Gate of God

Chapter 694: Motherf*cker!

Could it be that the starry sky was not an illusion, but that it actually existed?

That was impossible! Why would there be chains in the starry sky? Furthermore, why would there be chunks of huge black rocks on each chain? This was not scientific at all!

Fang Zhengzhi did not know if the concept of science existed in this world. However, with his knowledge from his past life, he knew that this should not be possible.

Wait a moment, could it be that…

Instantly, a legend flashed past in Fang Zhengzhi’s mind. It had something to do with Nüwa. (Translator’s Note: Nüwa is one of the creator deities of the Chinese pantheon)

The legend mentioned one incident in particular, where Nüwa tried to fix the heaven. In that legend, the fire god Zhurong had a massive fight with the water god Gonggong.

Then, Gonggong smashed Mount Buzhou in rage, causing the very heaven to collapse and the water from the heaven to pour into the mortal realm.

Nüwa could not bear to see such scenes of utter destruction and hence, she made five-colored stones to mend the heavens. Also, she used a divine turtle to stabilize the four corners of the world. She subdued the floodwater and killed the savage beasts that came along with it, bringing peace back into the world.

Fang Zhengzhi also knew that this legend had many different versions. The earlier versions did not mention the existence of Zhurong and Gonggong.

The ‘Huainanzi’ (an ancient Chinese religious text) stated, “In the distant past, the four corners of the world were ruined, the nine states were split apart, the heaven was turned upside-down, and the earth could not bear fruits. Inextinguishable fires raged and torrential water swept the earth.”

Ferocious beasts preyed on the strong while bird-like monsters preyed on the old and the weak. Hence, Nüwa made the five-colored stones to mend the heaven, broke off the legs of a divine turtle to stabilize the four corners of the world, killed the black dragon to save Jizhou (one of the nine constituent states of Ancient China), and used the ashes from burning common reed to stop the floodwater.

The version where the fire god Zhurong and the water god Gonggong first appeared emerged during the Eastern Han Dynasty on his previous life. Wang Chong, in his book ‘Lunheng’, explained the collapse of heaven by attributing it to Gonggong’s smashing of Mount Buzhou. Hence, Nüwa and Gonggong became a story where a savior rescued mankind.

In reality, Fang Zhengzhi preferred the version without Zhurong and Gonggong.

Of course, these were all myths. Perhaps there were similar myths in this world too. He himself was not sure how this myth came to be.

However, if someone was a true descendant of Nüwa…

Then, according to the situation in this world, when the Heavenly Prophecy descended on Chi Guyan and him, it could mean that Chi Guyan was descended from Nüwa.

Could it be possible that this legend was real?

Hence, if this legend was real, could the starry sky that appeared behind the Green Rock Door be the one that Nüwa had fixed?

The black chains and the huge rocks bound together by them…

Nangong Hao was able to reveal this starry sky with his Blood Offering.

By connecting all these things together, Fang Zhengzhi was able to make a bold guess. Of course, this was just a guess.

However, if this guess turned out to be real, then Nangong Hao’s action of revealing his starry sea was truly astounding.

Could it be that there was some secret hidden in this once-broken starry sky?

Fang Zhengzhi ceased to think because he could see that one of the big black rock, which was closest to the Green Rock Door, started to crack open.

“Kacha!” Clear light shone from the black rock. It exuded a vast and terrifying aura, making it hard for those around it to breathe.

It was just a flash of light, so why was it so pressurizing?

What was inside the big, black rock?

Fang Zhengzhi did not know. However, Mu Qingfeng, who stood in the sky above, saw it and his face turned indescribably ugly.

He appeared petrified.

Then, Mu Qingfeng started to act too. With his snow-white robes billowing in the air, he rushed without hesitation into the Green Rock Door.

“Master!”

When the disciples of the Heaven Dao Pavilion saw this scene, they all started to worry, even though they did not know what was in the starry sky behind the Green Rock Door.

However, from the aura that came from the Green Rock Door, they all knew that it was something terrible.

“Boom!” Mu Qingfeng’s palms landed on the Green Rock Door, which made it tremble visibly.

However, the door just trembled.

On the other hand, Mu Qingfeng was forced to take three steps back.

Furthermore, Mu Qingfeng paled visibly. Evidently, the recoil from his palm-strike injured him slightly.

Fang Zhengzhi’s mouth opened slightly.

He remembered clearly that not long ago, Mu Qingfeng’s palm was able to close his Near-Life Gate, which he had opened with much difficulty.

This Green Rock Door…

Was it a treasure?!

Fang Zhengzhi did not know what secrets were hidden in the starry sky behind the Green Rock Door. However, he was sure that the Green Rock Door was a one-of-a-kind treasure.

“Can I take it?”

Fang Zhengzhi was allowed to have this thought in his mind. However, for now, it should remain as nothing more than a thought.

After all, this was no time to snatch treasures. Importantly, even if he wanted to do so, he was completely out-classed.

If Mu Qingfeng could not even close the Green Rock Door, how could he control it?

“Use the Near-Life Dao!” Just when Fang Zhengzhi was thinking about it, Chi Guyan appeared in front of Fang Zhengzhi. Her bright eyes shone with starlight.

“Eh? The Near-Life Dao is effective against this Green Rock Door?” Fang Zhengzhi knew that Chi Guyan was talking to him. After all, she did not know how to do it.

“I don’t know, but there’s no harm in trying!” Chi Guyan shook her head. Her pink dress appeared even be radiant under the shine from the setting sun.

Then…

Chi Guyan moved.

Before Fang Zhengzhi could reply, she rushed forward with a resolute expression on her face.

For a brief moment, Fang Zhengzhi was disorientated. Chi Guyan, while powerful, was also beautiful enough to make his heart shake.

Classy, solitary, and ethereally beautiful.

“Seal!” Chi Guyan cried out. A dot of starlight appeared on her fingernail. It streaked across the sky like a rainbow.

It then landed on the Green Rock Door.

“Boom!” The Green Rock Door started to tremble violently once more. The Green Rock Door, which appeared to be opening, now seemed to be closing. In terms of effect, her finger was more effective than Mu Qingfeng’s palm.

“How can this be? Can it close so easily?” Fang Zhengzhi was stunned too. He did not wonder how could Chi Guyan’s finger be more powerful than Mu Qingfeng’s palm.

He knew that it had something to do with her lineage.

However…

He did not understand how could this door, which Nangong Hao had summoned with such a huge price, be closed so easily.

That was impossible!

Fang Zhengzhi felt that this was extremely strange.

However, at this moment, another figure rushed in front of the Green Rock Door. He was extremely fast and his hands shone with light. This was the Elder of the Fu Xi Valley, Gu Yuan.

“Boom!” He slammed his palm onto the Green Rock Door.

However, after that palm-strike, Gu Yuan’s entire body bounced back as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

However, what shocked Fang Zhengzhi was…

The Green Rock Door closed a bit once more…

“Can it really be closed?” No matter how Fang Zhengzhi thought about it, this seemed like an impossible undertaking. However, reality proved him wrong.

It could really be closed!

Impossible.

This had to be impossible!

Nangong Hao sacrificed his own life to drag Tian Xing into the Green Rock Door to reveal this starry sky. Hence, if it could be closed just like this…

What was the point?

Fang Zhengzhi felt that this was not as simple as it seemed. Otherwise, his suspicions about the Green Rock Door was wrong.

He stopped thinking.

This was because regardless of whether he was right or wrong, the crucial issue was the thing that was hidden inside. They should attempt to close this door.

By closing this door, they could regain a temporary peace.

“Boom!” Mu Qingfeng’s second palm landed on the Green Rock Door once more. This made him even paler as a trickle of blood seeped out from the corner of his mouth.

One could imagine that the recoil one experienced from the Green Rock Door was proportional to the amount of strength used.

Wait a minute!

The amount of strength one used?

Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes opened wide instantly.

At this moment, the disciples of the Heaven Dao Pavilion and the Nine Pinnacles Mountain both started to move.

When they saw this scene, they all made up their mind and without any hesitation, they leaped into the air and rushed toward the Green Rock Door.

It was a majestic sight.

It was as if thousands of stars were gathering together.

Multi-colored lights started to shine on the bodies of the disciples from the Nine Pinnacles Mountain and the Heaven Dao Pavilion. They were all fearless.

As for Nangong Mu, he looked grief-stricken. He stared intently at the Green Rock Door as he stood without moving in mid-air.

Yan Qing, who was behind him, did not take this chance to attack Nangong Mu. Instead, he stood quietly there too like a statue.

“Boom!”

“Boom! Boom!”

Dozens of Sage State disciples charged in front of the Green Rock Door. They used their palms to strike it repeatedly. With each palm, the Green Rock Door would close by a tiny bit.

However, they all paid a heavy price for their actions.

Their faces were pale. Furthermore, blood trickled down the corners of their mouths. One could see that they were in agony.

“It was indeed better to work together!” Fang Zhengzhi thought. He noticed that the Green Rock Door was on the verge of closing and realized that it was time for him to act too.

One had to seize whatever opportunities one could get.

Fang Zhengzhi always viewed himself as someone who was well-prepared To be a well-prepared person, one had to be discerning.

It was like when a treasure dropped from the heaven.

When this happened, many people’s first reaction would be to snatch the treasure. However, the first few to snatch it would often perish.

While they were fighting over treasures here, it was similar in nature.

If he was the first one to act, he would be like many of the people in front of him. He probably would spit out a great deal of blood but he would not receive anything.

He stopped hesitating.

Fang Zhengzhi rushed forward with determination.

“Everyone, move aside! Let me try!” Fang Zhengzhi knew that at moments like this, he must project a certain aura. Hence, he spoke these words so loudly as if he was shouting them out.

Of course, his expression was still cunning.

Naturally, he knew that in these situations, he should appear righteous and brave. This would help assert his dominance.

Thus…

Fang Zhengzhi charged forward.

The disciples surrounding the Green Rock Door were shocked by Fang Zhengzhi’s words. They all made way for him.

“Does this guy want to die?”

“The recoil from the Green Rock Door is immense, is he not afraid of death?”

“I never expect that while this guy appears shameless normally, he can be so righteous at crucial moments…”

“Can he really be the Chosen One?”

The disciples all made way for him. When they saw his righteous expression, they were all shocked.

Mu Qingfeng saw this scene too. His expression betrayed shock as if he had just thought of something. Then, he stepped aside.

Fang Zhengzhi was shocked too.

He was not shocked that they all made way for him, but instead, he could not fathom why did they not smack it a bit more? The Green Rock Door was on the verge of closing.

However, there was still an opening.

“Was I too hasty?” Fang Zhengzhi never expected that he could make everyone stop just by shouting. He expected them to smack it a bit more.

This made the situation awkward.

He could not just ask them to smack it around a bit more for him, right?

Fang Zhengzhi stopped right in front of the Green Rock Door. Before him was a pitch-black sky. Starlight flashed in it.

He could even see that the chunk of rock closest to him was already filled with countless cracks, which were as dense as thick as a spider web.

It was on the verge of blowing up.

Of course…

Most importantly, he had to ensure that everyone looked at him without blinking. No one moved and no one spoked.

Even Chi Guyan had the expression which said, “If you can do it, go!”

“…” Fang Zhengzhi’s lips twitched as he felt the look of ‘anticipation’ all around him. He suddenly understood that it was not because he was too domineering.

These guys around him did it deliberately. In other words, they were all very ‘discerning’.

Fine…

It seemed that he was the ‘praying mantis’.

An entire flock of ‘sparrows’ stood behind him.

(Translator’s Note: This comparison stemmed from a Chinese saying implying the predatory relationship between a mantis and a sparrow.)

He did not even want to claim credit for ‘closing’ the door. All he wanted to do right now was to keep his dignity. How could he close the door by just a bit more?

“Hell Near-Life Chains!” Fang Zhengzhi’s hand moved and six chains of different colors flew out from his palm. They coiled themselves around Green Rock Door.

Of course, just like what he had expected, there would be no recoil if he did not smack it. How could these people here only smack the door without trying to pull it shut?

Fang Zhengzhi’s mouth twitched and a smile crept across his face. Just when he was about to pull, a panicky voice rang out next to him.

“Don’t enter the starry sky behind the Green Rock Door. Quick… recall the Hell Near-Life Chains!” The speaker was none other than Mu Qingfeng.

“What?” Fang Zhengzhi’s heart missed a beat. Just when he was about to withdraw the Hell Near-Life Chains which he had thrown into the Green Rock Door, he felt a terrifying attractive power rushing toward him.

“F*ck me! Why the f*ck is it like this? I’m standing outside the door and all I did was to throw the Hell Near-Life Chains inside. Is this considered entering the Green Rock Door’s starry sky too?”

Fang Zhengzhi was speechless. What made him even more speechless was that as the attractive force came toward him, he also saw the black rock blowing up.

“Boom!” An explosion rang out.

Then, the starry sky behind the Green Rock Gate trembled.

A cosmic tempest now raged in the once-calm sky. Powerful winds started to blow and the meteors in the starry sky, which had just been floating around, were buffeted by it.

This was akin to confirming a famous saying, “My respect for you is like the ever-churning river water. My desire for you is as unstoppable as floods from the Yellow River.”

“…” What could Fang Zhengzhi say? There was nothing for him to say. If he had to say something, he just wanted to ask, “Should I say ‘motherf*cker’? It seems like the perfect occasion.”

Chapter 695: Our Friendship Is Over!

Creating trouble for oneself was a fatal mistake!

Fang Zhengzhi sensed the truth in this statement, but he still could not understand how was his attempt at delivering the ‘final blow’ was tantamount to creating trouble.

Of course, there was no medicine to cure regret, not even in this world.

Fang Zhengzhi realized that even if he wanted to run, he had no chance of doing so. The attractive force was much larger than what he had expected.

At this moment, he finally understood why did Tian Xing not dodge when he punched his face.

The attractive force was pulling at him like a huge hand. Fang Zhengzhi had no choice but to drop his pretenses as he wrapped his foot around a human-shaped sculpture to the right of the Green Rock Door.

“Fang Zhengzhi!” Chi Guyan’s voice rang out. She acted quickly and a huge shadow flashed past as a snake tail coiled around Fang Zhengzhi.

At the same time…

She tapped the Green Rock Door with her finger.

“Boom!” A huge explosion rang out. The Green Rock Door trembled as if it had been dealt a terrible blow.

“Quick, close the Green Rock Door!” As Mu Qingfeng spoke, he struck it with his palm again.

The disciples around him reacted instantly. Right now, they had to save Fang Zhengzhi and the only way to do so was to close the Green Rock Door.

Fang Zhengzhi was touched.

It turned out that there were people in this world who did not want him dead. Of course, while he was touched, he was also slightly depressed.

He was not depressed because he was about to be sucked in.

Instead, a meteor, caught in the cosmic tempest, was flying straight for him. Furthermore, it seemed to be accelerating. Its target was his handsome face.

“Never hit someone on his face, don’t you know that?” Fang Zhengzhi felt that no matter what difficulty he faced, he could not allow a rock to hit his face.

However, he could not move.

Other than his leg, which was wrapped firmly around the human-shaped statue, his entire boy was immobile.

There was nothing he could do.

He could only retreat and pray for luck.

As the meteor approached him, Fang Zhengzhi bit down on his teeth. He lowered his head as he prepared to head-butt it.

“Boom!”

Instantly, stars flew in front of Fang Zhengzhi. Every single star spun in front of him non-stop. They seemed to be dancing in joy.

Then, he felt his world dim.

The moment it turned black, Fang Zhengzhi saw a figure. The figure stood inside the Green Rock Door and was floating in the middle of the starry sky.

Of course, there was a pair of eyes.

A pair of golden eyes.

“Kaboom!” Just as Fang Zhengzhi stared at the pair of golden eyes, he suddenly felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck his soul.

Then…

Everything went black. He felt as if someone was hugging one warmly. He smelt a faint, delightful fragrance.

…

Fang Zhengzhi was dreaming.

It was a very long dream. In the dream, he saw a huge crack in the sky. Countless stars fell out from the crack, turning into meteors as they bombarded the earth.

There were many odd beasts, most of which had colorful armors and terrifying faces. Their eyes were blood-red and their teeth were razor-sharp.

Blood, fire, water…

They all swept the earth.

It was a catastrophe, a true catastrophe. Intense flames scorched the earth, burning away trees and blackening the tops of mountains. Countless demonic beings appeared from the fire, killing mankind.

Just when mankind was approaching extinction, a figure appeared in the air. Her hair was like a waterfall and she wore snow-white robes. She descended as if she was the sovereign of all creations.

It was a woman.

Her bottom-half was not that of a snake. Instead, she was bare-footed.

Behind the woman, there were countless figures. They enveloped the sky and the earth. Multicolored light shone from their bodies.

Under the leadership of the woman, these people rushed into the huge tear in the sky. All of them had resolute expressions on their faces…

…

He woke up and in front of Fang Zhengzhi, there stood another woman too. The woman’s back was facing him. She stood near the window and her pink robes brushed against the clean, wooden floor.

Warm sunlight streamed in through the window, casting long shadows of the two purple flowers on the windowsill and of the woman.

It was a beautiful sight.

At the very least, Fang Zhengzhi felt his spirit soar. However, his head still throbbed in pain. That was the only problem right now.

“Are you awake?” The woman turned around slowly. Her eyebrows were elegant and her eyes were bright. Her lips were as tender as the petals of a flower.

She no longer exuded a cold, untouchable aura. Right now, Chi Guyan was extremely calm. She was like the surface of an emerald-green lake.

“Yes, where is this place?” Fang Zhengzhi nodded his head. He took in his surroundings. He realized that he was in a wooden house. It was very quiet and simple.

Other than a table and two chairs, and the many flowers and plants that were outside the house, one could not find anything else in it.

“Heaven Dao Pavilion, where I live,” replied Chi Guyan as she walked in front of the table. Then, she lifted the tea kettle and poured water into a wooden cup. She slowly walked to the bed where Fang Zhengzhi lay and passed the cup of water to him, saying, “Flower tea, I brewed it myself.”

“You live here?” Fang Zhengzhi took the cup of flower tea from Fang Zhengzhi. He took a look and realized that the flowers in the tea were slowly opening up. They were extremely bright and gave off a slight fragrance.

He brought it to his mouth and drank it slowly. As he drank, he felt as refreshed as he would be if he stepped into a river. A faint fragrance started to spread all over his tongue.

“Yes,” replied Chi Guyan as she nodded her head.

“How’s Yan Xiu?” Just when Fang Zhengzhi was about to stand up from the bed, he realized that he was naked. Helplessly, he retreated back into the blankets.

“He woke up ten days ago. Master wanted to take him in as a disciple, but he refused.” Chi Guyan seemed to have anticipated this question as she replied straight away.

“Refused? Why… Wait a minute, you said ten days ago?!” Fang Zhengzhi was slightly confused. Quickly, he reacted to this shocking news. He leaped off the bed immediately.

Ten days….

“Have I been unconscious for ten days?!”

Just when he was about to ask another question, he realized that there was something amiss with Chi Guyan’s gaze. While she was still calm, her face blushed visibly.

She was as red as a rising sun.

“…”

“Wait a minute, I’m not wearing anything!”

…

Fang Zhengzhi seemed ill-prepared to accept this fact. He had been unconscious in the Heaven Dao Pavilion for half a month.

Of course, this was not something which made him happy.

He slept for half a month.

This meant that he still had three and a half months to live. Furthermore, this was assuming that nothing extraordinary would happen.

However, no one knew if he could live until the last day of these three and a half months.

“I must go, where’s Mu Qingfeng? He promised me something. Before I go, I want to meet him!” Fang Zhengzhi said.

“Master is slightly injured. It’ll be at least half a month more before he exits seclusion,” said Chi Guyan. Here, she paused for a while before she continued, “However, I’ve raised your request to him. You can spend one month in the Heaven Dao Pavilion. In this one month, you’ll have the rights of an elder. You can enter anywhere an elder can enter, including the Repository and the Divine Rain Pond. Furthermore, you are granted one bottle of ‘Heaven Soul Pills’, a token of a disciple of the Heaven Dao Pavilion, a Wind-Breaking Armor, a Snow Wind Eagle, and also…”

“Are you betraying the Heaven Dao Pavilion?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Chi Guyan. He suddenly felt that if she wanted to be shameless, she could be more shameless than him.

Let’s not even talk about the rights of an elder, which was a massive privilege, the rights to enter the Divine Rain Pond, the Wind-Breaking Armor, a Snow Wind Eagle, a bottle of Heaven Soul Pills were already incredible.

For some of these items, he did not even know their names. Most importantly, Chi Guyan helped him obtain a token of a Heaven Soul Pavilion disciple.

Of course, one could maximize one’s request when negotiating with a crafty old fox like Mu Qingfeng if one had a ‘spy’ like Chi Guyan.

“You have already used up half of this one month. In the remaining half, you can visit the Repository. After half a month, when master exits seclusion, you can visit the Divine Rain Pond with me,” Chi Guyan did not answer Fang Zhengzhi’s question but instead continued speaking.

“Divine Rain Pond?” Fang Zhengzhi blinked.

“Yes, every single disciple of the Heaven Dao Pavilion, upon reaching the Rebirth State, will have a chance to enter the Divine Rain Pond. The so-called ‘divine rain’ is a type of dew forged from 999 different types of precious plants and herbs. When you enter the Divine Rain Pond, you can drink the dew water and bathe in it. Then, you will see the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustration,” explained Chi Guyan.

“The Nine Heavens Sagely Illustration?” Fang Zhengzhi blinked.

Of course, he had to blink. If he ended up asking what was the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustration, it would be slightly shameful.

“That’s right. Each illustration represents a heaven. In the history of the Heaven Dao Pavilion, 49 people were able to reach the Seventh Heaven, seven people were able to reach the Eighth Heaven, and only one person was able to reach the Ninth Heaven,” explained Chi Guyan once more.

“Do you know… which heaven did Nangong Hao reach?” Fang Zhengzhi nodded his head. Suddenly, a figure entered his mind.

“The Eighth Heaven,” replied Chi Guyan without even thinking.

“In the history of the Heaven Dao Pavilion, only seven people reached the Eighth Heaven, and Nangong Hao was one of them?” Fang Zhengzhi’s heart trembled. Then, a powerful emotion rose in his heart.

Of course, the Green Rock Door was closed. Furthermore, it had been personally sealed by a formation illustration cast by Gu Yuan, the Elder of the Fu Xi Valley, personally. However, when he heard that Nangong Hao was able to reach the Eighth Heaven, an odd feeling rose in his heart.

Nangong Hao…

He may not be dead!

“Nangong Mu had left the Heaven Dao Pavilion,” said Chi Guyan. When she noticed that Fang Zhengzhi was silent, she slowly walked back to the windowsill.

“Okay,” replied Fang Zhengzhi with a nod.

He guessed that Nangong Mu had left. After all, after the incident with Nangong Hao, there was no way Nangong Mu could remain in the Heaven Dao Pavilion.

“Before he left, he said something,” said Chi Guyan once again.

“Oh? Did he say where he’s going?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Chi Guyan. He guessed that Nangong Mu probably left an address for him.

“No, these words are meant for Yan Qing,” said Chi Guyan as she shook her head.

“Eh?” Fang Zhengzhi was curious.

“Nangong Mu said that you once defeated him. He told Yan Qing that he was not your opponent,” said Chi Guyan. As she finished, starlight flashed in her bright eyes.

“…” Fang Zhengzhi’s lips twitched. At this moment, he did not know what to say.

He felt that in this world, there was no true good fellow. “We’re friends! What about friendship? Does this mean our friendship is over?”

“Oh right, I forgot to tell you. Yan Qing had been waiting for you underneath the big tree in the yard. He waited for more than half a month.” As Chi Guyan said this, her mouth twitched as a smile crept across her face. It was like a flower that had finally blossomed.

Chapter 696: Promise, Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations

“Since we’ve already made him wait for half a month, let’s just let him wait a little longer.” Fang Zhengzhi twitched his lips and said nonchalantly as he glanced briefly at the faint smile on Chi Guyan’s face.

In fact, he wasn’t afraid of Yan Qing. It’s just that, even though as the saying goes, one who survives great disaster would be rewarded with bountiful fortunes, not only has he not received any remuneration, he was left with a troublesome matter to solve.

Whenever he recalled the match where Yan Qing clinged onto Nan Gongmu, a drop of cold sweat could trickle down from his head. Isn’t he also pestered by this brat too?

“Do you still remember the promise between us?” Chi Guyan turned around slowly and stared at Fang Zhengzhi quietly with her bright eyes.

“I do remember, but are you trying to take advantage of my current predicament?” Fang Zhengzhi’s lips jerked. He naturally knew which promise Chi Guyan was referring to.

If Chi Guyan had asked this question half a month ago, Fang Zhengzhi would promptly agree without even batting an eyelid. But now, he would have to give this prospect serious thought. After all, his promise was a double-edged sword – if he won, Chi Guyan would be his slut for a month, but if he lost …

Ugh! Fang Zhengzhi felt chills down his spine immediately after thinking about it.

Her personal valet for a month? And he’s only allowed to stand and not sit?

If he accidently lost the match by a whisker, he would have to spend one whole month of his remaining three months being Chi Guyan’s servant. Then what’s the difference between this and just killing him immediately?

“I won’t. I’ll wait for you to recover and we’ll have a fair showdown half a month later!” Chi Guyan shook her head, her expression clearly telling Fang Zhengzhi that she would not bully him.

“Fighting … is not actually a good thing. As the adage goes, a gentleman uses his words and not his fists for battle. Furthermore, the true aim of all this training is actually to attain the Great Dao. If we engage in such meaningless brutal scuffles, we may lose the point of all this training …” Upon hearing Chi Guyan’s reply, Fang Zhengzhi explained in lengths, brimming with justice.

“Yes, you’re right.” Chi Guyan nodded and walked to Fang Zhengzhi’s bedside, sitting down slowly. “Why don’t we compete in another way?”

“I’m highly proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and art. If we compete in these areas, you might just be overwhelmed and complain that I’m bullying you ….” Fang Zhengzhi continued firmly.

“Sneeze!” Chi Guyan couldn’t hold back her chuckle, with her smile as radiant as the most beautiful blossoms. But very quickly, Chi Guyan retracted her smile. “You shameless thief, your skin is really thick, isn’t it? Then let’s see who can rise higher in the Divine Rain Pond, how about that?”

“What if we both ascend to the Ninth Heaven?” Fang Zhengzhi asked casually.

“As I said just now, there’s only one person in the history of the Heaven Dao Pavilion who has reached the Ninth Heaven, and that person is the first Pavilion Leader of the Heaven Dao Pavilion, the one who once sat at the top of the Holy Region, Du Gujian!” Chi Guyan gazed at Fang Zhengzhi.

“So what?”

“Alright, if we both ascend to the Ninth Heaven, then we’ll compete to see who can grasp the Ninth Sagely Illustration the fastest.” Chi Guyan nodded.

“What if we both master it at the same time?” asked Fang Zhengzhi again.

“Then of course, it’ll be counted as your loss.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m a woman, and I’m younger than you by a year.” Chi Guyan exclaimed righteously.

“….” Fang Zhengzhi’s lips twitched. For a brief moment, he was speechless.

Yes, that chick Chi Guyan is indeed younger than him by a year, but she cannot deny the fact that she grew up in the Divine Constabulary, and boasted more experience than Fang Zhengzhi by nearly a thousand times, and most importantly, followed a cursed bloodline.

Could they even compare these?

Yes, they certainly could. After all, Fang Zhengzhi had one additional lifetime’s worth of memories.

…..

Fang Zhengzhi already had his fill after walking out of Chi Guyan’s little yard.

Against the setting sun, there were no returning crows roosting on the branches. There was just a figure dressed in dark green robes standing beneath the tree, glaring at Fang Zhengzhi striding out of the gates with his beastly eyes.

“Oh, what a coincidence.” Fang Zhengzhi greeted Yan Qing very proactively before speeding up his steps, preparing to take off.

“I don’t think so. I’ve been waiting for you.” Yan Qing nodded and in a flash, he blocked Fang Zhengzhi’s advance immediately without any hesitation.

“Waiting for me? I’m sorry, I’m a little busy at the moment ….”

“Brother Fang, I want to challenge you to a battle!”

“Yan Qing, I’m still recuperating from the grievous injuries I sustained. Even if you really wish to challenge me, could you at least wait for me to heal completely?” Fang Zhengzhi proposed earnestly.

“This …. Brother Fang is right. I was out of line.” Upon hearing this, Yan Qing frowned and continued, “Then I’ll return tomorrow.”

“….” Fang Zhengzhi stared at Yan Qing walking into the distance, slightly speechless. He was certainly not afraid of losing, but he knew Yan Qing’s personality inside out. Yan Qing held an unwavering determination, and would never give up before he got what he wanted.

To put in more bluntly, even if Fang Zhengzhi had defeated Yan Qing today, Yan Qing would return again tomorrow, and the day after. Once this starts, there would be no end to this.

Fang Zhengzhi didn’t want to be continuously bogged down by Yan Qing, and more importantly, he would just waste his energy battling Yan Qing without any benefit whatsoever.

He was pressed for time. He only had half a month left, and he could not afford to be delayed at all. Hence, he has already decided to focus solely on exploiting his privileges he received from the elders to ransack the Heaven Dao Pavilion in this period of time without any hesitations.

Fang Zhengzhi went straight towards the Repository.

“Eh? That scoundrel’s awake?”

“It really is Fang Zhengzhi!”

“He’s awake …”

After taking approximately a hundred steps out of the yard, Fang Zhengzhi was noticed by a few loitering Heaven Dao disciples, instantly spoiling the silence.

“Hey, come over here!” Fang Zhengzhi gestured to the Heaven Dao disciple nearest to him.

“What? Let me tell you, don’t you try anything stupid. This is the Heaven Dao Pavilion. Master may have accepted you, but if you dare do anything to me … Ouch, ouch, ouch … Brother Fang, a true gentleman uses words and not his fists … Say it out if you have something to tell me, we may even become disciples in the same sect in the future!”

“How do I get to the Repository?” Fang Zhengzhi asked the Heaven Dao disciple who become completely subservient after being punched in the face.

“That’s your only question? Hold on, Brother Fang. Let me draw you a map. I’m not touting my own horn but, before I entered the Heaven Dao Pavilion, I was already a famous ink painter in the Radiant Moon Empire.”

“If you don’t finish drawing the map by the time I finishing counting down from five, hehe …”

“What? Brother Fang, I assure you that ….”

“Five!”

“….”

“Three!”

“….”

…..

After arriving at the Repository, Fang Zhengzhi naturally became the focal point of attention. Both the disciples preparing to enter the Repository and the disciples leaving the Repository all focused their eyes on Fang Zhengzhi, appearing extremely cautious in his presence.

As for the situation he was in … Fang Zhengzhi was certainly prepared for it. After all, his appearance has been deeply engraved in the hearts of every Heaven Dao Pavilion after the battle at the Heaven Academic Altar.

As he stepped into the Repository, the disciples guarding the Repository gates were noticeably shocked, but nobody stopped him from entering. And neither did Fang Zhengzhi confront any of the disciples reading in the Repository with any hostility.

Because, he was completely overwhelmed by the collection of the ancient books resting on the white jade shelves inside the Repository.

In fact … after arriving in this world, this was the first time Fang Zhengzhi truly entered such a place. When he was little, his books were gathered from all over the place. And after he entered the Shadow Sect, he heard Wu Yu’er and the Heavenly Oasis Saint boast about how formidably powerful and impressive the Shadow Sect was.

“There really is quite a lot of books!” Fang Zhengzhi smiled and he strode towards the staircase leading up to the second floor. He wasn’t stopped either.

Up to the third floor, the fourth floor, the fifth floor, the sixth floor …

When he reached the entrance of the seventh floor, a hand reached out and blocked his path.

“I’m sorry, only the Pavilion Leader is authorized to enter the seventh floor!” The person impeding his advance was an old man dressed exactly like a Heaven Dao disciple, but he seemed to be at least ten years old.

“Okay.” Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

It was virtually impossible for Fang Zhengzhi to finish reading all the books in the Heaven Dao Pavilion Repository within half a month, and neither did Fang Zhengzhi possess the to read a thousand lines with a single glance.

Hence, he wisely chose to begin reading from the highest floor which his elder privileges allowed him to enter, before proceeding down the floors from there.

And in fact, it was proven that … his decision was the right one.

Because the books on the sixth floor were evidently much fewer than the books on the first floor. At a glance, there were only about fifty books.

“It seems like a few secrets of the Holy Region would be … hidden here, wouldn’t it?” Fang Zhengzhi smirked and began browsing through the books.

There’s even sword techniques in here?

Hmm … this has to be copied down.

Eh? There’s alchemy, weapon-making, and formation-breaking techniques too? Hm, these must be copied down too!

Why aren’t there any guides introducing the geography of the Holy Region? Oh, there isn’t an geography guide, but there’s a map of the Holy Region’s forbidden areas, and ..

“Oh? So much treasure!” Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes lit up. Very quickly, he managed to locate an explanatory map detailing the various forbidden areas of the Holy Region and the respective treasures they contained.

The Thousand Years Fire Herb, guarded by the Three Sages of Black Moon Island and one of the treasures of the Nine Pinnacles Mountain.

But what a pity … it’s been crossed out.

However, why is there a special note on the page that it’s been eaten by someone named Fang Zhengzhi?

It certainly refreshes its information very quickly.

Hold on.

If the Heaven Dao Pavilion Repository has updated their catalogue with this new piece of information, does that mean that the remaining four sects of the Holy Region know about this as well?

Chapter 697: Can’t You Notice Such Blatant Cheating?

Fang Zhengzhi suddenly had a feeling that perhaps, his journey in the Holy Region this time would be a little harder than he had imagined. Without thinking about it too much, Fang Zhengzhi continued browsing through the books.

After ploughing through all the books on the sixth floor, he proceeded to the five floor but did not flip through each book with the same amount of detail. He merely perused the synopsis and content page of each book briefly.

Time sped past, and when the moon rose slowly above the horizon and the stars began to shine, Fang Zhengzhi has reached the first floor. Within these four hours, he never actually completed any single book.

Instead, he was synthesizing everything that he browsed through. In his mind, he synthesized and categorized everything he read from the first floor to the sixth floor before sieving out the important bits.

It was a very intricate process. Hence, Fang Zhengzhi did not complete this in a hurry. After all, he had to be well-prepared to complete any task to the best of his ability. This was the conclusion he derived from two lifetimes’ worth of experience.

Before he left the Repository, Fang Zhengzhi picked out a book from a shelf on the first floor. It was a very ordinary-looking book, and very few people have borrowed it before.

“I’ll borrow this.” Fang Zhengzhi presented the book to the two Heaven Dao disciples guarding the entrance.

“This one?” Upon noticing the book which Fang Zhengzhi picked, the two guards were clearly in disbelief.

Following this, the news that Fang Zhengzhi only borrowed a single book after spinning about for four hours in the Repository, had spread through the Heaven Dao Pavilion within an hour.

“Did that scoundrel really just borrow a single magazine?”

“After spending four hours in there, from the sixth floor to the first, did he not know that there are profound sword formation illustrations on the sixth floor? What exactly is he thinking?’

“I don’t know, but it seems that Senior Chi Guyan’s painstaking efforts have definitely been wasted!”

As the various corners of the Heaven Dao Pavilion broke out into gossip, another explosive piece of news rippled through the area, and this piece of news was evidently much juicier than the fact that Fang Zhengzhi merely borrowed a single book from the Repository.

“Senior Chi Guyan actually met a bet with that scoundrel?!”

“They’re competing to see who would reach a higher level in the Divine Rain Pond?”

“And the loser would have to become the winner’s personal slave?! Oh my god, did they have to place such great bets?”

Virtually all the Heaven Dao disciples felt as though their hearts had been pierced by a thunderbolt after hearing this piece of news.

“Fang Zhengzhi couldn’t possibly be trying to exploit his potential status as Senior Chi Guyan’s slave to stay in the Heaven Dao Pavilion, could he?!” The disciples derived their own deduction after the message was passed through the pavilion countless times – Fang Zhengzhi was not willing to leave.

After all, how could someone who happily borrowed a single book after spending four hours in the Repository possibly compete against Chi Guyan in terms of their understanding of the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations?

Isn’t this just a joke?

“A joke?” Fang Zhengzhi was naturally unfazed by the commotion around him. He observed the weather, and knew that Yan Xiu would be returning very soon.

Ever since Yan Xiu declined entering the Heaven Dao Pavilion and left Sword Peak, he has resided in a little wooden cottage beneath Sword Peak alone.

Of course, this was not to imply that the Heaven Dao Pavilion would forbid an outsider from entering into their ranks. It was Yan Xiu’s own decision. However, Fang Zhengzhi was still puzzled as he clearly remembered Yan Xiu mentioning his desire to train under the Heaven Dao Pavilion, so why did he suddenly reject the offer?

….

Half a month flashed by.

Fang Zhengzhi spent over 80% of his time huddled inside the Repository, and spent the remaining amount of time chatting with Chi Guyan or drinking and playing chess with Yan Xiu at the foot of Sword Peak …

On a whole, he spent his time very leisurely.

As for the reason for rejecting the Heaven Dao Pavilion’s offer, Yan Xiu merely answered, “These three months will fly by very quickly.”

Upon hearing that, Fang Zhengzhi did not probe him any further, because he already knew what Yan Xiu was talking about. The span of three months was indeed really short. For instance, it has already been a full month from the time they entered the Heaven Dao Pavilion until now. And in the span of this one month, Fang Zhengzhi actually used half the time pretty efficiently despite sleeping the other half away.

For instance, none of the Heaven Dao disciples are discussing Fang Zhengzhi’s provocations against the elders anymore, instead shifting the topic of their gossip to Fang Zhengzhi’s sloppy reading habits.

After all, no one could finish an entire storey’s worth of books in two days like Fang Zhengzhi did. Is it even possible to finish all the books on the sixth floor in two days? And even if it was possible, what about completing all the books on the fifth floor in two days? Or completing all the books on the fourth floor, third floor, second floor and first floor, each in two days …

The lower the floor, the more books there were. However, Fang Zhengzhi only spent two days on each floor. And the most ridiculous thing was, Fang Zhengzhi spent the final two days re-reading all the books from the first floor to the sixth floor, taking three floors in a day!

Isn’t he just scanning through the books without delving into any detail? What a waste!

The Heaven Dao disciples were enraged. Fang Zhengzhi was given such an amazing opportunity, but instead of selecting a few books from the collection on the sixth floor, he just skimmed through each floor.

Of course, different people had different aspirations. They were furious at Fang Zhengzhi’s actions, but beyond their anger, they could only tell themselves that this brat was hopeless.

….

It was early in the morning. The sun’s rays have illuminated the lands.

The weather in the Holy Region was already gradually getting warmer. Although the sun had just peeked over the horizon, the resplendence radiating from its rays were certainly blinding, but the heat evidently could not mask the sheer passion of the Heaven Dao disciples.

Early in the morning, the Heaven Dao disciples have already gathered outside the Divine Rain Pond, casting their eyes upon the shimmering water surface in anticipation. And among them, the thirty over disciples standing right in front of the Divine Rain Pond were evidently more excited than their peers.

There was a rule in the Heaven Dao Pavilion: once a disciples attains the Rebirth State, they would be granted a single chance to enter the Divine Rain Pond.

Of course, it didn’t mean that a disciple had to enter the Divine Rain Pond had to exercise this privilege immediately after attaining the Rebirth State. The choice lied with the disciple himself, but the number of disciples choosing to enter the Divine Rain Pond now was evidently greater than average. The reasons for this were evidently tied to the fact that Chi Guyan was entering it now.

It was very simple. Firstly, they could potentially leverage upon the skills of another disciple possessing formidable strength and talent and consequently gain a better chance at reaching a higher level in the Divine Rain Pond. And secondly …

They wanted to witness the dreadful expression on Fang Zhengzhi’s face after being defeated by Chi Guyan for themselves, even though they clearly knew that Fang Zhengzhi was just delaying his departure from the Heaven Dao Pavilion.

“Has Master emerged yet?”

“No, but I heard Second Elder say that Master would be returning within these two days!”

“Quick, look there, Senior Chi Guyan has arrived!” Amidst the commotion, a Heaven Dao disciple pointed out three figures approaching them in the distance.

“And it’s that scoundrel!”

“Eh? Why is Yan Qing tailing behind Senior Chi Guyan and that scoundrel? Could it be that, he’s preparing to enter the Divine Rain Pond today too?”

The Heaven Dao disciples crowding around the Divine Rain Pond stared at the three approaching figures in astonishment and slight confoundment.

Chi Guyan’s outfit was evidently different from her usual get-up. There was a snow-white ribbon laced around her long pink dress, and her luscious long black hair usually fanned out over her shoulders was now tied up neatly. Besides her usual otherworldly alluring charm, Chi Guyan also emanated a natural valiant quality.

As for Fang Zhengzhi … he was naturally in his usual blue robes. Standing behind him, Yan Qing was also in his usual dark-green robes.

Fang Zhengzhi was actually not mentally prepared for Yan Qing’s company. The surrounding Heaven Dao disciples were still clouded in doubt. The surrounding Heaven Dao disciples too suspected that even Fang Zhengzhi himself could not discern Yan Qing’s intent for following behind him. After all, he already told Yan Qing that he was entering the Divine Rain Pond today and could not possibly have a duel with him.

Of course, Yan Qing did not utter a word. And Fang Zhengzhi could not restrict Yan Qing’s ‘free will’ in any way.

The surrounding Heaven Dao disciples cleared to open a path for the approaching trio.

“Senior Chi Guyan!”

“Senior!”

The crowd of disciples greeted Chi Guyan one after the other.

Chi Guyan nodded her head softly in response, but she did not slow down. In an instant, she already strode past the disciples crowding on the outer rim.

When the thirty over disciples waiting by the Divine Rain Pond noticed her arrival, their anticipation grew visibly.

“Senior!” The thirty over disciples greeted Chi Guyan in unison.

“Yes.” Chi Guyan nodded before walking up to an old man dressed in broad white robes standing by the Divine Rain Pond, and bowed slightly. “Greetings, Sixth Elder!”

“No need for formalities, Guyan. I heard that you made a bet with Fang Zhengzhi for this occasion?” Sixth Elder smirked and asked.

“I did make a bet.” Chi Guyan nodded.

“Haha, alright, I understand. Go in then!” Third Elder smiled.

“Thank you, Sixth Elder.” With that, Chi Guyan turned and glanced at Fang Zhengzhi before taking a gentle leap into the air.

And with a splash, she plunged right into the pond.

“….” Fang Zhengzhi’s mouth was agape. He stared as Chi Guyan disappeared under the water, slightly stunned for a moment.

Hold on?

This isn’t right! Isn’t this a fair match? Why didn’t they hold hands and jump into the Divine Rain Pond together?

What is the meaning of jumping in first?

“Is she … cheating?!”

Chapter 698: An Unexpected Dramatic Change in the Divine Rain Pond

Furthermore, this was such a blatant, unapologetic move. Did none of these people notice this act of cheating?

Fang Zhengzhi glanced over at Sixth Elder and the crowding Heaven Dao disciples. They looked back at Fang Zhengzhi, appearing completely calm as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

“….” Fang Zhengzhi finally understood what home advantage meant.

Should he protest? It would just be a waste of time.

Fang Zhengzhi wasn’t that stupid to dwell on such meaningless things. Since Chi Guyan already left, he had to seize every second he had.

Without any hesitation, Fang Zhengzhi took a leap, imitating Chi Guyan’s posture and splashed into the Divine Rain Pond. Just as Fang Zhengzhi plunged into the water, the spectating Heaven Dao disciples stared at him with eyes wide open, especially the thirty over disciples right by the water.

“….”

“That scoundrel jumped into the blue pond water. That’s the Valley of Mysteries, isn’t it?!”

“Ye .. Yes. Could it be that he doesn’t know that the Divine Rain Pond is split into five streams? He should have jumped into the red Nine Heavens if he wanted to view the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations immediately.”

“He indeed entered the blue pond water belonging to the Valley of Mysteries, but isn’t something not right? Didn’t Senior Guyan inform him of the Divine Rain Pond’s five streams?”

Amidst their astonishment, the Heaven Dao disciples seemed to have remembered something, and turned their attention instinctively towards Sixth Elder standing by the water’s edge.

“Cough cough, regarding the changing pond water, as an elder of the Heaven Dao Pavilion, how could I possibly …” Sixth Elder forced out two heavy coughs. His face turned slightly red but after a brief pause, he waved his hand.

“The Pavilion Leader’s orders were to allow this brat to enter the Divine Rain Pond. Although he accidentally … Yes, that’s right, although he accidentally jumped into the Valley of Mysteries, he wouldn’t face any imminent life-threatening dangers. That’s just a training ground for disciples in the Rebirth State. He can still reach the Nine Heavens after passing the tribulations in the Valley of Mysteries. In fact, traversing the Valley of Mysteries first would be more beneficial to him. Numerous challenges and tests await him in the Valley of Mysteries which would greatly aid his training, so this can be viewed as a blessing in disguise!”

Sixth Elder very evidently emphasized the words ‘accidentally’ and ‘blessing in disguise’.

Upon hearing this, the Heaven Dao disciples instantly realized what was going on. Just as Sixth Elder mentioned, Mu Qingfeng’s orders were merely to allow Fang Zhengzhi entry into the Divine Rain Pond. As for the choice of either allowing him to ascend straight to the Nine Heavens or to first overcome one challenge in the Valley of Mysteries, Mu Qingfeng did not specify anything.

“To think that this scoundrel would be blessed with such amazing luck!”

“That’s right! Letting him enter the Valley of Mysteries is already such an outrageous privilege!”

“Agreed. Usually, we would have to make some significant contributions before we have the chance to train in the Valley of Mysteries. This scoundrel is so lucky – he even chanced upon the Valley of Mysteries by accident!”

Just as the Heaven Dao disciples were praising Fang Zhengzhi’s fortune, they exchanged glances and saw the smirks in each other’s eyes.

After hearing the banter of the surrounding Heaven Dao disciples, Sixth Elder lifted his head slowly. “You terrible brat, you can’t blame me for this. How dare you beat up Third Elder and Fifth Elder like this? If I don’t teach you a little lesson now, you’ll really believe that the Heaven Dao Pavilion is your home!”

“Sixth Elder, we’re going in!” The Heaven Dao disciples exclaimed in unison.

“Alright, go in then. Observe the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations carefully and remember, remain calm and composed!” Sixth Elder smiled and nodded at the disciples waiting by the water’s edge.

“We’ll remember Sixth Elder’s advice well!” The Heaven Dao disciples replied simultaneously.

Following that, thirty over Heaven Dao disciples jumped in one after another, each plunging into the red pond water of the Divine Rain Pond.

“Yan Qing, do you want to go in too?” Sixth Elder looked at Yan Qing, his eyes flickering with a faint glow.

He still has high hopes for Yan Qing. This selection test this time round could be considered an unexpected development. Originally, the Heaven Dao Pavilion elders assumed that they could attract at least three talents without fail this time round. But in the end, Qian Wu died; Yan Xiu refused their invitation; and the only one now was Yan Qing.

Although Yan Qing was slightly more introverted, he still possessed undying talent which compensated any personality flaws adequately.

“Yes!” Yan Qing nodded.

“Alright, you have already reached the peak of the Rebirth State. According to the Heaven Dao Pavilion’s rules, you can ascend straight to the Nine Heavens to observe the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations. What do you think?”

“I’ll heed Elder’s advice.” Yan Qing nodded again.

“Haha, very well. Jump into the red pond water then!” Upon hearing this, Sixth Elder beamed in satisfaction.

“Understood!” With that, Yan Qing plunged in with a splash, jumping right into the blue pond water.

All the Heaven Dao disciples observing from a distance were evidently astounded by this scene.

“Why did Yan Qing jump into the blue pond water? Isn’t that the Jungle of Mysteries?”

“Didn’t Sixth Elder explain this very clearly?”

“How is this possible? I heard Sixth Elder’s instructions and they were absolutely clear … he couldn’t be color-blind, could he?”

The Heaven Dao disciples glanced at each other in bewilderment.

Sixth Elder’s smile also crumpled in shock. He stared at the rippling blue pond water, his face flushed red.

….

The Divine Rain Pond’s First Heaven.

It was bright and sunny, without any sign of gloomy weather. However, the skies drizzled with spare droplets, falling upon a verdant pasture.

Chi Guyan stood in the middle of the field in her long pink robes, gazing up at the heavens with her sparkling eyes, lifting her hand up to catch the rising faint mist amidst the shower.

She was like a deity, completely pure and untainted, yet emanating a certain sense of aloofness and superiority.

And standing behind her were thirty over Heaven Dao disciples donning white scholarly robes standing on the grass. All of them opened their mouths wide to catch the falling droplets of water, clearly enjoying this moment.

Not only did this dew rain possess health benefits for one’s physical wellbeing, its most important quality was its ability to freshen up one’s mind and improve one’s concentration. This was the most pivotal reason for their seniors exhausting so much effort to create this rain in the Divine Rain Pond.

And just as Chi Guyan was waiting and the other Heaven Dao disciples were enjoying themselves, a shadow slowly appeared in the horizon. In an instant, an ancient-looking scroll faded into view.

“It has appeared!”

“The first of the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations!”

This scene undoubtedly made all the Heaven Dao disciples’ eyes light up instantly, each beaming with excitement and anticipation.

The scroll opened and it radiated with a faint glow. A stroke of ink appeared slowly and lengthened continuously … until the end of the scroll. It was only a single stroke from the beginning to the end.

Like a dagger, a sword, a hammer, a lightning bolt, a scar … It was a very arbitrary stroke, yet it possessed an unbelievable sharpness, and it was in fact the first painting of the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations.

….

Fang Zhengzhi naturally knew that he couldn’t possibly lift his head and be greeted by the first painting of the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations like Chi Guyan and the other Heaven Dao disciples.

In fact, he did lift his head, but … all he saw was a thick cloud of fog. It was so dense that it made his blood boil, as though seeing an obnoxious couple flaunting their love in public.

“What’s with this f*cking smog?” Fang Zhengzhi blinked in confusion, completely puzzled as to why he suddenly appeared in this place.

Where were the Nine Heavens he was promised? Where is it?

And where did that chick Chi Guyan go? Or the Heaven Dao disciples that came together with her? Why have they all disappeared?

“Did I go the wrong way?” Fang Zhengzhi tried to open his mouth to catch the falling drizzle. It was slightly sweet, and he felt a refreshing surge of energy flow through his body. The effect evidently matched Chi Guyan’s description of the dew brewed from 999 types of herbs.

There’s rain … and it’s dew.

This should be correct, right?

Fang Zhengzhi was slightly puzzled. This was almost undoubtedly the Divine Rain Pond. After all, he did jump into the Divine Rain Pond and not anywhere else, and there’s the dew rain as proof.

He couldn’t possibly be wrong, but why is this still different from what he had imagined?

Just as Fang Zhengzhi was mulling over this mystery, the thick smog before his eyes darkened gradually, as though it was hiding a gigantic shadow.

“Eh? Is the illustration here?” Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes lit up, his dejection quickly changing to excitement and anticipation.

He didn’t know what form this Nine Heavens Sagely Illustration would take.

Is it a scroll of characters? Or an ink painting? Or a sword, or a spear that has been snapped into half?

Fang Zhengzhi’s imagination certainly knew no bounds, and on the contrary, his imagination now was still very bold. After all, he was someone with boundless experience – like how the Heaven Dao Sage Tablet was not a tablet, but every form of existence in the world.

By that logic, the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations may not be an illustration. It could be a weapon, or even a tree.

“Roar!” Then, a ferocious beastly roar reverberated through the fog, and the ground began to shake.

Boom!

A gargantuan ox-like beast burst out from the fog.

It was three meters tall, almost like a small mountain. Its entire body was clad in thick black scales. It boasted two razor-sharp horns sprouting horizontally over the top of its head, and its pair of eerily blue eyes danced with blue flames.

“So the first illustration of the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations is a beast?!” Fang Zhengzhi gazed at the gigantic beast bounding towards him, slightly overwhelmed.

Chapter 699: Plotting Behind The Scenes, Rewriting Fate

Suddenly, Fang Zhengzhi felt his imagination weakening, unable to picture the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustration as a lively gigantic beast.

Hold on, is the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustration really a beast?

You’ve got to be kidding me!

Fang Zhengzhi wouldn’t be that naive, but he still decided to test that possibility, for instance, beating the beast before his eyes into a pulp and see whether it might drop some ‘clues’.

Of course, the main reason for conjuring such ideas was that the beast had already charged up to him and was baring its ferocious fangs.

“Even a little cow like this would dare bully me? Why can’t I just view the illustration in peace?!” Without any second thoughts, Fang Zhengzhi leapt into air and clenched his fists, sending a formidable punch straight into the beast’s head.

“Boom!” A deafening blast. The gargantuan beast as tall as a hill was instantly sent flying backwards, its four pillar-like limbs flailing in the air as its body spun five rounds in midair. And then …

With a thunderous crash, it rolled on the ground.

It was astounded, absolutely astounded.

As a beast ruling over a certain territory in the Jungle of Mysteries, this Silver Horned Wild Ox had its dignity, even though it knew that its primary purpose was to train the Heaven Dao disciples.

But given its role as a trainer, shouldn’t it be the one pushing the Heaven Dao disciples around? So what’s up with this brat in front of him? Why would they throw such a formidable bastard into the Jungle of Mysteries to train? Aren’t all the Heaven Dao disciples entering this area only in the Supernatural State or the Beginning Rebirth State?

The Silver Horned WIld Ox felt extremely indignant. It thought that the punch it just took must definitely have been just a hallucination, hence, despite having its brains blasted like this, it still wanted a second try.

“Roar!” The Silver Horned Wild Ox bellowed ferociously.

The black scales covering its body were instantly enveloped by a layer of eerie blue flames. Following that, it began charging towards Fang Zhengzhi a second time. And right at this moment …

The Silver Horned Wild Ox noticed someone falling towards it from above. The person pierced through the dense fog, with dark green robes bound tightly to his body and swarthy skin as dark as its own armor of scales.

“Eh? There’s another one?” Before the Silver Horned Wild Ox had any time to react, it felt another punch ramming straight into his skull. And afterwards … there wasn’t an afterwards.

The Silver Horned Wild Ox’s vision went pitch-black, its head plummeting straight into the ground. Just as it lost consciousness, there was only one thing in its mind: Do you really need to bully an ox like this?

….

Fang Zhengzhi blinked and gazed at the unconscious Silver Horned Wild Ox as well as Yan Qing standing calmly beside his prey. He was speechless.

Of course, he felt slightly relieved after seeing Yan Qing. At least Yan Qing’s appearance could prove that Fang Zhengzhi was in the right place. But could this be considered an ‘upstage’? What if the ox in front of him was really the first illustration of the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations, or a clue? If that’s the case, Yan Qing would have snatched it right out of his hands.

“What about the clue? What is it?” asked Fang Zhengzhi promptly.

“Eh?” Yan Qing didn’t seem to understand what Fang Zhengzhi meant.

“You knocked his bull out. Didn’t you receive any informative clues?” Fang Zhengzhi was not someone that would be easily fooled.

“Nope.” Yan Qing still shook his head despite not understanding the question.

“That’s impossible. Or would you have to defeat a few more beasts?” Fang Zhengzhi felt that if this was the case, attempting to retrieve the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations would be an unbelievably torturous process. Even though the beast in front of him was merely of average strength at best, probably on par with the beasts that Qian Wu summoned at the Flame Capital City, defeating a row of them in succession would be a little mundane.

“Hm, that’s probably it!” Yan Qing finally nodded. They would naturally need to complete their training in the Jungle of Mysteries and defeat a couple more beasts in order to leave this place and enter the Nine Heavens.

“….” Fang Zhengzhi didn’t continue.

He never expected that observing the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations would be so troublesome. They would have to defeat numerous beasts while seeking clues inside each of their defeated opponents.

Why can’t this be easier? Why don’t they just flash the illustration and have everyone sit down together and chat joyfully while sipping on the rain dew?

A process like this is … completely pointless!

Just as Fang Zhengzhi was mulling over this issue, he suddenly noticed a bright ray of light flashing across the horizon. Then, a stern voice boomed towards him.

“Chi Guyan has entered the Second Heaven!”

“Chi Guyan has entered …”

“….”

Fang Zhengzhi froze as he stared at the fading light and the thick layer of fog which blanketed the skies once again. In his astonishment, he quietly erected his middle finger in the air. “What … the f*ck!”

What’s the meaning of this?

Chi Guyan only entered the Divine Rain Pond a few seconds earlier than him! How could she advance to such a stage so quickly while he hasn’t even found a single clue?!

Could Chi Guyan have already started massacring her opponents?

That’s not fair!

There must be some inner workings behind the scenes!

Fang Zhengzhi suddenly felt as though he had committed an atrocious mistake – underestimating the overwhelming power of a home advantage.

What can he do?

Hold on, something’s not right.

If there are inner workings behind the scenes, would Yan Qing have been intentionally placed here at the elders’ orders? They clearly knew how clingy Yan Qing was and yet they made him appear right beside Fang Zhengzhi – was this to delay him?

Isn’t this too despicable?

“Yan Qing, don’t tell me you wish to challenge me now? You should know that I made a bet with Chi Guyan, so I’m in a hurry!” Fang Zhengzhi believed that he should counter Yan Qing’s advances with reason and logic if Yan Qing was indeed placed there by the elders.

“Challenge? No, I don’t wish to challenge you here. We should get out of the Jungle of Mysteries as soon as possible in order to enter the Nine Heavens and observe the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustration.” Yan Qing shook his head.

“We do think alike … Wait a minute, did you say this is the Jungle of Mysteries?” Just as Fang Zhengzhi prepared to praise Yan Qing, he suddenly pinpointed the crux of the issue.

“That’s right. When you jumped into the Divine Rain Pond, you jumped into the wrong area and entered the blue pond water, so you’re currently in the Jungle of Mysteries and not the Nine Heavens.” Yan Qing explained.

“…. I jumped into the blue pond water?” The edges of Fang Zhengzhi’s lips twitched in disbelief. He clearly remembered how he was being extra cautious to prevent any mishaps, and purposely chose the position where Chi Guyan entered the pond to jump in behind her.

Blue? It wasn’t red?

“That’s right, you did jump into the blue pond water. Of course, it isn’t your fault. Sixth Elder’s to blame.” Yan Qing nodded and replied.

“Sixth Elder?” The old duff who was referred to as Sixth Elder by Chi Guyan and the Heavenly Dao disciples suddenly floated into Fang Zhengzhi’s mind. Now, he finally understood why Chi Guyan announced her bet with Fang Zhengzhi publicly given her wit.

Was it confidence? It’s certainly a factor, but it was more of a complete grasp over the situation.

Very evidently, Chi Guyan was exploiting her home advantage. She wouldn’t do the dirty work herself, but she used this bet to rally support on her side. The world of the Divine Rain Pond was naturally controlled by the Heaven Dao elders on the other side, and these elders couldn’t possibly stand by and watch as Chi Guyan suffers a devastating defeat and becomes Fang Zhengzhi’s concubine.

No wonder Sixth Elder asked Chi Guyan whether she really did make such a bet with him! It was to confirm this rumor!

Fang Zhengzhi felt helpless, not realizing that the bet between them had already begun on the day they first made this pact. Of course, as helpless and indignant as he felt, he was not angry.

Fairness? This world was never absolutely fair. Forget about intelligence, even luck can be considered a major strength in numerous occasions. But still … this is too much! This was over a hundred times worse than he had expected!

Sixth Elder actually threw him into the Jungle of Mysteries. Is there anything more unfair than this? This was absolutely despicable.

“Looks like … Chi Guyan wants to extend her time in the Heaven Dao Pavilion by another month.” Despite only having brief interactions with Chi Guyan, he already knew her for a substantial amount of time, and he knew Chi Guyan’s personality inside out.

Although Chi Guyan would demonstrate a more gentler side under special circumstances, an innate quality of arrogance flows through her bones. Hence, considering her personality, she would never request for a longer stay here directly no matter how much she wanted it. She would just have to get what she wants using her own methods.

Now, Fang Zhengzhi also realized that Chi Guyan had anticipated and preempted everything from the time he woke up and proposed to leave the Heaven Dao Pavilion. And this bet … was actually Chi Guyan’s attempt to extend her stay.

Fang Zhengzhi could understand Chi Guyan’s selfish intentions, and he could even ascertain that Chi Guyan would definitely embark on another expedition to seek out items like the Thousand Years Fire Herb after her stay.

But can Fang Zhengzhi do this?

No!

If a man’s life had to be maintained by something that a woman painstakingly ‘robs’ from the outside world, what’s the purpose of living any longer?

“Chi Guyan, I’m sorry. I can’t accept this. As unfair as this is, I must still defeat you, because I’ll use both my hands to rewrite my fate!”

Chapter 700: An Explosion, The Life of a Cheat

Fang Zhengzhi knew what Chi Guyan was thinking. From her point of view, it was not because she did not trust Fang Zhengzhi. It’s just that, Fang Zhengzhi just recently entered the Holy Region, and under such circumstances, even ensuring his own safety was a problem, much less stealing treasures and resources in those ‘forbidden lands’. Judging by how dangerous the Holy Region was, any wrong step might possibly result in him being slaughtered immediately.

However, Fang Zhengzhi had his limits too. He didn’t believe that he was some morally righteous saint, nor a gentleman unfazed by the fear of death, but he simply could not live under a woman’s care.

Of course … mulling over this was not helpful whatsoever.

Once he loses the bet, he could only swallow his pride and endure the humiliation to become Chi Guyan’s slave for a month, no matter how much he did not want to.

“No, I must find a way out!” Fang Zhengzhi’s mind quickly scanned the ‘painful’ circumstances he was stuck in and all the possible resources he had.

Chi Guyan has already unlocked the first of the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations, and she only took around 15 minutes. That was just ridiculously fast!

Even in a fair contest, Fang Zhengzhi wouldn’t be totally confident of securing a victory against such an opponent. And what’s worse, their starting lines now were miles apart.

And where was he now? Deep in the Jungle of Mysteries, surrounded by prowling beasts, without anything with him – not even a map, or an introductory note to the Jungle of Mysteries, except a pesky Yan Qing in tow.

“This is too unfair!” Despite having maintained a positive attitude all this while, even his hands were tied in the face of such an insurmountable challenge. What could he do?

“Are we not going?” Yan Qing asked after noticing Fang Zhengzhi’s despondent expression, then scanning the thick fog around them.

“Do you know where to go?” Fang Zhengzhi piped back.

“No idea.” Yan Qing shook his head.

“I remember, didn’t you grow up in a jungle?”

“Yes, but this isn’t the jungle that I grew up in.”

“….” Fang Zhengzhi didn’t probe further, and just gazed around at his surroundings – the thick fog, the trees, the light drizzle, and the grass. There wasn’t anything else in sight.

This made Fang Zhengzhi furrow his eyebrows. To put it bluntly, he was no different from a headless fly now. Forget about navigating out of the Jungle of Mysteries, he didn’t know where was North, South, East or West.

Hold on! North, South, East, and West?

Come to think about it, the Divine Rain Pond’s water has five distinct colors which should be linked to five different areas. Red brings you to the Nine Heavens; blue brings you to the Jungle of Mysteries …

The five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, earth. Red represents … fire?

Then blue would be water?

But he was now in a place called the Jungle of Mysteries. If it’s a jungle, then ‘wood’ would be a better fit, right? No, no … the Jungle of Mysteries … the Mysterious … Mysterious Fog! Fog is water!

The Jungle of Mysteries represents water! He’s now in the region of water!

And Chi Guyan was in the Nine Heavens, so the heavens … is the fire region.

According to the arrangement of the five elements, fire would be above, which coincides perfectly with the symbolism of the Nine Heavens. Wood and earth are on the left and right respectively, while water and metal would be below.

North, South, East and West.

He should be in the Southwest position now, and since fire is up North, then he should be moving in the Northeast direction!

“Sh*t, I’m so smart!” Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes lit up instantly and complemented himself instinctively. And then … he heard a voice ring in his ears again.

“Chi Guyan has entered the Third Heaven!”

“Chi Guyan has entered …”

“….”

Fang Zhengzhi felt as if he was struck by a jolt of lightning. He wanted to exclaim: you can be quick, but can you not be this quick?

….

In the Nine Heavens of the Divine Rain Pond, over thirty Heaven Dao disciples glanced at each other, all noticing the admiration and helplessness in each other’s eyes. All of them clearly observed the first of the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations at the same time, but Chi Guyan has already unlocked two illustrations and has propelled straight to the Third Heaven, while they were all still staring at the first illustration hanging high above the horizon with frowns on their faces.

“What’s the meaning of this illustration?” They yanked their hair as they mulled over this puzzle while bathing in the dew rain.

Meanwhile … outside the Divine Rain Pond in the Heaven Dao Pavilion, the spectating disciples opened their eyes wide in awe, clearly astonished by the ringing voice in their ears.

“Senior Chi Guyan has actually entered the Third Heaven!”

“That’s so quick!”

“She truly is our Senior Chi Guyan!”

The disciples were astounded and ecstatic. After all, Chi Guyan’s tremendous talent was widely recognized in the Heaven Dao Pavilion. Sixth Elder’s face was also all smiles.

“Sixth Elder, Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Qing seemed to have found their bearings in the Jungle of Mysteries, and are now proceeding in the direction of the Nine Heavens!” A disciple tasked with observing the happenings in the Divine Rain Pond walked up to Sixth Elder and softly reported this to him.

“Oh? Already?” Upon hearing this, Sixth Elder was clearly stunned, but he quickly comforted himself. “I truly did underestimate that brat, but even if he has found his bearings, bashing through the Jungle of Mysteries into the Nine Heavens would take at least two hours!”

“Yes. Even though the beasts in the Jungle of Mysteries aren’t that strong, their numbers aren’t small!” The disciple nodded in agreement.

“Alright, you may take your leave.” Sixth Elder gestured to him.

“Yes!” The disciple excused himself immediately.

Gazing at the disciple leaving in the distance, Sixth Elder’s smile grew even brighter. “Based on Guyan’s speed, she should have reached the Fifth, or even Sixth Heaven by the time Fang Zhengzhi enters the Nine Heavens. There wouldn’t be any hope for him no matter how devillish his talents are!”

….

Although Fang Zhengzhi did not grow up in a jungle like Yan Qing did, he still had an excellent sense of direction, having hunted in the Cang Ling Mountain in his youth. The surrounding thick layer of fog was nonetheless not a problem for him.

However, he was still perturbed by the sporadic beastly roars rumbling around him. There was simply a tad too many beasts in this jungle.

“Can you speak their language?” The usually silent Yan Qing following quietly behind him suddenly blurted this out just as Fang Zhengzhi was sprinting maniacally through the foliage.

“Speak with the beasts? Nope.” Fang Zhengzhi shook his head.

“Then how could you avoid the beasts’ territory?” Yan Qing continued asking.

“I can’t speak with beasts, but I’ve hunted in the mountains ever since I was little, so I know how to differentiate the various sounds that beasts make.” Fang Zhengzhi replied.

“I see.” Yan Qing halted his questions, but his eyes grew visibly brighter as he gazed at Fang Zhengzhi’s back.

….

“Guo Tiannu has entered the Second Heaven!”

“….”

“Li Wuji has entered the Second Heaven!”

“Tang ….”

“….”

Just as Fang Zhengzhi was advancing tirelessly towards the Nine Heavens, the voices ringing in his ears grew more persistent. From time to time, there would be announcements of Heaven Dao disciples successfully deciphering the first illustration.

“That’s the thirteenth one already.” Fang Zhengzhi counted silently.

Of course, these disciples couldn’t possibly be that weak in their strength or talent, having already made it into the Heaven Dao Pavilion. They clearly wouldn’t be defeated right at the first puzzle.

“Xing Li’an has entered the Second Heaven!”

“….”

“Na Shanding has entered the Second Heaven!”

“….”

“That’s the 27th one already!” Fang Zhengzhi recalled that there were roughly 32 Heaven Dao disciples who were prepared to enter the Divine Rain Pond.

With 27 of them already in the Second Heaven … that’s indeed a very impressive number.

Although it would get harder towards the end, he could still foresee that these thirty over Heaven Dao disciples would not end their journey at the Second Heaven.

Just as he was pondering over this, another voice rang in his ears.

“Chi Guyan has entered the Fourth Heaven!”

“Chi Guyan has entered …”

“….”

“She’s already reached the Fourth Heaven?! What was that about the challenge becoming harder towards the end? Why is that chick Chi Guyan advancing upwards so smoothly, as though she has unlocked a cheat in the game?”

Fang Zhengzhi was already feeling hopeless. Chi Guyan’s talent was already slightly ridiculous to begin with, and now she has unlocked a cheating plug-in. It’s driving him insane.

“No, I must gain speed!” Fang Zhengzhi shot a glance back at Yan Qing, “The Nine Heavens is in the Northeast direction. Shall we compete to see who can reach there faster?”

“Eh?” Yan Qing was slightly stunned, clearly surprised at the suggestion, but the look in his eyes became extremely sharp very quickly. “Alright, if I lose, I’ll be your slave for month just like Chi Guyan. But if you lose, you’ll have to promise me one condition!”

“Eh? Isn’t this just a casual contest?” Fang Zhengzhi did not expect Yan Qing to suggest a bet like this.

“Don’t worry, Senior Fang. I’ll never go back on my words!”

“What’s your condition?”

“I’ll tell you when I win you, Senior Fang. But if my condition is too troublesome or unachievable for you, I’ll take it back without any complaints!” Yan Qing continued.

“Alright, let’s start!” Fang Zhengzhi didn’t say anything else. After all, he wouldn’t think too much about agreeing to such an inconsequential bet.

“Boom!”

In the instant that Fang Zhengzhi’s voice trailed off, a thunderous blast sounded. It was clearly the sound of a foot cracking the ground beneath it. In the next moment, a dark green shadow charged forward, vanishing immediately into the thick fog like an arrow that just left the bow.

Chapter 701: Take Flight, I’ll Scare You With My Speed

It was so sudden, and he didn’t even bid Fang Zhengzhi farewell.

Indeed, having grown up in the jungles, Yan Qing did not have an exactly ‘proper’ understanding of fairness in a battle either.

Fang Zhengzhi was slightly astounded after watching Yan Qing dash straight into the thick fog, but a smile quickly formed on his face.

“Dude, don’t be so fast!” Fang Zhengzhi bellowed into the distance, and an azure shade of light glowed in front of him.

“Boom!” A mellow burst rumbled through the Jungle of Mysteries. Very evidently, someone charged forward too quickly and hastily that he rammed his head straight into a tree, hence producing this low thud.

As for why he collided into a tree … it was definitely not due to the thick fog obstructing his vision, nor due to his excessive speed, but because the tree sprouted out from thin air.

“Ka-cha!” The tree snapped. Another bloody scar streaked across Yan Qing’s head, but he did not seem particularly shocked or angry about this.

Having grown up in the jungle, he has personally experienced the laws of nature, sneak attacks, joint attacks, and ambushes in such a perilous environment with danger lurking in every corner, and everything has always abided by a single rule – either you live, or you die!

Hence, objectively speaking, Fang Zhengzhi’s decision to employ his own counterattacks after Yan Qing clinched a head-start was simply rational ordinary competition. And since this was a bet, both sides would certainly not pull their punches.

Yan Qing did not stop. After colliding head-first into a huge tree, he grabbed the fallen log with his bare hands and used it to propel him back into the air.

“Swish!” He stopped his fall and bounded back up like a monkey, moving with such frightening agility.

“Am I competing in something I shouldn’t have competed in?” With his mouth agape, Fang Zhengzhi gazed at the shadow’s unstopping advance, truly feeling that something went wrong.

Since Yan Qing grew up in the jungles among the beasts … why did he still choose to compete with Yan Qing over speed, and worse, inside a jungle? Isn’t he just shooting himself in the foot?

He didn’t agonize over this for long. For any match, once it starts, there’s only one way to move forward – either you win, or you lose.

The blue light flickered incessantly as Fang Zhengzhi’s body traversed the jungle swiftly. He exploited his advantage of mastering the Heaven Dao coupled with the experiences of hunting in the mountains in his youth, hence Fang Zhengzhi’s speed was naturally not slower than Yan Qing’s at all.

The two shadows sped towards the same direction, one in front and one behind. And with their movements causing such a ruckus, it was virtually impossible for them to go unnoticed by the wandering beasts. However, their speed was simply too astonishing that even the beasts lying in their way could not react in time.

“Plop!” One of them collapsed to the ground. Its dark green eyes were evidently in shock and disbelief, after all, it only saw a shadow and could not even identify what the shadow looked like. Where was the disciple training that they were promised?

As it was mulling over this, a blue ray of light arrived in front of it. It was as pure as the sky.

“….” The beast opened its mouth, gazing at the pristine azure shade of blue before its eyes, unable to describe its feelings with any sort of roars.

And then, a foot stomped right on its head. And in the next instant … Just as it began to lift its head up again, the beast collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, and a single sinister-looking fang was deeply etched into a piece of rock.

“Ka-cha!” Its tooth had broken off.

….

Outside the Divine Rain Pond in the Heaven Dao Pavilion, Sixth Elder felt as though an immense weight has been lifted off his shoulders. After all, Chi Guyan has already reached the Fourth Heaven with such ease. With things going so smoothly, what could possibly go wrong?

The surrounding Heaven Dao disciples were also beaming with joy. The news of Chi Guyan’s bet with Fang Zhengzhi had spread through the entire Heaven Dao Pavilion half a month ago, so why would the Heaven Dao disciples be unaware of the significance of this showdown?

Although they all believed Fang Zhengzhi was intentionally finding an excuse to lengthen his stay in the Heaven Dao Pavilion for another month, it would be virtually impossible for them to witness Chi Guyan lose this bet …

After all, the loser would have to be the winner’s personal slave. Could they bare to watch Chi Guyan serve Fang Zhengzhi tea, wash his clothes, cook his meals, entertain him and perform for him everyday?

“Senior Chi Guyan, you have to win this round!”

“Of course!”

“I’m guessing that brat is still spinning around in circles in the Jungle of Mysteries. I wonder how many ferocious beasts are surrounding him now.”

“Hahaha … I really do want to see his pathetic state now, but what a pity, I’m not in-charge of observing the Divine Rain Pond’s activity!”

The Heaven Dao disciples discussed and chuckled together.

And at this very moment, someone rushed towards them in shock and panic. It was the Heaven Dao disciple with the surname Wang who was responsible for observing the activity in the Divine Rain Pond.

“Senior Wang, what’s the situation in the Divine Rain Pond?”

“That’s right, tell us about that scoundrel, Senior Wang, the one who fell into the Jungle of Mysteries. Make us feel better for a bit!”

The spectating disciples around the Divine Rain Pond chortled and asked as they watched him approach them.

“Make you feel better?” The Heaven Dao disciple with the surname Wang wore a conflicted expression on his face. Without answering the questions thrown at him, he quickly made a detour and headed towards Sixth Elder.

“Eh? Why are you in a hurry, what happened?” Sixth Elder asked slowly when he noticed the expression on the disciple’s face.

“Sixth Elder, Fang … Fang Zhengzhi has, already …”

“Died? That’s impossible! That disgusting brat is no weakling. Even if he got surrounded by the beasts of the Jungle of Mysteries, he should have only sustained a few minor injuries without any fatal wounds, right?” Sixth Elder frowned. He couldn’t help but ponder over this possibility after noticing the disciple’s frantic expression.

Even though he did bear any good feelings for Fang Zhengzhi, he did not particularly wish for his death in the Jungle of Mysteries either. And objectively speaking … Sixth Elder was the person hosting this event in the Divine Rain Pond, and he was the reason why Fang Zhengzhi fell into the Jungle of Mysteries. If something unfortunate actually happened, he would have to bear the responsibility.

“No, Fang Zhengzhi did … didn’t die …” The disciple immediately shook his head and gulped heavily. “Not only did he survive, he has already reached the Jungle of Mysteries’ e … exit, and he’s about to enter the Nine Heavens!”

“What?!” Sixth Elder was flabbergasted, clearly refusing to believe what he was hearing. “How long has it been? An hour hasn’t even passed. Are you sure he’s already reaching the exit?”

“No … he’s not reaching the exit. He’s already at the exit. When I arrived, Yan Qing and him were already there, and now … I think they’ve already entered the Nine Heavens!” The disciple hastily explained again after hearing Sixth Elder’s question.

“How is this possible?!” Sixth Elder’s expression changed drastically.

Fang Zhengzhi had traversed the entire Jungle of Mysteries in less than an hour. This would already be a stretch for someone who was familiar with the geography of the region. But Fang Zhengzhi? It was his first time in the Jungle of Mysteries. He actually managed to navigate out of the jungle in less than an hour? How is this normal?!

Not only was Sixth Elder completely dumbfounded, the Heaven Dao disciples circling the Divine Rain Pond who were previously beaming with joy now froze in shock. Their smiles numbed and crumpled.

“Fang Zhengzhi is already out of the Jungle of Mysteries?! How … How is this possible?”

“It hasn’t even been an hour, not even an hour … and he’s already out of the Jungle of Mysteries? I took five days and five nights to find my way out of there last year!”

“Isn’t this ridiculous? Is that bastard actually a demon?”

The Heaven Dao disciples were overwhelmed with disbelief, but they knew that Senior Wang wouldn’t lie under such circumstances. And just as everyone was still reeling in shock, another person ran towards them from a distance, noticeably faster than Senior Wang was.

This time, since the Divine Rain Pond event also involved Chi Guyan’s bet with Fang Zhengzhi, the Heaven Dao Pavilion would be paying serious attention to whatever was going on inside the Divine Rain Pond, and hence arranged several disciples to observe the activity of the participants. And this person running towards them was another disciple with the surname Lu.

“Why is Senior Lu here too?”

As the Heaven Dao disciples watched in bewilderment, the disciple with the surname Lu bounded towards Sixth Elder like a frightened rabbit.

“Sixth … Sixth Elder … Fang … Fang Zhengzhi has already deciphered the … first Nine Heavens Sagely Illustration, and has … entered the Second … Second Heaven already!” The disciple stammered in fear as he broke into cold sweat, as though his soul had left his body.

“What?! What did you say?!” Sixth Elder’s face of astonishment began to contort. And the equally confounded disciples around him were completely astounded. Their eyes and mouth were wide open, paralyzed in shock as though they had been jolted by a bolt of lightning.

“I’m saying …. Fang Zhengzhi has already … entered the Second Heaven!” Beads of perspiration dripped down from the disciple’s face to the ground after noticing Sixth Elder’s distorted expression.

As the disciple responsible for observing the activity in the Divine Rain Pond, he should be maintaining his composure to the best of his ability, but he simply could not keep his cool after witnessing such an unbelievable sight.

A haggard-looking Fang Zhengzhi appeared in the Nine Heavens, stepping on the verdant meadows with both his feet. It was already an awe-inspiring sight, but what was even more awe-inspiring …

The moment Fang Zhengzhi stepped foot into the Nine Heavens, he instinctively lifted his head and glanced at the first Nine Heavens Sagely Illustration hanging across the sky.

One glance.

It only took his one glance.

A voice reverberated through the Divine Rain Pond. “Fang Zhengzhi has entered the Second Heaven!”

Chapter 702: Did We Really Have To Be Dealt With Another Blow?

The Heaven Dao disciple with the surname Lu was nearing a total emotional meltdown. Fang Zhengzhi already dealt them a severe blow by navigating out of the Jungle of Mysteries in less than an hour, a truly awe-inspiring feat. But now …

He deciphered the first Nine Heavens Sagely Illustration. Could anyone believe this? Of course not, but this exact moment unfolded before their very eyes. How could they deny it now?

In this instant, the disciples felt the chills as though they just saw a ghost in broad daylight. Even now, they have yet to recover from their shock. Sixth Elder and the disciples around him were also completely flabbergasted.

How long has it been? How long did Fang Zhengzhi take to enter the Nine Heavens?

Why was he this fast? How could he possibly be this fast?

…

Inside the Nine Heavens of the Divine Rain Pond, the scroll in front of Fang Zhengzhi suddenly disappeared from view. For a moment, he did not know how to react. What’s going on? Did I decipher it?

Just as he was pondering over this, the scenery in front of him changed, and in the next instant, he appeared on another verdant meadow with nearly thirty Heaven Dao disciples staring him down right in front of him. Everyone wore a ghastly expression on their faces.

Indeed, who wouldn’t be shocked if something like this happened to them?

These disciples stared at Fang Zhengzhi while the echo of the booming announcement was still ringing in their eyes. They were totally astounded.

“How did Fang Zhengzhi get into the Nine Heavens?”

“No, how did he get into the Second Heaven of the Nine Heavens?

“When did he leave the Jungle of Mysteries?”

“Is he really human?”

Countless doubts floated in the disciples’ minds like streaks of lightning bolts flashing incessantly across their heads.

Of course, compared to the nearly thirty Heaven Dao disciples standing in the Second Heaven, the remaining four disciples in the First Heaven were clearly dumbfounded. As disciples of the Heaven Dao Pavilion, they had their pride, and were hailed as geniuses in their field, adulated and respected by countless people. But now …

They have fallen behind, behind the vast majority of Heaven Dao disciples. Over thirty of them entered the Nine Heavens at the same time to view the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations, but now, they’re the only ones who have not deciphered the first illustration yet. This already dealt a severe blow to their pride.

And yet now, Fang Zhengzhi’s achievement indisputably plunged a burning stake into their crushing wounds, making it hellishly unbearable for them.

The four disciples looked at each other, with the sight of Fang Zhengzhi deciphering the illustration with a single glance still replaying in their minds. Their eyes turned cold, as though they had nothing left to live for.

“….”

“What just happened?”

“He … he just deciphered the Nine … Nine Heavens Sagely Illustration?!”

The four disciples gazed at the scroll hanging above their heads and the thick brush stroke painted across the scroll. They could not endure the shame any longer. Their legs gave way and they suddenly sank to the ground.

Yan Qing’s expression was also strange. He did not lose, but he certainly did not win either, because both Fang Zhengzhi and him stepped into the Nine Heavens realm at roughly the same time. But of course … this was not the crux of the matter.

What’s important was, Fang Zhengzhi, who stepped into the Nine Heavens at the same time as he did, has already ascended to the Second Heaven of the Nine Heavens while he was still standing in the First Heaven.

“Is this illustration really that simple?” Yan Qing lifted his head and gazed at the scroll above him, observing that thick brush stroke.

In an instant, he seemed to have entered an entirely different world. There was nothing in this world – no mountains, no rivers, no trees, no flowers and no grass. It was just blank, completely blank. Where is this?

An overwhelming oppressive force attacked Yan Qing, causing him to swing his fists about instinctively. One punch, two punches, three punches … He hurled his fists outwards tirelessly, retaliating without stopping. But the blank world still remained as blank as ever. Nothing changed.

No! I should be in the Nine Heavens realm. I should be observing the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations. That’s right, that stroke, it was that stroke, the single stroke across the white scroll.

Yan Qing’s fists subconsciously traced out the stroke, from above to below, but it became extremely exhausting for him.

“Boom!” A mellow rumble. In an instant, this blank white world had been dispelled by his fist.

The white disappeared. The trees and the green pastures reappeared. The scroll vanished, and a booming voice rang in his ears.

“Yan Qing has entered the Second Heaven!”

“….” The remaining four Heaven Dao disciples in the First Heaven sitting on the grass watched as Yan Qing vanished before their eyes. Their lips twitched as tears rolled down their faces amidst the light rain.

Did they really have to be dealt with another blow?!

……

“Did we really have to be dealt with another blow?!”

The nearly thirty Heaven Dao disciples in the Second Heaven echoed the same sentiments as their four peers in the First Heaven, because that booming voice reverberated across the horizon once again.

“Fang Zhengzhi has entered the Third Heaven!”

“… the Third Heaven!”

“….”

Was there anything worse than suddenly being overtaken by someone whom you clearly had a head start with at the startline after running for almost an hour?

Yes! Being overtaken at just the Second Heaven!

“….” The disciples were speechless, unable to fathom how freakish someone had to be in order to decipher the second Nine Heaven Sagely Illustration in less than a second.

It was bewildering. And in their bewilderment, another voice rang in their ears. “Yan Qing has entered the Second Heaven!”

“….” The nearly thirty disciples subconsciously turned their eyes towards Yan Qing who just appeared in front of them. Their faces flushed red.

This was really a world inhabited by demons!

As seniors with a few years of experience in the Heaven Dao Pavilion, they have just allowed a newly inducted junior to catch up to them right after being overtaken by a demonic opponent. How could their hearts endure such a devastating blow?

They were shamed, utterly shamed.

Yan Qing clearly did not notice the expressions on his seniors’ faces. In fact, he did not even spare them a single glance ever since he stepped into the Second Heaven, because he also heard the booming announcement that Fang Zhengzhi … has already entered the Third Heaven.

Even though the bet between him and Fang Zhengzhi had already ended, how could a contest without a proper winner be considered complete in Yan Qing’s mind?

Hence, he still wanted to compete with Fang Zhengzhi. And this time, he was clearly competing to see who could reach the highest Heaven.

“You’re fast, really fast! But I’ll … definitely overtake you!” Just as he hardened his will, Yan Qing gazed up at the second illustration hanging over the horizon.

Compared to the first illustration, the second illustration clearly had more strokes, but the increase was quite incremental.

It was an unusually sloppily scribbled scroll. It looked as though it was splattered on by someone completely clueless about calligraphy, yet such a carefree scribble did contain a very natural quality.

Nothing could be identified from the scroll. Of course, if it had to be likened to something, it would be fog, thick fog. Or perhaps, wind, splattered onto the scroll without any care.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Unlike the first illustration which instantly transported Yan Qing into another world, he was clearly baffled by this puzzle.

…

“The single stroke on the first illustration was evidently the simplification of every form of existence in the world, and the second illustration clearly represented nature. Aren’t these Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations a little too simple?” Fang Zhengzhi looked out into the endless plains before him and gazed up at the third illustration hanging above him, twitching his lips casually.

Suddenly, he felt a strange emptiness in his heart, as though he was standing on the summit of a mountain without any opponent in sight, unmatched by all. Yet at this moment, the booming voice rang in his ears again.

“Chi Guyan has entered the Fifth Heaven!”

“… the Fifth Heaven!”

“…..”

“F*ck!” Fang Zhengzhi unknowingly erected his middle finger straight at the sky. He thought that he just needed to ascend to the next Heaven to give Chi Guyan a big surprise of his own. But now, it seems like he was going ahead of himself.

She was indeed really fast. Fang Zhengzhi just reached the Third Heaven and Chi Guyan has already entered the Fifth Heaven. A gap of two Heavens was certainly not small! On the contrary, it was a huge distance.

Fang Zhengzhi knew very well that the difficulty of deciphering the scrolls would grow more the higher they went. For instance, he immediately associated the second illustration with nature in the instant he glanced at it, but merely thinking about the puzzle and deciphering the puzzle were two completely different matters. He had to be fast!

Fang Zhengzhi quickly looked up at the scroll above him. It was an ink painting, with heavy and broad brush strokes starting from the top left corner of the scroll before becoming fader as they move towards the bottom right corner, then trailing off completely at the end. Sporadic ink blots of varying sizes were dotted seemingly indiscriminately across the scroll, yet it followed a certain fixed pattern.

Fang Zhengzhi raised his eyebrows. This scroll was evidently much more complicated than the previous two scrolls. He was actually unsure of what the painting meant after his initial glance.

A splash-ink painting?

What does that … even represent?

Chapter 703: A Truly Demonic Obstacle

….

As Fang Zhengzhi was mulling over his interpretation of the splash-ink painting in the Third Heaven, Sixth Elder and the other Heaven Dao disciples outside the Divine Rain Pond were going insane.

News of Fang Zhengzhi entering the Third Heaven had spread like wildfire.

“The Third Heaven?!”

“This scoundrel is that fast?”

“He’s a demon!”

The Heaven Dao disciples were evidently speechless. In the beginning, everyone assumed that there wouldn’t be any doubt about Chi Guyan’s eventual victory over Fang Zhengzhi in this challenge. But now?

Fang Zhengzhi has demonstrated demonic levels of talent again and again – navigating out of the Jungle of Mysteries in less than an hour, deciphering the first Sagely Illustration with a single glance, then deciphering the second one in about half a minute, and has now ascended to the Third Heaven.

No one would believe his sheer speed if they hadn’t witnessed it for themselves.

“Sixth Elder!” Suddenly, someone ran towards them from afar at top speed, swiftly arriving in front of Sixth Elder.

“Speak!” Sixth Elder’s heart jumped.

“Senior Chi Guyan has already reached the Fifth Heaven!” The disciple spouted hastily.

“That’s great, really great!” Upon hearing this, Sixth Elder looked as though he just slipped out of a tiger’s jaws and regained his smile.

The Heaven Dao disciples crowding around him also heaved a sigh of relief. Although they had to admit what a freak Fang Zhengzhi was, his opponent this time round was Chi Guyan, who also possessed equally freakish abilities. And more importantly …

Chi Guyan had a head start over Fang Zhengzhi.

Perhaps Fang Zhengzhi was even stronger than they imagined, to a point where nobody could predict who would clinch the ultimate victory if both competitors entered the Nine Heavens at the same time. But under such circumstances, Chi Guyan couldn’t possibly lose.

“One more thing, Yan Qing has also entered the Second Heaven!” The disciple blurted out after noticing Sixth Elder’s temporary sense of relief.

“Eh? Yan Qing has entered the Second Heaven?” After hearing this, a faint tint of astonishment evidently flashed through Sixth Elder’s eyes. But after a few seconds, he regained his composure. “Hm, very well. Looks like Yan Qing’s potential is even greater than I’ve imagined!”

With that, Sixth Elder’s mind began devising a possible plan to take Yan Qing under his wing, since the latter has just recently entered the Heaven Dao Pavilion without officially acknowledging a master yet. After all, Yan Qing’s reputation would grow by leaps and bounds after his time in the Divine Rain Pond.

The surrounding Heaven Dao disciples were evidently stunned after hearing the news of Yan Qing reaching the Second Heaven. To them, being mercilessly overtaken by a junior that just joined the Heaven Dao Pavilion a month ago was nothing to be ‘proud’ of.

…

Fang Zhengzhi’s robes were nowhere near pristine. To be fair, nobody’s clothes would possibly be clean after running for their lives through a jungle for such a long distance. Although calling him ‘haggard’ would be exaggerating, describing him as simply ‘sloppy’ would be too kind.

There were numerous holes dotted across his blue robes, looking considerably tattered especially around his chest, as well a large tear ripped apart by a tree branch. This caused the Heart Protection Mirror to fade in and out of view.

At this moment, a ray of light flashed incessantly from the Heart Protection Mirror, looking as though there was something about to charge out of the surface.

It was truly a bizarre sight, but Fang Zhengzhi did not notice it in the slightest, concentrating solely on the scroll above his head, gazing at the splash-ink painting, agonizing over how to interpret and decipher the puzzle.

Time passed slowly.

Fang Zhengzhi’s expression became less tense. He was not frantic – he knew that at times like this, the more frantic he was, the easier it would be for him to make a mistake.

In fact, in the past half a month … Fang Zhengzhi has perused the entire collection of books in the Heaven Dao Pavilion’s Repository, and his theoretical knowledge was far greater than before, which was also the true reason why he could decipher the first Sagely Illustration with a single glance.

However, Fang Zhengzhi was unaware of this fact himself. Hence, he was indeed a little shocked when he heard the announcement of him advancing to the Second Heaven.

Of course, he has begun to understand what’s going on now. In terms of theoretical knowledge, he was not weaker than any of his competitors. With a previous lifetime’s worth of experience under his belt, combined with his hard work in this lifetime, and then ‘meditating’ for a half a month in the Heaven Dao Pavilion’s Repository, his wealth of knowledge would definitely be formidable.

Ink … Could it be water?

Drops of water can form an ocean. A sprout can grow into a huge tree. If the splashes of ink … represent water, then the third illustration should represent the source of all life!

“Source!” Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes lit up, and information related to the source of life began flashing speedily through his mind. One piece, two pieces, three pieces … countless pieces of information flickered in his mind.

And then, an incredibly imposing voice suddenly boomed from the horizon.

“Yan Qing has entered the Third Heaven!”

“Yan Qing has entered …”

“…..”

“Oh?” Fang Zhengzhi instinctively averted his gaze behind him. Very quickly, a figure appeared about five steps behind him. He wore dark green robes which also looked slightly tattered.

It was Yan Qing.

“I’ve finally caught up with you at the Third Heaven!” Yan Qing immediately noticed Fang Zhengzhi standing in front of him the moment he appeared the Third Heaven. Yan Qing was noticeably a little thrilled, his eyes glistened with light and his tan face flushed slightly red.

But then, another voice boomed, and another figure appeared to the left of Yan Qing.

Very evidently … although Heaven Dao disciples may not be able to decipher the Nine Heavens Sagely Illustrations at Fang Zhengzhi’s insane speed, they were still prodigies of their own.

“Fang Zhengzhi, you’re not bad! You actually reached the Third Heaven earlier than me, you should be proud!” The disciple who arrived in the Third Heaven glanced at Yan Qing, then turned his gaze back towards Fang Zhengzhi. His lips intuitively curled up into a smile, and he asked, “But although you beat me to the Third Heaven, I’ll still reach the Fourth Heaven earlier than you!”

“Is this a challenge?” Upon hearing this, Fang Zhengzhi pursed his lips.

The Heaven Dao disciples loved competition, and Fang Zhengzhi was well aware of that. It’s a very normal thing. After all, a true genius would definitely seek to surpass others. And this disciple in front of Fang Zhengzhi managed to inch his way above all his peers, a strong testament to his formidable strength and wealth of knowledge. Aiming to defeat Fang Zhengzhi was definitely a rational next step for him.

“Of course!” The disciple nodded.

“Since it’s a challenge, we should lay down our bets, shouldn’t we?” Fang Zhengzhi asked.

“Hm, you’re right. What do you want to bet?” Upon hearing this, the disciple knew what Fang Zhengzhi was implying.

“Anything is fine. I’m in a hurry.” Fang Zhengzhi gestured.

“Alright, I’ll place my bottle of ‘Star Water’ down as my bet. This bottle of ‘Star Water’ is used when crafting elixirs, and can increase the purity of the final product!” The disciple did not beat around the bush, and immediately extracted a glass bottle with silver liquid from his waist

“Alright, for the sake of fairness, you should let Yan Qing hold the Star Water!” Fang Zhengzhi glanced at the bottle briefly before pointing at Yan Qing behind him.

“Fine!” The disciple nodded and passed the Star Water to Yan Qing, then turned his attention back to Fang Zhengzhi. “What about you? What’s your bet?”

“No need for that.” Fang Zhengzhi shook his head.

“What do you mean?” The disciple was confused.

“Because you’ve already lost.” Fang Zhengzhi saved the trouble of explaining any further. He has already figured out the true meaning behind the third illustration when he was negotiating their wagers with the Heaven Dao disciple.

The source. It wasn’t simply the origin of life; it represented the beginning and end of all life. It needed both the beginning and the end of life to create the full cycle. Birth, ageing, illness, death, were the most common sources – death is both the end and beginning of all life. It’s the source.

“Fang Zhengzhi has entered the Fourth Heaven!”

“Fang Zhengzhi has entered …”

“…”

The Heaven Dao disciple was astounded. After hearing the booming voice echo in his ears and gazing at Fang Zhengzhi who had vanished without a trace, chills ran up from his feet to the back of his head.

Demonic! That bastard is truly demonic!

If he still had a tinge of fighting spirit when he was first saw Fang Zhengzhi, he was now completely drained of the will to continue after witnessing this scene, no matter how much he wanted to surpass Fang Zhengzhi!

Yan Qing on the other hand was similarly speechless. As the top prodigy of his empire, he had not met a true ‘opponent’ ever since he left the jungles.

Unlike many others who enter the Heaven Dao Pavilion, Yan Qing’s true motive for coming here was not to train, nor to find a pillar of support in the Holy Region. He only wanted to find a purpose in his life.

He needed more ‘obstacles’ in his path, as only these ‘obstacles’ can give him the reason to continue living.

But now … this was the first time he was met with this long-awaited ‘obstacle’. And this ‘obstacle’ in front of him … clearly exceeded his expectations. It was like a towering mountain that could not be scaled, so intimidating that he was slightly lost, unsure of what to do.

“Fang Zhengzhi!!!” Yan Qing clenched both his fists with great force. Every joint in his body suddenly began cracking continuously.

Chapter 704: Dao Hun

Outside the Divine Rain Pond, Sixth Elder couldn’t maintain his smile for much longer, because the news of Fang Zhengzhi entering the Fourth Heaven has spread.

“The Fourth Heaven?! How did that brat do it?” Sixth Elder wanted to add that Fang Zhengzhi couldn’t possibly catch up to Chi Guyan despite having made it to the Fourth Heaven, but he could not blurt it out.

There was an unexplainable sense of panic writhing in his heart, which was forcing him to reassure himself over and over again that this brat couldn’t possibly win Chi Guyan. Never!

Of course, the Heaven Dao disciples crowding around the Divine Rain Pond bore the same sentiments as Sixth Elder. The news of Fang Zhengzhi entering the Fourth Heaven was equally astonishing to them.

“He really entered the Fourth Heaven?”

“He’s just one Heaven away from her!”

“Senior Chi Guyan is now at the Fifth Heaven …”

The various disciples exchanged glances, all noticing the same trepidation and disbelief in each other’s eyes.

They were astounded and nervous, yet time was not passing slowly at all.

As time passed, the announcements from within the Divine Rain Pond increased as the Heaven Dao disciples entered the Third Heaven one by one. After hearing these announcements, the disciples spectating outside the Divine Rain Pond naturally felt proud of their seniors who successfully ascended to the Third Heaven.

But amidst their pride … everyone was silently waiting.

Just as countless Heaven Dao disciples were waiting for news of Fang Zhengzhi and Chi Guyan in the Divine Rain Pond anxiously, the Holy Region has long lost its former peace and tranquility.

Although the Holy Region has never achieved total peace before, the five sects had always maintained an untouchable baseline. And this baseline was broken … because the Nine Pinnacles Mountain Leader Tian Xing had been devoured by the Blood Offering Illustration in the Divine Rain Pond and entered the Heaven-Receiving Door, with no one knowing whether he was still alive.

With their sect leader in trouble, and worse still, inside the Heaven Dao Pavilion, how could the Nine Pinnacles Mountain end this matter without a sound?

The Nine Pinnacles Mountain was a magnificent peak towering over the southwestern area of the Holy Region, and was also a giant active volcano. Due to the drastic temperature differences between the summit and the foot of the mountain, it is shrouded by a thick layer of fog all year round. Yet this active volcano also boasted a natural barrier – gigantic boulders aligned according to the nine planetary positions, resting on nine enormous three-legged black crucibles. Nobody knew how old these crucibles were, but to the people of the Nine Pinnacles Mountain, these nine black crucibles were born from the earth. And below these crucibles lay a natural plateau with a few hundred irregularly sized stone cottages built from black volcanic rocks.

This was the Nine Pinnacles Mountain.

And now, outside the five-meter tall stone cottage in the centre of the plateau, there were over a thousand Nine Pinnacles Mountain disciples dressed in black robes. And inside the stone cottage, nine elders wearing identical black robes sat around a huge stone table, each wearing a stern expression.

“We don’t know whether our leader is dead or alive, but we must take the Heaven-Receiving Gate back to the Nine Pinnacles Mountain no matter what!” A voice exclaimed.

“How? Just snatch it?” Another replied.

“So what if we do? Are we afraid of the Heaven Dao Pavilion?”

“Please calm down, fellow elders!” A white-haired old man sitting at the head of the stone table suddenly chimed in, “Snatching … is not the best option!”

“What do you think, Great Elder?” After hearing the white-haired elder speak, the other elders turned their attention to him respectfully.

In the Nine Pinnacles Mountain, the Sect Leader Tian Xing was naturally regarded with the highest respect, and the next person below him would be the Nine Pinnacles Mountain Great Elder sitting at the head of the table.

“With our leader Tian Xing’s safety still a mystery, this battle at the Heaven Dao Pavilion can be considered the greatest crisis in a hundred years for us!” Great Elder said slowly.

“We understand everything you say, Great Elder, but we can’t sit here and do nothing, can we?”

“Precisely, if we don’t act, the other sects would definitely think that the Nine Pinnacles Mountain is helpless, and we might be faced with an even greater crisis later!”

“Third Elder makes sense. Although we are in an extremely vulnerable position now, swallowing this humiliation is definitely not the best way out either. Furthermore, how can we answer to the disciples standing outside this door? How can we answer to our comrades who have died at the hands of the Heaven Dao Pavilion?”

The other elders chimed in one after another.

After a month, the Nine Pinnacle Mountain disciples have returned from the Heaven Dao Pavilion, and news of Tian Xing’s disappearance has long spread through the mountain.

Great Elder frowned. He naturally knew what the other elders were driving at. Tian Xing’s whereabouts were unknown; they have yet to retrieve their Thousand Years Fire Herb; over ten of their own disciples perished tragically – they owed the Nine Pinnacle Mountain disciples an explanation for everything. But … how?

The Heaven Dao Pavilion was not weaker than the Nine Pinnacles Mountain in any way, and with Tian Xing in trouble, realistically speaking, they wouldn’t be able to guarantee a victory with their current state even if they activate their entire sect. Furthermore, with the other three sects watching them very closely, if the Nine Pinnacles Mountain and the Heaven Dao Pavilion sustain great losses in battle, the coexistence of the five sects in the Holy Region would come to an end.

“Indeed, we have to answer for this, but we don’t have to barge up to the Heaven Dao Pavilion!” Great Elder finally spoke after thinking long and hard.

“Not the Heaven Dao Pavilion?”

“Does Great Elder want to find Chi Guyan? Or Fang Zhengzhi?”

Upon hearing this, the other elders began to understand his perspective. They knew that they couldn’t possibly challenge the Heaven Dao Pavilion in their current state.

“With our current situation, who do all of you think we should find?” Great Elder did not give a direct reply, and instead posed a question back.

“We …” The other elders swallowed their words and frowned helplessly. In their hearts, they were naturally more keen to look for Chi Guyan; after all, everything that happened was due to Chi Guyan robbing them of the Thousand Years Fire Herb.

But they also knew that involving Chi Guyan in this matter would inevitably pit them against the Heaven Dao Pavilion, and since Chi Guyan was now in the Heaven Dao Pavilion, courting trouble with Chi Guyan would be even harder.

“Our leader wouldn’t have been ambushed successfully by Nangong Hao if he didn’t intend to purge the Nine Pinnacles Mountain of future disasters, hence I believe that the cursed root of all these problems is still Fang Zhengzhi. Of course, besides Fan Zhengzhi, there’s also the Nangong Nobles and Nangong Hao’s younger brother, Nangong Mu!” Great Elder said very explicitly after noticing the other elders hesitating to speak.

“Yes, Great Elder is right. Killing Fang Zhengzhi would fulfil our leader’s wishes. As for the Nangong Nobles and Nangong Mu, they can’t run away either!”

“That’s right!”

“If we kill Fang Zhengzhi and Nangong Mu, and exterminate the Nangong Nobles, then there wouldn’t be any more doubts in the hearts of the Nine Pinnacle Mountain disciples. I agree with this decision!”

The other elders nodded in agreement.

As the elders of the Nine Pinnacles Mountain, how could they not notice the current situation that they were in? For them now, accumulating strength and reinstating their leader should be their ultimate priority. But now, they couldn’t leave this matter unsettled either.

Hence, tracking down Fang Zhengzhi and Nangong Mu, the two people directly involved in this matter who have yet to attain the Sage State, was naturally the best option available.

“Great Elder, I agree with your decision, but … I’m worried about one thing!” Someone uttered in a hesitant voice.

“Is Fifth Elder worried about the Heaven Prophecy?” Great Elder asked.

“Yes, the Heaven Prophecy fell upon both Chi Guyan and Fang Zhengzhi at the same time. It wouldn’t be a problem if it was just a mere coincidence, but what if it isn’t?” Fifth Elder nodded.

“Fifth Elder makes sense. The Double Dragon Roll Champion would shock the world … Is the prophecy referring to these two?” Another elder expressed his doubt.

Great Elder frowned again, and did not retort immediately.

The other elders fell silent. After all, anything that involved the Heaven Prophecy and the Chosen One should be dealt with utmost seriousness.

“Chi Guyan bears the cursed bloodline; I’m sure everyone is aware of this. Fang Zhengzhi’s strength may be formidable, but he has not shown any signs of having a gifted bloodline, and I heard he has contracted an illness and has less than three months left to live. I personally believe that there’s minimally a 70% chance that this is all a coincidence!”

“Even if it really is a coincidence, Chi Guyan and Fan Zhengzhi seem to have a pretty close relationship. If she learns that Fang Zhengzhi is killed by us, she would definitely cause us much trouble in the future. This concerns the future of our Nine Pinnacles Mountain. We have to consider this more thoroughly …” Fifth Elder added.

“Hm, I understand what you mean!” Great Elder finally spoke again. “I’ve pondered over this before as well. Hence, we can’t act alone!”

“What do you mean, Great Elder?”

“Actually, after receiving this piece of news from the Heaven Dao Pavilion, I’ve already sent someone to pass the message to the Yin Yang Hall. I’ve discussed this matter with the Hallmaster of the Yin Yang Hall, Dao Hun.”

“And what was Dao Hun’s reply?”

“Wan Lei was Dao Hun’s most prized disciple. He was merely sent as an ambassador to spectate the match in the Heaven Dao Pavilion, yet met his tragic demise at the hands of Chi Guyan and Fang Zhengzhi. How could Dao Hun not exact his revenge?”

“Does Great Elder mean that the Yin Yang Hall is willing to combine forces with us?”

“No, they’ve already acted on their own. Dao Hun has already sent two disciples in the Sage State to the Heaven Dao Pavilion. If my predictions are correct, both their envoy and ours should have reached the foot of Sword Peak!” Great Elder nodded slowly.

“Our people went as well?” Upon hearing this, the other elders expressed their shock.

“Yes, I’ve sent the three sages of Black Moon Island. They’ll be redeeming themselves this time! With the three of them combining forces with the two disciples from the Yin Yang Hall, having five powerhouses in the Sage State ambush a lone Fang Zhengzhi who has not reached the Sage State should be a surefire win!” Great Elder nodded again.

“Great Elder has arranged everything very well. Sending the three sages of Black Moon Island to settle this is most appropriate. If anything happens and Chi Guyan charges up to us for trouble, we can claim that it was their own idea and had nothing to do with us!” The other elders began to understand Great Elder’s intentions.

At the foot of Sword Peak at the Heaven Dao Pavilion, there were five wooden cottages lined up in a straight line. The place looked like a snow-covered otherworldly region high up in the mountains.

Yan Xiu, donning gorgeously inked robes, walked out of one of the cottages slowly and lifted his head up, gazing at the unforgiving cliffs in the clouds. His eyes were filled with anticipation.

“Today’s the day he’s entering the Divine Rain Pond. I wonder which Heaven has he and Chi Guyan reached already?” Yan Xiu mumbled softly to himself and proceeded to walk into the forests by the cottage as usual.

Chapter 705: An Unexpected Appearance

THe Heaven Dao Pavilion was built on top of Sword Peak, surrounded completely by a dense jungle which serves as the perfect natural barrier. At the same time, it boasted majestic sights and picturesque scenery.

After emerging from his wooden cottage, Yan Xiu strolled slowly towards the forests. After a brief moment, he reached a small lake. The water was a clear green, so clear that one could see all the way to the bottom of the lake. As a gentle breeze brushed through the trees, the surface of the lake was dotted with ripples.

Yan Xiu did not speak or utter a sound. He merely found a rock by the lake and sat down, then slowly took out a book from his chest pockets.

There were three huge characters written on its old cover. It looked like any ordinary book, but Yan Xiu flipped it open slowly with utmost care and concentration, studying each word as he mouthed the lines.

Time passed slowly …

Yan Xiu still focused every ounce of his attention on the book. His expression was as calm as water; his body didn’t even budge. He looked like a statue sitting on the rock.

It was an incredibly tranquil sight, especially with the lush mountains and the crystal green lake as a backdrop, giving off a genuine sense of ‘peace’ and ‘ease’, just like the calm surface of the lake.

Of course … with the seasons turning to summer, the lake would still see some disturbances no matter how calm it was – just like a shaded figure standing silently in the distance in this near perfect painting, standing in the shadow of a tree obscured from the sun, not moving a muscle.

In the Fourth Heaven of the Divine Rain Pond, Fang Zhengzhi finally understood why he could continuously close the gap between him and Chi Guyan.

The Fourth Heaven was completely different from the Third Heaven. In other words, there were like two drastically different worlds. If the Third Heaven could be described as a poetic picturesque scene under a light drizzle, then the Fourth Heaven would be … a battlefield.

Just like the continuously evolving scroll above his head, there were no beautiful green pastures beneath Fang Zhengzhi’s feet, just a barren red land dotted with potholes.

The drizzle still showered down onto the red soil, forming trickling streams that were as crimson as blood, encapsulating the bloodlust and devastation of war.

The scroll above his head was the same. It was not a silent still painting, and was instead a continuously changing battlefield filled with the estranged cries of warhorses and overwhelming killing intent.

At one glance, Fang Zhengzhi also recalled how Chi Guyan’s speed seemed to slow down after reaching the Fourth Heaven.

The Fourth Heaven?

Fang Zhengzhi had heard Chi Guyan explain this briefly to him before: The Nine Heavens can actually be separated into the top three Heavens, middle three Heavens and the bottom three Heavens. And based on what he was witnessing, the Fourth Heaven should mark the beginning of the middle three Heavens.

The bottom three Heavens represent the theories of Dao … so what do the middle three Heavens represent?

Actual battle experience?

Fang Zhengzhi gazed up at the tumultuous scroll of war and furrowed his eyebrows, carefully analyzing the meaning behind the scroll.

A battlefield … Does it represent a certain Dao technique? Or perhaps, a Dao formation?

Fang Zhengzhi was slightly uncertain, but as he gazed at the ever-changing scroll, he had a faint feeling that this was where he could truly ‘reap his rewards’.

Time flew by, and as Fang Zhengzhi immersed his mind completely into the scroll above him, the Heart Protection Mirror in his chest began lighting up again, growing brighter and brighter.

But then … a commanding voice boomed again.

“Chi Guyan has entered the Sixth Heaven!”

“Chi Guyan has entered …”

“…..”

“What? She’s this fast?” Fang Zhengzhi’s lips jerked, finally feeling uneasy as he heard the announcement echo in his ears.

He has always felt that he was faster than Chi Guyan on a level playing field. As long as he could decipher this battlefield scroll before his eyes, he would have the chance to meet Chi Guyan … He even came up with the exact script for his anticipated encounter.

But now, reality has told him that the gap between him and Chi Guyan has been stretched out again, from one Heaven to two.

He forced a despondent smile on his face. Indeed, that chick Chi Guyan was far tougher to deal with than he had imagined.

While Fang Zhengzhi was agonizing over the scroll in the Fourth Heaven, the Heaven Dao disciple with the surname Wang responsible for observing the happenings in the Divine Rain Pond ran towards Sixth Elder again, but this time …

His face was flushed red, and his eyes shimmered with an irrepressible sense of excitement.

“Sixth Elder!” The disciple’s tone was no longer as frantic, and was much more relaxed than before.

“Yes?” Sixth Elder tensed up after noticing the approaching disciple. He knew that there was only one reason for the disciple’s visit – either Chi Guyan or Fang Zhengzhi had progressed to the next Heaven.

“Senior Chi Guyan has entered the Sixth Heaven!” The disciple exclaimed.

“Oh? Are you sure!”

“Yes!”

“That’s great, really great, really great!” Upon hearing this, the trepidation on his face vanished completely, replaced with a genuine smile. The surrounding Heaven Dao disciples were slightly astounded by this piece of news, but then celebrated with glee.

“The Sixth Heaven!”

“Fang Zhengzhi hasn’t progressed yet, has he?”

“Indeed, there isn’t any suspense to this at all. Perhaps, even if Fang Zhengzhi hadn’t fallen into the Jungle of Mysteries and entered the Nine Heavens right at the beginning instead, he still can’t win!”

“That’s for sure. His opponent is Senior Chi Guyan!”

The Heaven Dao disciples heaved a genuine sigh of relief. After all, the key factors determining the ultimate victory between the two were always the middle three and top three Heavens.

The higher they progressed, the harder it would get. And towards the end, they would be tested on their knowledge and understanding to a greater degree.

Although Fang Zhengzhi had demonstrated extraordinary levels of talent and skill in the first three Heavens, it did not mean that he would have a smooth-sailing journey through the middle three and top three Heavens.

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and true powerhouses would be able to maintain an unwavering level of skill no matter what situations they are faced with. And very evidently … Chi Guyan was such an example.

In both the bottom three and middle three Heavens, Chi Guyan has maintained extremely stable standards of skill, unfazed by any obstacles in her way.

“Just one more Heaven and she would reach the Seventh Heaven. That’s the top three Heavens!”

“Yes! There’s less than a hundred people in the Heaven Dao Pavilion’s history who have managed to reach the top three Heavens, right?”

“With Senior Chi Guyan’s talent, there was never a doubt that she couldn’t reach the top three Heavens. I think … she might even reach the Eighth Heaven!”

“That’s right!”

As the Heaven Dao disciples buzzed with visible excitement, they felt as though they had ascended to the Sixth Heaven themselves, jubilant beyond words.

In the Third Heaven of the Divine Rain Pond, more and more Heaven Dao disciples appeared beside Yan Qing. And now, there were about five disciples who have progressed from the Second to the Third Heaven.

“Senior Chi Guyan is simply amazing!”

“That’s right, she would never disappoint us!”

“The one who gets the last laugh is the true winner!”

“I actually believed that that scoundrel was pretty impressive himself. To be honest, he did give a shock, but now, he just seems to be spouting empty talk in the bottom three Heavens. We might even get the chance to overtake him!”

“Well said, Senior Li!”

The five Heaven Dao disciples were clearly ecstatic, which eased the nervousness in their hearts.

Upon hearing their banter, Yan Qing frowned. Yet, he did not say anything, still focusing on the scroll hanging above his head, his gaze becoming calmer.

“Splash-ink, tranquility … water? I’ve got it!” Yan Qing’s eyes suddenly lit up, like the calm surface of a lake suddenly catching a stray strand of hay.

Following that, a booming voice rang through the air.

“Yan Qing has entered the Fourth Heaven!”

“Yan Qing has entered …”

“….”

“Eh? Yan Qing has also reached the Fourth Heaven!” The five disciples were astonsihed. After all, they arrived in the Third Heaven at around the same time as Yan Qing.

“To think that Yan Qing would have such a profound understanding of Dao being a member of the War Pinnacle Empire who grew up in the jungles.”

“This must be because of his undying gifted bloodline!”

“Hm, how enviable it must be to have a gifted bloodline!”

Amidst their admiration, the five Heaven Dao disciples collected themselves and continued studying the scroll.

“I’ve got it, I’ve got it … I think I’ve got it!” One of the disciples suddenly exclaimed. His face instantly flushed red. It wasn’t any other disciple; it was the one who betted against Fang Zhengzhi and lost.

“He Congming has entered the Fourth Heaven!”

“….”

“Senior He has entered the Fourth Heaven?! Hahaha, that’s really impressive. We should strive hard as well and follow in Senior He’s footsteps, and chase up … no, overtake that bastard!” After hearing the booming announcement echoing from the horizon and watching He Congming vanish before their eyes, they were jolted with a sudden surge of overwhelming confidence.

Meanwhile, in the Fourth Heaven, He Congming immediately noticed the figure standing in front of him, his tattered blue robes swaying with the rain.

“Eh? Isn’t this the unbeatable Master Fang, Fang Zhengzhi, who flew from the First Heaven up to the Fourth Heaven without any trouble? What’s wrong, is Master Fang waiting for me? Or is one bottle of Star Water not enough? Do you want a few more?” He Congming beamed with glee.

Chapter 706: Life’s Destination

Of course, to be so terribly happy and to tease Fang Zhengzhi so daringly and unscrupulously, He Congming must have a bit of basis to do so.

Afterall, Fang Zhengzhi was just standing right in front of him.

More importantly, he was very sure that Fang Zhengzhi was definitely not waiting just for a bottle of Star Water.

The reason was very simple, that Fang Zhengzhi and Chi Guyan had a gamble between them, and it was an important one.

So, how could Fang Zhengzhi throw away such a big opportunity, deliberately delaying his time in the Fourth Heaven, just for the tiny bottle of Star Water?

Hence, the conclusion was obvious, that Fang Zhengzhi was unable to solve the riddle in the Fourth Heaven!

This let He Congming to harbour hope once again, although he did not have the full confidence that he would win Fang Zhengzhi in the Fourth Heaven.

He Congming waited for Fang Zhengzhi’s answer…..

But Fang Zhengzhi had obviously not heard He Congming’s question, as he was concentrating on the Battle Illustration in front of him. He did not even bother to give He Congming a look.

He Congming had a change in his expression.

“You…..” He Congming saw the silent Fang Zhengzhi, and a gust of frustration boiled inside him. The feeling of being looked down upon was indeed difficult to tolerate.

He felt like adding a few more sentences, such as, if you have the skill let’s compete another round, I have more treasures and valuables, other than the Star Water.

But, just when he moved half a step forward, a sound rang beside his ears.

“Shut up!” It was very direct, and carried a wild sense of madness, without a tinge of politeness at all.

The person who said the sentence, was not Fang Zhengzhi naturally, but Yan Qing.

“Yan Qing, what did you say, I am your Senior, you…..” He Congming could not complete his sentence, as Yan Qing had already reached in front of him.

Very quickly.

He Congming had not time to react.

The fierce vibe, coupled with a pair of beastly and ferocious eyes, sent a cold shiver down He Congming’s spine. He inadvertently took a step back.

A very small step.

But his face was blushed red.

As a Heaven Dao Pavilion disciple with certain qualities, to be afraid of a Junior who had just entered the Heaven Dao Pavilion a month ago?

How could his heart accept it?

As he was preparing to open his mouth, a fisted punch approached his front. Such a situation was very sudden, and he felt a little bewildered.

“Attack me? Yan Qing this fellow dare to attack me?!” He Congming could not comprehend why Yan Qing dared to attack his Senior.

Furthermore, his punch was so resolute and determined.

Bewilderment, shock.

But He Congming’s skills were not weak afterall. Seeing the clenched punch, his body retreated three steps back swiftly, and a streak of white ice marks appeared below his feet.

Glazed Frost Technique.

This technique enabled He Congming to make use of the frost to dodge attacks swiftly, and could be considered to be one of his more valuable techniques. Even so, the corner of his shirt shattered due to the shock waves from Yan Qing’s punch.

This undoubtedly led He Congming to feel even more shocked.

“Without any borrowed strength, this is pure power!” He Congming looked the at the shattered corner of his shirt, eyes wide in disbelief.

While he was in the Rebirth State, he was merely in the initial stage of the Rebirth State, and paled in comparison to Yan Qing, the top one elite of the War Pinnacle Empire, who was at the peak of the Rebirth State.

He was definitely much weaker.

Even though he had already entered the Heaven Dao Pavilion for four years.

Yan Qing did not open his mouth, and did not continue to attack He Congming. He did not even bother to give He Congming another look.

After one clenched punch.

Yan Qing returned to his initial position, and he gradually shifted his attention to the Battle Illustration. He seemed as though he had never moved.

He Congming moved his mouth slightly, as a drop of cold sweat trickled down his forehead. His self-esteem seemed to be telling him, as an older disciple, that he should be treated with respect appropriately.

But…..

In front of this violent and impolite beast, he felt that he could temporarily suppress this sense of respect and dignity.

“Hmph, I am the older disciple, so naturally I won’t fuss around with you!” He Congming mumbled to himself before looking ahead of him.

After the short noisy hustle, peace seemed to be restored in the Fourth Heaven.

However, the peace did not last too long. After a while, a majestic voice resounded in the air again.

“Chi Guyan, has entered the Seventh Heaven!”

“Chi Guyan has entered……”

…..”

“The Seventh Heaven? Hahaha, Senior Chi Guyan enters the Seventh Heaven!” He Congming’s body palpitated vigorously upon hearing the voice. He could not contain his excitement as he yelled uncontrollably.

“Eh?” Yan Qing’s vision turned towards He Congming.

“…..” He Congming’s lips moved again, as he felt like mocking Fang Zhengzhi with a few sentences. Afterall, such an opportunity was indeed rare.

However, upon seeing Yan Qing’s cold heartless eyes, he swallowed his words back down.

It was needless to say that it was unbearable for He Congming to continue holding back.

And at this moment, another voice resounded in the air.

“Li Xuejin has entered the Fourth Heaven!”

“…..”

Next, a silhouette appeared beside He Congming. He was clad in a white scholar gown, lightly blowing in the wind.

“Eh? Brother He, why is your shirt tattered?” Li Xuejin’s vision fell on He Congming’s sleeve as soon as he had reached the Fourth Heaven.

“…..” He Congming’s face was blushed in red.

Why could he say?

That it was from Yan Qing’s one punch?

He could not do so, as afterall he was still an older disciple. Hence, he could only tolerate it silently. His face turned purple, resembling a pig’s liver.

…..

In contrast to the atmosphere in the Fourth Heaven, it was not as tensed as it was in the Divine Rain Pond. It seemed truly liberating.

Cheering and chirping sounds reverberated throughout the Divine Rain Pond.

Sixth Elder’s face was rosy and fresh red in colour. He found a place to sit down, and called for someone to bring him a pot of tea.

It could be said that he was as relaxed as ever.

Behind him, the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples were similarly as excited.

“Senior Chi Guyan is really too powerful!”

“She managed to reach the Seventh Heaven! Such speed and efficiency had never been witnessed before in the history of the Heaven Dao Pavilion!”

“Yes, based on such swiftness, it is only be a matter of time for her to enter the Eighth Heaven!”

The Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples were exhilarated. If Sixth Elder and the disciples were said to be initially worried about the situation, they had no feelings of that anymore, upon hearing that news.

How could a person who was unable to even pass the Fourth Heaven…..

Be a threat to Chi Guyan, who had already reached the Seventh Heaven?

Unless, a miracle appeared!

No…..

Even if there were to be a miracle, it was impossible!

“You guys feel, is it possible for Senior Chi Guyan to enter the Ninth Heaven?”

“Ninth Heaven? This….. In the history of the Heaven Dao Pavilion, there was only one person to ever do so. I think this possibility is still…..”

“True, to enter the Ninth Heaven is too difficult already!”

As this competition’s victor became increasingly clear, the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples, naturally, hoped for even more miracles to happen.

However, just like what they had said, the Ninth Heaven was indeed to difficult!

Of course, as to whether Chi Guyan was really able to enter the Ninth Heaven, they were just merely discussing that issue among themselves.

Time gradually passed by once again.

Not long after, a piece of news from the Divine Rain Pond could be heard.

Yan Qing has entered the Fifth Heaven!

“Actually passed this stage?”

“This Yan Qing, how powerful!”

“Indeed, his status of being the top one elite of the War Pinnacle Empire is well deserved!”

The news about Yan Qing was a bit of a shock to Sixth Elder and the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples. Because in theory, even if Fang Zhengzhi were to really encounter a problem in the Fourth Heaven.

He should still be able to reach the Fifth Heaven before Yan Qing has done so.

But the result was that Yan Qing had overtaken Fang Zhengzhi, being a step ahead of him.

“This Yan Qing, not bad!” As Six Elder was complimenting Yan Qing, he began considering how he could accept Yan Qing as his disciple.

And the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples, at this moment, began discussing and chatting among themselves.

Not long after, the news of Li Xuejin entering the Fifth Heaven was also heard. He was one step ahead of He Congming, who had initially entered the Fourth Heaven before him.

“This is so unexpected!”

“No one would have thought that Li Xuejin was able to surpass He Congming!”

“Yeah, before reaching the Ninth Heaven of the Divine Rain Pond, I guess nobody can guess the victors and the losers?”

After a period of time…..

He Congming finally reached the Fifth Heaven.

As news of the various disciples entering the Fourth Heaven began passing around, the spectators no longer considered if there was a possibility that Fang Zhengzhi would win Chi Guyan in this battle.

“This Fang Zhengzhi had been waiting at the Fourth Heaven for almost an hour already?”

“Around there, it looks like the Fourth Heaven is the destination of his life, I’m afraid he’s unable to pass it!”

“Hahaha, but for the first three Heaven, he was really very quick. He had given me a shock, I almost thought he was able to win!”

“Who hadn’t? I even let out a body of cold sweat.”

Upon hearing the news of the various disciples entering the Fourth and Fifth Heaven, and thinking about Fang Zhengzhi who was still stuck at the Fourth Heaven, the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples could not help but chuckle among themselves.

Chapter 707: Solving, Another Dimension

…..

In the Divine Rain Pond, amidst the Fourth Heaven.

Around seven to eight Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples were looking at the Battle Illustration above their foreheads respectively. In contrast to their bewilderment and uncertainty as before, it seemed as though they had not noticed Fang Zhengzhi.

Afterall, Fang Zhengzhi had been waiting at the Fourth Heaven for quite a period of time, resulting in them losing their excitement and interest in the challenge.

Obviously Fang Zhengzhi did not pay any attention to the surrounding disciples.

His vision was fixated on the ever changing Battle Illustration, and it felt as though he had sunk into another dimension.

In reality, there was only one dimension in Fang Zhengzhi’s mind.

And that was a battlefield, a bloody battlefield.

Fang Zhengzhi had seen bloodbath during a war before. There was the sea of red during his time in the Cang Ling Mountain, the intense battle in the Flame Capital City, and especially at the Southern Region.

The sight of countless troops from the Demonic Army, the Southern Region Army and the Great Xia Army clashing with one another. In that battle, the soil was stained red in blood. Hundreds and thousands of lives were lost.

It was a ruthless sight.

However, be it any one of those battles, they paled in comparison to the much more brutal battle in front of him.

Or so to say…..

The battle in front of him cannot be described by just the words brutal.

Because, mountains of corpses piled up against each other, one layer over the next. The blazing fire engulfed the bodies, emitting a bloody smell in the air.

And in the middle of the battlefield.

There were still countless figures slashing and attacking one another. Every silhouette carried a pair of blood red eyes, and it seemed like they had fallen into insanity.

Madness from the massacre.

“AH!!” Miserable screaming sounds reverberated throughout the air, as the blood red eyes turned their attention towards Fang Zhengzhi, and it seemed as though they had discovered a new prey.

“Eh?” Fang Zhengzhi wanted to shout, but he realised that he was unable to even open his mouth. There was no sound emitting from his throat.

Just at this moment…..

The figures rushed towards him.

Up close, Fang Zhengzhi could clearly see that the cold steels of their weapons were stained in fresh blood.

“Kil!” Shouts could be heard.

Shaking the sky.

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to extend his hands to slap those things dead.

However, he did not know why he was unable to raise his hands up. His body felt as though there was no energy left to move.

What was happening?

Fang Zhengzhi had a change in his expression, and he prepared to make his escape.

But similarly it was merely manifested in the pure feeling of hope, as his feet felt as though they were nailed to the ground. He was unable to dodge, let alone run.

“Ci La!” The figure who had first reached Fang Zhengzhi raised his spear up, sending the blood stained spear piercing through Fang Zhengzhi’s body.

Very painful!

Excruciatingly painful!

“I…..” Fang Zhengzhi wanted to ask him a sentence, such as, your attack was so vicious, does your sister know about this? However, looking at his facial expression, Fang Zhengzhi immediately kept his question.

Because, its facial features were too hideous looking. It was distorted in nature, coupled with the thick black hair and scale-like skin, as well as the protruding tip at his forehead.

Obviously…..

This was not a species that Fang Zhengzhi had seemed to recognise.

Hence, it was not too appropriate for him to ask about his sister. Afterall, Fang Zhengzhi’s taste should not stoop to the level of a monster.

“How painful….. No, I should be at the Fourth Heaven of the Divine Rain Pond! Why am I here suddenly? Where is this place? Inside the picture?” Fang Zhengzhi shook his head vigorously.

He tried to tell himself that it was all part of his hallucination.

But the excruciating pain felt too realistic. His energy was even affected by it, and it felt as though the spear had really pierced into his body.

How could this be?

The Fourth Heaven…..

Could it be that everyone was seeing the same image as me?

“Ci La!” Before Fang Zhengzhi could continue pondering about the situation, a second spear had already pierced into his body.

Excruciating pain could be felt once again.

At this moment, a murderous intent started boiling inside Fang Zhengzhi’s heart, resembling that of a burning bundle of dry wood.

Furthermore, what was even weirder was that…..

Fang Zhengzhi felt that the murderous intent belonged to him, or rather, the murderous intent had always been hidden inside his body.

“Kill, kill all these things!”

“No, these are just hallucinations. I cannot kill, once I kill I will fall into the trap!”

Two different voices floated in his mind simultaneously. These two different desires were fighting with one another within himself.

At this moment, a third spear pierced towards him.

“Ci La!” The excruciating pain, resembled the tumultuous sea waves. His murderous intent was even more intense than ever, and it felt as though it was about to devour his entire body.

The Fourth Heaven…..

The Fourth Heaven!

What exactly was it?!

…..

After enduring piercings after piercings, his body started quivering uncontrollably, and his facial expression was one of ferocity.

More importantly, Fang Zhengzhi’s body contained a murderous intent, which was unbeknownst to him.

This had also resulted the surrounding Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples to feel a little bewildered, as all their eyes laid vision on Fang Zhengzhi.

“Eh? What happened to his fellow?”

“Did he give up, just because he cannot pass the Fourth Heaven?”

“Maybe! I have heard that other than the Battle Illustration, the Fourth Heaven also tests one’s innate desires and resolute character. While this fellow is gifted, but he is still young, and lacking in experience. Furthermore, he was brought up in a village, so his perseverance must not be strong!”

“Makes sense, his heart is unsteady. This type of occurrence is common to those who have attained their skills too quickly!”

The Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples looked at Fang Zhengzhi’s situation, and murmured among themselves softly. Thereafter, they did not bother him any longer.

Afterall, they all knew that…..

Although the middle three Heavens were testing one’s character, but with the Heavenly Descent Dew, there should not be any big obstacle.

At this moment, Fang Zhengzhi’s body stopped palpitating.

Next, his ferocious expression gradually calmed down, just like the spring bamboo shoots after the rain.

Fang Zhengzhi’s head slowly raised up, with his mouth slightly opened, allowing the dew from the horizon to drop into his mouth.

“Di gu!” He swallowed the dew in one mouth.

Next, Fang Zhengzhi’s revealed a smile on his face, and he felt like the seedlings which had finally experienced rain after a long drought.

Very splendid, very satisfied.

At the same time, golden symbols started lighting up around Fang Zhengzhi’s body. More symbols started to appear…..

“What was happening?!”

“This fellow, what happened?”

“Is this Baptism by the Holy Words?”

“How can it be?! Wasn’t he already baptized by the Holy Words before?”

As the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples saw the situation in front of them, their vision shifted away from the Battle Illustration, and towards Fang Zhengzhi. They were all shocked.

While Fang Zhengzhi seemed as though he did not hear the comments from the surrounding disciples.

He merely smiled as he raised his head, looking at the still ever changing Battle Illustration. His eyes at this point of time had became completely transparent.

Weirdly transparent.

What was even weirder was, in his pair of eyes, there was a picture which was exactly identical to the Battle Illustration that was above his forehead.

Even the changing transitions were identical.

“Oh so it’s like that, I understand, I finally understand!” Following the fluctuations in his eyes, Fang Zhengzhi could not help but let out a scream of excitement.

And this sound, upon falling on the ears of the disciples, caused them to feel even more bewildered and astonished.

“This fellow really understood it?”

“Impossible? He did not understand after staring at it for so long. Only after such a short duration did he manage to understand it? I don’t believe!”

“You don’t have to believe it. Even if he had really understood it, is there a need to be this excited? Afterall, Senior Chi Guyan had already reached the Seventh Heaven! This fellow still has to catch up to her?”

“Brother Xia your words seem to make sense! Furthermore, after understanding it, he still needs time to solve it!”

After looking at Fang Zhengzhi, the disciples once again gave out a disdainful look. Next, they continued on their unfinished business, which was to look at the Battle Illustration.

Just at this moment…..

The majestic voice resounded through the horizon again.

“Fang Zhengzhi has entered the Fifth Heaven!”

Fang Zhengzhi has entered……”

“…..”

Silence, shock.

The disciples, who were originally supposed to observe their own pictures, seemed as though they were just struck by lightning.

Their expressions all turned sluggish.

“Cannot be? So fast? Did he not just say that he had understood it?” The disciples could not react in time upon hearing the news.

Because, everyone seemed to have understood that understanding and solving were two completely different concepts. Afterall, everything required these two processes.

How could it be so quick!

What have this fellow done?!

The disciples looked at one another. They felt like catching up with him to ask him, how he could have been so quick.

But, Fang Zhengzhi’s body had already disappeared, how could he answer their questions?

Chapter 708: Flying, Unable To Stop

…..

The news of Fang Zhengzhi entering the Fifth Heaven naturally reached Sixth Elder and the spectacting disciples who were waiting outside the Divine Rain Pond.

“Eh? This fellow finally had some movements?”

“Such a pity, it’s too late!”

“Yeah, he stayed at the Fourth Heaven for around an hour, the Fifth Heaven is more challenging than the Fourth. Minimally he requires around two hours?”

Upon hearing the news, each of the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples could not help it but reveal a smile on their faces.

And the Sixth Elder merely nodded his head lightly, before acknowledging the news, and continued drinking his tea. His expression seemed carefree, and there was not much changes.

Afterall, in theory, since Fang Zhengzhi had spent around one hour in the Fourth Heaven, it was only natural that he was able to enter the Fifth Heaven after this duration. There was nothing astonishing about this.

…..

Meanwhile in the Fifth Heaven of the Divine Rain Pond.

He Congming and three other disciples were looking at the picture above them, when at the same time they heard the majestic voice coming from the sky.

Then, very quickly, they saw Fang Zhengzhi appearing.

The three disciples stared blankly at Fang Zhengzhi for a while before reacting, as Fang Zhengzhi had indeed passed the Fourth Heaven after so long.

“Eh? Isn’t this Young Master Fang? Finally you came!” He Congming giggled before continuing. “But, is Young Master Fang not a little late? Yan Qing had just reached the Sixth Heaven, if Young Master Fang wants to catch up onto Yan Qing, you need to work hard!”

“What are you rambling about, Young Master Fang’s aim is not to catch up to Yan Qing, but Senior Chi Guyan?” Li Xuejin, who was standing beside He Congming, laughed at the latter.

“Eh, if Brother Li had not reminded me, I might have really forgotten about it. But, Senior Chi Guyan had already reached the Seventh Heaven, how is Young Master Fang planning to catch up?” He Congming laughed out once again.

“Hahaha….. Who knows!” Li Xuejin similarly chuckled out loud.

However, very quickly, Li Xuejin’s expression changed, as his eyes widened momentarily, as if he had just seen an inconceivable situation.

“No problems, slowly then. As long as you work hard, there’s still hope. Isn’t there an old saying, where there is a will there’s a way. I think Young Master Fang….. Eh? Brother Li what’s up?” He Congming was just about to continue his sentences, when he suddenly felt his shirt was being pulled by Li Xuejin who was standing beside him.

“Something weird!” Li Xuejin’s voice was not loud, but it could be clearly heard by He Congming.

“Weird? What weir…..” Just when He Congming wanted to ask the question, his body shuddered for a moment. He had indeed realised that Fang Zhengzhi seemed a little different, after Li Xuejin’s reminder.

Because, on Fang Zhengzhi’s body, there were numerous golden symbols and characters twinkling and shimmering.

What was even weirder was that…..

Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes!

That was a pair of completely transparent eyes. They were as crystal as water, and more importantly, within the eyes, there was a picture which was ever changing and fluctuating.

Furthermore, the picture was the same picture that was suspending above their foreheads.

“What….. What is happening?!” He Congming was shocked, as the scene in front of him, was indeed weirdly incredible.

As to the meaning of the golden symbols, He Congming understood. He did not, however, understand how the picture in the sky had managed to reach the eyes of Fang Zhengzhi.

“I have a feeling, that Fang Zhengzhi may have undergone the Baptism by the Holy Words, but it shouldn’t be? How can such a thing happen?” Li Xuejin frowned his eyes, looking doubtful.

“You said Baptism by the Holy Words? How can this be!”

“I also think that it is impossible! But…..”

“Brother Li, do you say it’s possible that this fellow is intentionally playing tricks on us, making us think that…..” He Congming did not complete his sentence.

Because, at that moment, the majestic voice resounded across the horizon again.

“Fang Zhengzhi has entered the Sixth Heaven!”

“Fang Zhengzhi has entered……”

“…..”

He Congming’s mouth opened wide in disbelief, and he did not complete his sentence, as he swallowed the words back down. He felt as though he had difficulty breathing.

Held back.

He really tried to hold back his feelings.

Other than He Congming, Li Xuejin and another disciple standing beside them also opened their mouths wide in shock.

“Sixth….. Sixth heaven?!”

“How long….. How long has he been here…..”

“Ghost, there’s really a ghost!”

After being stupefied on the spot for a full half minute, He Congming, Li Xuejin and the other disciple finally reacted.

They merely looked at one another, and the same phrase came out from their mouths simultaneously.

“How weird!!!”

…..

To He Congming, Li Xuejin and the other disciple, Fang Zhengzhi was indeed a real monster.

Because, other than this explanation…..

They could not think of a second possibility.

He had stayed at the Fourth Heaven for a full hour, but for the Fifth Heaven, he had managed to complete it within less than a minute.

He merely looked up and gave the picture a few looks, before solving it?

What other phenomenon was more incomprehensible than this? More importantly, it had just happened right in front of them, and it was only a few steps away from them.

“Demon?” During the last moment before Fang Zhengzhi left the Fifth Heaven, he gave them a disdainful look.

He was indeed looking down on them.

He was too lazy to even bother to respond to He Congming’s request for a competition. Afterall, it was not worth it for him to spend so much effort and energy on entertaining the three muddle-headed birds.

“The Seventh Heaven? Chi Guyan, you wait, I’m coming now! You didn’t tell me the truth in the middle three Heavens, resulting in me wasting so much time being trapped in the Fourth Heaven. What a liar!” Fang Zhengzhi felt a little depressed.

Because, he was confident that Chi Guyan must have known about the secret. She could have revealed a slight hint to him, so he would not have been trapped for such a long time.

Furthermore, more importantly…..

How painful!

Fang Zhengzhi had already decided, that the pain he had suffered in the Fourth Heaven, must be inflicted on Chi Guyan’s body. Even if he had to bite her body, he would do it.

…..

In the Sixth Heaven.

Yan Qing was converging his energy, placing his state of mind on the every changing picture that was above his forehead. He resembled a black stoned statue.

However, when the majestic voice made the announcement regarding Fang Zhengzhi, the black stoned statue could be seen moving a bit.

After a while, Yan Qing glanced towards his back.

“You…..” It was seldom that Yan Qing revealed his surprised expression, but looking at the emerging Fang Zhengzhi, his eyes were wide round in disbelief.

“Don’t’ have to be too surprised, I am just a passer by!” Fang Zhengzhi grinned from ear to ear upon seeing Yan Qing’s wide eyes.

He did not know why.

As to Yan Qing who was in front of him, he seemed to not despise him that much anymore, as compared to previously. At least, he had some extraordinary skills.

Such as in the Jungle of Mysteries.

The attitude that Yan Qing had showcased, as well as the tenacity of his body, coupled with his lack of fear of death, had indeed given Fang Zhengzhi a shock.

What was the feeling of using one’s head to knock and break an icicle?

Fang Zhengzhi had never tried that before.

But, Yan Qing had!

No matter which measure Fang Zhengzhi used to block and defend, Yan Qing only used one move, which was to use his head to attack, and he always did it so without any hesitation.

This undoubtedly let Fang Zhengzhi to realise, that actually this world consisted of people who were unafraid of bleeding and having their bones broken.

And in the Ninth Heaven…..

Yan Qing had demonstrated his talents.

He used the results to let others know that he was able to use his head not only for attacking and destroying things barbarically, but also to ponder and contemplate about issues.

“Passer by?” Naturally Yan Qing did not know Fang Zhengzhi’s thought process. He did not quite understand Fang Zhengzhi’s sentence.

Of course, it was not that he did not understand the literal meaning of his words.

But, what was the meaning behind them?

However, his uncertainty did not remain for long, as his attention was quickly captured by the golden symbols on Fang Zhengzhi’s body.

Next…..

Similarly he saw the pair of weird eyes.

As crystal as water.

Furthermore, more importantly, within the pair of crystal eyes, there was a constantly fluctuating picture, and it was always in sync with picture that was above their foreheads.

“Eh? Baptism by the Holy Words?” Although Yan Qing had previously fought with Nangong Mu, he had seen the delivery of the Holy Words too.

As such, this thought appeared in his mind.

However, he immediately suppressed such a thought not long after, because they were in the Divine Rain Pond. Naturally it was impossible for any event regarding the Baptism by the Holy Words to exist.

But if it was not Baptism by the Holy Words…..

Then what was it?

It was not often that Yan Qing would consider about his opponent’s situation when he was participating in a competition. However, in such a peculiar situation, he was unable to stop himself from doing so.

And at this moment, a voice could be heard in his ears.

“Okay, I will go first, you take your time to look at it!” The voice naturally came from Fang Zhengzhi’s mouth. It was followed by another voice.

The majestic voice coming from the horizon!

“Fang Zhengzhi has entered the Seventh Heaven!”

Fang Zhengzhi has entered……”

“…..”