fu Xi was even more astonished and suspicious to find that Su Qiu Yan had now become a fifth-rank beast saint capable of taking human form. The power of the Black Tortoise, however, was unstable—sometimes at the fourth rank, sometimes at the fifth.

“Uncle Lin, you’re not old, so don’t talk like that. You still remember when Old Zhang came looking for me, don’t you?” Chen the Tinsmith did not leave at once, but offered a few words of comfort to Uncle Lin before finally taking his leave.

“This time you got lucky, pure luck! Sooner or later, I’ll kill you!” Murong Yun shouted furiously, his pride shattered and his anger uncontainable.

Common folk walked less than twenty miles in a day. By the time they reached Jiangxia, after more than half a month’s journey, Liu Yong had already made arrangements. As soon as people arrived, they were settled at once. Houses had even been built in advance, bringing smiles to many faces.

Though they had only met once, and that was outside the Fire Extreme Secret Realm, Old Zhu had fought Black Pottery God back then.

The ancient road stretched on endlessly. No one knew how many ages it had endured, but it surely exceeded a million years, built by emperors of a bygone era.

The steward didn’t look at him but turned his head slightly and said, “Finish this pot of tea first.” The steward was stalling, too; he feared that returning early meant more work. With the village chief around, idleness was out of the question.

“Wei Jie plans to make a trip to Jingkou and Qingzhou first, to borrow Liu Yu from Marshal Xuan and Liu Lao Zhi!” Wei Jie continued.

It was precisely for this reason that both sides remained deadlocked. As for the four great clans, they dared not recklessly force their way in, either.

Liu Yangwei had once entertained the idea of letting Zhang Yi experience what it was like to be a dog, but he simply couldn’t find another strong and “useful” dog like that black one.

At this point, Dean Qu of Quzhi Academy interjected, suggesting perhaps it was time to discuss something more proper.

Though she was curious why Luo Tianyi would come here to eat with such caution, Yang Liying explained that they were just waiting for Luo Tianyi.

The ancestors of the Zhang clan had cooperated with Cao Cao since the era of the Three Kingdoms, backed by a powerful army, which ensured their sect’s unbroken legacy—unlike the halting tradition of the Jiazi Leg. Everyone looked up at the inscriptions on the cave wall, which needed no translation.

“Whether he believes it or not is his business, but as a friend, it’s my duty to warn him!” Liu Muzhi paused only briefly before walking to the base of the courtyard wall, looking at Zhang Xiong with earnest pleading.

Their loved ones, elders, companions, and brothers—almost all had died at the hands of Li Changlin.

Only now did Tian Mo recall that this was his grandfather’s personal steward—Yuan Qing. In fact, Tian Mo was quite familiar with him, but after sleeping for so long, he didn’t recognize him at first, which was a bit awkward.

In the next instant, Tian Po formed seals with both hands and threw out three Dao artifacts, sending them flying toward three treasures. The artifacts hovered above, unleashing a terrifying pressure that immediately subdued the treasures.