Gate of God

Chapter 448: Unprecedented Genius

Fang Zhengzhi was truly stunned.

He had always known that the Dao of All Creation drew from the energy of the surroundings. One could wield the power of mountains and use that to pressure one’s opponents.

One could also harness stars, or the sun, or moonlight, or even constellations.

All of these were powers at a cultivator’s disposal.

However, these were powers that a cultivator tapped on.

It was completely unfathomable for someone to actually create a mountain! Furthermore, Canyang had created a mountain out of virtually nothing!

Fang Zhengzhi felt like he should be running. However, just as he was preparing to run, his body was rooted.

Because…

The ground beneath his feet had turned into a swamp, and green vines were wrapped around his legs.

The green vines were climbing up to his thighs slowly but surely. They were pulling him into the swamp.

In that moment.

Tears welled up in Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes.

He did expect a half sage to be powerful and he knew that he could not last many rounds. However, he didn’t expect to lose within the first round.

He had a mountain above him, a swamp below him, and vines pulling him down.

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to escape.

But how was he going to?

Canyang was demonstrating absolute domination. It was almost like taking candy from a baby.

From the walls of the Iron Hill Settlement.

The Dragon Protection Squad and the Mountain Breaking Army were stunned.

“How powerful!”

“Is this the power of a half sage?”

“No, Canyang has spent more than a decade being a half sage. Right now, he should be nearing the abilities of a sage!”

As they were gasping in awe at Canyang’s power, they looked at Fang Zhengzhi, who was being held in place by the vines. They looked on with guilt in their expressions.

At this point.

They knew why Fang Zhengzhi had run.

Shamelessness?

No this wasn’t cowardice or shamelessness. This was wit and intellect. Fang Zhengzhi had outthought them all.

It was a pity that it wasn’t sufficient to save his life.

Shan Ling clenched his fists and his eyes glittered. He truly admired Fang Zhengzhi’s talent.

His admiration of Fang Zhengzhi…

Caused his eyes began glowing brighter and brighter.

He felt like he was watching the downfall of a true genius.

Princess Shan Yu’s knuckles also whitened as she witnessed the duel below. She was extremely anxious.

The anger she felt before…

Had all disappeared when Canyang appeared in front of Fang Zhengzhi.

…

The mountain blocked out the starlight.

There was now virtually no light. The spectators on the wall of the settlement looked down at Fang Zhengzhi.

They knew that even a genius like Fang Zhengzhi could not defend against such a powerful attack.

They expected Fang Zhengzhi to despair.

But, Fang Zhengzhi did not.

Even though Fang Zhengzhi was slightly surprised, he was clearly not despairing.

“Could it be that he still has a trick up his sleeve?”

That question floated through everyone’s mind, but none of them could figure out what Fang Zhengzhi’s plan was.

Just as they were thinking about it.

A ray of purple light shot skyward from the city walls.

When that light sword appeared in the sky, it engulfed the entire area with a terrifying battle intent.

It was awe-inspiring.

“Boom!”

The purple lightsword crashed straight into the mountain, creating a huge explosion which shook the earth.

“Break!” A crisp voice reverberated through the air, carrying with it an intense air of confidence.

And then…

The mountain shuddered before shattering into a billion pieces.

Then, a bright white light shot into the sky. It was significantly weaker than the purple light sword.

However…

No one questioned the power of this light sword.

It was extremely icy and thin, but the light it carried could illuminate the entire Iron Hill Settlement.

“Kacha!”

The white light crashed to the ground.

The vines began to break and the swamp began to freeze over.

These two sudden rays of light shocked all of the soldiers on the wall.

They looked at the figure in the purplish golden robe standing tall on the city walls.

No one questioned his power or authority.

He was the pillar of the Great Xia, the leader of the 13 Constabularies, Xing Yuanguo.

The person next to Xing Yuanguo was someone dressed in a white academic robe.

His drawn blade emanated an icy aura.

Nangong Hao.

The Dragon Protection Squad and Mountain Breaking Army looked at Fang Zhengzhi after experiencing the power of the two strikes.

They finally understood why Fang Zhengzhi was merely surprised.

Could it be…

That he had calculated it all?

Just as the thought flashed through their minds, they looked at each other with a sense of awe and respect.

Forcing Canyang to abandon Princess Ping Yang…

That gave Chi Guyan a chance to save Ping Yang.

Then, he also calculated the time when Canyang would intercept him, and he made sure that he was within striking distance of Xing Yuanguo and Nangong Hao.

Talent?

No, this wasn’t just mere talent.

Fang Zhengzhi was up against a half sage.

Ordinarily, when faced with a half sage, people would be too afraid to think of a plan.

But as for Fang Zhengzhi…

He controlled every move the half sage made. He even managed to force the battle to take place in the most advantageous position for him.

This was an unprecedented genius!

This was the only phrase that one could use to describe Fang Zhengzhi.

Then, they remembered the prophecy…

The person who was supposed to fulfill the prophecy was the lady in pink…

Chi Guyan!

“We need to save him!” Princess Shan Yu looked at Xing Yuanguo and Nangong Hao, then back at Fang Zhengzhi before recovering from her shock.

When the settlement chiefs standing behind Princess Shan Yu heard her shouts, they all reacted as well.

If Xing Yuanguo and Nangong Hao could do it, they could do it too.

That meant that Shan Ling could do it too. After all, the longer they could stall Canyang, the more advantageous the situation. However, just as they were about to leap into the action…

They hesitated.

The reason was simple. When they looked at Shan Ling, Shan Ling’s eyes told them that the time was not right.

As to the reason?

Shan Ling didn’t give any.

However, as the Settlement Chiefs of the Southern Region, they placed unconditional faith in their Crown Prince.

“What’s going on? Quick! If we join forces against Canyang, we would still stand a chance in this battle!” Princess Shan Yu urged the settlement chiefs.

If she could do it, she would have struck without hesitation. However, she was still too weak.

In order to strike Canyang from the city walls…

One needed to be in the Rebirth State.

Right now, she was only in the pinnacle Heavenly Reflection State.

Princess Shan Yu was very confident in her abilities. However, this time, she desperately wished that she was more powerful.

“Sister, enough! We can strike at Canyang, but that means that Canyang can strike back at us. Right now, we need to conserve our strength!” Shan Ling replied.

“Conserve our strength? Brother, this isn’t conserving strength, this is ignoring the plight of Fang Zhengzhi and the Southern Region!” Princess Shan Yu’s expression changed.

“Shut up, we have already lost enough this war. Do you want us all to die here?” Shan Ling’s gaze was icy.

“Brother! We are a nation of warriors, we should be united right now!”

“Enough, I have made up my mind. I will strike when it is appropriate, not a moment before. If you say anything else, you may leave!” Shan Ling replied, clearly exasperated.

Princess Shan Yu clenched her fists.

Fire began to dance in her eyes as red cloud patterns began to form on her hands and extend to her arm.

Shan Ling was shocked by this sight.

“Shan Yu, what are you thinking?”

“Hmph, when you told me to coordinate the defences inside the settlement, I had nothing to say. But now, I will not follow the orders! If you aren’t going to save him, I will! You can’t dictate everything in the Southern Region!”

“You…” Shan Ling’s expression changed.

He had known about his sister’s temper. When she wanted to do something, no one, not even the king, could stop her.

This was what allowed her to gain the respect of the soldiers.

Princess Shan Yu was right.

Shan Ling was not a dictatorship.

In the entire Southern Region, his sister’s voice was almost as loud and powerful as his.

“Send the order, the Silver Horned Wolves…”

“Your Highness, please trust the Crown Prince!”

“Yes, your highness. He must have his reasons for not striking. This is not the time for internal troubles.”

“Crown Prince, I believe that the Princess is reasonable. You are merely worried about our safety. We can just help subtly from the side. Furthermore, helping the Great Xia now is akin to helping the Southern Region!”

All of the settlement chiefs tried to broker peace between the two siblings.

“Okay then. You are all to help from the sidelines, but be careful not to get too close!” Shan Ling grit his teeth and nodded.

“Yes, your highness!” The settlement chiefs replied in unison.

“Brother, I’m sorry, I was just…” Princess Shan Yu began to calm down, realizing that she had handled the situation rashly.

“No need for that, it was my mistake. I was too firm and I should have explained my position.” Shan Ling nodded.

However, he subconsciously looked at Fang Zhengzhi and clenched his fists.

“Brother, you are the Crown Prince and the future King, I will definitely listen to you!” Princess Shan Yu looked at Fang Zhengzhi anxiously.

“If we work together, neither the demons nor the Great Xia can bully us!” Shan Ling asserted.

“The Crown Prince is wise!”

“Die!”

“Die!”

After receiving their orders, the settlement chiefs leapt into action as rays of light shot towards Canyang.

At that very moment, Canyang reacted. His blue robe danced in the wind as he morphed into a ray of blue light that shot through the sky so quickly it was barely visible.

Fang Zhengzhi had just managed to free himself. He was about to issue a challenge to Canyang when…

He saw the blue light in front of him.

“Oh? No more ‘techniques’? Relying on power now?” Fang Zhengzhi smirked with confidence. He had been dueling with beasts from a tender age.

Even though close combat was not his forte, he would not consider it a weakness.

Furthermore, his opponent was a blind old man. Engaging in close combat was advantageous to Fang Zhengzhi.

Fang Zhengzhi was extremely confident.

He wanted to dodge the initial strike, get behind Canyang, grab him by the hair and smash him to the ground.

Then, he felt something pressed against his chest.

He looked down.

And his eyes widened.

It was a frail hand.

Fang Zhengzhi felt as though he should have been the one using this technique. He never expected Canyang to use it on him.

Furthermore…

He didn’t even have a chance to react.

“What the f*ck is this speed?!” Fang Zhengzhi screamed in his heart as he felt a terrifying wave of force emanate from that hand.

Fang Zhengzhi was rarely ‘terrified’.

But this time, he was…

He was wetting himself…

He had never felt anything as powerful as the wave of force crashing towards him.

“Kacha!” A cracking sound echoed through the air as Fang Zhengzhi flew into the sky uncontrollably. He looked like a shooting star flying towards Chi Guyan and Ping Yang.

There was a ray of blue light that was following right behind him…

Chapter 449: Go f*ck yourself

Canyang was too quick. In the blink of an eye, Fang Zhengzhi was sent flying.

The settlement chiefs watched on in disbelief.

They wanted to save Fang Zhengzhi.

But they couldn’t.

Even Xing Yuanguo couldn’t do anything about it.

Fang Zhengzhi could see nothing but the ray of blue light as well as the frail outstretched arm. He could not even see Canyang’s expression.

However, he could feel an unstoppable wave of force on his chest.

It was extremely powerful.

“Kacha!” A cracking noise cut through the air as Fang Zhengzhi paled. He knew what the sound was.

It was the Heart Protection Mirror he placed on his heart.

That was the gift from Chi Guyan. It was also this Heart Protection Mirror which had saved him from Bai Xing’s attack at the Icy Monkey Settlement.

Bai Xing’s sword had been quick and sharp.

However…

It only left a scratch on the Heart Protection Mirror.

However, this time, Fang Zhengzhi knew that the Heart Protection Mirror had shattered after just one attack from a barehanded Canyang.

This was why he had used the phrase ‘terrifying’ to describe Canyang’s power.

His attacks were the perfect combination of speed and power.

A thought flashed through Fang Zhengzhi’s mind.

That was…

Death!

From the moment Fang Zhengzhi entered the capital, he had come up against many opponents who were more powerful than him.

He had gone up against the Supernatural State Ying Shan as a Heavenly Reflection State cultivator in the World of the Sage.

At that time, he could already sense the difference in speed. However, he could still vaguely make out Ying Shan’s actions.

It was as if he was watching a film in fast forward.

He could not see it clearly but he could make out some frames.

However…

When he faced off against Canyang…

Fang Zhengzhi could not even see what Canyang was doing. All he could see was a blur.

He saw Canyang charging towards him and nothing more. He could not predict where Canyang was or what he was striking at.

All he could do was guess…

“Is everything to no avail?” Fang Zhengzhi had already done everything he could…

He had already brought the battle to the most advantageous place for him.

He could not stand against Canyang alone.

He leveraged Xing Yuanguo and co.

In order to save Ping Yang, he lured Canyang away.

He had planned for everything up till now. However, it was quickly unravelled by Canyang.

Canyang was just too powerful.

The best traps and schemes could trap many. Without knowing the secret of the trap, most could not escape. There was only one exception.

When one could simply overpower the trap.

In the face of absolute power, all the schemes were merely decorative. He could break anything in his path.

If there was a mountain in his way, he would split it.

He could simply charge through.

What could you do to stop him?

Canyang had fallen for it.

Canyang had given up Ping Yang and followed Fang Zhengzhi to the gates of the Iron Hill Settlement. Everything was going according to Fang Zhengzhi’s plan.

But that was no use.

He could simply knock Fang Zhengzhi back to his original position. In fact, he could place Fang Zhengzhi anywhere at will.

He could control all the factors of the duel.

Fang Zhengzhi spat out a mouthful of blood as he flew through the air.

“Boom!”

His body crashed into the ground, sending rock and sand flying skyward.

But this was not all. The moment Fang Zhengzhi smashed into the ground, the blue light withdrew slightly before charging forward again.

It was the same strike.

“Boom!”

The ground split open.

This time, Fang Zhengzhi was lying flat on the ground and had nowhere to retreat to. He could not cushion the impact by moving backwards. He had to take the brunt of the attack.

“Kacha, kacha…” The Heart Protection Mirror began to crack under the pressure.

Fang Zhengzhi was flustered.

The heart.

One of the vital organs.

In this world, the heart also contained one’s pocket dimension.

Canyang’s intentions were simple. He wanted to destroy Fang Zhengzhi and Fang Zhengzhi’s pocket dimension. If he couldn’t kill Fang Zhengzhi, he would make sure Fang Zhengzhi could never cultivate ever again.

Fang Zhengzhi had no idea which one Canyang was trying to accomplish.

But it was not important.

He felt as though his heart was about to shatter into smithereens.

“Bang!” Just at that moment, the Heart Protection Mirror shattered into smithereens, unable to withstand the pressure any longer.

Everything stored inside the Heart Protection Mirror was also sent flying.

Needles, nails, ashes, food, clothes…

Countless objects were scattered all over the floor. This was proof that the Heart Protection Mirror had been shattered.

“Fang Zhengzhi!” Princess Shan Yu’s eyes were filled with worry and anxiety as she watched from atop the city walls.

The red cloud patterns covered her entire body.

Just as she was about to leap onto the battlefield, a powerful arm pressed her back down.

“Sister, you can’t!” Shan Ling urged.

“Ah! Let me go, I must save him! He is only in this position because of the Southern Region, let me go…”

“Smack!” A crisp slap could be heard as Princess Shan Yu crumpled to the ground, the red cloud pattern disappearing slowly.

“Bring her down and watch her!”

“Yes, your highness!”

…

Xing Yuanguo looked at the pale Fang Zhengzhi lying lifelessly some distance away. His knuckles whitened. He wanted to save Fang Zhengzhi, but he knew that if he tried…

Then…

The Demon Domain Chiefs and Vice Domain Chiefs would also join in the fray.

When the battle was at the gates of the settlement, he would strike without hesitation since he could pass it off as defence. However, it would be a different story if he leapt onto the battlefield and chased after Canyang.

According to the deal…

Fang Zhengzhi should be exchanging hostages with Canyang.

Whatever transpired during this exchange was between Canyang and Fang Zhengzhi.

“Sister Yan, the shameless fella is about to die! Go… go save him!” Ping Yang was not far from Fang Zhengzhi.

She knew exactly how powerful the attack was.

Even though she had a slight misunderstanding with Fang Zhengzhi…

Ping Yang was willful, not stupid.

Chi Guyan’s body shuddered. She could feel the power in that attack too. However, she could not move.

She couldn’t even move an inch.

However, she could stop Canyang from striking again.

“Stop!” Chi Guyan brought her hand to Yun Qingwu’s throat. In her hand was a silver-white lightsword.

Canyang hesitated for a moment.

However, the glow on his body never dissipated. The blue light continued to envelop his body, almost as if he was being wrapped by the sky.

“Sh*t!” Fang Zhengzhi spat out yet another mouthful of blood.

He spat it right at Canyang.

However…

When the blood came into contact with the blue light, it was almost as if it had come into contact with a piece of glass. It simply dropped to the ground.

“Drip, drip…”

The blood stained Fang Zhengzhi’s shirt as well as his secret weapons and personal items.

Amongst those items…

Was a rock, a black rock…

From every angle, the black rock was extremely unassuming. However, when the blood dropped onto the surface, it was almost as if it was sucked into another dimension. It did not leave any trace or stain behind.

Fang Zhengzhi did not notice that happening.

Right now, he only had one feeling, and that was pain. His chest was in so much pain it felt like he had just been stabbed.

Right through the heart.

Canyang’s hesitation…

Was expected…

Yun Qingwu was still in Chi Guyan’s hands. As long as Yun Qingwu was there, his life would be in no immediate danger.

That was the reason why Fang Zhengzhi was willing to step forward.

But now…

He realized that there was a fate worse than death. Right now… he wished that he was dead.

“You… you want to destroy my pocket dimension?” Fang Zhengzhi wanted to stand up, but he was being immobilized by an overwhelming force.

This was not the restraints of the Heavenly Dao.

This was just Fang Zhengzhi being overpowered.

“Mm, you are very smart! Ahem…” Canyang nodded and cleared his throat. Then, he paled and blood began to trickle from the edge of his mouth.

“He’s injured?” Fang Zhengzhi had no idea why Canyang would be injured, but he could be sure that he had nothing to do with it.

Was it Xing Yuanguo’s attack? Or was it Nangong Hao’s?

Or could it be…

The reflection from his Heart Protection Mirror.

That wasn’t important. Fang Zhengzhi knew that if Canyang attacked him again…

He could be permanently disabled.

“Let me go, or I will kill Yun Qingwu and we would both suffer!” Fang Zhengzhi was anxious. Canyang’s hesitation was of little comfort.

He saw that Canyang was still extremely calm, almost as calm as the surface of a lake. This unsettled Fang Zhengzhi greatly.

“Kill? How?” Canyang’s frail voice rang out once again.

One may be fooled into thinking that Canyang was weak because of his voice. However, Fang Zhengzhi found out the hard way that Canyang was terrifyingly powerful.

“If I can’t kill Yun Qingwu, she can!” Fang Zhengzhi grit his teeth.

“Is that so? It is a pity that the decision is out of your hands now. Furthermore, you should remember that she is not just Chi Guyan. She is also the heir to the Divine Constabulary and the future general of the Great Xia.” Canyang smirked.

Fang Zhengzhi looked at the smile on Canyang’s face.

He did not speak, but his expression changed.

Canyang was extremely blunt, but every word was fact. Fang Zhengzhi had no way of rebutting.

Chi Guyan could not kill Yun Qingwu.

She was Chi Guyan, the future commander of the armies of the Great Xia. She had to think about the interests of the Great Xia and the Southern Region.

“Qingwu… she should be waking up soon.” Canyang turned to ‘look’ at the comatose Yun Qingwu some distance away.

Fang Zhengzhi’s expression froze when he heard this.

He finally understood why Canyang would stop after hearing Chi Guyan’s words.

Initially…

He had thought that everything was going according to his plan.

In actual fact, Canyang had been in complete control ever since the start.

The only reason why he was still alive was…

Canyang was waiting.

Canyang was waiting for Yun Qingwu to regain consciousness. He wanted Yun Qingwu to witness it.

Yun Qingwu’s body shuddered and her eyes opened slowly.

From the look in her eyes…

One could tell that she was still slightly lost.

However, the glow quickly returned to her eyes and she noticed the lightsword at her throat. She turned to look at Chi Guyan.

Then, she looked at Canyang and Fang Zhengzhi.

“Can you let me stand up?” Yun Qingwu looked at Chi Guyan.

“Mm.” Chi Guyan nodded and kept her light sword.

Yun Qingwu did not speak as she climbed to her feet. She looked at Fang Zhengzhi, her expression complicated.

“Can I ask you one last question?”

“You can ask any question, but I won’t guarantee an answer.” Fang Zhengzhi did not think that Yun Qingwu would have any question to ask him after he had knocked her out.

The question…

Would just be to rub salt in his wound.

She may make fun of the fact that he was now the one being smashed into the ground. How ironic was that?

Fang Zhengzhi had also thought of his answer.

He would simply reply with…

“Go f*ck yourself!”

Chapter 450: Dead or Alive

Yun Qingwu looked at Fang Zhengzhi, then at the moon in the sky. She was not surprised by Fang Zhengzhi’s attitude.

“Do you think that the moon is pretty tonight?”

“Go f*… hmm? That’s your question?” Fang Zhengzhi’s tone changed midway.

“Yes, that’s my question.” Yun Qingwu nodded.

“The moon… it’s beautiful!” Fang Zhengzhi subconsciously looked up at the night sky. If not for the fact that the air reeked of blood…

He was in a good position to admire the moon.

However…

He never expected that that would be Yun Qingwu’s question.

“Mm, I think that it is quite beautiful as well.” Yun Qingwu raised her head calmly.

Fang Zhengzhi could not bring himself to be calm.

He had no idea why Yun Qingwu would ask him about the moon, but he knew that after she asked the question, there was a palm at his hand.

A frail-looking palm.

“As a half sage, do you really need to resort to a sneak attack? If you dare, let me admire the moon for a little longer!” Fang Zhengzhi blurted out.

He knew exactly how powerful that strike was going to be.

He also knew…

What would happen after…

Canyang hesitated. No one knew if it was because of what Fang Zhengzhi said…

But, he chose not to strike.

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to heave a sigh of relief, but he couldn’t.

He knew that respite was temporary. Canyang looked extremely calm, almost like the surface of a lake.

Fang Zhengzhi knew what this meant.

Confidence…

And determination.

He knew that Canyang had already made up his mind.

“Am I really going to die?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the moon and the constellations in the sky. He knew that if the blade was quick enough, there would be no pain. The only thing he didn’t know was where he would appear after death.

After his death in the previous world, he had been plunged into this one. After spending so many years here, he had developed a connection to it.

It was a beautiful world.

The flowers were pretty, the water was clear, the air was fresh…

Fang Zhengzhi loved everything about it.

Over here, there was no water or air pollution and the food was all organic.

Fang Zhengzhi loved touring this world, he liked to admire the ancient architecture and immerse himself in the wilderness.

More importantly…

He had a family which cared about him here.

“Father, Mother… if you found out I died… how sad would you be?” Images flashed past in Fang Zhengzhi’s mind.

When the Southern Mountain Village Elder came to visit with Mrs. Li, accompanied by armored soldiers…

That was the first time Fang Zhengzhi came into contact with power in this world.

The day when everyone in the village shed a tear as they surrounded the injured Fang Houde and the other hunters…

That was the day Fang Zhengzhi used the powers in this world.

The day when Fang Zhengzhi left the Southern Mountain Village with Fang Houde and Qin Xuelian…

That was the day he had fully exploited his powers.

Then…

All the times he had come home and stood by the door with his hunt of the day screaming, “Mom, I’m home! Dad, I’m home!”

“Home… can I even go back?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the night sky and reminisced.

“Zhengzhi isn’t back yet?”

“Zhengzhi, you are the pride of our village!”

“Zhengzhi is an official now! Our village will do well! He even built a school… no, it’s an academy. And he built roads too!”

“Yes! He is the pride of all the villages in the region!”

…

“Have you seen enough?” Canyang interrupted Fang Zhengzhi’s train of thoughts, forcefully dragging him back to reality.

Fang Zhengzhi didn’t answer.

He had already begun struggling.

Even though he knew that the only thing that he could do in the face of Canyang’s power was wait for his death…

He began to struggle like an octopus.

Hands, feet, teeth…

Fang Zhengzhi used everything he could. He didn’t care about technique, all he wanted to do was live!

“Ah!” An incredible wave of force gushed out.

This was the force that originated from his pocket dimension. Unlike last time, this explosion did not come in waves.

It was a continuous chain!

It felt like a raging river crashing against a dam, never letting up.

Fang Zhengzhi had no intention of holding back. His only thought was to use every last drop of energy he had.

“Boom!” The force caused Canyang’s robe and even causing the wrinkles on Canyang’s skin to be blown backward.

Canyang’s body moved…

Almost as if he was lifted off the ground by the force.

However, he steadied himself quickly and pushed down on Fang Zhengzhi like a rock.

“Sister Yan, Fang Zhengzhi is really going to die! You must save him!” Ping Yang urged on anxiously.

She was truly anxious.

That being said, she had no idea why she was that anxious…

“Shameless fella!” Chi Guyan’s paled. No one had ever seen her this way before.

As her voice cut through the air.

A ray of silver light crashed earthward.

It was a silver light that concentrated the light from countless stars and constellations. It was almost as if all the stars were striking at Canyang.

“Boom!” A loud explosion rang out.

Canyang’s body shuddered but he did not dodge. In fact, he didn’t even try to dodge, allowing the light to hit him.

His frail body was like an enormous mountain which could withstand the might of the stars.

He raised his palm as he ‘looked’ at Fang Zhengzhi with his dull, hollow eyes.

“I think you’ve seen enough.” Canyang’s lips parted calmly as he made up his mind.

As Fang Zhengzhi looked at the pair of hollow eyes…

He despaired. For the first time, all of his efforts had come to nothing.

The manic wave of force had blown away everything near him, from secret weapons to food and drinks.

But none of those even came into contact with Canyang.

As soon as they hit his blue light, they fell to the ground.

Chi Hou had used that to dodge his secret attacks in the Divine Constabulary.

But now…

He was facing an even stronger opponent, the half sage, Canyang.

“I haven’t even gotten married yet!” Fang Zhengzhi had many regrets. Even in his previous life, he had not found a wife before he got married.

In this world, he had limitless potential ahead of him, but he was also going to die alone.

Fang Zhengzhi didn’t want to accept it.

But there was nothing that he could do about it.

His Heart Protection Mirror had been shattered. What else could defend against Canyang’s attack?

Armor!

He had won an armor once!

Fang Zhengzhi scrambled to find something beside him. He realized that the armor had been blown away as well.

He was at a loss.

He didn’t even have any armor.

Just as he was thinking about it, Fang Zhengzhi’s hand shuddered as he grabbed a rock, a black rock.

“This rock is…” Fang Zhengzhi realized that this was the rock that he found after he escaped from The Vast World.

However, this rock had not done anything since he picked it up. He had just left it inside his Heart Protection Mirror.

This rock…

Remained despite all the commotion?

Fang Zhengzhi had no idea what this rock was, or what it could do.

He had no time to think about any of this.

Canyang was already striking towards his chest with a mountainous force.

He didn’t give it any more thought.

Fang Zhengzhi placed the rock on his chest. He didn’t care what it could do…

A rock was better than nothing.

“Boom!”

Fang Zhengzhi took the brunt of the hit.

He could never dodge Canyang’s strike. The palm hit home.

Even though he had placed a rock in the way, the power of the strike was still keenly felt.

Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes widened. He felt as though he had just been struck by a gargantuan force.

He knew exactly how powerful that strike was.

He was sure that he would die.

At the very least…

His pocket dimension would be destroyed.

“I wonder if you can live without a pocket dimension? If so, how long?” Fang Zhengzhi thought about it to himself.

He was waiting…

He was waiting for his pocket dimension to shatter.

However, after a moment of hesitation, he realized that all he felt was pain.

Did Canyang show mercy?

He dismissed that thought. Canyang would never show mercy, not with that strike.

So…

Why wasn’t he dead?

Fang Zhengzhi rarely thought about such useless questions. He looked at Canyang.

Canyang was ‘looking’ back at him.

His empty eyes were fixed on Fang Zhengzhi, the calm gone from his face.

It felt as though Fang Zhengzhi had dropped a rock into a still lake.

The rock!

Fang Zhengzhi looked at the rock on his chest, a rock which was currently glowing.

It was not dull and dark as before…

Right now, it was glowing radiantly.

The silver light merged with the stars in the sky, lighting up the night sky.

“This rock is a treasure!” Fang Zhengzhi was stunned.

Even a dummy would know that the rock had just saved his life. He didn’t know how it had transformed into a valuable treasure…

But…

He knew that it was better than having nothing.

Furthermore, he had placed it in the Heart Protection Mirror. Perhaps he had foresight after all…

Even though…

He had treated it as trash…

But disregarding that fact for a moment…

The light from Fang Zhengzhi’s chest attracted the attention of everyone.

All of those on the city walls were stunned by what they were witnessing.

“What is that?”

They thought to themselves.

However, no one could answer that question.

The demon army behind Yun Qingwu was also equally confused. All of the domain chiefs looked at the radiant light.

They were all stunned…

However…

They were not asking questions, they were terrified…

“Is that…”

“That is… The Vast World!”

“How is that possible?! Why does Fang Zhengzhi have The Vast World?!”

Chapter 451: I’m sorry, half-sage

All of the Demon Domain Chiefs looked at the bright rock on Fang Zhengzhi. They knew what it was, and that knowledge caused their disbelief.

They weren’t the only ones in disbelief.

Yun Qingwu was also in disbelief.

“Fang Zhengzhi was the one who broke The Vast World?”

She was the one who came up with the plan on Cang Ling Mountain, but it had failed in spectacular fashion.

Yun Qingwu had never known the reason why her plan had failed. All she knew was that The Vast World had disappeared, along with a Heaven Dao Sage Tablet.

Yun Qingwu had considered that Fang Zhengzhi may have been involved on Cang Ling Mountain.

However, she dismissed that thought at that time.

She did not think that Fang Zhengzhi was powerful enough to break The Vast World.

Even though The Vast World that she had was not as powerful as it was initially, it wasn’t something Fang Zhengzhi would be able to break.

Even Xing Yuanguo would not have been able to break it.

Furthermore, based on what she knew, Fang Zhengzhi was still in The Vast World at that time. Did that mean that Fang Zhengzhi had broken The Vast World from within?

That was even more unfathomable.

So…

What happened?

Yun Qingwu looked at the rock in Fang Zhengzhi’s hand, her eyes filled with confusion. However, she did not spend another moment pondering that question.

There was a more pressing issue.

That was…

The Vast World had been activated!

Ordinarily, a Rebirth State cultivator and 10 Supernatural State cultivators were required to activate The Vast World. However, a single strike from Canyang contained enough power to activate it.

“Coincidence? Or fate?!”

…

“Sister Yan, is that the thing from the last time…” Ping Yang asked nervously when she saw the glowing rock.

“Mm, The Vast World!”

“Does that mean that it was the shameless fella who saved us on Cang Ling Mountain?”

“Yup.” Chi Guyan nodded. She had no idea how Fang Zhengzhi did it. However, for The Vast World to be in his possession…

That could only mean that…

Fang Zhengzhi had been the one who saved them all.

On the walls of the Iron Hill Settlement.

Xing Yuanguo murmured to himself as he looked at the rock on Fang Zhengzhi’s chest.

“It was him… it was actually him… this is great. With The Vast World, we can definitely get out of this situation!” Xing Yuanguo was also slightly confused.

However, as the commander of the army.

His main concern was how to win this war.

The Vast World provided the perfect opportunity.

“Fang Zhengzhi!” Nangong Hao’s lips parted as he sheathed his sword.

No one knew what Nangong Hao was thinking.

However, it was certain that Nangong Hao had just heaved a sigh of relief.

Fang Zhengzhi had participated in the battle on Cang Ling Mountain.

He knew what the Demon Domain Chief was saying.

The Vast World?

Was this rock the legendary treasure?

How powerful!

This was the item that could consume entire worlds. With this item, he could definitely survive!

There was only one problem…

How do you use it?

“Erm… do you know how to use The Vast World?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Canyang and asked sincerely. Canyang’s expression was changing by the moment.

…

The wind blew Canyang’s silver hair and blue robe backwards.

Silence, complete silence.

Canyang was not the only one who was silent. Every demon and soldier in the Iron Hill Settlement were silent.

The demons looked at each other, smirking as they did so. They were truly happy to hear this.

The joint forces smiled bitterly.

They couldn’t believe their ears.

How do you use this?

That was such a wonderful question!

Yun Qingwu’s lips twitched. She wanted to burst out laughing, but she suppressed her laughter. It was not a good time to laugh.

If she laughed now…

It may prove to be too early of a celebration.

Furthermore, she was not fond of laughing in front of a crowd.

As for Ping Yang, she was completely stunned.

She really wanted to berate Fang Zhengzhi. Was he really that ignorant?

However, she swallowed her words.

Canyang sprang into action.

He raised his hand without hesitation. He knew how dangerous The Vast World was.

It was so dangerous that even he had to fear it.

Fang Zhengzhi had always thought of himself as the shameless one. As such, he didn’t expect that the half sage would be this unreasonable.

What was the meaning of attacking in this fashion?

Even if he didn’t know, he could have just said so!

Okay then…

What was the point of having a treasure if you didn’t know how to use it?

Fang Zhengzhi was exasperated. He felt as though he had just landed himself a hot chick but had no idea where the button on her shirt was.

Most importantly, the lady was leaving in three minutes!

The pressure was on.

Fang Zhengzhi was panicking.

Canyang’s hand was already raised and Fang Zhengzhi knew how powerful and quick it was. He wanted to stall Canyang, but he couldn’t.

“Ping Yang and Chi Guyan must know how to use it! Can’t they tell that I was actually asking them?” Fang Zhengzhi felt that they still had some coordination issues.

In fact…

He couldn’t blame Ping Yang and Chi Guyan.

No one would possibly think of answering such a commonsensical question. Furthermore, they wouldn’t know how to answer Fang Zhengzhi in the most succinct manner.

But most importantly, Canyang was too quick.

Canyang had hesitated for a moment when he heard Fang Zhengzhi’s question, but he reacted quickly.

He didn’t give Fang Zhengzhi any chance to react.

Fang Zhengzhi watched on as Canyang struck. He grit his teeth as he saw the palm close in on him.

Isn’t this a treasure?

He was getting desperate!

He had no other choice. He panicked and threw the rock at Canyang.

“Argh!”

The silver light shot towards Canyang’s face.

Fang Zhengzhi had no idea if he had thrown the rock in the right way, but he had to say that his accuracy was on point.

After all, he had been throwing items at his opponents for quite some time now.

It didn’t matter if they were secret weapons or treasures.

The technique was the same!

Fang Zhengzhi smiled confidently.

However, the demons and the soldiers from the Dragon Protection Squad and the Mountain Breaking Army were stunned.

They couldn’t bring themselves to believe what they were seeing.

What the hell was Fang Zhengzhi doing?

“What is going on?”

“Did he throw The Vast World?”

“He really did that?!”

All of the soldiers on the battlefield could not believe their eyes. Their jaws dropped.

But there was no sound…

Ping Yang’s jaw dropped too, the gap large enough to fit a large egg.

She couldn’t believe it.

In fact…

Even the usually calm Chi Guyan and Yun Qingwu couldn’t help but be stunned by Fang Zhengzhi’s actions.

Two of the most beautiful women on the planet…

Their jaws were wide open…

Their exquisite, bright eyes were fixed on Fang Zhengzhi.

“Bang!” The light hit home and left a red mark on Canyang’s wrinkled face.

Canyang did not try and dodge.

His hand stopped in mid-air. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to kill Fang Zhengzhi… it was because he wanted to ask Fang Zhengzhi a question.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Since young, Canyang had longed to see light, to see the sun, the moon, the mountains…

But right now…

All he wanted to see was Fang Zhengzhi’s expression. He wanted to know what the hell Fang Zhengzhi was thinking.

This was a question that Yun Qingwu, Chi Guyan, Ping Yang, Xing Yuanguo, Xing Qingsui, Nangong Hao… literally everyone had in their minds.

They all looked at Fang Zhengzhi…

And then they looked at The Vast World which had just been smashed in Canyang’s face.

The silver light was just as radiant as before, linking up with the stars in the sky…

It was a pity…

It was no longer in Fang Zhengzhi’s hands.

He had no idea if throwing The Vast World had achieved the intended effect, but he knew that he had hit his target…

And Canyang stopped…

Was it effective?

Was the key really to throw it?

At that moment, he thought that he may have been overthinking it before. Sometimes the most complex problems had the simplest solutions.

Maybe that was true in this case.

Fang Zhengzhi laughed.

He guffawed.

So what if Canyang was a half sage? He was hit by Fang Zhengzhi’s rock!

Fang Zhengzhi was quite proud of himself, but he didn’t understand something…

Usually…

After the treasure had hit its target, it would shake the earth. However, nothing seemed to be happening.

Just momentary immobilization?

Shouldn’t Canyang be spitting out mouthfuls of blood?

Hang on…

Something was wrong.

The Vast World was like a parallel dimension. After it hit… the target should…

Disappear?

Or be sucked in?

At the very least, Canyang should be screaming!

Fang Zhengzhi looked at Canyang and realized that Canyang was still as complete as before.

What was happening?

Could it be that he had thrown it wrongly? Fang Zhengzhi’s smile froze and his eyes widened.

Canyang sprang into action and leapt for The Vast World which was slipping from his face.

Fang Zhengzhi was not stupid.

His reaction speed was not the fastest in the world, but he knew what was happening.

Canyang’s movements proved that Fang Zhengzhi’s attack had done little harm.

As such…

His first order of business was to stop Canyang.

He had to prevent The Vast World from falling into Canyang’s hands.

Fang Zhengzhi was extremely anxious when he saw Canyang reach for The Vast World. He was not as fast as Canyang.

What now?

If Canyang had The Vast World…

Would he still stand a chance?

He hated himself for not knowing how to open it.

Fang Zhengzhi was furious. He had thought that Canyang would disappear after he was hit by the rock.

But that was a sham!

No way…

He had to fight it out, no matter what!

“Feint!” Fang Zhengzhi screamed as he grit his teeth and lunged. One hand reached for The Vast World, the other…

Went between Canyang’s legs.

Fang Zhengzhi would never have used this tactic on any man, especially not an old man.

He always respected the elderly…

However, desperate times called for desperate measures. He had no other choice now.

He had to go for the balls.

I’m sorry…

Half Sage!

Chapter 452: Absorbing the world

…

Research had shown…

The younger the combatants, the more likely unorthodox fighting techniques would appear. They would bite ears, stomp on toes…

It was common for a fight between two five-year-olds to involve hair pulling. However, you would not expect that in a fight between two men in their twenties.

Their preferred method of fighting was a punch to the temples.

When one was even older, they would only strike when the moment was right. They focused on technique and opportunities.

Canyang…

Being an old demon with eons of experience, he would never think that his opponent would resort to such despicable techniques.

As such, he had not thought of defending some of the more sensitive areas.

That being said, being Canyang, he had great hearing and superhuman reflexes.

Fang Zhengzhi’s attack would not succeed.

But it was enough to make Canyang break a sweat.

“Rubbish!” Canyang had never expected that Fang Zhengzhi would be capable of attacking an old man’s privates.

The two of them were too close.

At this distance, there was no guarantee that he could block Fang Zhengzhi’s attack.

Canyang was not going to risk it.

He chose to dodge it. He bent over and leapt upwards.

As he soared into the air…

He realized that there was something wrong…

He felt Fang Zhengzhi’s expression change, almost as if Fang Zhengzhi was smiling…

In fact…

Fang Zhengzhi was smiling. This attack was a feint. He had no intention of attacking Canyang’s privates.

He clenched his left hand…

The Vast World was now back in his grasp.

That was the true purpose of that attack.

Stealing a treasure back from the hands of a half sage was something worthy of celebration.

Fang Zhengzhi chuckled.

He had a chance now.

The demons, as well as the joint forces, couldn’t help but chuckle too.

Because…

What they had seen was unbelievably strange.

That exclaim of ‘rubbish!’ had spread to their ears. More importantly, Canyang looked as though he had fallen for the trick.

When he leapt into the air, he had left The Vast World behind.

What the hell just happened?!

“That shameless fella! How dare he…”

All of the demon soldiers were furious. Their hero had just been humiliated by an attempted, despicable attack from their greatest enemy.

The soldiers of the joint forces smiled bitterly. They looked at each other, knowing full well that Fang Zhengzhi had no other choice.

That being said, that tactic was a despicable one…

The only question was…

Was Canyang hit?

“Good move! Shameless fella, great move!” Everyone was speechless, except for one person. Ping Yang’s voice cut through the air.

Chi Guyan sighed as she saw Ping Yang’s excited expression. She decided to limit Ping Yang’s interaction with Fang Zhengzhi…

Ping Yang was much too impressionable.

Fang Zhengzhi was a bad influence.

Yun Qingwu’s face was flushed as she looked at the interaction between Ping Yang and Chi Guyan. At that moment, many scenes flashed past in her mind.

Then…

For some reason, she felt pain in her chest.

“Despicable!” Yun Qingwu sputtered. Then, she immediately thought of something as she turned to Canyang, “Master, you…”

She wanted to ask if Canyang was fine…

However, she swallowed her words, realizing that her question would be inappropriate.

“I’m fine!” Canyang could tell that Yun Qingwu was concerned about him. He shook his head but regretted his answer instantly.

That meant that, Fang Zhengzhi’s attack…

Had hit!

Even Canyang blushed.

He wanted to explain himself, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

He couldn’t possibly announce to the world that Fang Zhengzhi had missed.

That would be utterly…

Embarrassing!

Fang Zhengzhi could not possibly explain either.

Whether that attack had hit was of no importance.

The important thing was that he had The Vast World in his hand. Right now, he had to figure out how to use it.

“The world in your heart will link with the vast world. It will consume the world!”

Just at that moment, a voice resonated through the air. It was extremely moving, almost like a nightingale’s song.

Fang Zhengzhi was stunned.

He was utterly floored.

He had never expected Chi Guyan’s voice to be this beautiful. Her voice now was like that of an angel.

Since when…

Was she that refined?

Was she using the power in her heart to activate The Vast World?

Would she die if she had said it any other way?

Fang Zhengzhi had no idea why Chi Guyan had adopted that tone, but he did not hesitate.

Canyang’s expression changed.

It changed the moment he heard Chi Guyan’s voice.

Canyang was not alone.

Yun Qingwu and all the other demons were equally shocked.

“Hum!”

Just at that moment, a loud hum rang out and a column of silver light shot skyward.

It shot to the heavens.

In an instant, the entire night sky was lit up and the stars were completely outshone by this column of light.

The earth shook…

Then, the column of light exploded, sending glimmering spots of light to the ground, almost like it was raining lights.

Dust and sand were sent skyward, the dust storm quickly spreading to the surroundings.

“Uh oh… it’s The Vast World!”

“He activated it!”

“Run!”

Many panicked voices began to overlap each other as the demons tried to make a break for it. But it was too late…

Yun Qingwu bit her lip as she watched the lights in the sky, her eyes filled with shock and awe.

“Fang Zhengzhi!” Yun Qingwu’s voice was not loud. She was quickly buried under the dust, but everyone could hear the resentment in her voice.

Soon after…

The ground which she was standing on cracked. The cracks began to spread towards the demon army behind her.

All of the Demon Domain Chiefs and Vice Domain Chiefs turned their backs and tried to flee.

However…

They were all consumed by the sandstorm before they could get far.

They screamed…

The demons could no longer maintain their discipline.

They began to run in all directions, but the sandstorm was too quick. There was no place to run.

“The Demons!”

“We cannot be annihilated here!”

The demons had never felt such fear before. They had always thought of themselves as being invincible.

But now…

They were facing the Death God.

There were hundreds of thousands of demon soldiers here, more than 90% of the Blood Shadow City’s force. If anything were to happen to them…

How were the demons going to continue to survive?

Xing Yuanguo shuddered as he watched The Vast World devour the demon army.

He was truly excited.

The demon army was all concentrated in one spot. To have their entire force sucked in by The Vast World was a heavy blow.

“Is the war finally about to end?” Xing Yuanguo felt a sense of relief as he looked at the sandstorm.

He looked at the bright spot of light in the midst of the storm. He knew who that person was, and he knew that the person would become the pride of the Great Xia.

Shan Ling was also visibly excited.

He had hoped that Fang Zhengzhi would die ‘gloriously’, but he also hoped to win the entire war.

If the Southern Region won, then he would be able to negotiate with the Great Xia.

Right now…

Everything was in his favor.

The demons had failed!

In fact, right now he had over a hundred thousand soldiers in his territory…

The world was his oyster!

However, he quickly realized that something was amiss…

After swallowing the demons and Yun Qingwu, the sandstorm showed no signs of stopping. Instead, it flew towards the Iron Hill Settlement.

“Stop!” Shan Ling knew what was happening.

He also knew what would happen after they were consumed by the storm.

But it was too late…

By the time they realized what was happening, the storm had already reached the Iron Hill Settlement.

Shan Ling wanted to curse.

He had never felt such rage in his life.

Just when he thought that he had everything going for him, it all came crashing down. He could not even react in time.

“Fang Zhengzhi!” Shan Ling hollered.

He too could not accept what was happening.

The other Settlement Chiefs, the Southern Region soldiers, as well as the soldiers of the Dragon Protection Squad and Mountain Breaking Army were equally shocked.

“Ah!”

“Run!”

“It’s too late, I…”

Their voices reverberated through the air as they were drawn into the sandstorm by an overpowering force.

At the same time, the Iron Hill Settlement’s black walls were reduced to dust.

The entire sky darkened.

The stars went dark.

It felt like it was the beginning of a new world.

However, the dust began to settle soon and the cracks started to disappear. The ground began to solidify and vegetation began to grow. The stars also re-appeared in the sky.

The silver glow lit up the ground.

Figures began to appear.

They were the demon soldiers in their black armor, shiny weapons, and heavy bows.

However…

They did not look good.

The walls of the Iron hill Settlement began to form once again. Figures appeared atop the wall, their expressions the same as the demons.

The breeze caressed them all.

The demons, the Dragon Protection Squad, the Mountain Breaking Army, and the Southern Region soldiers were all in the same situation.

None of them moved.

They simply stood quietly in their spots.

In between the settlement and the demons were four figures. One was an old man in a blue robe.

Beside him were Yun Qingwu, Chi Guyan, and Ping Yang.

But…

There was no Fang Zhengzhi.

“Hahaha… The world in your heart will link with the vast world. It will consume the world!” Just at that moment, a thunderous voice cut through the air.

It bordered on maniacal laughter.

Then, there was a question…

“Oh? Why is the Crown Prince here too?”

“Yes! Why am I here? That is a great question!” Shan Ling raised his head and grit his teeth.

Chapter 453: Black rain

第四百五十三章一场黑雨

Shan Ling was furious.

He really was… he was on the cusp of victory! What the hell happened? He was betrayed by Fang Zhengzhi!

Hang on…

Could it be…

His expression changed when he thought about it… he seemed to have forgotten one thing.

He had thought that he could protect the Southern Region and destroy Fang Zhengzhi in the process. But, he forgot to account for Fang Zhengzhi’s thoughts.

What if…

Fang Zhengzhi had been thinking the same thing?

Fear, unparalleled fear…

Shan Ling looked at the settlement chiefs around him. He realized that he was in a situation in which he had no control over.

He was just like a lamb being sent to the slaughter!

“Wait… why… is Xing Yuanguo here?” Shan Ling spotted a figure in purplish golden robes out of the corner of his eye.

He was shocked.

He could understand Fang Zhengzhi transporting the Southern Region soldiers into The Vast World, but why do that to Xing Yuanguo, the Dragon Protection Squad, and the Mountain Breaking Army?

What is going on?

Was he rebelling?

Even if he wanted to rebel, this wasn’t the way to do it!

Shan Ling looked at Xing Yuanguo, his eyes filled with questions.

Xing Yuanguo shook his head in exasperation. He knew that he was in The Vast World. However, he showed none of the anger Shan Ling did.

He was just a little…

Embarrassed.

“I think… this guy’s understanding of the statement is slightly problematic!” Xing Yuanguo was otherwise speechless.

This was the second time he had been consumed by The Vast World. However, this time was different…

Xing Yuanguo looked at the tall tree in the middle of the battlefield as well as the bloody field strewn with dead bodies.

The situation was different…

Ordinarily…

The activation of The Vast World came with a choice.

For example, on Cang Ling Mountain, the Demons chose to absorb the people and beasts on Cang Ling Mountain.

However, Cang Ling Mountain still existed.

The mountain, as well as its trees and rivers, were not absorbed.

But this time was different, Fang Zhengzhi had absorbed the entire field, together with the Iron Hill Settlement.

The biggest consequence was…

The boundaries were limited.

In other words, The Vast World would have been sufficient to contain the entire demon army… but now, he could not absorb the entire army…

The result was obvious…

Only about 100,000 Demons were contained in The Vast World.

That being said, The Vast World still contained more than 100,000 soldiers. The joint forces were absorbed as well.

But now…

What were they going to do?

Fight it out again here?

Xing Yuanguo wanted to say something, but he was at a loss for words. He could explain the situation to the Dragon Protection Squad and the Mountain Breaking Army, but how was he going to deal with the Southern Region soldiers?

Call it a misunderstanding?

Who would believe him?

“I’m sorry, it’s a misunderstanding!” Just at that moment, a voice rang out in the sky. However, the apology was far from sincere…

In fact…

Fang Zhengzhi sounded excited.

To be honest, he was really excited.

He did not bother about the fact that only a portion of the demon army had been absorbed, neither did he bother about how he was going to get the others out.

The only thought he had was…

What’s done is done…

So they should just talk it out whilst they were inside here. A little saber-rattling could work too.

Either way…

They couldn’t do anything to him!

That was Fang Zhengzhi’s attitude right now.

Shan Ling could hear the insincerity in Fang Zhengzhi’s voice. He wanted to curse and swear, but in the end, the words that came out were…

“It’s alright, since it is a misunderstanding, I will hear what your plans are, Official Fang!” Shan Ling didn’t dare to cuss at Fang Zhengzhi.

The settlement chiefs and the soldiers were initially stunned. They looked at each other in confusion, but they quickly realized what Shan Ling was doing.

“We will do as you wish, Official Fang!” They replied in unison.

Xing Yuanguo was slightly taken aback when he heard this. He simply smiled bitterly…

“Official Fang? Crown Prince, are you alright? I remember that you wanted to kill me back at the Sagely Mountain City.” Fang Zhengzhi’s voice boomed.

“Misunderstanding haha… that was also a misunderstanding!” Shan Ling grit his teeth.

“Oh I see, then I guess we are even now. We have both caused each other some misunderstanding, but that’s water under the bridge now.” Fang Zhengzhi replied magnanimously.

“Thank you, Official Fang!” Shan Ling’s knuckles whitened. He had initially wanted to thank Fang Zhengzhi for being so ‘magnanimous’ but decided against it.

“No need for that. Perhaps you could give me a few boxes of pearls and gems when I leave as a gesture of goodwill!” Fang Zhengzhi pressed.

“Definitely!” Shan Ling’s eyes were bloodshot.

He couldn’t understand what was happening. Fang Zhengzhi was the one who had put him in this position, yet he was the one apologizing now?! How shameless could a person possibly be?!

And then there was the extortion!

He was the Crown Prince of the Southern Region!

Most frustratingly, he was in no position to reject Fang Zhengzhi’s requests.

…

Fang Zhengzhi’s voice reverberated throughout the entire space. It was heard by the demons as well as Yun Qingwu and Canyang.

However, neither Yun Qingwu nor Canyang did anything.

As such…

The Demon Domain Chiefs and the demon soldiers had to hold their positions.

They waited patiently for their orders. They knew what was about to happen, but their concern was what was happening now.

They had no other choice but to wait.

Ping Yang, on the other hand, was losing her patience.

“Fang Zhengzhi, you shameless fella, what are you waiting for? Save me! Did you forget that I risked my life for you? You unfaithful, mercenary…” Ping Yang fumed, her choice of words slightly crass.

But it was not important.

She could say whatever she wanted.

“If you shut up, I will think about it.” Fang Zhengzhi replied but did not do anything.

“I will not! What are you going to do about it? How dare you be disrespectful towards me! You will suffer retribution! When I return, I will report you to the Emperor… he will strip you of any rewards. You will be a rank four official for the rest of your life!” Ping Yang threatened.

“Is that so? Rank four sounds great! I love being a rank four official.” Fang Zhengzhi replied with haughty derision.

“Then I’ll make sure you’re demoted to rank five, even rank six! You will be relegated to the borders!” Ping Yang continued threatening.

“A border city? That’s not bad either! I get to collect tolls.” Fang Zhengzhi was not threatened in the least.

“You… you shameless fella! Save me! Save me, or… or I will kill you!” Ping Yang was fuming.

However, her tone had changed… she was no longer as arrogant as she was before.

“Hang tight, why don’t I read you a passage from the “Law of Dao”? Which one would you like to hear?” Fang Zhengzhi replied calmly.

Chi Guyan was equally calm.

Even though she was also heaving slightly, she was much calmer than Ping Yang.

The silver light had completely disappeared.

Chi Guyan did not ask Fang Zhengzhi when he would save them. She looked at the sky and the stars, deep in thought.

The stars flickered in the sky.

Just at that moment, there seemed to be something forming in the air. The change was minute, almost like clouds floating by.

But they were not clouds.

It was a strange feeling, almost as if it was raining. However, the falling objects were not raindrops. The objects blocked out the starlight.

There was a suppressive aura that filled the air.

The ‘rain’ fell to the ground.

Its intensity was increasing by the moment.

It was almost as if there were countless meteors in the sky, but these meteors were all black in color.

“It’s finally here!” The Demon Domain Chiefs looked at the ‘black rain’ their demonic eyes glowing.

They tightened their grips on their weapons.

The shower neared.

The nearer it got, the more intense it was.

It was like a shadow, all of them wearing black armor, exactly the same as those of the demons.

Other than the armor, they had the same spears and bows.

They were identical!

The suppressive aura neared, almost suffocating everyone faced with it.

“Die!” The demon army bellowed. They were overwhelmed by fear, but they showed none of it.

They knew…

There was no retreat.

…

On the walls of the Iron Hill Settlement.

Xing Yuanguo watched on as the figures in black descended on the demons. He had conflicted feelings.

He had faced off against this army of shadows before…

During that battle, thousands of soldiers from the Mountain Breaking Army and Red Pinion Squad lost their lives.

Now…

Something similar was happening.

This time, however, the demons were the target.

Shan Ling was focused on the army of shadows. The stories of The Vast World were no secret.

To the Crown Prince of the Southern Region, this was general knowledge.

It was precisely because he knew what it was, he could not rage at Fang Zhengzhi. He had to suppress his fury right now.

The settlement chiefs were also suppressing their anger and fear. They too feared those shadows.

As for Nangong Hao…

He had closed his eyes, his snow-white academic robe dancing in the wind. He had closed his eyes from the moment he was absorbed into The Vast World.

He never bothered to find the source of the wind…

…

The black figures landed from the sky like raindrops.

However, everyone knew that this was going to be a bloody battle. Their arrival also signified the start of the massacre.

“Die!”

“Die!”

“…”

The black figures had arrived.

They blocked out all the light. They were like a thick black cloud which hovered above the demon army.

“Fire!”

The air was filled with arrows soaring towards the black figures.

However, the arrows never hit their mark. They flew into the sky and through the black figures before crashing into the ground.

Blades clashed together and screams filled the air.

Yun Qingwu shuddered, her face paling. She had never felt such fear in her life, even when she had been captured by Fang Zhengzhi.

But this time…

Her face was devoid of all color.

She could not hide the pain and sadness she felt. However, she did not speak, shivering in her spot…

She was waiting…

Chapter 454: New Life

The battle had begun.

However, Yun Qingwu did not give any orders for the battle. She looked like she was in pain, but she was not helpless.

15 minutes passed, then an hour… the screams and sounds of killing continued to fill the air.

The demon soldiers started to fall.

Fear filled their faces, but they couldn’t turn to anyone for help. There was no demon who screamed for help…

Neither was there a demon who blamed Yun Qingwu for her lack of orders.

The black figures charged through the ranks of the demons like death gods. Countless demons fell, their blood staining the ground.

The Demon Domain Chiefs grit their teeth and tried to defend against the onslaught. Their demonic eyes glowed radiantly.

The night was no longer as dark as before.

There was a ray of light on the horizon.

The night was slow and long. Many lives had been lost, but it was also quick. In the blink of an eye, they had all been transported to a different world.

The walls of the Iron Hill Settlement were strangely silent.

Countless eyes were fixated on the battle between the shadows and the demons. They waited patiently…

There was a figure on the battlefield who was exactly like that.

That was a figure in a white dress. She looked like a lotus in the night, standing out in the sea of black.

Just at that moment…

A ray of light shone through beside her.

That was a pure, sky blue light.

A blue robe danced in the light. A wrinkled face looked into the sky and watched the daybreak.

The figure’s eyes were hollow and lifeless.

Above that pair of lifeless eyes was a symbol. It had been etched into this man’s forehead. It was a simple symbol, but it gave off a strange aura.

It was almost as though the symbol represented all creation.

Right now…

The symbol was changing…

Spots of light began to concentrate on the symbol and the symbol became more and more complex.

It was like a new life…

Forming something out of nothing, making something complex out of something simple.

The symbol became brighter with each passing moment.

It was as if it represented all creation.

The changes in the world.

Or perhaps, it represented rebirth.

As the symbol changed, the light became brighter… and brighter… and brighter…

…

The silence atop the walls of the Iron Hill Settlement was finally broken.

Everyone looked at the symbol and the light with awe.

“Canyang!”

“Could it be that Canyang…”

“That’s impossible!”

The emotions that they felt were inexplicable. They couldn’t bring themselves to believe what they were witnessing.

“Hum!”

At that moment, a loud hum rang through the air and the ground began to shake.

At the same time…

A ray of light shot skyward.

It was a golden ray of light that pierced through the blue light. It illuminated the entire sky.

“Master!” Yun Qingwu’s voice pierced through the air.

She said nothing when the army of shadows descended upon them. She said nothing when thousands of demon soldiers were massacred.

However, when she saw the golden ray of light, she spoke.

But…

She only said one word.

Master!

When she said those words, two drops of tears rolled down her cheeks and splashed on the ground.

Blood had already stained the floor.

Yun Qingwu’s tears fell into a pool of blood and were buried under the sand and blood.

It was rather unassuming…

But Canyang turned around.

He looked at Yun Qingwu with his hollow, lifeless eyes.

However…

Those eyes said plenty.

Just like the symbol on his forehead.

The simplest looks could have the most complex meanings.

The symbols kept changing, representing rebirth and a new lease of life. However, it also looked like it was reminiscing the old life…

“Good disciple!” Canyang spoke in his frail voice.

However, all of the demons turned to look at Canyang, even if it was just for a brief moment.

Because…

They all knew…

Even though Yun Qingwu had always addressed Canyang as her master, Canyang had never called Yun Qingwu his disciple.

Disciple…

Ordinarily, that was a word that any master would have said umpteen times.

But Canyang had never used that word.

Even when Yun Qingwu had knelt in front of him, he never called Yun Qingwu his disciple, choosing instead to call her by her name.

But now, Canyang called her his disciple.

This was the first time Canyang had done so in more than a decade.

His voice was not loud…

But it pierced through all of the sounds of battle. It had made an impact on everyone on the field.

At that moment, everyone forgot about the battle and the killing going on around them…

Yun Qingwu did not speak, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Ping Yang was initially furious and anxious.

But at that moment, all of those emotions disappeared. All that was left was a look of shock and worry.

She looked at Canyang as her lips parted and trembled. She was terrified.

She had never been this terrified in her life.

Chi Guyan had released her grip on Yun Qingwu.

From the moment the golden light shot out from Canyang’s forehead, she had released her grip on Yun Qingwu.

It was not a wise move…

But…

She did it anyway.

Canyang walked slowly towards Yun Qingwu.

Every step he took was slow and deliberate.

In fact, it looked like every step was draining him. He looked as though he could be blown away by the wind at any point as he shuffled across to Yun Qingwu.

But…

No one went to stop him, not even Chi Guyan.

Not only did Chi Guyan not stop Canyang, she stepped back and stood beside Ping Yang, allowing Canyang to close in.

It felt as though time had frozen.

After what seemed like an eternity…

Canyang arrived next to Yun Qingwu.

He raised that frail hand of his to Yun Qingwu’s head and brushed her hair aside. It was almost like a father tending to his daughter.

The golden light continued to glow on Canyang’s head.

The blue light that had initially enveloped his body disappeared. His blue robe had also lost its shine, accentuating the golden glow on his head.

“Bring them back.” Canyang whispered as he looked at Yun Qingwu with his hollow eyes, his gaze filled with pain and sorrow.

Yun Qingwu looked back at Canyang, tears in her eyes. She bit her lips but did not speak, allowing the tears to flow freely.

“If only I could see you… that’ll be great…” Canyang’s gaze was filled with loneliness, almost as if he knew the end was near.

Yun Qingwu remained silent.

However, she was trembling as she bit her lip. A trickle of blood could be seen from her lower lip…

“Call me master one more time.” Canyang requested as he combed Yun Qingwu’s hair with his hand.

“Mas… Master!” Yun Qingwu looked at the wrinkled face as she trembled and stammered.

“Mm, good disciple! You’re a good disciple indeed!” Canyang nodded.

He murmured to himself. These were the words that he never dreamt that he would say. He stood up…

And straightened his back…

“Kacha, kacha!” That was the sound of his bones breaking… and also the sound of new bones forming…

At the same time, that wrinkled face of his began to break apart. No one knew why that was happening…

But…

Pieces of white skin began to fall off his face.

What was even stranger was that…

There was no blood underneath that broken skin… it was another layer of skin, this one smooth and glowing.

It was like the skin of a newborn.

As that new layer of skin began to show on his face, Canyang’s arms began to become buffer.

Muscles began to appear…

“Kacha kacha!” The breaking sounds continued to echo through the air.

All eyes were on Canyang…

On top of the Iron Hill Settlement…

Xing Yuanguo and Xing Qingsui clenched their fists as they watched Canyang’s body undergo such changes.

Shan Ling and the other settlement chiefs were also looking at Canyang, their expressions filled with terror.

As warriors of the Southern Region…

They rarely feared anything.

Even in the face of a disciplined demon army which outnumbered them… even when Canyang appeared… they did not retreat…

But now…

They were truly terrified.

Nangong Hao opened his eyes.

He had opened his eyes from the moment that golden light had appeared. His eyes showed no trace of fear, but were filled with respect.

He respected Canyang…

All of the demons looked at Canyang with his new youthful skin and his hollow, lifeless eyes.

Finally…

The sound disappeared.

Together with the frail body.

Right now, the person standing in front of Yun Qingwu was a youth, with tender skin and luscious lips.

He was slightly thin, but his muscles were clear for all to see.

It was a strange sight.

What was even stranger was that this youth had silver hair.

This youth was Canyang.

A rebirthed Canyang.

The symbol was still on his forehead. It was an extremely complicated symbol which glowed golden.

However, his eyes were still as lifeless as before.

Those lifeless eyes ‘looked’ at the horizon, his lips parting and closing constantly. The golden light on his forehead was glowing brighter by the moment.

It was so radiant it could light up the sky.

In the next moment…

A column of light shot skyward…

It had originated from Canyang’s head.

It was incredibly quick…

It was so quick that some could not tell if it had originated from Canyang’s forehead or the heavens.

Then, the golden column of light exploded into a golden shower. This was completely different from the black rain they had experienced earlier.

This was different because…

It was formed entirely from golden light…

The light glowed in the sky and blocked out the stars in the sky. It formed a golden layer of light and descended.

The shadows battling the demon army raised their heads.

They looked at the golden screen of light. They stood rooted in their positions, almost as if they were mesmerized by it.

Then… they melted…

Almost like how ice melts in the presence of sunlight.

However, this melting was significantly faster.

As the golden screen descended, the black figures became blurry, then transparent before completely disappearing.

At that moment, Canyang disappeared as well as his body shot to the sky in a ray of golden light.

He left behind a teary Yun Qingwu…

“Master!”

Chapter 455: F*ck my luck

The night was silent once again. The sounds of killing had all gone.

There was only a ray of golden light in the sky. His light had blocked out all the stars and the moon.

At this moment, everyone was looking at the golden column of light. There were those who were shocked, happy, terrified, and sad…

Of course, there was one other emotion.

That was…

“F*ck my luck!”

This was extremely crass, but Fang Zhengzhi had no other phrase to describe his current emotions.

What did he just see?

What the f*ck was that?

This was a strange world, and he had known this since the day he entered it. It was filled with unbelievable occurrences and unknowns.

However, this was a whole other thing altogether!

An old man who was about to die managed to turn into a young man in his twenties? What the hell was that?

A phoenix rising from the ashes? A butterfly popping out of its cocoon?

More importantly…

What the hell was that screen of golden light?

It had changed everything within moments.

Fang Zhengzhi couldn’t believe that Canyang had managed to change the rules of the world he controlled.

He was completely…

Embarrassed!

Fang Zhengzhi was also furious.

He had rarely been in such control over a situation. He still remembered the time he had held the Traceless Sword in the World of the Sage.

He relished that feeling.

He was in control then.

It was almost as if he was standing at the top of the world, in control of everyone’s lives. He had taken down the Supernatural State Ying Shan with a single strike.

He had felt this way just now…

He was extremely excited when he held The Vast World in his hand. He thought that he was in control…

But…

The excitement did not last long.

Fang Zhengzhi intended to teach the Demons a lesson before taking a break and talking some terms with Shan Ling.

He wanted to confirm the time and date on the delivery of those jewels.

Else…

He would have felt taken advantage of if he fought for them for nothing.

His future was bright.

However, even before he could confirm the deal, Canyang threw a spanner in the works.

More importantly, he felt like he had been spotted.

That’s right…

The moment Canyang shot to the heavens, he felt as though he had been spotted, almost as if he was out in the open for all to see.

This made no sense.

Ordinarily, Fang Zhengzhi’s position should have never been revealed since he was the one controlling The Vast World.

“Down!”

…

“Down!”

Just as Fang Zhengzhi’s voice echoed through the sky, a purple ray of lightning shot towards the golden column of light.

“Boom!” The purple electricity surrounded that golden column of light, enveloping it entirely.

However, the column of light continued to stand strong.

Pointed straight to the heavens…

Everyone was watching in awe as the golden light continued to shoot towards the heavens.

Sage!

This was a state revered by humans and demons alike.

Attaining the Sage State meant unfathomable abilities and powers. This was the pinnacle of power, and it represented an ability to break through anything.

This was the dream of humans and demons alike.

As for the benefits…

One did not have to spell them out.

One point was sufficient. A Sage was in the same league as the Emperor. Even the Emperor, with millions of soldiers at his disposal, or the Demon Lord himself, had to accord a Sage respect.

One Pavilion, Four Sages, 13 Constabularies.

That was a common saying in the Great Xia Empire.

The Pavilion referred to the Heavenly Dao Pavilion. It controlled all creation and carried out the wishes of the heavens. The four sages were the most powerful men in the world.

They were on the same level as the empire itself, ahead of the 13 Constabularies.

This was testament to their standing.

Right now, that column of golden light shooting towards the heavens… that light had a name…

Light of the Sage!

No one knew why Canyang would breakthrough all of a sudden.

But one thing was certain.

When Canyang’s forehead lit up, he was already a sage.

“Father, Fang Zhengzhi…” Xing Qingsui clenched his fists in worry as he watched Canyang bathing in the Light of the Sage.

“Aish, heaven’s will…” Xing Yuanguo sighed as he looked at Canyang. He shared Xing Qingsui’s worry, but he couldn’t do anything.

Antagonize a sage?

Definitely not!

As such, he could only wait and grit his teeth!

“Heaven’s will… indeed…” Shan Ling murmured to himself. He couldn’t bring himself to accept this fact…

…

Fang Zhengzhi had a bad feeling when he saw Canyang charge upwards. Even though he had no idea what happened…

He did know one thing…

Canyang’s abilities had increased.

“No way? Another self-destruct?” Fang Zhengzhi sighed. This was not the first time he had encountered this.

Ying Shan had self-destructed in the World of the Sage.

His abilities had increased drastically for the last few moments of his life.

At the entrance to the Icy Monkey Settlement, he encountered yet another demon who had drained his demonic eye.

He never thought he would encounter this again… but he didn’t expect Canyang to engage in such tactics.

That being said…

He found that something was amiss…

Fang Zhengzhi looked at Canyang and the complicated symbol on his forehead. He had his doubts…

Canyang didn’t look like he was about to self-destruct!

Fang Zhengzhi had quite a bit of experience with these self-destructs. Canyang’s current state didn’t have any resemblance to the self-destructs he had experienced before…

The power of the demons was concentrated in their demonic eyes. That was where they drew energy from.

The moment they went into self-destruct mode…

They drained the eye of its energy.

There would be no energy left in the demonic eye. It would turn grey…

But…

What was happening to Canyang looked different.

Canyang was ridiculously strong, and the bulk of his energy was concentrated in the symbol on his forehead. Fang Zhengzhi could sense the energy radiating from the symbol.

“He didn’t self-destruct?” Fang Zhengzhi was slightly confused.

He could have understood it if Canyang had self-destructed. But, if he didn’t, how did Canyang become so powerful all of a sudden?

The Vast World was like a completely different dimension.

It was a space that had its own rules.

Fang Zhengzhi had a feeling…

When Canyang was first absorbed into The Vast World, Fang Zhengzhi could feel his presence. However, after the symbol on his head changed…

Fang Zhengzhi felt like Canyang was no longer constrained by The Vast World.

This was not a good feeling.

This meant that Canyang could remove himself from The Vast World at any time.

If he didn’t self-destruct…

And got stronger…

That could only mean…

One thing!

Breakthrough!

“Oh… so it’s a breakthrough…” Fang Zhengzhi heaved a sigh of relief, then realized something was wrong…

Hang on…

Canyang was a half sage…

A half sage breaking through…

What was that?

“Did he become a Sage?” Fang Zhengzhi’s expression changed instantly.

The only way to describe his feelings now was…

F*ck my luck!

…

Canyang continued to rise through the Light of the Sage.

At the same time, the entire ground began to shake as web-like cracks extended in all directions.

As the ground split open, giant rocks were sent skywards.

They flew upwards at incredible speeds.

The rocks began to congregate at a single spot, almost as if a huge mountain was blocking Canyang. Those rocks also blocked out the weak starlight.

“Boom!”

Just like a sword, Canyang went right through the rocks without any sign of slowing down.

The golden light was extremely radiant.

The rocks didn’t split or shatter. They simply melted, just like the black figures before them. They simply melted and disappeared.

Everyone on the ground was watching this happen.

They were shocked, but they expected this. This was the power of the Sage. Nothing could stand in the way of a Sage.

The mountain disappeared and the night was silent.

Canyang finally stopped in mid-air. He looked at his surroundings, his forehead still glowing.

“Break!” He said softly.

The moment he said it, a huge crack formed in front of him.

It was a black crack…

Almost as if space itself was breaking.

The crack was not unexpected. Whenever something was too fast or too powerful for the space to handle, cracks like this would form.

However…

Something needed to be capable of that.

The ability to form such a crack with a single word was rare. Furthermore, after the crack appeared, it showed no signs of disappearing.

Instead, it began to grow, almost as if something was continuing to tear the space open.

If the entire sky was seen as a sheet of glass…

This sheet of glass had just been smashed by a rock. The rock was moving at such speeds that it was impossible for anyone to react.

The dark sky…

More cracks began to appear and spread. The cracks multiplied, swallowing the stars in the sky.

Then the cracks began to join together, forming larger holes, threatening to swallow the entire sky.

…

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to throw The Vast World in his hands to Ping Yang and say, “For you, I’m out!”

To be honest…

When The Vast World had been activated…

He had wondered if Canyang had any other secrets…

He had thought that Canyang may have powerful treasures, or may drain his demonic eye to inflict grave losses.

But he never expected that Canyang would breakthrough.

Did he need to be that ridiculously powerful?

A half sage was powerful enough!

Damn that breakthrough!

Sage!

Fang Zhengzhi was on the verge of crumbling.

He had no idea what to do anymore. If it was possible, he would hand The Vast World off to anyone else.

But it was too late…

He knew that it was too late when the cracks appeared.

The sky had shattered.

The earth was also breaking apart. Dust and rocks shot skywards as trees were split in half.

This was a wreck…

Everything was being destroyed.

Fang Zhengzhi knew what was going to happen next. He also knew that once The Vast World had been broken, he was a dead man…

What was he going to do?

What could he do?

He could not let The Vast World break.

Oh yes…

The Vast World could swallow entire worlds…

Not that…

What came before that?

Yes… he could link up his pocket dimension with it!

“Link up his pocket dimension!”

“Pocket…”

Fang Zhengzhi repeated this to himself. Then, his eyes began to glow.

“Link the pocket dimension with The Vast World!”

A crisp voice rang out through the shattering sky. Everyone heard it clearly.

There was a huge tremor in the ground…

Then…

A huge tree appeared. It was an extremely thick and tall tree, complete with branches, leaves, and fruits.

Chapter 456: Crazy

The only way to describe this tree was…

Thick and huge!

As the tree began to take shape, countless branches also shot out from the ground and into the sky.

This tree was complete with countless branches…

More importantly, there were many large, juicy fruits on the tree. Each fruit glowed in the light.

There were red ones, green ones, blue ones, purple ones…

Complex patterns flowed along the skin of these fruits.

“Kaboom!”

The earth shook, sending rocks flying in all directions.

Everyone was focused on that tree, with its thick branches and large fruits…

“This, what is this?!”

“Could it be that Fang Zhengzhi…”

“It must be! This is the source of his pocket dimension!”

All of them looked at the growing tree in shock…

When they were outside the Icy Monkey Settlement…

Fang Zhengzhi had said that he had hundreds of Daos in his pocket dimension. They were all in disbelief then…

But now…

When faced with the tree in Fang Zhengzhi’s pocket dimension… they couldn’t help but be in awe…

…

Canyang stood in mid-air, his blue robe flapping in the wind…

However, the cracks around his body were beginning to disappear, almost as if there was a wave of force healing the cracks.

He frowned…

No one knew if it was because he sensed the towering tree in the field or if it was because he sensed the cracks disappearing. However, it was clear that Canyang was unhappy.

Then, in the blink of an eye…

The tree appeared in front of Canyang, its vines extending towards him.

“Break!” Canyang hollered.

At the same time, a golden ray of light shot out from his hand, forming a crescent shape as it sliced towards the vine.

“Kacha!” The vine snapped in two…

However, it didn’t melt. Instead, it split into two and fell to the ground with a thunderous crash.

Before long, a second vine shot towards Canyang.

“Break!” He bellowed again.

The vine broke…

But then a third went his way, then a fourth, and a fifth…

By the end, even branches and leaves were attacking Canyang.

The branches and vines were like whips…

The leaves turned into rays of light and shot towards Canyang. It looked as though Canyang was being pummeled by torrential rain.

The golden light intersected with the green light.

It was a crazy, awe-inspiring sight.

“Crazy! This guy has lost his mind!”

Everyone stared at this battle, floored by what they were witnessing. They had never seen something like that before.

“Boom!” A loud explosion echoed through the sky.

Countless rays of golden light morphed into sharp blades and attacked the towering tree. The light rays split the branches and vines into two, causing the leaves to fall to the ground.

Xing Yuanguo looked at the falling branches and leaves, his purplish golden robe dancing in the wind. His expression was complicated – he didn’t know what to think.

“Fang Zhengzhi, Fang Zhengzhi! You… you… what do you want me to do?!” Xing Yuanguo grit his teeth, his lips quivering.

Shan Ling was also looking at the tree but he did not speak. However, his fists were clenched tightly.

The settlement chiefs looked at each other, recognizing the look in each others’ eyes.

Nangong Hao’s eyes were glowing too as he subconsciously reached for his sword. He gripped the hilt, then let go, then gripped the hilt again…

He seemed to be making a difficult choice.

Ping Yang stared at the battle with her clear eyes, her expression filled with excitement and worry.

“Sister Yan, what is that guy doing…”

“He had linked his pocket dimension to The Vast World. By doing so, The Vast World is completely linked to him and he would be much stronger. Most importantly, the tree is not something that belongs to all creation!” Chi Guyan’s lips quivered, her gaze conflicted.

“Something that doesn’t belong to all creation?”

“Yes, this is Fang Zhengzhi’s ‘Source of All Creation’. As such, even though Canyang is a Sage, he cannot control Fang Zhengzhi’s ‘Source of All Creation’!”

“Does that mean that Fang Zhengzhi can win?”

“No, but this is the only way he can fight a Sage… but…”

“But what?”

“Once The Vast World is broken, he, he will…” Chi Guyan clenched her fists. She couldn’t bring herself to continue.

“He will die!” Yun Qingwu’s voice rang out from behind.

“Die?” Ping Yang froze, her eyes filled with fear and shock.

Yun Qingwu nodded but didn’t speak. She looked at the sky. No one knew if she was looking at Canyang or the gigantic tree.

Chi Guyan did not speak either.

She looked at the sky, but her hands continued to move. She seemed to be searching for something on Ping Yang…

…

The battle in the sky continued…

It was intensifying by the minute.

The golden light weaved through the trees, cutting through the branches and leaves.

“Sh*t!” Just at that moment, a voice echoed through the air.

Then, a stream of blood shot through the sky. This was a stark contrast from the white sky.

“Injured?”

“So he can’t stand up to Canyang…”

Everyone looked at the trail of red as feelings of despair and helplessness welled up in their hearts…

As humans…

They wished that Fang Zhengzhi could win.

However…

They knew that even if Fang Zhengzhi linked his pocket dimension with The Vast World, he would not be able to go up against a Sage.

Canyang was a Sage…

The most powerful existence in the world.

The sky whitened and the stars began to disappear. Rays of red appeared on the horizon.

Dawn was breaking…

However, there was a sage that stood in front of the rising sun. This was a power even an army couldn’t go up against.

“Boom!”

Just at that moment, an explosion echoed throughout the field.

At the same time, a gigantic wave of force came crashing in from afar.

It was a tornado…

It was a humongous green tornado, surrounded by countless green blades.

“F*ck! My! Life!”

There was an explosion of light and an angry voice. This was a deep-seated anger.

That voice was Fang Zhengzhi’s.

Only Fang Zhengzhi would be that crass.

That being said, when they heard this exclamation, no one thought of berating Fang Zhengzhi. Neither did they think that he was crass.

Even…

The demon soldiers…

Not a single demon thought that Fang Zhengzhi was out of place. If they were in his position, they would do the same thing…

Even though it wasn’t classy.

Canyang ‘looked’ at the branch falling to the ground, his chest heaving with rage.

However, he recovered quickly.

His expression was icy.

In the next moment, he sprang into action. He was inside the tree in the blink of an eye.

“Kacha!” A crisp sound rang out.

Canyang held a red fruit in his hand. That fruit had various patterns glowing on its skin.

“Boom!” An explosion echoed out.

Columns of fire shot skyward, staining the sky red and burning the air around it.

At the same time, Canyang’s hand shuddered and the golden light on his forehead dimmed momentarily. However, it reverted to its glowing state quickly.

Below…

Everyone was looking at the columns of flame.

Everyone had different expressions. Some were in awe, others were in shock, or joy, or sorrow, or even anger.

Everyone knew what Canyang was doing.

They also knew why Canyang was doing this.

“Fang Zhengzhi, I will destroy you today!” Canyang’s voice reverberated throughout the battlefield as his chest heaved.

However, such small details did not catch the eye of anyone.

The reason was that…

He was Canyang, a Sage! The most powerful existence in the world!

After he finished his sentence…

His body turned into a ray of light as he appeared someplace else with two fruits in the vicinity.

Canyang’s hand moved.

He tried to grab the fruits.

However, this time, there was no sound of the fruits being plucked. By the time his hands were in position, the fruits had disappeared.

Canyang’s expression froze.

The others who saw the fruits disappear were also equally shocked. They knew that those were Fruits of Dao.

They grew on the tree.

Since they grew on the tree, how could they move?

That was the question.

Canyang was also confused.

However, his question was answered within moments. There was someone in front of Canyang…

That man was standing on a branch…

He was wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt.

The night had past and dawn was breaking. The sunrise stained Fang Zhengzhi’s shirt with shades of red.

“Fang Zhengzhi!”

“He actually… plucked his own Fruits of Dao?!”

“What is he trying to do?!”

No one could understand Fang Zhengzhi’s actions…

What was he trying to achieve?

Fang Zhengzhi had no idea what the others were thinking. Even if he knew, he wouldn’t answer them. Even he had no idea what the consequences of what he was about to do were.

But that was his decision.

“I will rather eat it then see it destroyed!” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Canyang, his eyes filled with rage and mania.

He opened his mouth…

Then, he swallowed the fruit to the shock and amazement of all the spectators.

At that moment…

The entire world was silent.

Everyone looked at Fang Zhengzhi and the fruit that he was chewing… They couldn’t believe their eyes.

For one, they didn’t know that the fruit could fit in Fang Zhengzhi’s mouth.

But that wasn’t important.

More importantly…

Fang Zhengzhi ate his Fruit of Dao?!

Eating a Fruit of Dao!

No one had ever done that before, and it was something that no one expected to happen!

In order for something like that to happen, someone must be desperate enough to do it…

They had to link their pocket dimensions with a parallel dimension like The Vast World, then have the courage to do such a thing.

No one had done it before.

It was crazy…

Crazy was an understatement.

What did he want to do?

No one had the answer to this question. In fact, no one knew if Fang Zhengzhi had lost his mind.

Then, just at that moment, a soft voice rang out. From the tone of it, the person seemed rather satisfied.

“Oh? It’s quite yummy.”

Chapter 457: A figure walking out of thin air

“It’s… quite yummy?!”

When Fang Zhengzhi’s voice echoed through the field, everyone froze…

That thing is edible?!

“Sister Yan, has he lost his mind? Is the Fruit of Dao… even edible?” PIng Yang looked at Fang Zhengzhi, her face flushed and filled with shock.

Chi Guyan did not speak.

She stared at the figure in the blue long sleeved shirt. Even she had not tried something this crazy before.

Yun Qingwu didn’t speak either, but she had lost her cool. Her expression was conflicted, almost as if she couldn’t bear to watch, yet she had a steely determination to see it through.

Behind her, the demon soldiers looked at each other, unable to understand what Fang Zhengzhi was driving at.

But one question flew through their minds.

“Is it… really yummy?”

The Dragon Protection Squad, Mountain Breaking Army, and Southern Region soldiers were all at a loss for words.

“Is he comforting himself?”

That was what they all thought…

Even though they didn’t know what the Fruit of Dao tasted like, they knew that if it was destroyed, or eaten…

That meant that it was gone!

All that work was destroyed!

He must have lost his mind!

Even if he wasn’t crazy, he definitely wasn’t thinking straight.

Everyone thought that Fang Zhengzhi was simply comforting himself. They could only imagine the pain of losing a Fruit of Dao.

However, they couldn’t bring themselves to approve of his actions.

Eating it…

Would not solve any problems.

If eating it could solve the problems, then, this world…

Hang on!

What was he doing?

Just as they were contemplating advising Fang Zhengzhi against it, Fang Zhengzhi shoved the second fruit into his mouth and swallowed.

“Boom!”

At that moment, everyone felt a bolt of lightning crash to the ground, stunning all of them.

They could understand Fang Zhengzhi eating one fruit.

But two?

Okay then…

Maybe he didn’t want to waste it since he had already plucked it…

They all found a reason to explain the inexplicable. Even though it sounded a little forced, they couldn’t think of a better reason.

Two should be enough right?

Just as they were all thinking about that, a few more rays of light shot across the sky and four more Fruits of Dao fell off the tree and landed in Fang Zhengzhi’s hand.

“Yummy!” Fang Zhengzhi stuffed a third fruit into his mouth.

Then, before anyone could react, he ate a fourth, and a fifth, and a sixth…

Within moments, he had eaten all four fruits in his hand. More importantly, there were more fruits flying into his hand.

It was clear…

Fang Zhengzhi had no intention of stopping.

At that moment, the entire field was silent as they watched Fang Zhengzhi stuff fruit after fruit into his mouth.

They couldn’t understand what Fang Zhengzhi was doing.

Torturing himself?

Or…

Had he given up?!

“Mad, this guy must have lost his mind!”

No one knew what Fang Zhengzhi was doing. Even Canyang stopped doing anything as he ‘watched’ Fang Zhengzhi, his jaw dropped.

Destroy Fang Zhengzhi’s Fruits of Dao…

That was what Canyang had decided on. Not only did he want to break The Vast World, he wanted to eliminate Fang Zhengzhi.

But with things going as smoothly as they are…

Even he was floored.

Curious?

Canyang was not so naive. All he wanted to do was see how many fruits Fang Zhengzhi could eat.

That was his only thought.

Canyang was not alone.

Yun Qingwu and all of the Demon Domain Chiefs and demon soldiers had similar thoughts. All of them wanted to see how many fruits Fang Zhengzhi could bring himself to eat.

The entire arena was silent.

It was a strange sight.

Everyone was focused on Fang Zhengzhi’s mouth.

“He must have eaten 50 fruits by now?!”

“Look, he’s eating another one, his tally is up to 51!”

“Wow, how quick!”

They began murmuring amongst themselves, almost as if they were afraid of disturbing Fang Zhengzhi.

In the sky…

Fang Zhengzhi stuffed fruit after fruit into his mouth, his blue long sleeved shirt flapping in the wind.

He ignored the looks of those below.

He only cared about eating his fruits.

The Fruits of Dao continued to fly into his hand and he swallowed constantly. Every time he opened his mouth, a Fruit of Dao was swallowed.

The tree continued to shake…

Fruits of Dao fell from the tree and flew into Fang Zhengzhi’s hand. Fang Zhengzhi still showed no signs of stopping.

A rough estimate…

He had eaten almost 100 fruits.

At that moment, Fang Zhengzhi finally stopped. He burped and looked like he had eaten his full.

“He’s done?”

“Did anyone keep the count?”

“I did, 108!”

“108… oh my god… how is he still alive?”

Everyone below burst into chatter when they heard the obscene number…

“You’re full?” Canyang’s voice interrupted everyone. He ‘looked’ at Fang Zhengzhi with his hollow eyes…

“Far from it, I’m only half done.” Fang Zhengzhi shook his head and patted his stomach.

“Half done? Then… continue?” Canyang’s expression froze. He didn’t know whether to let Fang Zhengzhi continue or to stop Fang Zhengzhi.

He eventually decided to wait patiently, his arm crossed behind his back.

“Not yet, I’ll like to move around for a bit. It aids digestion.” Fang Zhengzhi shook his head.

“Aids digestion?” Canyang smirked. It looked very queer, but he didn’t ask any other questions. He nodded, “Come on!”

“Okay!” Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

The moment he nodded, he sprang into action. He was extremely quick, so quick that his body was a blur.

In the blink of an eye…

He appeared in front of Canyang.

He punched!

It was an ordinary punch, but it was extremely fast, almost as fast as Canyang’s strike at the entrance to the Iron Hill Settlement.

Canyang’s expression changed.

He was shocked.

This was unexpected.

His mile froze and he subconsciously took a step back. He covered his hands with his arms.

“Boom!” A loud explosion reverberated throughout the entire area.

It was a domineering wave of force, almost as though two mountains had crashed into each other. The entire space shuddered.

“What’s going on?”

“Why is he so fast?”

“That’s impossible!”

Everyone below was stunned. They knew that Fang Zhengzhi had combined with The Vast World, but Fang Zhengzhi was only in the nascent Supernatural State!

Even if his powers were augmented by his link to The Vast World…

He couldn’t possibly be that quick!

He was facing a Sage!

Going even with a Sage? He could even push the Sage back! That was unbelievable!

No one could understand what was happening…

Right now, the sky was completely golden. The golden light blocked out the stars, sun, and moon…

It was a sea of gold…

“Is he dead?”

“Was that just a lucky strike?”

All of the demons rejoiced when they saw the sea of gold. They knew that it was the Light of the Sage. That meant only one thing…

Fang Zhengzhi was a dead man!

The soldiers of the joint forces on the walls of the Iron Hill Settlement despaired.

They knew that Fang Zhengzhi was no match for Canyang.

However…

When they saw that Fang Zhengzhi could match the speed of a half sage, they had held on to a glimmer of hope.

Even if he couldn’t win…

He could hold out for some time! Even 15 minutes would be good!

But their hope didn’t last long.

“Sister Yan, is he…” Ping Yang’s chest heaved as she looked at the golden light in the sky.

“The Vast World is still here!” Chi Guyan shook her head. She did not answer Ping Yang’s question directly, but the answer could be inferred easily.

“So he’s not dead.” Yun Qingwu murmured to herself as she continued to look at the sky. She did not even look at Chi Guyan.

“Not dead?!”

“Fang Zhengzhi is not dead?!”

“This…”

When the demons behind Yun Qingwu heard this, they wanted to deny it instinctively, but they could not bring themselves to do it.

Because Yun Qingwu was the one who came to that conclusion.

As such…

It had to be true…

“Not dead?”

The Dragon Protection Squad, Mountain Breaking Army, and Southern Region soldiers were also in disbelief.

However, Chi Guyan was right.

The Vast World had not been destroyed!

That meant that Fang Zhengzhi was still alive.

But if he wasn’t dead… where was he hiding? The entire sky was covered with golden light! There was no place for Fang Zhengzhi to hide…

Unless…

Everyone turned to look at the ancient tree in the middle of the field. That was the only possibility left…

At that very moment, the tree began moving…

Hundreds of vines began to dance, flying towards the golden Light of the Sage. The leaves also responded.

The flew towards the light like moths to a flame.

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

“Boom boom boom!”

There was an explosion everytime the vines and leaves came into contact with the light. They couldn’t find a way through that shield.

However, with each impact, the golden Light of the Sage also shuddered, almost as if it was being destabilized with each hit.

Destabilizing the Light of the Sage?

That was something that would stun anyone.

More importantly, with each shudder, a figure could be seen floating in the Light of the Sage.

This was definitely not Canyang.

He was rather thin, but more importantly, his eyes were glowing.

“It’s… it’s Fang Zhengzhi?!”

“He’s not hiding in the tree. He’s bathing in the Light of the Sage!”

“How is that possible? How… how is he not dead?”

Countless pairs of eyes stared at that figure in awe and shock. This was something that no one thought was possible.

Yet…

It was clear for all to see.

“Kacha!” There was a sound similar to that of breaking glass. The moment that sound rang out, a black opening appeared in the middle of the golden light.

It was not a large opening.

But it was large enough for someone to walk through.

Someone walked out from the light. This was someone who was covered with blood from head to toe.

Since blood had been drawn…

One could not see his clothes.

His clothes had been shredded.

The only thing on his body was blood, fresh blood.

Everyone looked at the figure walking out from the black opening.

They weren’t looking at the blood on the person’s body.

They were…

Looking at his eyes.

His eyes were filled with life and a steely determination. It was a gaze that showed his will to live and fight, but that was not the most important.

Most importantly, his eyes were glowing with a myriad of colors.

Red, green, purple, yellow, orange, blue…

All these colors were swirling around in his eyes. It was a strange sight, a sight that sent chills down the spines of everyone watching.