Chapter 828: The Free Cui Lang (1)
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Su Yu's furious voice reverberated in the air.
Outside the Heart Calming Spring, the weaponsmiths all appeared worried. Many of them were glaring at General Zhang furiously. The weaponsmithing community was not exactly a single, united entity. But there were too few of them around. Thus, they still had a relatively high level of unity to maintain the importance of the profession.
They had no choice. Since there were so few of them. They would probably end up as prisoners forced to do nothing but forge weapons for experts if they didn't work together. Even Heavenly Forge King was very supportive of this community of weaponsmiths.
They had to maintain their unity if they wanted to preserve their status. If they couldn't get status and power from being a weaponsmith, what was the point of being a weaponsmith?
And now, a weaponsmith who might become the next earth weaponsmith had been interrupted in the middle of forging. Cui Lang was still continuing with the process, but nobody knew if he could complete it anymore. Any single mistake might cause the failure of the entire process.
At times, luck played a very big role in weaponsmithing. After this failure, he might not be able to find another spark of inspiration to break through anymore in the future. He might end up stuck for life.
General Zhang had an unsightly expression. How unlucky of him. But he really suspected Cui Lang. He had been investigating his son's death in Nanyuan during the past few days. He had gathered the information of all the people present in Nanyuan during his son's death. That included the Invincible descendants. But he had yet to perform a deeper investigation on some of these people.
Through the little bit of clues he found, he traced the scent of blood from the crime scene. He had even burned his own blood to follow this trail of blood. After all, that was his sole son. They were linked very deeply through blood.
The scent only started fading when he reached the north of Great Xia. He judged that the murderer must have left Great Xia for the north. As of late, not many people were traveling north from Great Xia.
But still, the number of travelers to the north was by no means small. This included people like Zhou Hongbo and the others. They were all traveling north toward the Knowledge Seeking Realm.
The general was only trying his luck when he placed a ban on the Heart Calming Spring for all visitors from Great Xia. And coincidentally, Cui Lang, one of his suspects, had arrived. How could his suspicion not grow after such a coincidence?
According to his investigations, his son had died on the very night Cui Lang arrived. Sure, Cui Lang had an alibi. But cultural researchers had too many tricks up their sleeves. Who knew if the so-called alibi was fake?
Thus, he had rushed over right after hearing that Cui Lang was here. He had rushed into the Heart Calming Spring due to his impatience. Unfortunately, Cui Lang was really forging a weapon inside. And the forging had reached a critical stage. Evidently, he was here to advance into the earth grade.
That placed General Zhang in a difficult predicament. He had disrupted the forging process without any proof of wrongdoing. This was very troublesome.
Disrupting the advancement of a weaponsmith might result in a ban by the entire weaponsmithing faction. It might even incur the wrath of the sole heaven weaponsmith in existence. Heavenly Forge King himself might personally administer a punishment to General Zhang.
General Zhang still wasn't sure if the murderer was actually Cui Lang. After all, Cui Lang did not have a strong motive to kill his son. And if Cui Lang wasn't the murderer, he would have offended a bunch of weaponsmiths for nothing. He frowned as he stared at the Heart Calming Spring helplessly. One could even hear a soft sigh coming from him.
Before Cui Lang entered the Heart Calming Spring, General Zhang might still be able to find some proof. But after staying in the Heart Calming Spring for so long, even if Cui Lang was the murderer, the proof would have been washed off by now.
General Zhang had only rushed inside due to his impatience. In truth, it was pointless as he had arrived too late. At this point, he was starting to regret his actions.
Outside the Heart Calming Spring, the air started warping while waves of source qi undulated intensely. This was not a heavenly phenomenon. Rather, it was caused by the intense movement of source qi. The source qi in the Heart Calming Spring was not enough to support the advancement of the weapon being forged in the grotto. Thus, the weapon was starting to gather source qi from outside the grotto.
This was understandable as the Heart Calming Spring was never a powerful grotto. It was only useful, not powerful. A Sunmoon wouldn't have been able to tear the portal open so easily otherwise.
At this moment, the barrier separating the grotto and the outside world started turning transparent. The people outside were able to see an indistinct Su Yu.
His shirt had long been destroyed during the forging process. With a large hammer in hand, he struck down again and again. Each time he slammed his hammer down, a burst of willpower would ripple out.
They could even hear him cursing endlessly. He was furious! This was the same as interrupting the breakthrough of a Sunmoon. Anyone would go mad from fury. If one really wanted to push the issue, this was enough to cause a blood feud.
An opportunity to break through could not be stumbled on so easily. If he failed his breakthrough today, he might be stuck for years or decades.
Rumble!
This forging process was not comparable to Zhao Li's forging process, but it had still created quite a spectacle. Slowly, the barrier of the Heart Calming Spring started showing signs of being broken through as Su Yu became clearer and clearer to the observers outside the grotto.
With blood dripping out of his mouth, he coughed a mouthful of blood before continuing with his forging.
At this point, Su Yu was starting to get an indistinct look at the world outside as well. He could also hear the voices outside the grotto. He felt very lucky that he had cleansed his body before this. Otherwise, things would have turned very troublesome for him.
At the moment, his sea of willpower was roiling intensely. As for the forging process, if he had enough strength, failure was not something he needed to worry about. After all, he did not start this attempt based on some sudden inspiration. Rather, he was relying on the solid foundation Zhao Li had built for him. The moment he gained sufficient cultivation level, he would be able to forge earth weapons.
"Forging an earth weapon will be the best option for me here."
As for the option of failing deliberately to make things difficult for this general, that wouldn't be too helpful. Profound weaponsmiths weren't important enough. At most, they enjoyed the status of Mountainseas. Meanwhile, earth weaponsmiths were equal in status to Sunmoons. In fact, even Sunmoons wouldn't want to offend them for no reason.
If he could complete the earth weapon, he would have more confidence to do what he wanted. And in the event of failure...well, this general would take the blame for it. He would insist that the general's interference was the only reason he failed.
Of course, he also needed to convince everyone that it wouldn't be long before he made a second attempt and completed his advancement into the earth grade. Earth weapons could only be used by Mountainseas and Sunmoons.
Even an early earth weaponsmith could forge cultural weapons suitable for late-stage Mountainseas. At the late or peak earth grade, Sunmoons would be the ones begging them for suitable weapons. After all, earth weaponsmiths were even rarer than Invincibles.
There were only about fifty earth weaponsmiths in existence among the entirety of humanity. And all the human Mountainseas and Sunmoons were relying on these weaponsmiths for weapons. The demand was far higher than the supply.
Inside the Heart Calming Spring.
Su Yu continued working on his weapon. He was already greatly exhausted. His sea of willpower continued churning madly while his willpower continued rippling outward violently. Abruptly, a majestic burst of willpower rippled out.
Boom!
The willpower broke through the barrier and leaked to the outside world. When General Zhang sensed the wave of willpower, his face changed. Too strong! This was the Cloudbreach Realm!
More importantly, Cui Lang had just broken through yet he was already capable of forging earth weapons. General Zhang could feel just how dense Cui Lang's willpower was.
"A fire character and willpower comparable to a Mountainsea's...His willpower was probably weaker prior to this breakthrough. But he does have a fire character. As for his physical cultivation... its level is still unknown. But it is probably not weak since he's capable of withstanding such an intense weaponsmithing process..."
He stared at Su Yu intently with suns and moons revolving in his eyes. Due to this breakthrough, his suspicion of Su Yu was growing yet again. This weaponsmith was too strong.
Experience and talent were not the only things required to forge earth weapons. Actual cultivation strength was required as well. Without enough strength, one would fail. Back when Zhao Li attempted to forge his first earth weapon, he was already a late-stage Cloudbreach.
Meanwhile, Cui Lang was only an early-stage Cloudbreach. That wave of willpower earlier felt as strong as the willpower of a middle-stage Cloudbreach.
"Was it you?"
General Zhang stared at Su Yu as he sank into thought. It was no longer possible to find proof. A ninth-stage Cloudbreach had also been killed in Nanyuan. Could Cui Lang kill a ninth-stage Cloudbreach as a ninth-stage Skysoar?
If he could, what was the motive? There were too many questions. General Zhang's son didn't even know Cui Lang.
Of course, Cui Lang was not the sole suspect. The people from the Knowledge Seeking Realm were also suspects, but why? Did his son discover something related to the ruin? Or perhaps it was the Xia Family? Numerous possibilities appeared in General Zhang's mind.
Meanwhile, Su Yu roared after his breakthrough and took advantage of the sudden growth of his willpower to unleash a powerful hammer strike. The impact from the strike fully broke the grotto barrier and completed the seventy-first golden stripe on the weapon.
Outside, Master Chen clenched his fists tightly as he said, "The seventy-first stripe is completed! If he can complete the seventy-second stripe as well, the seventy-third stripe will be within reach as well. And with seventy-three stripes, the weapon will officially become an earth weapon!"
Seventy-two stripes would place a weapon at the peak profound grade. A vast majority of peak profound weaponsmiths wouldn't be able to forge even seventy-two stripes. Someone capable of doing so was actually on par with actual earth weaponsmiths.
In fact, a weapon with seventy-two stripes was considered a pseudo earth weapon. At times, such a weapon was even more valuable than proper earth weapons as it could be used by even those with lower cultivation levels.
Of course, there was no comparing this weapon with Zhao Li's weapon. Back then, he had fused his character with his weapon. The weapon had also been forged with the foundation of a heaven weapon. Thus, even if Su Yu could forge a proper earth weapon, Zhao Li's earth weapon would still be in an entirely different class.
Zhao Li's earth weapon was definitely comparable in strength to a weapon with eighty-six stripes even if it only had seventy-seven stripes.
"Please don't fail!"
The weaponsmiths gathered together and stared at General Zhang cautiously.
The mayor also sent a voice transmission, "General Zhang, please don't create more trouble for me. Just wait until this is over if you have anything to do or say. Cui Lang is about to complete an earth weapon. We can only find a single earth weaponsmith even in the entirety of Great Jin. If the prefect finds out that we nearly ruined the breakthrough of an earth weaponsmith...both of us won't be able to withstand the consequences. We will need to answer to even Heavenly Forge King himself."
General Zhang had an unsightly expression as he replied, "I know this better than you!" The mayor said nothing else, but he was cursing inwardly. Bullshit! If he was aware of it, why did he create trouble earlier?
If Cui Lang managed to complete his advancement, he would owe them a big favor. The mayor was on the verge of earning this valuable favor when this damn general waltzed right in and ruined his plan.
With this favor, even if he couldn't make Cui Lang a resident of the city, he could probably persuade Cui Lang to stay here for a month or two each year. During his stay, he could even offer his services as a weaponsmith. With that, the city would grow even more prosperous than before.
But that beautiful plan had been ruined by this damn general! Sure, the general had lost a son. But how was that Cui Lang's business? Just investigate and find the murderer, for fuck's sake. Why bother Cui Lang? No, why even suspect Cui Lang?
Chapter 829: The Free Cui Lang (2)
Restore scroll position
General Zhang knew that some people were scolding him inwardly, but he remained silent. He watched on with a gloomy expression. Even if he had really misunderstood Cui Lang, he could only leave after Cui Lang was done. Otherwise, this could very well develop into a blood feud.
Two more hours passed. At that moment, Su Yu roared and slammed his hammer down. The massive recoil blasted him away, sending him flying through the barrier and into the crowd.
Master Chen was a Mountainsea. When he saw that, he hurriedly flew up and caught Su Yu. The impact created a loud rumble and forced him several steps backward. Blood was seeping out of Su Yu's mouth.
Drop by drop, the blood dripped onto the ground. But the blood was not actually his. The cautious Su Yu had actually taken out some actual blood of Cui Lang right after General Zhang's intrusion and kept the blood pellet in his mouth.
That was a trick Niu Baidao taught him before he left Great Ming. With this trick, even when someone investigated his blood, they would only conclude that he was the real Cui Lang.
Niu Baidao would continue sealing Cui Lang away, making it impossible for even Invincibles to track the location of the real Cui Lang. The only thing an Invincible could conclude was that the blood belonged to Cui Lang.
And sure enough, General Zhang was tempted when he saw Su Yu's blood. He wouldn't be able to see much from Cui Lang's blood as that wasn't the blood of his son. But he could still find more new information from Cui Lang's blood.
He threw all caution to the wind and rushed forth. Placing his hand on Su Yu, he apologized, "My apologies, Master Cui. I was too rash earlier. I wasn't thinking straight..."
While saying that, he stealthily touched the blood with his finger. The bloodstain on his finger vanished immediately, as though he had not touched the blood at all.
Su Yu said nothing. Ignoring the general, he looked at the hammer floating in the air. The seventy-second stripe had completed its formation. After that, the glow on the stripes dimmed as the hammer dropped onto the ground.
The forging session had ended. There were seventy-two stripes on the weapon, but as Su Yu had been blown away at the final moment, the completion was imperfect.
Even so, Master Chen still appeared quite pleased. He said, "Seventy-two stripes. A pseudo earth weapon. Brother Cui, you might be able to complete your advancement in your next attempt..."
But Su Yu had an unsightly expression. He coughed and stood back up. He walked up to the hammer and picked it from the ground before turning to face General Zhang with an incomparably ugly expression.
"Cough. I...was planning to borrow the momentum of my advancement into the Cloudbreach Realm to forge seventy-three stripes. But the interruption forced me to complete my breakthrough in advance. As a result, I failed to forge the seventy-third stripe."
He clenched his teeth and casually tossed the hammer into the crowd, "It's yours. Damn it. My earth weapon was ruined!"
He was furious.
Meanwhile, the crowd was going crazy.
Pesudo earth weapon! Had that person gone mad? Numerous people rushed toward the hammer. Even General Zhang and Mayor Liu were tempted. This was an extremely valuable weapon! Official source ıs NoveI(F)ire.net
Holy shit! What a willful individual. Were all weaponsmiths so willful? Just like that, he tossed a weapon of such quality away? Cui Lang had indeed promised to give his forged weapon away, but he had not specified the grade of the weapon. There was no need for this.
With a cold snort, Su Yu said, "If I was able to complete my breakthrough, I would have been able to give away an earth weapon. I only wanted an advancement, not a weapon. General, you owe me an explanation."
General Zhang hurriedly said, "Please don't misunderstand me, Master Cui. I—"
Su Yu interrupted the explanation with a snort. He said, "I'm only this calm because I'm confident I can finish my breakthrough in my next attempt. But that does not mean that we can put this behind us just by claiming that it is a misunderstanding."
Master Chen's attention was on a different matter as he hurriedly asked, "Brother Cui, can you really complete your breakthrough in your next attempt? Do you want to take a few days of rest before the attempt? You need a few Sunmoons as your dao protector if you're going to make an attempt to forge an earth weapon! I was too careless previously. I should have provided you with several Sunmoon dao protectors!"
But he had never imagined that this attempt would turn into an attempt to forge an earth weapon. That was the reason for the lack of protection.
Generally, one would always obtain the protection of several Sunmoons before attempting to forge an earth weapon. That was applicable to even Zhao Li. As his attempt was made within Great Xia, he had been under the protection of several Sunmoons the whole time.
Su Yu acted like he was forcing himself to calm down and said, "Thanks for the offer, Brother Chen. There is no need to trouble you. I will invite several Sunmoons myself for my next attempt. I'll consider this a lesson learned. I finally understand why all weaponsmiths will invite numerous friends over during their forging sessions. I had suffered from my inexperience. If I had been successful, I could have borrowed the momentum of the weapon completion to push my cultivation to the second or even the third stage of the Cloudbreach Realm. All my efforts have been for nothing..."
Master Chen also had a look of resentment as he said, "Truly a pity. This is such a rare opportunity. If one completes a weapon forging at the same time as an advancement in cultivation, one will indeed receive more reward from the weapon completion. But instead, not even your character managed to advance from the weapon completion..."
Su Yu helplessly said, "I didn't have the time for anything else. The interruption caused me to lose control over everything."
He looked extremely vexed and indignant. The other weaponsmiths were lower in status than Sunmoons, but they couldn't avoid feeling a sense of resentment and grief as well. Yes, as weaponsmiths, they might not be too strong in combat. But that was no reason to bully them like that!
How could a Sunmoon interrupt a forging process?
At this moment, a Mountainsea from the crowd managed to snatch the hammer for himself. The others wanted to keep fighting over the weapon, but they eventually gave up. It was inappropriate to get into a fight here.
The Mountainsea was overjoyed. What a great profit! Pseudo earth weapon! Sure, it was a cultural weapon, not a martial weapon. And the burly Mountainsea was a warrior, not cultural researcher. But he could easily sell this pseudo earth cultural weapon to purchase a proper earth martial weapon.
With a registration fee of ten merit points, he won a weapon worth more than ten thousand merit points. This felt incredible.
When he heard the conversation of the weaponsmiths, he hurriedly said, "Master Cui, the next time you forge a weapon, you only need to notify me and I will personally stand guard for you! I might only be a Mountainsea, but I am also willing to lend my little strength to you! I am a member of Great Song's Heavenly Wave Army."
Su Yu cupped his hands and showed a forceful smile as he said, "Thank you. But I doubt I'll feel like making another attempt anytime soon."
He looked very gloomy.
General Zhang could only apologize awkwardly. With a fawning smile, he said, "Master Cui, I was at fault. I wasn't thinking straight as my son died in Great Xia..."
Su Yu's expression changed slightly as he said, "You...sigh. My condolences. So that was the case. I did hear about it...are you...General Zhang He of Great Jin Army?"
"Yes." Zhang He had a bitter look as he said, "I just returned from Great Xia. When I heard about someone cleansing themselves in the Heart Calming Spring, I rushed over without thinking twice. I'm truly sorry, Master Cui."
"I see." Su Yu nodded, "I thought...forget it. I thought you did it deliberately to sever my path of weaponsmithing. I thought my grandfather-in-law sent you here. So it was a misunderstanding."
"..."
The others blanked out slightly. Grandfather-in-law? Who? Cheng Mo? Their hearts chilled. That was a ninth-stage Sunmoon powerhouse. True. Cui Lang was on the cusp of becoming an earth weaponsmith. If that person learned of this, he might really capture Cui Lang back.
He might look at Cui Lang with disdain previously, but he would be blind if he continued looking down on Cui Lang now. In that case, he should probably forget about marrying his granddaughter out since he was so blind.
Zhang He also felt a chill crept up his spine.
He hurriedly said, "Master Cui, I feel really bad for this. Will you be fine? I am willing to compensate you for all your losses. During your next attempt, I am willing to offer myself as your dao protector. I guarantee something similar won't happen!"
If it was concluded that he had severed Cui Lang's path, it would be over for him. That would really develop into a blood feud.
Su Yu said, "I guess my losses aren't that big. I did not expect success before the attempt. But the Heart Calming Spring was a lot more helpful than expected. I will take a break and stabilize my cultivation before my next attempt. I will most likely succeed."
His tone turned cold as he said, "I sympathize with you for losing your son, but I still need an explanation for this. After all, I am no saint. All the other weaponsmiths will look down on me for being such a coward. After all, if I allow this to become a precedent, it might happen to other weaponsmiths in the future as well. I will become a public enemy of all weaponsmiths."
Zhang He hurriedly said, "That is perfectly understandable. I was too rash. I will accept all punishment, Master Cui."
"You're a Sunmoon, so stop kidding with talks about punishment." Su Yu replied, "I only need you to compensate me with enough materials to forge an earth weapon. I will make a list and you will provide me with the materials on the list. I also need compensation for my emotional damage. I am generous so I'll settle with only twenty thousand merit points. I'm not asking for much. Money isn't that important. After all, we can't carry our money to the grave, right? We weaponsmiths can easily earn as much money as we want if we're really desperate. Thus, money is never an issue for us. This is acceptable, right?"
Zhang He's heart ached. Materials for an earth weapon and twenty thousand merit points. He would probably need to spend twenty or thirty thousand merit points to solve this issue. Was that cheap? Nope. But in the context of an advancement into the earth grade, this was actually a cheap price to pay.
Even as a Sunmoon, he would need to put in a lot of work to gather that much money. Not all Sunmoons were rich. After all, it also wasn't cheap to cultivate. There were plenty of impoverished Sunmoons around. The rich ones were mostly those who had been in the realm for a while.
"That is a very generous demand. It is acceptable for me."
Zhang He did not show any reluctance on his face. He was more than happy to buy his way out of this.
Su Yu indifferently said, "Also, since you already owe me one, I might as well get one extra help from you. That way, I don't need to trouble anyone else. I'll be traveling to the Allheaven Battlefield soon. Do you mind escorting me there?"
"..."
Zhang He blanked out slightly as he asked, "You're going to the Allheaven Battlefield?"
Master Chen hurriedly said, "Brother Cui, why are you going there? It's very dangerous!"
Instead of focusing on his advancement, why was he going to the battlefield?
Su Yu laughed, "I have several things to do there. Firstly, I wish to visit Heavenly Forge King and seek his guidance in weaponsmithing."
"..."
Silence descended.
After a short moment, Master Chen nodded with envy, "Yes. That is perfectly understandable. Heavenly Forge King will definitely be willing to see you. He might even accept you as a student on the spot. Yes. You should really pay him a visit."
Master Chen was not qualified to meet Heavenly Forge King. But that wasn't the case for Cui Lang. He was basically a pseudo earth weaponsmith. He might even be able to reach the earth grade before reaching the battlefield. Heavenly Forge King would be more than happy to meet such a young earth weaponsmith.
Zhang He was smiling happily, but inwardly, he was greatly worried. Was this Cui Lang trying to trick him into the battlefield before complaining about him to Heavenly Forge King?
This...
He wanted to say no, but he couldn't find an excuse to say it. Whatever. Even if Heavenly Forge King wanted to punish him, he was still a Sunmoon. And the incident was not deliberate. He had even agreed to compensate Cui Lang. Not even Heavenly Forge King would make things too difficult for him, right?
Chapter 830: The Free Cui Lang (3)
Restore scroll position
Su Yu looked at Master Chen and said, "That is only one of the reasons. Secondly, I wish to pay Great Ming King a visit. In fact, that was my initial goal. If only I had succeeded in my advancement into an earth weaponsmith..."
He helplessly said, "I need to get Great Ming King to warn that guy. I am worried that during my travels, I would accidentally find myself captured by Great Tang and forced to become the husband of that fierce woman..."
"I wasn't too confident before, but Great Ming King might be willing to see me if I could become an earth weaponsmith. It would be even better if I could see Great Tang King as well. Perhaps I could solicit his help in this..."
"..."
Everyone was left speechless.
Holy shit!
Holy shit! This damn guy was actually still trying to escape? Was the granddaughter of a ninth-stage Sunmoon not good enough for him? So this fellow was only going to the Allheaven Battlefield to get some Invincibles to warn Cheng Mo off him? Amazing.
Seeing their speechless expressions, Su Yu said, "Everyone, don't look at me like that. It's not that I don't know what's good for me. But I'm still young. I'm only thirty-five. I still have a long life ahead of me. How can I allow myself to be shackled down? That would be such a sad life. Even if I'm going to get married, I need to be like fifty or something, right?
"I need to hurry up or Director Cheng might really come after me after hearing about my advancement. Everyone, I get that news of my advancement will start spreading. But make sure it doesn't reach Great Tang so fast. At the very least, give me enough time to enter the Allheaven Battlefield..."
They were left even more speechless when they saw the fear on his face.
Meanwhile, Zhang He was greatly relieved. He hurriedly said, "No problem. I will escort you to the Allheaven Battlefield. But if we really encounter Senior Cheng on our way...I'm afraid I won't be his match."
Su Yu clenched his teeth and said, "Since you've interrupted my advancement, you need to delay him even if you can't defeat him! Otherwise, forget about solving this issue so easily. Do you think I care about money? Do you think I want you as a dao protector because I'm afraid of some weak bandits? I'm only afraid of Director Cheng!"
"..."
Zhang He finally understood everything. He had a helpless expression. So this fellow only wanted him around to delay Cheng Mo in the incident of an encounter.
Would Cheng Mo come after this fellow? So long as he left seclusion, he would definitely come after hearing about this. This...might be a very troublesome task.
Zhang He was only a third-stage Sunmoon while the opponent was a ninth-stage Sunmoon. Sure, this wasn't a fight to the death. But he might still end up receiving a beating from Cheng Mo. There was no getting off painlessly.
"Master Cui...this request of yours..." Zhang He bitterly said, "Fine. I will make it up for you. I'll try my best to delay Senior Cheng."
"Trying is not enough. You must do it." Su Yu warned, "General Zhang, if I end up captured, I'll tell Director Cheng that I you're my heart demon. I won't be able to advance before you're dead."
"..."
That was way too ruthless. Zhang He's face twitched. Would Cheng Mo kill him because of that? Unlikely. After all, he was still a Sunmoon. But he would not be able to escape a terrible beating. Cheng Mo was very likely to capture him and beat him up until Cui Lang was happy. And not even Great Jin would protest. For interrupting someone's advancement, he should count himself lucky to survive with his life. He even needed to thank them for sparing his life after the beating.
"I'll...do everything in my power to escort you to the Allheaven Battlefield."
Finally, Su Yu nodded with satisfaction, "Good. As long as you manage to send me there, I'll forget about the matter today. This way, there will still be hope for me to complete my advancement in the future. There will no longer be any entanglements between us. As the saying goes, it is better to squash enmity than to keep it alive. My teacher told me that. He also said that a tiny loss when you're out in a foreign land is nothing. I need to be patient and magnanimous."
A tiny loss? Zhang He wanted to curse. With this arrangement, he was the one who would suffer a loss. Furthermore, Cui Lang was still one of the suspects in the murder of his son.
If Cui Lang was really the murderer...no, that was unlikely. He wouldn't have dared to make this demand if he was the murderer. In fact, he would have tried his best to stay away instead.
At that thought, Zhang He was no longer so sure that Cui Lang was the murderer. His suspicion of Cui Lang dropped considerably.
He stopped mentioning his son, but Su Yu was the one to raise the topic instead, "Is your son Zhang Heng, General Zhang?"
"Yes." Zhang He answered bitterly, "That was my only son. I only got a son after I was over a hundred years old. Sigh. I never expected to see my child die before dying myself. You were in Nanyuan during his death, right? Did you notice anything when you were there?"
Zhang He asked the question as a test, and Su Yu shook his head. "I saw nothing. I was getting a massage with someone. I only found out later. But I think you should not give up hope. Perhaps he's still alive. He might have accidentally entered the ruin. Who knows? Maybe he would be a Sunmoon or an Invincible the next time you see him."
Su Yu said, "That is a mysterious place. I know Su Yu as well. His talent is honestly quite ordinary. But someone like him was able to defeat even Shan Xiong. I believe that's all thanks to the ruin. Be optimistic, General Zhang."
"I hope you're right, Master Cui."
Zhang He wasn't too hopeful. He tried sensing his son through his bloodline, and the result indicated that his son was most likely dead. But he was also willing to comfort himself and lie to himself that his son might have really entered the ruin.
Seeing Zhang He's bitter expression, Su Yu said, "I'm not doing this to stab at your wound. That would be pointless. I am just a regular man. Even weaponsmithing is only a hobby for me. As for my real profession...hehehe. You guys are aware of it as well."
Su Yu said, "You only had one son. General Zhang, I doubt that was intentional. Perhaps your essence is too strong, making it hard for you to produce an offspring. That's no big deal for me. I know a special technique called Essence Stimulating Art. It can improve the functions of your essence. Hehehe, back then, I relied on this technique to battle dozens of—cough, cough. There are some women here so I won't go into detail. General Zhang, with this technique, you will have a bunch of kids after a few years. The only side-effect is a slight drop in strength.
"I also know an Origin Solidifying Art. I have traveled the world without leaving a bunch of kids behind. Do you want to know why? It's all thanks to this technique. My old teacher taught me this technique. He's an even bigger womanizer than me, but he has not left a single offspring behind.
"I'll be frank, General Zhang. If your son is really dead, you should start producing more offspring sooner instead of later. Sunmoons are very long-lived. And you're still quite young. After twenty or so years, you will have yet another outstanding young heir."
Zhang He was stunned. He looked around and noticed everyone staring at him. He felt awkward, but he still replied through voice transmission, "Master Cui, are you telling the truth? As a Sunmoon, it's very hard for me to produce more offspring, right?"
Su Yu replied by speaking normally, "Trust me. Sunmoons? Not a problem. Even Invincibles...cough, cough. I've never seen an Invincible use this technique before, but I guarantee you it works on Sunmoons."
Zhang He appeared relieved after hearing that. Ignoring the odd gazes he was receiving, he said, "Master Cui, we can talk more while we're on the road."
Cui Lang was right. If his son was dead, even if he could kill the murderer, what could it achieve? The more pragmatic option was to produce more offspring. Unfortunately, his cultivation level was too high, making it hard for him to produce more offspring. But if that was solved...well, he had to keep living, right? He couldn't wallow in grief forever, right? After all, Sunmoons were very long-lived.
In fact, he was not the only person troubled by this issue. Mayor Liu couldn't stop himself from asking, "Master Cui...we...uhm..."
"I'm not supposed to teach this to outsiders." Su Yu said, "This is a secret art. I only agreed to teach General Zhang because...well, I took pity on him. Also, if you don't have enough strength, cultivating this art will cause a great decline in strength. Thus, it can't be spread rashly. If I accidentally caused an Invincible to drop in strength through this art, that Invincible would probably kill me. Alright, let's move on from this topic."
He took out a profound weapon, stopped to think, and pulled out a second weapon. Both were the weapons he had forged inside the Heart Calming Spring. He looked at Mayor Liu and said, "Thank you for your help, Mayor. As I promised, I will pay a price for this favor. These garbage profound weapons only have about sixty golden stripes each. If you don't mind, you can have them."
"..."
Two peak profound weapons were garbage weapons? Up until now, the mayor only had a single peak profound weapon for personal use. In fact, most Mountainseas were also stuck using profound weapons.
Only at the seventh-stage Mountainssea Realm and above would one stand a chance to obtain an earth weapon. Mayor Liu did not hesitate and accepted the gift politely. What a wealthy guy. Weaponsmiths were indeed different from those in the other professions.
The cost of forging a peak profound weapon wasn't even that high. It would only cost one about one or two thousand merit points to produce. But the price of a peak profound weapon was much higher than that.
Su Yu then looked at Master Chen and the other weaponsmiths, "Thank you, fellow daoists. Let us have a gathering tonight to talk about the dao of weaponsmithing. I'll leave early morning tomorrow."
He said with a regretful tone, "I initially planned to stay a few days here. I also wanted to make a second attempt at forging an earth weapon in the Heart Calming Spring. But...I really can't stay. There are too many people here. And some of them are bastards from Great Tang. They might have sent words back by now. I would be in great trouble if I waited until Old Cheng arrived. I need to leave as soon as possible."
Some of the people in the crowd looked incomparably awkward. They looked like they were caught thieving. Yes. Some of them had indeed sent words back to Great Tang.
This was an earth weaponsmith! Director Cheng should hurry up and catch this guy back, That way, Great Tang would gain an additional earth weaponsmith. That would make it easier for them to get better weapons in the future.
Master Chen and the others knew what was happening. They didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this.
"We'll have to thank you for this, Brother Cui."
Cui Lang had probably called for a discussion session to impart some of his experiences to them. He was a pseudo earth weaponsmith. His experience would be very helpful for them. This was a great favor. They naturally had to be grateful.
Su Yu smiled, "Don't worry about it. I did trouble all of you with this visit of mine. Brother Chen had also been very helpful by in getting the Heart Calming Spring closed for my private use."
He looked at Zhang He and said, "General Zhang, I will be staying the night here. Early morning tomorrow, we will need to take off. You should settle your business here. I suggest you get us two powerful and fast mounts for our journey. We need to move as fast as possible. Great Tang is quite far from here."
Zhang He also wanted to leave as soon as possible. He still needed to talk about the secret art with Cui Lang. He should learn the art and send Cui Lang away as soon as possible. Things would get troublesome if Director Cheng really managed to catch up with them.
"Sure. I'll start preparing. I'll see you early morning tomorrow."
"Thank you!" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
Su Yu left with the weaponsmiths. Even after his departure, sounds of discussion did not stop.
"Yet another earth weaponsmith is going to appear in the near future."
"Tell me about it. General Zhao is quite lucky. He provoked the wrong person, but that person was magnanimous enough to forgive him. Otherwise, people like Principal Niu, Director Cheng, or even Heavenly Forge King would have an issue with him. Tsk tsk, either of those people can make his life hell."
"He simply can't be bothered to escalate the matter as he urgently needs to leave. How enviable. The granddaughter of a ninth-stage Sunmoon wishes to be with him, but he's actually refusing to agree. If I were in the same position, I would rush to Great Tang and accept the arrangement even if I had to crawl there."
"And that's why he's a big shot while you're a nobody. If Master Cui manages to advance into a heaven weaponsmith...even the daughter of an Invincible-cough. Let's stop talking about this. In short, his status will increase further. Even Sunmoons might not be comparable."
"Heaven weaponsmith...sigh. How enviable. By the way, did anyone from Great Tang send words back? This could be quite an interesting show."
"Definitely. Look at Old Zhang over there. Look at that sneaky look on his face. He must have sent a message back earlier."
"Bullshit! I did not!"
"Pfft. I would have done the same. Just look at how generous he was. As long as you manage to get him captured, you might even have a chance to get him to forge a weapon for free in the future. That would be great."
"Yeah. If we had a proper excuse to get him captured, we would have done so long ago. How can Master Cui run from responsibility after sleeping with Director Cheng's granddaughter? He needs to be captured. That way, we could potentially look for him in Great Tang when we need weapons forged in the future. Weaponsmiths are getting harder and harder to find nowadays. At least with Cui Lang caught, he would be forced to stay in a fixed location."
"..."
They all started joking with each other, talking about Cui Lang's fate after being captured.
At the same time.
News of what happened spread rapidly.
Cui Lang had forged a weapon with seventy-two golden stripes in the Heart Calming Spring. He nearly succeeded in forging an earth weapon. Unfortunately, Zhang He of Great Jin ruined his attempt. However, he also confirmed that he would definitely succeed during his next attempt.
Instantly, Cui Lang's name spread far and wide. An earth weaponsmith at only thirty-five! That seemed even more amazing than Zhao Tianbing!
Great Ming.
Heart Paradise Island.
When Niu Baidao received the news, he glanced at "Su Yu" who was out taking a break from seclusion. After a long while, he grimaced and said, "Cui Lang managed to forge a weapon with seventy-two golden stripes. He's on the cusp of entering the earth grade. His name is now known throughout the Human Realm. He has recently broken through into the Cloudbreach Realm..."
The so-called Su Yu's mouth opened wide with shock. After a long while, he gave a hollow laugh and said, "Uhm, can I exit seclusion?"
"Nope."
Niu Baidao said with sympathy, "Don't worry. He will solve all the issues before he's done using your name. You will be fine. But...you're really famous now."
Cui Lang had a look of despair. Him? Earth grade? Fuck! He was only at the yellow grade! That bastard had elevated him by two grades! He would have to stay in hiding until Su Yu cleared the misunderstanding! Otherwise, he would be in big trouble.
At the same time.
Great Tang.
The prefect of Great Tang was personally visiting a large manor. His voice rang out, "Old Cheng, I'll have to trouble you to exit seclusion for a bit. You need to catch someone. That beloved grandson-in-law of yours is on the cusp of becoming an earth weaponsmith. Congratulations, Old Cheng."
A short while later, an old man appeared. With a frown, he said, "What are you talking about? Who's my grandson-in-law?"
"Cui Lang. He just forged a weapon with seventy-two golden stripes earlier in Great Jin. If someone hadn't interrupted the attempt, he would have succeeded in becoming an earth weaponsmith."
"Cui Lang?"
The old man muttered blankly. After a moment, he said, "Someone ruined his breakthrough?"
He immediately soared into the sky and roared furiously, "Audacious! Who dares to ruin the breakthrough of my beloved grandson-in-law? I'll cut him down!"
"..."
The prefect laughed heartily. Earlier, that old man looked like he wasn't about to acknowledge Cui Lang. But his attitude had changed completely after hearing about the breakthrough attempt.
"Hurry up, Old Cheng. Don't let him escape!"
"Don't worry." The old man instantly turned into a streak in the sky. "Precious grandson-in-law, this old man is here to seek justice for you!"
Chapter 831: On The Road (1)
Heart Calming City, Great Jin.
Inside Master Chen's manor, Su Yu and the other weaponsmiths were conversing amicably. While sharing his weaponsmithing experience, Su Yu also focused on the benefits of having stronger willpower.
After entering the third tier, his willpower had strengthened significantly. Several of his characters were also on the verge of advancement. But since there were too many outsiders present, he had not allowed his characters to break through. That might result in an exposure of his identity.
He was a fresh Cloudbreach, but his willpower was actually not weaker than middle-stage Cloudbreaches. He could have skipped far more levels if he had tempered his willpower more when he was a Skysoar.
Meanwhile, due to his constant tempering at the Mental Tempering Stage, he was able to reach the level of late-stage Skysoars right after breaking through.
With 180 apertures, there was no need for him to open more apertures. Thus, his growth in the Cloudbreach Realm would be significantly faster. He only needed to focus on strengthening his willpower.
At the next stage, he also needed to start worrying about the fusion of apertures for the Mountainsea Realm. It would be a good idea to form all the characters he needed before then. After all, the disassembly method was still ineffective for Mountainseas. If he entered the Mountainsea Realm before forming ninety-nine characters, his character technique would be ruined.
Up until now, he had only formed twenty-three characters. He was still quite far away from ninety-nine characters. He would have to stay in the Cloudbreach Realm until he achieved that goal if the disassembly method did not change. But he didn't mind that. Sure, his growth in the Cloudbreach Realm would be fast, but he could always learn from Chen Yong.
He would leave one final aperture unfused for each stage of the Mountainsea Realm and remain as a Cloudbreach. Since he had yet to produce an aperture fusion art, fusing apertures wouldn't be too easy either.
He only lacked seventy-six characters. He wasn't too desperate. If he had to, he could always focus on his physical cultivation for more strength. He had just completed his eleventh body forging. He still had a lot of room for growth before completing seventy-two body forgings.
While talking and laughing with the weaponsmiths, Su Yu suddenly thought about Zhang He. He did not know if Zhang He was a good or a bad man. But he didn't care about that. He did not regret killing Zhang He's son. But it was still better for him to keep Zhang He confused for now to avoid any unnecessary trouble.
As for the guilt he might feel getting the father of someone he killed escort him, well, guilt was something he would only feel after doing something wrong. Since he had done nothing wrong, he naturally wouldn't feel any guilt.
He was someone of a considerable status. And with Zhang He agreeing to escort him to the Allheaven Battlefield in front of so many people, Zhang He wouldn't do anything rash unless he was tired of living.
Su Yu had also been mentioning Cheng Mo repeatedly to serve as deterrence in case Zhang He wanted to do anything stupid. He was reminding Zhang He that Cheng Mo might appear at any time. It would be wise to not think of doing anything stupid. He thought of numerous things while conversing with the weaponsmiths.
Before they knew it, the sun started to rise.
Seeing that the sky was gradually turning bright, Master Chen reluctantly said, "Brother Cui, I guess this is farewell. You need to start your journey and you shouldn't let us delay you."
Master Chen laughed and said, "Director Chen would probably come after you right after hearing about what you did. We all believe that this is good for you, but you are indeed still very young. You're still unwilling to settle down for now. We understand that, so we won't be holding you back."
One would benefit greatly from establishing a relationship with a ninth-stage Sunmoon. As long as one wasn't a heaven weaponsmith, one's status would still be below that of a ninth-stage Sunmoon.
For example, Zhao Tianbing enjoyed a high status. But his status was not higher than a ninth-stage Sunmoon. That would only change upon advancement into the heaven grade.
Su Yu laughed, "In that case, I won't hesitate anymore. Farewell, everyone."
The weaponsmiths walked out the door with him. Outside, Zhang He was already waiting. A massive eagle was behind him. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on N()velFire.net
When he saw Su Yu, he wasted no time and handed a bundle over with a merit card. He said, "Master Cui, this is my compensation for my mistake yesterday. Take a look. If you think it's not enough..."
Su Yu placed both items into his storage ring without even checking. He said, "It's fine. I only care about the intent, not the actual items. There is no need to be too calculative about the items themselves."
He then hopped onto the back of the eagle. The eagle was a ninth-stage Skysoar, but it appeared extremely docile.
From the back of the eagle, Su Yu cupped his hands at the weaponsmiths and said, "Everyone, I will already be an earth weaponsmith the next time we meet. At that time, I hope to see some of you as earth weaponsmiths as well. Together, we will strengthen and grow the weaponsmithing faction."
"Have a pleasant journey." They all cupped their hands at him.
Su Yu said, "That's it, then. General Zhang, let's set off."
He lightly kicked the eagle and it soared into the sky rapidly before vanishing into the distance. Zhang He also vanished with a flicker. As a Sunmoon, he was much faster than the eagle. Sure, the eagle was comparable to some Cloudbreaches in speed, but that was still too slow for him.
In truth, he wanted to just carry Cui Lang to move faster, but he ultimately decided against that. After all, that was too disrespectful. He wouldn't do that unless it was Cui Lang's request. The weaponsmiths were left with complicated emotions.
"Brother Cui is going to enter the earth grade soon. I wonder if he will be able to forge a heaven weapon one day."
"He will become an earth weaponsmith in his thirties. But even if his cultivation continues to be smooth, he will still take at least a hundred years to reach the heaven grade. It won't be so easy."
"Yeah. That is too difficult. But there is still a lot of hope for him. Speaking of, Brother Cui had improved significantly after that forging session with Zhao Li. Tsk, tsk. The Zhao Family's weaponsmithing style is truly incredible. Cui Lang can be considered half a student of his. If we include Principal Zhao as well, there is no doubt that the fourth principal's line is filled with outstanding geniuses."
If the fourth principal had not died, he could have become the second heaven weaponsmith of humanity. What a pity.
They couldn't help but think of the six principals of Great Xia. Apart from Wan Tiansheng, the previous five principals were all outstanding heroes who had contributed greatly to humanity in their respective fields.
As for Wan Tiansheng, he seemed to have lived a calm and tranquil life for decades. He was so silent that one almost wondered if he really was the sixth principal.
At the same time.
Up in the sky, the eagle was moving rapidly. Su Yu looked at the scenery below him and couldn't help but agree that it was a lot more comfortable to travel on flying mounts. Both the suanni and mountaindrill bull were not considered flying mounts. The fire crow could be considered one, but that fellow was too weak so he was left with Chen Yong when Su Yu left.
The fire crow had most likely returned to Hong Tan's side since Chen Yong had left as well. Perhaps he had even returned to the same cage he stayed in previously. Su Yu wondered if that fellow had starved to death or something.
Beside the eagle, Zhang He was walking on thin air like he was taking a stroll at a park.
While moving alongside the eagle, he said, "We'll enter Great Zhou after leaving Great Jin. And after leaving Great Zhou, we'll reach Allheaven Prefecture. If we're fast enough, we can reach our destination in two days."
Su Yu nodded, "I know. I went to the Allheaven Prefecture and Allheaven Battlefield before. What a pity. I wanted to take a look at some divine and devil beauties, but I never got the opportunity. I was still too weak back then. I didn't have the courage to go anywhere near the frontlines, so I didn't get the chance to see any divines or devils. General Zhang, are there any interesting rumors in the Allheaven Battlefield recently?"
"Interesting rumors?"
Zhang He cursed inwardly. That was a battlefield. What was so interesting about that place?
But he still answered properly, "No. But there are signs that a big war is going to erupt. The various races are making some moves. The experts have yet to do anything, but those from the younger generation have been in a lot of battles. As a result, a lot of young geniuses managed to make a name for themselves.
"The latest generation is filled with geniuses and freaks. Some people are saying that this is a sign of a new era. A young genius from the first divine race has emerged recently. With 36 body forgings, 144 acupoints, and three source qi transformations, he was able to reach perfection in every stage of cultivation. He cultivates top-tier arts, and as a third-stage Cloudbreach, he has the strength of over 40,000 acupoints. Not long ago, he killed a Mountainsea alone.
"A fourth-stage Cloudbreach cultural researcher has also emerged from the original devil race. With 144 apertures, he has incredible combat strength and numerous powerful devilish techniques. Not long ago, he killed a Mountainsea with one move.
"As for the human race, Qin Fang of Great Qin, Huang Teng of Great Xia, and Tang Yue of Great Tang have also established their fame from their battles. They have all killed Mountainsea opponents as well, spreading their names far and wide.
"These few years have been the golden age for these young geniuses. The super experts have been holding back while these young geniuses have been showcasing their strength. This era is almost comparable to the era when Ye Batian was active."
Su Yu said, "Wow. Things are so lively there. How about Great Ming? Has any brother from Great Ming made a name for himself as well?"
"..."
Chapter 832: On The Road (2)
Zhang He laughed awkwardly. How should he answer that question?
After a long while, he coughed and said, "Yeah. Not long ago, Prince Zhu Hongwen of Great Ming went to the Allheaven Battlefield to inspect the Heavenly Dao Army. He is quite a strong individual."
Zhu Hongwen was the eldest grandson of Zhu Tiandao and the son of Zhu Guangshen. He was a Cloudbreach. Su Yu couldn't understand the connection between the act of inspecting the army and an incredible level of strength. He felt quite helpless. It would seem like Great Ming had not done anything impressive as of late.
Zhang He said, "Great Ming is not known for its military strength. Take you as an example, Master Cui. You will be an earth weaponsmith soon. You will be a lot more important than all those famous individuals."
Su Yu said, "I once dreamed of traveling the world with my sword and sweeping through all oppositions. To be honest, you rely on the respect of others as a weaponmith. If everyone decides to stop giving you respect, what can you even do about it?"
Zhang He said, "You're too modest, Master Cui. Your willpower is very powerful and robust. That hammer you used must belong to the Soul Expanding Art of the Zhao Family. That is actually a powerful soul technique. I reckon even a regular six-stage Cloudbreach won't be your match."
"Just address me by my name. Stop calling me master all the time. You're too polite, General Zhang."
Despite how polite the two were to each other, Su Yu knew that General Zhaang was still suspicious of him.
Su Yu said, "When you say regular Cloudbreach, it also depends on what manner of Cloudbreach that is. If you compare me against those with only a few dozen acupoints and nine body forgings, it's pointless. It is also pointless to compare me against those with one or two characters and unstable willpower."
Su Yu proudly said, "I might not have made my name through combat, but I am still the student of a Sunmoon. I received the finest education and training. If I can't even surpass those from the bottom of the society, what difference is there between me and a pile of garbage?"
Zhang He nodded, "True. Ma-well, allow me to impolite and address you as Brother Cui. You're right. Everyone has a different starting line. There is no comparing you and the common people. Sigh. My dead son was also a genius cultural researcher. He had a lot of characters. Alas..."
He sighed again.
Su Yu nodded, "I've never met your son before, but I did hear about him in Nanyuan. He was a genius. Brother Zhang, do you mind me asking one question?"
"Go ahead."
"Is there really a ruin in Nanyuan?" He asked, "Even if there is really a ruin there, it's within Great Xia's borders. Trying to snatch it from them is the same as dreaming. Why did you allow your son to go there?"
"I only wanted him to try his luck."
Zhang He shook his head, not willing to say more.
But Su Yu insisted on continuing on the same topic, "Trying his luck? That's not necessarily true, right? Brother Zhang, why don't you just be honest? At this point, it's useless to keep hiding things from me. Did you find something there?"
After a short pause, Su Yu added, "That might be the very reason why someone made a move against your son."
Zhang He's heart skipped a beat. He thought about it and said, "We really didn't find anything substantial, but we strongly believed that there might really be a ruin in Nanyuan. Firstly, Liu Wenyan went to Nanyuan after leaving the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. You know who Liu Wenyan is, right?"
"Secondly, Great Xia King once stayed there for many years as well. Thirdly, the rise of Su Yu. That is the strongest proof. Fourthly, apart from Nanyuan(South Origin), there are also Xiyuan(West Origin), Beiyuan (North Origin), and Dongyuan(East Origin) cities in the Human Realm. And the ruins had been found in all the other three cities previously. Also, it is worth noting that these places have been known by these names since ancient times."
Su Yu was stunned. He said, "I was really unaware of that. Nanyuan is located to the south of Great Xia, but it isn't really the southernmost region of the Human Realm. Great Ming is even further south than Nanyuan..."
Zhang He shook his head, "That's not the correct way of seeing it. According to the ancient humans, Nanyuan is the south pole of the central region. The area beyond Nanyuan is known as the Desolate South. Great Ming is actually located in the Desolate South. As for Beiyuan, it is located inside Great Zhou. A ruin was once found there. Do you know who was the person who had obtained that ruin?"
"Great Zhou King?"
"No. His younger brother."
Su Yu nodded in realization, "So it was him. So that was an Invincible ruin?"
"Yes."
Su Yu felt his horizons broadening. He said, "I see. No wonder everyone is giving Nanyuan so much attention."
Zhang He said, "Nobody dared to go there in the past since that is Xia Family's territory. Also, rumors about the ruins in Beiyuan, Dongyuan, and Xiyuan have only started spreading recently. In the past, the location each Invincible had broken through in had been kept secret. Now that the secret has been exposed, everyone is sure that there is definitely a ruin in Nanyuan."
Su Yu nodded, "No wonder. I have been wondering why so many people are rushing over like fools. So they are only doing that because they are confident there is a ruin there."
He shook his head and added, "The person spreading these rumors is most certainly harboring ill intentions. How is that person aware of the locations where three Invincibles had broken through in the past? That is most certainly someone powerful. Perhaps that's an enemy of Great Xia King?"
Zhang He said, "You're indeed smart. You are able to see through the whole thing immediately. That person is definitely harboring ill intentions. Everyone is clear on that."
"Can't anyone find out the source of the rumors?" Su Yu asked doubtfully, "Perhaps it's the same traitor Invincible? Don't look at me like that, Brother Zhang. That is no longer a secret. A lot of people in Great Ming are already aware of this. There is a traitor among the Invincibles. Great Han King himself had declared this traitor a parasite of humanity. So is this the work of the same person?"
"That...is perhaps true." Zhang He said, "But nobody knows the truth. According to the investigation, the first person to discover this information found it in some random library. That person is a very weak cultivator. After finding out about the connection between the four cities, he started spreading it everywhere."
"Where is he right now?"
"Dead."
"Dead?"
Zhang He nodded, "Yeah. You're not the only person to find this suspicious. After several interrogations, he died while his memories were being searched. He was too weak to withstand the search."
Su Yu curled his lips, "That's normal. If that Invincible is really so stupid, there would be a lot less trouble in the Human Realm. Brother Zhang, which Invincible do you think is the traitor?"
Zhang He solemnly said, "Do not guess. Do not talk about it. This topic is taboo to mention. The stronger someone is, the more careful you need to be when talking about them. Even the Invincibles won't talk about this rashly. It can easily escalate into something disastrous."
None of the Invincibles answered to each other. Thus, it wouldn't be easy for any of them to investigate the others. If it was so easy, the traitor would have been found long ago.
Su Yu said, "I understand. Everyone understands. Everyone is merely acting dumb. But I believe everyone has their own suspicions privately. For example, I have been suspecting several Invincibles as well. Naturally, I don't have the courage to say their names. I don't want to get into trouble, right?"
The two continued flying, not bothering to stop even when passing by cities. They wouldn't fly directly over these cities as that would only attract unnecessary trouble. Of course, this wasn't an issue when they were within Great Jin since one of them was a general of Great Jin, but they were not doing it anyway.
While they were moving, Su Yu taught General Zhang the Essence Stimulating Art.
Naturally, this wasn't something he learned from Niu Baidao.
Rather, he had obtained it from a race with incredible reproduction capabilities. That race was related to the fire hog race, but it wasn't classified as the same race. Instead, it was known as the mother hog race as it was a matriarchal society. Each female of this race was capable of giving birth once per month. Each time, about seven or eight offspring would be produced.
With this art, Zhang He might really be able to produce a bunch of offspring. Of course, his strength might drop slightly due to the excessive drain of essence.
Zhang He started studying the art right after receiving it. He was also constantly testing Su Yu indirectly while they were flying in the sky. As a Sunmoon, his suspicion wouldn't be removed so easily. And he had never stopped suspecting Cui Lang.
Su Yu did not seem to care. He had successfully convinced himself that he wasn't the killer. With the calm character, he would not panic regardless of what Zhang He asked.
During the travel, he was also openly nurturing his characters. He wasn't worried that Zhang He would get even more suspicious as this was a normal thing for cultural researchers to do.
Before long, it was the night of the 16th. The two finally left Great Jin and entered Great Zhou. After traveling across Great Zhou, they would reach the Allheaven Prefecture.
Great Zhou.
This was a prosperous prefecture. Even late at night, each city was brightly lit.
This place was also the holy land for all cultural researchers. It had a large number of cultural researchers of all types. Compared to Great Ming, the people here were much better at combat.
Here, earth weaponsmiths and earth pillmasters could be found. One could say that top-tier cultural researchers of all professions could be found here. For example, Zhao Tianbing, the renowned weaponsmith, resided in Great Zhou's capital, Luoqiu.
Zhang He appeared visibly relieved after entering Great Zhou. This was a powerful prefecture, so one could hardly encounter a strong cultist here. Then again, things were also much stricter here.
It hadn't even been long since they crossed the border when an alarm rang out in the air. Next, Su Yu sensed someone locking onto them.
Zhang He hurriedly clarified, "Zhang He of Great Jin Army is passing by your prefecture. We're on our way to the Allheaven Battlefield." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ N()velFire.net
After saying that, he took out a shiny seal and sent it over.
Before long, a voice rang out from thin air, "So it's General Zhang. Forgive me for being rude. General, who is the person beside you?"
Su Yu introduced himself with a smile, "Cui Lang of Great Ming. I am a weaponsmith heading to the Allheaven Battlefield under the order of Principal Niu from the Great Ming Cultural Research Academy."
"Do you have any proof of identity on you?"
"Of course." Su Yu took out a document from his storage ring and said, "I have the permit to enter the various prefectures as I love traveling so I'm always ready."
A strand of willpower stretched over and checked the document. The voice then rang out again, "Since both of you have been here before, I won't waste your time reciting the rules to you. In short, you must land when entering a city instead of flying over it."
Zhang He said, "That is only natural. We will actually be going around all the cities in our path."
Chapter 833: On The Road (3)
At this moment, Su Yu finally saw the person who had been speaking to him. A clump of cloud not far away was suddenly split apart, revealing a floating group of armored individuals inside the cloud.
A man in white robes could also be seen among the group. He was a cultural researcher and the person who had been speaking to them.
He added, "Also, remember that private battles are not allowed within Great Zhou. Some cultists have sneaked into Great Zhou as of late. Do be careful during your travels."
At that, his gaze turned unfriendly when he looked at Su Yu as he said, "This is all thanks to Su Yu and Great Ming."
Su Yu shrugged and said, "Don't look at me. I have never provoked Great Zhou. Senior, if you believe Su Yu is the one bringing trouble to you, just go look for him. Don't shift your anger to me. I'm a weaponsmith. A pseudo earth weaponsmith. I have friends in Great Zhou. Principal Zhao is my senior. You might be a Mountainsea, but you're not worthy of using that tone when speaking to me."
The smile on Su Yu's face vanished as he said, "I am only passing by Great Zhou. During my previous visit, the people here were just as arrogant. Back then, I was weak so I let it be. How dare you take that tone with me? It's not like I've ever offended you guys. Do you want me to complain about you to the Invincibles when I reach the Allheaven Battlefield?"
"..."
The Mountainsea was left completely speechless. He had merely spoken a short sentence, but this fellow had unleashed a string of threats at him. All these Great Ming bastards were the same! They loved telling on others! Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
He knew who this Cui Lang was. After all, rumors of what happened the day before had already reached Great Zhou. This was someone on the verge of becoming an earth weaponsmith. It was true that someone like this shouldn't be provoked easily.
With a slight frown, the Mountainsea said, "Cui Lang, nobody is making things hard for you. Nobody can deny that the nonsense Su Yu uttered has brought Great Zhou a lot of trouble. Things wouldn't have gotten so chaotic here if it wasn't for him."
Su Yu curled his lips and said, "Go look for him. Why are you saying this to me? I'm not even that close to him. We've only met once or twice. He's not even a citizen of Great Ming--cough, I guess you can consider him one of us now. Yeah, that's right. He's one of us. I can't have the prefect getting angry at me for saying this."
Zhang He acted as the peacemaker, "Both of you, please calm down. Don't get into an argument because of someone unrelated to either of you. Brother Cui, we still need to continue our journey. We can't afford to waste any time here. Aren't you afraid that Senior Cheng will catch up with us?"
Right after that was said, Su Yu grimaced. He said to the Mountainsea, "Brother, you need to stop Director Cheng of Great Tang when he arrives here. He's here to cause trouble. And he's a ninth-stage Sunmoon. Be careful and inspect him thoroughly before you let him through. I suspect he's coming to assassinate Principal Zhou. We'll be taking our leave. Good luck, guys."
After saying that, he sped off on the eagle.
The Mountainsea frowned. When the two were gone, he cursed, "What an arrogant person. Earth weaponsmith? But he's not even a proper earth weaponsmith yet."
A Mountainsea warrior beside him smiled and said, "He's a young Cloudbreach who is on the verge of becoming an earth weaponsmith. It is normal for him to feel proud. Old Liu, stop talking about Su Yu all the time. That will only attract unnecessary trouble for no reason. As for that fellow, just get some people to keep an eye on him. When Senior Cheng arrives, just expose the kid's whereabouts. Let's see if the kid can continue being so arrogant after he's captured by Great Tang."
They started laughing among themselves in amusement. After a while, the Mountainsea warrior said, "But we also need to be on alert since a ninth-stage Sunmoon is coming. We don't want any accidents to happen, right? Notify the general. We might not be enough to deal with this."
"True."
They hurriedly notified a Sunmoon. No matter what, they had to be cautious when dealing with a ninth-stage Sunmoon. Before long, a Sunmoon of Great Zhou arrived at their location.
They chatted about Cui Lang for a bit when the Sunmoon's face changed. He solemnly asked, "Is this Senior Cheng?"
The air warped as an old man appeared with a flicker. He smiled and said, "Little Sun, it's you? It has been years since we last met. How's your grandpa?"
"Cough, cough. Senior Cheng, my grandpa passed away some time ago."
"Ohh..."
The old man sighed and said, "Yet another old friend has departed. I haven't been paying attention to the affairs of the world. Alright, you guys can continue doing your job. I have something to do so I need to continue my journey."
"Cough, cough. Senior Cheng, are you here for Cui Lang?"
"No!" The old man denied, "I'm here for Zhang He. I heard he deliberately ruined the breakthrough of an earth weaponsmith. He needs to be punished heavily so that nobody will dare to do the same thing in the future. Do you know where he is?"
"..."
The others were left speechless. Zhang He was personally escorting the weaponsmith whose breakthrough he had ruined. Even Cui Lang himself did not seem to care, why was this old man so angry?
Not here for Cui Lang? Bullshit!
"Senior Cheng, they're going straight ahead in the direction of the Allheaven Prefecture."
The old man stroked his beard and said, "Allheaven Prefecture? Is that guy heading toward the Allheaven Battlefield? What's so good about that place? It's so dangerous. Isn't it suicide for a mere Cloudbreach to go there? He's not even one of those combat-focused cultural researchers."
After muttering to himself for a bit, the old man said, "I'll go punish Zhang He. Continue doing your job. It would be even better if you could tell those ahead of us to stop them. We can't give them the chance to run into the Allheaven Battlefield."
"Yes, we'll do as you wish, Senior Cheng."
The old man smiled before vanishing into thin air.
After the old man left, the Sunmoon commander exhaled and said, "He felt even stronger than before. He is one of the human Sunmoons with the highest potential to reach the Invincible Realm. The next time you encounter him, remember to be polite. Don't offend him for no reason."
The others nodded. Definitely. Even a ninth-stage Sunmoon with no hope of becoming an Invincible was not someone they could afford to offend.
The Sunmoon commander added, "I heard that a conflict nearly broke out between you with Cui Lang. Little Liu, don't run your mouth to anyone you see. Cui Lang is going to be an earth weaponsmith soon. Great Ming has a few other earth weaponsmiths, but they are all quite advanced in age. Great Tang only has a single earth weaponsmith. Neither of the two prefectures will be willing to let go of him. There is no benefit to offending Cui Lang. We have a decent number of earth weaponsmiths here in Great Zhou as well. Since you're a cultural researcher, you should know how united the weaponsmiths are. Be careful lest all the weaponsmiths decide to target you after learning about your conflict with Cui Lang."
The Mountainsea replied helplessly, "I really didn't target him. I know how weaponsmiths are. That fellow was incredibly arrogant. I only spoke a little about Su Yu, but he lost his temper right after that."
"This ends here." The Sunmoon did not want to harp on this topic. He solemnly said, "Things have been getting chaotic in Great Zhou as of late. In fact, the entire Human Realm is sinking into chaos. Be alert."
Hearing that reminder, all of them replied, "Yes, Sir!"
With nothing else to say, the Sunmoon left as well.
At the same time.
Zhang He suddenly said, "Brother Cui, I am suddenly feeling ill at ease. I fear that he's really on his way here."
Su Yu's expression changed. Holy shit! That fellow was really coming after him! If he was captured and brought to Great Tang, he might end up exposing his identity. Even if he could maintain his disguise, it would still be very troublesome.
"Brother Zhang, please speed up."
Su Yu leaped off the eagle and grabbed Zhang He's arm. He said, "Take me with you. Fly as fast as you can. If that old goat manages to take me to Great Tang, even my teacher might have a hard time rescuing me!"
"Alright."
Zhang He increased his speed. If they were caught, he would be in trouble as well.
The two figures vanished into thin air. Mere moments after, a different figure appeared with a flicker. After scanning his surroundings, the newcomer smiled, "They're quite fast. They must have noticed me."
He streaked forward while his voice reverberated outward, "Zhang He, stop. I will let you go after a beating if you give up now. Otherwise, consider the consequences."
At the same time.
Luoqiu, capital of Great Zhou.
Several pairs of eyes opened in both the prefect's residence and Great Zhou Cultural Research Academy. They all looked in the same direction. But soon after, they all shut their eyes again.
Inwardly, they were cursing. That shameless old bastard was really here. They were completely speechless. Was Great Tang so desperate for earth weaponsmiths? Wasn't it just a pseudo earth weaponsmith? Was there a need for that old man to personally make the journey?
Of course, they could say all that because they were in a comfortable position. Great Zhou did not lack earth weaponsmiths, so they could naturally say all that without caring about the desperation of others. Including Zhao Tianbing, they had five earth weaponsmiths. They had the highest number of earth weaponsmiths among all the prefectures in the Human Realm.
The only power capable of comparing against them in terms of numbers was Heavenly Forge King's faction. He had a few earth weaponsmiths under him as well.
Great Zhou Cultural Research Academy.
Zhou Polong muttered, "Cui Lang...Great Ming..."
First, Great Ming had obtained Su Yu. Then, a Cui Lang had emerged. This Cui Lang was relatively unknown before this. Zhao Li had always been stingy with his Soul Expanding Art. But according to the rumors, Cui Lang had actually learned it.
A short while later, someone knocked on his door and called out, "Teacher."
"Come in."
Shan Xiong walked in. With his head lowered, he said, "Teacher, I am almost fully recovered. I wish to enter the Allheaven Battlefield."
"Allheaven Battlefield?" After a short moment, Zhou Polong nodded, "So be it. Take care of yourself. I'll need to remind you that the Allheaven Battlefield will be no less dangerous for you than Su Yu. Think carefully before making this choice."
"Yes." After a slight hesitation, Shan Xiong asked, "Teacher, is my character really a fusion of multiple characters?"
"..."
Zhou Polong indifferently said, "Is that important? Don't let Su Yu's words confuse your mentality. If you can't keep your calm, chaos will fill your life."
"I understand."
Shan Xiong asked nothing else and left the room. Inside the room, Zhou Polong shook his head. It was not a good thing to lose one's calm. Perhaps this would be a good chance for Shan Xiong to further temper himself.
Then again, Su Yu was able to confuse even a relatively experienced person like Shan Xiong, what about those with less life experience? After a short while, Zhou Polong shut his eyes again.
There was no need for him to worry about every little thing. As for the matter involving Cheng Mo and Cui Lang, he couldn't be bothered to get involved in that mess.