Chapter 54

Hengyi lay on the ground, gazing at the starry sky, feeling that Chen Zizai was different from usual. He had never seen Chen Zizai get angry before, nor had he seen him look elsewhere while speaking as he did now. Thinking that Chen Zizai was still upset, Hengyi quietly watched the stars, waiting for his meridians to recover.

A moment of silence made him feel as if he had returned to the icy valley of Qian Mountain and Snow Ridge. Back then, he would look forward to seeing the starry sky at night, but such moments were rare. The weather on Qian Mountain and Snow Ridge was often snowy, so every time he saw the stars, it felt special.

"The Divine Gate has its own rules. Whether it's a self-created or accidentally obtained magical technique, it must either be hidden forever from the living, or contributed to the Divine Gate's system of magical techniques. The Hall of Techniques already knows about the Four Great Techniques of the Divine Book. After your training, you should go to the Hall of Techniques on your own."

The silence was broken by Chen Zizai's sudden words, which were exactly what Hengyi was worried about.

Hu Baijie wouldn't tell Hu San, but the people he fought on Beixiang Mountain that day weren't blind. They were all observant, calculating the enemy's magical techniques and the time needed to recover after using them. It was impossible for them not to know how many techniques he used.

"I need to ask my master."

"You would get the same answer. The era of widespread private hoarding is long gone. The advancement of human civilization's magical techniques relies on the collective wisdom of all the people of the Divine Gate. Not only is this true for human civilization, but for any major race in the universe. The only thing your Sanyuan Sect can hide is probably the heart techniques and spells that keep the Divine Book effective."

Listening to Chen Zizai's words, Hengyi suddenly felt a broadened horizon... the advancement of human civilization's magical techniques, the refinement of the Divine Gate's magical techniques...

Indeed, if all the techniques created or obtained by cultivators were contributed to the Divine Gate and then taught to disciples, the overall progress would be far greater than if they were privately hoarded!

Hengyi agreed with this, but he knew that the Divine Book's techniques were crucial to the Sanyuan Sect. In the past, they were a matter of life and death for the Lake Sea Sect, and now, although it might not be as serious, he couldn't decide how much to honestly report. After all, the Divine Book's techniques belonged to his master, not to him. Without Dachuan's consent, he couldn't make a decision on his own.

"I still need to get my master's approval."

Chen Zizai didn't continue the topic. He instinctively guessed what Dachuan would do. A smart person like Dachuan wouldn't go against the trend and seek his own destruction.

"Brother Chen, you're acting strange today. Why did you suddenly bring up these things during the training?" Hengyi was puzzled. Chen Zizai had always been focused on the training and had never mentioned these things before, even if he did, he wouldn't have ended the conversation so abruptly.

"Just casual chat. We haven't found any traces of the Shadow Clan yet." Chen Zizai propped his face with one hand, lying on his side with his back to Hengyi, speaking in a calm tone.

Hengyi remembered that Hu Baijie had mentioned that the magical techniques of Beixiang Mountain weren't very suitable for her. He asked casually, "Brother Chen, Baijie said the magical techniques of Beixiang Mountain aren't very suitable for her. I heard that the magical techniques of Dongbei Xiang Mountain are mainly defensive and belong to the Metal element. Can Baijie go to Dongbei Xiang Mountain to learn and cultivate?"

"Did she ask you to ask?"

"No, I just heard her mention it."

"I'm considering her because of you! The techniques of the Eight Xiang Mountains can all be learned from each other. The elder of Beixiang Mountain is similar to Hu Baijie, understanding people like her and caring for their disciples. If she knew that over 90% of the disciples in Dongbei Xiang Mountain are men, I don't think she would want to go. The incidents in Beixiang Mountain involving her further prove that my consideration is thorough. If the incident had happened in Dongbei Xiang Mountain, you would have been the one to fall last night!" Chen Zizai's cold response made Hengyi ask with great interest, "Are the magical techniques of Dongbei Xiang Mountain more powerful?"

"Each has its strengths, but you belong to the type of mobile and lethal techniques, while the techniques of Dongbei Xiang Mountain are the most durable among the Eight Great Techniques, making them the nemesis of techniques like ours. Moreover, the overall spirit of Dongbei Xiang Mountain is different. Even if only one person is severely injured, you can't expect them to surrender out of fear. They value their dignity and honor, and the idea that a man can be killed but not humiliated is a common value in Dongbei Xiang Mountain." Chen Zizai said calmly, then smiled lightly, "You seem to really like Hu Baijie, showing great concern for her."

"I don't know if I like her. Baijie said I would eventually know what it feels like to like someone, but I still don't know." Hengyi answered honestly, which surprised Chen Zizai.

Chen Zizai suddenly sat up, his wide robe spreading on the ground. He stared at Hengyi with a gleam in his eyes. "The feeling of liking someone is simple. I'll ask you, what part of Hu Baijie do you like the most?"

Hengyi thought for a moment, pointed to his chest, then to his thighs, and finally to his face. "These three parts the most!"

"Ha—" Chen Zizai liked Hengyi's honesty and laughed. "You're honest! This means you like her attractive body, which is normal, but it also means you can't find the feeling of liking her! When you like someone, you are involuntarily drawn to her eyes, and her body becomes secondary. Your attention will be on her eyes, and you might feel nervous or very comfortable and forget yourself... You will miss her and long to see her, even if you haven't thought about what to say when you meet, but just seeing her from a distance will make you eager."

Hengyi stared at Chen Zizai's serious, almost passionate gaze, suddenly remembering the feeling he had when he saw Hong in the Two Poles Hall... That feeling seemed to be what Chen Zizai described, and he indeed often longed to see Hong again, even if it was just like that day, when he didn't see Hong's eyes but felt as if he had...

Hengyi's reaction made Chen Zizai notice something was off. He looked at Hengyi for a while, about to ask if he had already experienced such a feeling, when—

Red light orbs suddenly flew up from all sides of the sky!

Hengyi quickly put on his robe and equipped his magical tools, while Chen Zizai stood up abruptly!

This was the signal from the Water Blue Clan that they had discovered the Shadow Clan, and they had encountered them from all directions!

The blue training bead in Chen Zizai's hand glowed with his true qi, and he gave orders decisively and swiftly, "Hu Baijie will stay in Water Blue City to guard against any unexpected events; Hai Shan will immediately go to the west to stop the Water Blue Clan from retreating; Hai Yuntian will take charge of the north; Hengyi will go east, and I will go south! Focus on protecting the retreat, do not engage in prolonged battles!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

...

The blue training bead almost simultaneously transmitted the responses of Hu Baijie and the others, and at that moment, Hengyi had already activated the Fenhua Luanzhan, enveloped in white light, and rushed east without a word!

In an instant, he had already flown a hundred feet away from Chen Zizai!

Chen Zizai quickly used wind control to fly south, reminding Hengyi through the training bead, "Hengyi, don't waste your magical techniques!"

"I know my limits." As he answered, Hengyi had already used Fenhua Luanzhan for a moment, then switched to Instant Slash, and after a short distance, he used wind control to fly.

Fenhua Luanzhan could last for three moments, and it could recover one moment of use every fifteen moments. As long as it was used appropriately, it wouldn't hinder the need for battle.

East—where Hengyi had encountered the children picking apples and begging him to eat them. Although they were still far from the search team, the pursuit by the Shadow Clan could lead to the discovery of Water Blue City at any time. Given the nature of the Shadow Clan, they would definitely launch a frenzied hunt and slaughter!

The sky to the east was constantly filled with signal talismans thrown by the Water Blue Clan search team, clearly indicating a very dangerous situation!

Hengyi used Fenhua Luanzhan to rush a distance, then switched to Instant Slash, and after flying for three moments with wind control, he had already passed through the dense trees and clearly saw the Water Blue Clan search team holding torches, screaming in fear, and running wildly in the forest!

Five strong Water Blue Clan men were running at full speed, pursued by a large group of over twenty men and women, who were running like wild animals on all fours, roaring savagely!

These Shadow Clan members, as Chen Zizai had described, had almost gray-white skin and mostly looked to be between ten and sixteen or seventeen years old, clearly in the early stages of life, before they had learned to use their inherited powers.

This sight made the murderous intent of the approaching Hengyi diminish by half, as these Shadow Clan members looked no different from humans. If they were vicious beasts, Hengyi would have had no hesitation or mercy, having killed many in the Sanyuan Sect, knowing that in a life-or-death struggle, there was no room for hesitation. But when faced with beings that looked like humans, his resolve naturally wavered.

The Infinite Sword, glowing red, was thrown from Hengyi's hand as he flew through the trees, its blade flashing and injuring ten of the Shadow Clan members chasing the Water Blue Clan!

Unexpectedly, the injured Shadow Clan members rolled and immediately got up, ignoring their bloody wounds, roaring and blindly attacking, thinking it was a tactic of the fleeing Water Blue Clan. They leaned forward almost to the ground, using their hands to support and accelerate or change direction while running on all fours.

'They are really fierce!' Hengyi realized that the Infinite Sword's power was too weak, as he had underestimated the endurance of these young Shadow Clan members.

He immediately flew into the center of a group of over a dozen running Shadow Clan members, let out a low shout, and suddenly extended his arms, releasing the true qi flowing through his body with a burst of energy!

The white light of the energy burst spread in all directions, the impact force throwing the running Shadow Clan members in all directions, some crashing into trees, some hitting rocks and rolling to the ground!

The commotion made the fleeing Water Blue Clan members stop, each holding a stone weapon, ready to turn back and fight.

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