Gate of God

Chapter 135: Look at Death in the Eye, Then Be Reborn

Even though at this moment, due to Fang Zhengzhi gritting his teeth, his smile seemed somewhat weird, but he was indeed smiling. Furthermore, he was smiling very happily.

Under the watchful eyes of everybody, Chi Guyan had very politely invited Fang Zhengzhi onto the main seat.

Yet…

Such a scene happened.

Furthermore, it was in front of the officials from the five capitals of the Northern Desert.

In front of all the scholars and youths.

In front of Chi Hou and Mrs Chi…

So brazenly, and so recklessly holding on to Chi Guyan’s hand.

This was violation, and the sacrilege of a pure and white lotus!

“He… he grabbed Chi Guyan’s hand!”

When this thought finally expanded in everybody’s minds, they stared with their eyes rounded. At this moment, the entire atmosphere at the feast was frozen, and people even forgot to breathe.

Chi Hou’s eyes instantly turned round. As the guardian of the five capitals of the Northern Desert, who won his reputation through defeating the northern barbarians, the iron-blooded Chi Hou had revealed an expression of shock that he had never revealed on the battlefield.

Mrs Chi was also similarly taken stunned.

As a woman filled with elegance and dignity, this was the first time she felt as if her heart had jumped into her throat.

Her own daughter being violated? Furthermore, it was by a country bumpkin, and violated in front of the officials and youths from the five capitals of the Northern Desert?!

As a mother, she couldn’t accept it. Even if she wasn’t a mother, she would also be absolutely unable to accept it…

All the officials were so shocked that they couldn’t close their mouths.

The officials who were just happily discussing about the tiger daughter of the powerful general, and the Double Dragon Roll Champion, at this moment, felt as if they had bitten off their tongues. Or perhaps, even if they had really bitten it off, they wouldn’t feel a thing.

Because…

The scene in front of them had already completely exceeded their imaginations.

The scholars were stupefied, and completely stunned. The pride of the Heavens in their hearts, second to none in the Great Xia Dynasty, the number one talented girl, Double Dragon Roll Champion, future number one marshal of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Was held by the hand by a poor someone from the villages?!

Nobody could accept such a blow…

Because, their hearts had really shattered!

Even Yan Xiu was so shocked by Fang Zhengzhi’s actions that his jaws dropped. If the previous time, when Fang Zhengzhi suddenly reached out to unveil Yun Qingwu’s veil only caused him to be somewhat curious.

Then, this scene in front of him wasn’t something which a simple ‘curiosity’ could explain.

Because…

The other party wasn’t Yun Qingwu anymore. Instead, it was the Divine Constabulary’s daughter, Chi Guyan!

“You dare!”

“Scum, oh my Heavens… if such a lecher is allowed to go on like this, even the sun and the moon would be punished!”

“This is audacious to the extreme?! How can such a person exist?!”

After the silence, it was a frightening outbreak of horror. All of the officials were filled with a powerful sense of coldness, nobody would tolerate such an incident.

Especially if such an incident occurred in front of their eyes!

Hence, the officials moved. Lu Yusheng also moved.

Even Chi Hou had already tightened his fist, his expression dark. He had decided that he must ensure that this person who dared violate his precious daughter was chopped and burnt to ashes!

The officials also stood up from their seats, and were determined to reduce this saint-violating scum into ashes.

However, as the person involved in the incident, Fang Zhengzhi didn’t pay any attention to the anger around him, instead, he smiled and continued to caress Chi Guyan’s hand…

It was very smooth, and very soft, just like silk. It was indeed very tender…

In reality, when he did this, he had already known that there would be such consequences. But, does it matter? Anyway, he had already stood on the high mountain, why not stand at its peak?

That was what he did. Furthermore, he did it calmly and comfortably.

Despite facing the mountain landslide-like strength from Chi Guyan when she withdrew her hand…

He still didn’t let go.

At that moment, Fang Zhengzhi held on with his life.

As long as he held on, he would never let go!

“Are you done touching?” Chi Guyan’s expression was very serious, and contained a chill that entered the bones.

“No!” Fang Zhengzhi shook his head lightly.

“You… aren’t afraid of dying? Or perhaps, you don’t even care about the life and death of your parents and the entire Northern Mountain Village?” Chi Guyan didn’t attempt to struggle further, but, this didn’t mean that she allowed Fang Zhengzhi to hold on like this. But, she really wanted to know, what was this shameless bastard in front of her thinking?

“I’m afraid!” Fang Zhengzhi’s tone was very sure.

“Then, you still dare to do such a thing?!” Suddenly, a powerful air emanated from Chi Guyan’s body. She knew that Fang Zhengzhi was speaking the truth, but that was exactly the reason she couldn’t understood.

“Because I’m afraid of dying, that’s why I did this!”

“Reason?”

“Look at death in the eye, then be reborn!” Fang Zhengzhi suddenly kept his smile, and looked at Chi Guyan very seriously, and looked at that pair of bright eyes.

A strange glow flashed in Chi Guyan’s eyes. She didn’t need any further explanation from Fang Zhengzhi, she had already understood the meaning behind his words.

“You think I won’t kill you?”

“If you wanted to kill, eight years ago, I would have already been dead. Now… I would have died long ago!”

Chi Guyan remained silent, as if thinking of something. She didn’t want to admit that she had lost to this shameless bastard in front of her, but, she indeed lost once again.

“I can only help you block off the snowstorm at the surface!”

“That’s enough!”

“But, in order to achieve this, it isn’t enough for just me to agree! I believe my father lord. My mother, the officials from the Northern Desert five capitals and the scholars under the skies would all require a logical reason.”

“Didn’t you already think of it?”

“I indeed had thought of it, but unfortunately… you can’t do it!”

“How would you know if you didn’t try?”

“You really wish to try?”

“Of course, I want to try!” Fang Zhengzhi felt that Chi Guyan’s question was simply nonsense. Did he still have a choice at this time? Try, and there will still be an opportunity to live. Don’t try, and his head would likely fall to the ground immediately.

Chi Guyan nodded, and didn’t continue asking. Instead, she slowly turned her body around and stood shoulder to shoulder with Fang Zhengzhi.

“Let’s go!” This time, Chi Guyan’s voice was very loud, so loud that everybody in the entire venue could hear her very clearly.

“Alright!” Fang Zhengzhi’s voice was just as loud. This time, he didn’t hesitate, and instead, holding Chi Guyan’s hand, walked towards the direction of the main seat with a light smile on his face.

In an instant.

The scene that was initially about to explode suddenly quietened down.

The officials who stood up due to their anger and charged towards Fang Zhengzhi stopped, their actions just like a statue. Furthermore, those whose jaws dropped due to their anger were simply unable to close it back.

What had they just seen?

Chi Guyan…

Actually allowed Fang Zhengzhi to hold her hand.

She didn’t resist?!

Furthermore, she didn’t even cry out at all…

How was this possible?

“Boom!”

Everybody felt as if they had been struck by lightning. Their eyebrows, beards, and hairs all stood up straight. Nobody would ever have thought that such a thing would happen.

At this moment, Chi Hou’s eyeballs evidently popped out more than usual.

He knew too clearly his precious daughter’s personality, strong and firm. If she was unwilling, not mentioning one Fang Zhengzhi, even ten Fang Zhengzhi-s wouldn’t be able to convince her.

What was this about?

Chi Hou looked at the dignified and elegant Mrs Chi beside him, and Mrs Chi also looked back at him. The shock in her eyes were even greater than that of his.

An extremely complicated look flashed in Yan Xiu’s eyes. He couldn’t believe it, but, he chose to believe. Because, the person that held Chi Guyan’s hand, was his friend.

Due to running too fast, Lu Yusheng had already reached a distance less than two meters away from Fang Zhengzhi.

But, now, Lu Yusheng’s face was flushed red, and his mouth was agape, just as if somebody had forced a lump of feathers down his throat, choking him so badly that veins popped out from his throat.

In his hands, he still held a sword.

That was a sword that glowed with an icy glint. But, that sword was forcefully halted in mid-air. He couldn’t bring it down, nor could he withdraw it.

“Huh? Young Master Lu… are you going to do a sword performance?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the sword Lu Yusheng raised, and a curious expression formed on his face.

“Sword? Performance?!” Lu Yusheng’s throat moved.

Who did a sword performance? Naturally, it was done by actors for officials to laugh at. As the ninth son of the grand Battle Constabulary, doing a sword performance at this feast?

Lu Yusheng felt that he definitely couldn’t bear this insult.

But, he still bore it. Because, he saw Chi Guyan standing beside Fang Zhengzhi, as well as the icy glint that shone in Chi Guyan’s bright eyes.

“Since cousin has such elegance, why not perform The Drunken Beauty?” Chi Guyan looked at Lu Yusheng silently. Her voice was as crisp as the cries of a hundred birds.

“The Drunken Beauty?!” Lu Yusheng felt that no matter what, he couldn’t link himself with this role. After all, that was a girl.

“If cousin isn’t here to do a sword performance, don’t tell me you are here to harm people with the sword?” Chi Guyan’s tone suddenly changed, and naturally emanated a powerful aura which even Fang Zhengzhi could clearly sense.

Lu Yusheng instantly trembled, and the sword in his hands almost fell to the ground.

He looked at Chi Guyan, then looked at Fang Zhengzhi. His face alternated between blue and white, and finally, raised his head to the sky, and sighed deeply.

“Young Master Fang is indeed clever. I just happened to want to do a sword performance, furthermore, the performance is exactly The Drunken Beauty that cousin had mentioned!” When Lu Yusheng said this, his entire face had already turned from red to green.

That…

Was really caused by suffocation.

“Then, I’ll have to trouble young master!” Fang Zhengzhi gave him a praise, then, holding Chi Guyan’s hand, went past Lu Yusheng and continued walking to the main seat.

At this moment, time seemed to have stopped…

Everybody looked at Fang Zhengzhi, as if they had seen a live monster!

Chapter 136: Losing Once More

A country bumpkin opening holding the hand of the grand Divine Constabulary’s daughter, Chi Guyan, and furthermore, Chi Guyan had actually willingly allowed him to hold.

If this wasn’t horrifying, then, what was this?!

Nobody could understand what had just happened. Because, everything happened too suddenly, and too quickly. They were simply unable to react.

Or, it could be said that the two seemed to have already discussed this well beforehand.

Could it be…

A thought rose up in the everybody’s head.

This thought was crazy, but, it wasn’t illogical.

If…

If this thought was true, then, all the inferences made by them before this were overturned. Because, if this was really the case, then everything seemed to be completely different.

Chi Guyan sent out a criminal demand order at the Heaven Dao Pavilion, and ordered to punish Lecher Fang Zhengzhi for forcefully unveiling Yun Qingwu’s veil.

Wasn’t this jealousy between a couple?

Then, when Fang Zhengzhi attained the River of Trust Capital examination double roll champion, and was invited to the great feast of the Divine Constabulary, Chi Guyan actually went down the mountain at this time!

Wasn’t this longing between a couple?

And now, at the Divine Constabulary’s great feast, inviting Fang Zhengzhi to sit at the main seat by citing meritocracy, this evidently was telling everybody in the world that they were one true pair?!

This was a forced engagement!

A force engagement set up against Chi Hou due to Fang Zhengzhi’s status.

In front of the officials from the five capitals of the Northern Desert, and in front of all the scholars and youths, they were already in a true relationship. Under such circumstances, how could Chi Hou act in a hostile manner?

When they thought of this, everybody felt somewhat horrified.

Because, if things were really like this, would Chi Hou agree? Would the number one scholar in the world, Nangong Hao, agree? And how would King Duan feel? How would the emperor view this matter?

Nobody knew about these.

Because, this was definitely a powerful storm, furthermore, it was a storm that would destroy the peace and calm in the entire Great Xia Dynasty.

Chi Hou’s expression became truly ugly.

Chi Guyan had always been his pride. Accessing Dao at four years of age, and solving the Illustration of All Creations at five years old, becoming the youngest pride of the Heavens in the Great Xia Dynasty’s history.

At ten years of age, she rose up to first place in the Hidden Dragon Roll, at thirteen, she challenged the number one talent at that time, the first in the Rising Dragon Roll, Nangong Hao, then became the Double Dragon Roll Champion that shocked the entire Great Xia Dynasty.

How talented was this, how high was her status.

In addition to her extreme beauty, with a smile that collapsed nations.

It was a time when she was shining the brightest. It could be expected that in the future, even if Chi Guyan was married to the emperor’s family, she would definitely become the queen.

Not needing to mention the princes from powerful families.

In the entire Great Xia Dynasty, which prince wouldn’t be in admiration of Chi Guyan? If she picked one randomly… it still wouldn’t result in picking a poor villager.

Even though…

Chi Hou felt that with the status of the Divine Constabulary, money and fortune wasn’t important. But, when he actually saw the pearl in his palms being held by a poor villager.

No matter how he thought, it wasn’t satisfying.

Definitely, the most important reason was, if Chi Guyan really wished to do as she pleased, even he, the lord of the great Divine Constabulary, wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop her…

This was the real reason why he didn’t look too happy.

Mrs Chi could sense her husband’s feeling. As a mother, who wouldn’t wish for her daughter to be happy. But, didn’t this happiness come a little too suddenly?

She hadn’t prepared for it at all!

Everybody felt that this was something that definitely couldn’t happen. But what was the reality? This was exactly what happened, it was very sudden, but…

It was real!

Fang Zhengzhi naturally knew how people thought. He also knew that everybody, including Chi Hou, would likely have an urge to butcher him right now.

But, nobody moved.

This was the reality…

And this was the results Fang Zhengzhi wanted.

Chi Guyan had pushed him up high, hence, he had to use Chi Guyan to defend against this tempest, even though that would cause him to stand even higher.

That was looking at death in the eye, then being reborn!

In the entire venue, there was only one person’s thinking that Fang Zhengzhi didn’t know. That was Chi Guyan. He didn’t understand why Chi Guyan would rather go along with him instead of killing him.

But, Chi Guyan had really done this.

Hence…

The next few steps were simply.

Life was a performance, and the time to rely on performing skills had come.

“I… don’t agree!”

When Fang Zhengzhi led Chi Guyan beside the main seat, Chi Hou finally spoke. Ever since Chi Guyan was five, this was the first time he objected to Chi Guyan’s decision.

“I side with your father lord!” Mrs Chi similarly spoke, but, her voice was much gentler.

“But we already have a promise!” Chi Guyan seemed to have already thought of this, hence, once Chi Hou and Mrs Chi voiced out their objections, she didn’t even seem to be surprised.

“Promise? What promise?!” Chi Hou’s face was filled with confusion.

From what he remembered, Chi Guyan had never interacted with this person called Fang Zhengzhi in front of him. Then where did this promise come from?

“Does father lord remember, eight years ago I went to the Southern Mountain Village? Furthermore, I had established a Hall of Dao there?” Chi Guyan continued to speak.

“What about that?”

“Eight years ago, I had already accessed Dao for a year, and believed that I wouldn’t have any enemies among people my age, but… I lost to him!” Chi Guyan looked at Fang Zhengzhi.

“What?! How can this be possible?” Chi Hou instantly felt somewhat sick.

Not only Chi Hou, even the officials from the five capitals of the Northern Desert, and the youth scholars, all felt somewhat sick.

The number one talented girl in their eyes, the Chi Guyan who was almost the best in the land, actually lost to a village kid eight years ago? That time…

How old was Fang Zhengzhi?

He was only six or seven?

How is this possible?!

“I also felt that this wasn’t very possible, but, I indeed lost… furthermore, because of this, I even lost my marriage!” Chi Guyan’s tone seemed to contain some lament.

On the other hand, Fang Zhengzhi felt that if this girl didn’t become a star actress, it really was a waste of her acting talents.

She was actually able to weave the truth and lies so perfectly, that was considered losing? Wasn’t it just a kick in the butt?

Furthermore…

She still mentioned losing her marriage!

Wait a minute!

What is the meaning of losing her marriage?!

Fang Zhengzhi suddenly stared at Chi Guyan with his eyes round. Don’t tell me this girl wants to marry me? Can Heaven not play such a prank? I can’t take care of such a fearless girl.

“Losing your marriage?!” Chi Hou was evidently even more shocked than Fang Zhengzhi.

In an instant, he raised his hand up high, then, looked towards Fang Zhengzhi, and then looked towards Chi Guyan. Finally, he lowered it powerlessly.

On the other hand, the officials from the five capitals of the Northern Desert as well as the scholars stared at Fang Zhengzhi furiously. They had an urge to tear Fang Zhengzhi to pieces with their teeth.

He actually made use of a child’s innocence to force a marriage?

This was intolerable!

“However, even so… I still made a condition. That was, he must defeat me another time within ten years, then, this promise would be considered valid!” Chi Guyan looked at Chi Hou’s expression and added.

“Defeating you another time within ten years? Eight years ago… then, isn’t there another two more years?!” Light flashed in Chi Hou’s eyes, then, he suddenly began to laugh.

“Ha ha ha…”

At this moment, not only did Chi Hou laugh, even the officials of the Northern Desert five capitals and the scholars also laughed at the same time.

Defeating Chi Guyan another time within two years?!

Wasn’t this the funniest joke in the world?

Who was Chi Guyan?

That was the Double Dragon Roll Champion, number one talented girl in the world!

Even though they didn’t know what method of Fang Zhengzhi employ to defeat Chi Guyan eight years ago, but, it was simply a dream to even think of defeating Chi Guyan again within two years.

The time of two years, that was the time stated on the divine message, and at that time, not even mentioning the Fang Zhengzhi who was still on the Hidden Dragon Roll, even if he somehow entered the Rising Dragon Roll, it was still impossible for somebody to defeat Chi Guyan.

What was the Double Dragon Roll Champion?

That meant that among those below the age of twenty-eight, she was the best in the land!

If Fang Zhengzhi really defeated Chi Guyan within two years?

What did that mean?

Wasn’t that telling everybody, he was the real Double Dragon Roll Champion?!

Chapter 137: The Same Confidence

A poor villager, a person who had never even entered a Hall of Dao, a person who had just passed the capital examination, a person who hadn’t even reached the Heavenly Reflection State…

Was the Double Dragon Roll Champion?!

Not even mentioning that nobody believed it, nobody had even thought of it before.

On the other hand, looking at Chi Guyan, her natural ‘Xuan Heavenly Dao Body’, accessing Dao at four, solving the Illustration of All Creation at five, ranked number one in the Hidden Dragon Roll at ten, and battling Nangong Hao with her Heavenly Reflection State abilities at the age of thirteen, a battle that shocked the world.

That battle trembled the entire Great Xia Dynasty.

A thirteen-year-old girl already had such talent, what heights would she reach in the future?

Almost nobody dared to guess.

Even the current emperor agreed on the scene itself that Chi Guyan was the Double Dragon Roll Champion that shocks the world mentioned in the divine message, because, in the history of the entire Great Xia Dynasty, there had never been a person who reached Heavenly Reflection State at the age of thirteen.

Furthermore, Chi Guyan was born in the iron-blooded noble family of the Divine Constabulary, and began studying military books and military tactics since young. If her cleverness wasn’t a talent that shocked the world, then what was it?

Comparing between them, who was higher and who was lower, simply didn’t require any competition.

“I think such a meaningless promise… can be voided!” After laughing, Chi Hou evidently relaxed, and seemed much happier than before.

“That’s right, this is simply an impossible task!”

“Yes… not mentioning two years, even if it was twenty years, there still wouldn’t be hope!”

When the officials heard Chi Hou’s words, they also instantly began to add on. There were even scholars at the side giving Fang Zhengzhi a spiteful look.

Because, even among them, there were already powerful people of the Heavenly Reflection State.

Star Conglomerate?

In their eyes, that was at most a joke…

“Man cannot be without honour, if I reneged the promise halfway, then, I would have lost my honour. No matter what, since Young Master Fang suggested this, I must keep my promise, and wait another two years! And within these two years, I won’t discuss with anybody about engagement. I hope father lord can uphold this!”

Chi Guyan’s voice wasn’t very loud, but, it caused all of the discussion going around them to suddenly turn silent. Because, her tone was very serious, and very determined.

When Fang Zhengzhi heard this, he looked at Chi Guyan, and all of his confusion was suddenly cleared up at this moment. He finally understood why Chi Guyan was willing to bring him into this.

He used Chi Guyan to defend against the surrounding storm.

On the other hand, Chi Guyan was also using Fang Zhengzhi to defend against the surrounding storm.

Even though the storm was different, but, their degree of annoyance was the same.

Any matter in the world, no matter how unbelievable it was, as long as there was a win-win situation for both parties, would become a logical one. It was just as if two sworn enemies who were initially fighting suddenly encounter a third person who wished to eliminate both of them.

This, these two parties would also put aside their enmity and fight the third person together.

This was how the world worked.

There were no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.

If Chi Guyan was still in the Heaven Dao Pavilion, then she naturally wouldn’t have to worry about being harassed by the storm. But, once she left the Heaven Dao Pavilion, it was equivalent to stepping back into the storm.

Then…

Considering Chi Guyan’s family background and family status, the average noblemen wouldn’t pay any attention to this. But, if it was a lord? Or, it was a prince or even a crown prince?

Even though Chi Guyan’s status was powerful, she still had to take into consideration the status of the Divine Constabulary as well as considerations for the future, thus couldn’t offend all of the noblemen, princes and crown prince.

Even though she was the pride of the Heavens.

But, she also had her own troubles, and her own worries.

Fang Zhengzhi suddenly began to somewhat pity Chi Guyan. She had pushed him towards higher ground, but how about Chi Guyan? All along, she stood at the top.

Mutual help?

Fang Zhengzhi thought for a while, but still felt that this phrase was unsuitable. To hell with mutual help, all he wished for was, after finishing the imperial examination, marry a beautiful and gentle wife then return home to leisurely live the rest of his life.

That was true life.

As to why he wanted to participate in the Law of Dao examination, it was the same reason a person who was filled with knowledge would definitely want to show it off in the outside world. Furthermore, the most important point was, those sisters in the Northern Mountain Village were pretty.

But, they had always lacked a certain temperament.

Ever since young, he had watched them as babies. The memory was really too deep. At that time, Fang Zhengzhi’s mental age was around twenty, and that feeling was indeed weird.

It was like raising a baby until she was ten years old, then, suddenly saying, I want to marry her.

Fang Zhengzhi really couldn’t bring himself to do that.

But, the Chi Guyan in front of him was different, and at least, he hadn’t seen her for these eight years. Hence, that memory only remained at a certain deep moment.

It was barely still acceptable…

“My ass!”

Fang Zhengzhi eventually decided to continue treating Chi Guyan as an honoured guest. Of course, if she insisted, he felt that he could still keep her as a bed-warming servant, or a woodchopping girl and so on.

When he thought of this, Fang Zhengzhi’s mouth instantly revealed an intoxicated look that everybody understood.

Then…

This expression very naturally landed in the eyes of Chi Hou.

As the iron-blooded Divine Lord, having fought countless battles and controlling the five capitals of the Northern Desert, what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking might not be understood by Chi Guyan, but as a man, Chi Guyan could see his mind very clear.

Then, Chi Hou became infuriated.

He felt that one could be shameless, but couldn’t be shameless to such an extent. This wasn’t shameless anymore, instead, it was scoundrelly. What right did a poor scholar from the village have to control the marriage of his precious pearl?

Even thinking of it was a sin!

“Fang Zhengzhi, I will swear now that if you can’t defeat Guyan openly within two years, I will make sure I let you know what rather being dead means!” As Chi Hou spoke, he lightly clenched his fist in the air, and a jade-green lightsword was gripped in his hand.

That was an inch long lightsword, so sharp that even the air around it trembled slightly, emanating an endless sense of chill.

Fang Zhengzhi instinctively took a step back.

Then, at this moment, Chi Hou lightly flicked his finger.

The jade-green lightsword in his hand flew out like a sword that decapitated people from a thousand miles away.

What a powerful lightsword!

It can actually leave his hand?!

As Fang Zhengzhi thought, he saw the lightsword land on an artificial mountain not too far away. Then, in an instant, a powerful tremor originated from the entire artificial mountain, and immediately after, countless lightswords flew up into the sky, and exploding apart just like the Heaven scattering flower blossoms.

“Boom!”

The huge five-meter-high artificial mountain was instantly reduced into powder.

Real powder…

Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes instantly became round. He could still barely achieve reducing a stone into powder with one palm, but now, he had accomplished something like this in front of him.

Lightsword.

It was initially already a Dao of All Creation.

But, when the lightsword left his hand, it could still change its form, consisting of the Dao of All Creations that could reduce stone into powder.

What was this concept?

It was just like integrating a Dao of All Creation within the Dao of All Creation.

It was somewhat extreme, but what was for sure was that Chi Hou’s abilities could definitely finish him in a second.

Chi Hou’s rage shocked the entire Northern Desert.

Fang Zhengzhi naturally was also shocked.

Wait a moment…

There seems to be something wrong with this scenario?

Wasn’t it just a promise, not being able to win, wasn’t that a very normal thing? Two years ago, you can walk your plank bridge, and I’ll walk my sunshine road.

We don’t owe each other anything.

This is the normal scenario!

What’s the point of loving and killing one another?

“Lord, I think that we can discuss about this further!” Fang Zhengzhi felt that the most painful thing in the world was waiting for death.

Defeat Chi Guyan within two years?

He really hadn’t thought about this…

“No discussion is necessary. I have already decided that within these two years, I will announce to the world that I’ll treat you like the Divine Constabulary’s future son-in-law. But if you disrespect Guyan in any way, I won’t wait two years!” Chi Hou waved his hands, indicating that he had made up his mind.

“You really don’t need to treat me like the future son-in-law? There is simply no need…” Fang Zhengzhi felt that things seemed to be getting out of control.

“Don’t tell me you feel that my Guyan can casually arrange a marriage with anybody? Without a name and without a status, how would the outside world view Guyan!” Chi Hou was enraged again.

“I don’t have to care about these details.”

“You don’t have to care, but I care!”

“Since this is the case, there are some things I have to make clear. I didn’t bring any engagement presents. Furthermore, I hope that during lord’s announcement to the world, please make it clear that I wouldn’t be a son-in-law living with his wife’s family!” Fang Zhengzhi thought for a while, and felt that it was better for some things to be stated clearly.

“Not living with your wife’s family?! Don’t tell me you still want Guyan to marry into your lousy village?” Chi Hou naturally didn’t care about the present, but this sentence about not living with his wife’s family caused him to become enraged again.

“The mountains become famous not because of its height, but because of the deities living there. The waters become powerful not because of its depth, but because of the dragons living in it. Things may seem humble, but there are great virtues within. The great people of the past had already taught us, why isn’t lord able to see past this?” At this moment, Fang Zhengzhi’s expression turned somewhat serious.

“You…” Chi Hou swallowed the words that came to his mouth. Then, he looked very seriously at Fang Zhengzhi. “I really want to see if two years later, you can still negotiate as freely with me as today!”

“I think I can!” Fang Zhengzhi’s expression was very serious.

It felt as if he was saying something that was very ordinary. If he wasn’t speaking about this incident, nobody might even feel that he was joking.

Chi Hou was slightly taken aback.

Suddenly, he felt that there was something familiar on Fang Zhengzhi’s body, just like the first time he entered the battlefield. At that time, fifty thousand barbarian cavalries stood in front of him.

But, he still chose to look at them with contempt.

Because, he had enough confidence. And now…

On Fang Zhengzhi’s face, he saw the same confidence.

Chapter 138: Stunning Beauty

This thought quickly vanished from Chi Hou’s mind.

Then, he felt like laughing. A poor person from the village who hadn’t even entered a Hall of Dao, had already reached his maximum glory in the capital examination.

Even if he really was able to take another step forward, how could he compare with Chi Guyan, who possessed the “Xuan Heavenly Dao Body”?

This promise…

He didn’t even have to bother about it. Because, two years later, it would naturally be voided.

Chi Hou thought this way. The officials from the Northern Desert five capitals, as well as all the scholars on the scene thought this way. How can the glow of a fire compare with the brightness of the moon?

“He actually said that he can?!”

“This confidence is indeed shocking, don’t tell me that he doesn’t find it funny at all?”

“Really shameless! A person who had only reached Star Conglomerate dreaming of defeating Chi Guyan, who possesses the “Xuan Heavenly Dao Body” as well as attained the Heavenly Reflection Peak Stage, in two years?”

The officials of the five capitals of the Northern Desert and the scholars didn’t pay attention to Fang Zhengzhi’s expression like Chi Hou did. Instead, when they heard Fang Zhengzhi’s words, they were instantly filled with despise.

Right at this moment, Chi Guyan, who had all along remained silent, suddenly spoke.

“Since you feel it is possible, that means we have affirmed our promise. Then, please unveil this veil from my face now!”

Chi Guyan’s voice wasn’t very loud, but, it caused everybody’s laughter and chattering to stop completely.

Everybody feel as if they had been struck by lightning. Chi Hou, Mrs Chi as well as the officials and scholars were stunned once again.

Those officials and scholars that spoke a moment ago glanced at one another without their mouth agape.

Because, they would never have thought, Chi Guyan actually believed it?!

Furthermore, she invited Fang Zhengzhi to unveil her?!

How is this possible?

Everybody felt that Chi Guyan didn’t have to bother about Fang Zhengzhi, and even didn’t have to go according to her promise. Because, this was a promise that could never come true.

Even if she had to honour her promise, all she had to do was to bestow a title upon Fang Zhengzhi. Then, after two years, the promise would naturally be voided.

It simply didn’t require such a move.

Was Chi Guyan dumb?

This naturally wasn’t possible…

But, Chi Guyan didn’t make a smart move, just as if how nobody knew why Chi Guyan would suddenly leave the Heaven Dao Pavilion.

These moves were completely unbelievable.

Don’t tell me in her heart, Chi Guyan believes in this promise? Or perhaps, Chi Guyan believes that Fang Zhengzhi would really be able to defeat her?

Everybody quickly dismissed that thought. Because, there was simply nobody who believed that these two possibilities existed.

But…

Other than these two possibilities, what other way was there to explain this incident.

“Guyan… this matter…”

“Father lord, my decision has already been made!” Chi Guyan looked at Chi Hou and immediately cut his sentence short, looking at Fang Zhengzhi with a pair of eyes as bright as stars. The look in her eyes told everybody that Fang Zhengzhi was free to continue.

At this moment, Fang Zhengzhi was slightly bewildered.

What is this all about?

Has Chi Guyan’s brain been struck by lightning?

Did a big cabbage suddenly grow in Chi Guyan’s brain? In reality, Fang Zhengzhi similarly felt that it was already sufficient for Chi Guyan to announce this promise. Further customs and practices were simply unnecessary.

Because…

Even he himself didn’t believe that this was a promise that could be accomplished.

Then, why did she do this?

What are her motives?

Don’t tell me it is another trap for me to step into? Fang Zhengzhi was rather hesitant. He really didn’t understand what Chi Guyan stood to gain from doing this.

“I don’t wish for my fiancé to be humiliated. Even if it is only on the surface, that still cannot be tolerated!” When Chi Guyan saw that Fang Zhengzhi didn’t move, her lips parted slightly and a soft voice entered Fang Zhengzhi’s ears.

“Fiancé? Humiliated?” Fang Zhengzhi was slightly taken aback. For the first time, he saw a trace of seriousness in Chi Guyan’s expression. Because, Chi Guyan’s reason was very simple, but, it was truer than any other reason.

“Don’t tell me you can’t?” Chi Guyan saw that Fang Zhengzhi didn’t act, and the mocking look of a lady appeared in her eyes. But, that mocking look disappeared in a flash.

“I can’t?!” Fang Zhengzhi didn’t know whether Chi Guyan exchanged the word “dare” with “can” on purpose, but this sentence was an insult to any man.

Even though he clearly knew that Chi Guyan was goading him, he still acted without the slightest bit of further hesitation.

Chi Guyan indeed didn’t move. Furthermore, she didn’t even intend to resist. She stood, just like that, quietly on the spot, giving permission for Fang Zhengzhi to remove the veil on her face.

Hence, a soft veil ended up on Fang Zhengzhi’s hand.

Then…

The entire world suddenly brightened up.

Because, the girl that appeared in front of him was really too bright. Fang Zhengzhi had initially thought that Chi Guyan should be very pretty. Ever since young, he had already noticed that she would become a beautiful woman in the future.

But, he had never thought that this beautiful woman would be as stunning as this.

A pair of long eyelashes trembled slightly, with a pair of eyes as bright as stars. Her white and flawless skin radiated a faint sparkle, and her bright, pink lips were as tender as the petals of a flower.

Fang Zhengzhi’s mind only contained one sentence.

This girl belonged to the Heavens!

Even though Chi Guyan’s current features still appeared somewhat child-like, but her powerful temperament had already been faintly exposed.

If Wu Yuer was the epitome of charm and Yun Qingwu was a combination of elegance and dignity, then, Chi Guyan would be the most stunning stroke of the brush among a million paintings.

She carried a beauty that overlooked the sentient beings of the world, she was the only tree among the sea of a million flowers.

The air in the entire feast froze at this moment. When all of the scholars looked at Chi Guyan, whose appearance had been revealed, they all had one feeling.

A feeling of being completely subdued…

This beauty was enough to melt any form of snow and ice, just like the glorious sun, lighting up everybody’s souls. It was something their hearts couldn’t resist.

“That’s average…” Fang Zhengzhi twitched his mouth. Does it matter how pretty she was? She isn’t even my type.

“Looks like you are very blind!” Chi Guyan impolitely returned a sentence. Her soft, pink lips parted slightly, allowing a sweet breath to escape.

That fragrance caused everybody to feel as if the person in front of them was a beautiful flower.

“I’m blind?!” Fang Zhengzhi wanted to retort, but suddenly felt as if there was something wrong somewhere. Because, he actually felt that Chi Guyan seemed rather familiar.

I seem to have seen her somewhere before?

Eight years ago?

But, at that time, she was still a kid. She simply didn’t look like her grown-up self, how is it possible that I’ve seen her before? Where did I see her?

As Fang Zhengzhi thought, the officials of the Northern Desert five capitals were already completely stunned. Chi Guyan had really allowed Fang Zhengzhi to unveil her?

Isn’t this unbelievable?

Most importantly…

Why did their conversation feel like the argument between a young couple?

How can things be like this?

At this moment, Chi Hou also looked at Mrs Li. A similar confusion was evident in both of their eyes. Neither of them knew what Chi Guyan was thinking.

“Right, can I invite a friend to come over and sit?” Fang Zhengzhi didn’t continue thinking where he had seen Chi Guyan before. Because, he had just met the gaze of Yan Xiu, who was sitting in the strange corner with his eyes wide open.

At this moment, if one described Yan Xiu as completely calm and maintaining his cold expression, that was impossible. Because, the incidents today had happened too suddenly.

So suddenly that even he wasn’t able to react…

“Definitely! Now, you are already half a master of the Divine Constabulary, this is your entitlement!” Chi Guyan replied without even bothering to think.

As she had just said, no matter what happened two years ago, at least at this moment, Fang Zhengzhi was by name Chi Guyan’s finance. Hence, nobody could look down upon him in this Divine Constabulary.

“My friend naturally will be your friend. Let’s sit together?”

“Yes.”

Chi Guyan nodded lightly. Then, she walked very naturally to Fang Zhengzhi’s side and lightly wrapped one hand around Fang Zhengzhi’s hand. Her expression was very calm.

Just like that, the two of them walked shoulder to shoulder towards Yan Xiu’s direction.

Fang Zhengzhi and Chi Guyan didn’t walk very fast. But, every step they took produced the clear sound of footsteps. Because, at this moment, the entire world was silent.

Nobody spoke. They had even almost forgotten to breathe.

Because, the scene in front of them had truly exceeded their imaginations, causing their brain to completely lose its ability to think.

If it was said that when Fang Zhengzhi held Chi Guyan’s hand and walked towards the main seat not too long ago already caused people’s jaws to almost drop to the ground.

Then, now…

Chi Guyan taking the initiative to wrap her hand around Fang Zhengzhi’s arm was undoubtedly like a loud and clear slap to their faces, whipping upon the faces of the Northern Desert five capital officials as well as the scholars.

Chi Guyan used her actions to tell officials from the Northern Desert five capitals as well as the scholars present on the scene that now, Fang Zhengzhi was her, Chi Guyan’s, fiance.

In the Divine Constabulary.

Fang Zhengzhi was the master. His status and position were something they couldn’t compare to, and had no way to compare to.

At this moment, Lu Yusheng was still standing at the path. He had already prepared to carry on with his sword performance. However, at this moment, the sword of his hand that flashed with an icy glow had left his hand.

“Clang!” It fell onto the ground.

As for his mouth, it was opened so widely that it could fit a fist.

He didn’t dare to believe what was happening. But, he had no choice but to believe. Because, this scene unfolded clearly before his eyes, and the distance to him…

Was getting closer and closer.

Closer and closer…

Chapter 139: The Moon was a Bow

“Young Master Lu, the quality of your sword performance is indeed… too low!” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the sword that landed on the ground and sighed heavily with a sad expression on his face.

“It is indeed bad!” Chi Guyan also shook her head.

Lu Yusheng’s throat moved slightly. He wanted to explain, yet, when the words reached his mouth, he wasn’t able to utter them. What was there to explain? That he was actually quite proficient in sword performance?

Wasn’t that just saying that he was somebody who did sword performances?

When he thought of this, Lu Yusheng once again felt that somebody had stuffed a lump of feathers into his mouth. He was really stuck, so stuck that he didn’t even have the ability to explain himself.

At this moment, Chi Guyan, holding on to Fang Zhengzhi, had already moved past him.

The both of them…

Didn’t even give him a second glance.

“Let’s sit together?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Yan Xiu.

On the other hand, Yan Xiu looked at Fang Zhengzhi with a queer expression, then looked at Chi Guyan who was standing by his side. Finally, a cold expression returned back to his face.

“Alright!” Yan Xiu didn’t refuse.

“Chi Guyan’s oversight today had caused Young Master Yan Xiu to be treated badly. I hope that Young Master Yan Xiu can help me ask for Grandfather Yan’s forgiveness when you return to the Western Liang!” Chi Guyan bowed lightly towards Yan Xiu to express her apology.

“Princess is too courteous!” Yan Xiu returned a similar bow to Chi Guyan.

When Fang Zhengzhi heard the conversation between Yan Xiu and Chi Guyan, he wondered. Why did both of them like to mention his grandfather? He was curious, but this was ultimately Yan Xiu’s family matters. If Yan Xiu didn’t speak of it, he naturally wouldn’t ask.

The three of them walked shoulder to shoulder. Chi Guyan continued to lightly wrap her hand around Fang Zhengzhi’s arm, while Yan Xiu walked on the other side of Fang Zhengzhi. They looked just as if they were three very good friends.

When the three of them arrived at the main seat, Yan Xiu bowed again towards Chi Hou.

“I pay my respect to lord!”

“Ha ha, Yan Xiu, there is no need for this courtesy. Let’s sit together!” Instead of being unhappy with Fang Zhengzhi for inviting Yan Xiu over, Chi Hou seemed to be extremely courteous towards Yan Xiu.

Then, the Divine Constabulary great feast finally began.

On the other hand, Lu Yusheng stood in the middle of the path and performed The Drunken Beauty.

When his sword lashed out, shadows danced in the air. It was as if clouds were floating in the air…

Frankly speaking, Lu Yusheng’s sword performance wasn’t bad. On the contrary, it was actually rather enjoyable. His grace was perfect, but, very unfortunately, the expression on his face wasn’t as nice.

…

“Bang!”

Not too far away, within an exquisite room, a crystal-white cup was smashed mercilessly onto the floor, instantly turning into a pile of broken pieces.

This was an extremely precious teacup. It was completely genuine and definitely crafted by famous professionals. As for its value, it was minimally able to feed a family of three for more than ten years.

But, the person who smashed the cup didn’t seem to have been cured of his anger. Instead, he stepped onto the pile of broken pieces, crushing the crystal-white pieces them into powder…

“Kill!” A voice that was cold as ice rang out from a youth around the age of twenty-three. His sharp brows were filled with anger, and his white brocade robe billowed lightly.

“King Duan, you cannot!” An elder wearing a black and white Dao robe standing behind the youth shook his head lightly, and quickly tried to stop him.

“Why? Isn’t he just a poor villager? I have already been waiting at the Divine Constabulary for so many days, but Chi Guyan didn’t even bother to meet me once. Now that this ten-year promise had suddenly appeared, this is clearly humiliating me!” King Duan Lin Xinjue’s body trembled slightly. Evidently, he was on the brink of exploding with rage.

“One who accomplishes big things wouldn’t be fussy about the details! King Duan, please calm down!” The elder wearing the black and white Dao robe sighed and continued to persuade.

King Duan Lin Xinjue didn’t speak further, but he still couldn’t control the anger in his body.

“King Duan, think carefully. Now that you and the crown prince are competing in front of the emperor, the side that Chi Guyan would choose is the most important consideration. If Chi Guyan found out that you are the one who killed Fang Zhengzhi, even if you were able to void this promise, Chi Guyan would likely be inclined to side with the crown prince!”

“What is your meaning?”

“Observe silently!”

“No, it would still be fine if I didn’t witness this. But, now that I have personally witnessed this, how can I accept it?”

“Sigh… if your highness wants to proceed with this forcefully, there would more or less be some risk.” Elder Wen seemed to be in a difficult situation. He looked at the main seat of the feast not too far away and shook his head.

“When I initially chose this path, I had already prepared myself mentally. How can I not deal with a small risk? Elder Wen, why not tell me your thoughts?”

“Killing with a borrowed knife!”

“Killing with a borrowed knife?! Whose knife? How can I borrow it?”

“Whoever’s hate is the deepest would be the person whom you borrow the knife from! King Duan, please look!” Elder Wen pointed to a location at the feast.

At that seat, a person danced in the air. On one hand, he held a sword that glinted with an icy glow, on the other, he held a silver cup. He performed with a bitter expression on his face…

…

The dishes at the Divine Constabulary great feast weren’t as grand and exquisite as imagined. But, it contained a tough taste that was filled with the battles of iron-blooded soldiers.

The main dish was a freshly butchered blue-horned white goat. A fire was started in the middle of the venue, in which wine was being boiled, causing people to feel as if they had returned to the military barracks of the battlefield.

Fang Zhengzhi was actually rather used to such a feast. The taste of the wild catered to years of living in the village. On the other hand, Yan Xiu was pleasantly surprised.

This caused Fang Zhengzhi to be even more curious about Yan Xiu’s background.

After the great feast officially started, the atmosphere seemed to return to normal. Chi Hou also revealed the aura of an iron-blooded general, and downed wine as if they were water…

The personalities of men from the battlefield were all along very straightforward.

Chi Hou was no exception. When a matter had already been settled, he wouldn’t bring it up further. Mrs Li, due to having been with Chi Hou for many years, gave of the feeling of a woman that matched up to men within her dignified and elegant temperament.

Hence, she similarly downed a few cups of wine with the officials from the Northern Desert five capitals as well as the scholars.

When the Divine Constabulary great feast had ended, Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, and a few other scholars were arranged to remain in the Divine Constabulary.

After all, the next morning, they were about to enter the Heavenly Treasure Hall.

…

The moon was a bow, the stars were fire. Within the Divine Constabulary, the shadows of trees danced lightly, and the aroma of flowers filled the air. The green waters flowed gently, while in a certain pavilion of the Divine Constabulary, there were two elegant figures. One stood while the other sat.

Lady Yuer, standing at the side of the pavilion, wearing a green dress and a silver hairpin, was gazing at Chi Guyan, who was playing the guqin in front of her. At this moment, her fair, white face was filled with curiosity.

She really couldn’t understand what her Missus was thinking.

“Missus…”

“Do you wish to ask why I did that?” Chi Guyan pressed her hand on the strings of the guqin, and the music that likened the sound of flowing water stopped suddenly.

“Yes, that little… Young Master Fang, how can he match Missus?” Yuer’s mouth twitched. She evidently seemed rather unhappy.

“About this point, I don’t feel whether this match is important. Everybody is equal, why must we segregate people according to their status? But… today’s incident indeed exceeded my imaginations!”

“Don’t tell me even Missus didn’t think that such an incident would happen?” Yuer was somewhat shocked. Ever since she started following Chi Guyan, this was the first time she had heard that something exceeded Chi Guyan’s imaginations.

“Actually, the reason I left the Heaven Dao Pavilion was to confirm a thought in my heart.” Chi Guyan didn’t reply Yuer’s question, and instead continued to speak.

“A thought in your heart?”

“Yes, a thought that had troubled me for a year. But afterwards, I realised that it was rather difficult to confirm this thought. Because, that shameless bastard was too living too comfortably, just like an ordinary civilian! I thought… that he would at most carry an attitude to only try his luck in the Law of Dao examination?”

“Don’t tell me Missus’s thought is related to Young Master Fang?” Yuer naturally inferred who the shameless bastard that Chi Guyan mentioned was. Hence, her expression seemed even more curious.

“It could be said to be related to him, but not completely related to him! The Double Dragon Roll Champion would shock the world, and bring peace to the world! This Heaven Dao divine message definitely isn’t as simple as it seems on the surface. Furthermore, the Heaven Dao’s divine message would definitely not fix a time for no good reason. Two years later, there would definitely be a huge plot in the entire world, but… I don’t know what this plot is! For the Great Xia Dynasty, for the entire human face, I can only force him. Furthermore, I had already made every preparation possible. If my thought was really wrong, then I will let go and allow him to continue living the life he wants in the Northern Mountain Village.”

“The Heaven Dao divine message?! Isn’t Missus the Heaven Dao divine message? How can it be related to Young Master Fang? Furthermore, why did Missus say that it exceeded your imagination?”

“The time has yet to come, how can the Heaven Dao divine message be confirmed so easily? Of course, I am only guessing now. I initially wanted to give him some pressure, but I had never imagined that he would be even smarter than what I imagined! Other than this, even though this shameless bastard has an easy-going and relaxed personality, he is filled with arrogance. This arrogance ensured that he didn’t admit defeat, hence… this time, I lost to him again!”

“Missus lost to him again?! Don’t tell me that Missus had really lost to him eight years ago?”

“I lost once fighting one-to-one with him, and also lost another time in playing mind games. Actually, there are some things I still concealed today!”

When Lady Yuer heard this, she acknowledged them. But, she was still confused. After all, she simply had never thought about the things Chi Guyan had said today.

“But even if it was eight years ago, Fang Zhengzhi’s abilities simply couldn’t compare to Missus’s. In a one-to-one fight… how can you lose?”

“That’s right… how can I lose?”

Chi Guyan slowly raised her head and looked at the crescent moon in the sky. A gust of wind blew across, sweeping up the hair on her shoulders, and the pristine white dress that she wore. She looked just like a fairy from the moon palace.

“I believe he will definitely be very shocked at tomorrow’s Heavenly Treasure Hall!”

Her slender yet pale white fingers moved slightly, and the strings of the guqin was once again plucked lightly.

“Ding!” A note rang out.

Immediately after, music that likened the flow of water began to trickle. The entire world at this moment seemed to be infected by this music, entering a state of pure calm.

Yuer didn’t speak further. Instead, she quietly stood by Chi Guyan’s side. The confusion on her face had disappeared, and what remained was only peace and quiet.

The moon was a bow, the stars were fire, the music was flowing water…

…

Chapter 140: Heavenly Treasure Hall

The following morning, a gentle wind blew and a marble white colour joined the sky and the earth.

Fang Zhengzhi who donned a blue robe stood within the Divine Constabulary and looked at the scene happening in front of him. His expression seemed to be in somewhat of a disbelief.

“This… is the Heavenly Treasure Hall?!”

“That’s right, this is the Heavenly Treasure Hall! It was bestowed by the Heaven. When the emperor established the Great Xia Dynasty, he built this palace. My ancestor was wise and had great foresight, hence, the emperor assigned my ancestor to protect this palace. Thus, today’s Divine Constabulary was established!” Chi Hou, who donned a purple official robe, pointed to a location beside him.

The location that Chi Hou pointed at…

Was a huge piece of black stone that was a metre tall. The stone was shaped like a pagoda, wide at the bottom and narrow at the top. It had a corrugated surface filled with circles and circles of grooves that formed a path, as if dividing the stone into levels.

If one took a closer look, one would realise that at the top of the stone, there was a very strange illustration.

It looked like a pagoda, but it wasn’t a pagoda. It looked like a tower, but it wasn’t a tower. In the middle of the illustration, there was a very clear word – “Treasure”. Below it, there was a circle of mysterious symbols.

“The Heavenly Treasure Hall looks like this?” Fang Zhengzhi was truly shocked. He initially assumed that the stone was just a decorative stone.

After all, there were many similar stones in this courtyard. There was even an artificial mountain.

Of course…

That artificial mountain had been destroyed by Chi Hou, and likely had to be rebuilt.

However, he still remembered the pocket dimension rather clearly in the River of Trust Capital examination. In order to enter the pocket dimension, one had to pass through a stone door.

But, where was one supposed to enter this Heavenly Treasure Hall from?

This was the doubt in Fang Zhengzhi’s heart. Then, he gazed at Yan Xiu who stood beside him in a brocade robe.

Yan Xiu’s expression seemed very calm, without the slightest trace of worry.

Other than Yan Xiu, the other scholars that prepared to enter the Heavenly Treasure Hall were just as calm, as if they had already known about this. Nobody revealed any expression of shock.

“Alright… I indeed think too much!” Fang Zhengzhi dismissed his thought and continued to listen to Chi Hou.

Then, Chi Hou began to explain the origin of the Heavenly Treasure Hall. Ever since the dawn of history, this black stone had been placed here. Nobody was able to move it away.

Then, he explained about its discovery, as well as the rest of its history.

After his speech, Fang Zhengzhi had more or less understood one thing. This illustration on top of the stone wasn’t drawn by man. Instead, it was inscribed by the Heaven Dao. The so-called Heavenly Treasure Hall actually wasn’t a hall.

It was just a metaphor for this stone.

A metaphor that sabotaged people! Fang Zhengzhi really wanted to express his contempt for the person who thought of this metaphor. A stone was a stone, why must he give it the name of a hall.

But, he had also understood.

The pocket dimension was created by man, while the parallel dimension was created by Heaven. This should be the main differentiating factor between pocket dimensions and parallel dimensions. Then, what was so special about the Heaven-created parallel dimension?

When he thought of this, Fang Zhengzhi realised something else that was special.

Because, after Chi Hou had finished speaking, he fished out a black stone that was made up of the same material as the Heavenly Treasure Hall. Its shape looked just as if it had been separated from the Heavenly Treasure Hall.

Observing Chi Hou’s movements, Fang Zhengzhi finally realised that there was a gap at the tip of the Heavenly Treasure Hall. The shape of this gap was exactly the same as the shape of the black stone in Chi Hou’s hand.

“Boom!”

When Chi Hou placed the black stone in his hand onto the tip of the Heavenly Treasure Hall, a tremor shook through the entire space.

Immediately after, a crack appeared in front of them out of thin air.

That crack was like a black hole. Nobody could see what was inside, but, the twinkling starlight inside could be seen.

“Thank you lord for opening the Heavenly Treasure Hall for us!” When Lu Yusheng saw this black hole, he instantly bowed towards Chi Hou. Then, he took the lead and strode inside.

The other scholars also followed closely behind Lu Yusheng and entered.

Fang Zhengzhi looked at Yan Xiu, and realised that Yan Xiu was also looking at him. Then, they both nodded and walked shoulder-to-shoulder until they were beside Chi Hou.

Then, a hand blocked their path.

Fang Zhengzhi looked at Chi Hou, confused. He didn’t understand why would Chi Hou block his path.

“Even though I don’t really like you, but, there is something that I must remind you about!” Chi Hou’s expression at this moment suddenly turned serious.

“Lord, please speak.” Fang Zhengzhi thought for a while, but eventually nodded his head politely.

“The Heavenly Treasure Hall was created by Heaven Dao. If something happens to you inside, I wouldn’t be able to help you!” Chi Hou looked at the people who had already entered the Heavenly Treasure Hall and reminded.

“Thank you Chi Hou for the reminder.”

“Furthermore, within the Heavenly Treasure Hall, teamwork is the most important…”

Fang Zhengzhi didn’t speak. But, he understood what Chi Hou meant. If they wished to work together as a team with him inside, that was indeed a little difficult.

“Finally…” When Chi Hou spoke, he seemed somewhat hesitant. But, the hesitation quickly vanished from his face. “Your luck isn’t very good. Just last night, Lu Yusheng had a breakthrough!”

Fang Zhengzhi became silent once again. He naturally understood the meaning behind Lu Yusheng’s breakthrough. This breakthrough definitely didn’t mean imply attaining Divine Seal after accessing Dao, and also didn’t imply attaining Star Conglomerate after attaining Divine Seal.

Instead…

Lu Yusheng had reached the Heavenly Reflection State!

At this point, Fang Zhengzhi finally understood why Chi Hou had blocked his path. But, he was similarly confused. Why would Chi Hou block his path?

These were two questions that were completely the same.

The former was understood, the latter was confused. But, there was no conflict between them.

“Looks like you seem somewhat confused. Actually, it is very easy to understand. If you fail to defeat Guyan within two years, there wouldn’t be any harm to me. After all, it is better for Guyan to not make a choice compared to making a choice within these two years! Furthermore, if you defeat Guyan within two years… there would be no harm to be either. Although I feel that it is impossible!” Chi Hou looked at the expression on Fang Zhengzhi’s face and explained with a gentle smile.

“Chi Guyan’s tongue is indeed as glorious as the lotus flower. She changed lord’s attitude in one night!” When Fang Zhengzhi heard this, he finally understood.

This time, it was Chi Hou’s turn to be silent. Looking at Fang Zhengzhi, his lips parted slightly, but couldn’t utter a single word.

Only until Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu vanished, shoulder-to-shoulder, into the crack did Chi Hou finally heave a heavy sigh. “What the heck, this kid actually saw through this so quickly?! What a failure, what a failure…”

…

Fang Zhengzhi felt that since the Heavenly Treasure Hall was given by Heaven, there naturally would be rules and tests of the Heaven Dao. For example, like that rockfall matrix in the River of Trust pocket dimension, as well as that cliff.

But, he never thought that it would actually be a beautiful, spring garden.

Stone bridges, ancient roads, flowing water…

And the flowers that blossomed throughout the gardens. Everywhere was the colour of spring, causing people to feel completely safe and calm. There was nothing except for the beautiful scenery of the blossoming flowers.

This was the Heavenly Treasure Hall?

“The time within the Heavenly Treasure Hall isn’t the same as that of the outside world.” Yan Xiu spoke.

“Faster?”

“No, slower! One day in the Heavenly Treasure Hall is like two hours in the outside world. Time here is one-twelfth of that in the outside world!”

“Then, wouldn’t practising here enable one to progress twelve times faster compared to the outside world?” Fang Zhengzhi suddenly thought of a very serious problem. That was, what if Chi Guyan stayed in the Heavenly Treasure Hall for two years…

What was he going to do then?

“Yes. But, the parallel dimension can only be opened for a maximum of three days in a year!”

“So, that is six hours in the outside world?”

“Yes!”

Fang Zhengzhi nodded. There were rules within All Creations of the world. These rules could be very special, but, they couldn’t destroy the equilibrium between All Creations.

…

Naturally, rain would be abundant in spring.

The sky drizzled. Raindrops landed within the blooming flowers, flashing with a crystal glow. Unfortunately, Fang Zhengzhi didn’t bring an umbrella, thus could only allow the spring rain to flow down his face.

Of course, Fang Zhengzhi wasn’t the only person within the Heavenly Treasure Hall.

Hence, there would definitely be somebody who brought an umbrella. That person was Yan Xiu.

Fang Zhengzhi didn’t know that the Mountain and River, Heaven and Earth Fan in Yan Xiu’s hand had this ability. But, at this moment, the Mountain and River, Heaven and Earth Fan indeed turned into an umbrella. The golden bone turned into the shaft of the umbrella, while the silver thread turned into the supporting branches. The mountain river illustration turned into a paper umbrella canopy.

“Aren’t you afraid it would be soaked?”

“How can it be considered one of the Yan Five Treasures if it could be soaked?’ Yan Xiu shifted the umbrella on top of Fang Zhengzhi’s head. The spring rain was covered, leaving two youths standing under an umbrella.

“Are there any other abilities?”

“Yes.”

“Can it turn into a sword?”

“Yes, it can.” Yan Xiu seemed to be very cooperative. Lightly pulling the umbrella shaft, the blade of a sword that flashed with an icy glow appeared.

“How about a spear?”

“It can.” Yan Xiu pushed the umbrella shaft forward. Then, the entire shaft passed through the umbrella canopy and turned into the tip of a spear. The canopy quickly folded together, turning into the shaft of a spear. On the shaft, many silver threads appeared, causing it to seem to glow with light.

“…” Fang Zhengzhi looked at this golden-tipped, silver-shafted spear in front of him very serious and sighed to himself. “It is indeed worthy of being one of the Yan Five Treasures!”

The Heaven and Earth Fan once again turned into a Heaven and Earth Umbrella. They continued to advance forward, walking across the stone bridge, passing through the flowing waters and walking among the flowers while admiring the beautiful scenery.

However, this beautiful scenery didn’t last long.

After all, Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu weren’t the only two people within the Heavenly Treasure Hall.

Hence, after they crossed the stone bridge, Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu stopped. They looked silently at the numerous youths that blocked in front of them. Fang Zhengzhi saw an ill-intention within their eyes.

“Don’t you wish to admire the scenery first before fighting?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Lu Yusheng, who was leading the pack.

“What do you think?” Lu Yusheng asked back.

“A moment ago, Lord told me that we must work together as a team within the Heavenly Treasure Hall.”

“Of course, I know this. But, does it matter if we lose two people?” Compared to the previous day, Lu Yusheng’s expression was clearly different.

Now, his expression was filled with confidence. A sense of confidence that came from within his bones.

Because, he had attained Heavenly Reflection!

Chapter 141: Resonance of All Creation

Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu knew this, but Lu Yusheng did not think they knew. As such, Lu Yusheng waited for Fang Zhengzhi’s arrogance to consume himself and attack.

Then…

Fang Zhengzhi really attacked.

Everything went according to Lu Yusheng’s plan. Furthermore, Yan Xiu also attacked.

A bright red sun and silver moon appeared instantly in the air. They lit up the entire area, a ray of red and white light forming strange shapes in the air.

Then, the red ray of light and silver ray of light intersected each other, forming a cross as they crashed towards Lu Yusheng.

The aura from this attack was powerful as it cut through the air.

Lu Yusheng sneered.

This was a smile of disdain and condescension.

If this was a day ago, seeing this would have shocked him. This meant that his opponent was at the peak of the Star Conglomerate State

Furthermore…

This was a combined attack by two pinnacle Star Conglomerate cultivators.

More importantly, they attacked using the same techniques, so the attacks buffed each other up as they flew towards Lu Yusheng.

The meeting of the two rays of light resulted in a large burst of energy.

However, change was a part of life.

A youth’s feelings for a girl can change in a matter of days and the difference between a cultivation state was stark. Even though the difference was not enough for Lu Yusheng to smash his opponents, he could easily parry their attacks.

Lu Yusheng had no intention of dodging away. He did not even blink.

He simply waved his hand in front of him. Then, hundred of flowers bloomed, their aroma filling up the entire area, each one blossoming in the field.

It was a sea of flowers.

When the light rays impacted the petals of flowers, the flower shattered in a bloom of light. However, there were so many flowers!

Countless petals flew towards the oncoming rays of light…

Almost like moths to a flame, they swarmed the two rays of light. However, the conclusion was slightly different, the countless petals had consumed the attacks completely.

Lu Yusheng chuckled happily. He loved the feeling of being in control. Of course, he was also looking forward to seeing the awe in Fang Zhengzhi’s and Yan Xiu’s eyes when everything died down. He had suffered the same thing yesterday.

As such…

He wanted Fang Zhengzhi to feel the same way.

In fact, he even thought that Fang Zhengzhi’s awe would be ten times, or even a thousand times more…

However, his smile did not last long. This time, the person with their eyes widened was still him. When the attacks calmed down, Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu were nowhere to be seen.

They disappeared almost as quickly as they appeared.

The two of them basically vanished.

The red sun and silver moon in the sky also disappeared.

Everything returned to normal. A light breeze continued to blow, the water beneath the stone bridge continued to flow…

Lu Yusheng felt a sharp pain on his face, almost as if he had been cut by a knife. He unconsciously raised his hand to touch his face and realized that there was a shallow wound.

He did not know if this was damage from the indiscriminate power of the flowers, or some residual energy from the attack.

I clearly blocked the attack, why am I still injured?

Why is a shallow wound… this painful?

Lu Yusheng looked at the youths next to him.

Those youths stared wide eyed in the direction where Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu had disappeared. They were all extremely awed. Furthermore, none of them looked at Lu Yusheng.

“Piak!” Lu Yusheng raised his hand and slapped the youth closest to him.

It was crisp and resounding.

This slap also helped distract him from the pain in his face.

“What are you all stoning here for? Chase!”

The youths reacted instantly and ran towards a door at the side of the courtyard. However, they still did not understand why Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu would run.

Furthermore, they had run without hesitation.

How unheroic?

Neither the youths not Lu Yusheng understood why they had run.

The reason was simple. Lu Yusheng was born from a powerful family and was imparted with the corresponding values. One of those values was to meet every challenge head on.

Retreating was an option, but one had to lose the battle first.

Who would retreat upon contact?

How unreasonable!

The youths with Lu Yusheng gave chase, leaving him to stand alone in his original position. All of a sudden, the pain came back. He could only distract himself from the pain temporarily.

…

Fang Zhengzhi had actually ran. To be more accurate, Yan Xiu had initiated the retreat. He had dragged Fang Zhengzhi along as he ran away.

“He seems quite powerful?”

“He is, even after we combined powers, we only managed to scratch him!”

“Is this the power of Heavenly Reflection?” Fang Zhengzhi was slightly confused, Why would the petals take to the air, and shatter in bursts of light?

“Mm, once you’re in the Heavenly Reflection State, your pocket dimension can link up with the life outside. This link will give you the ability to move the things around you.” Yan Xiu knew that Fang Zhengzhi had never entered the Hall of Dao, so he was not surprised by the question.

“Is it just like your Mountain and River location in your Heaven and Earth Fan?”

“There are some differences. The fan creates and set up the territory according to a fixed set of parameters. When you’re in the Heavenly Reflection State, only the portions of Dao of All Creations that you have understood will link up with the outside world. Lu Yusheng probably has the flower petal Dao of All Creation in his pocket dimension.”

“Does that mean that if he is out of the sea of flowers, he can’t mop even the life around him?”

“He just can’t move the flower petals. If his pocket dimension has trees, and there are trees in the surrounding area, then he can move trees. The same logic applies to grass, water, stones. As long as they exist in his pocket dimension, he can move them.”

“So powerful? Then, how do we defeat him?”

“The best way is to find a place where there’s nothing for his pocket dimension to link up with, or a place with little to link.”

“And if we can’t find such a place?”

“Then we have to rely on our wit!’

Fang Zhengzhi nodded his agreement. Even though Yan Xiu said use wit, that meant that if they went head to head, both sides would be seriously injured. The difference between states was really great.

It was no wonder many did not believe that he stood a chance to defeat Chi Guyan in two years time.

After all, the difference between their abilities was too great.

In eight years, through his own discovery and experimentation, Fang Zhengzhi managed to go from Access Dao to Divine Seal, then to the Conglomerate Star state, and finally to the peak of the Conglomerate Star state.

It wasn’t that he was not hardworking.

He simply did not know how to progress to the next states.

As such, he could only stop at the Conglomerate Star, collecting stars as he went along, understanding the Dao of All Creation for each life form. This gave his pocket dimension hundreds of ‘stars’.

…

After going through the spring garden, they were faced with a forest. Trees towered over them and there was no rain or warmth of spring.

There was only the scorching sun and furnace like heat.

“It feels like we’ve just entered summer?” Fang Zhengzhi exclaimed as he felt the temperature rise.

“Every parallel dimension is a complete world. As such, they will naturally have the four seasons!” Yan Xiu looked at the forest in front of him, his tone heavy.

“Chi Hou said that we must work together, it seems that… he was right.” Fang Zhengzhi said cryptically.

“Indeed.” Yan Xiu did not seem to think that Fang Zhengzhi’s comment was out of place. He just nodded coldly in agreement.

Then, they looked at each other before entering the forest.

In front of them, they could hear the deep, guttural growls of beasts and the sharp chirps of birds…

…

“Ah!”

“Aiyo…”

The pursuing youths immediately screamed as they passed through the side door. The reason was simple, they had stepped on nails.

The nails were dropped accidentally by Fang Zhengzhi. They were extremely handy and portable. He even placed a few hooks at the tip.

They allowed the nails to stick to human flesh.

Fang Zhengzhi had always kept some with him for emergencies.

Lu Yusheng saw this scene as he walked through the side door. He was furious, You all injured yourself before you even caught the person?

No matter what, the people with him were all at least Conglomerate Star powers!

He had hoped that they would act like the powers they were.

Can’t you spot something as bright as nails?

Lu Yusheng was infuriated and decided to teach these people a lesson.

Then, in the moment he stepped out, he felt a sharp pain at the base of his foot. When he raised it to take a look, he saw a green nail lodged at the base of his foot.

“Ah… f*ck! He actually painted the nails green and threw them in the grass!” Lu Yusheng screamed, his voice piercing through the woods and into the heavens.

…

Yan Xiu coincidentally heard this voice. He immediately turned to look at Fang Zhengzhi suspiciously.

“Was that Lu Yusheng’s voice?”

“Probably!”

“Did something charge into the Spring Garden?” Yan Xiu guessed as he felt the beasts around them.

“I think he probably stepped on a nail by accident!” Fang Zhengzhi looked towards the Spring Garden and smiled.

“Nails?” Yan Xiu looked at Fang Zhengzhi. It was natural for the Spring Garden to have flowers and greenery, but why would it have nails?

“Mm, we were in a hurry to leave just now, so I dropped some nails at the doorstep…” Fang Zhengzhi retrieved a bag as he spoke. Inside the bag were countless nails in various colors- green, yellow, black, white…

Chapter 142: The Scariest Scene

Fang Zhengzhi had never liked to waste things.

He always felt that even something as small as a nail would have its use. If he had just thrown a few nails into the bush, that would have been too stingy.

He remembered a classic example recorded in the annals of history.

Han Xin seeked protection in Xiang Yu’s army.

Once, Xiang Yu had set up an ambush for the Qin Army. They planned to trap the Qin Army in the mountain pass and attack with fire.

The difference was that Xiang Yu proposed to use fire arrows only whereas Han Xin suggested pouring oil before using the flaming arrows.

In the end, the difference in damage dealt was clear.

Throwing nails was the same idea. If it was in the bush, one should use green. If it was in the sand, one should use yellow. If it was at night, one should use black…

Else, it would be a waste.

Yan Xiu looked at the colorful nails in Fang Zhengzhi’s hands. Then, he turned back and saw a pale glow on the floor.

“You want to try too?”

“Mm.”

“If you want to throw nails on the road, the best way is to throw a few on the path for them to see. Then, this some into the bushes by the roadside…”

“Ok!” Yan Xiu’s eyes glimmered as he learnt.

Fang Zhengzhi smiled. He was quite the guru in setting up traps using nails. He had been setting up such traps for over eight years.

Having done his research and experimentation for over eight years, he was extremely professional.

Then, Fang Zhengzhi taught Yan Xiu some other traps. For example. How to use the distance between two trees to block the view of the enemy. Another example was how to place a rock to make the opponent take a longer route unconsciously.

Of course…

All of these were for a purpose.

That was to enhance the effectiveness of the nails.

…

Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu did not hurry along. They did not even seem to realize the immense danger they were in. Yan Xiu was listening intently as Fang Zhengzhi continued to describe his techniques in excruciating detail.

He had always been the one to educate Fang Zhengzhi about cultivation. This time however, Fang Zhengzhi was teaching him and this was quite an emotional moment…

Not long after Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu left.

Lu Yusheng arrived too, infuriated by the previous incident. Then, he saw the nails thrown in the middle of the road by Yan Xiu.

“Again? I’m not falling for that again!” Lu Yusheng snorted, then turned to shout at the group of youths, “Open your eyes wider and see the nails on the roads you fools!”

After finishing, Lu Yusheng turned to the bush by the roadside.

Then…

Nothing happened.

Lu Yusheng relaxed. He felt that this was his time for redemption after the humiliation previously. He turned to the youths behind him, wanting to let them know how smart he was.

“Follow me! Walk faster, I must kill Fang Zhengzhi today!”

Soon after…

“Ouch, f*ck… f*ck… f*ck… f*ck me!” Lu Yusheng’s screams rang out once again. His face was comforted, “Fang Zhengzhi, I will not let you off!”

…

Fang Zhengzhi was introducing Yan Xiu to more trap setting knowledge when he heard the screams behind him. He felt like he was wronged.

Those nails were placed by Yan Xiu.

However, Yan Xiu didn’t think that Lu Yusheng was scolding the wrong person.

Afterall, Fang Zhengzhi was the one who had brought the nails. He was just in charge of throwing them.

The two innocent and pure people looked at each other, then, they nodded at each other innocently. Fang Zhengzhi meant ‘not bad’.

Yan Xiu meant, “well done.”

Since they had very little nails left, Fang Zhengzhi decided to teach Yan Xiu some methods of improvising.

For example: What kind of branch can be turned into a wooden spear the most easily. The more important aspect here was where the spear must be hidden in order to shoot prey more accurately.

These were all knowledge he gained from hunting. However,the only difference was that Fang Zhengzhi experienced was a slight increase in his accuracy and lethality.

Yan Xiu listened intently. Then, Fang Zhengzhi began to demonstrate.

Afterwards, Fang Zhengzhi asked Yan Xiu to try it out himself.

New knowledge would always capture attention and rouse curiosity. As someone from the city, Yan Xiu knew extremely little about the jungle.

As such, Yan Xiu began trying out enthusiastically.

Before long…

The road was filled with all kinds of traps. There were over 30 unique traps along that path alone.

…

Lu Yusheng finally gave up the idea of pursuing. Firstly, he had been met with too many set backs, but, more importantly, this was a parallel dimension.

Every parallel dimension was a complete world.

It had the four seasons, flora and fauna, mountains and rivers, unknown life forms…

Anything that was unknown had the potential to be dangerous. Lu Yusheng felt this keenly and decided to manage his risks more conservatively.

An unlucky youth dressed in black was pushed to the front. He was one of the top talents in the world. At the tender age of 22, he was at the peak of the Star Conglomerate State. He was ranked 89th on the Rising Dragon Roll. Whilst his ranking was not high, he was still ranked on it.

By being pushed to the front, it did not mean that he wasn’t a talent.

He just wasn’t a disciple of the 13 Constabularies.

As such, he was relegated to the front…

It may seem tyrannical, but this was the cold truth of the world.

…

Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu walked side by side in the forest. They knew that Lu Yusheng and the others were behind them because they heard a noise after some time.

This voice was loud and pitiful. It was difficult not to hear it.

Fang Zhengzhi could understand Lu Yusheng’s emotions. If there was a choice, Lu Yusheng would definitely change his route. After all, there were many paths in the forests.

But, he couldn’t.

He wanted to chase Fang Zhengzhi down, and he wanted to return the pain he was feeling. He even wanted to cause Fang Zhengzhi many times more pain than what he was currently suffering. As such, he could only follow the same path.

Fang Zhengzhi knew this. As such, he wanted to inflict as much pain as possible to the pursuing Lu Yusheng.

Only then would Lu Yusheng continue pursuing him…

Of course, that was insufficient. After all, if someone suffered too much pain, the person would retreat.

In order to keep Lu Yusheng on his tail, Fang Zhengzhi will always change his route according to the direction of the screams. Furthermore, he would also leave some marks behind so Lu Yusheng knew where he was going.

Sometimes, in order to prevent the distance between them and Lu Yusheng from growing too big, Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu would even stop to take a break, eat, and drink every now and then.

They had their reasons for keeping Lu Yusheng on their tail.

There were many dangers in the forest. Fang Zhengzhi could clearly feel the presence of dangerous, unknown life forms. As such, someone needed to sacrifice themselves. Fang Zhengzhi was of the opinion that the stronger the person, the greater the responsibility.

Since Lu Yusheng was so powerful, he should take on such a responsibility.

With two groups to choose from, one advancing steadily and the other screaming pitifully and reeking of blood, the choice of targets for an unknown life form was obvious.

Perhaps this is the teamwork Master Hou was talking about!

…

Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu slowed down as Lu Yusheng and the other pursuers slowed down. The pursuing group slowed down to be more wary of the traps laid, whilst defending themselves against attacks from unknown life forms.

“They’re fighting again?” Fang Zhengzhi heard the sounds of battle behind. This was accompanied by the roar of a wild beast. He imagined the gore behind him.

“Probably, let’s wait here for them!”

“Ok!”

“Are we being too cruel?”

“I kind of pity them, but Chi Hou said that teamwork is important, so I have no choice…”

“You’re right, I’ll go lay more traps!” Yan Xiu bounded off like a deer. Clearly, he was enjoying this a lot…

…

The sky began to darken as the sun set. The forest began to fill with layers of mist, causing the air to feel humid and warm.

Fang Zhengzhi stopped.

Yan Xiu was also slightly wary. The screams and the roars behind them were all but gone. Technically, there was no reason for Fang Zhengzhi to stop.

However, Fang Zhengzhi did stop. As such, Yan Xiu also stopped. He trusted Fang Zhengzhi completely.

“The road ahead is not good!” Fang Zhengzhi said seriously as he looked ahead. There was a faint ray of light up ahead.

“Is there a problem?”

“There is much less beast signature here! Way less than the other places!’

“Because it’s night time?”

“No, there are day hunters, and there are nocturnal hunters!”

“Then what is it?”

“There can only be two reasons for this. The first is that there is a powerful life form up ahead. The second is that no life form dares to enter the area!”

“Which do you think it is?”

“I don’t know, we will only know after we get there.”

“Then let’s go take a look.”

“I think we should take a look from the trees first!” Fang Zhengzhi raised his head as he looked at a huge ancient tree over a meter wide.

“Okay!” Yan Xiu nodded.

Fang Zhengzhi was able to climb trees since young. He had been climbing for so many years that it was almost second nature. As such, he had a much easier time than Yan Xiu.

He reached the top very quickly.

He found a suitably thick branch to stand on. He judged that this height should be sufficient for him to see what was ahead.

Then…

He saw it.

After that, he stepped on air. His legs turned to jelly and he slipped…

…

Fang Zhengzhi was quite a strong and courageous man, but his legs wobbled at what he saw.

This was a parallel dimension, and these dimensions would naturally have some foreign life forms. Fang Zhengzhi was prepared for that. He would not have been scared even if he saw a ferocious beast the size of a hill.

Based on the surprises this world had already given him, he could have accepted something like that.

But…

What if it was human?!

The moon was high up in the air. A lady in a white robe danced gracefully on the surface of the lake. Fang Zhengzhi had always looked forward to seeing such a beautiful scene.

It was alluring.

As long as she was dainty and elegant.

Even a silhouette would be alluring.

Of course, the dancer must be a lady…

If this lady could step on water so calm it could act as a mirror, she would be simply exquisite.

Just try to imagine it…

The moon high up in the sky, a dainty lady dressed in a white robe dancing on the surface of the lake. That beautiful scene was like something created by heaven.

Fang Zhengzhi was looking at this.

But…

This was something in a parallel dimension created by Heaven…

“F*ck me… ghost!”

No matter how thick the branch, Fang Zhengzhi could not balance himself after his legs turned to jelly. As a result, he tumbled towards the ground.

Chapter 143: Respect towards the Strong

Yan Xiu was climbing up the tree when he suddenly felt the light above him was blocked out.

When he looked up, he saw Fang Zhengzhi tumbling towards him, screaming that he had seen a ghost…

“Ghost?” Yan Xiu did not quite believe it. He was more willing to believe the existence of gods because gods were the stronger of the two.

However, he calmly extended a hand to catch Fang Zhengzhi.

Fang Zhengzhi, who was grabbed by the arm, dangled in midair. This was slightly embarrassing for him, after all, he was a pinnacle Star Conglomerate expert.

Falling from a tree?

How humiliating.

However, upon thinking about what he had just seen, he still felt extremely unsettled. After all, he would much rather see beasts in the Heavenly Treasure Hall than humans.

Furthermore, this was a lady.

Only 10 people from the Divine Constabulary had made the trip into the Heavenly Treasure Hall. Other than himself and Yan Xiu, there was only Lu Yusheng and his seven lackeys.

Without considering the fact that Lu Yusheng and his group were behind.

Was Lu Yusheng a lady?

Evidently not.

His seven followers were also not ladies.

So where did this lady come from?

Even if there were unknown life forms in the parallel dimension, there shouldn’t be a lady?

Fang Zhengzhi looked at Yan Xiu and motioned for him to let go. Then, he tiptoed on a branch and scurried to the top once again.

Within a few moves, he was back at his vantage point.

He looked out again…

The lady was all but gone. All that was left were some ripples on the otherwise calm water surface.

“Gone?” Fang Zhengzhi was quite confused. He was sure that his eyes were not playing tricks on him. He was not hallucinating, but, where did that lady go?

When he thought of the elegant, dainty lady dancing on the water, he suddenly felt…

A sense of familiarity towards this figure.

However, he could not be sure. When he had seen the scene, he had been too flustered and shocked to take a good look.

At this point, Yan Xiu was already by Fang Zhengzhi’s side and he followed Zhengzhi’s gaze to the lake.

“There’s a lake ahead.”

“Mm.”

“Where’s the ghost that you were shouting about?”

“Would you believe me if I told you it disappeared?”

“No!”

Fang Zhengzhi was speechless. Yan Xiu had always trusted him. Even when I asked him to follow my techniques before this, he had trusted me.

Why doesn’t he believe me now?

“Because, there is no such thing as ghosts!” Yan Xiu replied confidently.

“Did your grandfather tell you that?”

“Confucius said, don’t use words to judge and talk about ghosts and gods.”

“This sentence is telling one to keep a distance from ghosts and gods, reminding us not to revere them. What does this have to do with the existence of ghosts?” Fang Zhengzhi was curious about Yan Xiu’s choice of description.

“If you’re righteous, you will have no demons!” Yan Xiu looked at Fang Zhengzhi seriously.

“But I just saw a lady dancing on the surface of the river. Do you believe that?” Fang Zhengzhi did not debate this any further. He decided to just state the facts.

“I believe!”

“…” Fang Zhengzhi was speechless, “Didn’t you just say you didn’t believe it?”

“I believe that you saw a dancing lady on the lake, but, I don’t believe that she’s a ghost!” Yan Xiu explain.

“But how can there be another lady in this parallel dimension?”

“That’s why, we must go check it out.”

Fang Zhengzhi did not reply immediately, instead, he thought about the scene just now. That sense of familiarity would be unlikely to strike him again right?

“Come, let’s go take a look!” Fang Zhengzhi said with determination.

“Okay!”

The two of them jumped off the tree and landed below. Just as they prepared to walk to the lake, Fang Zhengzhi stopped, almost as if he thought of something.

“Should we let Lu Yusheng and the others take point?”

“No matter what, Lu Yusheng is already in the Heavenly Reflection state. I think we should be more careful when dealing with experts like that!” Yan Xiu said calmly.

“And so?”

“We can go survey the lake first and set up a few traps. Then, we can hide.” Yan Xiu said calmly.

“You’ve changed, you’re evil now! I remember that you used to like facing your enemies head on.” Fang Zhengzhi said seriously.

“If I told you I learnt from you, would you believe me?”

“No!”

“It seems like… I’m not evil enough yet.”

“People must learn and mature. Congratulations, you are maturing!”

“I will work hard!”

Fang Zhengzhi felt like he was teaching a kid the wrong things. However, if he really had to make a choice, he would still choose to teach Yan Xiu some tricks. Yan Xiu used to be too righteous and easily taken advantage of.

All this while, Fang Zhengzhi was not a heroic person. If he knew he couldn’t win, he would run. He would never go head on into a battle in which he could not win. To him, that was courting death.

He preferred to pick his battles. That way, he could live longer.

“Let’s go!”

“Okay!”

The two of them did not enter side by side. As what was in front of them was still unknown, they kept a distance with great coordination. Fang Zhengzhi was in front whilst Yan Xiu was behind. The two of them carefully masked their movements as they walked towards the lake.

The humid air blew at them.

Both Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu were extremely careful. As such, there were no surprises.

Even until they had reached their respective hiding bushes by the lake, everything was calm.

It was a strange calmness. It was almost as if the entire world had quietness.

Fang Zhengzhi frowned. He did not like this kind of calm. The calmer the environment, the more dangerous it was. Furthermore, there was no cave surrounding this lake.

So where is the danger coming from?

The lake?!

Fang Zhengzhi tried to look at the lake. He wanted to see if there was anything in the lake. The lake water was clear and he saw no fishes or flora inside.

However, the base of the lake was black and dark like an abyss. He simply could not see the bottom.

Fang Zhengzhi looked at Yan Xiu.

Yan Xiu was hiding in a bush not far away from where Fang Zhengzhi was. He too was looking at the lake, his eyebrows furrowed, almost as if he was thinking about something.

“Did you find anything?”

“The lake is dark and I can’t see much, but, there shouldn’t be a lady!” Yan Xiu said truthfully.

Fang Zhengzhi nodded slightly. He also felt that if there really was a lady dancing on the river lake, it would be quite ridiculous.

But I really saw it?

As he thought about it, Fang Zhengzhi unconsciously looked up at the bright moon in the air.

The Heavenly Treasure Hall was a parallel dimension. Naturally, this moon was not from his world, but was the moon of this parallel dimension.

It looked brighter than the moon in his pocket dimension. Furthermore, it looked like something was riveting inside, almost like a small shadow on the moon.

It did not block out much of the light from the moon, just a tiny bit.

The shadow was small, but Fang Zhengzhi felt that there was something strange about this shadow. It was a blade, no, a knife, hang on, now it’s a spear…

“…”

Within a few moments, that shadow had morphed into over a dozen shapes. Fang Zhengzhi was frustrated just looking at it.

Just as he was about to start scolding, he heard a sound next to him.

“Plonk!”

“Someone fell into the water?” Fang Zhengzhi could feel that this should be the sound of someone falling into the water.

Then, he unconsciously looked towards the lake. He saw a splash of white water and ripples expanding outwards.

“Not good!” Fang Zhengzhi looked at where Yan Xiu was supposed to be. His eyes widened, the bush was now empty.

“That was Yan Xiu?!”

That was the first thought in Fang Zhengzhi’s mind. He felt like Yan Xiu was in trouble.

Based on his understanding of Yan Xiu, Yan Xiu would never jump into the water suddenly. He must have met with some trouble, or he was dragged down into the water forcefully by something.

At such a time, Fang Zhengzhi’s brain told him to remain calm and observe for signs of how Yan Xiu fell into the water.

However, with the thought that Yan Xiu may be in danger, he could not calm down.

The lake was deep and dark.

Almost as if it was filled with ink.

Fang Zhengzhi was not very willing to jump in because of the possibility of unknown dangers below. However, he still jumped.

Soon after Yan Xiu fell into the water, he jumped into the lake.

The reason was simple…

The person who had fell in was Yan Xiu.

“Plonk!”

The second sound of something falling into the water rang out. A huge splash was seen once again as ripples formed on the water surface, compounding with those from the first splash…

…

The quiet and still night was punctuated by the sounds of two splashes. However, peace quickly returned, almost as if nothing had happened before this.

The moon was high up in the sky, its faint light shining on the surface of the lake causing a faint silver glow.

Slowly, the surface of the lake returned to calm and a river figure floated out once again. Her hair was silky and she looked like she had been there all along. Actually, it looked like she never left.

Then; the lady began to dance, her movement elegant and mesmerizing.

Her toe tips barely touched the water surface, but yet they did not cause any splashes or ripples. She looked like she was holding something in her hands, but upon closer inspection, her hands were empty.

She looked like she was dancing and not dancing at the same time!

…

Chapter 144: A Different World

Fang Zhengzhi did not know what was happening above him. All he thought about was saving Yan Xiu. Having grown up in a village, he had much experience with rivers and lakes, so he took to water very well.

Furthermore, with the support and help of the Dao of All Creation, it was no exaggeration to say that Fang Zhengzhi was like a fish.

But where was Yan Xiu?

No more than 10 seconds had passed between Yan Xiu falling into the water and Fang Zhengzhi jumping in after him.

Fang Zhengzhi was suspicious and worried. Even though he and Yan Xiu had some distance between them, he should still be able to see Yan Xiu. But now, he could not see Yan Xiu.

He could not even see a shadow. All he saw was black, almost as if he was swimming in ink.

What was happening?

Where is Yan Xiu?

Could it be…

All of a sudden, Fang Zhengzhi stiffened. He did not actually see Yan Xiu fall into the water, all he heard was the splash of water. Then, he simply did not see Yan Xiu in the bush Yan Xiu was supposed to be hiding in.

As such, his first thought was, Yan Xiu had fallen in.

What was the truth though?

He had not actually seen Yan Xiu jumping/falling into the water.

What if something had simply fallen into the lake, and Yan Xiu had just happened to leave the bush to check something out…

The chances were slim, but it was not completely impossible.

The other possibility was that Yan Xiu was forcefully dragged to the bottom of the lake by some unknown power. He too may be in this complete darkness.

This was also possible. If Yan Xiu was being dragged to the bottom of the lake, then Yan Xiu’s rate of descent would definitely be much faster than his.

But it should be sufficient to get to the bottom of the lake…

Fang Zhengzhi did not turn back immediately.

If it was the first case, then Yan Xiu was still on the shore and safe. Since he was safe, then Fang Zhengzhi need not be in a hurry to return to the surface.

But what if it was the second option?

That would mean Yan Xiu was in real danger.

As such, he must get to the bottom of this pitch black lake. It may be dangerous, but Fang Zhengzhi was willing to take the risk for Yan Xiu.

Yan Xiu was his friend.

…

Fang Zhengzhi did not know if he had entered the ink like part of the lake, he simply saw his surroundings darken like nightfall. He could not even see his fingers.

I guess I’m here.

He continued to go deeper, then, he felt increasingly suffocated. He had already spent quite sometime underwater, yet, he had not even reached the bottom. It was almost as if this lake was bottomless.

Why was it this way?

How deep was this lake? If Yan Xiu was at the bottom of the lake, there should be some movement in the water.

Something is not right…

Fang Zhengzhi felt that something was amiss. He should be reaching the bottom some time soon, after all, he had been diving for quite some time.

However, he got the feeling that he was actually swimming in circles.

He was even starting to lose his sense of direction…

“Go up!” Fang Zhengzhi finally decided to resurface. If Yan Xiu was really down here, there should be some movement in the water. Since there was none, it was highly likely that Yan Xiu was still on the shore.

Resurfacing was naturally easier than diving.

Before long, Fang Zhengzhi felt a ray of light just above him – he was about to reach the surface.

“Whoo!” The ability to breathe refreshed Fang Zhengzhi. He had already held hi breath for more than seven minutes. Even with the Dao of all Creation, this timing was about his limit.

The moment he resurfaced, he looked towards the shore.

But…

He was completely stunned.

What the hell is going on?

The lake was still the same. However, the scenery had changed. Gone was the lush, dense forest. In its place was an orchard, filled with flora and fruits.

There fruits on the trees were of various colors, red, green, yellow…

Where is this?

Fang Zhengzhi was stunned for a moment. Anyone else would have been unable to accept this fact. After all, he had only been in the water for about seven to eight minutes.

Why did the surroundings change after he resurfaced?

He was stunned for a full five minutes before he began to feel the water around him cooling.

From the blossoming gardens to the luscious, dense forest… then to the orchard filled with fruits?!

This was the four seasons!

But, why did it become autumn after he surfaced from the lake?

Could it be…

Fang Zhengzhi looked to the bottom of the lake. It was pitch black and bottomless, almost as if it was filled with black ink. However, Fang Zhengzhi found an even more apt description.

This was a passageway!

A passageway between summer and autumn.

“Woosh!”

At this point, a sound could be heard nearby. Then, a head popped out from under the lake.

They looked at each other.

“Why did you jump in?”

“Why did you drop into the lake?”

The two voices echoed out. They said different things, but they meant the same thing.

Then, the two of them looked at each other with confusion. They did not understand what the other person was saying.

“I thought you dropped into the water, so I jumped”

“I saw you jump, so I jumped too!”

The two of them were speechless. Even so, they felt a warmth in their hearts. This was true friendship. Only true friends would have such similar thoughts.

“Let’s get to shore first!” Fang Zhengzhi pointed to the shore.

Yan Xiu nodded.

The two of them swam towards the shore. Before long, they were back on dry land. Fang Zhengzhi had some guess about what had happened, but, he could not be certain.

Then, they exchanged their views about what happened.

Fang Zhengzhi had thought that Yan Xiu had happened to leave the bush, but the truth was not what he thought.

“You heard me fall in, then, seeing that I wasn’t in the bush, you decided to jump in?” Fang Zhengzhi frowned slightly.

“Yes, and you?” Yan Xiu nodded and asked.

“So you never left the bush? And never moved?” Fang Zhengzhi did not understand.

“Mm.”

“Then our situations are identical! I also heard you fall in, that’s why I jumped.”

“Oh?” Yan Xiu was confused as well.

The two of them became silent once again, deep in contemplation.

“I understand now!”

“I think I understand too!”

Fang Zhengzhi’s and Yan Xiu’s voices rang out in quick succession. The two of them looked at each other in disbelief. The explanation was complicated and difficult to understand.

However, there was no other possible explanation.

That was…

When they were on the banks of the lake, they appeared to be together, but in actual fact, they were in two completely different spaces seeing two completely different sceneries.

The Heavenly Treasure Hall, a parallel dimension…

Fang Zhengzhi’s mind began to twirl. If this was the case, then, they would naturally not be able to see each other’s presence, but, how could the splash be explained?

Was it a hallucination?

Or was it caused by the difference in position as well as time?

Fang Zhengzhi looked at Yan Xiu, and Yan Xiu looked back at Fang Zhengzhi.

“I think that inside the Heavenly Treasure Hall, there are many different spaces!” Fang Zhengzhi’s thoughts were still rooted in the view from the previous world.

“I guess you can use the explanation that this place is formed by many worlds…” Yan Xiu nodded, but, he was explaining it using the notion of the modern world.

“According to your explanation, a parallel dimension is made up of countless pocket dimensions?” Fang Zhengzhi tried to forge a guess from Yan Xiu’s explanation.

“There is such a possibility. Inside the Law of Dao, it says that there are 3000 parallel dimensions and each one contains tens of thousands of items! Having different pocket dimensions in this parallel dimension is reasonable!”

“Then this lake is…”

“If my guess is correct, the bottom of this lake is the link between the previous world and this world!” Yan Xiu assured.

Fang Zhengzhi nodded, Yan Xiu’s idea and his were the same.

Else, there was no way of explaining why they were greeted with a completely different surrounding when they resurfaced. This meant that during their time in the water, they had already moved from the previous world to the current one.

As such, when they surfaced, they naturally came here.

Fang Zhengzhi did not say anymore, unconsciously looking at the surface of the lake.

The surface of the lake looked calm as always. There was no lady dancing on the surface. The surface of the lake reflected the scenery around it, fruit trees and all.

.

It looked like a Mirror Lake.

“Mirage!” Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes brightened, almost as if his brain had accessed something new, finding the door to another world.

But this feeling was still kind of fuzzy and he didn’t quite comprehend it fully.

However, he had a strong feeling that this parallel dimension could provide the solution to a problem he had been facing.

“You thought of something?” Yan Xiu asked when he saw Fang Zhengzhi’s expression.

“Not yet, but can you tell me the powers of the Heavenly Reflection State again?” Fang Zhengzhi shook his head slightly. He had to reconfirm his thoughts.

“Sure, Heavenly Reflection means that the things in your own pocket dimension are able to link up with those of the outside world. Then, you can take control of the energy of the things around you. However, the limitation is, your pocket dimension must have the Dao of all Creation for that item!” Yan Xiu was slightly confused at why Fang Zhengzhi would pose such a question. However, he still explained it to Fang Zhengzhi.

“Things in your pocket dimension can link up with the things in your surroundings. However, the items must be present both outside and in your pocket dimension…” Fang Zhengzhi contemplated this.

He felt that something mysterious about this.

Heavenly Reflection…

Pocket dimension and everything else?!

And, it must be present in the pocket dimension!

Chapter 145: A Shadow on the Moon

Why is there such a restriction? Why can’t one just manipulate the energy around them? What is the logic here?

Questions floated in Fang Zhengzhi’s mind.

This made him look at the lake once again. On the surface, a light breeze blew and the reflection of the fruit trees swayed.

The reflections moved with the water.

Is it because of the wind? The link between the pocket dimension and the world, the reflections, the different worlds and spaces…

Phrases kept popping up in his mind. Fang Zhengzhi really wanted to catch the link between them, however, he kept missing it by inches.

An introduction…

Yes, it needs an introduction!

An introduction was needed to link everything together.

“Zhengzhi… look up?!” At this point, Yan Xiu’s voice rung out as he pointed at the moon in the sky.

“On top?” Fang Zhengzhi unconsciously raised his head to take a look.

And then, he saw Yan Xiu pointing at a faint figure on the moon. It kind of looked like a dark cloud.

Fang Zhengzhi had seen the same thing in the previous world.

The figure kept changing shape whilst on the moon.

As such, he was not too surprised initially. However, soon after, his eyes widened.

Because…

This figure was different from the previous one. The previous one took on the shape of various weapons, but this one was different.

It was a person, a lady, a dancing lady!”

“This was the lady you saw?” Yan Xiu looked at Fang Zhengzhi.

“No, I didn’t see a silhouette, I saw the real person…” Fang Zhengzhi shook his head. He did not know if that was the real person, but it definitely wasn’t a silhouette.

“Real person?” Yan Xiu was confused once again.

Fang Zhengzhi did not explain further. Right now, he was overwhelmed with emotions and questions.

What is the link between this silhouette… and the girl from the previous world?

Could this be her silhouette?!

Is this the silhouette that she has projected using the lake?

It could be explained, but all possible explanations were quite strange. They involved her real body being in a separate world from her silhouette.

If that was the case, then the shadow of the item which kept changing into different weapons…

Where was it situated?

Fang Zhengzhi looked at the moon, then back at the lake. All of a sudden, an audacious idea sprang into his mind.

“I would like to dive down once again to verify my hypothesis.” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Yan Xiu and said seriously.

“Okay, I’ll come with you!” Yan Xiu replied instantly.

“No, wait for me on the shore, I will tie a string to my waist. If I stop moving below, then… you pull me up!” Fang Zhengzhi shook his head.

“What are you thinking?” Yan Xiu could guess why Fang Zhengzhi was using such a method, but he didn’t know what Fang Zhengzhi was trying to test.

“I don’t know just yet, I will only know after I try it out.” Fang Zhengzhi really had no idea.

“Okay then.” Yan Xiu nodded.

Fang Zhengzhi looked at his surroundings. It was a habit of his to have some string on hand. He used it to lay traps and save his life when he jumped off cliffs. However, it was still not long enough, so he turned his attention to the surrounding fruit trees.

He found some slightly softer and flexible branches and rattan, forming a rattan rope with Yan Xiu’s help.

He finally got it to the length he wanted…

He tugged at the rope to ensure it was strong enough.

Then, Fang Zhengzhi nodded to Yan Xiu and jumped into the lake.

Yan Xiu held on to the other end of the rope as he stood on the shore. He looked anxiously at the calm lake…

“Woosh!”

At this point, a head popped out on the surface. The moment he broke the surface, he began to pant.

Yan Xiu naturally heard this commotion and he looked in that direction.

When he saw who it was, his expression changed. It did not look good.

“Yan Xiu?!” The person in the lake also noticed Yan Xiu. His expression revealed traces of surprise. When he saw the orchard behind Yan Xiu, surprise consumed him.

The person who popped out of the lake was naturally Lu Yusheng. At this point, he found himself at a loss for words.

After all, the change in surroundings when he resurfaced was something that required time to process and accept.

Within moments, more heads broke through the surface of the water.

Upon seeing the change in the surroundings, they all looked on in disbelief.

Yan Xiu’s expression was getting worse and worse.

Because…

He was now faced with a huge problem. He could not run. He had to stay here to ensure Fang Zhengzhi’s safety. As such, he could not let go of the rope.

Lu Yusheng had thought that Yan Xiu would run upon seeing him. However, Yan Xiu only stared at him calmly.

“Hmm?” Lu Yusheng was slightly taken aback, Could this be a trap?

After all that happened in the forest, Lu Yusheng naturally thought that this was a trap. The other factor that made him confident that this was a trap was that Fang Zhengzhi was not beside Yan Xiu.

“Where is Fang Zhengzhi hiding?” Lu Yusheng’s gaze darted around. Realizing that Fang Zhengzhi was nowhere to be seen, his gaze returned to Yan Xiu.

Then, it stopped.

He realized that Yan Xiu was holding onto a rope.

“Go and take a look!” Lu Yusheng ordered the people behind him. Fang Zhengzhi’s and Yan Xiu’s traps only served to slow them down.

As for injuries?

Their injuries were light. The seven youths behind him were all Conglomerate Star cultivators. They may face some issues when dealing with simple traps, but the injuries were not life threatening.

The seven youths hesitated, but did not object.

Yan Xiu’s expression darkened. Seeing the seven youths approaching, his Mountain and River, Heaven and Earth Fan opened up.

Lu Yusheng squinted.

Naturally, he knew the power of Yan Xiu’s fan. After all, the Yan Five Treasures lived up to their name. However, Yan Xiu’s abilities were limited and he could not bring the full power of the fan to bear.

This was a chance…

If they were all Conglomerate Star cultivators, Lu Yusheng would be unable to do much. However, as a Heavenly Reflection cultivator, the difference between him and Yan Xiu was incredible.

Lu Yusheng sneered icily. The water around him became way too calm. He controlled the water and directed it towards him.

He formed a small whirlpool.

Yan Xiu’s mouth twitched. His greatest fear was that Lu Yusheng’s pocket dimension had the Dao of all Creation for water. It seemed like he did.

Fighting by the lake.

Lu Yusheng could link up with the water in the lake.

This was an incredibly disadvantageous battle ground. Under rational circumstances, Yan Xiu would definitely choose a different location. He would much rather return to the Spring Garden.

But…

He couldn’t.

Lu Yusheng attacked. The seven Conglomerate Star youths also attacked with him. They too had already come onto shore. It was clear that they were slightly injured, but the injuries were not too great.

As such, it did not impact their abilities much.

“Heaven and Earth switch!” Yan Xiu did not hesitate. He bellowed instantly and the fan in his hand exploded with a wave of color, almost like a waterfall.

The radiant light beamed from the fan as it expanded to the surroundings.

In an instant, a gargantuan Mountain River Illustration appeared.

The mountains and rocks were huge, countless trees swaying lightly in the wind, a raging waterfall falling from the peak of the mountains, almost like a silver strand.

The Mountain River Territory.

The seven youths were initially very quick. However, in the moment they entered the Mountain River Territory, their movements were slowed significantly.

This caused Lu Yusheng’s water attack to reach Yan Xiu first.

“Open!” Yan Xiu’s fan chopped down at the flow of water.

A ray of red light appeared.

The wave parted right down the middle like a screen.

However, the water quickly formed two additional waves and attacked Yan Xiu from both sides…

…

Fang Zhengzhi, who was in the water, was oblivious to what was happening above. He was intent on swimming to the bottom.

In the pitch black darkness, Fang Zhengzhi did not dare let his guard down.

His eyes were opened but he could not see anything. Even so, he continued to keep them open.

With each passing second, Fang Zhengzhi dove deeper and deeper. His chest became increasingly suffocated. He may be able to take the pressure, but the lack of oxygen was getting to him.

Afterall, under these circumstances, making an oxygen tank was quite impossible.

But…

Even though he may not be able to make an oxygen tank, he could make a few oxygen bags. As such, every time he felt increasingly suffocated, he opened one of them.

“Bloop bloop bloop…”

Bubbles floated to the surface as color returned to Fang Zhengzhi’s face.

Then, he continued to dive deeper.

With each passing second, the pressure on Fang Zhengzhi’s body increased. The bottom of the lake was pitch dark. He had no idea what depth he was at, but he knew that he would try to get as deep as he could…

He had lost all concept of time.

His hands finally touched something solid. This was not mud or the bottom of the river. This was a smooth and hard object.

Indeed!

Fang Zhengzhi’s heart fluttered. He kicked hard with his legs and his face pressed up against the object. In such black water, in order to see the object and verify his hypothesis, he had to get in close, really close…

Chapter 146: Treasure Hall

When Fang Zhengzhi plastered his face on the object, he finally saw it. That was a human figure, his reflection to be exact.

“It is like this!” Fang Zhengzhi always had a doubt. If the parallel dimension was formed from many pocket dimensions, then there must be a mirage that linked them all together.

Then, what was this mirage?

Initially…

Fang Zhengzhi had thought that the mirage was the moon.

After all, based on the area covered by the moonlight, it was the most suitable to be the mirage. However, when he saw the different shadows on the moon, he rejected this hypothesis.

As such, he came to the bottom of the lake.

He saw a smooth mirror…

Mirage!

The entire bottom of the lake was a huge mirror. Using the reflective ability, it linked all the pocket dimensions together.

The mirror at the bottom of the lake was the source of everything!

“Mirage?!”

Fang Zhengzhi’s mind was filled with this term. Then, all of his questions were answered. He finally understood why he was always stuck in his own pocket dimension.

He also finally understood what was required to open the door to a parallel universe.

Fang Zhengzhi was very emotional. However, just as he was getting overwhelmed by emotion, his eyes were attracted to a pearl, a black pearl.

It looked extremely smooth, but it did not glow.

If not for the fact that he saw his own reflection, if not for the fact that the black pearl was blocking a part of his body, he would not have noticed it.

Fang Zhengzhi unconsciously reached towards the pearl.

This was a very unconscious decision. He did not think that he could reach the pearl. After all, the pearl was below the mirror.

In actual fact, when his hand had reached the base of the lake, it did not pass through the mirror. However, the reflection of his hand passed through and grabbed the pearl.

Then…

Fang Zhengzhi’s hand felt icy.

“Hmm?” Fang Zhengzhi was slightly surprised. He felt that this was too incredible, he actually felt like he was holding onto something.

The pressure on his chest became higher and higher and he felt increasingly suffocated.

“Let’s think about it after surfacing!” Fang Zhengzhi did not look at it any longer. He just swam for the surface as quickly as possible.

What he did not know was that in the moment the pearl went into his hand, the shadows on the moon disappeared. The lady on the lake in the previous world also disappeared…

…

On the banks of the lake.

Yan Xiu used the Wind Shadow Technique to dodge the attacks from the aqua pillars from all sides. He only dodged on the outskirts of the bank, never going any further.

This was because he still held the rope in his hand.

“Yan Xiu, I do not wish to be enemies with you. As long as you tell me where Fang Zhengzhi is, I can let you go!” Lu Yusheng’s voice was crisp and arrogant.

He had the right to be.

Even though Yan Xiu could suppress those other Star Conglomerate people, they could not hold him back.

That being said, he never entered the Mountain River Territory. This place was huge and he was not stupid enough to step into it.

Yan Xiu did not reply. He was busy fending off the attacks from the seven Star Conglomerate people. Even though they were being suppressed by the Mountain River Territory, they did not lose their battle powers.

Furthermore, Lu Yusheng kept up his manic attack with water pillars. Yan Xiu was under immense pressure.

If not for the fact that Lu Yusheng was holding back in view of Yan Xiu’s standing, Yan Xiu would be in an even worse state.

However, Lu Yusheng’s patience was limited.

He did not want to be enemies with Yan Xiu, but that did not mean that he could not.

After all, this was a parallel dimension. He could explain it in many ways, and there was no way of verifying it.

“Boom!” At this point, the sun in the air split into two.

“Twin Sun Light Up!”

Yan Xiu grit his teeth. The light in his fan was intense, but it was taking its toll on him.

With the radiance of the sun, the youths in the Mountain River Territory came under immense pressure.

They could feel the air around them heating up. Even though there was a cool autumn breeze blowing around the lake, they still felt like they were being roasted.

At this point, the entire earth began to shake.

A ray of icy blue light shone to the ground.

“It’s the treasure hall!”

“The treasure hall has appeared!”

“Master Lu!”

The seven youths looked to Lu Yusheng the moment they saw the icy blue light.

Naturally, Lu Yusheng also saw it. The Heavenly Treasure Hall was run by the Divine Constabulary and everything was kept in the treasure hall.

This was what everyone was here for.

“Enter the treasure hall first!” Lu Yusheng made an executive decision. After all, the person in front of him was Yan Xiu and not Fang Zhengzhi. He felt that he could let Yan Xiu off for now. However, if he didn’t manage to make it into the treasure hall, he would have lost out significantly.

The seven youths heaved a sigh of relief.

They quickly left the Mountain River Territory and sprinted towards the source of the icy blue light…

…

“Woosh!” A figure jumped out from the lake, almost like a fish jumping out of water.

Yan Xiu heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that it was Fang Zhengzhi. However, when Fang Zhengzhi saw Yan Xiu again, he frowned deeply.

The Mountain River Territory surrounded Yan Xiu.

There was only one possibility…

Yan Xiu had just experienced an intense battle. Then, Fang Zhengzhi’s gaze fell on the disappearing figure of Lu Yusheng.

A wave of rage swelled in Fang Zhengzhi’s heart.

He could tolerate Lu Yusheng antagonizing him, but he could not tolerate Lu Yusheng going after his friend. His fists were now balled up.

“Where are they going?” Fang Zhengzhi jumped and landed next to Yan Xiu.

“The treasure hall.” Yan Xiu pointed at the icy blue light in the near distance.

“Treasure hall? Is there treasure inside?”

“There is a lot, but, the Divine Constabulary has ordered that we are allowed to look and learn. However, we are only allowed to bring one item out with us.”

“Then, we will stop them from seeing, learning, and taking anything away!”

“Okay!” Yan Xiu nodded. Even though he felt that Fang Zhengzhi was unrealistic, he did not rebut.

…

The wind was bone chilling. This was a world formed from ice and snow. There was no mountain or water here. There was only ice, and treasures wrapped in ice.

All kinds of treasure filled the world. There were blades glowing icily, bloody spears and ancient manuals in aged boxes.

Just like Yan Xiu said, without the necessary powers, one could not even break the ice.

If that was the case, you could only stare widely at the treasures.

Lu Yusheng looked at the icy palace like world and he smiled contentedly. He had the power to break the ice.

The seven youths also had the ability to do so.

Even though they could only break through some of the tinned ice, it did not matter, they had Lu Yusheng with them.

The Heavenly Reflection one.

This was the biggest reason why they followed Lu Yusheng.

With Lu Yusheng helping them break the ice they could not, they could access more treasure.

Any relationship here was built on mutual benefit.

“Have your pick!” Lu Yusheng pointed at the treasures and told the seven youths. He was incredibly generous and he enjoyed this feeling of power.

“Thank you Master Lu!” The seven youths smiled.

“Hahaha…” Lu Yusheng smiled too. So long as he stayed here, he would definitely find Fang Zhengzhi, unless Fang Zhengzhi was willing to give up the treasure.

“Master Lu, wipe that silly smile off your face, did your family build this?” A this point, a voice rung out and two figures appeared behind Lu Yusheng and the seven youths.

Lu Yusheng stiffened. This voice was way too familiar.

“Fang Zhengzhi?!”

The seven youths also heard the voice. They turned around simultaneously to look at Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu.

The seven youths burst out in laughter.

Fang Zhengzhi had no way of running in the treasure hall. Yet, despite knowing Lu Yusheng is here, he still came? Is he courting death?

“People actually come looking for death, how hilarious!” Lu Yusheng’s smile turned into an icy chuckle.

“Exactly, how hilarious!” Fang Zhengzhi agreed with what Lu Yusheng was saying.

“So… you’ve realized your death is inevitable?”

“Not yet.”

“And you dare to come?”

“There is so much treasure here, why wouldn’t I come?”

“So you want to see these treasures before you die?”

“Will you let me see?”

“Hahaha… of course I will let you take a look! In fact, I will take them out of the ice and lay them out for you. It’s a pity that you will only be able to look at them!”

“That’s not a bad idea! However, if I had to do it, I’ll make it more artistic. For example, I will not use so much energy to take the treasures out of the ice. I will strip you all and tie you on the ice pillars. Then, I’ll let you all look carefully and closely…”

“Go to hell!”

Lu Yusheng raged. In an instant, snow surrounded him, each snowflake glimmering with an icy light.

The seven youths chuckled icily. They could imagine how bloody it would get.

Chapter 147: Floating Snowflakes

A fight between a Heavenly Reflection cultivator and a Star Conglomerate cultivator was no real contest at all.

Yan Xiu stood in front of Fang Zhengzhi. The fan in his hand glowed with a rainbow light. He knew that only by working together would they stand a chance.

However, to Yan Xiu’s surprise, Fang Zhengzhi pressed Yan Xiu’s fan down softly, then pulled Yan Xiu behind him.

Yan Xiu did not understand.

The seven youths did not understand either.

“What is Fang Zhengzhi trying to do?”

Everyone was incredulous, Could he be trying to fight Lu Yusheng alone? Is he dumb, or insanely arrogant?

Fang Zhengzhi did not speak. He simply looked at the floating snowflakes silently.

More and more snowflakes flew in the air. Each one was glimmering in the air and they surrounded Lu Yusheng, the seven youths, Yan Xiu, and Fang Zhengzhi.

Yan Xiu was quite nervous, but, Fang Zhengzhi was calm and composed.

The seven youths were like spectators. If Yan Xiu did not attack, they would not need to waste any energy.

More and more snow gathered in the treasure hall, virtually filling up the entire hall.

The sneer on the seven youths became deeper and deeper. They could feel a strong suffocating force. This was Lu Yusheng’s power, the power of Heavenly Reflection.

However, in actual fact, Lu Yusheng’s expression was weird.

As he looked at the floating snowflakes, he was surprised, confused, and even slightly flustered. On some level, he could not believe what was happening.

Only he knew.

The snowflakes floating in the air were not all under his control.

“What’s going on?” Lu Yusheng did not understand. He looked at the surroundings unconsciously. The snow was the same as before. Then, his eyes glimmered.

Is it the environment?

Lu Yusheng had just broken through the previous night. Furthermore, the conditions for his breakthrough were quite unique. As such, he had not adapted fully to his powers. The only possible explanation for the situation was the environmental factors.

“Why aren’t you attacking?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Lu Yusheng silently, disdain, condescension and impatience written all over his face.

“Humph, I guess you really are dumb!” Lu Yusheng waved his hands and willed the snowflakes to move.

Almost like they were controlled by some energy, the snowflakes began to swirl, faster and faster, until finally, a blade-like icy chill blew out.

“Ah!” A voice screamed.

One of the youths grabbed his arm. There was a wound on his arm caused by the blade-like icy wind.

“Master Lu, what are you doing?” Another youth could not believe his eyes as he stared at the injured youth.

At this point, a knife like snowflake was flying towards him.

“Stab!’

The defenceless youth’s face had a deep gash and blood flowed out. It was a bright streak of red amongst the white in the air.

“Master Lu, are you trying…” the other youths looked at their injured comrade. They unconsciously retreated, trying to get out of the snow storm.

However, the entire treasure hall was filled with snow, where were they going to go?

“What’s going on? Why isn’t the snow under my control?!” Lu Yusheng’s expression changed when he heard the screams of the youth.

Only now did he feel that only a little bit of the snow was under his control, the rest of the snow…

Were like strangers.

Yan Xiu’s expression changed. When he saw the snow swirling, he had already planned to attack, but Fang Zhengzhi had stopped him.

Then, he looked at Fang Zhengzhi

His expression was complicated. It was filled with disbelief and surprise.

At this point, Fang Zhengzhi also noticed Yan Xiu’s gaze. However, he did not explain, he simply blinked at Yan Xiu

Then, he turned his gaze towards Lu Yusheng once again.

“Master Lu, you are indeed a man of your word. After you kill them, I will keep to my end of the deal!” Fang Zhengzhi’s expression was calm. It was almost as if he was discussing something between friends.

“What deal? I… I didn’t even attack them!” Upon hearing Fang Zhengzhi’s words, Lu Yusheng stiffened. He simply did not know what Fang Zhengzhi meant.

But…

This did not mean that the others did not understand it.

After hearing what Fang Zhengzhi had to say, the seven youths looked at Lu Yusheng in horror. Even though they did not know what deal was struck, they understood what was going on.

Lu Yusheng was going to kill them!

“Master Lu need not act any longer. Now, the treasure hall is in our control. Later, I will fulfill your wish, but, we can’t let too many people know about it!” Fang Zhengzhi continued.

Lu Yusheng’s expression changed. He knew what Fang Zhengzhi was trying to do. Fang Zhengzhi was clearly trying to sow discord and cause internal conflict!

“Don’t believe him, I have no reason to attack you all!” Lu Yusheng felt a need to put a stop to this. After all, having an enemy at his back was not a good idea.

Then…

Just after Lu Yusheng finished, yet another youth screamed. Five to six gashes of blood appeared on the youth’s chest.

Each gash was deep and to the bone.

In the air, blood stained snowflakes continued to dance about like demons.

The seven youths panicked.

They did not want to believe Fang Zhengzhi, but yet, they had to accept the facts. Lu Yusheng was the only one in the Heavenly Reflection State.

This was a well established fact.

Only Lu Yusheng could control the snowflakes.

Lu Yusheng’s expression changed. Naturally, he knew what he was doing. Since he wasn’t controlling them, why was there another person controlling the snowflakes?

This notion kept floating around Lu Yusheng’s mind.

He unconsciously noticed Fang Zhengzhi’s faint smile.

“Could it be…”

A notion flashed by Lu Yusheng’s mind. However, he crushed it quickly. That was impossible.

After training for so many years with help from countless treasures and the teachings from his ancestors, he was still stuck at the pinnacle of the Star Conglomerate State.

If not for the special help, he would probably need another couple of years to break through. The 24 year old him did not believe that there was another talent like him in the world.

Furthermore. There was no other Heavenly Reflection State person insert 28…

Impossible!

The seven youths also had the same thought as Lu Yusheng.

However, they refused to believe it, and they did not dare to believe it.

“Lu Yusheng, even though you’re a disciple of the 13 constabularies, I am also from a reputable family. Whatever you want from the treasure hall, we will willingly cede it to you. If you continue to attack us, don’t blame us… ah!”

A youth tried to negotiate with Lu Yusheng for the last time. However, before he could finish, the snowflakes moved once again. This attack was larger than those before it, 20-30 snowflakes flew towards him.

Even if he had prepared for this, his thighs and arms were still injured from the sudden attack.

Bright red snow shot out like arrows.

The youth paled. However, his gaze towards Lu Yusheng was filled with rage and hate.

“Lu Yusheng!” The youths could not stand it any longer. Even though they did not want to believe that Lu Yusheng would attack them, they had to face the facts.

Why would Lu Yusheng want to kill them?

What kind of secretive deal did Lu Yusheng and Fang Zhengzhi make?

They did not know the answers, but they didn’t need to know. The fact was that Lu Yusheng was trying to kill them, and he had already attacked.

So…

No matter how unwilling they were, they had to attack.

When faced with a life or death situation, they would bring all their power to bear!even though they did not think that they could fight Lu Yusheng, what else could they do in such a desperate situation?

“Kill!”

“Lu Yusheng, you forced us into this!”

“Die!”

The seven youths attacked at the same time. They all activated their weapons and used their finishers without mercy.

The different colored lights flew towards Yusheng through the snow.

This change was not something Lu Yusheng wanted. He wanted to explain himself, but the light was already closing in on him.

As such, he could only defend.

Even though this was a combined attack from seven Star Conglomerate cultivators, Lu Yusheng was not afraid. He was already in the Heavenly Reflection State.

It was extremely difficult to injure him!

However, at this point, the snow in the air began to change again.

When he controlled the swirling snow to block him, even more snowflakes went in front of the snowflakes he controlled.

“Boom boom boom…”

The snowflakes crashed together.

Flashes of light broke out all over the sky. Countless snowflakes fell to the ground, almost covering the entire area in snow.

With a boom, Lu Yusheng, who did not have enough time to raise his defences, took the hit from seven blades. His body flew and impacted an ice pillar.

Cracks appeared on the pillar, almost as if it had been sliced by a knife.

“Sh*t!” Lu Yusheng spat out a mouthful of blood, his face pale beyond comparison.

His eyes were filled with awe. No matter how much he couldn’t believe it, not only did he fail to block the attack from the seven youths, there were snowflakes inside his control area that were not under his control?

The seven youths were also stunned.

They were equally shocked, Our attacks actually managed to hit Lu Yusheng so easily?

“What’s going on?” The seven youths asked themselves.

At this point, the snowflakes in the sky did not seem to stop. Instead, they seemed to exploded and fly towards Lu Yusheng and the seven youths.

The snowflakes filled the sky and let out a bone chilling sound, almost as if countless blades were flying willfully in the wind.

“Stab stab stab…”

Slashes rang out in the air.

Lu Yusheng and the seven youths were wounded in multiple places. In an instant, the blood stained the clean snow, making a beautiful scene in the air as the snowflakes swirled.

The immense pain made Lu Yusheng lose his energy to stand up. He sat on the ground. He did not look at the seven youths, instead, he stared at the smiling Fang Zhengzhi with wide eyes.

The seven youths all recovered and looked at Lu Yusheng, then at Fang Zhengzhi.

In an instant, a terrifying notion welled up in their hearts.

It was like a burning bonfire in their bodies.

They did not dare to entertain this notion previously. If it was true, then, this would be something that would cause the entire empire to shiver.

However, what else could explain what was going on here?

“You’re… in the Heavenly Reflection State?!” Lu Yusheng stammered. His voice was pained, and despairing. However, he managed to force the question out.

The seven youths also stared at Fang Zhengzhi wide eyed.

They wanted to hear Fang Zhengzhi deny it, however, the snow still flying in the air seemed to make their question redundant.

If…

If the snow in the sky was really controlled by Lu Yusheng.

Why didn’t he block the attacks just now?

The question was moot. What was comical was that they still doubted and questioned if Fang Zhengzhi was in the Heavenly Reflection State!

“Master Lu, are you blind?” Fang Zhengzhi sneered. Then, with a single thought, the snow in the sky began to move.

Lu Yusheng and the seven youths wanted to dodge to the side. However, they were immobilized.

They could only look on in despair at the swirling snowflakes in the air…

“Are we going to die?!” The eight of them had the same thought flash through their mind. They did not want to die like this, but, they could not resist it.

At this point…

The snowflakes in the sky stopped.

The gazes of the eight people also stopped. They saw a few words, words formed by the snowflakes, frozen in midair.

“This is such an obvious indication of Heavenly Reflection, yet you all can’t see it? Are you blind?”