Chapter 138: A Sweep of the Sleeve Clears the Jade Vault
In the northern frontier, at the Skeleton Mountain Market.
Inside a tall building located at the center of the market, Zhao Xuhe pushed open the meditation chamber and stepped out, all the youthful arrogance and recklessness of his past completely gone.
Time indeed was the best thing to temper a person.
Not to mention that back in Skeleton Mountain, after Zhao Xuhe took Lü Yang's place, he was also tricked by the True Person of Yinshan, who fished him and cut off thirty years of his merit and fortune.
Because of this, he had no choice but to enter seclusion for thirty years, just like Lü Yang did in the past.
After thirty years of bitter cultivation, Zhao Xuhe had long shed his former self and even mastered a great divine ability, becoming a cultivator with an official rank.
However, there was not a trace of joy on Zhao Xuhe's face, in fact, his expression was extremely ugly, because the moment he refined his physical body with the divine ability and gained an official position, he immediately noticed something was wrong with the memories that supposedly belonged to "True Person Panlong"—they did not fit with the rest of his memories!
"Is this really a past life?"
Zhao Xuhe’s expression turned heavy. "Or did some True Person do something to me back then? Just how much of my memory is true and how much is false?"
Just thinking about it made Zhao Xuhe feel chilled to the bone.
His first suspect immediately fell on the Peak Master of Mending Heaven Peak, after all, in his view, that inherently wicked old ghost had every motive.
"Previously, he kept trying to match me with his daughter."
"Obviously, what he valued was the Nine Transforming Dragon Art, not me as a person. I just don’t understand why he hasn’t come to see me much these past decades."
Thinking of this, Zhao Xuhe felt even more confused, unable to grasp the change in the Peak Master of Mending Heaven Peak’s attitude, as if there was another hand pushing things behind the scenes, but his current level was too low to see through it.
However, he soon pulled himself together, a look of ambition flashing in his eyes.
"No matter what, as long as I reach Foundation Establishment, everything will get better!"
"And to achieve Foundation Establishment, I must take the lead in this battle with the Divine Martial Sect, only then can I gain the favor and support of the stationed True Person."
At this moment, a streak of light suddenly flew over.
Seeing this, Zhao Xuhe immediately revealed an excited expression and hurried forward, saying, "Senior Brother Yuanchun, is there news from the Divine Martial Sect in the northern frontier?"
The light dispersed, revealing a heroic young man—it was Lu Yuanchun.
"It’s not news from the Divine Martial Sect."
With a solemn expression, Lu Yuanchun lowered his voice and said, "It’s news from Master, sent from the Saint Sect—a True Person has arrived in the Saint Sect, determined to wipe out the Divine Martial Sect completely!"
Zhao Xuhe was slightly startled upon hearing this. "Which True Person is it?"
"Unknown. It’s said to be a newly promoted one in recent years, possessing great divine abilities and an impressive background. It was Uncle Master Chong Guang who pushed him into position against all objections."
"This mission to eliminate the Divine Martial Sect is being led by that True Person, who will oversee the overall situation, assisted by three other True Persons of the Saint Sect. It’s said they have already set off, and at the speed of a True Person, they could arrive at Skeleton Mountain within a day or two. We absolutely cannot let the disciples of the Divine Martial Sect continue surrounding the market!"
At this point, both of them showed troubled expressions.
This was because the recent days in Skeleton Mountain Market had not been easy.
About three to five years ago, a true disciple of the Divine Martial Sect led his followers to surround the entire market, forcing them to rely on defensive formations to protect themselves.
However, Zhao Xuhe quickly showed a look of excitement. "Senior Brother, rest assured, I have already mastered a great divine ability and can surely face that person again."
Before Zhao Xuhe could finish speaking, a loud boom suddenly sounded outside the market.
Boom!
In an instant, the entire market shook, and Zhao Xuhe and Lu Yuanchun quickly appeared to investigate, only to see outside the market, a heroic young man standing proudly with a spear.
The young man looked down at the market, his gaze sharp, and laughed loudly, "So these are the disciples of the Primordial Saint Sect? They don’t look like much, just a bunch of little turtles hiding in a shell. If you have the guts, come out. I’ll even let you have one hand!"
"...Ouyang Haoze!"
Zhao Xuhe clenched his teeth tightly. This true disciple of the Divine Martial Sect was not very formidable a few years ago, but recently he seemed to have mastered a great divine ability of the Divine Martial Sect.
With this, the gap between them had widened instantly.
If not for this, the market would not have been surrounded for three to five years. If the True Persons of the Saint Sect saw this, how could they not blame them for their incompetence?
If word got out, people would think the Divine Martial Sect was forcing the Saint Sect into retreat!
Thinking of this, Zhao Xuhe immediately stood up. "Senior Brother, please back me up. I will go and confront Ouyang Haoze to break this siege at all costs."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Xuhe froze, because Lu Yuanchun suddenly revealed a horrified expression, as if he had seen a ghost. His teeth chattered, and his wide-open eyes stared fixedly behind Zhao Xuhe. Centered on the two of them, there were only three breathing sounds left around.
Hm? Three?
"Quite ambitious."
A voice with a chuckle came from behind, making Zhao Xuhe’s hair stand on end. He finally turned his stiff body around with great effort and saw the newcomer.
It was a handsome young man.
He wore a Daoist robe, with a round glow on his forehead. At first glance, he seemed quite ordinary, but when swept over with spiritual sense, there was nothing—like he did not exist at all!
"Disciple greets the True Person!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Zhao Xuhe directly fell to his knees and kowtowed heavily, while Lu Yuanchun had already knelt down even earlier.
"Rise."
Lü Yang smiled faintly, then glanced at Ouyang Haoze who was still shouting outside the market and said, "This place is noisy, let me quiet things down first."
With that, he raised his palm and made a pressing motion in the air, as if wiping something away.
At the same time, outside the market, Ouyang Haoze stood proudly, feeling extremely satisfied, thinking that the Primordial Saint Sect’s reputation was undeserved and nothing impressive.
"The True Persons of the sect are still too conservative, too cowardly, always afraid of this and that. I really don’t know how they expect to make the Divine Martial Sect strong. Once I reach Foundation Establishment, I will surely sweep away the sect’s decay, march southward, and have a proper fight with the True Persons of the Primordial Saint Sect!"
Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew past.
At that moment, Ouyang Haoze still wore a smile on his face, letting the breeze blow through his body and soul, until he turned into a wisp of scattering dust.
Not only him, but all the disciples of the Divine Martial Sect behind him as well.
Without any warning or the slightest disturbance, they all turned into powder in the wind, vanishing in the blink of an eye as if they had never existed.
The world was instantly cleared.
However, in the next moment, an extremely furious voice exploded above the sky. "Bastard! A Foundation Establishment True Person dares to attack juniors?"
The voice roared like thunder, rumbling through the air.
At the same time, inside the market, Lü Yang laughed loudly. "You are mistaken, fellow Daoist."
"I am still young, not even eighty years old yet. Strictly speaking, I am much younger than your disciples. How can this be considered an attack on juniors?"
As his words fell, he activated his power and turned into a streak of light shooting toward the sky.
In a flash, a blazing sun rose among the clouds, with rolling blood energy burning half the sky crimson, revealing a burly man.
The man had thick, bristling beard and hair, a fierce face that looked more like a mortal military general than a cultivator or Daoist, and he even held a golden hammer in his hand, glaring angrily at Lü Yang. "You are already Foundation Establishment, beyond the mundane. Yet you strike at Qi Refining juniors—do you not feel it beneath your dignity?"
Lü Yang sneered. "In the Saint Sect, we generally call that efficiency."
Seeing Lü Yang’s attitude, the man immediately flared up in anger. "It seems the Primordial Saint Sect truly wishes to fight my Divine Martial Sect to the bitter end?"
"You are mistaken, fellow Daoist. Why would there be mutual destruction?"
Lü Yang shook his head, still smiling on the surface, but his eyes were cold and indifferent. "It is the Divine Martial Sect that seeks to shatter stone with an egg."