Chapter 345 - 327: Intercepting Zhaang Ye

The long-bearded elder flew into a rage. In all his long years, no one had ever called him an "old bastard," much less dared to say something like, "Who the hell do you think you are?" to his face.

"Brat, I’m going to kill you!" The long-bearded elder’s face twisted into a savage expression. True Qi surged from his body like a hurricane as threads of Innate True Qi sliced through the void, causing the air for thousands of feet around him to roil violently.

Zhaang Ye watched the long-bearded elder with a wry smile, his expression completely unfazed.

"Hm?" The long-bearded elder was slightly taken aback by Zhaang Ye’s nonchalant demeanor. Just then, several figures suddenly flew out from Great Rong City, some thirty miles away. A voice traveled across the vast distance, calling out, "Fourth Elder, please stay your hand!"

It turned out that the battle between Zhaang Ye and the long-bearded elder had already alerted the people in Great Rong City. The one who had flown over at top speed and called out from afar was none other than the Eighth Elder of the Wei Kingdom True Hall.

Seeing the Eighth Elder of the Wei Kingdom True Hall flying over, the long-bearded elder hesitated. Although the Eighth Elder’s Cultivation was far below his own, he was still an Elder of the Wei Kingdom True Hall. If he ignored the Eighth Elder and attacked Zhaang Ye again, it would be a blatant provocation against the dignity of the Wei Kingdom True Hall. The consequences of such an act would be extremely severe.

"Hmph!"

The long-bearded elder’s expression flickered with uncertainty. After a moment of hesitation, he flung his sleeve in a sharp gesture, took several steps through the void, and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Just as the long-bearded elder vanished, the Eighth Elder of the Wei Kingdom True Hall crossed the thirty-mile distance and appeared before Zhaang Ye. Glancing at him, the Eighth Elder let out a long sigh of relief and said, "Zhaang Ye, it’s good you’re all right. By the way, how did you end up in a conflict with the Fourth Elder of the Great Rong Country True Hall? That old bastard’s Cultivation has already reached the Half-step True Dao. It’s a miracle you weren’t injured by him."

’So, he’s the Fourth Elder of the Great Rong Country True Hall. No wonder his Cultivation is so terrifying.’ It was only then that Zhaang Ye learned the long-bearded elder’s identity.

Zhaang Ye didn’t intend to hide anything from the Eighth Elder. He briefly explained the cause and effect of the situation, then said, "Jiang Dijian repeatedly acted against me, so I had no choice but to kill him. But for some reason, this Fourth Elder of the Great Rong Country True Hall caught up to me and declared he was going to teach me a lesson..."

After hearing Zhaang Ye’s explanation, the Eighth Elder of the Wei Kingdom True Hall’s eyes flashed as he said, "Good riddance! I’ve already heard about Jiang Dijian’s deeds from Feng Tongming. The True Hall has been looking to settle accounts with him. I never thought he’d be so bold as to run into the Ten Thousand Volcanoes to hunt you down again. He truly deserved to die!

"As for the Fourth Elder of the Great Rong Country True Hall, you don’t need to worry too much about him. That old bastard has close ties with the Jiang Family of the Great Shang Kingdom. You killed Jiang Dijian right under his nose and repeatedly made him lose face, so of course he wanted to teach you a lesson. Now that I know about this matter, he won’t move against you in the future."

Hearing the Eighth Elder’s words, Zhaang Ye breathed a sigh of relief. Jiang Dijian was a member of the Jiang Family, a massive power. Even though Zhaang Ye was in the right, he still felt a little uneasy. Now, with the True Hall backing him up, Zhaang Ye could finally set his mind at ease and stop worrying about being hunted by the Jiang Family.

The Eighth Elder sized up Zhaang Ye and said in astonishment, "Zhaang Ye, my boy, it seems your trip into the Ten Thousand Volcanoes has made you even stronger. I heard Jiang Dijian had cultivated his Profound Ice Qi to the 8th Layer, making his power even greater than that of a Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer expert. The fact that you were able to kill him is truly astounding."

Zhaang Ye just smiled faintly.

Seeing that Zhaang Ye didn’t seem to want to elaborate, the Eighth Elder didn’t press the issue. Instead, he said, "The Thirteen Countries Rookie King Competition is only a month away. Zhaang Ye, what are your plans?"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Zhaang Ye replied, "Of course, I’ll return to the True Hall. I’ll use this final month to enter seclusion, raise my Cultivation to the Martial Arts Ninth Level Middle Stage, and prepare for the competition with all my might."

The Eighth Elder nodded slightly. "That’s the right idea. However, you must be careful on your way back to the Wei Kingdom. Several months ago, you crippled Fu Songshi and Fu Songcheng of the Moon Country True Hall. Their father was furious and swore to take your life. Our Wei Kingdom True Hall managed the situation and suppressed the matter, but it’s very likely they’ll try to strike at you from the shadows. So, you must be on your guard during your return journey."

Zhaang Ye gave a wry smile. "The father of Fu Songshi and Fu Songcheng is the Great Hall Master of the Moon Country True Hall. He wouldn’t personally come to kill me, would he?"

The Eighth Elder chuckled. "No, that’s unlikely. Fu Yuguang is the Great Hall Master of the Moon Country True Hall. With his status, how could he possibly hunt down a junior himself? The ones you need to be careful of are Fu Yuguang’s disciples.

"Fu Yuguang has seven disciples. His first and second disciples are both experts at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer. His eldest disciple, Fu Qingyun, is especially dangerous. I heard he has already cultivated a sliver of Innate True Qi, making him far stronger than an ordinary Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer expert. If you run into him, it would be best to stay far away."

"Fu Qingyun..." Zhaang Ye repeated the name, then said confidently, "I understand. As long as he isn’t a true Half-Step True Dao Expert, I have no reason to fear him."

During his months in the Ten Thousand Volcanoes, Zhaang Ye had been fighting constantly. The ceaseless combat had allowed his strength to advance by leaps and bounds. He was now capable of defeating even a Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer expert with his own true abilities.

What satisfied Zhaang Ye most was his progress with the Dragon Elephant Skill. After cultivating the Dragon Elephant Skill to the Mid-stage Sixth Layer, the Dragon Elephant Power within his body had become much more potent. With this increased Dragon Elephant Power, he could wield the Long Whip at his waist with even greater ease and proficiency. With this Long Whip, he had no fear of Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer experts at all.

After a few more brief words with the Eighth Elder, Zhaang Ye immediately set off in the direction of the Wei Kingdom True Hall.

Although Zhaang Ye had only appeared briefly after emerging from the Ten Thousand Volcanoes, his whereabouts had already been noted by certain interested parties. A Lightning Cyan Bird suddenly took flight from Great Rong City, disappearing into the sky...

...

「Moon Country True Hall.」

Fu Songcheng sat cross-legged and naked in a barrel of foul-smelling medicinal liquid. The Medicinal Power within the liquid surged into his body unceasingly, like moths drawn to a flame.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—

As more and more of the medicinal liquid poured into him, a series of vibrations echoed from within Fu Songcheng’s body. It was the sound of his bones, crisp and pleasant, like two pieces of metal striking each other.

After the sound of his bones vibrating had echoed one hundred and eight times, a strange "TWANG, TWANG" sound began to emanate from within Fu Songcheng’s body. This sound came from his tendons. With each twang, his tendons grew a little stronger. After several dozen sounds, massive, snake-like sinews bulged on Fu Songcheng’s arms and body. These great sinews seemed to possess a life of their own, constantly throbbing and emitting a heart-pounding aura.

BOOM!

The True Qi in Fu Songcheng’s body erupted like a fountain. The violent True Qi swept out in all directions in an instant. The massive medicinal barrel was struck by the blast and immediately shattered into pieces, which flew into the air along with the remaining liquid.

"Hahahaha! I’ve finally recovered! I’ve finally recovered!" Fu Songcheng looked at his waving arms, his eyes filled with extreme joy.

"Very good. You have been reborn from the ashes. Not only have you fully repaired your bones and tendons, but your Cultivation has advanced another step, reaching the Late-stage Martial Arts Ninth Layer. With your current strength, although there is still a considerable gap between you and the four great masters of the Younger Generation, as long as you continue to cultivate step by step, you will one day be able to catch up to them."

As the voice spoke, a middle-aged man in a brocade robe slowly walked in. This man gave off no aura whatsoever; he looked like a completely ordinary person. But upon seeing him, Fu Songcheng’s expression became respectful, and he said deferentially to the man, "Father!"

The man in the brocade robe nodded slightly. It turned out that this seemingly ordinary, aura-less man was none other than the Great Hall Master of the Moon Country True Hall, Fu Songcheng’s father, Fu Yuguang.

Fu Yuguang studied Fu Songcheng carefully, then said slowly, "The Thirteen Countries Rookie King Competition begins in one month. In your current state, you still have time. For the next month, you should enter seclusion, cultivate the Moonlight Palm Technique, and do everything you can to secure a spot in the top five in this competition."

"Yes, Father," Fu Songcheng said respectfully.

After replying to his father, Fu Songcheng hesitated, wanting to say more. After a moment, he finally asked, "Father, while I was Healing, was there any news about that Zhaang Ye?"

Fu Yuguang gave his son a faint look and said, "Just today, I received news from Great Rong City. Zhaang Ye has emerged from the Ten Thousand Volcanoes. As he was leaving, he killed a Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer expert and even clashed with the Fourth Elder of the Great Rong Country True Hall."

Upon hearing this, Fu Songcheng’s face instantly turned pale. He cried out in shock, "What?! He killed a Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer expert and fought the Fourth Elder of the Great Rong Country True Hall to a standstill? When did Zhaang Ye become so powerful?"

After saying that, Fu Songcheng added in horror, "Father, right now among the Younger Generation, Yangx Guyuan, Helian Bi Bi, Ling Kongyun, and Chu Yuxiang are all incredibly formidable figures. If you add a Zhaang Ye this powerful to the mix, there’s no way I can take a spot in the top five at the Thirteen Countries Rookie King Competition!"

Fu Yuguang said faintly, "Why are you in such a hurry? I can tell you that Zhaang Ye will absolutely not be appearing at the Thirteen Countries Rookie King Competition. I have already sent Qingyun with the Seven Blood Generals to intercept him. No matter how strong Zhaang Ye is, he cannot possibly escape from those eight."

Fu Songcheng’s eyes lit up. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote with Recommendation Tickets and Monthly Passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)