Chapter 16

Zong Shou smiled coldly, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

There was no point in mentioning the yet-to-happen events to Yin Yang and Chuxue. Anyway, it didn’t matter much whether he visited that place once or not.

The only thing he could be sure of was that this trip to Danling Mountain, even if it wasn’t dangerous, would certainly not be peaceful.

Looking up at the sky, he could vaguely see the hawk still circling in the clouds, following them from a high altitude.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have a suitable bow and arrow at hand. His physical strength was also slightly lacking. Otherwise, at this distance, one arrow would be enough to shoot it down. Most of the secrets of the Six Spirits Blade Technique could be applied to other hidden weapons, and archery was naturally included.

Seeing Zong Shou’s actions, Chuxue also leaned out of the window and looked up at the sky, saying, "Uncle Yin has tried every possible way to bring down that hawk over the past few days. But it has managed to escape every time. It’s probably being controlled by another spirit master, and they’re not far away. But this is already the Sudi Mountain Range, and those people probably wouldn’t dare to make a move—"

Although the Lingyun Sect’s base is on Danling Mountain, its sphere of influence includes the entire Sudi Mountain Range and the Longze Plain outside. It even extends to the various countries and cities of the Donglin Yunlu region.

Even though no one from the Lingyun Sect can be seen here, it’s impossible to doubt the sect’s control over the surrounding areas.

Over the past ten thousand years since the ancient times, there have been countless precedents to serve as warnings. Especially now, with the clouds and mists about to dissipate, and countless young talents gathering at the foot of Danling Mountain to seek entry, no one would dare to challenge the Lingyun Sect’s authority at this time.

Zong Shou glanced at the hawk indifferently and then was drawn to the red marks on Chuxue’s skin.

Moved by a sudden impulse, Zong Shou held Chuxue’s hand and gently kissed the red marks on her arm, asking, "Does it still hurt here?"

Chuxue was immediately flustered, trying to pull her hand away but failing. Her cheeks flushed red, and she weakly replied, "It doesn’t hurt! Young Master. I’ve had worse injuries before, and I was fine. Master always says that Xue’er is like a weed; no matter how much it’s cut, it will grow back. Besides, my injuries are nothing compared to Young Master’s—"

A weed?

Zong Shou was slightly taken aback, looking at Chuxue’s beautiful face and couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. He wondered about the background of this Xue’er’s master, finding it quite intriguing.

Feeling a pang of sympathy, he realized from Chuxue’s words that she had suffered a lot over the past three years, with injuries being a regular occurrence.

If he hadn’t taken over Zong Shou’s body, she might have met with an unfortunate fate three days ago.

And this cat-eared girl was only thirteen years old, her fate no less cruel than the previous Zong Shou’s.

Sighing inwardly, a sense of pity rose in Zong Shou’s heart.

"I am a man, made of clay. How can I compare with a girl? If it hurts in the future, don’t hold back. By the way, as my maid, no one will be able to hurt you anymore!"

He kissed the red marks again, feeling her skin as smooth as silk, fine and soft. Unable to resist, he licked them, finding the sensation excellent.

Chuxue, however, was like being electrocuted. Her true qi suddenly burst forth, and she managed to forcefully pull her hand away, then rushed out of the carriage as if struck by lightning.

Zong Shou didn’t stop her, sitting calmly on the soft couch and smiling faintly, "Xue’er, don’t forget that the medicinal bath is due in the next two days. Have you prepared the herbs?"

Outside the carriage, there was a loud 'clank' as if something heavy had fallen. Zong Shou couldn’t help but burst into laughter, feeling extremely satisfied.

After the laughter subsided, Zong Shou’s expression turned cold, and he began to check his condition.

The situation was better than he had expected. The final strike had drained all his strength and spirit, but it had also prevented the conflict of true qi within his pulse wheels. No wonder he could wake up in less than three days.

However, his current situation was still far from optimistic. Zong Shou found himself in a strange predicament.

The more his cultivation advanced, the stronger his physical constitution became, and the more intense the conflict between his two bloodlines would be.

If he continued to practice martial arts, he would likely die from internal injuries before he could break through his pulse wheels.

Unless there was a more powerful force that could suppress or mediate between the two.

"Thus, the only path left is to cultivate both spirit and martial arts. But the spirit master techniques... I need to find an opportunity to form a soul sea—"

Murmuring to himself, Zong Shou’s brows gradually furrowed.

In his previous life, he had created several characters in the game to practice spirit techniques. However, he had spent too little time on them, and his achievements were unsatisfactory.

Only his knowledge of talismans and array techniques was decent, barely reaching the level of a grandmaster.

After all, the path of martial cultivation alone was vast and profound, difficult to explore to its roots. In his previous life, he had no time to practice spirit techniques.

But now, he had no choice.

Unfortunately, the book he had obtained, the "Zhouji Mingshishu," he hadn’t even had time to read before he was transported back ten thousand years.

This book was one of the top spirit cultivation manuals in the million worlds of the four directions. "Zhou" refers to time, and "Jiu" refers to space. The "Jiu" book records the principles of space, while the "Zhou" book records the principles of time.

Even if the game "Shenhuang" couldn’t truly include this long-lost book, it likely contained the basic principles and the speculations of countless powerful figures from later generations about this top-tier spirit cultivation manual.

If he could read it, it would greatly benefit his spirit cultivation.

Sighing, Zong Shou picked up the Pine Pattern Wind Sword. The sword was of excellent quality. Despite killing four people and withstanding the impact and corrosion of the Swallowing Heaven Primordial Transformation Technique, it remained as resilient as ever, its cold light still sharp.

He lightly flicked his finger to check for any hidden damage in the blade. Then, despite the pain in his body, he began practicing sword techniques with simple, brisk steps.

The leisurely time had passed, and now it was time to work hard.

Although Zong Yu was dead, the danger had not yet been resolved. Besides, he had never taken Zong Yu seriously. What truly concerned him was the next demon king, who had beheaded him and displayed his body for months—

The trip to Danling Mountain would likely involve a bitter battle.

Therefore, he couldn’t tolerate even a moment’s waste of time.

After practicing for a short while, Zong Shou felt a difference. Previously, when controlling this body, he always felt some discomfort, as if there was a thin film between his soul and the body. But after integrating the thirteen years of memories, this phenomenon seemed to have completely disappeared.

Now, practicing sword techniques was smooth and effortless, and his steps and the sword in his hand were more precise.

The same was true of the battle three days ago. If he hadn’t been able to control his body freely, he wouldn’t have been able to cleanly kill those people or deliver the final strike.

"This Zong Shou may not be able to practice martial arts, but his foundation is indeed solid—"

Due to his inability to open his pulse wheels, the previous Zong Shou could only practice basic martial techniques day after day, building a very solid foundation.

Even after three years without much practice, it was easy to pick it up again. Even if there were some errors or unsatisfactory points, they could be easily corrected.

Zong Shou, whether in his past or present life, always emphasized the importance of a solid foundation in martial arts.

Only with a solid foundation can one build a towering skyscraper!