Chapter 66

Mingcheng

"Right now, Lord of Yibhuang is visiting...?"

Xian Yuanchang stammered.

The expression on Wei Jimiaohua's face beside him also wavered.

The cultivation he had built up on Zhongnan Mountain in the Dao Gate was breaking through in shock.

"Lord Yibhuang is coming in person..."

"It has been a long time since the Lord ventured into the Jianghu. It's been about fifteen years since the Dali Royal Family in Yunnan was destroyed."

Qingming spoke slowly.

Fifteen years in the martial world was enough time for a generation of young experts to rise. It meant that he had not shown his divine might for a long time.

Some of the young talents who had deepened their internal strength through elixirs looked down on the older generation.

However, Lord Yibhuang was a different entity.

"Seeing with my own eyes the divine technique that destroyed the Dali Royal Family..."

Wei Jimiaohua muttered, stroking her sword hilt. The shock was immense, even momentarily disrupting her concern for Zheng Lianxin.

Qingming glanced at her and flicked his hand toward Xian Yuanchang.

"I can't guess how fast his lightness skill is. It wouldn't be strange if he had already entered Nanzhili. Inform Zhi Xian to prepare for his reception. We must also summon the chief of Huizhou Prefecture. We need to welcome him with the respect due to a sovereign."

"Even the chief of the prefecture!"

Xian Yuanchang rushed out of the room in a flurry.

The arrival of a being so exalted that even the phrase 'a host of troops' would fall short.

The chief of Huizhou Prefecture, who oversaw the entire region, was three ranks higher than Zhi Xian.

He held a status comparable to the head of the Nan Gong family, a prominent clan in Nanzhili. Even so, he would have to show respect to Lord Yibhuang.

For she was a king acknowledged by the emperor.

"Lord is visiting. Prepare."

"......What did you say?"

Xian Yuanchang relayed Qingming's words to Zhi Xian and looked at the flustered face of the latter with satisfaction.

This Zhi Xian was a close associate of the Nan Gong family, a powerful clan in Nanzhili.

His indifference to the demands for troops had vanished without a trace.

Just as he came out of the office.

A middle-aged swordsman in green martial attire stood in the main hall, his gaze on Xian Yuanchang was far from ordinary.

Though he did not seem to have deliberately raised his aura, the oppressive qi waves permeating the air were extremely heavy.

'Qingkong Wu'ai Jian (Heavenly Sword Without Boundaries)!'

Xian Yuanchang immediately recalled the Nan Gong family's ultimate technique. Even the attire was the same as those damned people.

"You scoundrels of Yibhuang City."

The swordsman, with a neatly groomed black beard, said.

"You dare to gather martial artists in Nanzhili, ignoring the main family? If you show no respect to the local gentry, you are no different from the lawless martial sects."

"Who are you?"

"I am Nan Gong Wei. A rogue of Yibhuang City."

Xian Yuanchang fell silent for a moment.

He knew well. The deputy leader of the famous Qingkong Jian Tian Tuan (Heavenly Sword Sky Team).

One of the top swordsmen in Nanzhili, a formidable expert even a blue-clothed expert would find hard to defeat.

'Careless, and my head might fly off.'

The Nan Gong family was known to be higher in rank than the Huang Bao family.

Judging from Zhi Xian's attitude, their collusion with the local government must have been immense.

They had the power to bury a murder case right in the middle of the government office.

Xian Yuanchang spoke cautiously.

"You filthy hypocrite. Do you still talk about respect, knowing the baseless behavior of your family? How can you utter such heartless words after reciting the classics and the Three Obediences and Four Virtues? Are you not ashamed to look at your deceased parents?"

The accumulated anger of years came out in a gentle tone.

There was a faint but powerful aura emanating from his body.

Nan Gong Wei's reaction was a breath late.

"What did you say?"

"You are the true rogue of the martial world. You ignored the death of the young talent who tried to stabilize the people by slaying the evil sect members. Now, the main family is gathering martial artists to deal with the evil sect, and you talk about the dignity of your family..."

Nan Gong Wei's internal energy fluctuation grew stronger as Xian Yuanchang continued.

Xian Yuanchang was undeterred.

"Your appearance is truly a spectacle."

He ended his words with a look of satisfaction. Nan Gong Wei shook his head.

"......Did you think I couldn't draw my sword just because we're in a government office?"

Rumble.

The man's sword began to emit a mighty roar.

As a renowned swordsman, his sword's reputation was indeed extraordinary.

Just as Xian Yuanchang was about to call out to Qingming and Wei Jimiaohua, gathering his inner energy.

Snap.

There was no sound of cutting.

With a gentle breeze, Nan Gong Wei's head separated from his body and fell aimlessly.

His body, on the opposite side, collapsed like a leaf that had suddenly fallen.

It was a final moment so futile that it seemed unreal.

When did it start?

A gentle breeze, like mist, continuously swirled around. It was a very peculiar moment.

Though the wind had no color, it felt as if a faint green hue was rippling from all directions.

Time in the government office seemed to freeze. A soft transcendence was budding in the silence.

"The sin of the Nan Gong family."

A clear voice echoed from the rooftop.

"Will be judged alongside the evil."

A long, light green robe fluttered in the wind.

Xian Yuanchang's head was already tilted back. His eyes widened to the point of tearing.

He soon knelt with a composed posture, a tremor of excitement spreading through his body.

* * *

"Did you understand?"

A seductive whisper tickled his ear. It was a deep, internal energy-infused breath. He was now used to it. The breath of the Seven Demon Dao.

Zheng Lianxin immediately opened his eyes. His senses did not immediately return.

Though he could sharpen his qi perception at will, the activation of his inner energy was momentarily delayed.

He soon realized he had been suppressed.

'I was hit in the acupoint again.'

The face of the Seven Demon Dao filled half his vision. It was a deeply affectionate expression, tinged with desire.

Zheng Lianxin stared at her red outer eye and spoke.

"What did you do?"

"I just wanted to preserve your radiant body. I drew a picture. To keep the child I see in you forever in our sect."

She smiled and stretched her waist.

Zheng Lianxin then recognized the stimulating smell of ink and pigments.

Perhaps she had a talent for painting. A large piece of paper in her hand depicted his entire body.

It was not a simple portrait. It recreated the internal structure of his body.

The eight extraordinary meridians, the entire body's meridians and blood vessels, and even the three dantians. One part was particularly noticeable.

The upper dantian at the top of his head, where the blood vessels were fully opened, was drawn in astonishing detail.

A human anatomy diagram.

She had infused his body with inner energy to observe it.

The Seven Demon Dao was a master of self-cultivation. Examining his body would have been an easy task for her.

She smiled.

"Perhaps not? Our sect might be able to create a child with your qualities."

"......I've heard. The Blood Flame Sect often produces strange divine techniques. Are you using them for medical purposes, to stabilize the people?"

"......This will become a treasure."

"You're using the sect members as sacrifices. Typical of a rogue sect."

The conversation did not mesh. Their relationship was bound by the principles of the martial world, where the strong prey on the weak.

Zheng Lianxin, who had a serene expression, and the Seven Demon Dao, who was grinning, were fundamentally mismatched.

He closed his eyes again, focusing his will on the lower dantian.

The Yue Ling Zhaohua Technique, passed down by Lord Yibhuang, was said to be a rare and supreme martial art.

He had practiced for a considerable time to create a new heart technique with extremely fast qi accumulation.

Just by carefully examining and pondering the techniques, his insight had grown.

Indeed, Zheng Lianxin was already proficient in the advanced qi absorption method.

'This is how it comes back to me after telling the Lord about the heart technique.'

The techniques of the Mara Xiong Xue Gong, which he had reviewed immediately after receiving the secret manual from the Blood Flame Sect leader, unfolded in his mind.

He had already classified the effects of the heart technique to some extent.

He could distinguish the techniques that influenced the brain and immediately extracted them.

"What are you doing...?"

The Seven Demon Dao cautiously asked, seemingly remembering the incident where he had been furious alone and repeatedly apologized.

Zheng Lianxin ignored her and practiced the circulation of the Mara Xiong Xue Gong.

He did as the Seven Demon Dao wished, taking in the nature of her blood technique inner energy.

'Enough.'

The moment after he decomposed the techniques was instantaneous. A new inner energy circulation path was etched in his mind.

He could now remove the Seven Demon Dao's inner energy that controlled his life force from his blood vessels.

He also realized something.

'The regenerative ability of the blood technique comes from the theft of inner energy.'

The words of the Blood Flame Sect leader came to mind. She had warned him not to touch the fundamentals. The martial arts of the Blood Flame Sect were a single lineage.

Even if he knew the techniques, he could not use them openly outside.

Zheng Lianxin was already planning his escape.

He looked at the bundle in his hand and spoke.

"Let's go for a walk."

"Still have lingering feelings for Yibhuang City?"

The Seven Demon Dao tilted her head slightly and asked, but Zheng Lianxin did not answer.

He had formed a plan after seeing the formation yesterday.

He needed to move around and plant his energy in various objects.

How did she interpret his silence? The Seven Demon Dao made all sorts of expressions.

Perhaps because he was altering the techniques of the Mara Xiong Xue Gong, she felt a mix of uncontrolled anger and possessiveness.

There was also a hint of regret.

'It's not for me. It's for her desires.'

Zheng Lianxin did not need to agonize over such emotions. They were the compassion she felt as a Blood Flame Sect member.

Shaking his head inwardly, he opened the door.

The voice that had been annoying him all day suddenly grew louder.

"......Thus, a new Tai Shi has manifested in our sect! Your hair will be equal to that of all the Demon Dao! Thus, we shall rightfully wield the sword of punishment against the wicked crowd in Beijing and the hypocritical rogues! "

"That's the son of the Three Demon Dao, Gao Songxue."

The Blood Flame Sect leader spoke in a peculiar tone.

The area was filled with red-haired people. There seemed to be at least a few hundred Blood Flame Sect members.

The man standing on a platform in the center of the village, delivering an impassioned speech, suddenly turned his head. His eyes met Zheng Lianxin's.

Instantly, the man's lips curled upward.

"There! There he is! He has revealed his divine appearance to us!"

Following Gao Songxue's gesture, an overwhelming number of gazes converged. Even the Seven Demon Dao turned her eyes and smiled gently.

Gao Songxue's next cry was filled with inner energy.

"He is the one who will lead our sect to Beijing! Ah! Behold! The miracle that Tai Shi will bring will transform our sect! I humbly request that Tai Shi show the miracle to the pitiful creatures trapped in the Flame Blood!"

The 'miracle' the man spoke of seemed to refer to the alteration of the Chao Xue Gong techniques, but it was an unreasonable request.

It had only been a day since he regained consciousness and spent the night at the main hall.

'Even the Blood Flame Sect leader didn't talk about immediate results.'

He was the son of the Three Demon Dao, known for testing Zheng Lianxin with an inner energy barrier. This was the moment he realized there were political struggles within the sect.

He intended to use his existing reputation to embarrass him greatly. Perhaps even a gathering of madmen had its own human dynamics.

Due to the conversation the Seven Demon Dao had in the sect leader's hall, he knew that the Three Demon Dao and his son were aiming for the position of the young sect leader.

The power lust that emerged from the madness of the blood technique felt all the more intense.

Zheng Lianxin shook out the bundle he was holding. A bright red, wide-sleeved robe unfolded like a flag.

He began to put on the robe silently.

With a few small movements, the Xunxuepao (Pure Blood Robe) covering his body fluttered in a blood-red hue.

"......"

The hall fell silent. Gao Songxue was no exception.

Zheng Lianxin's appearance was that peculiar.

Rumble.

Perhaps because he started the circulation of the Mara Xiong Xue Gong, stripped of its madness.

It was a qi aura that had never been seen in the Blood Flame Sect before.

Though the blood technique's qi waves were clear, a transparent aura began to create the sect's unique sinister atmosphere.

Some of the sect members began to murmur. All sorts of words were heard everywhere: sect leader, Tai Shi, Demon Dao, pure blood...

The qi waves from his entire body stirred the air. His black hair fluttered around the shoulders of the red robe.

At this moment, his appearance was no different from the true lineage of the Blood Flame Sect.

"Do you want to see the miracle of Tai Shi?"

He asked.