Chapter 21

Wu Dong stood side by side with Zheng Shi Yi, clasping his hands together and said to the group, "Fellow disciples! On this journey, Huang He has not only been arrogant but also almost cost us our lives! Brother Zheng Shi Yi risked his life to save us. Shouldn't we listen to him about whether we continue forward or go back?"

The group exchanged glances, realizing the truth in his words. If not for Zheng Shi Yi's timely appearance, they would have long turned into piles of bones.

The frequency of their nods varied, but their expressions were uniformly in agreement. They said, "Junior Brother Zheng Shi Yi, we will follow your lead."

Su Jingdan frowned, her mood extremely complex.

Without Zheng Shi Yi, they would have long become sacrifices to prolong Qiu Tianlang's life! Now, Zheng Shi Yi's authority was much higher than her own.

A single word from Zheng Shi Yi could decide whether the team moved forward or returned.

Continue forward? The dangers on the road would not decrease! She had not spoken much to Zheng Shi Yi on this journey. There was no need for him to lead the team into a more dangerous place for her sake.

Just two more mountains to cross, and they would reach the place of advancement! If they turned back now...

Su Jingdan silently observed Zheng Shi Yi...

Zheng Shi Yi, feeling uncomfortable under everyone's gaze, turned his head to the side and happened to see Su Jingdan quietly looking at him.

This woman had twice intervened when he had conflicts with Huang He and Zhou Qiang. Now, it was time to return the favor.

Zheng Shi Yi raised his head and pointed to the mountain ahead, saying, "Let's continue..."

Su Jingdan breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Zheng Shi Yi with gratitude.

Wu Dong pulled Zheng Shi Yi aside and whispered, "The hideout of a villain usually contains good things. Qiu Tianlang, that scoundrel, must have something valuable in his hideout! Let's go check out that cave."

Without waiting for Zheng Shi Yi's agreement, Wu Dong dragged him back.

The team members looked at them with puzzled expressions.

Feeling uncomfortable under everyone's gaze, Zheng Shi Yi said with a smirk, "Have you never seen a group of men go to urinate together?"

Everyone laughed, finding this new leader much more interesting than the previous Huang He.

Chapter 17

Upon reaching Qiu Tianlang's corpse, Wu Dong squatted down and thoroughly searched his body.

Unfortunately... Qiu Tianlang's pockets were even cleaner than Wu Dong's face.

"Too poor, isn't he?"

Wu Dong stood up, disappointed, and led Zheng Shi Yi toward the cave entrance.

"Clack clack!"

Entering the cave, the two stepped onto a narrow passage. The surroundings were pitch black, and their footsteps echoed continuously within the passage.

After walking about a hundred meters, light appeared ahead.

At the end of the passage was a spacious cave, with torches inserted around the walls, illuminating the entire cave.

In the center of the cave was a stone table, surrounded by several stone chairs. Next to it was a stone bed covered with grass.

Under the stone bed, many jars were placed.

After searching, the two found nothing useful. Wu Dong, in a fit of anger, lifted a jar and smashed it against the wall, "Too damn poor! There's nothing here!"

"Crack!"

The jar shattered, and as the pieces fell, a golden scroll dropped from above where the jar had hit the wall.

Zheng Shi Yi bent down to pick up the scroll and read the words by the torchlight: "The Shadowless Blade - Fragment!"

"It's actually the Shadowless Blade - Fragment!" Wu Dong exclaimed, rushing to Zheng Shi Yi and snatching the scroll to examine it closely. "Legend has it that the Shadowless Blade has nine forms, each incredibly powerful! It's said that this fragment only contains the first five forms, which the Elder Xuantong obtained by chance."

"Many disciples in the sect want to become Elder Xuantong's disciples to learn the Shadowless Blade."

"Unfortunately, Elder Xuantong never took disciples... until he made an exception for Qiu Tianlang."

"He taught Qiu Tianlang the Shadowless Blade - Fragment. Qiu Tianlang, with his exceptional talent, mastered the first five forms in just ten years."

"From these five forms, he gained many insights. He knew that the later forms were even more profound, so he sought out Elder Xuantong for the remaining forms."

"Elder Xuantong only had the first five forms. How could he have the rest? Qiu Tianlang suspected that Elder Xuantong was unwilling to teach the rest, so he killed him."

"Upon learning that Qiu Tianlang had mastered the Shadowless Blade - Fragment, the inner disciples have been searching for him, hoping to obtain the fragment from him."

"They searched everywhere for Qiu Tianlang but couldn't find him. We stumbled upon his hideout and found the Shadowless Blade - Fragment in his cave."

Wu Dong looked at the scroll with wild excitement. He hadn't expected to find the Shadowless Blade - Fragment in the cave. This item was usually hidden in the most secret places... and they found it so easily...

He patted Zheng Shi Yi's shoulder, spitting out his words in excitement, "Brother, the Shadowless Blade - Fragment is a great thing. You must practice it!"

"The 'Eight Directions Step' is powerful, allowing you to cover eight directions in one step! However, it's a known technique. Apart from its creator, Old Xue, and you, no one else has mastered it."

"If you can master it, you must have a method to do so. If others see you use it, they will come to you for the method. If you reveal it, the 'Eight Directions Step' will no longer be your exclusive technique."

"If you don't reveal it, you might end up in conflict with them."

"To avoid unnecessary trouble, try not to use the 'Eight Directions Step' unless absolutely necessary. Additionally, you must kill anyone who sees you use it!"

At this moment, Wu Dong's face lost its usual kindness and playfulness, revealing a fierce and ruthless expression.

Zheng Shi Yi felt a warm wave of gratitude. Every word was filled with care and concern.

Wu Dong held the scroll in front of Zheng Shi Yi and said, "The 'Shadowless Blade - Fragment' is rarely seen, and its power is immense. It's definitely your best choice for practice."

"Also, since you can master the 'Eight Directions Step,' you can certainly achieve great success with it!"

Zheng Shi Yi nodded repeatedly. Wu Dong's words were true. The 'Eight Directions Step' was well-known! Once used, others would recognize it, and he would face trouble.

But if he practiced the 'Shadowless Blade - Fragment,' not only would he keep his 'Eight Directions Step' a secret, but he would also gain a new combat skill.

Zheng Shi Yi carefully examined the blade techniques on the scroll and muttered, "It seems I need to use the 'Eight Directions Step' less often in the future."

Wu Dong, fearing someone might enter the cave, quickly covered Zheng Shi Yi's hand holding the scroll and said, "Brother, no one must see this. Quickly put it away, and let's leave the cave quickly."

After Zheng Shi Yi put the scroll away, the two left the cave and returned to the team.

As they moved further away from the cave, strange beasts began to appear on the path, including first and second-tier beasts.

The team, having not obtained beast cores for a long time, was extremely excited to see the strange beasts. After Zheng Shi Yi killed a second-tier beast, they quickly dealt with the remaining first-tier beasts.

To thank Zheng Shi Yi for saving their lives, many offered their beast cores to him.

Zheng Shi Yi smiled and refused, knowing that obtaining beast cores was hard work. He had been bullied by Huang He before and would not take the fruits of their labor.

He then reiterated the agreement made before entering the mountains: whoever killed a strange beast would keep the beast core. Anyone who violated this rule would be expelled from the team.

The team members, not being fools, quickly recognized and respected their new leader, Zheng Shi Yi, comparing his actions to those of Huang He.

Walking at the back of the team, Zheng Shi Yi opened the 'Shadowless Blade - Fragment.'

The Shadowless Blade emphasizes speed! As fast as lightning! Each form is faster than the last!

One form produces one shadow, and the ninth form, when mastered, can produce nine shadows in an instant!

To practice it, one must have extraordinary martial talent!

Otherwise, at best, one's tendons and muscles will be severed, and at worst, one's internal organs will burst, leading to death!

The large sword on his back was the perfect weapon for practicing the Shadowless Blade—the Shadowless Blade.

He began to swing the Shadowless Blade, practicing the first form, "One Shadow Blade," as described in the scroll.

The originally evenly weighted Shadowless Blade, as he swung it, became uneven in weight! Some parts were particularly heavy, while others were particularly light...

Losing control of his strength, he was instantly thrown to the ground, his mouth full of dry, gritty dust.

"Brother Zheng, what's wrong?"

The team, hearing the commotion behind them, turned around, surprised to see Zheng Shi Yi lying on the ground.

There were no strange beasts nearby, so why was Zheng Shi Yi lying on the ground for no reason?

Zheng Shi Yi, sitting on the ground, smiled bitterly and waved at the team, "I'm fine, continue."

The team members shook their heads, puzzled, and turned back around.

Looking at the Shadowless Blade on the ground and feeling the pain in his arm, Zheng Shi Yi smiled bitterly, "What a mysterious blade technique. As I practice, it can change the weight of the blade!"

"Indeed, only those with extraordinary martial talent can practice it. Qiu Tianlang's ability to master the first five forms proves his talent is extraordinary!"

"Although my talent for practicing it is insufficient, I have a special soul seed that can heal my body. If my talent is lacking, I'll make up for it with effort!"

Zheng Shi Yi adjusted for a moment and swung the Shadowless Blade again to practice.

"Clang!"

Almost a repeat of his previous attempt, Zheng Shi Yi fell heavily to the ground again, his entire arm almost broken by the blade's force. He lay flat on the ground.

"Spit!"

A mouthful of blood spurted from Zheng Shi Yi's mouth, staining his chest red.

"Brother Zheng, what's wrong with you?"

The team, who had already seen Zheng Shi Yi fall earlier, heard another collision sound behind them.

As they turned, they drew their weapons, tense and alert, wondering if Old Qiu had returned as a vengeful ghost.

Zheng Shi Yi's face was pale, and the sound of his bones breaking could be heard inside his body.

Wu Dong and a few others quickly ran to Zheng Shi Yi.

Zheng Shi Yi, with great difficulty, supported himself on the ground with one hand, the other trembling as he clutched his chest, spitting out blood and shaking his head, "I'm fine... I'm fine..."

Before he could finish, he fell to the ground with a "thud."

"Is this what you call being fine?"

The team was speechless... If they believed Zheng Shi Yi when he said he was fine earlier, now saying he was fine was an insult to their intelligence! He was so injured and still claimed he was fine?

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