“Let’s go. We need to report everything about Sect Master Lu to the League Master. Power like that can’t come from a mere mortal—he must carry a Nobleman’s bloodline,” Zhong Yunxiu said, breaking his usual silence.
“Why can’t it!?” Zhang Wuya shot back, eyes blazing. “The path of martial arts is about pushing the human body to its limits, then shattering those limits through sheer will and training. The weak can rise to unimaginable heights—so why can’t the strong ascend even further?”
Guan Nian shook his head. “Even so, no ordinary cultivator could reach this level. Sect Master Lu’s strength is far too deep. Those Emissaries we once feared couldn’t last even a breath against him. I suspect he already stands on equal footing with the League Master. This isn’t something we can guess lightly. Come, let’s move.”
Zhang Wuya stamped the ground, face flushed with frustration. “You fools! Utter fools!” No matter how he replayed the battle in his mind, Lu Sheng’s techniques remained unmistakable—an overwhelming, purified expression of inner Qi and hardened physique. No Divine Weapon, no Devil Blade, no sorcery or demonic force. Only the purest, most orthodox form of martial mastery.
“I’ve got to bring this back to the league. Those old men will have their jaws on the floor—hahaha!” Zhang Wuya threw his head back in laughter, cheeks reddening with exhilaration. “This is the hope of the martial path! I knew it! There had to be someone like him—someone who could unify countless arts into one ultimate mastery!”
“Regardless, Sect Master Lu saved us. We must never reveal what happened here,” Guan Nian said, his gaze sweeping over Zhong Yunxiu and the others.
“Don’t worry, Brother. Not a word from us.”
“We owe Ashoka Manor a blood feud. No one here would dare leak anything.”
One by one, they nodded in firm agreement.
Guan Nian’s expression darkened. “And there’s still the matter of the traitor… We must report everything to the League Master and root out the likes of Zhang Peng.”
…………
Zhang Peng sprinted at full speed, the dark-green foliage on either side smearing into streaks as he tore through the forest. Morning sunlight filtered through the canopy in scattered beams, painting shifting patterns of gold across the woods. He panted heavily, his face flushed with excitement.
“You seem very happy?”
The calm voice drifted out from the trees beside him without warning.
Startled, Zhang Peng nearly collided with a low branch. He rolled across the grass, stumbling several steps before regaining his footing. “Who’s there!!?” he barked, eyes flicking nervously left and right.
A cluster of shrubs ahead rustled. Leaves parted, and two figures emerged.
The first was an elderly man with white hair, slender like a scholar. Perspiration dotted his brow, and his breaths came quick and uneven. He glanced around, then stepped aside to reveal the man behind him.
The second figure froze Zhang Peng’s blood.
“You… how did you catch up with me!?”
The man who stepped forward was Lu Sheng—the very same man who had separated from Guan Nian and Li Shunxi only moments earlier. He stood with his hands clasped behind him, studying Zhang Peng with mild curiosity.
“It so happens that this elder of my sect is skilled in tracking. You’re fast, but you left far too many traces. Following you wasn’t difficult.”
Cold sweat streamed down Zhang Peng’s back. He had seen Lu Sheng’s strength earlier when he lingered to watch from afar. He had never imagined witnessing such terror. This man was a primordial beast wearing human skin. Emissaries, mighty in others’ eyes, were crushed by him like ants. He was brutality and power embodied.
Though panic hammered at his ribs, Zhang Peng forced a smile onto his face.
“Sect Master Lu, why are you after me? If you’re looking for intelligence about Ashoka Manor, I—I do have some insider information, even if I’m just a small fry…”
Lu Sheng smiled faintly and gestured for Elder Chen to withdraw. Then, he began walking toward Zhang Peng with unhurried steps.
Lu Sheng’s steps were slow and measured, yet Zhang Peng didn’t dare move an inch. He had witnessed Lu Sheng’s speed—something he could never outrun. Standing still was the only gamble that might keep him alive.
Within seconds, Elder Chen disappeared into the trees, leaving the clearing silent except for the faint rustle of leaves. Only Lu Sheng and Zhang Peng remained.
“Why don’t you tell me what intelligence you have? If I’m satisfied, I might consider letting you go,” Lu Sheng said, stopping several meters away. His gaze held the detached curiosity one might reserve for a pet performing tricks.
Zhang Peng’s scalp tingled. He felt like an insect on the verge of being crushed. Cold sweat rolled down his cheeks, dripping from his chin and soaking into his clothes. He didn’t even dare lift a hand to wipe it away.
“I… I… I know… Ashoka Manor planted several agents inside the Martial League. I’m… I’m one of them!” His voice trembled uncontrollably. Terror wound itself around him like creeping vines, seizing his limbs, choking his breath, making even his words stutter.
“Oh? Tell me more,” Lu Sheng said, eyes brightening. Useful information meant leverage—leverage he could trade for more martial arts manuals from the Martial League.
Zhang Peng rattled off several names, none familiar to Lu Sheng.
Lu Sheng paced a slow circle around him. “That’s all?”
“I… I also know that Ashoka Manor promised me a Divine Weapon shard once this mission was over! I—”
“Divine Weapon shard?” Lu Sheng paused, his curiosity rising. “And what exactly is that?” He didn’t bother to hide the question.
“It’s… it’s what remains of a destroyed Divine Weapon. League Master Qin Wumian has a large piece lodged inside his body—that’s why his strength hasn’t declined. He’s been cultivating inner Qi all this time, searching for a way to integrate it properly… a method that doesn’t rely on the Ritual Offering!” Zhang Peng explained hurriedly. At the mention of Qin Wumian, a fleeting hint of shame passed through his eyes. He might have betrayed the Martial League, but his respect for the League Master remained untouched.
“I don’t dare hope for a large shard… just a tiny piece would be enough to keep my family’s bloodline from declining…” Zhang Peng muttered, head bowed. Though puzzled by Lu Sheng’s questions—this was basic knowledge, after all—he still spilled everything he knew.
“And then?” Lu Sheng pressed, his interest steadily rising.
Zhang Peng stared blankly for a moment, then clenched his teeth and shook his head.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBGmuDFq2p
“That’s all I know…”
BOOM!!
Without warning, a palm filled with deadly force smashed across his face.
Zhang Peng’s body lifted off the ground, hurled violently into a massive tree trunk. A sickening crack sounded as his spine gave way, and he collapsed onto the earth, limbs twisted, unable to rise.
“Cough—!”
Blood gushed from his mouth in a thick spray. His black membrane ruptured instantly under the strike, and the Bind-poisoned blood that drenched the grass caused it to shrivel at once.
Lu Sheng withdrew his hand, the earlier smile erased completely.
“Trash. I chased you all this way, and that’s all you can offer me?”
“Your… servant…” Zhang Peng struggled to force out the words, but the blow had shattered his tongue. His mouth flooded with blood, and the sounds he made were barely intelligible.
“Think again. Think carefully. I like hearing new things—different things,” Lu Sheng said, smiling once more. “Don’t disappoint me.” He stepped forward, each slow stride pushing Zhang Peng deeper into despair.
“I… I…” Terror warped Zhang Peng’s expression. As Lu Sheng’s deer-hide shoes came into view, his entire body trembled uncontrollably.
“Lu Sheng! Who gave you the guts!?”
A deep, thunderous voice erupted from behind him.
Momentarily caught off guard, Lu Sheng turned slowly, an eccentric smile curling onto his lips.
“Ah… and here I was wondering who it might be. So it’s the esteemed Lord Officiator.”
He gazed calmly into the forest’s depths. At some point, a figure had materialized there—a white-haired old man missing his left ear, glaring at him with a twisted, furious expression.
“If I hadn’t come myself out of concern, I’d never have guessed that you were the reason this ambush failed!” The Officiator’s voice boomed like a great bronze bell. He cut an imposing figure, gripping a heavy bronze staff. A pitch-black half-armor covered only his chest, etched with dragon motifs that shimmered silver beneath the morning sun.
“Whatever do you mean, Lord Officiator? Your humble subordinate was merely taking a stroll to pass the time,” Lu Sheng replied with an easy smile.
“Pass the time?” The Officiator’s gaze swept toward Zhang Peng, who hovered on the edge of death. His expression darkened. “I had suspected the Shangyang Family was obstructing us from the shadows. Never did I imagine it was you.”
He rotated the bronze staff slowly, then leveled its tip at Lu Sheng.
“My Violet Golden Dragon Staff hasn’t tasted battle in quite some time. Allow me to stretch its limbs—on you!” His muscles bulged, swelling beneath the armor. Fine white hair sprouted rapidly across his body, and he grew a size larger. Thick torrents of Qi roared to life around him, tearing through the surrounding vegetation and sending leaves spiraling into the sky.
“You misunderstand me, Lord Officiator. How have I gone against you? Your servant truly knows nothing,” Lu Sheng said lightly.
“Still pretending?” Clutching his staff with both hands, the Officiator’s white hair lengthened, cascading down to his waist. His eyes turned a vicious blood-red. He bent slightly at the waist, spinning the bronze staff until one end pointed to the earth and the other hovered beside his cheek.
“But it doesn’t matter anymore. Whether it was you or not…”
The staff’s earthward tip began glowing red-hot.
“Coiled Dragon—Ninth Secret!!” the Officiator roared.
The crimson glow intensified until it was almost blinding. Then—he slammed the staff into the ground.
BOOM!!
The soil split open as a colossal earthen dragon burst skyward, surging straight at Lu Sheng. Trees quivered, grass flattened under the shockwave.
Before Lu Sheng could fully react, the meter-tall dragon smashed into him.
BAM!!
A torrent of earth exploded upward, engulfing Lu Sheng in a violent cascade of soil.
In a blur of motion, the Officiator streaked after the rising earthen dragon like a phantom, bringing his bronze staff down onto its center.
BOOM!!!
The dragon burst apart instantly, its body disintegrating into a rain of earth and stone. As the debris scattered, a massive pair of greenish-gray hands emerged from within, gripping the bronze staff with crushing force. At the point of contact, white dust blasted outward, sweeping away the dirt and pulverized stone in a clean shockwave.
“Well, I’ve been sick of the sight of you for quite a while… Come then, let’s have a proper fight.”
Slowly, Lu Sheng’s immense figure stepped fully into view—his Yang Extreme Mode form towering nearly three meters tall. His grotesquely enlarged, savage physique no longer resembled anything human as he faced the Officiator head-on.
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