Gate of God

Chapter 743: Rebirth Plate, Opening the Fourth Dao!

Would he really be crushed to death?

Right when Fang Zhengzhi was thinking about that, two figures appeared swiftly in front of him. Then, they lifted Yan Xiu and him up.

Coarsely but extremely quickly.

They were Yan Qing and Yan Qianli.

The moment the mountain came crashing down, Yan Qing, who carried Fang Zhengzhi, somersaulted in the air and left the area of the huge shadow. Then, Fang Zhengzhi’s body touched the ground once more.

It was agonizing.

However, this was no time for such consideration because the huge mountain had already come crashing down. It hit the ground in a hugely-exaggerated fashion.

“Kaboom!” A huge sound rang out and dust and debris flew everywhere.

It was a wild scene. The moment the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples and the Shadow Sect disciples escaped from the landing site of the mountain, they turned to look at it.

The dust settled.

After the dust settled, the completely-black mountain slowly started to appear before the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples and the Shadow Sect disciples.

Underneath the huge mountain, the ground on which it had landed had been completely cracked open. When they looked at it, they noticed that it was almost 20 to 30 meters high. It was not too big and its bottom was made entirely from black rock. However, its top seemed slightly ridiculous.

This was because, on top of the mountain, there were four broken pillars. In the center of the pillars, there was a half-opened stone door. Images of beasts could be seen carved onto the door.

It exuded an ancient and timeless aura.

“What is this?!”

“It’s not a mountain, but a palace?!”

“A ruined palace? How can a palace come crashing down? Furthermore, this is a palace made entirely from black rocks?!”

The Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples and the Shadow Sect disciples were totally shocked. After all, this was both peculiar and ridiculous.

This was ultimately the Heaven Dao Pavilion.

Even without the countless disciples who monitored the land from within the pavilion, there was no way this palace made out of black rock could have appeared on top of the Sword Peak. This was because the buildings of the Heaven Dao Pavilion were normally made from white jade. There was no building made from black rock.

However, if this ruined black palace did not come from the Sword Peak, where could it come from? It could not actually have fallen from the sky, right?

As they thought about this matter, they all felt that it was incredulous.

The Heaven Dao pavilion disciples did not understand what was going on. Sixth Elder was clueless too. If it were just an ordinary mountain, they could still comprehend. However, the presence of the black palace stumped them.

“This palace… is ancient. Where did it come from?” Yan Qianli frowned and asked. He carried Yan Xiu close to his chest.

“Palace? A ruined palace?” Fang Zhengzhi was stunned too because he had personally seen how did this ruined black rock palace come.

A ray of starlight which turned into a palace of black rock?

What the hell!

Fang Zhengzhi felt that he had been trying to absorb the knowledge of the world in this past one month. However, he still had no explanation for this.

However, the fact remained that this palace appeared out of thin air and then came crashing down onto them. It stood there mysteriously in front of them and was so real that no one disbelieved its existence.

As for Wu Yuer, who was across the lake, she opened her eyes wide in shock too. Her beautiful eyes revealed a look of surprise too.

To Wu Yuer, this battle was so inappropriate…

Hence, she had been standing opposite the lake without even approaching the battle. Not only did she not approach the battle, but she also did not even say anything.

“Old man Yan, stop caring this ruined old palace! Let’s go!” The Heavenly Oasis Sage was finally able to extricate himself from his fight with Sixth Elder when the palace came crashing down. Naturally, he was the most anxious to leave.

“Heavenly Oasis, you hurt my disciples. Do you think you can just go like this?” At this moment, a sound came from the sky. It seemed to have come from afar but in fact, it was rapidly approaching.

When the Heavenly Oasis Saint heard this voice, his anxious face changed instantly. At the same time, he looked at the sky above his head.

He was not alone.

All of the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples lifted their heads. However, unlike the Heavenly Oasis Saint, a rare look of hope crossed their faces.

“Young friend, let’s go!” When Yan Qianli heard this sound, he was even more determined to leave compared to the Heavenly Oasis Saint.

He did not even lift his head as he turned and prepared to leave.

“Prince Yan Qianli traveled thousands of miles to my Heaven Dao Pavilion as a guest. Are you going to leave without even saying ‘hi’?” The voice rang out once more. At the same time, the ground started to crack open. A ray of pure white light shot out from the ground and blocked Yan Qianli.

When they saw this white light screen, Yan Qianli smiled bitterly. He naturally knew who was the speaker.

Since he knew who it was…

He knew that he had no chance of escape.

Even as the former lord of Western Liang, his position was naturally lower than Mu Qingfeng, the Pavilion Leader of the Heaven Dao Pavilion.

A white figure descended from the sky. Snow-white robes fluttered in the wind. However, this figure did not land on the ground directly.

Instead, the figure landed on top of one of the stone pillars of the black rock palace.

He landed very gently and soundlessly. Of course, behind him stood a ferocious beast. On the beast, there was a woman.

She wore a pink dress and was stunningly beautiful. Her eyes were like the stars in the night sky. She was regally elegant.

“Master!”

“Senior Chi Guyan!”

When the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples saw Mu Qingfeng and Chi Guyan, they were no longer as depressed as before. They instantly regained their confidence.

Fang Zhengzhi was strong!

However, was he stronger than Chi Guyan?

As for Yan Qianli and the Heavenly Oasis Saint, they were of even less concern. Ten Yan Qianlis and Heavenly Oasis Saint could not match Mu Qingfeng.

“What’s going on?” Mu Qingfeng looked at scene beneath him and at the black rock palace he stepped on. Then, when he saw the corpses nearby, he could not help but frown.

Among the corpses, there was a familiar face: Shi Fan of the Yin Yang Hall. Furthermore, other than him, there were a few heads next to him too, some of which belonged to the three Sages of the Black Moon Island.

Who killed so many Sages right underneath the Heaven Dao Pavilion?

Could it be the Heaven Dao Pavilion?

Mu Qingfeng naturally did not think that it was possible. This was because even if there was a conflict between the Heaven Dao Pavilion and the Yin Yang Hall, they would not be so vicious.

If it was not the Heaven Dao Pavilion, could it be the Shadow Sect?

However, with just the Heavenly Oasis Saint and Yan Qianli, could they really kill so many Sages? Alright, if that was possible, what about Shi Fan?

With Shi Fan’s power, how could Yan Qianli and the Heavenly Oasis Saint kill him?

More importantly, Fourth Elder lay unconscious on the ground and Second Elder’s face was pale. He also had a huge bloody wound on his chest.

What happened to them?

Mu Qingfeng could not even begin to imagine because from the moment he left his closed-door cultivation to his arrival at the Heaven Academic Altar and to his descent from the pavilion, it only took a very short while.

Hence, he naturally did not know what had happened. However, this scene was bloodier than what he had expected.

Were they not pursuing Fang Zhengzhi?

Was this necessary?

Mu Qingfeng knew why Second Elder and Fourth Elder chased him. He destroyed the Divine Rain Pond. However, the scene right now did not seem to have been caused just by chasing Fang Zhengzhi.

Could it be that…

It was because of this black palace?

Mu Qingfeng looked at the black palace underneath his feet as well as the half-opened door. It was utterly dark inside. He furrowed his brows intensely.

Of course, these were all Mu Qingfeng’s guesses.

Sixth Elder flew in front of him and quickly explained to him what had happened. After Mu Qingfeng heard that, his face changed completely.

“He killed five Sages? Fang Zhengzhi?!” What Mu Qingfeng was feeling right now as the epitome of the word ‘incredulous’. Even after Sixth Elder told him this personally, he still could not believe it because it was this impossible.

He was not alone.

After Chi Guyan heard Sixth Elder’s words, her eyes revealed a look of shock as she said, “Shameless thief, did you master the Hell Dao too?”

Silence.

After a while, the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples all walked forward. They gripped their swords tightly and they all wore looks of humiliation on their faces.

“Master,” Chi Guyan’s voice rang out. Her beautiful face did not betray many emotions but when she said that one word, her voice revealed a faint worry.

“Ayy….” Mu Qingfeng sighed. He looked at the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples underneath him as well as Second Elder, who was supported by the disciples.

“Pavilion Leader, Keke… I’m responsible for today’s event and I’m willing to accept any punishment. However…” Second Elder took in two deep breaths as he was anxious to show his determination. However, after he saw Mu Qingfeng’s hand gesture, he quickly swallowed his words.

“Fang Zhengzhi, let me ask you a few questions!” Mu Qingfeng looked at Fang Zhengzhi. His eyes glittered as if he could stare into his soul.

“Rascal, answer him properly!” After the Heavenly Oasis Saint heard Mu Qinfeng’s words, he instructed Fang Zhengzhi seriously. He was afraid that Fang Zhengzhi would do something careless at this moment.

“As for that…. before I answer you, can you heal Yan Xiu and me?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Mu Qingfeng and then at Yan Xiu, who was in Yan Qianli’s arms.

Mu Qingfeng was stunned. He never expected Fang Zhengzhi to raise such a request. After all, he had just fought fiercely against the Heaven Dao Pavilion. Then, he straightaway asked the Pavilion Leader of the Heaven Dao Pavilion for treatment. Very few people were like him in this world.

However, after a momentary pause, Mu Qingfeng did not reveal any sign of shock or anger. The reason was simple: he was used to it.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” replied Mu Qingfeng simply.

“Then… ask ahead,” Fang Zhengzhi said. He wanted to add a few more lines but when he saw the Heavenly Oasis Saint’s frantic expression, he ultimately nodded his head.

“Did you destroy the Divine Rain Pond of my Heaven Dao Pavilion?” Mu Qingfeng asked after he saw Fang Zhengzhi nod.

“Yes,” replied Fang Zhengzhi with a nod.

After all, this was undeniable. Even though Chi Guyan pushed all her responsibility for its destruction to him, he was still the main culprit.

“Alright. Did you kill Shi Fan of the Yin Yang Hall, Yuan Rong, and the rest by yourself?” Mu Qingfeng’s expression did not change by much as he continued questioning him.

“Yes,” replied Fang Zhengzhi straightway.

“Did you injure Fourth Elder and Second Elder?”

“Yes.”

“Very good. Since you have admitted to all these, I’ll retract my order to treat you like a disciple of a Heaven Dao Pavilion. Furthermore, I’ll issue a bounty for you in the Holy Region. Do you have any objection?” Mu Qingfeng said plainly.

“Bounty?” When Sixth Elder heard this, he was evidently shocked. This was because Fang Zhengzhi stood in front of them, so why did he need to issue a bounty for him?

Unless…

“Pavilion Leader, don’t… let him go. Today, the Heaven Dao Pavilion and Fang Zhengzhi are sworn enemies. If we let him go now, I fear that…” Second Elder was visibly anxious.

“Bring Second Elder somewhere to rest,” interrupted Mu Qingfeng.

“Yes!” The Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples instantly obeyed his order.

Then, Mu Qingfeng looked at Fang Zhengzhi and said, “Fang Zhengzhi, not only did you destroy my Divine Rain Pond, but you also injured two elders of the Heaven Dao Pavilion. I have every right to kill you right now!”

“So why don’t you kill me?” Fang Zhengzhi asked.

“I’m not killing you today in light of your former friendship with Chi Guyan. She pleaded for mercy for you. Of course, since I’m not killing you today, I have one request!” Mu Qingfeng looked at Chi Guyan, who was on top of a beast. At the same time, he lamented to himself, “Double Dragon Roll Champion, what a prodigy…”

“Guyan, I thought you were asking for mercy for him. However, his potential is really limitless!”

“Killing five Sages alone?!”

“I hope you’re right!”

Mu Qingfeng shook his head and did not continue thinking. After all, he had already made his decision. There was no point in second-guessing himself.

“What request do you have?” Fang Zhengzhi naturally did not know what Mu Qingfeng was thinking. However, if he was going to let him go, he would not refuse it.

“I want you to vow that you will never seek revenge against anyone from the Heaven Dao Pavilion because of today’s incident. Also, without my permission, you’re not allowed to step into our territory!”

“What if a Heaven Dao Pavilion disciple comes after me?” Fang Zhengzhi asked.

“You can kill him!”

“After I make this vow, you’ll let me go?”

“Of course.”

“What about them?” Fang Zhengzhi pointed to the Heavenly Oasis Saint and Yan Qianli, as well as Yan Xiu who was in Yan Qianli’s arms.

“I’m already willing to let you go. Naturally, I won’t keep them!”

“Alright, I promise you. However, I have a request too!” When Fang Zhengzhi heard this, he gritted his teeth and replied.

“What request?”

“Save Yan Xiu!”

“I can’t save him.”

“You can’t?”

“Indeed, I really can’t save him. Yan Xiu has fallen into an Evil Asura. He had lost his original personality. Coupled with his severe injuries, he had been completely dominated by the power of Asura. Right now, he is someone who must die!” Mu Qingfeng said as he nodded his head.

“Someone who must die… someone who must die!?” Fang Zhengzhi’s expression changed instantly. He stared intently at Mu Qingfeng as if he could not believe what he had heard.

“Fang Zhengzhi, you should be clear that Yan Xiu’s death has nothing to do with the Heaven Dao Pavilion. Even if Second Elder did not hurt him, the result will be the same,” added Mu Qingfeng.

“No…. it’s not the same! If something happens to Yan Xiu, even if I die today, I must make Second Elder pay!” Fang Zhengzhi clenched his fists. At the same time, a vast killing intent surged from his body. The golden swords which had skewered him were sent flying by this killing intent.

“Kaboom!” The entire ground sank. A vast killing aura pulsated in all directions like a tidal wave.

“So powerful… is this guy a demon? How can he be so strong?!”

“Such a heavy killing intent, is this guy crazy? Master has already freed him. Do… do you really want to kill Second Elder?”

“How can it be possible? With just him alone?”

The Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples were all shocked. Naturally, they did not believe that Fang Zhengzhi could kill Second Elder in front of Mu Qingfeng to avenge Yan Xiu.

“Rascal, Pavilion Leader decides to free you today because of your friendship with Chi Guyan. This is magnanimity. If you continue like this and refuse to leave, don’t blame me for showing no mercy to you!” When Sixth Elder saw this scene, he was stunned too. A murderous look flashed across his eyes.

“Magnanimity? Hahaha….” When Fang Zhengzhi heard this, he started to laugh. Then, he looked at Yan Xiu, whose eyes were closed. His body started to shake. “I did not protect you… if not for me, Shi Fan could not have released your seal. Yan Xiu, wait for me. I’ll avenge you. I’ll kill everyone who has anything to do with this fight. I’ll kill Second Elder, then the Yin Yang Hall, and then the Nine Pinnacles Mountain… I’ll kill them all!”

“The Dao of Asura!!”

“Is this the Dao of Asura of the Six Rebirth Daos!”

“This guy… has mastered the Dao of Asura?!”

None of the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples believed that Fang Zhengzhi was still capable of fighting. However, when a blood-red light rushed out from his body, they finally realized that…

They were wrong!

Chapter 744: Resonance of the Four Daos, A Final Hope

Everyone, including the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples, the Shadow Sect disciples, the Heavenly Oasis Saint, and Yan Qianli, was stunned when they saw the blood-red light coming from Fang Zhengzhi.

“Rascal, this is too… godly?!” After searching for the right word for some time, the only thing the Heavenly Oasis Saint could say was ‘godly’.

Yan Qianli’s face was frozen.

Even though he hoped that Fang Zhengzhi could be stronger, he still felt uneasy at the notion that his strongest weapon could be mastered by someone else so quickly.

Of course, Sixth Elder was the most shocked.

At this moment, Sixth Elder opened his mouth wide. His angry eyes bulged and the look of shock on his face made his face slightly pale.

He actually saw Fang Zhengzhi master the Hell Dao in his fight against Shi Fan. However, Fang Zhengzhi did not fight right now!

He could master a Dao just like that?!

Furthermore, he mastered the most offensive Dao among the Six Rebirth Daos, the Dao of Asura?

Could he be any more terrifying?

“There’s one type of Dao that has been in my heart for a long time but I have never tried to master it. This is because it belongs to you!” Fang Zhengzhi’s voice rang out at this moment. At the same time, his crystalline eyes shone with a blood-red light.

“In his heart for a long time?”

“Never tried to master…”

“Belongs to you?”

When the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples heard Fang Zhengzhi’s words, they did not understand what he was saying.

However, when the Sixth Elder heard it, his body frozen. His pale face revealed an expression of shock. He finally understood how did Fang Zhengzhi master the Dao of Asura without having to fight.

However, the more he understood, the more shocked he was.

In his heart for a long time…

In his heart for a long time!

“This guy is a true prodigy!” Sixth Elder did not dare to believe this but reality compelled him to do so anyway.

Fang Zhengzhi did not spend any time discussing with the disciples of the Heaven Dao Pavilion. He did not look at Sixth Elder but instead, he looked at Yan Xiu, whose eyes were closed. As he looked at his cold and pale face, which seemed oblivious to everything around him, he mumbled to himself.

“The first time I saw you… you told me that you have a lot of silver and you even treated me to a meal. At that time, I was just a humble villager from the mountain while you were a scion of the Yan Clan of Western Liang!”

“How can two people in such different circumstances become such good friends? Hurhur, to be honest, I don’t even believe it at times…”

“However, you truly treated me as a friend. When we sparred, you told me about certain moves. Only then did I know that fighting could be so interesting.”

“We rode the Snow Treading Dragon Stallion together from the Northern Lands to the Flame Capital City. I trusted you and you trusted me. What a wonderful feeling that was!”

“In the battle of the Southern Region, I did not find you because I know you’ll come and look for me, which you did. We fought together, side-by-side, and did not abandon each other…”

“Then, to help me obtain the title of ‘champion’ of the Court Examinations, you stood up against the emperor. You resolutely refused to participate in the previous selection for the Heaven Dao Pavilion and instead, went back to Western Liang!”

“When I re-appeared in the Northern Mountain Village, you rushed over as fast as you could from Western Liang. Then, you went with me to the Flame Capital City and burned down the Crown Prince Residence together.”

“One month ago, we entered the Holy Region together, but you are going to die? How can you die like this? How can you die in front of me…”

“Yan Xiu… I don’t want you to die!”

“I want to explore the Holy Region with you. We promised to take care of each other and travel through the Holy Region. Then, we’re supposed to get strong together and become Sages together!”

“Yan Xiu, to have a friend like you, I shall die without any regret!”

“Right now…”

“Yan Xiu, lend me your Dao of Asura because I want to use your Dao of Asura to kill everyone who had harmed you. I want to avenge you!”

“Kaboom!” A huge explosion.

At the same time, the sky turned dark.

Then, above Fang Zhengzhi’s head, the Rebirth Plate activated. On the Rebirth Plate, a dot of blood-red light started to shine.

A ray of thunder light, which was as red as blood, fell.

A light pillar appeared between the Rebirth Plate and the sky. It was like a ladder that led all the way into the sky and a word appeared on the Rebirth State, an unbelievably complicated word which brimmed with a strong murderous intent.

The Dao of Asura, activate!

The moment the Dao of Asura activated, a murderous chillness, which resembled that of Hell, started to rise from the bottom of Fang Zhengzhi’s feet. Round red light started to circle his body.

“Boom!” The earth shook once more.

A huge shadow appeared behind Fang Zhengzhi’s back. At the same time, a black armor clad his entire body. However, unlike before, his black armor now had blood-red patterns all over it. It looked exceedingly murderous.

“Whoosh!” Black flames burned on the black armor, which was streaked with blood-red patterns. At the same time, Fang Zhengzhi’s Traceless Sword lit up with a blood-red light.

The originally purple Traceless Sword was now purple and red. The two colors each occupied half of the blade. It was murderous and demonic.

“Kill!” An angry roar.

“Gifted bloodline? No… that’s not right! He obtained his Gifted Bloodline by combining the Daos!” When Mu Qingfeng saw this scene, his face changed too.

Just now, after he heard Sixth Elder’s explanation, he knew that Fang Zhengzhi killed five Sages at once. This was shocking as he did not know how he did it.

Right now…

He finally understood!

However, because of his newfound knowledge, it was a lot harder for him to calm down. Fang Zhengzhi, who had possessed three Daos, could kill five Sages. What could he do with four Daos?

This was the first question which popped up in Mu Qingfeng’s mind. However, he did not want to know the answer to this question because the price of its answer was immense.

However, it was too late. Fang Zhengzhi had started to move. He rushed toward Second Elder immediately.

“Fang Zhengzhi, this is the Heaven Dao Pavilion!” Sixth Elder naturally did not want to see Fang Zhengzhi kill Second Elder. Hence, the moment Fang Zhengzhi rushed forth, he rushed forth oo.

His green and white swords dazzled with light. At the same time, a green and white light screen appeared in front of Fang Zhengzhi, blocking him.

However, Fang Zhengzhi completely ignored the light screen. He charged toward it without a moment’s hesitation.

“Boom!” A huge sound.

Before many shocked faces, Sixth Elder’s green and white light screen was broken through like a piece of paper.

It was a shocking scene.

More shockingly, a sword radiance appeared in front of Sixth Elder after Fang Zhengzhi had broken through the green and white light screen. It was dual-colored sword radiance which was both red and purple.

It came extremely quickly.

Even Sixth Elder could not dodge it. Hence, he could only grit his teeth and receive it with his green and white sword.

“Boom!” A huge explosion rang out.

At the same time, one could hear a crack. Then, a broken blade flew into the air.

It was green and white but it had lost its luster.

A sword!

The sword broke!

Sixth Elder was stunned as he looked at his green and white sword, which had been snapped into two. His eyes bulged.

However, this was not the end.

The sword radiance, which had cut his sword in half, had no intention of stopping. It sliced toward his chest.

At this moment, Sixth Elder’s face was extremely pale.

He could not imagine but what kind of sword was this. He found it even harder to imagine what else Fang Zhengzhi’s sword could do if it could break his weapon in half. As for the momentum of this attack…

It was still there!

Among the Six Rebirth Daos, the Dao of Asura was the strongest. Right now, Sixth Elder finally understood how strong it was.

A palm appeared in front of Sixth Elder. When this palm appeared, Sixth Elder was not shocked. However, he felt utterly humiliated.

“Boom!” The palm hit the sword radiance.

The sword radiance which was coming toward Sixth Elder trembled. Then, it went straight past his clothes and flew behind him before making a huge explosion.

However, it was not yet over!

This was because two cerulean blue lights had appeared above Mu Qingfeng and Sixth Elder’s heads. At the same time, two figures emerged from the cerulean-blue lights.

Heavenly Descent!

In just one second, Fang Zhengzhi broke Sixth Elder’s green and white light pillar and also cut his sword into halves. Then, he used Heavenly Descent.

It was way too fast.

It was so fast until the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples did not even have time to react.

“Boom!” Another huge explosion.

Sixth Elder knelt down. His pale-white face was incredulous but the fact remained that Fang Zhengzhi had used Heavenly Descent…

He could not take it anymore!

Fang Zhengzhi had already dealt him a blow and now, with this Heavenly Descent, he could not help but feel his mouth turn sweet. He spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Pfft!”

Blood flew everywhere.

“Fusion of four Daos… is it this strong?!” When Mu Qingfeng saw the shadow that was above his head, he was utterly shocked.

Of course, his main problem was not how strong Fang Zhengzhi was. Fang Zhengzhi’s true target had never been Sixth Elder or him.

This was because after Fang Zhengzhi broke through the green and white light screen, while he attacked Sixth Elder and also used Heavenly descent, he had never once stopped running toward Second Elder’s position.

This was something he could not imagine.

After all, normally, with him there, how could Fang Zhengzhi approach Second Elder? However, he had to admit, if not for the fact that he was several times more powerful than Fang Zhengzhi and at the peak of his Sage State, Fang Zhengzhi could actually kill someone in front of him!

“Give up, Fang Zhengzhi!” Mu Qingfeng’s voice rang out at this moment. He disappeared from where he was. At the same time, a black shadow rushed out from the top of his head and a punch pummelled the air.

Almost concurrently, Mu Qingfeng appeared in front of Second Elder. His white-robes billowed in the air.

“All who block me shall die!” Fang Zhengzhi’s gaze turned murderous. He naturally knew how powerful Mu Qingfeng was but he could no longer live so shamefully.

He did not care how did the power of Asura infiltrate Yan Xiu’s heart. All he knew was that Second Elder made him this way and hence, he must pay for it with his life.

“Shameless thief, don’t!” At this moment, a figure descended from the sky. Like a pink dash across the sky, it cut through the air like a straight line.

It appeared in front of Fang Zhengzhi instantly. Absolutely beautiful and stunning, but with a lonely face which was visibly anxious, this was Chi Guyan.

Fang Zhengzhi stopped but he gripped his Traceless Sword tightly. Clear sword roars could be heard from it.

“You want to block me?” Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes were blood-red.

“No, if Yan Xiu really is dead, I won’t block you. However, he’s not dead yet!” Chi Guyan’s body shook. As she looked at Fang Zhengzhi, he could see the sadness in her eyes.

“Not dead yet?” Fang Zhengzhi’s lips quivered. However, quickly, his gaze turned murderous again. He raised his Traceless Sword and said, “He must die, so what’s the difference!”

“As long as Yan Xiu is still alive, there’s hope, right? Like you, everyone thought that you are going to die but Yan Xiu and I still have hope for you, am I right? Yan Xiu is not dead yet, so why have you given up?” Chi Guyan asked.

“Ayy…” When Mu Qingfeng heard this, he sighed heavily and said, “Fang Zhengzhi, if you want to save Yan Xiu, there’s still a bit of hope.”

“What hope?!” Fang Zhengzhi looked fiercely at Mu Qingfeng.

“It’s difficult…. Really difficult! While there’s a bit of hope left, this is nearly impossible for you because, in the entire Holy Region, the only one who can save Yan Xiu is the one known as the top alchemist of the Holy Region. He is also the Hallmaster of the Yin Yang Hall, Dao Hun. However, do you dare to go… to the Yin Yang Hall?” When Mu Qingfeng looked at Fang Zhengzhi, his eyes brimmed with helplessness.

Chapter 745: Hundreds of Monsters

While all five sects were established in the Holy Region, they each dominated a particular corner of it. Also, they each had their take on the Great Dao.

The Heaven Dao Pavilion relied on swordsmanship, the Yin Yang Hall taught alchemy, the Nine Pinnacles Mountain researched formations…

The name ‘Dao Hun’ was not only the name of the Hallmaster of the Yin Yang Hall. It was synonymous with the pinnacle of alchemy.

However, to Fang Zhengzhi, the Yin Yang Hall was a no-go zone for him. Mu Qingfeng did not have to wait for Fang Zhengzhi to reply as he had known the answer.

Even if Fang Zhengzhi, against all odds, dared to go and did not die from this journey, why would Dao Hun save Yan Xiu?

Wan Lei, the First Disciple of the Yin Yang Hall, died at the hands of Fang Zhengzhi and Chi Guyan. Now, Shi Fan, the Ninth Elder of the Yin Yang Hall, died at Fang Zhengzhi’s hands too.

Under these circumstances, how could Dao Hun be willing to save Yan Xiu…

If he did so, the Yin Yang Hall would no longer call itself the Yin Yang Hall.

By threat?

Even more impossible!

This was because Dao Hun was even more powerful than Tian Xing. Hence, this method was nearly impossible.

Fang Zhengzhi did not say anything. He clenched his fists and his body trembled.

However, when the Heavenly Oasis Saint saw this scene, he quickly spoke, “Actually, Dao Hun’s alchemy skills are only slightly better than mine. I’m not bragging. If Dao Hun can do it, so can I!”

“Only slightly better?”

“You can do it too?”

“He’s really boastful?”

When the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples heard the Heavenly Oasis Saint’s words, they were stunned speechless. For an independent cultivator who practiced alchemy to claim that he was only slightly worse than the top alchemist of the Holy Region, he was extremely shameless. The rest were stunned speechless.

Not only were the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples speechless, but even Mu Qingfeng also shot a look at the Heavenly Oasis Saint after he heard his words.

Of course, Mu Qingfeng knew what the Heavenly Oasis Saint was thinking.

He wanted to trick Fang Zhengzhi into leaving first and avert this crisis. This would preserve the strength of the Shadow Sect. On this note, the two of them had the same objective.

Hence, after giving it some thought, Mu Qingfeng slowly nodded his head.

“Yes, Heavenly Oasis’ alchemy skills are excellent indeed. You can give it a try. After all, I’m only assessing Yan Xiu’s wounds based on a superficial analysis. I have not taken a closer look. It may not be completely impossible to save him!” After Mu Qingfeng said this, he looked at Chi Guyan.

Chi Guyan naturally knew what Mu Qingfeng was thinking. However, she too knew that with Mu Qingfeng’s strength, he could tell whether someone was going to live or die. Why would he need to take a closer look?

She was between a rock and a hard place.

Chi Guyan could not lie to Fang Zhengzhi. However, she knew the situation she was in. There was no way he could be allowed to continue his killing streak.

If Second Elder really died today at Fang Zhengzhi’s hands…

No matter how much Mu Qingfeng wanted to spare Fang Zhengzhi, there was no way he could convince the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples. The result would be unimaginable.

“30 days. Yan Xiu still has 30 days of life!” After a moment of silence, Chi Guyan finally spoke directly to Fang Zhengzhi.

“Enough, trust me, I’m definitely right! In 30 days, I’ll come up with a pill that can save Yan Xiu’s life. Even if it’s impossible, we can always think of other methods, right?” After the Heavenly Oasis Saint heard Chi Guyan’s words, he quickly spoke to Fang Zhengzhi.

Fang Zhengzhi said nothing. He stood where he was and the powerful killing intent on his body continued to pulsate. He was highly unstable.

When the Heavenly Oasis Saint saw this, he became more panicky. He knew that it was too difficult to trick Fang Zhengzhi. Hence, he shot a helpless look at Yan Qianli.

“Life and death are determined by the Heaven. If Fate favors Yan Xiu, he’ll make it through this. If not… We can only blame him for being too unstable during his cultivation, allowing the evil power of Asura to enter him. We can’t blame anyone else!” Yan Qianli said as he clenched his fists tightly. He only said that after he looked around him.

“If you’re scared of encountering problems on your way back or of wasting time, I can give you a room in the Heaven Dao Pavilion. Fang Zhengzhi, you can live in the Heaven Dao Pavilion for a month too. The condition is that you cannot cause any more trouble up there for us,” said Mu Qingfeng once more.

“Go up to the Heaven Dao Pavilion?” The Heavenly Oasis Saint was stunned.

He never expected Mu Qingfeng to be so ‘generous’. Evidently, this was abnormal.

What did Chi Guyan say to Mu Qingfeng?

Furthermore, what did Mu Qingfeng want from Fang Zhengzhi?

“There’s no need!” Fang Zhengzhi finally spoke. After he spoke, he did not even look at Second Elder but instead, he turned and walked toward Yan Qianli.

He took Yan Xiu over from Yan Qianli and did not walk. He carried Yan Xiu, circled past the lake, and walked into the distance…

Mu Qingfeng did not try to stop him.

This was because he knew that he had done what he could. What he could now was to listen to the will of the Heaven. More importantly, he had another pressing matter.

“A ruined palace made out of black rocks?” Mu Qingfeng looked at the palace and frowned.

…

Seven days later, in a hidden valley in the Holy Region.

The Heavenly Oasis Saint walked out from the foliage. He looked at the darkening sky and sighed heavily.

He had already made his wild claim.

Hence, he had to bear the consequences. Although to be fair, he believed that his alchemy skills were highly-ranked in the Holy Region.

However, like what Mu Qingfeng had said, the evil power of Asura had already entered Yan Xiu’s blood. The only one who could save him in this world was really just Dao Hun.

“Master, pack up!” At this moment, a voice rang out next to the Heavenly Oasis Saint’s ears. Then, a figure wearing black, smoky robes appeared in front of him.

“What happened?” The Heavenly Oasis Saint found this to be strange. After all, Wu Yuer was not someone who would panic easily, unless the matter was big.

“Fang Zhengzhi had disappeared!” Wu Yuer said in a panicky voice.

“Disappeared?! Could… he… have… Wait, where’s Yan Xiu? Is Yan Xiu still around?”

“He had disappeared too!”

“Oh no, Fang Zhengzhi brought him to the Yin Yang Hall!” When the Heavenly Oasis Saint heard this, he finally understood why Wu Yuer had told him to pack up quickly.

“That’s right, we have to stop him!” Wu Yuer naturally knew this.

“It’s too late. This rascal is already much more powerful than before. If he really made up his mind, neither you or I can stop him!”

“But I can’t watch him die just like this!”

“That’s right, but with our strength, even if all of us head over, we’re helpless in front of the Yin Yang Hall…”

“Master!”

“This…”

“Master!”

“Alright, we’ll try and get to the Yin Yang Hall overnight!” The Heavenly Oasis Saint gritted his teeth. Then, he walked toward another wooden house and said, “Old man Yan, Fang Zhengzhi took your grandson away!”

“Boom!” A huge explosion.

The wooden house in the distance shattered. Then, a figure appeared in front of the Heavenly Oasis Saint. A pair of eyes turned blood-red.

“I’ll go first. Come after me after you are done packing up!” After Yan Qianli said that, he leaped into the air and flew into the distance.

…

Half a month later. Night. Stars glittered in the sky.

In the vast Holy Region, there were countless mountains and thick jungles. There were beasts of every possible type. It was a dangerous and rewarding place.

However, very few people dared to approach the center of the Holy Region.

There was a huge swamp there. At the same time, it was populated with many ferocious beasts. Thick smoke enveloped this place and white bones could be seen littered all over the ground. Shadows and figures would appear occasionally in the gray fog.

The roars of beasts could be heard. They were startling to behold.

At the same time, one could see a group of human figures standing in front of the great swamp. Their wide, black hoods completely covered their figures.

“Roar!” A terrifying beastly roar rang out, shaking the entire swamp. Then, a figure which was as big as a small mountain walked out from the fog of the swamp.

It was a ferocious beast with a pair of bull horns. Its body was clad with black scales and its eyes shone with an inky-green spectral light. Four balls of fire burned around its legs.

The moment it appeared, it charged toward the group. It was extremely fast as its four hooves stomped on the ground, making the earth shake.

At this moment, a figure emerged from the group. In his hands, he wielded a knife, which was stained red with blood.

He sliced with the knife.

The knife glinted like fangs at night. It was vicious, cold, and there was no way to dodge it. Fearlessly, this knife sliced the hard head of the beast.

“Ka!” A huge tear appeared on the ferocious beast’s head. Its inky-green eyes revealed an expression of shock. Then, its two front hooves collapsed on the ground.

Afterward, fog, which looked black shadows, seeped out from the beast’s head. It gently descended and then took a solid shape in front of the beast.

After a while, a solid-looking shadow slowly stood up.

This was a human shadow, but it had a single horn on its forehead. Furthermore, this ‘human’ had a pair of abnormally icy blue eyes.

Under the moonlight, one could see that this figure wore black robes. Underneath his robes, one could see the faint blue glow of his scales.

A monster!

If one could see his shadow, one was sure that this was a demon, a demon which could take a human form.

“Before you die, you can state your name, or you can choose to keep silent!” The demon spoke. His voice was sharp and his icy-cold eyes looked at the black shadow wielding the knife.

“Domain Chief of the 10 Devilish Domains, Ying Dao!” The black shadow said after he heard the demon spoke. Then, he slowly took off his hood to reveal a plain face.

Of course, on his forehead, he had an eye which was blood-red.

“Domain Chief of the 10 Devilish Domains? Hurhur… so what? Anyone who dares enter the Great Swamp shall die. Furthermore, you killed my steed!” The monster looked at the red eye on Ying Dao’s forehead and smiled coldly and sardonically.

“Does the Monster Race want to hide in the Great Swamp forever?” Ying Dao was not surprised by the monster’s attitude. Likewise, he did not answer his question but asked.

“Do you want to die?” The monster’s gaze turned icy.

“You don’t get to determine if I die or not. Lead the way, we want to see Emperor Bai!” Ying Dao did not waste any words as he said that straightaway.

“Who do you think you are? You are a mere Domain Chief of the 10 Devilish Domains. Even if the elders of the 10 Devilish Domains, or even Emperor Yun, come, it’ll still be a joke!” The monster looked at Ying Dao once more. Of course, ten more figures stood behind Ying Dao. If not for them, Ying Dao would have long been dead.

“A mere door-monster like you dares to insult the Emperor of the Demons?” Ying Dao said coldly.

“Hurhur… if not for the fact that you’re a demon, do you think I’ll let you talk so much? Right now, I’ll give you ten seconds to get out of my sight. If not, all of you will die!” The moment the monster said that, pairs of eyes appeared in the gray fog. Some were red, some were white, some were green. They were of different colors but they were all icy-cold.

“How dare you! Do you know that by asking me to get out of your sight, I can kill you!”

“You have five more seconds!”

“How dare you!”

“Ying Dao, step down!” At this moment, a woman’s voice rang out from behind Ying Dao. Then, a hooded figure walked out from the group.

“Two seconds!” The monster continued without even looking at the woman.

“My surname is Yun,” said the woman.

“Hurhur… your surname is Yun? I just said that even if Emperor Yun himself come, it’s useless. Now, your time is up. Don’t blame us for being merciless!” The monster paused momentarily before he started to laugh evilly.

At the same time, huge shadows appeared around them. Beasts, which were as big as mountains, appeared. On each beast, one could see a human figure.

Numbers-wise, there were a few hundreds of them.

Monsters!

They were the rarest race in the world. However, in this Great Swamp, there were hundreds of them. It was a shocking scene.

“I’m 20 years old,” said the woman without even looking at the hundreds of monsters. She looked at the Great Swamp as if she was talking to herself.

“A 20 years old demon? You’re really young for a demon… but you will still die!” The monster’s face was murderous. However, his face changed suddenly. “Wait a minute, you said that your surname is Yun? You’re 20 years old now?!”

Chapter 746: Yun Qingwu’s True Identity

“Yes,” said the woman as she nodded her head.

“What’s… what’s your name?” The monster’s voice became more and more anxious. It was completely unlike his previous icy tone.

“Yun Qingwu,” replied the woman.

“Yun Qingwu!” The monster looked intently at her as he tried to make out her face underneath her hood. He gulped and said, “How can I believe you?”

The woman did not reply to the monster. Instead, she slowly lifted her hand and took off her hood, revealing a stunningly beautiful face.

Her brows were elegant and her lips were thin. Her eyes were as calm as water. She stood quietly in front of the monster, ignoring the hundreds of other monsters around them.

“No Demon Eye!” The monster opened his eyes wide in shock as he looked at Yun Qingwu’s snow-white forehead. His entire body trembled. Then, a look of shock crossed his face. Afterward, he looked as if he remembered something as he said, “King Xieluo? Why did King Xieluo not follow you?”

“He’s dead,” said Yun Qingwu plainly.

“Impossible! King Xieluo is a Demon King. His job is to quietly protect you. As long as he doesn’t step into the Holy Region, or take part in a conflict between the empires, how can he die?”

“He’s really dead. He died in a fight between the Holy Barbarian Empire and the Great Xia Dynasty.”

“King Xieluo would not have taken part in this conflict on his own accord. He knew the rules. Unless it’s by your orders?”

“Yes,” said Yun Qingwu as she nodded her head.

“Do you know that King Xieluo is my brother?” The monster’s voice was shaking.

Yun Qingwu did not speak. However, her phoenix-like eyes shone with light. After a while, the light disappeared and her face turned calm once more.

“Can you tell me the reason?”

“The 13 Heaven Dao Tablets of the Great Xia Dynasty.”

“The Heaven Dao Tablets…. I understand. My brother’s death was not in vain.” When the monster heard this, he nodded his head. Then, he knelt in front of her and said, “Xieyi, Sentry-General of the Monster Race, offers his respect to the Young Empress. Please punish me with death, Young Empress, for insulting you!”

After Xieyi said that, he spat a ghostly-blue pearl out from his mouth. The pearl floated in mid-air and then drifted in front of Yun Qinngwu. It shone with a faint light.

It was a Demon Pearl.

Furthermore, it was almost a King-Level Demon Pearl.

However, the other Monsters did not stop Xieyi as he spat out this Demon Pearl. Furthermore, they viewed his action as normal.

“Thump!”

“Thump!”

“…”

They started knelt on the ground.

The hundreds of monsters on top of the ferocious beasts prostrated themselves on the ground immediately. Not a single one of them dared to raise their heads. Importantly, as the hundreds of monsters lay on the ground, hundreds of Demon Pearls started to float in mid-air.

It was a shocking scene.

“You can’t be blamed if you have no knowledge prior to this. Bring me to see my mother,” said Yun Qingwu. Her hood slipped off her, revealing her snowy-white dress underneath.

“Wait a moment, Young Empress!” Xieyi’s body shook. Then, he slowly took a few steps back and he then disappeared into the grey fog.

However, the many Demon Pearls continued to float in mid-air.

After a while, two tiny boats appeared in front of Yun Qingwu. One of the boats was empty while the other one had a seat. A silvery-white cover lay on the seat.

Then, Xieyi knelt on the ground once more, offering his body as a step.

“Why don’t you take back your Demon Pearl?” Yun Qingwu did not enter the boat straight away. Instead, she looked at the Demon Pearls and asked.

“Insulting the Young Empress is a capital crime!” Xieyi replied.

“If I step on your head to board the boat, will you live?” When Yun Qingwu heard this, she nodded her head. She was not surprised by his response.

“I have a 50% chance of survival!” Xieyi replied.

“I understand,” said Yun Qingwu. She took a few steps back and retreated next to Ying Dao. She then reached out her hand.

Ying Dao understood her intention immediately. He passed her his knife respectfully.

After Yun Qingwu took Ying Dao’s knife, she walked in front of Xieyi. Then, with her knife, she stabbed Xieyi’s palm.

“Spleugh!” Xieyi’s palm was nailed to the ground by the knife.

Xieyi frowned. However, he said nothing and did nothing.

After Yun Qingwu stabbed him, she slowly lifted her leg and stepped on Xieyi’s head. Then, she climbed onto the boat with the seat and sat down.

“I’ve punished you on behalf of my mother. You can now lead the way!” Yun Qingwu’s voice rang out. It was soft, but all the monsters heard it.

Xieyi’s body shook violently and his ghostly-blue eyes revealed an expression of disbelief. However, he turned around and his palm was slashed open by the knife.

“Thank you for your punishment, Young Empress!”

“Let’s go!”

“Yes!” Xieyi nodded his head. Then, he swallowed his Demon Pearl and then, looked at the group of black figures. At the same time, he pointed to another small boat and said, “Please!”

“Thank you!” Ying Dao nodded his head and then, he retreated back into the group of black shadows.

When the other black figures saw Ying Dao stepping back, they nodded their heads at Xieyi. Then, they quickly rushed over to the other boat.

“Elders of the 10 Devilish Domains?” When Xieyi saw this scene, his expression did not change. Instead, he looked with his ghostly-blue eyes at the black shadows stepping onto the boat.

“9,” replied an ancient voice.

“I understand,” said Xieyi. He asked no further question but instead, he quickly got into Yun Qingwu’s boat. He tapped the bottom of the boat lightly with his feet and it quickly went into the gray fog.

If one looked at it carefully, one could see that behind Yun Qingwu’s boat, there was a small black chain, which tied it to Ying Dao’s boat.

The boat did not move quickly.

However, it quickly disappeared in the gray fog. Next to the two boats, there were ten huge figures, as tall as mountains. They slowly walked next to it.

As for the hundreds of monsters which appeared just now, they had long since disappeared into the fog. However, one could occasionally hear the roars of beasts.

…

The Great Swamp was an important piece of land for the monsters.

In the center of the Great Swamp, there was a small island. No fog surrounded the island. This island was like an oasis in the Great Swamp. However, instead of trees, all one could see were stone tablets. Each stone tablet had stone carvings on them but no one could see what they mean.

A path made from stones appeared among the stone tablets, leading straight into an immense black palace.

Yun Qingwu jumped off from the small boat.

Xieyi quickly walked forward and led the way. After a while, under Xieyi’s guidance, Yun Qingwu and the dozens of black shadows arrived in front of the black palace.

The palace was ancient and not well-decorated. However, directly above the palace, one could see a huge white jade laid in the center of the black palace of stone. The jade was carved in the shape of a beast.

It was a white fox, a Nine-Tailed White Fox.

Xieyi knelt down once more and kowtowed thrice to the Nine-Tailed White Fox. Then, he slowly stood up, bowed to Yun Qingwu and said, “Please go ahead, Young Empress!”

“Alright,” said Yun Qingwu as she nodded her head. Then, she walked toward the black rock palace. The dozens of black figures stopped and guarded outside the door of the black palace quietly.

She walked into the black palace.

Two stone sculptures appeared next to Yun Qingwu, one on her left and the other on her right. There were nine in total. Each of them took a different pose but they all brimmed with a demonic aura.

She walked through the nine stone sculptures and arrived outside the main hall of the black stone palace.

“Greetings, Young Empress!” The two monsters who guarded the entrance to the main hall bowed when they saw Yun Qingwu. Then, they quickly opened the doors.

Yun Qingwu nodded her head and stepped into the main hall.

It was a bright hall and compared to the Great Swamp outside, this hall was better illuminated. On the rock walls of the hall, many precious metals were inlaid. They all glowed faintly.

Near the top of the main hall, a chair made out of white jade stood. On the chair, there was a woman. She wore a dress made from white fur and her long hair fell onto her shoulders.

Appearance-wise, the woman was no older than 20. Her facial features were sharp and her eyes were black. Her brows were delicate and her skin was snowy-white.

She was prettier than most women in the world. Elegant, classy, and exotic. She exuded an otherworldly aura.

“You’re here,” spoke the woman. Her voice brimmed with a monstrous power. These two words alone were enough to touch one’s soul.

“I’m here,” said Yun Qingwu as she nodded her head.

“Is he okay?”

“Father is fine.”

“Out of the ten elders of the 10 Devilish Domains, nine are here. I don’t think you’re here just to see me, right?” The woman asked. Her black eyes glittered.

“You’re right. I hope that mother can fulfill her promise of the alliance.” Yun Qingwu appeared to mind the woman in front of her very much. After all, she was her actual mother.

“Alliance? Hurhur… it was a useless treaty for mutual benefits. You should know that. At best, you’re a failed product of a failed marriage,” said the woman with a smile.

“However, the blood of the Monster Race still flows in my veins.”

“Only half!” The woman’s voice was agitated.

“Even if there’s only half of it, it’s the better half!” Yun Qingwu’s tone changed. She became extremely resolute.

“Yes, it’s the better half, but it’s also the failed half. You don’t have the Demon Eyes, a characteristic trait of the Demon Race. Furthermore, you don’t have a Monster Body, a typical characteristic of the Monster Race. You’re a garbage formed from the union of the Emperor of the Demons and the Empress of the Monsters. What a joke! If I guess correctly, the Demon Race rejected you too, right?” The woman said dismissively.

“King Xieluo did not pass my message to you?”

“No, he didn’t. After you were chased out of the Blood Shadow City, I decreed that we shall take no more news from him. What? From your tone, it seems that you have returned to the Blood Shadow City?”

“Yes.”

“Hurhur… so what if you managed to return to the Blood Shadow City? The Demon Race emphasizes strength and respects the strong. Even if you managed to return to the Blood Shadow City, you’re just a tool your father uses to maintain the Monster-Demon alliance,” said the woman disrespectfully.

“I’m already the Demon Young Lord,” said Yun Qingwu plainly.

“Young Lord? Hurhur… interesting, did you receive the title right before you came?”

“No, I got it when I was five years old. Since then, I have been the Demon Young Lord,” said Yun Qingwu as she shook her head.

“Five years old?” The woman’s expression finally changed. Her black eyes stared intently at Yun Qingwu as if she had seen something on her face. However, all Yun Qingwu revealed was an expression of calm. “Interesting. The Demon Race actually made a five-years-old child their Young Lord. Tell me about it!”

“Even though I don’t have a Demon Eye, I have inherited the characteristic calm of the Demon Race. Similarly, while I don’t have a Monster Body, I have inherited the intelligence of the Nine-Tailed White Fox. Is that not enough?” Yun Qingwu countered.

“Is that so? What did you do?” The woman asked.

“I did one thing. I rallied the Six Domain Demonic Army outside the Blood Shadow City and then, I invaded it!” Yun Qingwu said plainly.

“Hahaha, you invaded the Blood Shadow City? By yourself? Are you telling me that when the Demon Race acknowledged you as their Young Lord when you were five years old, it was because of this feat?”

“Yes, I invaded the Blood Shadow City with the armies of the Six Domains. I encircled the armies of the Four Domains with them and then, I even made my way to the doors of the palace of the Demon Race.”

“You really did that when you were five?”

“Yes,” said Yun Qingwu as she nodded her head.

“Five years old…” When the woman heard this, she fell silent. After a while, her eyes shone with light as she said, “Tell me, what do you want from me?”

“Firstly, I want you to acknowledge me as the Young Empress.”

“You’re my only daughter and naturally, you’re the Young Empress. Even if I don’t want to admit it, I have to,” said the woman casually.

“I don’t just want the title. I want the right to command the Monster Race.”

“How many do you want to command?”

“All, including you, mother!”

“Hahaha… you’re only 20 years old, right? You are greedy indeed. Fine, I’ll give you this chance. However, you have to do something first.”

“What?”

“The five sects of the Holy Region encircled us monsters for many years. Pick one sect and destroy it. I think it should be easy for you, right?”

“Alright, but I want five Monster Kings,” said Yun Qingwu as she nodded her head. She did not find the woman’s request strange. She remained as calm as water.

“Five? Hurhur, you want to destroy one of the five sects with just five Monster Kings? Don’t you know that while they are often involved in civil strife, they will still band together in times of danger? How about this, I’ll give you ten. Treat this as compensation for me not visiting you in the past 20 years!”

“No, I just want five.”

“Eh?! If you can really destroy a sect with just five Monster Kings in one year, I, Baizhi, shall listen to your orders!”

“I don’t need a year. Three months are enough,” said Yun Qingwu as she turned to leave, walking out of the great door of the main hall.

Empress Baizhi of the Monsters looked quietly at the disappearing white figure. Her delicate face revealed a faint warmth. However, it quickly disappeared as she regained her normal, emotionless demeanor.

“Arrange for the Young Empress to rest in the eastern hall!”

“Yes!” A respectful voice rang out from outside.

…

At the same time Yun Qingwu stepped into the Great Swamp, a huge beast flew in the air above the mountains in the west of the Holy Region.

The beast moved extremely quickly. As it flew past the mountains, its huge wings formed gusts in the air, blowing apart the white clouds.

Slowly, a land, shrouded in clouds, appeared.

Clearly, it was a huge patch of herbs in the mountains. There were many types of herbs there. Some were red, some were green, some were purple, some were blue…

At this moment, a figure leaped off the back of the beast. Under the bright moonlight, one could see that he was carrying someone else in his arms.

A gust of wind blew and his blue robes fluttered in the air.

Chapter 747: A Polite Robbery, Bashing into the Yin Yang Hall

The white fog in the air was blown apart, but the white fog around the herb farm was still very thick. It covered every single stalk of herb and a faint light swirled around them. It seemed ethereal.

The mountains brimmed with vital spirit. When the Yin Yang Hall chose to plant their herbs here, these herbs were evidently priceless.

However…

The moment the figure descended, he stepped on an herb which gave off a soothing aroma. Instantly, one could hear a snap as the herb snapped into halves.

“Who dares to intrude into the herb farm of the Yin Yang Hall?” A voice rang out at this moment. Then, a figure swiftly rushed out into the herb farm. He wielded a sword and he was visibly enraged.

After all, the herb farm was an important place for the Yin Yang Hall. This fellow landed in the middle of the herb farm. From this point alone, one could deduce that he was not a guest of the Yin Yang Hall.

He was right.

This person was Fang Zhengzhi. Naturally, he was not here by invitation. However, he did not mean to land onto and destroy the herb farm.

This was because while he knew that the Yin Yang Hall was near the western part of the Holy Region, he did not know where exactly.

Hence, he circled the mountains for almost two days before discovering this patch of herbs in the clouds. How could he descend to take a closer look?

“This is the Yin Yang Hall indeed. May I ask where’s the main hall?” As Fang Zhengzhi spoke, he walked toward the Yin Yang Hall disciple. Of course, as he was carrying Yan Xiu, he could not see what was underneath him. While he tried to be careful, he inadvertently destroyed a few more stalks of herbs.

“Stay where you are!” When the disciple saw the crushed herbs on the ground, he became extremely angry. Furthermore, it was clear that this newcomer was a foe and not a friend. For his own personal safety, and the safety of the herb farms, he could not let him take a step closer.

“Oh,” said Fang Zhengzhi as he nodded his head. He stopped where he was. However, when he stopped, he also looked at Yan Xiu, whose eyes were closed, and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll make Dao Hun save you!”

When he saw this scene, the Yin Yang Hall disciple was momentarily puzzled. However, a cold smile appeared on his face.

A respectful attitude.

This meant that he was weaker!

After taking a closer look at Fang Zhengzhi, the Yin Yang Hall disciple noticed that he was quite young. At most, he was probably 17 to 18 years old. He also carried an unconscious youth in his arm, who was about the same age.

He could make an easy decision based on this judgment alone. Since he was someone who did not even know where the Yin Yang Hall was, he could not be a member of the five sects of the Holy Region.

Hence, he should be an independent cultivator who had just entered the Holy Region. He was met with danger and his companion was injured. Then, he blundered his way into the herb farm of the Yin Yang Hall.

With this analysis, he knew what to do.

The Yin Yang Hall disciple was naturally unkind toward a ‘rookie’ like him, who had just entered the Holy Region. Furthermore, he had destroyed a few stalks of herb too.

Seize him first, interrogate him, then make a decision!

With this plan, the Yin Yang Hall disciple prepared to strike. However, before he knew how powerful his opponent was, he did not dare to be too brazen. He cried out, “Yo!”

The moment he shouted, three figures appeared in the white fog. Evidently, that disciple was calling for back-up.

Three people appeared instantly. They did not ask what was going on as his cry told them everything they needed to know. Hence, the moment they rushed out, they surrounded Fang Zhengzhi from all four directions. Three swords from the Yin Yang Hall disciples were pointed at Fang Zhengzhi and a cold light gleamed off these swords.

“Are you a disciple of one of the five sects of the Holy Region?” To be safe, the first Yin Yang Hall disciple decided to ask this question first.

“No, I’m not,” said Fang Zhengzhi as he shook his head.

When they saw that, the four disciples of the Yin Yang Hall exchanged a look. Quickly, they came to the same decision.

“Since you are not a member of the five sects, do you know that you have committed a crime by intruding into the Yin Yang Hall and destroying our herb farm? Give yourself up immediately. Then, we shall bring you to Senior Li to be punished. If not, you’ll die!” The first Yin Yang Hall disciple said.

“What happens after I see Senior Li?” Fang Zhengzhi asked as he nodded his head.

“He’ll make the call. You must first compensate us for destroying the herb farm and then, we’ll kick you out of the Yin Yang Hall,” said the disciples with a cold chuckle.

“Can I see Dao Hun?” Fang Zhengzhi asked.

“How… how dare you! How dare you call master by his name?!” The Yin Yang Hall disciples were shocked. Then, they bellowed in rage.

“So I can’t see him? I guess I have to follow my normal procedures… which are more troublesome.” When Fang Zhengzhi heard their words, he understood.

They treated him as a ‘rookie’ who had just entered the Holy Region.

Of course, Fang Zhengzhi knew that he was indeed a ‘rookie’ who had entered the Holy Region not too long ago. However, if they proceeded as if he really was a rookie, he would waste a lot of time going around in circles. He may not even get to see Dao Hun himself.

“What normal procedures? Kneel down quickly. Do you want to see master? Who do you think you are?” One of the Yin Yang Hall disciples had a particularly short fuse. After he heard Fang Zhengzhi mumbling to himself, he shot a look at the other disciples around him. Then, he approached Fang Zhengzhi by stepping through the gaps in the herb farm.

After all, this was not his first time dealing with ‘lost sheep’ in the Holy Region. For ‘sheep’ like these, they had no fear simply because they were ignorant. In other words, they needed a good beating to wake up their ideas about the Holy Region.

Evidently, this ‘rookie’ had no intention of getting restrained. Hence, they could only beat him into submission, demonstrating the strength of the Yin Yang Hall.

“I am Fang Zhengzhi. Bring me to Dao Hun!” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Yan Xiu, who was in his chest, and saw how pale his face was. He knew that time was short and that he could no longer waste time on these disciples.

Since they did not recognize him, he had to announce his name.

Fang Zhengzhi rarely did something like this because normally, he would tell others via his actions who he really was.

However, in the present situation, he made this uncharacteristic move. He felt that it would be faster. He no longer had to see ‘Senior Li’ but instead, he may get to meet one of the elders of the Yin Yang Hall straightaway.

“Crrack!” Another stalk of herb was broken.

Of course, this time, Fang Zhengzhi was not responsible. A stalk of herb lay crushed underneath the feet of the bad-tempered disciple.

However, he did not even look at the stalk of herb underneath his feet because his face had turned pale.

He was not alone. The other three disciples trembled and their eyes bulged.

“Fang Zhengzhi?”

“Fang Zhengzhi!”

The four disciples looked at each other and they saw the same expression of fear in each other’s eyes. They were shocked to the core.

After all, they were not unfamiliar with the name ‘Fang Zhengzhi’…

They really were not unfamiliar with it.

In fact, they were not alone. In the past half a month, every single disciple of the Holy Region knew the name ‘Fang Zhengzhi’. To them, he was a shocking existence.

He was the only one in the Holy Region who mastered four of the Six Rebirth Daos. Furthermore, half a month ago, he killed five Sages by himself.

This event shocked the entire Holy Region.

More importantly, among the five Sages, two came from the Yin Yang Hall. One of them was the Ninth Elder of the Yin Yang Hall, Shi Fan.

“Fang Zhengzhi! You’re… you’re Fang Zhengzhi?!” When the four Yin Yang Hall disciples spoke to Fang Zhengzhi again, their voices shook.

A man’s name had power.

While Fang Zhengzhi was not a Sage, he was already much scarier than an ordinary Sage.

Furthermore, he obtained his fame by killing.

In other words, Fang Zhengzhi’s fame was built on bloodshed. Furthermore, he killed five Sages consecutively in a single day. Someone like this could only be described as ‘horrifying’.

“Yes, can I go see Dao Hun now?” Fang Zhengzhi nodded his head lightly. Then, he lifted his leg and started walking out of the herb farm.

Of course, he could not see where his feet step and hence, he tried to be as careful as he could. Even so, some stalks of herbs were crushed.

However…

The four Yin Yang Hall disciples no longer cared about Fang Zhengzhi stepping on precious herbs anymore. Right now, their faces were pale.

“Fang Zhengzhi is here for revenge!”

“He’s really…. here!”

“Oh my heavens, alone! He dares to intrude into the Yin Yang hall alone?! Quickly… inform Senior Li! No, no! Tell an elder straightaway!”

The four Yin Yang Hall disciples disappeared as quickly as they had come. In the blink of an eye, they all disappeared. All Fang Zhengzhi could hear was the sound of them escaping.

After all, they were the lowest-ranked disciples in the Yin Yang Hall. Their normal routine was to take care of the herb farm. As for other matters, they had no say over them.

Of course, they were glorious once. To them, joining the Yin Yang Hall was akin to forgoing their riches and glories in their respective empires.

Hence, they naturally had strong wills. For people like these, they would be able to endure anything. If they could not defeat an opponent, they would run instead of waiting to die.

“Eh? You haven’t told me where’s the hall? If not, you can bring me to Dao Hun straight!” Fang Zhengzhi shouted at the disciples but he received no answer.

He suddenly felt helpless.

He thought they would be like the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples, who would put up a fight even if they knew they would lose.

They actually ran away?

Fang Zhengzhi looked at the white fog around the herb farm. He suddenly remembered a line from a poem in his past life, “Why can’t I tell the true shape of Mount Lu? Because I myself am in the mountain.”

This mountain was bigger than Mount Lu. There were also more white clouds.

How could he find it?

He had no plan. All he could do was to run about aimlessly. However, the herbs here were decent. They were green and fragrant. Since he was here, he should not waste the time.

As he was rushing for time, Fang Zhengzhi did not spend time picking. He pulled up every single herb in the herb farm and placed them inside his Vast World.

Fortunately, he had a lot of space inside.

He did not have to worry that he could not fit them all inside.

After he took in more than ten acres of farmland, Fang Zhengzhi noticed that the white fog had become thinner. In front of him, the outline of a palace could be seen.

“I found it!” Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes lit up. He appeared to have seen the light at the end of the tunnel. Decent, but he did not know where the door was.

He was lazy to find the main door.

Since he had found his target, anything was fine. However, when he chose a target, he could not be too careless.

His choice was simple.

He had to find a well-decorated location. Normally, a big room was used for meetings. For him, these places were useless. However, well-decorated locations or rooms were where important people lived.

For example, the Hallmaster of the Yin Yang Hall, Dao Hun.

As for alchemy…

It had to be somewhere quiet, preferably secret too.

Fang Zhengzhi paid attention to these details. After all, the Heavenly Oasis Saint followed the same pattern. He lived somewhere where he could not be easily disturbed.

He did not continue picking herbs.

Fang Zhengzhi plucked these herbs because he wanted additional bargaining chips. He wanted to have the capital to negotiate with Dao Hun.

Would he be killed for doing so?

He did not consider this point because even if he did not pluck these herbs, Dao Hun would still kill him. Hence, what was there to consider?

He wanted to use ten acres of herb farm to save Yan Xiu’s life!

While this robbery seemed slightly ironic, he felt that the more bargaining chips he had the better his position was. He knew this clearly.

He gradually approached…

As he ran, he noticed figures congregating rapidly to where he once was.

It appeared that the four Yin Yang Hall disciples had spread the word.

However, he was already in the Yin Yang Hall and the disciples were less than halfway there. They really were inefficient.

Of course, Fang Zhengzhi could guess that those disciples were of a lower rank. Hence, it would take some time for the news to reach the elders.

“I’m here!” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the quiet and elegant block that was a bit further away than the other buildings of the Yin Yang Hall. Then, he noticed that the block had a signboard with the word ‘Dao’ in it. In his heart, he knew that he had made the right decision.

Since he had found Dao Hun’s domicile, he naturally did not want to fight with those in the herb farm.

Firstly, that was a waste of time. Secondly, he could not defeat so many of them.

Door…

It looked decent!

Fang Zhengzhi looked at the wooden door which was made from the wood of an ancient tree. He was right about to kick it open and shout, “I’m here. Fight me if you have the balls, Dao Hun!” but he decided against it.

How could he beat the Hallmaster of the Yin Yang Hall?

He remembered his fight against Tian Xing that day. This made a chill run down his back even though he had become much stronger.

However, he was still not Tian Xing’s match.

No!

He had to take it by another mean!

He thought for a while and smile crept across his face. At the same time, he carefully lowered Yan Xiu onto the ground. Then, he said in a low voice, “Master, Fang Zhengzhi had entered the herb farm. Third Elder told me to ask you how should I take care of him?”

Fang Zhengzhi’s voice was not loud because he knew how respectful disciples of the five sects of the Holy Region were toward their masters. Hence, he said it respectfully.

The moment he said that he heard footsteps approaching rapidly.

No curses?

Running out as soon as possible?

Fang Zhengzhi moved quickly and hid behind a door to the side. He used his intellect and it worked.

The reason was simple. He just had to wait for Dao Hun to step out and then hit him over the head with a big stick. Then, he could tie him and settle the problem quickly.

Chapter 748: Ravishing You Completely

“Creak!” The wooden door opened from inside out. Then, a figure slowly stepped out from the door. She was half a step in front of where Fang Zhengzhi was.

From location and angle, she was in the position for an ambush.

However, when Fang Zhengzhi saw who stepped out, his mind changed completely and he was completely thunderstruck.

This was because a woman stepped out. Furthermore, it was an extremely attractive woman. Three white flowers were embroidered on her inky-green dress, which covered her petite figure. Her long hair came all the way down to her waist.

Her curvy eyebrows and her dark eyes made her extremely attractive in terms of appearance. More importantly, this woman exuded a particular aura.

It may be because of the aromatic smell of medicine she gave off but Fang Zhengzhi felt as if this woman was like a heavenly spirit who had come down to the mortal plane.

She was terrifyingly pure!

Dao Hun…

Dao Hun was a woman?!

This notion flashed past in Fang Zhengzhi’s mind. Could the Hallmaster of the Yin Yang Hall and one of the most powerful people in the Holy Region actually be a woman? And such a young one too?

Right when Fang Zhengzhi was thinking about this, the woman turned around and looked at Fang Zhengzhi with her black eyes, which revealed a plain and elegant look.

Of course…

The woman looked at the metal bar which Fang Zhengzhi raised high above his head. Then, her elegance and calm disappeared. Instead, a look of shock crossed her face.

“Thud!” A dull sound.

The woman blinked her eyes and then, her body shook. Afterward, with a ‘thud’, she collapsed on the ground.

“Is it done?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the woman on the ground and he felt strange. This was way too simple.

It was akin to saving money for a few years so that you could buy a nice estate in the city. After you had saved the required amount, you realized that one of the estates was being sold at a huge discount. An estate which required 1000 taels of silver now only needed 100.

Surprised?

A delightful surprise.

However, you would surely question whether the feng shui of this estate was good. If not, could it be that something had happened there? Did someone hang himself in this house?

This was what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking.

He was prepared to fight viciously but instead, he solved this problem with a single whack from his metal stick. This made him doubt the girl’s identity.

Could he have made a mistake?

Was this not where Dao Hun lived?

However, the signboard with the word ‘Dao’ and its quiet location indicated that this was no place for an ordinary disciple to stay.

Wait a moment.

Could she be a servant?

“Oh no, oh no… I did not expect that servant would come out.” Fang Zhengzhi did not know what to do. It was all too normal for the Hallmaster of the Yin Yang Hall to have servants.

While this girl did not seem to be an ordinary servant, it was no surprise for the Hallmaster of the Yin Yang Hall to possess a female servant of this caliber.

In fact, since he first came to this world, Fang Zhengzhi had always dreamt of being served by a hundred beautiful female servants. However, until now, he did not even have a single one.

Of course, he won his bet with Chi Guyan. However, as the ‘captain’ of his team of female servants, she had never served him once.

Hence, in Fang Zhengzhi’s mind, he would occasionally neglect certain details, such as the fact that prominent figures would have female servants opening their doors for them.

“Have I been exposed?” Under normal circumstances, Fang Zhengzhi knew that his cover would have been blown. After all, while that whack was not loud, it did cause a commotion.

Hence, if Dao Hun were inside, he would have come out with guns blazing.

This was what he had thought. After he knocked the girl unconscious, he prepared for battle and waited for Dao Hun to rush out before administering another whack.

However…

Not a single sound could be heard from the block.

“Could it be that Dao Hun is not at home?” Fang Zhengzhi blinked his eyes. It was rather late, so where could he be if he were not at home?

Of course, this was not something that he should be concerned about. Without wasting any time, he dragged the woman into the room and realized that in the entire building, there was not a single soul.

With such a beautiful woman lying unconscious in front of him…

Should he not do what all men would do?

A smile crept across Fang Zhengzhi’s face but he quickly suppressed this thought. After all, this was not a good time. If Dao Hun rushed back now, he would be screwed.

He walked out of the wooden door once more and carefully brought Yan Xiu inside. Then, he closed the door and sighed in relief.

He was not yet exposed!

While he had successfully made his way to Dao Hun’s house, and got hold of a beautiful hostage, his first step was successful.

The next thing he had to do was to get her to talk. He hoped he could obtain useful information from her, such as when Dao Hun normally came home and what was his daily routine.

Know yourself and know your enemies and you shan’t fear a hundred battles.

Importantly, he had to subdue this woman first. Hence, he did not tie her with any ordinary ropes. Before he came to the Yin Yang Hall, Fang Zhengzhi had already made his preparations.

Silvery-white chains appeared in Fang Zhengzhi’s hands. These items were very ideal for tying people up. Normally, even a Sage could not break free from them.

Without wasting any word, he tied the girl up and walked through the courtyard of this pavilion. As he walked to the main room of the pavilion, he could smelt medicinal aromas.

Then, Fang Zhengzhi saw a purplish-golden cauldron in the center of the main room. A fire burned underneath the cauldron. Evidently, someone was cultivating pills.

“What a… powerful cauldron!” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the giant cauldron made from purple gold. On it, eight beast heads were carved into it. Without even looking, he was sure that the quality of this cauldron was supreme. Compared to the Heavenly Oasis Saint’s black gold cauldron, it was way superior.

Furthermore, from the aroma of the medicines in the cauldron, he estimated the quality of the medicines inside was good too. They were much better than the ones the Heavenly Oasis Saint made.

A quiet pavilion and an independent living space. A top-quality cauldron with top-quality pills inside…

If you said this was not where Dao Hun lived, no one would believe you!

Fang Zhengzhi knew that his guess was correct. However, after he walked through the main room on the first floor and climbed onto the second floor, he realized that something was amiss.

This was because the second room was decorated in pink and purple.

Could Dao Hun have unique tastes?

As Fang Zhengzhi thought about this, an idea popped into his mind, making him deeply uncomfortable, Of course, this was just a mere guess. He did not even know if it were true.

However, Fang Zhengzhi still had his doubts. On the second floor, there was a room with a single bed inside.

Where did the female servant live?

Could it be that the unconscious female servant shared Dao Hun’s bed?

Fang Zhengzhi felt as if he had stumbled across a great secret. He felt like he had gotten hold of Dao Hun’s Achilles’ Heel. Of course, these were all guesses.

The true secret….

He had to wake the girl up first.

…

Just when Fang Zhengzhi was doing as he pleased in the pavilion, the herb farm not too far away shone with a flaming light. Rage filled the atmosphere.

“Sixth Elder, Seventh Elder, spare us! We would never dare to steal the herbs in the herb farm. Fang Zhengzhi came! He stole the herbs!” The four Yin Yang Hall disciples knelt down in the barren herb farm and kowtowed non-stop.

“Ten acres of farmland… he actually did it!” One of the elders, whose hair was white, looked at the dissipated white fog and gritted his teeth.

“Decades of hard work and he destroyed it all in a single night!” Another old man, whose hair was blacker, was infuriated too. His eyes shone with a cold light.

“Despicable!”

“We must catch him!”

“We’ll shatter his body to avenge Ninth Elder and take back our land!”

The two Yin Yang Hall disciples behind the two elders gritted their teeth too. They could not wait to kill Fang Zhengzhi to release their anger.

“Revenge, yes. We must take revenge. However, the Yin Yang Hall is located inside the mountains. How can we find him after he stole our herbs?” Another Yin Yang Hall disciple asked helplessly.

“I fear that now that he knows where our herb farm is, we can’t predict when he will come next. If he’s bent on destroying our herb farm, how can we protect the remaining dozens of acres?” Another Yin Yang Hall disciple said anxiously.

“Guard it tightly! We’ll get 200 disciples and get them to work on shifts. We can’t let Fang Zhengzhi destroy our herb farm!” The elder with white hair said.

“Yes, Sixth Elder! I’ll arrange it!” One of the Yin Yang Hall disciples stood up.

“No need!” At this moment, a voice came from afar. Then, a figure appeared in front of Sixth Elder.

From the moment the voice sounded until its appearance in front of Sixth Elder…

It only took the blink of an eye.

“Greetings master!” When the two Yin Yang Hall disciples behind the two elders heard this voice, they bowed immediately.

“Hallmaster!” The two elders turned around and bowed too.

“While the cost of the land is not cheap, I don’t think Fang Zhengzhi is after our herb farm. Tell me, what did Fang Zhengzhi say when he first appeared?” The figure pointed at the four kneeling disciples.

“Yes… he started by asking… where’s the main door? Yes, that’s what he asked. Then, he said he wanted us to bring him to see master. However, how can we do that? Then, we ran… no, we reported to our superiors straightaway!” One of the disciples replied, his voice quavering.

“Main door? See me?” When the figure heard that, he thought for a bit. Then, he nodded his head and said, “There’s no need to guard the herb farm. Continue as if nothing has happened.”

“Hallmaster… should we lower our guard?” When one of the elders heard that, he looked at the disciples’ confused faces and asked in a tiny voice.

“Yes, Fang Zhengzhi is crafty. Since he’s here, he’s prepared. If I am right, he’s here for me!”

“Here for Hallmaster?”

“Yes, he can’t destroy the Yin Yang Hall alone. Hence, he wants to decapitate our sect first,” replied the human shadow.

“Should we lay a trap for him?”

“No need, let him find me. Spread my order. Get everyone to talk about where I live. He’ll naturally come for me like this.”

“Yes, master!” When the Yin Yang Hall disciples heard this, they immediately understood.

To catch the thieves, one must catch their leader first.

This principle was simple. However, if one could not catch the leader, then it was akin to sending oneself to a sure death. Fang Zhengzhi was evidently on a path to death.

…

Yin Yang Hall. The solitary pavilion.

Fang Zhengzhi did not wait in the main room downstairs. Instead, he chose the room on the second floor. Like this, he could monitor what was going on outside.

More importantly, there was a bed there. Yan Xiu could lie on it to rest. He did not have to lie on the cold hard ground.

“Are you awake?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the woman who was slowly opening her eyes. He took a pill, placed it in his mouth, chewed and swallowed.

“Mmm mmm…” The woman’s mouth was stuffed with cloth and naturally, she could not shout. All she could do was to struggle helplessly as she looked around her.

“There’s no use struggling. You can’t break open these chains. If you want to live, answer my questions. If not, I don’t mind killing you,” said Fang Zhengzhi as he chewed his pills.

However, as he said that, he noticed the look in her eyes. He could clearly see that she did not show much emotion when he said the word ‘kill’. Instead, she looked at him calmly.

It seemed like…

She was a truly loyal servant!

A smile crept across Fang Zhengzhi’s face as he said, “Of course, if you don’t fear death, we can talk in another way. How about I ravish you completely first?”

Chapter 749: A Supremely Powerful Killing Intent, Avenging Yan Xiu

Instantly, Fang Zhengzhi sensed the woman’s expression change. This change of emotions came from the depths of her heart, even though it just lasted for a single second.

However, Fang Zhengzhi still discovered it.

Evidently…

All women in the world valued their purity.

For example, Yun Qingwu was a classic example. Both good cop and bad cop methods did not work on her. To get anything from her, one had to resort to this method.

The woman in front of him was the same. She did not value her life but she valued her purity greatly. However, if that was the case, she could not be Dao Hun’s concubine right?

This made him suspicious.

Fang Zhengzhi suspected the true identity of this woman. However, he did not really care. All he needed to do was to obtain information about Dao Hun from her. That would suffice.

“You just need to answer a few questions of mine and I promise I won’t hurt you. How about it?” As Fang Zhengzhi asked her, he continued to stuff pills into his mouth.

The pills were crispy and tasty!

In this pavilion, everything was lacking except tasty pills. Fang Zhengzhi had been on the road for the past few days and hence, he really wanted to eat something tasty. He knew that the Yin Yang Hall would not miss a few pills and hence, he decided to eat them like candies.

“If you agree, nod your head. However, if you dare to shout, I’ll kill you. Then, I’ll strip your corpse naked and hang it upside-down on the door!” Fang Zhengzhi said as he looked at the girl, who was gradually calming down.

She fell silent.

She looked around her and saw Yan Xiu lying on the bed. Then, she looked straight at Fang Zhengzhi and finally nodded her head lightly.

“Tell me, when is Dao Hun coming back?” When Fang Zhengzhi saw this, he reached out with his hand and removed the gag in her mouth as he asked.

“…” Her lips quivered and she wanted to say something. However, a look of suspicion crossed her eyes and then, she slowly lowered her head.

“Not going to say anything, eh? Then, I’ll kill you!” Fang Zhengzhi started to move.

“Before master left, he told me that he would be discussing important matters with Third Elder and Fourth Elder of the Nine Pinnacles Mountain. Hence, he won’t be back here for quite some time,” said the woman at last as Fang Zhengzhi reached out to grab her with his hands.

Her voice was clear and delightful to the ears. She sounded ethereal like a fairy. This simple sentence was enough to surprise Fang Zhengzhi deeply.

Fang Zhengzhi’s hands stopped in front of the girl as he quickly analyzed her words. Discussing important matters with Third and Fourth Elders of the Nine Pinnacles Mountain?

Was this real or fake?

She did not quaver as she spoke, so it had to be real. However, if that was true, why did she not say so earlier?

This was weird!

“Are you lying to me?” Fang Zhengzhi moved and he pointed his Traceless Sword at the woman’s throat. A demonic purple light swirled on top of the blade.

“Don’t kill me, I’m not lying…” The woman’s expression changed as she looked at Fang Zhengzhi’s Traceless Sword. She could not help but move backward in fear.

“What’s your name?”

“My name is… Xin Mu…” The girl’s voice turned soft. She seemed to be trembling.

“Xin Mu?” Fang Zhengzhi smiled slightly. The change in this woman’s performance was too quick.

Such an acting style…

She was evidently a novice.

Furthermore, the more the woman pretended, the more he suspected her identity. “Do you really expect me to believe that you’re an ordinary female servant? If I’m right, I guess that Xin Mu is not your real name. This pavilion is not where Dao Hun lives. Am I right?”

As the Fang Zhengzhi said that, he stared intently at the woman. When he finished his last sentence, the look of panic in her eyes had disappeared.

This change was similar to a stormy sea turning calm instantly. Odd and scary.

Then, the woman straightened her body and looked at Fang Zhengzhi with a disrespectful smile and said, “You’re right. Master doesn’t live here. As for my name, I don’t think it’s important to you. Am I right, Fang Zhengzhi?”

The moment she said that, she moved her body forward as she placed her throat on the blade of Fang Zhengzhi’s Traceless Sword.

This made his hand withdraw as he pulled his Traceless Sword back.

Did she have a death wish?

It was not that easy!

Fang Zhengzhi naturally did not want to kill her. If she did not want to give her name, he would naturally not ask her for it.

This was because she had already answered one of Fang Zhengzhi’s questions when she said ‘master’.

She was a disciple of the Yin Yang Hall!

Furthermore, she was no ordinary disciple. At the very least, if she could own such an independent living space, she should be one of the higher-ranking disciples or even an elder.

For a woman like this to fall into his hands…

To Fang Zhengzhi, she was undoubtedly an important bargaining chip. He had to make sure she did not kill herself.

“It’s not good for a woman to be too smart,” said Fang Zhengzhi as he toyed with her. Then, he continued to eat pills as if nothing had happened.

“I never expect you to actually come. Actually, everyone thought that you’re here for revenge. However… it’s evidently not true!” The woman did not mind Fang Zhengzhi eating the pills. She did not try to kill herself too. Instead, she straightened her body and sat on her knees.

“So why do you think I’m here?” Fang Zhengzhi asked.

“To save someone. Your true objective is to get master to save Yan Xiu!” The woman replied as she looked at Yan Xiu.

“Hurhur, why not you tell me directly what I can get from you?” Fang Zhengzhi did not deny it but he did not acknowledge it. Evidently, the woman in front of him was smart.

Hence, when talking to smart people, there was no need to go around in circles. He could be direct.

“I’m afraid that you will be disappointed. There’s nothing you can get. Furthermore, master won’t save Yan Xiu,” said the woman with a cold chuckle.

“So, you’re worthless to me? I can play with you for a few days and then kill you. Is that what you’re saying?” Fang Zhengzhi smiled too.

“Shameless!” The woman cursed. However, she fell silent. After a while, she lifted her head to look at Fang Zhengzhi and said, “I can tell you where master lives. As for the exact location of his room, and his resting hours, you have to find that out yourself.”

“How can I trust you?” Fang Zhengzhi countered.

“You don’t have a choice but to trust me. Yan Xiu doesn’t have much time left. To save him, you will need at least seven days’ worth of time to make the pills.”

“From the sound of it, I have three days to waste, right?” Fang Zhengzhi was surprised. This woman actually could tell how much time Yan Xiu had left. Taking into account the fact that he was in the Yin Yang Hall, and the place where the woman lived, it was a natural deduction.

“That’s right!” The woman nodded her head.

“So, can you stand three days’ worth of torture?”

“What do you mean?”

“I hear that after someone collapses mentally, they will become extremely weak and submissive. So, I’m wondering if I should torture you for three days before asking you any more questions. At that time, your attitude will be different, right?” Fang Zhengzhi smiled at her like a pervert.

“How dare you!” The woman’s expression changed visibly.

“Hurhur, do you think I won’t dare to do that?” Fang Zhengzhi shifted his body forward.

“You…” The woman was just about to say something but she stopped. Then, she gritted her teeth tightly and said, “What do you want from me? Be direct!”

“Tell me, how can I get Dao Hun to save Yan Xiu?”

“Impossible! It was a wrong choice from the very start for you to come to the Yin Yang Hall. No matter what you do, master will not save Yan Xiu. Furthermore, in your current state, you should make the most out of these few months and cultivate. Perhaps you will have a chance of becoming a Sage. At that time…”

“Yes, but what will become of Yan Xiu after I become a Sage?” Fang Zhengzhi interrupted.

The woman said nothing. She did not object to what he had said. Instead, she stared at Yan Xiu as if she was thinking of something.

“There is no perpetual enemy in the world, only perpetual interests. Am I right?” Fang Zhengzhi said as the woman kept silent.

“You’re right, but the precondition for that is trust. The Yin Yang Hall can’t trust you and you can’t trust the Yin Yang Hall. Hence, there’s no reason to work together.”

“Perhaps we may actually have a common ground, for example, what if Dao Hun has no choice but to save Yan Xiu?” Fang Zhengzhi nodded his head slightly and then shook it.

“Dream on, what kind of reason will that be?” said the woman disrespectfully.

“Exchanging your life for the life of Yan Xiu, how about that?”

“Naïve. Master will never agree. My life is not worth that much to the Yin Yang Hall!” said the woman with a cold chuckle.

“What about ten acres of your herb farm?”

“If you dare to destroy our herb farm, I’ll kill you!”

“Is that so? Too bad, I’ve already done it!”

“Shameless man. If you want to use my life to exchange for his, I won’t let you do it. Furthermore, even if you do it, Yan Xiu will still die!”

“Why?”

“Do you think that master will live up to his promise after the exchange? In other words, he may revive Yan Xiu, but won’t we from the Yin Yang Hall do something to him?”

“If you lot don’t keep your side of the bargain, I’ll massacre everyone in the Yin Yang Hall!” Fang Zhengzhi’s gaze turned cold and a powerful killing aura could be felt from his body.

“You must be able to do that first!” The woman was not scared at all.

Fang Zhengzhi clenched his fists. He knew what the woman said was true. Dao Hun could perfectly well pretend to save Yan Xiu and then kill him.

If that happened…

There was no point at all.

To get Dao Hun to save Yan Xiu, the former had to do it willingly. Like what the woman said, this was nearly impossible.

Bargaining chips, threats, exchanges…

All of these methods were useless.

Slowly, everything was going back to Square 1. When Fang Zhengzhi came, he took ten acres of land from the herb farm and a female disciple of the Yin Yang Hall whose rank was not low.

At first, he thought these all meant something to him, that he was moving forward in the right direction. However, looking at it now, these were all useless.

This was because the only way to save Yan Xiu was to make sure Dao Hun would do it willingly.

However, this was impossible.

Fang Zhengzhi hated how useless he was.

In fact, before he came to the Yin Yang Hall, he knew that this trip was in vain. However, he had to come. He could not watch as Yan Xiu died just like this.

“Mmm!”

Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes turned completely red. Rays of red light appeared underneath his feet, giving off a murderous, hellish aura.

The Dao of Asura!

This was the most offensive Dao of the Six Rebirth Daos. It was also the one which made Yan Xiu end up in his current state.

Fang Zhengzhi clenched his fists tightly. The five-colored chains on the ground trembled and balls of black fire burned on his body. This was the Hell Dao.

On his forehead, a cerulean-blue light flashed. Normally, this light was as clear as the sky. However, at this moment, it gave off a wintry aura.

At this moment, a murderous aura permeated the entire room, turning the room as cold as winter.

When she saw this scene, the woman’s eyes narrowed. She looked at the red rays of light circling Fang Zhengzhi, then at the black balls of fire, as well as the light flashing from his eyes and said, “You indeed mastered four of the Sixth Rebirth Daos. What a strong killing intent!”

“So, if you can’t save Yan Xiu, what will you do next?” The woman asked. In this icy-cold room, the calm of her voice was terrifying.

“Kill! Everyone who has hurt Yan Xiu, everyone who has taken part in the ambush underneath the Heaven Dao Pavilion, must die! The Yin Yang Hall, the Nine Pinnacles Mountain, they must all die for what they did to Yan Xiu!” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the woman. His eyes were crystal-clear. In his eyes, a light swirled.

This was the Rebirth Plate.

Four different lights shone on it.

Blue, green, red, and black!

Most importantly, as they swirled outside the Rebirth Plate, two extreme auras intersected with each other.

The Yin Yang Illustration!

This extremely peculiar scene appeared before the woman. It was very close to her, allowing her to see everything in his eyes.

Chapter 750: Yin Yang Eye, Strange Scenes

For the first time, the woman’s heart trembled. While this was her first time meeting Fang Zhengzhi, something stirred in her heart…

The man opposite her was a highly unstable element in the Holy Region.

Most importantly, the Yin Yang Hall was now his enemy. Even if he had nothing to do with Wan Lei’s death, he was surely responsible for Shi Fan’s demise.

To form an alliance?

Or to kill?

This was an extremely difficult choice because, with the current position of the Yin Yang Hall, there was no way it would submit to Fang Zhengzhi.

Hence, with Fang Zhengzhi’s brazen attitude, how could the Yin Yang Hall make an alliance with him? Furthermore, how could they convince their disciples to accept it?

It was extremely difficult!

However, if they chose to kill him…

With Fang Zhengzhi’s current strength, only a few elders working together could fight him. Furthermore, they would only have a 50% chance of victory.

After all, Fang Zhengzhi killed five Sages consecutively earlier on.

Hence, killing Fang Zhengzhi would not be easy too.

For an unstable element like him, allying with him was difficult, killing him was even more difficult. What would the presence of someone like him mean for the Holy Region?

She rarely worried about any particular matter. However, this time, she was truly worried.

Of course, after spending some time thinking about it, she opened her mouth to speak again. This time, her words were simple and direct. “Walk east from this pavilion and you will see a stone pavilion called the ‘Thousand Herb Hall’. Every seven days, master will choose to cultivate pills during the ‘opportune moment’. Right now, it is close to his cultivation period.”

“It’s already the seventh day?” Fang Zhengzhi narrowed his eyes into slits. He wanted to find out what the woman was really thinking but her expression was calm. It was so calm until he could not see anything wrong with it. He had no choice but to believe her.

“Yes, after tonight, it’ll be time for master to cultivate his pills,” said the woman as she nodded her head. Her face was serious and she seemed as if she was making an important decision.

“Why are you telling me this?” Fang Zhengzhi asked.

“Because this is your last chance to defeat master. Afterward, you can bring him away from the Yin Yang Hall and find someone who is well-versed in alchemy too, such as the Heavenly Oasis Saint from the Shadow Sect. Under his supervision, you can force master to save Yan Xiu!” The woman said calmly.

“Get Heavenly Oasis to monitor him?” Fang Zhengzhi finally understood. Indeed, like what the woman had said, this was his only way of saving Yan Xiu.

However, if he wanted to defeat Dao Hun…

It was akin to fighting the entire Yin Yang Hall alone.

Could he do it?

“No one comes to my pavilion other than master. You can put Yan Xiu here temporarily. Then, you can go there alone,” the woman continued.

Fang Zhengzhi fell silent. He did not reply to the woman and he did not ask any more question. All he did was to look at the sky outside the pavilion quietly.

Millions of stars twinkled and the moon was out in her full glory.

It was a beautiful scene, particularly in the mountains. As he looked, it was as if a huge hand had placed the moon in the sky.

“It seems like… you don’t dare to go?” The woman looked at Fang Zhengzhi, who was silent, and said disrespectfully to him after a while.

Fang Zhengzhi looked away from the night sky and then, he looked at the woman. A smile crept across his face.

“So beautiful!” When Fang Zhengzhi said that, his eyes became calm once more. The pavilion turned icy-cold once more.

“What’s so beautiful?!” The woman looked at Fang Zhengzhi’s smile and her heart quivered. She did not know if he was talking about the night sky or about her.

Of course, none of this was important. Most importantly, she saw the metal stick appear in Fang Zhengzhi’s hands again. He lifted it high up into the air.

“What are you doing?!”

“Thump!”

A loud thud answered her.

Then, the woman felt the world around her spin. Everything turned dark but of course, she could still see a man smiling at her.

The woman did not know what was going to happen next. However, she knew that the man who stood opposite her was definitely shameless.

Furthermore, he was a shameless person who did not care about anything!

She could not guess what he would do. At the same time, she did not want to guess.

Silence.

When the woman collapsed on the ground once more, the pavilion became silent. Fang Zhengzhi looked at the moon hanging in the sky.

“Tonight is so beautiful!”

As he said that, Fang Zhengzhi carried the woman up from the ground. Then, he slowly walked over to the bed in the room.

He carefully placed her next to Yan Xiu.

Fang Zhengzhi’s gaze moved from her to Yan Xiu. On Yan Xiu’s face, he could see a paleness that came from his bones.

Even though Yan Xiu’s face had a cold look on it.

However, this was a weak cold look. He was like a blade of grass as winter approached. Shriveled and coated with frost, it did not know if he would get to see spring next year, or if it would make it through.

However, Fang Zhengzhi clenched his fists at this moment. His smile disappeared and look of seriousness replaced it. It was a resolute and serious look.

He said nothing.

In front of Yan Xiu, he knew that there was nothing he needed to say. Yan Xiu would know what decision he was going to make.

Hopeless?

Fighting the entire Yin Yang Hall alone?

Yes, for someone who was a tad more intelligent, he would know what to do. However, so what? Fang Zhengzhi did not need intelligence now.

He just needed to know…

For some matters, he would surely do them.

Fang Zhengzhi turned around and the blanket on the bed flew up. Then, it spread and covered Yan Xiu and the woman underneath it.

…

The Great Xia Dynasty, the Wintry Land.

This was where the Nangong Clan lived. It was perpetually frozen all year round and snow-covered stone steles were erected in the snowy ground.

At this moment, among some steles, two corpses lay on the ground.

These two corpses were not completely frozen over. They wore wide black robes, had white hair but looked young.

These were two Sages.

However, these were two dead Sages.

In front of these two dead Sages, a slightly plump middle-aged man stood. He wore a thin layer of clothes and a fur coat. As the snow fell, he stood there quietly.

The current head of the Nangong Family, Nangong Tian!

“The Nine Pinnacles Mountain?” Nangong Tian looked at the two corpses on the ground and looked into the distance. It was very quiet. If not for the broken steles and hot gusts of wind which blew apart the snow, no one could have noticed that this was the site of a major battle.

After a long while, Nangong Tian did not retract his gaze. In the snowy sky, a peculiar starlight shone.

The starlight appeared to be rapidly approaching.

Instantly, it fell from the sky and with a loud boom, it landed on the ground. Cracks started to appear in the snowy ground of the Wintry Land.

Nangong Tian finally retracted his gaze from the sky and looked at where the star had fallen. Over there, he noticed that a seedling was sprouting.

It was a very small seed but it made a huge hole in the snowy ground.

On top of that, when the seed landed on the ground, a verdant green, like that of springtime, started to glow. Roots started to grow from the seed, planting themselves in the ground.

“Crrack, crack…” The voice was not loud as the roots entered the ground and broke through the ice and snow. A huge tree rushed out from the snowy ground, growing so fast that the naked eye could see its progress.

It was so strange.

Three feet, five feet, ten feet…

The giant tree continued to grow as if it wanted to reach into the sky.

As the giant tree continued to grow, white flowers started to blossom on it too. Each flower had snow-covered flower petals and a faint silver light shone on them.

It was a very strange scene.

However, Nangong Tian did not look shocked. Instead, his face betrayed a faint excitement.

“Finally, is it here?” Nangong Tian wanted to say something but instead, he just mumbled to himself. He seemed to have waited for this moment for a thousand years.

…

As this odd scene took place in the Nangong Family’s residence, many odd things started to take place around the Holy Region, particularly next to the Heaven Dao Pavilion.

Mu Qingfeng, in his usual white robes, stood before the doors of the ruined black stone palace on top of Sword Peak. He frowned. The doors of the palace were open but it was dark inside.

Of course, this was not important.

Importantly, 100 meters in front of Mu Qingfeng, there was a beast the size of a small mountain crouching on the ground. It roared non-stop.

As for the Holy Region…

It was no strange to see a beast like this because, in the Holy Region, there were many of these beasts.

However, this beast was not considered ferocious or strong by the standards of the Holy Region.

The reason was simple. Mu Qingfeng knew what beast this was. He saw it underneath the Sword Peak. It was an Iron-Armed Stone Ape whose left arm had a scar.

This beast was common. If not for its scar on its arm, Mu Qingfeng would not have been able to recognize it.

However, while its wound was still present, it had expanded to ten times its original size. Its iron arm now shone with a golden light.

“Master, five kilometers away, we found a Black-Striped Silver Panther, but… it’s now a Black-Striped Gold Panther and it’s even bigger than this Iron-Armed Stone Ape!” A Heaven Dao Pavilion disciple leaped down from the sky and landed in the ruined palace.

“Understood,” said Mu Qingfeng as he nodded his head. He did not say anything else. Instead, he slowly raised his finger and pointed at the Iron-Armed Stone Ape.

“Aooo!” The Iron-Armed Stone Ape roared in pain. Its mountain-sized body trembled before it fell forward and landed heavily on the ground.

“Bring this Iron-Armed Stone Ape back to the Heaven Dao Pavilion and hand it over to Third Elder,” said Mu Qingfeng. Then, he turned and walked into the ruined black palace.

“Yes!” The Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples replied instantly.

…

The western mountains of the Holy Region, the Yin Yang Hall.

The light of the moon and the shine of the stars dimmed. This night did not pass that quickly, but it did not pass slowly too. The disciples of the Yin Yang Hall worked for the entire night. Only when the sky started to light up did they slowly fall asleep.

Of course, many of them were patrolling.

This as a rule that that has always existed in the Yin Yang Hall. Tonight, the rule remained the same. However, the Yin Yang Hall disciples were chattier.

“The Thousand Herb Hall is in front!”

“I wonder what master is making today?”

“We lack ‘Frosty Dews’ recently so I guess he’s making them today. Let’s take a look in the Thousand Herb Hall!”

“Who doesn’t want to see? However, master lives in the Thousand Herb Hall and we are but lowly disciples. We don’t have the right to take a look.”

“That’s right. We have to continue working hard and one day, we may be able to learn under master. If that happens, it’ll be great!”

“Let’s continue patrolling!”

As the Yin Yang Hall disciples discussed, they looked around them distractedly. Some of them even yawned.

Not far from them, on top of a tree in the Yin Yang Hall, a figure stood. He was completely hidden among the trees.

“Thousand Herb Hall?” The figure looked at the stone pavilion and the wooden signboard, made from ancient, aromatic timber, on top of it. On it, the words ‘Thousand Herb Hall’ could be seen. “After ten acres of land has been stolen, your security is still so lax. This trap is really too obvious!”

The figure smiled and then looked at the brightening sky. Then, he moved and under the cover of the surrounding trees and bushes, it slowly approached the Thousand Herb Hall.

After a while, he arrived next to it.

It was not an elaborate stone pavilion. However, the stones it was made from seemed different. They were a lot more ancient.

Other than that, on top of the signboard, there was a black and white Yin Yang Diagram. Of course, it was no ordinary black and white paint. Instead, they were made from one black and one white gem.

Like two human eyes!

Chapter 751: Dao Hun is a Scum

It was a weird sensation. The black and the white jewel weren’t dazzling, but Fang Zhengzhi felt like he was surveilled after he looked at the two jewels.

“I guess I’m really walking right into a trap this time.”

Fang Zhengzhi’s original plan was to sneak into the 1000 Herb Hall and look for a chance to sneak up on Dao Hun. However, after he made his way here and discovered the 1000 Herb Hall, he had a strong feeling that this was all part of Dao Hun’s plan.

Of course, he could walk away, but would he be allowed to leave? Or rather, could he really do that? He clearly couldn’t!

In that case, he had no other choice.

Even if he knew that Dao Hun was waiting for him in the 1000 Herb Hall, he had to go in, because this was his only chance.

Fang Zhengzhi moved swiftly under the dusky moonlight and he came before the 1000 Herb Hall in the blink of an eye. He then leapt into the air and landed on plaque inscribed with the hall’s name. It felt good to step on the 1000 Herb Hall’s plaque, but that wasn’t why Fang Zhengzhi did that. He was actually after the two jewels. Since he spotted the jewels, he wasn’t going to leave without them. The jewels must be valuable, or they wouldn’t be placed at Dao Hun’s residence.

“Crack, crack!” Fang Zhengzhi removed the two jewels and checked their quality against using the moonlight.

“Shiny and clear, these jewels are great!’ Fang Zhengzhi complimented the black and the white jewel and kept them inside The Vast World.

…

There was a spacious bedroom in 1000 Herb Hall. The man sitting cross-legged on the bed suddenly trembled and opened his eyes as if he was slapped on the face.

“Damn bastard, how dare you steal my jewels!” The man scolded Fang Zhengzhi subconsciously, but he tidied up his clothes and closed his eyes shortly.

He was inviting Fang Zhengzhi into his trap, so that he had no chance of escaping. If he tried to catch the shameless thief now, the chance of success was 80%, which was high. However, that wasn’t enough for him. He wanted it to be 100%.

If he could wait for Fang Zhengzhi to enter the 1000 Herb Hall… The chance of success would increase to 100%. Therefore, he was waiting for Fang Zhengzhi to step into the 1000 Herb Hall and sneak up from his back. Since Fang Zhengzhi was already about to enter the hall, he had to give him more time.

While the man was engrossed in his thoughts, he heard an inappropriate voice coming from outside the hall.

“Dao Hun, you scum, come out and fight me if you dare!”

“…” The man’s lips moved, but he didn’t know what to say. However, he calmed himself down quickly and said, “This kid is pretty smart. He knows that this is a trap, so he chose to give up. This saves me the trouble anyway.”

He decided to stop waiting. Since Fang Zhengzhi had announced his arrival, he wouldn’t enter the 1000 Herb Hall. Hence, the man exited the bedroom and walked toward the entrance of the hall.

The stone gate of the hall was already opened from the outside. The man wasn’t surprised to see this, because he knew that Fang Zhengzhi was already here.

“Fang Zhengzhi, since you’re here for revenge, then… Eh?” The man glanced around the surrounding area, but Fang Zhengzhi was nowhere to be seen.

He was caught off guard, but that soon turned into speechlessness.

This was because he heard a sharp snap on his feet.

“Bear trap?” The man stared at the shiny trap on his right foot, and he couldn’t help but be speechless.

The mighty Hallmaster of Yin Yang Hall, Dao Hun… Was actually ‘ambushed’ by a bear trap. This was definitely an insult. After all, it was such a stupid plan. This was as laughable as a person trying to kill an elephant with a half-inch nail.

Yet, this was happening to Dao Yun at the moment.

However, as a mighty ruler in the Holy Region, Dao Hun didn’t not burst into laughter. He knew that it might cost him his life if he underestimated an enemy in the Holy Region.

This ambush couldn’t be as simple as it appeared to be.

Hence, Dao Yun looked up as soon as he saw the bear trap on his right foot and discovered a sky-blue ray of light above his head.

“Boom!” A loud bang was heard throughout Yin Yang Hall, alerting all the disciples on patrol.

“He fell for the trap!” The disciples of Yin Yang Hall obviously knew where the noise came from. They glanced at each other after hearing the bang and started rushing towards 1000 Herb Hall.

The patrolling disciples weren’t the only ones heading towards 1000 Herb Hall. Many other people from all over Yin Yang Hall were zooming toward the hall as well. They were going to surround Fang Zhengzhi.

Although the night was passing slowly, and all the disciples of Yin Yang Hall couldn’t fall asleep, everyone opened their eyes when they heard the noise.

“Hurry up, don’t let that guy escape!”

“We’ve to catch him this time!”

“We need to avenge the Ninth Elder and make him pay for the 10 acres of herbs!”

All the disciples were extremely energetic. They bolted across the night sky like a bunch of shooting stars.

It didn’t take long before almost 1,000 disciples of Yin Yang Hall gathered in front of 1000 Herb Hall. Apart from them, the eight elders were here as well.

Of course, there were two external guests here as well. They were the third and fourth elder of Nine Pinnacles Mountain, dressed in long black robes.

The two elders immediately noticed the man standing in front of the 1000 Herb Hall. He was wearing a baggy black and white robe that was swaying with the wind.

His hair was black and white just like the robe, black on the left side and white on the right. The two hair colours were separated at the middle of his head and combed neatly and secured by a golden crown cap with engraved patterns. It felt like a symbolisation of the union of Yin and Yang.

The most special feature about him was his mask. It was both black and white too, but the two colours were not separated in the middle. Instead, they spiralled together in an unusual manner. The mask was fearsome and respect-worthy at the same time.

This person was the Hallmaster of Yin Yang Hall, Dao Hun!

He was a mysterious yet respected expert that rarely showed his true appearance, and he was also known as the best alchemist in the Holy Region.

“Our greetings to you, Hallmaster!” The third and fourth elder of Nine Pinnacles Mountain also paid their respects to Dao Hun even though they were bewildered by what they saw.

All the disciples and elders of Yin Yang Hall were similarly bewildered.

This was simply because Dao Hun was the only person standing in front of 1000 Herb Hall, and Fang Zhengzhi was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s he?”

“Where did Fang Zhengzhi go?”

“I definitely heard the noise!”

These were the inner voices of the disciples, but none of them dared to ask the question. Everyone simply stood at where they were with a puzzled look at their faces.

“Find him!” Dao Hun’s voice was heard at this moment. It was a simple command, but it shocked the disciples and elders to their core. It basically meant that Fang Zhengzhi sneaked up on Dao Hun, and he seemed to have gotten away. How was it possible that he escaped from Dao Hun?

No one believed that could happen, but Dao Hun’s words proved them wrong.

Although the disciples were stunned, they replied simultaneously, “Understood!”. They dispersed and started searching every dark corner one could hide in. At the same time, they lit up so many torches that the entire Yin Yang Hall was bright as day.

However, everyone was still confused. “Did Fang Zhengzhi escape? How did he get away?”

No one knew why or how, because Dao Hun did not say a word about it.

…

The light from the torches lit up the darkness and painted the sky red.

However, amidst the red radiance, there was a faint dash of purple which came from the eastern horizon. It was so faint and barely noticeable.

However, as soon as the dash of purple had appeared, Dao Hun’s eyes lit up with a purple flash as well. Following which, he turned around and went back into 1000 Herb Hall.

The entire 1000 Herb Hall was built from a gigantic rock. No one knew about the origin of the rock, but everyone knew that since the Yin Yang Hall was founded, only the Hallmasters were allowed to live in the hall. Dao Hun walked past the lobby quickly and arrived before a stone room.

There were two lifelike animal heads beside the door, but they were actually a part security mechanism. Furthermore, the mechanism was ever-changing. There were less than three people in Yin Yang Hall who knew the order of the changes.

This was simply because this room was Dao Hun’s alchemy room. Dao Hun glimpsed at the two hanging animals and pressed onto the left eye of the animal on the right with his right hand.

“Crack!” The stone door opened up with a faint noise.

Dao Yun glanced at the surroundings and then entered the stone room. Normally speaking, alchemy rooms weren’t too hot. However, Dao Hun’s alchemy room felt obviously different.

It was neither hot nor cold, and it even seemed to be slightly chilly even though it was almost summer time. However, there was no wind at all.

There was a huge purple-gold alchemy crucible burning fiercely at the centre of the room. There were 8 animal heads placed on 8 different sides of the crucible.

This was a top-notch crucible, but what was weird, was that it was almost identical to the crucible Fang Zhengzhi discovered in the attic that he had broken into. The only difference was the jewel embedded on the top of the crucible.

This crucible was embedded with a black jewel, while the one in the attic was embedded with a white jewel.

After Dao Hun entered the room, the stone door closed immediately. At the same time, rays of dazzling radiance lit up on the stone wall of the room. These lights came from the round beads embedded on the wall and lit up the entire room brightly.

Dao Hun, however, was just standing around quietly instead of moving toward the crucible. He seemed to be waiting for something.

“Dao, the source of heaven and earth, the reason for the transformations of all existences, and the secret of the spirits. Virtue, the way of living, the principle to managing relationships, and the key to unlocking longevity!” Dao Hun murmured. He then raised his head slightly, and his black and white mask started shining.

“Extinguish!” With that, the burning crucible trembled, following which, the fire disappeared without a trace.

Dao Hun walked toward the crucible and put his hand on one of the animal heads and lifted it gently.

He lifted the cover of the crucible which was formed by the 8 animal heads and hung it on a black metal chain placed at the top of the stone room.

At the same time, an intense medicinal fragrance started spreading from the crucible, where five jade-green pills lay quietly.

Dao Hun glimpsed at the pills, but his expression remained indifferent. He casually removed the pills and tossed them into a jade box. Afterwards, 7 undeveloped pills appeared in his hand. They were pure as snow, but lacked the intense medicinal fragrance.

Chapter 752: Crucible Failure and the Perfect Sneak Attack

Alchemy wasn’t a skill that could be mastered in a short time, because both the portion of herbs used, and the temperature control, required lots of experience.

Furthermore, the better the grade of the pills, the more the details mattered.

A single tiny error made in the meticulous process could result in failure or low-quality pills, or even the legendary ‘crucible failure’.

Of course, Dao Hun would never make such mistakes.

The 7 undeveloped pills in Dao Hun’s hand were pure as snow, meaning that he had purified them as much as possible before he was going to put them into the crucible.

All that he had to do now was to control the temperature well.

As the best alchemist in the Holy Region, Dao Hun was familiar with the recipe and temperature requirement for any high-grade pills. He was also capable of maximising their quality.

After he carefully placed the 7 undeveloped pills into the crucible, Dao Hun closed his eye and started moving his hands around in front of his chest. He seemed to be performing a simple ritual.

After all, even the best alchemist couldn’t ensure that every pill made would be of high-quality. Hence, many alchemists would perform rituals to improve their luck, including Dao Hun.

He finished the ritual within a few moments.

Dao Hun’s eyes opened slowly, and a faint purple flash appeared in his eyes, only to disappear almost instantly.

Dao Hun then carefully removed the crucible’s cover from the metal chain and covered the crucible again.

“Rise!”

With that, the crucible started burning fiercely again. Everything was going smoothly.

Although Dao Hun had done this thousands of times before, he still looked satisfied with his work. Then, he was ready to leave the room.

He believed that the shameless fellow who dared to ambush him with a bear trap would be outside the 1000 Herb Hall and waiting for his punishment now.

However, just as he turned around, he felt a sense of crisis. This was an expert’s intuitions towards approaching dangers.

“Sneak attack?”

That was the first thought that crossed Dao Hun’s mind, following which, he heard a deafening bang.

“Boom!”

With that, he felt a burning sensation as if he was in a volcano. The entire room seemed to be engulfed by flame.

“No, it’s not a sneak attack! It’s crucible failure?!” As the best alchemist in the Holy Region, Dao Hun could never believe that crucible failure would happen to him, but the intense heat coming toward him told him otherwise.

Given the structure and prohibitions set up in this room, the only possible explanation for such an intense heat was if the fire burst out of the crucible after a crucible failure.

As the best alchemist in the Holy Region, how could he experience crucible failure from making a few high-grade Frosty Dew?

Dao Hun couldn’t wrap his head around this, but he still took a few steps forward in order to exit the fire’s range.

However… Before he could take the third step, he felt a sharp pain coming from his right foot.

Most importantly, he felt that he lost control over his right foot in an instant.

“Rumble, rumble…”

Five chains of different colours appeared before his eyes. These chains came from underground, and one of them had even penetrated his right foot.

“Hell Near-life Chains?!” Dao Hun was truly speechless. He couldn’t understand how the Hell Near-life Chains had appeared in his stone room.

After all, there was hardly anyone who knew how to enter this room.

“It isn’t crucible failure, it’s a sneak attack!”

“Furthermore, it’s Fang Zhengzhi’s sneak attack!”

“Wait!”

“Something’s off.”

“Did Fang Zhengzhi sneak up on me when the crucible failed?”

These thoughts crossed Dao Hun’s mind multiple times, but Dao Hun denied them repeatedly. From the first moment when Dao Hun realised something was wrong and thought that it was a sneak attack, to the moment when he denied that possibility and deduced that it was a crucible failure, till finally when he confirmed that Fang Zhengzhi took advantage of the crucible failure and snuck up on him, very little time had passed.

However, this caused Dao Hun to make a wrong judgement against a sneak attack for the first time.

Of course, the most important reason was that he had never expected Fang Zhengzhi to know about his habit of making pills when the first flash of purple light appeared in the sky.

Furthermore, not only did Fang Zhengzhi find out about his habit, but he also entered the stone room before him, planned an ambush, and took advantage of the exact moment of crucible failure to sneak up on him.

Dao Hun did not see this coming, because there were too many impossibilities involved.

Even by now… Dao Hun still could not understand how Fang Zhengzhi managed to set all these up, enter his stone room, and even foresaw that the crucible would fail.

However, this was not the time for him to think about these questions. Although Dao Hun was puzzled, he immediately defended himself when he saw the Hell Near-life Chains.

He twisted his body sideways and punched behind him.

However, his enemy seemed to have seen it coming. Dao Hun’s punch didn’t hit a thing.

“Hmm?!” Dao Hun was startled. After a series of misjudgements, he could already foresee what was going to happen.

Just as he had expected, Fang Zhengzhi had never stood up. He was laying on the floor since the beginning and he crawled toward Dao Hun’s feet like a lizard.

At this moment, Dao Hun felt an excruciating pain coming from his other foot as well.

A Hell Near-life Chain had penetrated his other foot, and the other chains were coming for his arms and throat.

Dao Hun couldn’t help but feel that this was a perfect sneak attack!

Even though he still had yet to figure out how Fang Zhengzhi appeared in the room, he had to compliment his sneak attack, which was incomparable to the bear trap at the doorstep.

“Did he put the bear trap at the doorstep on purpose?”

Dao Hun thought to himself.

In fact, he was right. Fang Zhengzhi did that on purpose.

Was a bear trap enough to trap the mighty Hallmaster of Yin Yang Hall, Dao Hun?

Fang Zhengzhi wasn’t that naïve. He did that to find out if Dao Hun was better at handling a sneak attack from above, or from below.

Fang Zhengzhi used a bear trap and Heavenly Descent simultaneously so that he could find out about Dao Hun’s weakness.

Dao Hun stepped into the bear trap, but he successfully blocked his Heavenly Descent.

Hence, Fang Zhengzhi decided to attack Dao Hun from below.

This was how his Hell Near-life Chains penetrated Dao Hun’s right foot.

It wasn’t a coincidence that Fang Zhengzhi appeared in the stone room either. The woman in the pavilion told Fang Zhengzhi everything, including Dao Hun’s favourite time to craft a pill, the layout of 1000 Herb Hall, and obviously the location of this stone room, as well as the method to unlock it.

Fang Zhengzhi didn’t know why that woman knew about all these, but he did discover the gigantic purple gold crucible after doing what she had told him.

Fang Zhengzhi knew that the woman didn’t lie to him as soon he saw the crucible.

He just needed to plan his sneak attack after that.

It was obviously extremely difficult to sneak up on Dao Hun, the Hallmaster of Yin Yang Hall.

Fang Zhengzhi thought of attacking Dao Hun when he opened the crucible, but he knew that Dao Hun could kill him as soon as he made a move.

No one had ever said that an alchemist couldn’t move while he was crafting pills.

Someone like Dao Hun wouldn’t care about a batch of pills at all.

Fang Zhengzhi understood that that was the reason why the woman was willing to be ‘honest’ with him and told him everything about the stone room.

She was sure that Fang Zhengzhi’s plan to sneak up on Dao Hun while he was crafting pills would fail.

Fang Zhengzhi knew what she was thinking.

However, he had to follow what she said, so he immediately hid below the crucible once he entered the stone room.

Luckily, the room was cool enough that Fang Zhengzhi could even remain below the crucible.

However, there was a small change of plans. After Dao Hun placed the undeveloped pills into the crucible, he closed his eyes and started ‘praying’!

Fang Zhengzhi was almost overtaken by his impulse at that moment!

It felt like 10,000 ants were crawling on his body, and he couldn’t wait to storm out and slap Dao Hun’s face or even end his life.

However, if he killed Dao Hun, who’d save Yan Xiu?

Fang Zhengzhi was impetuous, but his reason told him that he had to suppress his urges. It was then that an idea came across his mind.

Crucible failure!

The best alchemist in the Holy Region couldn’t possibly make such a lowly mistake, but Fang Zhengzhi could.

He could think of 100 ways to blow up the crucible.

This was so easy to achieve because he had 10 acres worth of herbs and jugs full of pills that he had stolen from the pavilion.

If he dumped all of them into the crucible, even deities wouldn’t be able to stop the crucible from failing.

After he did that, the crucible blew up.

That marked the commencement of Fang Zhengzhi’s sneak attack.

However, why did he crawl?

This was easy to understand. Since he was hiding beneath the crucible all this while, it was hard for him to stand up.

Luck… It was predetermined occasionally.

Instead of standing up, Fang Zhengzhi successfully approached Dao Hun by crawling.

After that, he didn’t show any mercy.

Now that Dao Hun’s feet were bounded by Hell Near-life Chains, Fang Zhengzhi executed his daring plan – kidnapping Dao Hun.

However, before that could actually happen, he needed to wear Dao Hun down. It was like sending your kid to school. If your kid didn’t want to go to school, what should you do?

The first way was to reason with him nicely, “Since you must go to school, learn to enjoy it!”

However, Fang Zhengzhi obviously couldn’t persuade Dao Hun verbally, so he had to choose the second way, which was violence.

Violence from bottom to above?

There wasn’t much of a choice.

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to come up with something as well, but from this position and this angle, he couldn’t think of a deadlier attack.

While 3 Hell Near-life Chains shot towards Dao Hun’s arms and throat, Fang Zhengzhi held his hands together.

Following which, he stabbed upwards with his hands with all his might!

“Boom!”

Fang Zhengzhi felt like his fingers were going to break as if he hit a metal plate.

What the hell?

Wasn’t he supposed to be weaker against a sneak attack from below?

Fang Zhengzhi was furious because the only possibility of stopping his attack was if Dao Hun gave up on his defence against the 3 Hell Near-life Chains.

Fang Zhengzhi looked up, and he was surprised by what he saw.

Just as he had expected, Dao Hun gave up on his upper defence, but he was only struck by 1 of the chains.

Two Hell Near-life Chain brushed past his body, and the other one penetrated his left arm.

Dao Hun’s right arm… Well, it shielded his crotch. Although it was an ugly position, Dao Hun did manage to protect his crotch.

“…” Fang Zhengzhi was startled for a second. He couldn’t see Dao Hun’s expression because of the mask. However, he could sense Dao Hun’s madness from his eyes, which contained a purple stream.

“I don’t believe that you could stop me again!” As Fang Zhengzhi shouted that, his fingers stabbed towards Dao Hun’s nether region again.

Dao Hun was clearly enraged, but he had to protect his crotch with his right arm.

At this moment… He saw a ball of white powder flying towards his eyes like a bloomed flower.