Chapter 44

Shen Lang did not mention the fact that he had slaughtered a group of zombie demons, fearing that his father would worry.

He also did not tell his father that he had already guessed most of what had happened...

Shen Haotian, for the sake of the family, even after being severely beaten and suffering from the zombie poison for several years, was unwilling to reveal the matter.

This explanation seemed reasonable.

But there was a significant flaw, one that could not withstand scrutiny.

Especially when faced with someone as cunning as Shen Lang.

The Heavenly Phoenix City was within the territory of the Black Wind Valley, a玄铁级 (Xuantie-level) force. The city lord, Ye Xiao, was a powerful expert at the late Spirit Martial Realm, with numerous experts in his mansion. To the west of Heavenly Phoenix City was the Cloud Tower Academy, and to the east was the Heavenly God Academy, both less than five hundred miles from the Black Wind Valley. What kind of demonic martial practitioner would dare to wreak havoc in such a place?

Moreover, they dared to kill people in the Black Wind Valley, just fifty miles outside Heavenly Phoenix City!

Not only did they kill people, but a few days ago, over a hundred zombie demons openly drank human blood on the main road and even intercepted Shui Qingwu and her group!

If this was the case, the demonic martial practitioner who created the zombie demons must have been hiding near Heavenly Phoenix City for more than three years, never leaving!

Father said he was worried that the demonic martial practitioner would target Shen Lang and the others, bringing them to their deaths, but if they stayed in Heavenly Phoenix City, how many times would a demonic martial practitioner dare to attack the city?

After all, the city lord's mansion was filled with experts, and the city lord, Ye Xiao, was a late Spirit Martial Realm expert!

Even if the city lord's mansion couldn't handle it, they could just send a signal, and the old masters from the Cloud Tower Academy and the Heavenly God Academy would come out. No matter how powerful the demonic martial practitioner was, they couldn't stand against so many hands.

Taking it a step further, even if the experts from these two academies couldn't handle the demonic martial practitioner, wasn't there the Xuantie-level force, the Black Wind Valley?

Once they received the signal, the experts from the Black Wind Valley could arrive in less than two hours!

For a demonic martial practitioner to dare to wreak havoc in such a place was simply a sign of impatience with life.

If that was the case, why was he so afraid?

Even if he was afraid, it should be of the demonic martial practitioner. Why was he so afraid that he dared not seek medical treatment for the poison, only hiding at home and healing himself?

He did not tell Shen Lang everything he knew or guessed... because he was afraid.

However, for Shen Lang, with this information, it was already enough.

Back then, when Hongyu suddenly attacked him to tell him about the Fengtian Cauldron, it took him only a moment to guess her identity... after all, he had always thought Hongyu had been dead for ten years.

So after hearing his father's words, he only needed to connect the dots to guess his father's true concerns.

What his father was afraid of was not the demonic martial practitioner!

It was the city lord's mansion!

First, demonic martial practitioners were like rats in the street, everyone shouting to beat them. Heavenly Phoenix City was very close to the capital of the Zichu Kingdom and only five hundred miles from the Black Wind Valley. For them to not only appear here but also hide for three years, there must have been a force providing them with convenience; otherwise, they wouldn't have gone undetected for so long.

Second, Xu Jing sent a message to the Shen family saying she had found the clan members who had been harmed, indicating that she knew something about the demonic martial practitioner, or perhaps she didn't know but was following the orders of someone or some force. The Xu family was too weak to have the ability to help the demonic martial practitioner hide.

One of the four major families in Heavenly Phoenix City, the Xu family, was well-known, but to put it bluntly, they were just a family that had done well in business in Heavenly Phoenix City, a local power, but not significant outside the city.

They had neither the qualifications nor the ability to collude with such a high-level demonic martial practitioner, so it must have been someone's orders!

Someone had made them do it!

As for why, Shen Lang did not yet know.

Among the four major families in Heavenly Phoenix City, the Xu family was the closest to the city lord's mansion. The only ones who could order them were the city lord's mansion.

As for the Cloud Tower Academy and the Heavenly God Academy, that was absolutely impossible. These two academies were under the jurisdiction of the capital's Jialan Academy.

The power of the Jialan Academy was unimaginable, formed by the orders of the three Spirit Copper-level forces of the Zichu Empire: the Imperial Dragon Sect, the Li Haten Sect, and the Huajian Sect. Even the imperial family of the Zichu Empire dared not speak out of turn, as it was a place specifically for cultivating national protectors for the Zichu Kingdom.

In summary, the only place that could provide convenience for the demonic martial practitioner to hide in Heavenly Phoenix City was the city lord's mansion...

"Although Heavenly Phoenix City is not large, its location is very strategic. For a demonic martial practitioner to stay here with so many zombie demons is a huge risk. Staying for a few days would be normal, but they have been here for more than three years..."

"Under the watchful eyes of the old masters from the Cloud Tower Academy and the Heavenly God Academy, they have not been discovered for over three years. They must have been hiding very well."

"When my father was injured, it was in the Black Wind Ridge... when they brutally killed ordinary hunters and intercepted Shui Qingwu and her group, it was also near the Black Wind Ridge. However, the Black Wind Ridge is not a suitable place to hide. If they really wanted to hide, they should have entered the depths of the Phoenix Mountain Range."

"So, these people must be colluding with the city lord's mansion to search for something in the Black Wind Ridge... what could be so valuable that they would take such a huge risk and be so persistent?"

City Lord Ye Xiao of Heavenly Phoenix City always believed that his actions were flawless. Even when the hundred zombie demons were discovered and slaughtered, he still believed he was in a very safe position.

Neither he nor the black-cloaked man had expected that after years of planning, just as their plan was about to succeed and the Nine Immortal Lingzhi was almost in hand, a young man would appear!

This young man not only killed all the zombie demons in one night...

But based on just a few clues, he had already focused his attention on the city lord's mansion!

"Hmph!"

Shen Lang turned his gaze away from the city lord's mansion, coldly snorted, and walked out.

His deductions were always meticulous, rarely deviating.

So now that he had guessed that the city lord's mansion was colluding with the demonic martial practitioner, if he went to the Cloud Tower Academy and told the old masters, there would be a huge upheaval in Heavenly Phoenix City.

Even if there were rumors about Ye Xiao's connection to the Imperial Dragon Sect, colluding with demonic martial practitioners and harming civilians would still bring severe consequences for him and his city lord's mansion once the news broke!

However, Shen Lang clearly did not want to do this.

Injuring his father and making him suffer for more than three years, enduring pain that ordinary people could not bear, and being humiliated and looked down upon... this debt needed to be settled slowly!

He would return all the pain inflicted on his father, multiplied, to those responsible!

"Not a single one of them will be spared!"

Shen Lang left the house, bought a box of golden needles from a nearby doctor, and began to urgently treat his father.

The zombie poison had been in his father's body for more than three years, and even as a master in all fields, he dared not delay any longer.

Originally, he had sent Lin Feng and Su Hen to gather various spiritual herbs, mainly to refine herbs for breaking through cultivation and strengthening the body. He needed to use some secret techniques to stimulate his bloodline to achieve the goal of awakening the Heavenly Pulse Sacred Body.

But now, this needed to be put on hold.

The top priority was to expel all the zombie poison from his father's body.

Secondly, he wanted to refine some elixirs to cleanse and strengthen his parents' bodies and extend their lives, as well as to refine some powerful magical treasures for their protection.

"Hisss!"

When Shen Lang pulled out the last golden needle from the acupoint, a thick layer of black, sticky liquid had accumulated in the wooden basin in front of him, emitting a foul odor that made one feel dizzy, permeating the entire room.

Shen Haotian, seeing the poison expelled from his body, was amazed and even more impressed by Shen Lang's medical skills.

"Phew!"

Shen Lang pointed his fingers like a sword at the center of the wooden basin, and a flame erupted, immediately setting the black, sticky liquid ablaze with a fierce fire.

Not only that, but the flame emitted a faint, eerie scream, making Shen Haotian feel a chill run down his spine.

"Father, most of the zombie poison has been removed. You won't suffer at midnight anymore. I will give you a needle treatment every day for the next week, and after that, you should be fine, but..."

"But what? Is there still trouble? Don't worry, Lang, I've endured for so many years; there's nothing I can't bear."

Shen Lang smiled and shook his head. "There's no major problem. To completely remove the zombie poison, we need a spiritual liquid. However, one of the ingredients, the Seven-Star Begonia, might be hard to find. I'll check at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion tomorrow morning."

"Seven-Star Begonia?" Shen Haotian was greatly surprised.

It was no wonder he was surprised, as the Seven-Star Begonia was a plant with little practical value but extremely difficult to find.

The Seven-Star Begonia had no relation to the begonia, only similar leaves. It grew in marshes filled with toxic fog and was a companion plant to the Seven-Star Poison Dragon.

Apart from the Seven-Star Poison Dragon, which could benefit from it, it had little value for humans or animals.

Because the Seven-Star Begonia was a companion plant to the Seven-Star Poison Dragon, when it matured, the Seven-Star Poison Dragon was usually an adult...

Who would risk going into a marsh filled with toxic fog for a plant with little practical value?

And risk being devoured by an adult Seven-Star Poison Dragon?

So, obtaining this plant was extremely difficult.

Even if you had money, the chances of buying it were very low.

Moreover, since Shen Haotian was poisoned, the family's situation had worsened day by day, and all resources had been taken by the clan members. Even if there was a Seven-Star Begonia, what could they use to buy it?

Thinking of this, Shen Haotian's face turned grim.

He was not worried that Shen Lang couldn't find the Seven-Star Begonia, but that Shen Lang would take risks for it...

"Lang, I've been poisoned for so many years and have endured all kinds of pain. Now that you've removed most of the zombie poison, I'm already very happy... even if a little remains, it's no big deal. You mustn't do anything foolish for the Seven-Star Begonia!"