Chapter 48

In a small village, the sound of weeping never ceased throughout the day.

Zhao Yun calmly drew talismans, only leaving the thatched cottage when night fell, carrying a basket of paper money inscribed with talismanic patterns he had learned from the talismanic record. The book stated that when combined with incantations and scattered before a grave, these could help the spirits of the dead to transcend. If there truly was an afterlife, then these paper money would be silver.

Not far away, Niu Hong was quite busy.

The villagers, too, were running around, preparing twenty carriages, having made up their minds to move. With over a hundred villagers, not a single one opposed the decision. The village was remote, far from the bustling areas, making it an easy target for bandits. This time, with Zhao Yun’s protection, they were saved, and he was even willing to help them settle down, which was a great act of kindness.

At dawn.

The sky was not yet fully bright when the twenty carriages set off from the village, with many people sobbing. Almost everyone held a memorial tablet, and even after traveling a long distance, they still looked back, reluctant to leave their homeland. After all, they had lived there for generations, and this departure might mean they would never return.

“Quick, quick, keep up.”

Niu Hong rode his horse, running back and forth, urging anyone who fell behind.

The division of labor was clear.

Zhao Yun led the way, wearing a human skin mask to conceal his true appearance, to avoid encountering anyone from Wanggu City.

He was not idle, practicing physical exercises while contemplating the Dao.

Clomp! Clomp! Clomp!

His horse looked rather listless, its expression quite gloomy, as it was burdened by the weight of the person on its back. Additionally, the sound of bones cracking could be heard all along the way.

Indeed, Zhao Yun was carrying the Longyuan Sword on his back.

He was not heavy, but the sword alone was quite substantial, weighing several hundred pounds.

“Here, practice this.”

Niu Hong rode up, handing Zhao Yun an ancient scroll, which contained the secret technique of Dragon Roar and Tiger Roar.

As promised, he did not go back on his word.

“This is too much.”

Zhao Yun chuckled, but his hands were not idle, quickly taking the ancient scroll.

“How long until we reach Wanggu City?” the chubby boy asked.

“At this speed, at most seven days,” Zhao Yun replied casually, already engrossed in studying the Dragon Roar and Tiger Roar. This sound wave technique was something the Zhao family did not have, or perhaps it had been lost for some reason.

After a quick glance, it was not complicated.

Perhaps due to his high talent, he learned quickly. It was essentially a method of operation, using true essence to generate sound waves, requiring a burst of power. This technique also had requirements for physical strength, such as tendons, muscles, and internal organs. If these did not meet the standards, one might injure oneself while trying to harm the enemy.

This was just the basics.

The Dragon Roar and Tiger Roar explained that the higher one’s mental level, the greater the power of this technique.

In the end, it all came down to one’s inherent strength.

For example, if a Heavenly Martial realm practitioner used Dragon Roar and Tiger Roar, a single shout could shatter one’s internal organs.

In less than half an incense stick’s time, he put away the ancient scroll.

Then, he let out a shout.

Perhaps because he had integrated dragon blood, his Dragon Roar and Tiger Roar sounded more like a dragon roar, with no tiger roar at all. A powerful dragon roar shook the rocks opposite, causing them to crack.

“Not bad,” Zhao Yun smiled.

Niu Hong, with wide eyes, was truly amazed. In less than half an incense stick’s time, he had already mastered it?

Moreover, where was the tiger roar?

Similarly, when Zhao Yun used this secret technique, its power was much greater than Niu Hong’s.

“Strength is a good thing.”

Niu Hong muttered to himself, understanding this principle.

Roar!

As he muttered, Zhao Yun let out another shout.

This time, it was even more powerful, still without the tiger roar, but the dragon roar was purer and more resonant.

Wow...

Niu Hong rubbed his head, being the closest to Zhao Yun, the two shouts left him dizzy and disoriented.

If the sound waves had targeted him, he would have likely been spitting blood.

“Heavenly Thunder Sword Technique, I’ll pass it to you.”

Zhao Yun smiled, handing Niu Hong a scroll of the sword technique. As for techniques like Earth Penetration, Wall Piercing, and Wind God Steps, he could not pass them on, as the Moon Goddess had already warned him not to spread what she had taught him.

“Very generous.”

Niu Hong chuckled, having long known about Zhao Yun’s superb sword skills and eager to learn.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

The rest of the journey was filled with shouts, each dragon roar more powerful than the last.

Zhao Yun was practicing the Dragon Roar and Tiger Roar.

Niu Hong, on the other hand, wisely moved to the back, knowing that staying close would result in him spitting blood.

The caravan moved slowly.

From a distance, one might mistake it for a convoy of guards.

As the sky grew darker, the caravan stopped in the forest.

With families and children, the speed was naturally slow, and at this rate, it would indeed take seven to eight days to reach the destination.

For Zhao Yun, this was also a form of cultivation.

Safely leading these people to Wanggu City would be a great act of virtue, perhaps the kind of cause and effect mentioned in the Mystical Heavenly Book, a mysterious concept that would gradually manifest as one’s cultivation reached a certain level, seemingly influencing one’s destiny.

As night fell, the forest was lit by campfires.

The villagers cooked meals, and in their state of exile, they no longer cared about who belonged to which family, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

After the meal, Zhao Yun sat under a tree, meditating.

Not far away, Niu Hong did the same, his recovery ability quite remarkable, with his arm already healed, likely due to his unusual bloodline. His dark skin was not from the sun but from family genetics.

Hmm?

A gentle breeze blew, and Zhao Yun’s eyes snapped open.

“Smell of blood.”

Niu Hong flipped up, his small nose incredibly sensitive.

“A woman.”

He added, having caught the scent of a woman.

Whoosh!

As they watched, a black figure entered the forest, dressed in night clothes, her left hand covering her bleeding right arm, stumbling and occasionally coughing up blood, clearly severely injured.

“What beautiful eyes.”

Zhao Yun murmured, the woman’s face was covered, but her eyes were visible, clear and pure, with no trace of impurity. The black veil and her beautiful eyes added a sense of mystery, making one wonder if the face beneath was stunningly beautiful.

“She must be an assassin.”

Niu Hong sniffed, able to detect both the smell of blood and a certain aura of killing intent.

“Wench, where are you going?”

Two more figures appeared behind the black-clothed female assassin, an old hunchback and a young man in purple robes. The young man in purple robes was the one cursing, and the "wench" he referred to was clearly the female assassin.

“Xuanyang, True Spirit peak.”

Zhao Yun glanced at the small spirit pearl, identifying the old hunchback as Xuanyang realm and the young man in purple robes as True Spirit peak.

The villagers were terrified, hugging each other.

Niu Hong comforted them, then sat back down, glancing at the forest but not pursuing. When traveling, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble, especially with families and children.

“What beautiful eyes.”

Zhao Yun continued to mutter, the eyes seemed to have a magical quality.

The night fell silent again.

At some point, Zhao Yun opened his eyes, as the small spirit pearl in his chest lit up.

“Wench, don’t let me catch you.”

Sure enough, the cursing resumed, the same young man in purple robes returning, clearly having failed to catch the black-clothed female assassin. His face was twisted with anger, his teeth clenched, and his fury was overwhelming.

As he passed by, he slowly stopped, glancing at the caravan.

His gaze made the villagers silent, and the children hid in their mothers’ arms.

“Interesting.”

The young man in purple robes smiled, touching his chin, a lecherous glint in his eyes. His anger had turned into lust, driven by the sight of a few young girls in the village, eager to find someone to vent his frustrations on.

“A little girl, not bad.”

The young man in purple robes smiled lecherously, taking a step towards a girl, imagining her cries of pain and the feeling of his abuse, which he found quite delightful.

“What are you doing?”

Niu Hong stepped forward, blocking the young man in purple robes.

“True Spirit first level.”

The young man in purple robes sneered, casually tossing a money bag.

The meaning was clear: that girl is mine.

Niu Hong did not even look at it, standing firm, his eyes filled with anger.

Zhao Yun did not move, not out of fear but because he was watching the other person.

Indeed, besides the young man in purple robes, there was another person in the shadows, the old hunchback, who had just arrived and was watching the young man in purple robes find some fun, but turned a blind eye.

“Senior, it’s not easy to be in exile.”

Zhao Yun spoke slowly, addressing the old hunchback in the shadows.

“What are you?”

The old hunchback did not respond, but the young man in purple robes glanced at Zhao Yun with disdain, knowing the old hunchback was there. He was not afraid, even without the old hunchback, a True Spirit peak could easily handle two True Spirit first levels.

Frustrated.

He was particularly frustrated tonight, having chased the female assassin all the way but failed to catch her, his anger needed an outlet. If the girl submitted, it would be fine, but if not, he did not mind a massacre. In the deep mountains, such things were common, and no one would know.

Zhao Yun ignored the young man in purple robes, waiting for the old hunchback’s response.

If he intervened, everything would be peaceful; if not, they would have to kill him.

The old hunchback laughed, not intending to intervene.

Two True Spirit first levels were no different from ants, and ants had no right to negotiate. After the young man in purple robes had his fun, he did not mind wiping out everyone.

Moreover, he was also frustrated.

Not just the young man in purple robes, even he wanted to find a woman to indulge in.

“Looking for death.”

The young man in purple robes moved, true essence flowing from his palm, striking Niu Hong.

Niu Hong, a man of principle, did not retreat but advanced, true essence surging from his hand, punching forward.

Bang!

The collision of fist and palm created a thunderous explosion.

From the battle, it was clear that a True Spirit peak was far superior to a True Spirit first level, and Niu Hong was forced back.

“Overestimating yourself.”

The young man in purple robes sneered, attacking again.

Whoosh!

Zhao Yun appeared, moving like a ghost, reappearing in front of the young man in purple robes.

“You...”

The young man in purple robes was taken aback, clearly underestimating Zhao Yun’s speed, which was so fast he could hardly see it, wondering how a True Spirit first level could be so quick.

Ding ding ding!

Suddenly, a strange bell sound rang out, as Niu Hong shook the soul-capturing bell.

The bell sound was bewitching, disrupting the young man in purple robes’ mind.

In a moment of confusion, Zhao Yun was already there. By the time the young man in purple robes regained his senses, the Purple Sky Sword was already at his shoulder, the cold blade ready to end his life if Zhao Yun so wished.

It was a surprise attack.

It had to be said, the coordination between him and the chubby boy was perfect.

“Not bad.”

The young man in purple robes sneered, not daring to move, but not afraid, knowing that Zhao Yun would not dare to kill him, as there was a Xuanyang realm practitioner on his side. If Zhao Yun killed him, they would all die.

“Good young man.”

The Xuanyang realm old hunchback appeared, ignoring Niu Hong and focusing on Zhao Yun, surprised by his speed, which had caught him off guard, allowing a True Spirit peak to be instantly restrained.

“Release my young master, and we will leave peacefully.”

The old hunchback coldly hummed, true essence flowing, considering where to strike to kill Zhao Yun.

“What were you doing earlier?”

Zhao Yun sneered, using the young man in purple robes as a shield to avoid being killed by the Xuanyang realm practitioner.

“If you want to die so badly, I’ll grant it.”

The old hunchback coldly hummed, taking a step forward, but stopped after just one step, as Zhao Yun’s sword had already cut into the young man in purple robes’ neck, a shallow cut but a clear threat. If he took another step, the young man in purple robes would lose his head, not a bluff.

The Xuanyang realm practitioner was genuinely scared.

The young man in purple robes’ face was twisted with fear, but he did not dare to move, believing that Zhao Yun would indeed kill him. This was not an ordinary person, but someone willing to die with him.

“Go.”

Zhao Yun spoke calmly, handing Niu Hong a piece of paper with the route to Wanggu City, the Zhao family’s armory, and his personal signature and token.

“Should we go together...”

“Go.” Zhao Yun interrupted Niu Hong.

With a Xuanyang realm practitioner, he could not protect them all.

If this continued, once the old hunchback lost patience, it would not be just a few deaths. If he were alone, he would have a better chance of escaping.

Niu Hong hesitated but turned around, knowing that Zhao Yun had a trump card and that they were just a burden.

The villagers all got into the carriages.

The old hunchback coldly hummed, wanting to pursue, but Zhao Yun’s sword cut another blood mark on the young man in purple robes’ neck, a clear threat: if he wanted to die, just pursue them, and they would all die together.

It was a threat.

The old hunchback stopped, ignoring Niu Hong and the villagers, focusing on Zhao Yun, his killing intent hard to suppress.

Honestly, he hated being threatened.

He wanted to act, but the young man in purple robes was his young master, and he had to bring him back alive.

“Be careful, blades are blind.”

Zhao Yun spoke calmly to the young man in purple robes, knowing his thoughts. True essence was already surging in his body, waiting for a chance to escape, but Zhao Yun would not give him any opportunity.

This was a protective charm.

As long as the young man in purple robes was there, he would stay; if the young man in purple robes ran, he would not live either.

The hooves clattered, and the caravan moved on.

Even after traveling a long distance, Niu Hong still looked back, full of guilt. It seemed that since they met, he had been a burden to Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun could have ignored them, and with his speed, he could have easily escaped. This act left Niu Hong in disbelief, as they had only known each other for a few days, yet Zhao Yun had shown such great kindness.

This was also the sentiment of the villagers.

At this moment, a deep sense of gratitude had been planted in their hearts: they owed Zhao Yun for the rest of their lives, and their lives now belonged to the Zhao family.