Chapter 272 - 269: Dire News from Fang Can, Good News at Suxin Zhai

Chapter 272: Chapter 269: Dire News from Fang Can, Good News at Suxin Zhai

The Martial World, within the Great Chu Imperial Palace.

Xiang Hongtu read the report from his subordinate, his thick eyebrows furrowing tightly.

It stated that beings calling themselves "players" had appeared all across Great Chu.

Their actions were bizarre and defied common sense; they would kill one moment, commit suicide the next, and sometimes just scream for no reason.

Moreover, these people were immortal and indestructible, feeling no pain and fearing no death. Even when killed, their bodies would vanish only to resurrect at a random nearby location.

Interrogations revealed that they came from another world and could "level up" by killing.

After some training with a few death-row inmates, this was confirmed to be true. Those people managed to channel qi into their bodies on the very first day.

’Fang Can...’

Xiang Hongtu silently repeated the name as he looked at the words "Fang Can," mentioned in multiple reports.

’Two worlds... superpowers... Fang Can...’

Looking at the information gleaned from the mouths of players who had no sense of secrecy, Xiang Hongtu decided he needed to personally attend the Cauldron Distribution Assembly two days from now.

He had originally planned to just send a Fourth Turn relative from Great Chu to attend, but now that another world was involved, the matter could no longer be taken lightly.

’I hope there’s good news at the assembly the day after tomorrow. I hear that Fang Can is at the Plain Heart Abbey right now. Hopefully, that pack of women doesn’t skin him alive and eat him, leaving not even a bone fragment behind.’

Xiang Hongtu thought to himself before turning his full attention to the pile of official business before him.

With the mental capacity of a Fourth Turn practitioner, he easily finished processing all of the morning’s memorials. A hint of tenderness then appeared in his eyes.

’Yesterday’s... session was a bit too intense. Long’Er has only just reached the First Turn; it’s natural she couldn’t take it. I should comfort her properly today.’

Thinking of the woman who so closely resembled his late wife, Xiang Hongtu felt a pang of regret for his frenzy yesterday, ignoring her struggles.

But when he recalled Xiang Longtao’s desperate struggles last night, completely disregarding filial piety, Xiang Hongtu felt no displeasure.

After all, the concept of filial piety was never meant for Xiang Hongtu’s lineage.

On the very day Xiang Hongtu reached the Fourth Turn, he followed tradition and beat his own father to death.

Great Chu could only have one emperor. The previous emperor had him at the age of two hundred. With the thousand-year lifespan of a Fourth Turn, he would have occupied the throne forever if nothing unexpected happened.

Who ever heard of an eight-hundred-year-old Crown Prince?

Wealth, power, and beauties should all belong to the strong—this was the supreme will Xiang Hongtu forged when he broke through to the Fourth Turn.

He was the undisputed strongest among the Fourth Turn practitioners of this world!

Therefore, wealth naturally gathered in his hands!

His old man was hogging all the power?

Then kill his father without regret! Seize the power for himself!

Xiang Longtao is an unparalleled beauty?

Wasn’t she born to be used by him?

And last night, he had used Xiang Longtao to his heart’s content.

It was precisely by relying on this wildly tyrannical and domineering style that he had achieved all he had today.

He rose slowly from the dragon throne, carved from gold and jade. Gazing at every brick and tile in the grand hall, Xiang Hongtu shook his head with a sigh.

"A pity. Even though Long’Er hasn’t even reached the First Turn Realm and cannot comprehend the wonders of celestial transformation, something is still... lacking."

"Yesterday, I had the faint illusion that she was resisting me tit-for-tat. In a few days, I’ll refine her completely."

The thought of what was about to happen sent a thrill of excitement through Xiang Hongtu, and his figure vanished on the spot.

He was going to issue a "challenge" to Xiang Longtao!

At this moment, matters like the players and Fang Can were nothing compared to the importance of Long’Er!

...

「Meanwhile, in the nation of Chizhi.」

A man with an ordinary appearance, rough skin, and a travel-worn body spoke faintly.

"The various nations have invited our lineage to Guiyun Peak to discuss matters concerning Fang Can."

"News about this Fang Can has been spreading like wildfire these past few months. It might even concern the Three Realms. It is indeed proper for the Sect Leader to make the trip," another man agreed with a nod.

If the citizens of Chizhi were to see these people, they would be astonished, for everyone present was a Third or Fourth Turn Martial Artist, famous throughout the nations.

But to the uninformed, it would only be baffling.

This was because the blood and qi of the people before them were exceptionally weak, their physical bodies incredibly fragile. Forget Fourth Turn; they couldn’t even compete with some Martial Artists who had just begun to channel qi.

One must understand that the process for a Martial Artist to attain a Transcendent Body was one of replacing one’s old blood. At that point, a body as hard as iron and skin as clear as jade were standard.

Yet these men, far from having any of these Martial Artist traits, were somewhat out of shape. They looked like degenerate, middle-aged shut-ins with dark circles under their eyes, not even meeting the average standard of the Martial World.

Compared to Martial Artists, these people were more like the superpower users of the modern world.

At this moment, a man with a slight beer belly slowly stood up and said, "I’ll go with the Sect Leader. After all, with so many Fourth Turn practitioners there, we should be prepared for a fight."

"Very well... The Sect Leaders of the other two Sects should be there as well. Just remember to look out for each other," the man addressed as Sect Leader said calmly.

...

「West Ridge, in a mountain village isolated from the world.」

An old man read the letter in his hand, nodding to himself.

"The matter of distributing the Celestial Secret List’s cauldron? Excellent. It’s time for Yun’Er to leave the village."

"After decades of painstaking seclusion, it truly has been an injustice to Yun’Er, making him cultivate all the way to the Fourth Turn in this little mountain village."

"With Yun’Er’s heaven-sent talent, he should be revered by all nations, his name shaking the world. A pity that for the sake of the ’Pure Dream Seeking Truth Body,’ he has lain dormant in this small hollow for nearly a hundred years."

"To maintain his purity, Yun’Er can’t even speak the language of the outside world. His eyes are also defective, he lacks the five senses of a normal person, and he has no concept of suffering or pain. All of this was to forge the strongest Fourth Turn physique."

As he spoke, the old man strode out of the dilapidated hut. The view that greeted him was one of clear streams and green mountains—a beautiful landscape untouched by urban development.

In front of the hut, he saw a blond-haired boy squatting on the ground, watching ants dismember the dried-out husk of a dead mantis piece by piece.

Sensing someone approaching, the boy turned his head, revealing an incredibly pure smile. He spoke in an incomprehensible dialect, "Gwanpa, c’mere an’ watch buggies wif Yun’Er!"

A satisfied smile appeared on the old man’s face. He walked over quickly and replied in the same local dialect, "A’ight! Yun’Er, in a few days, I’s gonna take ya out t’play, ’kay?"

"Weally? ’Kay!"

Hearing he could go out to play, an expectant look filled the blond boy’s face, and he nodded vigorously.

Having spent his entire life in this tiny patch of land, he was full of anticipation for everything the outside world had to offer.

Infected by the boy’s anticipation, the old man’s face broke into a smile as he thought to himself:

’Yun’Er, you’d best be ready. In two days, I will make the name "Chixiao" awe the gods, startle the immortals, and shake the world!’

...

Right now, thanks to the catfish effect created by Fang Can, powerful Martial Artists from every corner of the Martial World were gathering.

From mountain peaks, grasslands, the ocean floor, snowy mountains, and cities...

Fourth Turn practitioners, normally a rare sight, were now flocking toward the location where Fang Can would be in two days.

Some had prepared two or three days in advance, arriving early at Guiyun Peak. For the sake of their Sects’ prosperity for the next thousand years, they absolutely could not miss out on Fang Can, the ultimate cauldron.

Yi Tianxing was one such person. He picked up a small bundle, leaving an unfinished game of Go on the simple, antique table before him.

"Great-Grandfather, are you going to attend that meeting?" Ye Yun Peak asked curiously.

As a youth who had once been brutally crushed by Fang Can at the tournament between nations, he felt a bit emotional seeing his personal boogeyman, a man who had dominated an entire generation, about to be carved up so easily by the Fourth Turn practitioners.

No matter how magnificent a figure one was, without reaching the Fourth Turn, they were ultimately just an ant to be played with, their life and death not their own to control.

At this thought, he looked at his great-grandfather with eyes full of fervent admiration.

Who could have imagined that one day, someone could reach the Fourth Turn simply by mastering the way of chess?

It was precisely because of the old man’s might after ascending to the Fourth Turn that his Chess Pavilion was able to secure a foothold in the Great Zhou.

As the news spread rapidly, the story of Fang Can’s capture traveled far and wide.

Xiang Ziyu was slumped over her desk, her delicate hands idly moving around the trinkets on it as if building with blocks. A faint melancholy filled her eyes, her thoughts a mystery.

"So that kid got caught too, huh," Xiang Ziyu sighed softly. "I expected it, but I didn’t think it would be so soon. It’s been less than a month, right?"

"Father-Emperor already set out for Guiyun Peak this morning. I wonder what the final outcome will be."

And as the news spread across the four seas, joyous reports were continuously coming from within the Plain Heart Abbey.

"But it’s time to leave!"

Fang Can picked up a white robe and slowly put it on, a slight weariness in his expression.