Chapter 80

Feng Hai seemed to be unaware of Cheng Kun's gaze and continued smugly, "Brother Cheng Kun leads the City Lord's Secret Hall, a group of elusive assassins who usually withdraw when things go wrong. Even if an assassination fails, they rarely suffer heavy losses. But this time, not only did several of our best men die, but Brother Cheng Kun also had to self-destruct his spirit weapon to escape, barely saving his life. Hasn't Miss yet realized how terrifying Shen Lang is?"

Ye Xue's body trembled even more.

She looked at Cheng Kun with a pale face and said, "Uncle Kun, is that person... really that terrifying?"

"Not just terrifying. I, Cheng Kun, have killed countless people and encountered numerous experts, but I never want to meet him again..." Cheng Kun said with a look of fear. "I know Miss will be puzzled. He didn't seriously injure me, and his strength is inferior to mine. Why am I so wary of him?"

Cheng Kun continued, a bit shaken, "Before I acted, I actually suspected that the Treasure Pavilion's Green Robe Guard was following him. I investigated for a while but found nothing, so I finally made my move. This person clearly knew that the Green Robe Guard was protecting him, but in the end, he didn't let the Green Robe Guard act. He relied solely on his own strength to defeat us... He didn't even use his spirit weapon..."

"He not only has a brilliant mind, calculating every detail, but in a very short time, he saw through all the flaws of the several assassins. His true strength isn't much stronger than a Fifth Stage Qi Warrior, but with a wave of his hand, he severely injured several battle-hardened assassins. He even dodged my attacks with extremely bizarre movements. The most terrifying thing, which made me lose my nerve and self-destruct my spirit weapon, is..."

"He didn't use much strength. He just used the Ghost Moon Sect's exclusive technique, 'Ghost Moon Cross Sword,' to break my ultimate move. What terrified me wasn't how powerful his Ghost Moon Cross Sword was, but that he had already grasped the essence of martial arts rules with this move! In other words, he didn't break my move with the Ghost Moon Cross Sword, but rather used a martial technique and leveraged the 'Heaven and Earth Momentum,' something only legendary martial arts masters can touch!"

When Cheng Kun said this, he panted heavily, his eyes filled with fear.

"According to my knowledge, the Ghost Moon Sect is a Black Iron-level force in the Yunfeng Kingdom, over 500,000 miles away. They are an evil sect, ruthless and murderous. The Ghost Moon Cross Sword is a secret technique not taught outside their sect... The fact that Shen Lang knows the Ghost Moon Cross Sword makes me even more convinced of my judgment..." Feng Hai said slowly.

At this point, Ye Xue finally calmed down a bit and said in a dry voice, "Uncle Feng means that Xue Dang has a mysterious background and is likely from a legendary family. Because of her close relationship with Shen Lang, it's possible that her family has guided him, making his cultivation so strong that he has even touched the edge of martial arts rules?"

"Yes, only this can explain everything," Feng Hai nodded.

Ye Xue said with some reluctance, "If that's true, why hasn't Xue Dang shown the same level of cultivation as Shen Lang? And in the Zichu Kingdom, and even in the eighteen Snow Domain countries, I haven't heard of any family with the surname Xue?"

At this moment, Ye Xiao Zheng, who had been silent and seemed to be resting, coldly snorted and said, "The Starry Continent is divided into four regions: East, South, West, and North. The Snow Domain is just one of hundreds of regions in the Western Wasteland. If there's no family with the surname Xue in the Snow Domain, how can you be sure there isn't one in other regions? I spent three years and countless spirit stones to finally find out that in the most mysterious Piaomiao Region of the Western Wasteland, there is an ancient family with the surname Xue, a Dark Gold-level force! Just one level below the Legendary-level force!"

"Dark Gold-level..." Ye Xue's face turned pale, and she collapsed to the ground, powerless.

It's no wonder Ye Xue was so afraid. The world's levels are divided into Green Wood, Black Iron, Spirit Copper, Mithril, Dark Gold, and Legendary. The City Lord's Mansion in Tianfeng City is just a Green Wood-level force.

If it weren't for the connections in the Imperial Dragon Sect, Tianfeng City wouldn't have someone of Ye Xiao Zheng's strength to guard it.

Even the Imperial Dragon Sect, a behemoth that can shake the entire Zichu Empire with a single step, is only a Spirit Copper-level force.

Above Spirit Copper is Mithril, and above Mithril is Dark Gold, a level where a single thought can result in a million deaths and the destruction of a powerful empire!

If Xue Dang, who has a close relationship with Shen Lang, really comes from such a force, not to mention a mere City Lord's Mansion, even the Imperial Dragon Sect would dare not offend her!

To have such an enemy for the City Lord's Mansion...

Who can guarantee that the City Lord's Mansion will still exist tomorrow?

Ye Xiao Zheng said with a pained expression, "Old Feng, I know your analysis makes sense, but this is all just speculation..."

"Better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't! Sir, we can't afford the consequences!" Feng Hai rudely interrupted him.

"Then... what should we do?" Ye Xiao Zheng's eyes showed despair.

He was already upset about the plot to obtain the Nine Immortal Spirit Herbs being foiled, and now this major incident has occurred. This ungrateful daughter didn't even consult him before offending such a person...

Is this the end of his life?

Feng Hai hesitated and said, "Although what Miss did was a bit overboard, she didn't truly harm Shen Lang, and we didn't offend Xue Dang. There might still be room for negotiation. If I remember correctly, in about half a month, it will be Shen Lang's father, Shen Haotian's birthday. Sir, what do you think..."

Ye Xiao Zheng suddenly stood up, "Lock Tang Sheng and his son in the dungeon and guard them strictly! I will personally go to Shen Haotian's birthday celebration with them!"

Feng Hai, indeed, has a sharp mind and a clear analysis.

However, no matter how well he analyzes, how could he possibly understand that Shen Lang received the inheritance of the War Emperor in a dream?

Feng Hai and Ye Xiao Zheng uncovered Xue Dang's family background, but the true situation was completely off the mark.

At the same time, in the inn, the woman in palace attire from the Xuan Dao Sect, Leng Hui, was asking Zilan about Shen Lang.

"Seemingly passive, but actually in control, with a clear plan. He killed six assassins to resolve the crisis, forced the leader to retreat, and was completely unharmed. When he plotted against the Holy Light Sect during the explosion of the spirit weapon, he instantly killed four Fifth to Sixth Stage Qi Warriors. All of this seems to be done casually, but in fact, it is filled with astonishing wisdom. At such a young age, his methods are so mature, his actions seamless, and his strategy flawless. Truly terrifying!"

A middle-aged man in gray robes sitting next to Leng Hui said with a look of surprise.

Zilan and Mo Ge stood in front of her, silent.

Leng Hui took a sip of tea and said, "This is indeed incredible. He saw through the opponent's intentions before the battle even began, instantly identified all the flaws in their moves, and made a response in a split second. Every move was smooth and natural, like a deer hanging its horns, leaving no trace. This doesn't seem like a teenager of sixteen or seventeen, but rather a wise man who sees everything. It's hard to imagine that Tianfeng City has such a person."

She paused for a moment and then said, "Lan, you said Mo Ge asked him to join our Xuan Dao Sect, and he agreed?"

Zilan nodded slightly, "He just said 'yes,' but I can feel the commitment."

"Mo Ge, do you think he will join the Xuan Dao Sect?" Leng Hui asked.

"He will," Mo Ge said.

Leng Hui's smile slowly spread, like a blooming flower, "If our Xuan Dao Sect can gain such a person, it will be a great fortune!"

...

When Shen Lang returned home, Yin Kuang and others had already gathered a pile of materials and waited for him for a long time.

But how could Shen Lang have the mood to refine mystic weapons for them?

So he didn't give them any face and directly kicked them all out!

"The War Emperor even erased the location of the essence fragments... This bastard, is he treating this as a game, making me guess? Or does he himself not know the exact location of the essence fragments?"

After spending some time refining some pills, Shen Lang's thoughts returned to the "essence fragments" and the incomplete memories of the War Emperor.

Regarding the essence fragments, there might be people in this world who know more than the War Emperor, but they are few and far between.

Essence is the comprehensive energy of the universe.

It's not just the spirit energy that most martial artists can absorb, but also other forms of energy.

For example, death energy, killing energy, and demonic energy.

Relatively speaking, spirit energy is a more refined form of essence that can be used by all living beings.

Demonic energy, though feared by righteous martial artists, is a delicacy for demonic martial artists.

Demonic martial artists can absorb and convert demonic energy into their own energy through their demonic cultivation techniques.

In ancient times, when the universe was divided into Yin and Yang, the light and clear elements rose to form the sky, and the heavy and turbid elements condensed to form the earth.

The boundless void surrounding the Starry Continent is constructed by this vast essence. Without the structure of essence, neither humans, demons, nor beasts could absorb the essence of heaven and earth.

In ancient times, the celestial beasts and gods born from the chaos had the power to move mountains and split the earth.

Their countless battles... including the later battles between the gods and demons from the upper realm, who came down to spread their doctrines, fight for territory, and compete for resources, lasted for tens of thousands of years, causing the world to shatter and producing countless essence fragments scattered throughout the world.

These essence fragments not only contain surging, highly condensed essence but also a thread of the world's rules.

If someone obtains a fragment, they might even ascend to immortality, establish a sect, and found a school...

In the War Emperor's memory, the founder of the Xuan Dao Sect was once one of his subordinates and friends. The War Emperor personally hid a piece of "essence fragment" in the Xuan Dao Sect!