Chapter 125 - 121: Entering the City! The County City’s Zhang Family

Chapter 125: Chapter 121: Entering the City! The County City’s Zhang Family

WHOOSH.

The fierce wind howled as twenty-one Thunder Rocs soared through the sky at extreme speeds. By their side, a Seven-Colored Spirit Deer strolled leisurely; its pace appeared slow, yet it effortlessly kept up with the Thunder Rocs.

"Bishui City. We’ve arrived."

Standing on a roc’s back, Qin Yu gazed into the distance at the city’s silhouette emerging on the horizon. With a subtle shift in his thoughts, the qi and blood within him began to circulate. His figure quietly grew an inch taller, and his facial features hardened and roughened, transforming him into a young man of about twenty-five or twenty-six.

The Seven-Colored Spirit Deer treaded across the void, descending toward a hill below. The ground silently split open to reveal a gateway. The deer stepped inside and vanished.

It was the Mimic Fungal Mat!

Deep underground, less than a hundred miles outside Bishui City, a massive Insect Race base had gradually taken shape without anyone’s knowledge. Hidden in the depths of the earth and concealed by arrays, it remained completely undetectable. Even the Mountain-Splitting Demon King—a Peak of Qi Sea expert with an innate mastery over the earth—would not be able to notice it unless he came extremely close.

Similar bases existed in two other directions, as well as one submerged underwater. If a great battle were to break out, Qin Yu could receive support from the insect swarm at a moment’s notice. Moreover, their overwhelming reconnaissance network already spanned a radius of a thousand miles. Though his true body had not arrived until now, he already knew this city like the back of his hand. He was the true local tyrant!

The struggle over the Five Poison Sect’s Inheritance Key would certainly attract Qi Sea Realm experts. There was even a significant chance that someone at the Primordial Mansion Realm would appear. Naturally, Qin Yu had brought along the Qi Sea Realm combatants from his insect swarm, including the Flood Dragon King, the Red Feather Demon King, and the Mountain-Splitting Demon King. However, they were solely meant to serve as his trump cards. Until a critical moment arose, he had no intention of exposing them carelessly.

FLAP FLAP FLAP!

The Thunder Rocs slowed their speed. A dozen Black Thorn Eagles appeared ahead to lead the way, forming a tight formation as they slowly flew into Bishui City.

The Black Thorn Eagles had been registered with the Demon Suppression Bureau, so they were allowed to fly directly into the city. The Thunder Rocs, however, were not. Since the Qin family maintained a good relationship with the Demon Suppression Bureau, Qin Yu would naturally not provoke them mindlessly. Doing so would be completely pointless.

SCREECH!

The cries of the Black Thorn Eagles and the Thunder Rocs echoed through the heavens and the earth. Even before they arrived, they drew the attention of countless people.

Inside the Demon Suppression Bureau, Deputy General Situ Ming’s expression turned serious. His figure shot out like lightning as he gazed at the approaching Thunder Rocs in the distance. His eyes swept over all the rocs and the Hive Guards riding them, eventually landing on Qin Yu. There, he noticed the Qin family crest on the young man’s sleeve.

"The Qin family? What a grand display!" Situ Ming inhaled sharply.

He had long suspected that the Cyan Peak County Qin family was a hidden lineage of the County City Celestial Wind Qin Family, meaning their foundation had to be deep. Yet, he never expected them to make such an imposing entrance right from the start!

Twenty-one flying war beasts at the Qi and Blood Like Dragon Realm! The martial artists atop them all exuded a condensed, formidable aura, indicating they too were entirely at the Qi and Blood Like Dragon Realm! Most notably, he actually felt a sense of threat from the young man leading them.

One had to know that he was an existence at the Middle Stage Qi Sea and the Deputy General tasked with guarding Bishui City. He had risen from the absolute bottom through countless life-and-death battles. For him to feel threatened by a mere Qi and Blood Martial Artist? Did the Qin family actually possess such a heaven-defying genius?

If this force were to suddenly launch an attack, all of Bishui City would be turned upside down!

Fortunately, the Demon Suppression Bureau had a good relationship and ongoing trades with the Qin family, so it was unlikely they would cause any trouble. Lately, many factions had arrived to attend the Treasure Pavilion’s auction. Coupled with the Blood Demon Sect lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment, he was already up to his neck in problems.

Situ Ming thought to himself, "There’s no telling how many powerhouses the Five Poison Sect’s Inheritance Key will draw out. If Mr. Chen Jianqiu doesn’t send reinforcements soon, I won’t be able to hold the line."

Meanwhile, nearly everyone in Bishui City had their eyes glued to the sky. The overwhelming shadows of twenty-one Thunder Rocs, each with a wingspan of sixty feet, blotted out the sun as their wings flapped. The sounds of crackling lightning and roaring thunder filled everyone with dread!

"Is that the Celestial Wind Qin Family? No, wait! Look at the crests on their clothes. They’re all from the Cyan Peak County Qin family!"

"This Qin family hid their strength far too well!"

"Damn it! We even sent people to pillage Cyan Peak County before! No wonder they all died. Who would dare offend a force with this kind of power?"

The crowd erupted into heated discussions, their faces filled with sheer disbelief. While some were shocked and others terrified, even Li Xuehai of the Blood Demon Sect—who was hiding within the city—stepped out of his dark underground secret chamber after receiving his subordinate’s report. He looked up at the sky.

"As expected, the Cyan Peak County Qin family’s hidden strength is nothing to scoff at. To harbor so many war beasts, they must be raising them deep within the Wilderness Mountain Range; otherwise, they could never have kept this a secret.

"It seems Xuan Nine Squad ran into them.

"Hmph.

"That Flood Dragon King is dead too. They might have been the ones to do it."

A ruthless glint flashed through Li Xuehai’s eyes. Upon joining the Blood Demon Sect, every member would leave behind a trace of their soul aura to create a Soul Lamp. When a Soul Lamp extinguished, it meant death. Naturally, the Dragon Race possessed similar methods. Now that his last illegitimate son was dead, the Bishui River Dragon King had already descended into madness. This was their perfect opportunity!

He failed to notice that when he stepped out of the chamber, an ordinary spider sitting on a web in the corner of the courtyard was quietly reflecting his figure in its eight compound eyes.

High up in the sky, Qin Yu threw a casual glance downward, an imperceptible smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He thought, "Beating the grass to scare the snake really worked. I actually hooked a big fish. To think that Li Xuehai, the Squad Leader of this Blood Demon Sect Sub-Branch, was hiding right here in the city!"

SWOOSH.

The Thunder Rocs tucked their wings and landed one after another in the specially expanded plaza inside the Qin Residence. Fortunately, Qin Hu had prepared in advance by purchasing the surrounding courtyards to clear enough space. Otherwise, they truly would have nowhere to accommodate these twenty-one behemoths.

Qin Yu leaped down from the Thunder Roc, and the twenty Hive Guards behind him landed in unison. Their formidable and fierce aura made everyone from the Qin family, who had come out to welcome them, shudder involuntarily.

"These are our Qin family’s martial artists?" Qin Wu stared numbly at Qin Yu and the Hive Guards. When he looked at Qin Yu, an inexplicable sense of familiarity welled up in his heart. Yet, no matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn’t match this face to anyone in his memories.

He had followed Qin Yu for years as his personal guard and was very familiar with the Qin family. But in just one short month, the changes within the family had become entirely incomprehensible to him.

"Patriarch!" Qin Yu stepped forward, giving a slight bow as he spoke to Qin Hu.

"Good! You arrived just in time. Follow me." Qin Hu forced his gaze away from the Hive Guards behind Qin Yu, suppressing the shock in his heart. Although the young man’s appearance had changed, he still vaguely bore traces of Qin Yu.

Qin Yu had naturally informed him in advance before coming. But seeing those twenty fiercely capable Hive Guards with his own eyes still left him in disbelief. It was one thing for the insect swarm to breed war beasts, but they could even breed humans? If he didn’t know Qin Yu so well and if Qin Yu didn’t act exactly like his usual self, he would have suspected that his son had been possessed by some old demon fiend.

"Understood." Qin Yu gave a slight nod and followed Qin Hu into the mansion. All the guards naturally trailed closely behind, ultimately stationing themselves outside the door like proper sentinels.

"Father, you’ve worked hard these past few days." As the two sat facing each other, the disguise on Qin Yu’s face faded, returning him to his original appearance.

"I wouldn’t call it hard work. With the deterrence of the Rapid Insects and Black Thorn Eagles, combined with my willingness to spend money, the various factions have been fairly respectful." Qin Hu waved his hand dismissively before examining his son closely. He sighed and said, "It’s you, on the other hand. The speed at which your strength is improving is simply shocking."

He and Qin Yu had broken through to the Qi and Blood Realm at roughly the same time. Yet, how long had he been away from Cyan Peak County? Qin Yu had already broken straight through to the Qi and Blood Like Dragon Realm! Even with the help of elixirs, this speed was utterly terrifying. What an ordinary person might not achieve in ten years, Qin Yu had accomplished in a mere ten days.

"It’s just a matter of having compatible cultivation techniques and ample resources. With the foundation of the Celestial Wind Formula, your progress won’t be slow either after switching to the Beta-level Low Grade Celestial Wind Undying Technique I deduced for you," Qin Yu smiled gently.

His father was different from him. Having cultivated the Celestial Wind Formula for many years, it was already ingrained in his very bones. Originally, he had planned to switch to the Spirit Snake Poison Shadow Scripture just like Qin Yu. But the Spirit Snake Poison Shadow Scripture was a completely unfamiliar domain to Qin Hu, and practicing it was fraught with dangers. He hadn’t even managed to grasp the basics before giving up. Thus, it was only natural for him to practice the Celestial Wind Undying Technique tailored specifically for him by Qin Yu. The results were exactly as Qin Yu had promised—he had transitioned to the new technique with effortless ease.

"The Celestial Wind Undying Technique is indeed vastly superior. Even compared to the Zong Family’s Core Technique, it probably doesn’t lose out. Also, I looked over the technique you gave your mother. It really is perfect for her. To think that she, too, could embark on the path of cultivation in her lifetime."

Qin Hu was filled with endless emotion. The insect swarm inheritance Qin Yu had acquired was simply too powerful. Not only could it breed all sorts of formidable war beasts, but it could even deduce cultivation techniques. It was practically omnipotent.

"Let’s get down to business first." Qin Hu collected his thoughts and said sternly, "Right now, Bishui City is a mixed bag of dragons and snakes. Many factions from the surrounding towns and even other Prefecture Cities have shown up. If you hadn’t come, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to hold the fort alone. I’ll explain the situation to you in detail, and then I’ll take you to the Demon Suppression Bureau to show our faces. After that, I’ll depart first according to our plan."

Wasting no time, Qin Hu immediately provided a detailed breakdown of all the major and minor factions in the city, especially the ones that had recently arrived and could pose a threat or hindrance to Qin Yu. Qin Yu listened quietly. In truth, he already knew all this through his informants scattered across the city; he had even pinpointed the hidden stronghold of the Blood Demon Sect.

As the two were speaking, a rumbling sound echoed from the distant horizon. A magnificent Flying Ship wrapped in crackling lightning pierced through the clouds, bearing down on Bishui City with astonishing momentum!

Qin Hu furrowed his brows and stood up to step outside to investigate. He saw a thirty-meter-long Purple Flying Ship hovering in mid-air. From the direction of the Demon Suppression Bureau, a figure soared into the sky and appeared in front of the ship.

"This? It’s the County City’s ’Thunder Shock’ Zhang family! I’m afraid we’re in for some trouble." Seeing the family crest on the Flying Ship clearly, Qin Hu’s expression instantly darkened.

The Zhang family and the Qin family were mortal enemies! Even though he wasn’t in the County City, he had bought intelligence and knew that the conflict between the two families had only intensified recently. Furthermore, the Qin family was clearly suffering from a lack of capable successors and was currently being suppressed.

"Trouble? Not necessarily. This might just be an opportunity for us!"