Gate of God

Chapter 379: Most powerful

Learning had to start from a tender age.

Fang Zhengzhi had memories from his previous world. However, when he was born, he was born into a baby’s body. This was why he managed to memorize the Law of Dao so easily.

A mature individual would not be able to memorize the entire page after reading it a couple of times, but a baby could.

Fang Zhengzhi did not know why the candidates were so stunned. Similarly, he did not understand Nangong Hao’s expression.

“120 is still too little?!” Nangong Hao was rarely this shaken, but never in his wildest dreams would he expect that Fang Zhengzhi had grasped over 120 Daos!

Nangong Hao was a genius.

He had always looked down on those around him. It was just like how a rank 2 official would not bother with the rank seven officials.

Even so, Nangong Hao had specially put aside an entire week to read up on Fang Zhengzhi in an attempt to understand him better.

The information packet included things that were public knowledge, as well as information that few knew.

For example…

The Nangong Family had sent someone to assimilate into the Northern and Southern Mountain villages to gather information about Fang Zhengzhi.

Nangong Hao’s preparation for this battle was complete and intensive.

He would be able to predict Fang Zhengzhi’s moves after reading up on his experiences. Furthermore, Nangong Hao had the cultivation state advantage.

His victory was virtually guaranteed.

In fact, everything was within Nangong Hao’s control. Even Fang Zhengzhi’s queer disappearance at the Intellectual Hall and his subsequent appearance in the Southern Mountain Range.

Nangong Hao had prepared for everything.

Four years of confinement…

Nangong Hao’s appearance drew much attention. Furthermore, he managed to make use of the Nangong Family’s intelligence network to hand in a script from the leader of the demons.

Then, he managed to tie for first position during the theory examination.

Everything was going according to plan. However, no one had ever mentioned the fact that Fang Zhengzhi had grasped more than 100 Daos.

“Could it be that this has been a secret all his time?” Nangong Hao felt that this was the only explanation.

However, this seemed a little far fetched.

After all…

Fang Zhengzhi was not one to fly under the radar.

He was so shameless and loved the spotlight. It would be impossible that a secret like that had stayed a secret for this length of time.

Nangong Hao simply could not figure out what was going on.

Of course, Nangong Hao never expected that Fang Zhengzhi, who tied with him for first, would be ‘ignorant’ enough to not know what the implications meant.

Fang Zhengzhi truly did not know the implications. During his time with Chi Guyan, he had mentioned the fact that he had nearly 300 Daos in his pocket dimension.

However, other than pointing out his problem, Chi Guyan had not said that this was an extraordinary feat. She even made the ‘slave’ deal with Fang Zhengzhi.

He looked at Nangong Hao who was visibly stumped.

Fang Zhengzhi was growing impatient. He had mentioned the fact that he had more than 100 Daos in his pocket dimension to rebuke Nangong Hao. At the same time, he would regain the upper hand.

However, he never expected to play this guessing game with Nangong Hao.

Seeing that Nangong Hao was not speaking, Fang Zhengzhi raised three fingers and waved them in front of Nangong Hao.

“130?!” Nangong Hao’s expression changed when he saw the three fingers. His calm eyes began to shimmer.

When Fang Zhengzhi proposed a fair fight, Nangong Hao felt for the first time that Fang Zhengzhi deserved his respect. But now…

This was the first time he took Fang Zhengzhi seriously.

“He grasped 130 Daos?!”

All of the surrounding candidates were floored by this realization. This was a number that no one would have predicted.

However, even before the candidates could express their awe, a furious voice reverberated through the air.

“Nangong Hao, are you really that much of an imbecile? Three fingers is 130?! 300, do you know what is 300?!”

Fang Zhengzhi rarely questioned the intelligence of his opponents. But now, he was questioning the intelligence of one of the most talented individuals in the empire.

That being said, he could not hold it in any longer.

Was his hint not obvious enough?

He already said that 100 was too little?

Then Nangong Hao said 120.

Fine, no problem. Since he wasn’t getting anywhere near the number, Fang Zhengzhi decided to tell him. Surely he would understand three fingers?

But yet…

Nangong Hao guessed 130?!

How could he take such humiliation?

Fang Zhengzhi did not care if others judged him as being short tempered. Even if he was going to scold the number one talent in the empire, he had to vent his anger.

Fang Zhengzhi’s voice cut through the air like a knife.

All of the candidates heard his words loud and clear.

However, they could not react in time.

There were two reasons for this. One, Fang Zhengzhi had just insulted Nangong Hao. That was obvious.

Yet, he had not even bothered trying to soften the blow.

This was almost as if an unknown carpenter ran up to a word renowned one and asked if he knew how to wield an axe?

Or if an unknown soldier waved his sword in front of the top general of their generation claiming that he can be the general’s tutor!

Who in their right mind would question Nangong Hao’s intelligence?!

Even the Emperor himself would not dare say something like that. In fact, there was no one else on the planet who would think that way.

As for the second point…

Fang Zhengzhi had said 300!

300?

What did he mean?

Was he talking about silvers? Or gold? He can’t possibly be talking about Dao?! 300?! What kind of joke was this?

The most in recorded history was 183. Furthermore, it took the person more than 90 years! How old was Fang Zhengzhi? 15? 16?

Who would believe it?

The candidates refused to.

Nangong Hao did not want to believe it either. However, Fang Zhengzhi had said it so clearly it was impossible not to understand.

“You’ve grasped… 300 Daos?!” Nangong Hao kept repeating this in his mind. His heart and mind were famed for their calmness.

However, at this moment, he felt that calm being hit by a powerful charge.

This was a virtually unstoppable hit!

Other than Nangong Hao, Wu Feng, Chen Feiyu, and even Xing Qingsui were all equally floored by this revelation.

Even Yan Xiu, who had known all along that Fang Zhengzhi had grasped many Daos, could not believe his ears.

He had heard Fang Zhengzhi mention this in passing before.

However, he did not think too much about it. After all, there were many people in this world who grasped about 50 different Daos.

Of course, when Fang Zhengzhi said that he had grasped over 100 Daos, Yan Xiu was slightly taken aback, but only slightly.

He had always thought of Fang Zhengzhi as a genius.

As such…

He was not surprised that Fang Zhengzhi could achieve more than most.

However, when his feats were extraordinary even when compared to the best in history, even Yan Xiu could not react.

Nangong Hao was silent.

The other candidates were silent.

Yan Xiu, Wu Feng, Chen Feiyu, and Xing Qingsui were all silent.

After Fang Zhengzhi finished berating Nangong Hao, he took a deep breath. Then, he realized that he had humiliated his opponent.

After all, Nangong Hao had not scolded him.

Fang Zhengzhi had never been very well mannered. He had always spoke his mind. If he wanted to scold somebody, he wouldn’t think twice.

However, it was not very nice to scold someone when others didn’t even raise their voice.

As such, when he saw Nangong Hao remain silent, he decided to try and lighten the atmosphere and relieve some of the embarrassment.

Apologize?

That would be too polite and unnecessary.

Fang Zhengzhi chose his own unique way of lightening the atmosphere. He decided to tell Nangong Hao the whole truth in a show of sincerity.

“Okay, to be honest, 300 is an estimate. If you want the exact number, I have 388 Daos in my pocket dimension!” Fang Zhengzhi revealed the exact number of Daos he had grasped. In that moment, he felt relieved.

Honesty.

This was complete honesty!

After all, cultivation was like one’s technique. Everyone guarded it closely, who would reveal something like this to the opponent?

Very few people would do such a thing.

But yet, Fang Zhengzhi had done it. He had told Nangong Hao the exact number of Daos he had in his pocket dimension. This was equivalent to telling Nangong Hao how many techniques he knew.

Of course…

Fang Zhengzhi offered up the information so readily because he felt that Nangong Hao would not benefit much from knowing that information.

After all, it was almost impossible to calculate the number of ways he could string together his techniques.

Fang Zhengzhi was confident of that.

However, when Fang Zhengzhi revealed this truth, the result was one that shocked and confused him.

“What’s wrong with Nangong Hao?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Nangong Hao, unable to understand what was happening. Nangong Hao stood in front of him like a wooden dummy.

Oh?

The top talent is stumped?

Or is he just too touched by Fang Zhengzhi’s honesty?

Fang Zhengzhi could not figure it out. He turned around and realized that the reactions of those behind him were even more exaggerated than Nangong Hao’s.

“Cling clang cling clang.” Metallic noises rang out.

That was the sound of weapons falling to the ground. Fang Zhengzhi also saw all the candidates with their mouth agape, their eyes popping out of their sockets.

Fang Zhengzhi had no words to describe what he saw.

If he really had to describe it, all he could say was that they all looked dumbfounded!

“388?!”

“He said that he had 388…”

All of the candidates could not believe their ears.

In actual fact, they were already stunned when Fang Zhengzhi berated Nangong Hao. However, after they heard what Fang Zhengzhi said, they were completely floored.

388 Daos?

This was oppression!

This was never before seen, and would probably never be seen again in the future.

There was one person in history who managed to grasp 183 Daos in his life. He managed to breakthrough to the Rebirth State, becoming the most powerful person in that state.

Even though he did not manage to breakthrough to sage, his position as the most powerful person in that state made others revere him.

People once wondered how powerful this person would be if he attained sage.

That was a terrifying thought.

No one dared to imagine it, but the thought still existed. How powerful would a sage who managed to grasp more than 100 Daos be?

But…

300!

388 at that!

What kind of ‘potential’ does this person have?

Top Heavenly Reflection State cultivator!

In that moment, all of the candidates recovered from the shock. They remembered Fang Zhengzhi’s exploits in the imperial examination. At that time, Fang Zhengzhi had just broken through a month ago.

At that time, everyone had thought that Fang Zhengzhi was only in the nascent Heavenly Reflection State. They never thought of him as being in the same league as Su Donglin, Xing Qingsui and Nangong Mu.

But the truth was?

Fang Zhengzhi showed in the first round that he had the power to go up against Su Donglin. Then, he defeated Nangong Mu, who was proficient in the Green and Blue Secret Art, in the finals. Then, he managed to take down Yan Xiu who had a good grasp of the Dao of Asura.

This was something that had stumped all of the candidates.

They could not understand why someone as shameless as him who had just broken through would have such luck and abilities. After all, he did not learn any special techniques.

But now, they understood.

Fang Zhengzhi had more than 388 Daos in his pocket dimension. In other words, Fang Zhengzhi was the most powerful Heavenly Reflection State cultivator!

Chapter 380: Not even one round?

Since the ancient days, people had always wanted to compete to see who was better. However, some people had higher cultivation levels whilst others had better techniques.

Then, how would they decide?

The easiest method was to have a fair fight.

However, after the candidates heard that Fang Zhengzhi had 388 Daos in his pocket dimension, no one doubted his abilities anymore.

After all, history had proven that those who managed to grasp more than 100 Daos were all heroes amongst their peers!

…

Nangong Hao had been a bright star ever since his childhood days. He had been surrounded by compliments for the past 20 years.

More and more complimentary phrases had been piled on over the years.

Mature, calm, stable, talented, the future of his generation. A plethora of different compliments had been heaped upon him.

Anyone in his position would be incredibly arrogant.

However, Nangong Hao was not. He knew that the higher he went, the greater the fall would be. As such, he never stopped working hard to improve himself.

For the court examinations, despite having every advantage, he still spent effort to read up on his opponent’s character and techniques.

He felt that as long as he did the necessary preparations and found Fang Zhengzhi’s achilles heel, victory was certain.

But now?

Fang Zhengzhi had countered almost perfectly. Fang Zhengzhi had ruined his plans, unsettling him greatly.

Nangong Hao recovered slowly.

He raised his head as he looked into the blue sky. He felt the chilly spring wind and looked at the stunned candidates around him.

He knew that right now, Fang Zhengzhi was just on the same level as him.

However, if one saw it from the different perspective…

His knowledge advantage, ability advantage, geographical advantage… virtually all his advantages had been neutralized by Fang Zhengzhi!

Nangong Hao did not bother thinking any more. He did not try to rebut Fang Zhengzhi. Instead, he slowly raised his clear sword.

“In this battle, I will suppress my cultivation level to the Heavenly Reflection State.” Nangong Hao started rather shakily before calming down.

All of the other candidates were taken aback by what they heard.

“Nangong Hao wants to suppress his own cultivation state?! He proposed this himself? What is going on?”

“Why would he do such a thing?”

“It is no wonder he is the top talent!”

Some of the candidates could not understand what Nangong Hao was thinking. However, some of the faster ones understood almost immediately.

The logic was not difficult to understand. However, few people would make the same decision if they were placed in that situation. Nangong Hao’s action was admirable.

That being said…

If he didn’t make that decision, he wouldn’t be Nangong Hao.

…

Nangong Hao’s hand was steady, his eyes as bright as the sun, rays of light beaming out of his pupils.

That look of confusion had disappeared completely.

Nangong Hao knew the risks involved in such a decision. However, only by making such a decision would he feel the rush he did.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this excited to battle someone.

But now…

He felt the rush!

When he heard that Fang Zhengzhi had 388 Daos in his pocket dimension, he had two choices. One, he could use his cultivation state superiority to oppress Fang Zhengzhi.

However, if he did so, he would have lost the battle of the heart.

Nangong Hao’s pride refused to let that happen.

This was especially after Fang Zhengzhi managed to neutralize all the posturing advantage Nangong Hao had.

The strong could only remain strong if they were confident enough.

Only these people would be willing to take risks and push themselves to the limits.

Only people like that would be able to stand at the pinnacle and become true powers.

Nangong Hao could choose the easier option.

He could use his cultivation state to oppress Fang Zhengzhi. However, this would mean that he did not dare to take up the challenge and prove that his method was the right one.

This battle could ruin his life!

Nangong Hao had complete faith in his choice. He was willing to pay the price for his choice. He was not afraid of losing, he was afraid of not daring to lose.

Of course, Fang Zhengzhi had to be capable enough to defeat him.

Nangong Hao’s calm slowly morphed into confidence and excitement. This was a rush he felt from discovering a worthy opponent.

How powerful was someone with 388 Daos in the pocket dimension?

Nangong Hao stared at Fang Zhengzhi. He wanted to find out for himself if the numbers made a difference, or if the heart would be the determining factor.

…

Fang Zhengzhi never thought that he would be gifted with such a golden opportunity.

In actual fact, when he heard that Nangong Hao had broken through to the Supernatural State, he wanted to turn back and tell Nangong Hao that he would reschedule.

Of course, he didn’t do so.

There was no need to explain his reasons. In the end, he had managed to neutralize the posturing advantage Nangong Hao had. Then, he received yet another piece of good news.

Nangong Hao was going to suppress his own cultivation state!

Hang on!

So if Nangong Hao was defeated, would it be legitimate?

Fang Zhengzhi’s excitement did not last long. He remembered that the purpose of battling Nangong Hao was to fulfill his promise to nangong Mu.

If he defeated Nangong Hao whilst his cultivation state was suppressed, he would not have achieved what he set out to do.

That was what Fang Zhengzhi thought.

Even so, to the candidates and the deputies, the fact that Nangong Hao was willing to suppress his cultivation state meant that he was extremely confident. This gave him the slight advantage.

“Who will win if they are both in the same cultivation state?”

“Nangong Hao of course! After all, Nangong Hao was invited to join the Heaven Dao Pavillion when he was in the Heavenly Reflection State. Furthermore, Nangong Hao’s heart is ridiculously strong.”

“Even so, Fang Zhengzhi has grasped over 300… no nearly 400 Daos! Logically speaking, no one in the same cultivation state is his match!”

“Exactly, this battle… will be difficult to predict!”

All of the candidates began to discuss the possible results of this battle. After knowing the number of Daos in Fang Zhengzhi’s pocket dimension, they began to think that this battle was less lopsided than they expected.

However, just as these candidates were expecting the battle to begin, Fang Zhengzhi’s voice rang out.

“If you are not going to give this battle your all, then this battle is meaningless. When I say it’ll be a fair fight, I mean it! I want you to try your very best! As such, please shove your pity aside and give it your all! Let me see if you are worth me drawing my sword!” Fang Zhengzhi waved his sword in the air as he spoke.

The entire crowd was silent.

All of the candidates were awed by what they just heard. This time, they were awed by Fang Zhengzhi’s lack of fear.

This was bravery in the face of a superpower.

This was even more valuable than Nangong Hao’s bravery.

The sun shone down on the Traceless Sword in Fang Zhengzhi’s hand. It caused the purple glow to be ever so bright.

…

Nangong Hao’s expression of excitement froze.

He never felt that he would start off a battle feeling this low. Even before the battle begun, he felt incredible pressure.

This pressure did not come from his opponent’s ability or power!

It was from the heart!

Nangong Hao was very confident when it came to his heart and control. However, he had to admit that as of now, Fang Zhengzhi was schooling him in that area.

He did not know what would happen if he continued like this. All he knew was that he could not sheath his sword now.

“A fair fight? Then I’d like to see if you can even last a single round!” Nangong Hao’s eyes glimmered like a golden sun.

When under such immense pressure.

Few would choose to draw their blades.

However, Nangong Hao did not even hesitate. He knew that he was well trained in that area. He did not fear someone who was equally skilled.

The Dragon Combat Plan was all accommodating.

With Nangong Hao’s cultivation method, he could accommodate almost everything. Kindness, evil, crazy… he could extract the best of everything.

With such abilities, why would he be affected by a small setback?

Nangong Hao drew his sword.

Despite losing the advantage, he did not hesitate.

His blade looked extremely ordinary and it lived up to its name. It looked like any ordinary blade, but there was nothing it was not capable of.

The blade rocketed through the air.

This was quite similar to the strike Nangong Hao had used to defeat Chen Feiyu. All of the candidates knew that this ordinary looking strike was incredibly powerful.

…

Fang Zhengzhi was a little taken aback when he saw the strike.

He had thought that after the exchange, Nangong Hao should have said something. For example, he could have stood his ground or tried to convince Fang Zhengzhi.

However, Nangong Hao did not do anything of that sort.

He chose to draw his sword and strike. He did so without mercy or hesitation. He did not even say anything before striking.

“Sneak attack?” Fang Zhengzhi wanted to accuse Nangong Hao of that, but he realized that it would not be appropriate.

After all, Nangong Hao had struck from the front. Furthermore, he had asked for fairness.

In other words, Fang Zhengzhi had already said that the battle had begun!

It was understandable that Nangong Hao would strike.

Fang Zhengzhi knew this. Even though he found it quite strange, he reacted quickly, throwing out a bunch of nails with his left hand.

The Dragon Combat Plan can accommodate everything huh?

Try accommodating nails!

Fang Zhengzhi did not hope for much from this handful of nails. This was just a habit of his.

As such, after he threw out the handful of nails, he swung Traceless with his right hand.

The water of the Yellow River originates from heaven and flows straight towards the sea, never to return.” This was a poem from the previous world, but Fang Zhengzhi thought it was the most appropriate.

The blade swung and rays of light shone out from it.

The light rays shone downard like a huge waterfall. They crashed towards Nangong Hao’s blade.

In that instant, the silver light clashed with the crystal sword.

However…

There was no loud crash or impact. It was silent, a silence that was completely foreign to the spectators.

This was a technique that Fang Zhengzhi had used many times.

He had termed this technique Mountain Waterfall Cascade. When the Traceless Blade was used, even people in the Supernatural State did not dare to take it lightly.

But this time, when his technique clashed with Nangong Hao’s blade, he felt a queer feeling in his heart.

If he had to use a single phrase to describe it, it would be…

We come from the same roots, why are we in a rush to kill each other?!

“God damn it!” Fang Zhengzhi knew this feeling originated from Nangong Hao’s Dragon Combat Plan. He wanted to attack it.

However, that unsettling feeling rushed towards his heart. His sword technique lacked any battle intent.

Without battle intent, could it still be called a sword technique?

Fang Zhengzhi finally understood why Chen Feiyu would stand rooted to the ground, only reacting after Nangong Hao’s blade was at his throat.

It wasn’t that Chen Feiyu didn’t want to fight.

It was that Chen Feiyu’s sword technique didn’t want to fight!

“You can control everything in the universe but so can I!” Nangong Hao’s words to Chen Feiyu rang out in Fang Zhengzhi’s mind.

The sword technique was made up from Dao and Dao was everything in the universe.

Nangong Hao’s cultivation state was superior to Fang Zhengzhi. As such, he had better control over everything in the universe. With that in mind, he had better control over Dao…

That meant that he could control the sword technique.

Chapter 381: Last stand

Fang Zhengzhi had felt this way before. That was in the battle with Lu Yusheng at the Divine Constabulary.

At that time, Lu Yusheng had strangely broken through into the Heavenly Reflection State. He proceeded to ‘hunt down’ Yan Xiu and Fang Zhengzhi in the Heavenly Treasure Hall.

After, Fang Zhengzhi managed to breakthrough to the Heavenly Reflection State, the two had one last battle inside the Heavenly Treasure Hall.

Even though Fang Zhengzhi looked like he had the element of surprise, the fact was that he had a much better control over the Dao of all Creation. As such, he was able to control Lu Yusheng’s Ice Territory.

The roles were now reversed, but the concept was similar.

Of course, in order to do such a thing, two conditions must be met. First, one’s pocket dimension must have the same Dao. Two, one must have better control than the opponent.

Nangong Hao was in the pinnacle Supernatural State. As such, his control over the Dao of All Creation was better than Fang Zhengzhi’s. Furthermore, the Dragon Combat Plan’s unique accommodating nature meant that his sword technique could combine with any Dao.

As such, it was not difficult for Nangong Hao to do this.

Nangong Hao may have an easy time, but that meant that Fang Zhengzhi was going to struggle.

To Fang Zhengzhi, it felt like he had thrust his sword only to find out that it wasn’t him. Instead, his opponent had stolen his sword and thrust it back at him. What’s mine is his, what’s his is still his. How was he going to fight?

Fang Zhengzhi knew that Nangong Hao was powerful, but he never expected Nangong Hao to be this ridiculously powerful.

Stealing the Dao of others?

The thought flashed through Fang Zhengzhi’s mind. He kept trying to think of a weakness in the Dragon Combat Plan. However, his most pressing issue was not to find a weakness…

It was to dodge Nangong Hao’s attack.

No fancy show of force, no fanfare. However, it was as quick as a bolt of lightning.

Nangong Hao thrusted straight at him. When his blade contacted the waterfall from heaven, it went straight through and flew towards Fang Zhengzhi’s throat.

This strike left Fang Zhengzhi with no choice but to give up his menacing technique and retreat.

“Clang!” A crisp sound rang out.

There wasn’t much reverberation as the blades clashed and parted. Yet, the crisp sound was clear for all to hear.

Nangong Hao’s blade returned to its original position, the tip still pointed at Fang Zhengzhi. It glowed golden in the light.

“Congratulations, you managed to block my strike!” Nangong Hao’s tone was calm, just like how he was when he exited the Icy Monkey Settlement.

Nangong Hao’s shock upon hearing that Fang Zhengzhi had 388 Daos in his pocket dimension had disappeared.

This strike had restored his composure.

This was the beauty of his technique.

“Fang Zhengzhi blocked Nangong Hao’s strike?!”

“This battle is even more interesting than I expected.”

“I wonder how many rounds Fang Zhengzhi can last considering that he’s being outclassed in cultivation state. If Nangong Hao really suppressed his own cultivation state, Fang Zhengzhi really had a good chance of winning!”

“Mm, for a pinnacle Heavenly Reflection State cultivator to block the attack of a pinnacle Supernatural State cultivator is impressive!”

All of the candidates looked at Fang Zhengzhi with conflicted expressions. They had once disregarded him as a despicable villager. But now, he was a shining star.

That being said…

Nangong Hao was much too powerful.

Nangong Hao was a full cultivation state above Fang Zhengzhi. No matter how hard Fang Zhengzhi tried, he could not possibly defeat Nangong Hao.

The fact that he could block one attack…

Could be considered a victory.

All of the candidates thought the same way. However, Chen Feiyu was extremely depressed when he saw this. Despite being in the Supernatural State, he was unable to block Nangong Hao’s strike…

Yan Xiu was not too surprised. He had expected that Fang Zhengzhi would be able to block Nangong Hao’s strike. However, he didn’t expect that it would be this difficult.

Yan Xiu noticed something that the others didn’t. Yan Xiu looked at Fang Zhengzhi’s sword wielding hand.

And right now…

That hand was trembling slightly.

…

Fang Zhengzhi had thought of many ways to block Nangong Hao’s strike. He wanted to use more Daos to increase the difficulty for Nangong Hao to accommodate them all.

He also wanted to try using each Dao one by one.

He did not believe that the Dragon Combat Plan would be able to accommodate everything.

But did Fang Zhengzhi have the chance to try it?

Nope.

As such, he was forced to use the most basic of techniques. He did not use Dao, choosing instead to use his own energy.

That was what he used to block Nangong Hao’s strike.

However, just as what Yan Xiu guessed, without any Dao in the blade, how could Fang Zhengzhi go up against Nangong Hao’s Dragon Combat Plan buffed strike.

In the moment the blades clashed, a powerful wave of force crashed towards Fang Zhengzhi.

If not for the fact that Fang Zhengzhi’s blade was the Traceless Sword…

He would not have been able to match that attack.

“The Sagely Battle God Meng Tian is a hero of the Great Xia Dynasty. His blade had slashed through the demon’s Blood Shadow City. That mark is still there to this day. His blade is stained with the blood of the demon lord Si Kong. The blade in your hand is truly a good sword.” Nangong Hao’s eyes glowed even brighter as he looked at Fang Zhengzhi’s sword. His white robe flapped in the wind.

Fang Zhengzhi knew exactly what Nangong Hao was saying.

He knew that Nangong Hao had already seen through the fact that he only managed to block the strike because of the quality of his blade. He also knew that Nangong Hao’s next strike would not be easy to block.

Was the difference between cultivation states really that great?

Dragon Combat Plan!

How was he going to find a weakness in the Dragon Combat Plan?!

A technique that could steal the Dao of others is impossible to break! He could steal everything you had. How would someone like that lose?

But, Nangong Hao had lost before…

He had lost to one person. That person was Chi Guyan.

Fang Zhengzhi knew this. However, what he didn’t know was how Chi Guyan managed to defeat Nangong Hao’s sword technique!

Did she use the Million Sword Illustration?

The only technique he had seen Chi Guyan use was the Divine Constabulary’s Million Sword Illustration. Right now, that seemed like his only hope.

However, could it really defeat the Dragon Combat Plan?

Fang Zhengzhi did not think that it was very likely.

If it couldn’t, then how did Chi Guyan manage to defeat Nangong Hao?

Fang Zhengzhi tried to recall what was discussed during his time with Chi Guyan in the Northern Mountain Village. Back then, Chi Guyan enlightened him about his weaknesses and made the deal with him.

Chi Guyan wanted him to participate in the court examinations.

That meant that Chi Guyan knew that this battle would take place.

If so, why didn’t Chi Guyan mention anything about the Dragon Combat Plan? Did she think that he had no chance of defeating Nangong Hao? Or was it that she had said it but he didn’t take notice?

Fang Zhengzhi kept trying to recall the minute details from his last meeting with Chi Guyan. However, he could not remember Chi Guyan dropping any hints.

Okay then…

Chi Guyan must have thought that he couldn’t defeat Nangong Hao.

Fang Zhengzhi was furious when he thought about this. His initially trembling hand became firm as he gripped the hilt of his sword.

What he didn’t realize was that in the moment he gripped the hilt, the purple mark on the tip of the blade changed.

It began to flow.

Fang Zhengzhi did not think anymore. Based on his knowledge of Dao and cultivation, he could not think of any way to defeat the nature of the Dragon Combat Plan.

If that was the case…

His only option was simple.

Just do it!

Go at it mindlessly!

Fang Zhengzhi moved. He did not wait for Nangong Hao to strike again, deciding to take the initiative this time. He couldn’t let Nangong Hao have the first-move advantage all the time.

It didn’t matter if he couldn’t win, he wasn’t going to give up!

Fang Zhengzhi went straight for Nangong Hao.

All of the candidates were shocked to see Fang Zhengzhi take the initiative. Why wouldn’t he take this time to set up his defence?

Was he giving up?

Nangong Hao’s eyes moved. He knew that Fang Zhengzhi had struggled to block his previous attack. But yet, Fang Zhengzhi’s reaction was to attack?

“Not bad!” Nangong Hao swung his blade.

He knew that Fang Zhengzhi was willing to lose but he was going to keep trying. In other words, this was Fang Zhengzhi’s last stand. He had effectively given up.

Nangong Hao knew that his battle with Fang Zhengzhi would be short.

Three rounds!

That was the limit that he had set for himself.

Initially, when he heard that Fang Zhengzhi had 388 Daos in his pocket dimension, he wanted to raise the limit. He wanted to suppress his abilities and see for himself how powerful Fang Zhengzhi was.

However, Fang Zhengzhi had rejected his offer.

As such, he would respect Fang Zhengzhi’s decision.

He decided to finish this battle off quickly. As for his question about if the number of Daos was what made someone powerful, or if the heart was the determining factor…

Nangong Hao never doubted his own choices.

The competition did not matter much to him.

Nangong Hao knew that another opportunity would come. When Fang Zhengzhi was fortunate enough to breakthrough to the Supernatural State, he would be able to try it out for himself.

Of course, the prerequisite was that Fang Zhengzhi must be able to breakthrough. The second condition was that he himself had not broken through to the Rebirth State.

388 Daos!

This was a double edged sword!

Fang Zhengzhi would be the best in his current state. However, it would be many times more difficult for Fang Zhengzhi to breakthrough.

The logic was simple. The more Daos one had, the less one could master each Dao. In the same time, someone who focused on one Dao would be able to advance much further.

Nangong Hao did not want this battle to drag on any longer. He still had his own unique mission in the war between the Great Xia Dynasty and the Southern Mountain Range.

He struck in the same silent way.

This time however, Nangong Hao’s blade multiplied into four.

Four blades, four people.

When the blade in his hand split into four, so did Nangong Hao. Each of their white robes flapped in the wind.

The four blades came straight at Fang Zhengzhi from four different directions.

…

Fang Zhengzhi was not shocked that Nangong Hao managed to split into four. He knew many techniques which could do such a thing.

They could be holograms or reflections.

Some techniques reflected light to project three similar images. Of course, Fang Zhengzhi was not powerful enough to do it himself.

Okay then…

Fang Zhengzhi never expected that the difference between the two strikes would be this great.

Nangong Hao’s first attack was ordinary and silent. It was just quick. However, his second attack came from all four directions.

How was Fang Zhengzhi going to block this?

There was no way!

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to breakout of this. However, what he was afraid of was that he would be defeated even before he could breakout. If he defeated one of the Nangong Haos…

It could just be a reflection.

Then, he would be dead…

But Nangong Hao would still be alive.

He could not use the Dao of All Creation to block Nangong Hao’s attack. Not only did Nangong Hao stop him from using any Daos, Nangong Hao was attacking from all directions.

How would he defend against four opponents?

Fang Zhengzhi felt like he was at the end of his road. Without being able to use the Dao of All Creation, he felt like an unarmed villager going up against a ferocious beast.

He was helpless.

But was he going to lose just like that?

Fang Zhengzhi did entertain the possibility that he would be defeated. However, in all his battles, he had never fell in the second round.

Just one round?

That was utterly embarrassing!

Fang Zhengzhi would never accept that! After all, if news of this spread to Ping Yang or Chi Guyan, how would he ever bring himself to face them in the future?

No way!

Even if he was going to lose, he was going to last a few more rounds. Or perhaps, he was going to force Nangong Hao to be on the defensive.

Fang Zhengzhi was desperate. However, it was this desperation that caused his mind to open up almost instantly.

In that moment, he saw the light at the end of the tunnel. The angelic light shone radiantly in front of him, so much so that he struggled to open his eyes.

Chapter 382: Something out of nothing

If I can’t block your attack, then I’ll make you block mine.

Offence is the best defence. This was the mentality of the Stabilization Constabulary and Fang Zhengzhi understood it extremely well.

However, this would not be enough to defeat Nangong Hao.

In order to maximise the effectiveness of this technique, he had to be able to attack. If he couldn’t even use his techniques, how was he going to go on the offence?

Fang Zhengzhi understood this very well.

As such, he decided to modify this idea slightly.

There was only one way that a weaker person could emerge victorious. He had to make his techniques messy and unpredictable.

In a battle between two people in different leagues, the weaker one could have the best possible techniques and the stronger one could use simple techniques. However, the results would always be the same.

The crowd would praise the expert for being able to make such an ordinary technique so powerful. Some of these experts would end up as ‘guru’.

Then, the expert would placate the hardworking probie. Then, he would deal the lethal blow…

“No matter how good your technique, I can find its weaknesses. If you really want to be an expert, you have to move past these techniques.”

This was what the best in the business did.

They would create something out of nothing!

Of course, Fang Zhengzhi could not possibly attain such a level instantly. Ever since he left the Northern Mountain Village, he had never been lucky enough to attain greatness through a single battle.

That was something virtually impossible.

Think about it. If it was that easy to understand these concepts, then those who made battle a daily occurrence in their lives…

These concepts would be so overrated.

Fang Zhengzhi did not understand it immediately, but he had a feeling. He felt that he could possibly manage something along those lines.

Nangong Hao could defeat anything that he tried. Nangong Hao could render his techniques useless.

In other words…

He was now the probie going up against the expert.

No matter how perfect or elaborate his techniques were, he would not be able to defeat his opponent’s ordinary strikes.

The Dragon Combat Plan would steal the technique!

How domineering…

On the surface, this looked like an impossible technique to defeat. However, upon closer inspection, there were certain rules that had to be followed.

He had to see the technique for him to be able to break it down.

When Fang Zhengzhi’s Mountain Waterfall Cascade came crashing down, Nangong Hao’s blade would merge with the waterfall.

That way, Fang Zhengzhi’s attack would be rendered useless.

However, what if there wasn’t a waterfall.

This was quite the audacious and impossible idea. After all, if there was no waterfall, there was no Dao. With no Dao, where would the sword get its power?

But…

If one really drilled into the bedrock, one would find that it was not completely impossible.

Fang Zhengzhi’s waterfall in the Mountain Waterfall Cascade was formed through Dao. It used the shape to augment the blade’s offensive power.

The Dao would come from the heavens and congregate at a single point before charging towards its target. The power embedded within this technique was unfathomable.

However, other than the Dao, the technique also drew upon something else.

That was…

The white mist inside his pocket dimension.

Dao was shape, and the white mist was Qi. When two people had the same amount of Qi, technique was the differentiating factor. However, Qi could also augment one’s technique.

As such, when Fang Zhengzhi thought about no waterfall…

What he meant was that he would give up his elaborate techniques. To put it plainly, he was going to give up the power of Dao and rely purely on his ‘raw power’.

Ordinarily, this technique would not be successful.

This was akin to someone having to quench the thirst of 1000 refugees with only a bucket of water. They would have to ration in carefully.

After all, they had to ensure that the refugees all received water.

But…

What if you had hundreds of acres of water?

Would you still need to ration the water? By that time, all you hoped for was that they wouldn’t kill themselves from water poisoning.

Fang Zhengzhi had a ton of white mist in his pocket dimension. Not only did the white mist fill up the entire sky within his pocket dimension, it also filled up a vast ocean.

In this world, the white mist was known as the origin of Dao.

It was possible to channel the same amount of power into each strike without using Dao. However, the physical exertion would be many times greater. In other words, Fang Zhengzhi had to put everything he had behind each strike.

By giving up the Dao and just using the raw ingredients, Fang Zhengzhi was tapping on the vast reserves of white mist in his pocket dimension.

…

Those who grasped more than 100 Daos were the best in their cultivation state.

That was something that had been proven all throughout history. However, few people knew why that was the case.

Fang Zhengzhi did not understand either before this. But now, Chi Guyan’s words kept repeating in his head.

“What you need to do now is calm yourself down and nurture your Daos!”

At that time, Fang Zhengzhi did not know what Chi Guyan meant. But now, he seemed to understand what she was trying to say.

His advantage was not that he had a tree filled with Daos.

Those Daos had not yet taken on their final form. Before they had been properly nurtured and developed, they were just a blunt sword. But… his reserve of raw materials…

That was terrifying.

That was what he was counting on now.

At the very least, it was his only hope for the near future. Once all of his Daos were fully developed, one could only guess the limits of his power.

Fang Zhengzhi looked at Nangong Hao, who was attacking from all sides.

This time however, he was not shocked. He was not prepared to sacrifice himself to breakout of this net.

He wanted the net…

To break first!

“Boom!”

Fang Zhengzhi and Nangong Hao clashed and the resulting shockwave sent earth flying skyward. This was different from the previous clashes that the other candidates had witnessed.

This clash.

Was resoundingly loud and powerful.

It was not as calm as the previous clashes. This time, it felt like two humongous rocks had clashed with each other, the shockwave crashing into the crowd.

This caused all of the candidates to subconsciously retreat. They could not believe what they were seeing.

To be completely honest, they didn’t even know what happened.

They saw Nangong Hao strike in four different directions before they all combined into one. Then, the shockwave had crashed into them.

“Did they clash?”

“Is there a victor?!”

All of the candidates admitted that Fang Zhengzhi was talented. However, being able to block one of Nangong Hao’s attack was lucky enough. None of them thought that he would be able to withstand a second round.

Yan Xiu stared at the center of the chaos, his knuckles white as he gripped the Mountain and River, Heaven and Earth Fan.

Chen Feiyu and Wu Feng were significantly more shocked by the results.

Chen Feiyu’s shock was the most palpable. He was of the opinion that in the face of Nangong Hao, all the sword techniques were useless. So why was there such a powerful shockwave?

Teng Shisheng looked at the eye of the storm equally anxiously. However, his anxiety was visibly different from Yan Xiu’s.

Then…

The dust settled.

Two figures could be seen. One was wearing a white academic robe, the other leopard print leather.

Their outfits were caked in dust.

Fang Zhengzhi smiled faintly as the Traceless Sword in his hand glowed purple. Then, just like before, he did not wait for Nangong Hao to attack.

He lunged forward once again.

The purple light shone radiantly, staining Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes purple as well.

“He… lunged forward?!”

“Does that mean that he managed to block Nangong Hao’s attack? Not only did he block it, he has energy to charge?”

“How is that possible?”

All of the candidates had thought that Fang Zhengzhi had given up. But now, all they felt was awe and disbelief.

This was a result that none of them would have predicted.

Even Nangong Hao himself was shocked. Not only was he shocked that Fang Zhengzhi blocked his attack, he was shocked that Fang Zhengzhi…

Was able to continue fighting?!

He knew exactly how Fang Zhengzhi had blocked his attack.

Fang Zhengzhi had not used any sword technique or element or Dao. All he did was channel all the energy in his pocket dimension.

How powerful was the raw energy in one’s pocket dimension?

No one knew.

But it was a fact that Fang Zhengzhi had blocked Nangong Hao’s second attack.

Then…

The natural thing happened. Fang Zhengzhi swung his sword at Nangong Hao, a strange purple glow at its tip.

It was the same shade of purple as the blood on the tip of the sword.

Yet, the power behind this strike was so powerful that it tore through the fabric of the universe, leaving behind a black crack. Previously, Fang Zhengzhi had only managed to create such a tear with the Sun Shooting Bow and the Million Sword Illustration.

But this time, Fang Zhengzhi managed to do it.

“I see!” Nangong Hao’s eyes glowed golden. When he saw Fang Zhengzhi unleash all his power, he finally understood what was going on.

Fang Zhengzhi’s sword was not drawing on any Dao or technique. It was drawing on Fang Zhengzhi’s raw power.

As a result…

His Dragon Combat Plan was unable to control it. After all, he could not control the power inside Fang Zhengzhi.

Nangong Hao did want to end the battle early. But based on what was happening, it was not going to end anytime soon. It would not end until Fang Zhengzhi had depleted all his resources.

“Boom!”

The third clash.

The purple stain clashed with Nangong Hao’s clear blade once again. The shockwave reverberated through the crowd.

Then, a fourth clash, a fifth clash, a sixth clash…

Every clash was accompanied by a powerful shockwave that sent columns of dust skyward. It enveloped the battlefield and obscured them from vision.

“Is… that really Fang Zhengzhi?!”

“How is he that powerful? How did he manage to block so many of Nangong Hao’s attacks?”

“Is Nangong Hao suppressing his own cultivation state?”

“What rubbish. Even without considering the fact that Nangong Hao wouldn’t do it, does the battle raging in front of you look like it could be by two Heavenly Reflection State cultivators?”

The jaws of all the candidates spectating the battle dropped, their eyes on the verge of popping out of their sockets.

Disbelief.

They could not bring themselves to believe what they were seeing.

This was not just a competition. This was a fight for survival. However, it was going on for much too long!

Yan Xiu’s fists clenched even tighter, anxiety written all over his face. Furthermore, there traces of awe began to show. He had thought that his rate of improvement was very fast.

However, he didn’t expect that Fang Zhengzhi was even faster!

In the two months since the preliminaries, Fang Zhengzhi was now powerful enough to battle Nangong Hao?!

This was a shocker to him.

All of the gazes were fixated on the two battling figures. They faded in and out of view, accompanied by the loud clashes.

Everyone watching had their hearts in their mouths.

“How powerful!”

“They’ve been going at it for at least seven rounds!”

“I wonder how many more rounds this battle will last?”

“Why is Fang Zhengzhi able to block Nangong Hao’s attacks? Is he a monster?”

All of the candidates looked on intently, silently counting the number of rounds. They were all wondering how long this battle would last.

As for who would win…

There was no need to guess.

Chapter 383: Make you a sage

In fact, everyone thought that the results of this battle was a foregone conclusion.

Pinnacle Heavenly Reflection State against a pinnacle Supernatural State.

Was there any doubt?

This was what the candidates thought, and it was also what Nangong Hao thought. He was not arrogant. In fact, he had been extremely meticulous in preparing for his battle with Fang Zhengzhi.

It would be impossible for Nangong Hao, who was in the pinnacle Supernatural State, to not be confident about defeating Fang Zhengzhi.

Nangong Hao had expected that he would battle with Fang Zhengzhi. He also expected that Fang Zhengzhi would not admit defeat. He expected Fang Zhengzhi to put up quite the struggle.

However, he never expected that Fang Zhengzhi would be able to last this long!

“What’s going on? Has he not depleted his energy yet?” Nangong Hao was shocked after the eighth clash.

He knew exactly what Fang Zhengzhi was doing, and he knew the consequences of Fang Zhengzhi’s actions.

Fighting for his life?

Could he last long?

Of course no. If he could last long, then it wouldn’t be a last-ditch attempt. This was akin to sprinting at the end of a marathon. Could someone sprint the entire marathon?

But Fang Zhengzhi was doing just that…

Every strike was filled with every ounce of force he could muster. Every charge tore a hole in the fabric of the universe. One could only imagine the exertion required to maintain such power.

Nangong Hao knew exactly how tiring this was. As such, he was in no hurry.

He knew that Fang Zhengzhi could not last long. He thought that Fang Zhengzhi was just trying to ensure that his defeat was not too humiliating.

Nangong Hao could understand this. Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi had proposed a fair fight and rejected his offer to suppress his cultivation state to the Heavenly Reflection State.

This was reason enough for him to take Fang Zhengzhi seriously.

But…

Fang Zhengzhi was holding out for a ridiculously long time.

Furthermore, it felt like Fang Zhengzhi still had more in him. He continued to charge and swing manically. It didn’t look like he was fighting for his life. In fact, it looked like he was just venting his anger.

“What the hell?” Nangong Hao could not understand what was going on. He had been in the Heavenly Reflection State before and knew how much resources were at his disposal. Even if Fang Zhengzhi had more than the average person, this was getting a little too ridiculous.

That was what Nangong Hao was thinking.

However, what he did not know was that Fang Zhengzhi was actually venting.

Fang Zhengzhi had always been quite thrifty and conservative with his use of these resources. After all, he could not afford to waste it.

But this time, he realized that he had something that he could use to refill his resources.

That was a vast ocean.

An ocean filled with raw energy.

Every swing of the blade would wipe out all of the raw energy in the sky inside his pocket dimension. It was such a great feeling.

Every swing would wipe it out.

Fang Zhengzhi could only use one word to describe it.

Awesome!

The vast ocean in his pocket dimension roared as it kept filling the sky with more of the white mist. Every time it was filled, it would be emptied, only to be refilled again.

Fang Zhengzhi had no idea how long it would take before the ocean would be completely depleted. However, he had the feeling that it would take at least an hour.

Even though he had no way of defeating Nangong Hao, to be able to last more than an hour in battle was admirable.

Fang Zhengzhi knew that they couldn’t mock him for such a feat. He smirked subconsciously, a queer sight amidst all the dust and battle.

What Fang Zhengzhi did not know was that whilst the ocean of mist was raging, the huge tree in his pocket dimension was also changing. Leaves began to sprout from the branches and the fruits began to morph.

They were initially smooth and ordinary. But now, patterns began to appear on the surface. There were mountains, rivers, flora, grass, trees, snowflakes…

The fruit that changed the most was the purple colored one.

That fruit already had patterns on it, but now, with the vaporization of white mist, that fruit began to glow.

…

Fang Zhengzhi was having the time of his life.

Nangong Hao was shocked. He even had a feeling that Fang Zhengzhi’s attacks were getting more and more powerful.

Even though…

The change was so minute that it was almost unnoticeable…

He still managed to feel it.

“If I had suppressed my cultivation state to the Heavenly Reflection State, could I have won?” Nangong Hao wondered to himself as he fought.

All this while, Nangong Hao never doubted the path that he chose. After all, he had chosen this path after much consideration and research.

This was the most direct path in the cultivation world.

Initially, he had given up learning the Green and Blue Secret Art in favor of the Dragon Combat Plan. His reason for not choosing the Green and Blue Secret Art was not because he was scared of its difficulty.

He chose it for the starting point.

The Dragon Combat Plan provided a better starting point.

He would learn the Dragon Combat Plan first, then proceed to the Green and Blue Secret Art. He had never revealed this plan to anyone.

Including Nangong Mu.

Nangong Hao knew exactly why Nangong Mu chose the Green and Blue Secret Art. He had tried talking Nangong Mu out of it but to no avail. As such, he had no choice but to support his brother.

As long as Nangong Mu participated in the exam, he would not participate. Furthermore, he would not fight with Nangong Mu for any honor.

On many occasions, Nangong Hao had promised in his heart that he would help Nangong Mu master the Green and Blue Secret Art after he had distilled all the essence of the Dragon Combat Plan. He would help make his brother a sage!

This was Nangong Hao.

He did not lust after reputation or benefits. All he wanted was to find the best cultivation techniques.

But now, for the first time ever, he began to doubt the method he chose. This doubt originated from Fang Zhengzhi.

Nangong Hao’s surprise was considered mild.

All of the candidates were completely floored by this time. They kept trying to guess how long this battle would last.

Five rounds? Six rounds? Eight rounds?

Five minutes?

15 minutes!

Okay then…

More than 15 minutes had passed and the battle continued to rage on. Fang Zhengzhi never stopped charging towards Nangong Hao.

What the hell was going on?!

They couldn’t figure it out. All they could do was watch on like wooden dummies, unable to believe what they were seeing.

…

All of the soldiers and candidates were too engrossed in the battle, oblivious to the fact that there was a group of people on top of a cliff.

That was where Yan Xiu had killed a few demons.

Beneath their feet were the blood stains from the battle. These people were not bothered by it, choosing to step on the stains on purpose.

The group was led by a lady dressed in an ordinary white dress. Her face was covered by a veil.

Even so, the aura of her body could not be masked.

It was a commanding, icy aura. When she stood on the snowy cliff, it was augmented, capable of sending chills down one’s spine.

The wind blew and lifted a corner of the lady’s veil up. It revealed her exquisite features and dainty, bright red lips. One could see that…

The lady was shocked by what she was seeing.

She was accompanied by a group of men dressed in black. However, the shock on those men’s faces was clear for all to see.

To her left was a figure in a black cloak. This figure was thin, his eyes like stars, his eyebrows like swords.

More importantly, he had a demonic eye in his forehead, and it was bright red.

This was Bai Xing.

The person next to him could only be the master of the demons, Yun Qingwu.

“388 Daos? He actually has 388 Daos?! I would never expect that Fang Zhengzhi would be this powerful!”

“As a pinnacle Heavenly Reflection State individual, he is able to last more than 15 minutes against the pinnacle Supernatural State Nangong Hao. I’m afraid there is no other person with such talent?”

“Master, we cannot let this guy live!”

Shock filled the eyes of all the black-robed men. Their mouths were agape as they whimpered in awe. Nothing could mask their surprise at what they were seeing.

Yun Qingwu watched in silence as her eyes glimmered. No one knew what she was thinking, and no one dared to defy her orders.

Because…

She was the favorite daughter of the demon lord. The young master of the demons.

“Master, should I take Nangong Hao’s life or Fang Zhengzhi’s life?” Bai Xiang’s fingers moved as a star twirled around his finger.

He was waiting for Yun Qingwu to make a decision.

Of course, if things had gone according to plan, he did not have to wait. However, upon seeing the battle below them, the plan had to be changed.

“Up to you.” Yun Qingwu finally spoke, her voice flat. However, she hesitated for a moment immediately after.

She quickly suppressed the hesitation.

There was no reason given.

She was the young master of the demons.

“Thank you, Master!” Bai Xing nodded. He didn’t reply as though he had just received an order, choosing instead to express gratitude.

It didn’t seem very fitting for the situation.

However, that was how Bai Xing chose to reply. Neither Yun Qingwu nor the men behind her thought that it was inappropriate.

Then…

A bright ray of light shone into the sky.

It was as thin as a star. It was not overly bright, but it was filled with a cold, icy killing intent.

Bai Xing had gotten to his current position not through connections with the leadership. He had gotten here through raw ability.

His ability originated from his calmness and loyalty. Furthermore, no one he set out to kill lived.

Of course, the incident at The Vast World was an exception.

His opponent then was Xing Yuanguo of the Stabilization Constabulary.

That was a man who was wanted by virtually everyone outside the Great Xia Dynasty. However, he continued to live and battle.

Bai Xing could not be blamed for that failure.

However, this time was different.

His opponent was not Xing Yuanguo. It was Nangong Zhao and Fang Zhengzhi. Furthermore, the two of them were engaged in an intense battle with each other.

One was in the pinnacle Heavenly Reflection State, the other was in the pinnacle Supernatural State. They were the top talents of their age and held in high regard by their peers.

However, could they stand up against the Rebirth State Bai Xing?

If they could, then Bai Xing would not be called Bai Xing!

The silver ray of light originated from Bai Xing’s ginger and shot skyward. At that moment, Bai Xing disappeared from atop the cliff.

It felt like he had never appeared on the cliff. To be more precise, it looked as if he was always that disappearing ray of light.

…

All of the candidates and soldiers were too captivated by the battle between Nangong Hao and Fang Zhengzhi.

Yan Xiu gripped his Mountain and River, Heaven and Earth Fan so tightly his knuckles turned white. He was anxious but also surprised by Fang Zhengzhi’s abilities.

His emotions were complicated.

This wave of emotions caused him to miss seeing the ray of silver light from the heavens.

Not only did Yan Xiu fail to notice it, Wu Feng, Chen Feiyu, and even Teng Shisheng failed to notice it.

The silver ray of light disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared.

It didn’t truly disappear. In fact, it had merged with the light around it. It was camouflaged so well that one would only see the sunlight when one looked up.

They were both lights, but one was warm whilst the other was icy cold.

The ray of light embedded within the sunlight crashed towards the earth, landing right in the middle of the battling Nangong Hao and Fang Zhengzhi.

Chapter 384: This is Asura

…

Fang Zhengzhi would rarely be this passionate about a battle which he had little chance of winning. However, the rush that he was feeling was too awesome to give up.

More importantly, his opponent was Nangong Hao.

Most people could not understand this feeling. However, put simply, would there be any satisfaction in defeating an unknown weakling?

Perhaps a little, but not too much.

However… if one defeated someone famous and powerful… it’ll be a different story altogether.

Nangong Hao made a name for himself four years ago, earning himself the title of the top talent in the Great Xia Dynasty. Furthermore, his cultivation state was a full level above Fang Zhengzhi.

Yet, with 40,000 troops as witnesses, he could not easily defeat Fang Zhengzhi.

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to clash with Nangong Hao a few more times.

But…

Just as he was having the time of his life, he felt a wave of iciness crash towards him from above.

“Sneak attack?!” Fang Zhengzhi looked up instinctively. This was part of his reflexes, especially since he was so adept at the sneak attack tactic.

However, he did not notice anything.

To be more precise, all he saw was a ray of sunlight. It was rather bright and piercing.

Then, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

It felt like needles or a sword.

In actual fact, what Fang Zhengzhi didn’t know was that when he raised his head, a silver ray of light had already reached his chest.

Bai Xing would never let his victim know in advance that he was under attack.

By the time his victim felt the icy chill, it was all over. The blade was already on its way. As for the iciness…

It was the suppression after he had released the blade.

Fang Zhengzhi felt that a sneak attack was coming, but he had no way of dodging the sword. It was so fast that he didn’t even have time to react to it.

…

The cold icy killing intent rose and spread in all directions, causing all the dust in the air to freeze in that instant. It looked extremely queer.

However, if one looked closely, one would see that every speck of dust was covered in a layer of white ice. This was not dust anymore. It was ice.

Yun Qingwu watched quietly from the cliff. Her lips parted and pursed as she watched the dust turn into ice. She clenched her fingers tightly, almost as if she was saying something.

However, even the guys closest to her could not hear anything.

Of course, this was partially because of the fact that Yun Qingwu’s voice was too soft. However, it was more because they were too captivated by the icy ground they saw in front of them.

From the freezing of the dust to the ice falling to the ground…

Less than a second had passed. However, for Yun Qingwu, this was a slow, agonizing wait.

In actual fact, the wait had begun from the moment Bai Xing disappeared.

She waited anxiously for the sword to find its mark.

And now…

The blade had struck, right between Nangong Hao and Fang Zhengzhi. To be more precise, the blade had struck Fang Zhengzhi’s chest, just as she had guessed.

Did that mean that it was all over?

The ice fell to the ground like drops of rain, making pitter patter noises as it did so. It was light and almost soundless.

The ragged breathing of the candidates was much louder in comparison.

They did not see the ray of light coming down from the heavens, but it would be impossible not to see the light strike Fang Zhengzhi.

The iciness that enveloped the land also engulfed the hearts of the candidates.

They did not know where the ray of light had come from or why it had struck. However, they knew that they were in enemy territory, and this ray of light was not a good sign.

“Fang Zhengzhi!”

A voice rang out from within the crowd. This voice was icy, but traces of anxiety were clear for all to hear.

When Yan Xiu saw the ray of light, he was not stunned like the others. The only thought in his mind was, how is Fang Zhengzhi?

…

Fang Zhengzhi did not know what Yan Xiu was thinking. If he did, he would definitely reply that he was not fine, and that he was furious.

In actual fact, Fang Zhengzhi always had a different outlook on life from the people in this world.

If he could avoid getting hurt, he would. If he could avoid fighting, he would. As such, when he was going to fight and get hurt, there was no point in asking him if he was okay.

The answer was obvious.

Fang Zhengzhi had seen Bai Xing before. As such, when he saw the figure appear in front of him with a bright red demonic eye, the only thing he could do was…

“Bai Xing, f*ck your mother!”

Fang Zhengzhi rarely cursed this badly. Normally, he would choose comparatively more civilized terms.

However, this time, he felt that only the crudest and most despicable swear words could describe the anger he felt.

Then, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

The bright red stream of blood rocketed through the air and landed on the snow white ground some distance away. It looked like a red flower in the snow.

In fact, Bai Xing felt the same way as Fang Zhengzhi. He too wanted to curse and swear. However, Bai Xing was a demon.

To the humans, the demons were an evil race.

However, to the demons, they were royalty. They were the rightful rulers of the world.

As such, the demons rarely chose to scold others. Ordinarily, they would choose to kill before they chose to scold.

But right now, Bai Xing really wanted to scold and curse.

It wasn’t just because Fang Zhengzhi had just defiled his mother with his words. More importantly, his strike had hit home, but Fang Zhengzhi did not die!

Of course, Bai Xing’s strike had hit its mark.

Even though it had been more difficult than he expected… When his blade was thrust towards Fang Zhengzhi’s chest, the blade in Fang Zhengzhi’s hand mysteriously appeared in front of his sword.

Then, there was a crystal clear sword that was aimed at his side causing him to feel like his blade wasn’t his.

However, these were not enough to stop Bai Xing.

His sword still found its mark.

He swiped away Fang Zhengzhi’s blade and his sword took a hit from Nangong Hao’s blade. However, his sword did not stray from its intended path.

However, just when his blade hit Fang Zhengzhi’s chest…

He felt a hard object. This did not feel like human flesh. This was a metal, a metal that was strong enough to block his blade.

But Fang Zhengzhi was only wearing a leopard print leather suit…

Where did the metal come from?

Unless Fang Zhengzhi was also wearing armor underneath, armor that had saved his life.

Of course…

No matter what the reason was, the fact was that Bai Xing had failed to assassinate Fang Zhengzhi. That was a truth that he could not deny.

Nangong Hao turned to look at Bai Xing. He did not look at Bai Xing’s appearance or the blade in Bai Xing’s hand. He merely looked at Bai Xing’s red demonic eye.

Then, he swung his sword.

There was no hesitation.

When he battled Fang Zhengzhi, his attacks were silent. However, this time, his blade hummed as it sailed through the air.

This was the sound of a dragon, the hum that resulted from prolonged suppression.

All of the ice on the ground seemed to be summoned by this hum. They flew towards Nangong Hao’s blade and congregated there.

Then, they formed an icy, hellish aura.

“Hum!”

…

Bai Xing knew all along that Nangong Hao was powerful. However, he was still shocked when he saw this strike.

He could feel that even with his powers, he needed to defend against it with everything that he had.

“Boom!”

Bai Xing’s body flew back more than 10 steps. He steadied himself and stared at Nangong Hao, then back at Fang Zhengzhi.

He had always thought that his sword was quick.

Only now did he know that there was someone else below the Rebirth State that was just as quick as him. That person was Nangong Hao.

If not for the fact that Nangong Hao had attacked his flank, Bai Xing was confident that he would have been able to penetrate whatever armor Fang Zhengzhi had.

Of course, this was all history.

Bai Xing had thought that his strike had no chance of failing. But yet, Fang Zhengzhi had blocked his blade and Nangong Hao’s sword had clashed with his. In the end, he had been stopped by Fang Zhengzhi’s armor.

He had to admit…

This was quite a hit to Bai Xing’s ego.

Furthermore, Yun Qingwu and the elites of the demon race were all observing from above. This was not just a matter of being humiliated.

He decided to make good his failure…

He would kill Fang Zhengzhi AND Nangong Hao.

…

Nangong Hao’s sword was pointed at Bai Xing but he did not look in that direction. Instead, he looked at Fang Zhengzhi.

From the moment Bai Xing appeared, Nangong Hao knew that the combat examinations had been paused. If his guess was correct, the war of the Southern Mountain Range had begun.

Naturally, his sword would not be pointed at Fang Zhengzhi.

“Go first!” Nangong Hao’s voice was not loud but it was determined. However, he was quite shocked to see a silver metallic glow where there was a tear in Fang Zhengzhi’s leather suit.

He knew exactly how powerful Bai Xing’s attack was. Even though he had struck Bai Xing’s blade, all he did was weaken it slightly.

As for its accuracy…

It had been unchanged throughout.

As such, the thing that managed to defend against Bai Xing’s attack was that metallic, mirror-like object.

“She really gave that thing… to him…”

…

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to leave as well, but he knew that he couldn’t. He was Bai Xing’s target.

He felt much better after he finished berating Bai Xing.

However, after being snuck up on, it would be impossible for all his anger to dissipate after a single curse.

If not for the fact that Traceless Sword went against his will and turned back… If not for the fact that Nangong Hao had attacked Bai Xing’s sword… If not for Chi Guyan’s Heart Protection mirror…

Most importantly, if Bai Xing had not aimed for his heart…

He would have been dead.

At the very least, he could not be able to retaliate.

Fang Zhengzhi rarely fought battles he had no confidence in winning. He knew that Bai Xing was a Rebirth State Demon.

However, for some queer reason, after he spat out the mouthful of blood, his heart burned with an unquenchable rage.

It seemed to originate from his hand.

More precisely, it seemed to originate from the Traceless Sword.

However, what he did not notice was that the blood that he spat out was now being collected by his sword. It was being incorporated into that purple stain.

The purple stain began to expand.

This caused Fang Zhengzhi much discomfort. However, his eyes began to turn purple, a weird glow swirling around in his pupils.

Just at this moment…

A red beam of light appeared in front of him. It was the shade of blood, and it was different from the iciness he felt from the silver beam of light.

This cold felt like it came right out of hell. Furthermore, the stench of blood was strong.

Fang Zhengzhi turned back instinctively.

He saw a figure almost entirely enveloped in red light. Then, he saw two glowing, bloodshot eyes.

“Yan Xiu?!” Fang Zhengzhi had seen Yan Xiu use the Dao of Asura, but he had never seen Yan Xiu use it in this way.

It wasn’t because Yan Xiu looked any different.

But… his aura…

This aura came from within his body. It did not feel like Yan Xiu was using the Dao of Asura. Instead, it felt like the Dao of Asura was complementing Yan Xiu. In other words, Yan Xiu was the Dao of Asura!

“Die!” Yan Xiu bellowed as his eyes turned completely red. The Mountain and River, Heaven and Earth Fan in his hand was covered by a layer of red crystals.

It looked beautiful and translucent, but it was filled with killing intent.

Chapter 385: I killed Fang Zhengzhi?

Fang Zhengzhi had seen Yan Xiu wield the Dao of Asura before. He still remembered the faint red and the sharp killing power.

However, it was clearly different from how Yan Xiu was now.

Nangong Hao had seen Yan Xiu’s Dao of Asura before. He witnessed it together with Wu Feng, Chen Feiyu, and the other candidates during the release of the Theory Examination results.

That time, Yan Xiu’s actions had shocked all of the officials present.

However…

He was suppressed by the Emperor’s words. But today, who could suppress Yan Xiu?

All of the candidates wanted to stop Yan Xiu, but Yan Xiu was too fast. Furthermore, the aura that Yan Xiu was exuding struck fear in their hearts.

Of course…

Bai Xing did not know fear.

That being said, it would be impossible if Bai Xing wasn’t shocked when he saw the red glow enveloping Yan Xiu.

After the battle on Cang Ling Mountain, he had spent most of his time in the Southern Mountain Range. His entire focus was put here, so he naturally ignored the intelligence coming from the Great Xia Dynasty.

Yan Xiu had shown the Dao of Asura at the preliminary court examinations.

As such, Bai Xing had no idea.

“The Dao… of Asura?!” Bai Xing was in the Rebirth State. Naturally, he knew what the Dao of Asura entailed.

However, Bai Xing was not afraid of the Dao of Asura.

However, for a 16-year-old teenager to be able to wield the Dao of Asura? 16?! That would mean that he already had one foot in the Rebirth State at 16. Such a talent would only appear once every few centuries.

“But he seems a little unstable!” Bai Xing smirked as he looked at the red glow surrounding Yan Xiu and staining Yan Xiu’s eyes.

The Dao of Asura was a virtuous one.

However, it was a unique one amongst the virtuous Daos. The Dao of Asura originated from anger and fury. Bai Xing did not know how long Yan Xiu had been training in the Dao of Asura.

However, he knew that Yan Xiu’s fury originated from…

Fang Zhengzhi!

Bai Xing, who was the leader of all ten demonic domains, guessed this easily. He could see it in Yan Xiu’s expression.

He was determined to make Yan Xiu even angrier.

It was not difficult for Bai Xing to do this. As someone who has spent more than a decade in the Rebirth State, he was much more powerful than Yan Xiu.

A silver ray of light shot skyward and Bai Xing disappeared from where he stood, becoming one with the silver ray of light.

Fang Zhengzhi had seen the battle between Bai Xing and Xing Yuanguo.

At that time, the purple light had crossed with the silver one. He could not see if it was human or light, but he could see that the purple light had the advantage.

He remembered it well, but he did not really understand how terrifying it was.

However, when Bai Xing disappeared once again, Fang Zhengzhi felt it for himself.

What else could unsettle one’s opponent more than disappearing into a ray of light?

“Watch out!” Fang Zhengzhi heard a sound from his side.

Fang Zhengzhi knew that this came from Nangong Hao, but he didn’t know if it was directed at him or Yan Xiu.

Of course…

He realized in a moment.

Yan Xiu’s Mountain and River, Heaven and Earth Fan was in front of him in an instant, the red crystals glowing in all their ferocity.

The stench of blood was thick in the air.

Fang Zhengzhi did not know why Yan Xiu’s Mountain and River, Heaven and Earth Fan would be coming towards him, but he knew he could not dodge.

After all, he had been concentrating on Bai Xing. He never thought that he would need to defend against Yan Xiu.

“Boom!”

He felt a sharp pain that shot right through his brain. It was an icy, sharp pain, almost as if he had just been thrown into the depths of hell.

Fang Zhengzhi had already been injured by the strike from Bai Xing. However, before he could recover, he was hit by yet another powerful attack.

He blacked out.

A stream of blood spewed from his mouth as his legs turned to jelly.

The bright red blood danced in the air and dropped onto the blade of the Traceless Sword. The strange purple glow continued to expand as it became brighter and brighter.

…

Silence, pin drop silence.

All of the soldiers looked on in shock as they saw Fang Zhengzhi collapsed.

Bai Xing’s appearance, Yan Xiu’s attack, and Fang Zhengzhi’s subsequent collapse had all happened too quickly.

Bai Xing’s ability and identity were a given.

The red demonic eye on his forehead said it all.

The soldiers were all shocked to see Bai Xing appear. Then, Fang Zhengzhi’s ability to block his attack was even more awe-inducing. After all, that was an attack from a Rebirth State cultivator.

They all began to celebrate.

At least Fang Zhengzhi was still alive. That was the best result they could have hoped for. However, who would expect tragedy to strike so quickly.

Furthermore…

It had happened so quickly and in the most unexpected way. None of the soldiers would expect that Fang Zhengzhi would fall to Yan Xiu’s Mountain and River, Heaven and Earth Fan.

Even Wu Feng, Chen Feiyu, and all the other candidates could not predict such an ending.

Even Yan Xiu and Nangong Hao could not react in time. Nangong Hao had seen Bai Xing attack, but he could not stop it.

The reason was simple.

There were three people facing Bai Xing, himself, the injured Fang Zhengzhi, and the Dao of Asura wielding Yan Xiu.

The choice was simple.

He had to stop Bai Xing from attacking Fang Zhengzhi. However, he did not expect that Bai Xing would use Yan Xiu…

As such, when Yan Xiu attacked Fang Zhengzhi with his Mountain and River, Heaven and Earth Fan, Nangong Hao was unable to stop it.

“Fang Zhengzhi!” Nangong Hao’s expression changed as a ray of golden light instantly enveloped himself and Fang Zhengzhi.

Yan Xiu’s expression was significantly more pained. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

“I… I killed Fang Zhengzhi?!” Yan Xiu shut his eyes as he looked at the fallen Fang Zhengzhi. He knew how powerful that attack was.

If he had hit home…

Even he himself would be seriously injured and bedridden for a year and a half. Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi had already been seriously injured by Bai Xing’s attack.

Pain and rage consumed him in that instant.

In fact, when he had seen Bai Xing attack Fang Zhengzhi, he was already furious.

He was not angry with Bai Xing.

He was angry with himself.

He blamed himself for not insisting on fighting with Fang Zhengzhi. He blamed himself for spectating the battle and not expecting a sneak attack.

Where were they?!

The Southern Mountain Range!

Danger was everywhere.

Yet, under such circumstances, he had been engrossed by the battle between Nangong Hao and Fang Zhengzhi. He had completely ignored the possibility of a sneak attack.

He had been too complacent!

The demons had hidden amongst the candidates, yet he had missed it out? He was furious.

And now?

Just as he was raging, his attack had hit the seriously injured Fang Zhengzhi.

Blood…

Bright red blood stained the ground and Yan Xiu’s eyes. His eye was completely red. One could not see the whites nor the pupils.

Bai Xing appeared some distance away, his starry eyes looking at Yan Xiu, who was completely consumed by red.

“Not bad, what a beautiful strike!” Bai Xing pointed at Fang Zhengzhi and smirked.

…

“It’s the demons! Rebirth State demon! Charge, don’t let him run!”

“Kill!”

“Send the order to surround him!”

All of the generals sprang into action. When faced with demons, they only had one mission. Kill any demon that they saw.

Ass to who will kill him?

It wasn’t for them to decide. Regardless, they would surround the demon first.

Xing Qingsui glanced at the fallen Fang Zhengzhi, then back at the smirking Bai Xing.

“It is the leader of the 10 demonic domains, Bai Xing!” Xing Qingsui was not like the other generals. He knew what the plan was.

Furthermore, he knew for a fact that Bai Xing’s appearance…

Was no coincidence!

Could it be that the demons had laid an ambush in the Icy Monkey Settlement?

Xing Qingsui looked towards the Icy Monkey Settlement. Then, his gaze froze. He saw a group of soldiers in rattan standing on the walls of the Icy Monkey Settlement.

It wasn’t just the soldiers on the wall, there were regiments marching out of the gates of the Icy Monkey Settlement.

“The Southern Mountain Range… good on them! They actually placed so many soldiers here to ambush us?” Xing Qingsui gripped his fists.

He could recognize that these were the soldiers from the Southern Mountain Range. He could also guess why they were here.

Then, he heard similar noises from his back.

“Not good, the soldiers from Feng Su are also wrapping around!”

“There are soldiers from the Southern Mountain Range on both sides, we are surrounded!”

“Silence!”

All of the soldiers fell silent, the generals looking to Xing Qingsui for direction.

Xing Qingsui was the successor to the Stabilization Constabulary. Furthermore, he had the Emperor’s token in hand. They would follow him to hell and back.

“Hold your ground!” Xing Qingsui ordered without much thought. He knew that every moment of hesitation could cost the lives of hundreds of soldiers.

“Yes, sir!” The voices replied in unison.

…

Yun Qingwu watched all of these unfold from the top of the cliff. However, her gaze never left Fang Zhengzhi’s body.

Her lips parted and closed but never made any sound. She looked on quietly before she touched the veil covering her face, her expression conflicted.

One could not discern if it was hurt, joy, reminiscence, or contemplation.

Then, she retrieved a dark green Guqin.

The men at the back were all slightly taken aback when they saw Yun Qingwu take out her Guqin. However, they reacted quickly.

With the movement of his finger, one of the men commanded the rocks on the cliff. The rocks all came together to form a stool and a table.

Yun Qingwu did not speak as she took her seat. Then, she placed the Guqin on the table and looked up at the clear blue sky.

No one knew what Yun Qingwu was thinking.

Then, Yun Qingwu’s voice became clearer. It sounded like a dialogue, but it was between Yun Qingwu and herself.

“What would you like to listen to?”

“Haha…”

“Young Master Fang is a great person, but this piece, “Guang Ling Verse” has many parts. Which part would Young Master Fang like to listen to first?”

Then, Yun Qingwu pursed her lips.

The melodious sound of the Guqin rang out and reverberated through the mountains. It sounded as though it was recounting a memory whose existence was a mystery.

…

“Why is there music?!”

“It sounds like Guang Ling Verse? Who is playing such beautiful music?”

“Look, there is someone on top of the cliff. My… my god, are my eyes playing tricks on me? Is… is that Yun Qingwu?!”

All of the candidates looked at the lady in the white dress on top of the cliff. What the could not understand was…

Why would Yun Qingwu show herself here?!