Immortal Path To Heaven

by Srtyi

"Master Ouyang, please smith a divine weapon for me!" "Master Ouyang, you're the only person who can forge a weapon with seven attributes. Please make my dream come true!" "Master Ouyang, could you..." "Ouyang my *ss! My surname is Ou!" Ou Yangming was an orphan who was adopted by a reputable old blacksmith from a military camp. After working as a helper under the old man for years

4. 97

Read Immortal Path to Heaven - Chapter 97 - Take Revenge And Redress Hatred online free - Light Novel Full

Chapter 97 Take Revenge And Redress Hatred

Zhang Yinli paced slowly in the forest. His current appearance was totally different from when he first entered the forest.

There was a beard on his face, and he looked so unkempt that he was somewhat similar to a beggar. If Zhang Yinfan was here at the moment, he would definitely not recognize that the man was his dignified elder brother.

Nonetheless, even though Zhang Yinli had ended up in such a state, he had no intention to give up at all.

Those who were able to become powerhouses were not simple figures, and Zhang Yinli was no exception. Since he was not at his wit's end yet, he was naturally not going to admit defeat.

He quietly counted his steps, and calculated the time since he was last attacked.

According to his past experiences, Ou Yangming should be lying in ambush ahead.

Zhang Yinli kept a straight face. Though his body seemed like it was not ready for a battle, he was actually well-prepared with a contingency.

While Ou Yangming's several attacks had allowed him to improve his strength quickly, he had given Zhang Yinli a chance as well.

Zhang Yinli had been pondering each time for a way to force Ou Yangming to stay. After exchanging many blows, he finally had an idea.

He looked like he had already prepared a trap at the moment, and was waiting for his prey to take the bait.

However, after entering the area ahead with full confidence for half an hour, Zhang Yinli's face finally changed as his confidence crumbled.

This was because he realized that Ou Yangming did not sneak an attack on him as before, and had really disappeared. Ou Yangming was nowhere to be found.

Various thoughts crossed Zhang Yinli's mind right away, and his forehead was covered in beads of sweat.

'Did Ou Yangming take advantage of me getting used to the regularity of our battles by secretly escaping out of the dense forest? Or was he so unlucky that he entered a powerful spirit beast's territory when he escaped through the Blood Light Art, and ended up getting eaten by the beast?

'It's fine if it's the latter, but if it's the former…'

Zhang Yinli was in a terrible mood. He carefully studied the different traces in front of him as he wanted to find Ou Yangming's track.

He vaguely identified Ou Yangming's path through some small details, so he quickly sped up to hurry in that direction.

After walking for an unknown period of time, Zhang Yinli suddenly stopped. His body tensed up as he looked at his surroundings because he faintly sensed a formidable aura that was locked on him.

He slowly straightened his body and said coldly, "Ou Yangming, are you not going to come out?"

Zhang Yinli was somewhat at ease once he sensed the aura because he recognized that it belonged to Ou Yangming. It turned out that the young fellow neither suffered misfortune nor escaped; he was waiting for him here.

Following that, a figure walked out from behind a big tree. It was the Ou Yangming that Zhang Yinli was familiar with.

Ou Yangming did not look much better than Zhang Yinli as he looked battered as well. That said, their eyes were still radiant, as though the suffering throughout the seven days had not consumed their willpower, but sharpened it instead

Zhang Yinli came to a sudden realization when he noticed the look in Ou Yangming's eyes, so he asked, "Are you… Not planning to escape anymore?"

Ou Yangming answered proudly, "Escape? Heh, I've waited too long for this day!"

Zhang Yinli responded sternly, "Okay, if that's the case, let's fight till one of us dies!"

A Yang Grade powerhouse actually told a Force Grade martial artist that they would fight till one of them died. If this actually happened during a normal situation, they would definitely be laughed at.

Nevertheless, at this moment, whether it was the person who said it or the person opposite him, they both had a grave expression on their face and did not treat it as a joke at all. This was because they had exchanged dozens of blows over the course of seven days. Through the frequent battles, they had recognized each other's strong combat power, as well as the resolution to never give up.

They both knew that the person opposite them was the strongest opponent they had met in their lives thus far.

Both of them needed to get past this stage to continue living their life.

A flash of sword-light was seen as Zhang Yinli transformed into an intense light that zoomed out. If a person who was familiar with him were present at the moment, that person would surely make a shocking discovery that his power, speed, and attack angle seemed to be different from before.

In the past seven days, Ou Yangming was not the only one who underwent significant stimulation, Zhang Yinli had also benefited greatly.

Despite that, Zhang Yinli would have never believed before this that he could learn so many useful things from an unimportant Force Grade martial artist.

"Ding—"

When the saber and the sword clashed, essential Qi surged and gushed out of the urumi.

Ou Yangming would stagger each time this happened, but it was different this time. While his body fell backward, his feet were still rooted to the ground, they had not moved an inch.

Subsequently, saber-lights were seen flickering as he slashed at Zhang Yinli from different angles. Besides, the saber seemed to have come to life in Ou Yangming's hands as it could always find the weak point on the sword no matter how the urumi moved. Each attack was aimed at Zhang Yinli's arm, so Zhang Yinli could not perform his attacks well.

They were in a deadlock for some time before Zhang Yinli realized that he was stuck in a trap of his own devising.

As he roared, a sword-light as cold as snow attacked Ou Yangming regardless of the situation.

Each time he performed this technique that would cause both sides to perish together, Ou Yangming was forced to back away.

However, Ou Yangming showed no impression of weakness this time. His saber-light turned into a sea, wave after wave of tides surged to block Zhang Yinli's sword intent.

Zhang Yinli flew backward and leaned his back against a big tree. His eyes were filled with shock and despair.

"Yin Grade… Martial artist!" He uttered slowly.

After all, Ou Yangming was someone who had fathomed the integration of Heaven and man. Therefore, if he was given 4 taels of power, he could seize the opportunity to move 500 kilograms of weight. His Force Grade cultivation base was nothing close to 4 taels of power when he first went against Zhang Yinli.

After advancing to Yin Grade, Ou Yangming's essential Qi changed wonderfully.

His essential Qi that carried a soft Yin property was more than ten times better in quality than the Essential Qi Light. In particular, its resisting ability could not be compared with its past state anymore.

By relying on the Yin Grade essential Qi, Ou Yangming finally officially possessed 4 taels of power.

Although Zhang Yinli's attack was still mighty, as long as Ou Yangming could defend against it once, he could disintegrate the second and the third by using Heaven and Earth's power.

This was the wonderful effect of the integration of Heaven and man. Countless powerhouses greatly desired this, but had never achieved it.

"That's right, Yin Grade essential Qi." The saber-light in Ou Yangming's hand flashed as he showed a look of contempt. "Without the pressure from you, I had no idea how long it would take for me to break through. Hehe, speaking of which, I should really thank you!"

Zhang Yinli's face turned cold, and he did not know what to feel.

He had been giving Ou Yangming enormous pressure when he hunted him down, but had not expected the fellow to utilize said pressure to become stronger. Just when Zhang Yinli thought he had benefited from this process, the young fellow had actually advanced to Yin Grade.

Zhang Yinli forced himself to suppress the fear and sneered. "You've just broken through to Yin Grade, are you going to fight me already?"

"Fight you? You're wrong, I didn't lure you here to fight you, instead…" Ou Yangming laughed out loud, and eventually spoke in a fierce and chilly manner, "I'm going to kill

you!"

Following that, he leaped up high, and seemed to have turned into a giant blade that slashed down.

Zhang Yinli raised his eyebrows but was secretly happy. 'Ou Yangming must've lost his mind after advancing to a high grade, how dare he fight force with force against me?'

He quickly channeled his essential Qi to the tip of his sword before he attacked.

The young fellow was too threatening, so Zhang Yinli was determined not to let him get away anymore.

Nonetheless, Zhang Yinli suddenly realized after stabbing with his sword that he had missed. Ou Yangming, who had jumped high into the air, had disappeared.

'Where did the young fella go?'

This was the first thought that crossed Zhang Yinli's mind.

Afterward, he felt a painful sensation on his arm. When he lowered his head to look, he noticed his right hand, which was holding the treasure sword, had been slashed from the elbow, and fell to the ground. A substantial amount of blood splattered out of where his arm was chopped off.

The immense pain was finally registered in Zhang Yinli's mind, and he shrieked painfully as a result.

Next, Ou Yangming flashed out again, and a blood light was seen on his body for a split second.

The Blood Flight Art.

After advancing to Yin Grade, Ou Yangming's greatest gain was not the change in his essential Qi, but he was finally able to have perfect control over the Blood Flight Art.

Though plenty of Qi and blood was still required for the art, once he was able to fully control it, the might that could be unleashed rose to a greater and an unbelievable height.

The fact that Ou Yangming had grasped the Blood Flight Art and could perform the integration of Heaven and man in his blood technique allowed him to produce the miraculous effect in an instant.

"This slash is for Jiang Chengwei!" Ou Yangming said coldly to Zhang Yinli, who groaned in pain.

Zhang Yinli stopped to glare at Ou Yangming hatefully, then lowered his body to escape without any hesitation.

Nevertheless, Ou Yangming scoffed, and the blood light appeared again.

"This slash is for Lin Chao!"

"This slash it for Little Shan!"

"This slash is for my first brother in the military!"

"This slash is for my second brother in the military!"

"My brothers in Heaven, look, I've taken revenge for you!"

Blood filled the air, and flashes of saber-lights were seen. Zhang Yinli's head flew to the sky, then fell to the ground amidst the blood.

His eyes were left widened, making it clear that he had not died in peace.

That being said, nobody knew that, other than pain and fear, those eyes were actually filled with regret too.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 98 Reaping Spoils Of The Battle

Ou Yangming's body swayed slightly. After killing Zhang Yinli with the final slash, he seemed to be dispirited as his body was on the verge of collapsing. He held his forehead while slowly squatting down, and grimaced in pain because his temples were somewhat hurting, as though something was going to emerge from it. Of course, no signs could be seen if one only looked at his outer appearance.

Ou Yangming knew that he was feeling this because he had overused his mental power.

He had 20 points of mental power, which was much more than his other attributes. This was why he could smith explosive arrows, achieve the state of the integration of Heaven and man, and control the power during the Blood Flights.

Nonetheless, there was a price to pay for using his mental power. In particular, the mental power consumed during the Blood Flight was not at all lesser than what was needed to perform appraisal art. If Ou Yangming wanted to control the skill while moving at the speed of light, greater mental power was required.

Throughout the pursuit and flight of these past few days, though they both took breaks in between, the short periods were insufficient for Ou Yangming to restore his mental power to peak condition.

Therefore, when he insisted on killing Zhang Yinli after just arriving at Yin Grade, there was a mental power backlash.

After sitting quietly for some time, the splitting headache slowly went away. That said, Ou Yangming felt extremely sleepy, and wanted very badly to sleep for three days and three nights. Nevertheless, he knew that he would likely become a wild beast's meal if he did that, and would never wake up anymore.

Hence, Ou Yangming inhaled deeply to circulate an ice-cold gas between his nasal cavity, his thorax, and his stomach. He did that to squeeze every ounce of energy from his body.

At this moment, Ou Yangming missed the fearsome yet powerful half-spirit beast very much.

The Devouring attribute was extremely effective, but he realized that the ability could only be used to replenish his Qi, blood, and energy. A wild beast's flesh and blood could not be used to recover his mental power.

Ou Yangming could only recover his mental power if he absorbed energy from a half-spirit beast's flesh and blood, it could even be improved. Needless to say, if a half-spirit beast actually showed up right now, the first thing he would do was escape.

He was not mad enough to challenge a half-spirit beast on his own.

After curbing his thoughts, Ou Yangming forced himself to gather his energy. The Military Fire burned as he swung his wrist, and he attached the Devouring attribute onto his military saber once more. Ou Yangming had purposely cast the attribute aside when he exchanged blows with Zhang Yinli earlier because he wanted to preserve his head.

When he took the head and looked at the man's hideous face, he suddenly realized that he was not appalled at all, but in high spirits.

Ou Yangming was slightly moved. He recalled what Zhang Yinli had said, so he began searching his dead body for some time. Ou Yangming's eyes soon lit up because he found some things. Apart from some gold and silver notes, he discovered some treasures.

The most valuable one among them was probably the Fire-absorbing Badge.

This was the second Fire-absorbing Badge that Ou Yangming had seen. It was still in the same form, but he activated his Military Fire right away to absorb the Devouring attribute as he knew very well how terrifying the badge was. Once the badge lost the attribute, it turned into ashes and disappeared.

It seemed like the Fire-absorbing Badge only existed to store the Devouring attribute, thus once the ability disappeared, its body was gone too.

Other than the badge, Ou Yangming also found a robe and a pair of leather boots.

The robe was rather odd as it felt extremely tough, unlike normal robes. The sleeves, that were heavy and layered, would seem like two long whips if they were flapped. Unfortunately, due to the slashes from a military saber at the peak of High Grade, the robe was already ripped and could be considered worthless.

As for the leather boots, Ou Yangming was pretty shocked.

They were actually a rare piece of Good Grade equipment.

In actual fact, Ou Yangming had smithed countless pieces of equipment by now. He was starting to make little of High Grade Attribute Equipment, let alone those that were of Good Grade.

However, this was his first time stumbling upon a pair of leather boots.

As his Military Fire burned, the boot's attributes appeared in his head.

[Item: Outstanding leather boot (Red)]

(Equivalent Rank: Ordinary Tool, Good Grade, Rank Three]

[Attributes: Toughness 8, Agility 1] Overall, the leather boots had 2 points of Agility.

It was not impressive because it was similar to what his greaves contained, but these were leather boots, which were not included in a normal soldier's equipment set. If Ou Yangming could grasp the method to refine leather boots, would he not gain another type of equipment?

Despite that, Ou Yangming could not find the key to produce leather boots no matter how he studied the ones in his hands.

It was not strange at all because it was not easy for someone from a certain trade to comprehend something from a different trade. If he could actually grasp the technique by taking a few looks at the boots, he would be considered a deity instead of a human.

That being said, Ou Yangming could confirm after seeing the leather boots that the type of equipment existed in the world. Since that was the case, there was a place where boots were produced, and he could possibly learn the way they were made.

Apart from that, Zhang Yinli carried some small items too, but they did not catch Ou Yangming's attention.

Honestly, a Yang Grade powerhouse should not be carrying only these items. However, Zhang Yinli was attacking a Force Grade martial artist, and as smart as he was, he could not have expected to encounter a madman like Ou Yangming. Thus, he set out conveniently instead of being fully equipped.

Who knew, the person whom he had only treated like an ant or a clam turned out to be a hungry wolf.

In the end, he ended up worse off from trying to gain an advantage. Not only did he fail to capture Ou Yangming, but he also gave up his life.

Ou Yangming cleaned up the area, then pondered while sitting beside the corpse.

He had exposed many of his weaknesses and shortcomings throughout the battle, which was something he needed to fix.

While he had the experience of going deep into the dense forest, and had fought against many people, he had never really been in a life-or-death battle other than the time he went all out against Zhang Hanyu. Hence, when Zhang Yinli suddenly appeared and killed many soldiers at the speed of light, Ou Yangming actually panicked and was on the brink of falling apart.

It was true that his waist sash carried two unique skills, and he was extremely confident about escaping, which was why he returned to the scene instead of abandoning his horse to escape when the horse went crazy. That being said, Ou Yangming was actually hesitant back then.

If he had been decisive and fierce, perhaps the outcome would have been different, whether he fought bravely or decided to flee right away.

As for when his arms were broken by Zhang Yinli after he fell off the horse, it was his biggest mistake.

If Ou Yangming faced the attack steadily instead of being panicked, based on his magical state of the integration of Heaven and man, how could he have been injured by one kick?

It was the result of mercy from Zhang Yinli, who wanted to interrogate Ou Yangming to find out the Fire-absorbing Badge's whereabouts. If Zhang Yinli had thought about killing Ou Yangming from the start, Ou Yangming would have likely died without being given the chance to turn the tables.

At the end of the day, Ou Yangming concluded that he lacked combat experience, which caused a series of mistakes. He could not help but feel guilty and ashamed after thinking about it carefully.

Nonetheless, nobody knew everything the moment they were born. Wisdom came from experience.

Ou Yangming learned his lesson from the unforeseen event. If something similar occurred in the future, he would definitely face it differently.

His eyes twitched a little as he suddenly heard soft voices coming from a bush.

He had not buried Zhang Yinli's corpse after killing him, and had not transformed the man's flesh and blood into Qi and blood for his own use.

Transforming a human's flesh and blood? It was actually something unacceptable to Ou Yangming. Unless he came across a special situation like the one with Zhang Hanyu, he would rather spend his energy on killing ferocious beasts as he was unwilling to regain Qi and blood by using the flesh and blood of his kind.

Since Ou Yangming had not really dealt with the corpse, the bloody smell from it spread and attracted other wild beasts. It was actually Ou Yangming's goal. When his Military Fire burned, the Devouring 1 attribute in his military saber increased to 2.

At that moment, a forest leopard jumped out from a bush. It had a beautiful and fit physique, and its body was fully extended when it pounced on Ou Yangming.

Even though it was actually drawn here because of the corpse's blood, it was natural for it to first take out the human that was alive.

Nevertheless, the forest leopard in mid-air suddenly realized that its target disappeared. The seemingly weary human that was sitting on the ground had strangely vanished from its sight.

Before the leopard figured out what was going on, its belly hurt, and it instantly lost consciousness.

Seeing as the forest leopard's blood and flesh quickly transformed into energy and disappeared, Ou Yangming's face changed. The effect of Devouring 2 was much stronger than when it was only 1.

This was not only reflected in the devouring speed, but most importantly, Ou Yangming also sensed that he recovered more Qi and blood than he had imagined. In other words, the conversion rate had increased. The original 10% energy conversion from blood and flesh had increased to 15% or even 20%.

Though the increase was not much, it was great news for Ou Yangming.

This meant that he would need to absorb a smaller amount of flesh and blood in the future.

When he inspected his military saber carefully, he exclaimed at the Devouring attribute's feature.

Normally, other than a piece of embedded equipment, a piece of High Grade equipment could store only 4 points of Unique Attributes at most, but the Devouring attribute was clearly not included. Even when Ou Yangming's military saber possessed 2 points of Devouring attributes, it was not a burden at all, as though the attribute could be layered without a limit.

Ou Yangming shook his head and continued waiting for prey. He killed every animal that came, replenished his Qi and blood until they were abundant again, then finally left with Zhang Yinli's head.

As for the corpse, there were many creatures in the dense forest that would deal with it for him.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 99 Three Generals Gather

Outside the dense forest, Fang Yihai and Chen Yifan looked gloomy. They had been waiting here for seven days.

After they gave the order that Ou Yangming must be brought back, dead or alive, the South Camp and the West Camp began their most intense military operation. Firstly, the scene was investigated, and a reliable conclusion was drawn by the professionals, who had carried out a detailed examination.

However, the conclusion made the generals angrier and more worried.

All of a sudden, the sound of a galloping horse was heard. When the generals turned to look, they noticed a big flag with the word "Deng" on it.

They knew right away that Commanding General Deng Zhicai from the Middle Camp had arrived.

Although the three of them were commanding generals in the military camp, the Middle Camp's commanding general was generally acknowledged as the first commander.

Especially during military events, Fang Yihai and Chen Yifan dared not disrespect Deng Zhicai. Fang Yihai greeted the general, "General Deng, why have you come?"

Deng Zhicai waved his hand and sighed. "The two of you have been waiting here for seven days, and I heard that you'll personally enter the forest. Ah, other than you both, everyone from the East Camp[1] is also searching for Ou Yangming. Tell me, can I still sit by idly?".

Chen Yifan furrowed his eyebrows and commented, "The East Camp[2]? Why are they joining the action? Hmph, I still have a feeling that Tian Boguang is related to the attack this time!"

Deng Zhicai frowned and responded, "General Chen, General Tian would never do something so ruthless as killing a brother in the military."

Fang Yihai remarked after some hesitation, "Brother Chen, General Deng is right. Though there's conflict between you and Old Tian, I don't believe that he'd order someone to kill a brother in the military."

"I was just saying it out of anger, please don't laugh at me." Chen Yifan smiled embarrassedly.

The three generals were confused about the East Camp's[3] initiative because they did not know that Ni Yunhong and his younger sister were furious about the matter. In order to soothe the siblings, Tian Boguang had put in his utmost effort as he dared not be negligent.

Deng Zhicai later glanced around and said, "What's the outcome? Tell me about it."

"Okay, a conclusion was drawn according to the investigation of the scene," Fang Yihai replied to him with a nod, and had a grave expression on his face. "The person who attacked the soldiers is a powerful Yang Grade master, which is why he's able to kill them all in a short span of time, and none of them managed to escape."

"A Yang Grade powerhouse…" Deng Zhicai looked serious as he mumbled, "There are only a few Yang Grade powerhouses in our camp, have you looked into them?"

Fang Yihai nodded and answered, "I've looked into the Yang Grade powerhouses whom we're familiar with, but we've ruled them out as suspects."

"Oh? Could it be a passerby who's a Yang Grade powerhouse?" Deng Zhicai asked. If that was the case, perhaps the incident would be unresolved. After all, there were numerous powerhouses in the world, and nobody knew which Yang Grade powerhouse suddenly had the idea to pass by this area.

If Ou Yangming and the others encountered the Yang Grade powerhouse by accident and enraged him, which was why the person attacked, the generals would not be able to find anything no matter how detailed they looked into the matter.

Nonetheless, Fang Yihai shook his head and said, "It wasn't a chance encounter, the attacker intentionally ambushed them."

Deng Zhicai raised his eyebrows. "Keep going."

"We found out that the Yang Grade powerhouse didn't cover his tracks, and he obstructed the soldiers on the main path. After Lin Chao and the rest noticed him, he attacked with force and killed them. Then… He either pursued or brought Master Ou into the dense forest."

If Ou Yangming heard him at the moment, he would probably jump due to shock.

They actually deduced the basics by inspecting the scene. Their rich experience and accurate judgments were truly commendable.

Deng Zhicai pondered, then asked, "In your opinion, was the master captured or pursued?"

"Pursued," Fang Yihai answered with a deep voice, "An ordinary Force Grade martial artist wouldn't be able to escape from a Yang Grade martial artist, but I believe Master Ou is able to create miracles."

His response was completely unreasonable. What did believing in miracles mean? If a miracle could happen so easily, could it still be considered a miracle?

That said, after hearing Fang Yihai's reply, Deng Zhicai and Chen Yifan nodded subconsciously. They actually agreed with the unreliable statement.

Ou Yangming was indeed a genius who was good at creating miracles. Hence, it would not be surprising if he managed to use some tricks against a Yang Grade powerhouse.

If Ou Yangming knew how much the three generals trusted him, he would definitely curse the undependable fellows.

"General Deng, we also found a small situation from the inspection." Chen Yifan suddenly cleared his throat. He and Fang Yihai looked at each other, and his voice eventually sounded deeper.

Deng Zhicai was stunned, and he asked, "What situation?"

Chen Yifan answered slowly, "It seems like a soldier from the Middle Camp traveled with Master Ou too."

"What?" Deng Zhicai was surprised. "Aren't the South Camp soldiers the ones who escorted the master?"

Dang Yihai shook his head bitterly. "I did order them to take good care of Master Ou, but they can't disallow another brother in the military from joining halfway."

Deng Zhicai reacted to the situation very quickly. "Are you suspecting that a soldier from the Middle Camp colluded with an outsider?"

"We never thought so. The soldier is a staunch and upright person, so it's impossible that he colluded with an enemy from the outside." Chen Yifan shook his head, then continued after a pause. "According to our deduction, the soldier is probably a powerhouse in archery. After many failed attempts to stop the enemy, he actually held an explosive arrow and charged at the enemy. How can a righteous soldier like him be a traitor?"

Deng Zhicai's face changed, and he suddenly asked, "Are you talking about Jiang Chengwei?"

"Yes, it's Squad Leader Jiang," Chen Yifan said seriously.

Deng Zhicai's face took on a ghastly expression. He knew that Ou Yangming was attacked, but the two generals had already come to take charge of the situation. Thus, Deng Zhicai had to consider the generals' reputation although he wanted to follow the matter closely, or he would give an impression of having little trust in his partners. As such, Deng Zhicai even ordered his men not to inquire about the situation.

Only when the two camps, no, the three camps' efforts were to no avail after seven days, did Deng Zhicai get involved in the matter openly.

He did not expect to receive bad news.

According to Deng Zhicai's status, he would not attach importance to an ordinary squad leader. However, Jiang Chengwei was not only the squad leader of the Guards under his command, but was also the only squad leader who was an archer. Additionally, Jiang Chengwei had rendered praiseworthy services during the half-spirit beast's slaughter in the dense forest, so Deng Zhicai remembered him very well.

The fact that someone Deng Zhicai thought highly of had died an unexplainable death made him hate the attacker even more.

Deng Zhicai asked coldly after some thought, "You've investigated this matter for some time, did you manage to find out the Yang Grade master's identity?"

The other two generals looked at each other in embarrassment.

"General, this happened because of me, so I've asked someone from my clan to come." Fang Yihai could barely give a response. He added after pausing for a while, "Elder Xiaoxiao Sheng from my clan has come, and has entered the dense forest to track them. I believe that there'll be a result soon."

Deng Zhicai was moved. "Xiaoxiao Sheng? Could it be the Xiaoxiao Sheng who hunted and killed the Thirteen Thieves in the immense forest on his own?"

Fang Yihai responded proudly, "Who else is worthy of the name if not my clan's elder?"

"If he's assisting on this matter, I'm at ease," Deng Zhicai remarked.

Xiaoxiao Sheng from the Fang family had been famous for a long time. Nobody knew his real name as they only knew he was known as Xiaoxiao Sheng

The elder had an odd character, but was a top-notch Yang Grade powerhouse, and was said to have the ability to advance to Extreme Grade soon. The proudest battle in his life was when he pursued and killed the well-known Thirteen Thieves in the immense forest on his own; he killed every single one of them.

It was worth noting that there were five Yang Grade powerhouses among the Thirteen Thieves.

Therefore, Xiaoxiao Sheng was considered to be the Fang family's pillar, and would not easily make a move.

Since Xiaoxiao Sheng had come, it was obvious how sincere the Fang family was in wanting to help.

Chen Yifan cleared his throat and said, "General Deng, Xiaoxiao Sheng was actually the one who found Squad Leader Jiang Chengwei's head, and was the one who drew a conclusion from the inspection."

"Okay, if it's possible, please ask him to find out who that damn Yang Grade master is." Deng Zhicai nodded slowly, then said with a dark face, "No matter who he is, he must explain himself after killing warriors from our military camp!"

"Yes, a tooth for a tooth, and blood must be paid for with blood," Fang Yihai uttered without hesitation.

Unquestionably, Fang Yihai was the one among the three generals who hated the murderer the most.

The South Camp's Guards had lost the most men, Ou Yangming's status was still unknown, and his smithing plan was left stranded. Hence, he had immense hatred for the killer, but had no way to vent it.

Just as the three generals tried to guess the murderer's identity, a cheer was suddenly heard coming from afar.

Following that, a horse galloped swiftly in their direction, and the rider shouted even before he stopped, "Generals, we found him!"

The generals trembled for a moment. They knew he obviously meant that Ou Yangming was found.

Fang Yihai yelled, "Where is he? Is he alive or dead?"

The matter of life or death was the most important question at the moment. "General, he's still alive, and he killed…" The rider quickly replied to him.

Deng Zhicai and the other generals looked at each other and thought, 'What does that mean?'

When the rider caught his breath and finally calmed down, he said, "General, Master Ou is out, and he came out with the murderer's head!"

"What?"

Deng Zhicai and the two generals were puzzled. 'Isn't that murderer a Yang Grade master? Did we deduce everything wrongly?'

Yes.

[1] Author initially wrote the West Camp here, but it's clear from the next paragraph that it should be the East Camp because that's the camp under Tian Boguang's command. We've corrected it for the context

[2] Same mistake as above

[3] Again, author confusion L()/

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 100 Fell Asleep Because Of Exhaustion

Ou Yangming traveled quickly in the forest while carrying Zhang Yinli's head.

The head had been handled such that it did not really reek of blood anymore. While he traveled extremely quickly, he had not used the Blood Flight.

Although the Blood Flight moved at an unbelievable speed, there was still a huge limit to it.

It would be fine if one wanted to travel in a straight path in an open area, but without sufficient mental power to control the skill, one would be courting death by activating it in the dense forest.

Based on Ou Yangming's state at the moment, it was impossible for him to use his mental power anymore.

Besides, the Blood Flight required plenty of Qi and blood, and he had just replenished them after putting in a lot of effort, so how could he waste them just like that?

Nonetheless, even without the Blood Flight Art, Ou Yangming was able to move easily in the forest with help from the Vision 1 attribute. He retraced his steps to exit the forest, and would dodge in advance if a powerful ferocious beast was in his way. He would not kill innocent animals if he did not need to regain Qi and blood or if he was not hungry. After all, the wild beasts were living creatures, and he did not plan to kill every single one of them.

Needless to say, he was not going to be merciful if the wild beasts attacked him.

All of a sudden, Ou Yangming stopped running.

He vaguely noticed a figure in front, but the person was as fast as a ghost as he disappeared in a split second.

After learning his lesson from Zhang Yinli, Ou Yangming quickly calmed down.

He must not panic under any circumstance. Especially if the purple light in his mind was not activated and he was not in the state of the integration of Heaven and man, he must be cautious and composed.

Ou Yangming stopped steadily and pulled out his military saber to prepare for battle. His consciousness rose at the same time, so he would not be caught off guard or overreact no matter what happened next.

Of course, Ou Yangming was not in his best condition because he did not utilize his mental power this time. Even then, he had enough to face normal situations.

The other party was in a stalemate with Ou Yangming, and seemed to be more patient than him.

Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows a little as he did not want to let this go on anymore. Though he was still rich in Qi and blood, he was actually mentally exhausted.

If he was in a safe environment, he was certain that he would fall asleep right away.

Therefore, he did not have time for hide-and-seek.

Ou Yangming scoffed and took a step back, then suddenly ran in the path next to the person. Since the person did not want to reveal himself, Ou Yangming decided to avoid him as he did not want more trouble.

However, the figure appeared again after he ran for only a short distance.

This time, Ou Yangming could confirm that it was not a chance encounter; the figure had come for him.

Killing intent was seen in his eyes. He had already killed Zhang Yinli, thus he would not mind killing another person. As such, Ou Yangming suddenly changed his direction by pushing off with his toes from the big tree next to him. The military saber in his hands shone as he attacked the figure.

He had gathered all his power and controlled his surroundings to launch the attack. It was unexpected, and was enough to catch his opponent off guard.

Ou Yangming was confident about killing his enemy with one slash because he now had the strength of a Yin Grade powerhouse.

Nevertheless, a shout was heard suddenly. "Great blade technique!"

Following that, a flash was seen in front of Ou Yangming as the figure had pulled out his longsword to attack as well.

Ou Yangming could not help but laugh when he saw the quick attack from the sword. 'Are you contending your sword art with my blade technique? Zhang Yinli, a Yang Grade powerhouse, won't even dare to do it, how can you succeed?'

His military saber turned to change its path halfway, and actually clashed with the longsword in an agile and elegant manner. Ou Yangming had definitely gathered all his power for the attack, and the mighty power was vividly portrayed at that moment.

Despite that, he quickly realized that a massive rebound power came from his opponent's longsword. The power was so mighty that it was superior to Zhang Yinli's.

Ou Yangming's face changed, and he backed away at the speed of light by borrowing force, mentally cursing

'Is the Zhang family done yet! How could they send another Yang Grade powerhouse? Besides, this person seems to be more powerful than Zhang Yinli.'

If Ou Yangming was still full of energy, he would be fearless because he could control the Blood Flight Art using his mental power.

By utilizing the art's speed and the integration of Heaven and man, Ou Yangming would be confident about killing another Yang Grade powerhouse who was on par with Zhang Yinli. However, he had been exhausted of mental power, and did not know if there would be a residual effect from using the skill forcefully, so he dared not take the risk.

Ou Yangming stared at his opponent, and remembered the handsome face well.

If he encountered the person again another day, in a place where nobody else was around, he would definitely let him remember why the flowers were so red[1].

The person who stood opposite Ou Yangming was a middle-aged man that was holding a longsword and had an unrestrained bearing. That said, when Ou Yangming stared at him, he somehow felt chills on his neck.

He shook his head and curbed his thought as he expressed, "I'm Xiaoxiao Sheng from the Fang family, who are you?"

Ou Yangming stopped and looked at him dubiously. "I'm Ou Yangming. You say that you're from the Fang family, do you have proof?"

Xiaoxiao Sheng's eyes lit up. While he had somewhat guessed Ou Yangming's identity earlier, he was relieved when Ou Yangming revealed it.

After all, he was the Fang family's elder, hence he was also counting on Ou Yangming to refine the tools for their family.

If the young fellow was so unlucky to have died, the Fang family would once more feel troubled about the attachment of Unique Attributes.

"Hehe, you want proof? It's simple." The sharp-eyed Xiaoxiao Sheng instantly noticed that Ou Yangming did not trust him, so he said, "If you come with me and see your fellows from the military camp, will you believe me?"

Ou Yangming hesitated before he said, "Okay, please lead the way!" In actual fact, he had almost fully trusted the man, but before seeing anyone who was truly trustable, he could not let his guard down.

Xiaoxiao Sheng turned and led the way without saying anything else.

He knew that it would be hard for him to make Ou Yangming unsuspicious of him no matter how much he said, so it was best to prove with action.

Sure enough, Ou Yangming was more at ease after seeing Xiaoxiao Sheng's move. Though he was still alert, he obviously had more trust for Xiaoxiao Sheng than before.

Xiaoxiao Sheng did not travel too quickly at the beginning, but soon realized that Ou Yangming was able to follow him effortlessly. It seemed like speed was not worth mentioning at all to Ou Yangming. Therefore, Xiaoxiao Sheng slowly sped up, but Ou Yangming was still able to follow him closely, and did not seem like it was strenuous for him at all.

Xiaoxiao Sheng was astonished. That being said, instead of speeding up again, he maintained a speed that was considered difficult for normal Yin Grade martial artists.

Honestly, Ou Yangming was originally not slow at all, but had not achieved such a high level

yet.

Nonetheless, he had 4 points of Agility, and his consciousness was still split because he was still slightly wary of Xiaoxiao Sheng.

Under this state, Ou Yangming surroundings were very clear to him, and he was able to borrow force to travel. This was why he could easily keep up with Xiaoxiao Sheng.

Xiaoxiao Sheng suddenly slowed down after two hours and shouted, "Who's there, come

out!"

Ou Yangming was taken aback. He had not noticed anything even with the Vision 1 attribute on his helmet, so how did Xiaoxiao Sheng?

He instantly figured that the man was either exceptionally talented or also possessed a piece of Attribute Equipment that had an attribute similar to Vision. After some thought, Ou Yangming felt that the latter was more likely the case.

"Senior Xiaoxiao Sheng, it's me."

Ou Yangming instantly sighed a breath of relief because a familiar voice was heard. He was finally certain that these people were not other men sent by the Zhang family, but people who had come to look for him.

This was because the person who spoke was Captain Yu Hailiang from the South Camp's Guards.

Since he was the Guard's captain, he was surely the general's confidant, and a person like that would never be a traitor.

Captains were bound together with the generals for good or for ill, to the point that they would also be in a terrible state if the general whom they served fell. Moreover, the captains were imprinted with different marks from their respective generals, so it was nearly impossible for them to serve another person.

"Senior Xiaoxiao Sheng, why are you… Ah, Master Ou, is that you?" Yu Hailiang suddenly exclaimed halfway.

Although Ou Yangming looked battered at the moment, Yu Hailiang was able to recognize him.

The military camp spared no effort in finding Ou Yangming these past few days, and General Fang had been worried sick. Nevertheless, everyone suspected that Ou Yangming had possibly suffered a miserable fate.

Hence, Yu Hailiang was so delighted upon seeing Ou Yangming that the feeling simply could not be described in words.

'The general would be elated too if he finds out,' he thought. "Captain Yu, long time no see," Ou Yangming greeted with a chuckle, then expressed, "It's really great to see you!"

Yu Hailiang took a few steps forward, and was startled when he noticed what was carried on Ou Yangming's waist. "Master Ou, this is…"

Ou Yangming smirked and removed the head to tossed it over. "This is the culprit who ambushed and attacked us this time!"

There was killing intent in Yu Hailiang's eyes for a split second. Lin Chao was the squad leader under him, after all, so how could he not be furious about his unjust death?

Xiaoxiao Sheng suddenly asked, "Master Ou, who is this? Who was he killed?"

Yu Hailiang came to a sudden realization too. 'According to our deduction, the man is probably a Yang Grade powerhouse, but why is his head with Ou Yangming?

'Even though Master Ou is good at creating miracles, it doesn't seem quite possible that he's able to kill a Yang Grade powerhouse when he's only a Force Grade martial artist.

'Hmm, it's quite unlikely, isn't it?'

For some reason, Yu Hailiang became uncertain when he looked at the calm and steady Ou Yangming.

"This was Zhang Yinli, the older brother of Assistant Supervisor Zhang Yinfan from the Provision Camp," Ou Yangming answered slowly, then fixed his gaze on Yu Hailiang as he asked, "Captain Yu, can I trust you?"

"Yes!" Yu Hailiang answered without any hesitation.

Ou Yangming then nodded and said, "Okay, I'll leave everything to you!"

'Leave what to me?' Yu Hailiang was stunned and bewildered. Ou Yangming shut his eyes at the next instant, then his knees became weak as he suddenly fell.

Before Yu Haliang could react to it, Xiaoxiao Sheng caught Ou Yangming and put him down gently. "He fell asleep."

Yu Hailiang and the soldiers behind him looked at each other. They wondered when they looked at Ou Yangming, who was dead asleep and could not be woken up even if there was thunder, then looked at the head of the Yang Grade powerhouse.

'What exactly happened in these past seven days…

[1] This is a popular saying on the internet that's used as a taunt when someone is determined to defeat his or her opponent

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 101 In Your Dreams!

Three generals gathered in front of the dense forest. When they looked at the unconscious Ou Yangming on the stretcher, the anger that they felt was clearly shown on their faces.

They had heard the whole course of the incident from Yu Hailiang and also found out the identity of the Yang Grade powerhouse who killed the soldiers from the military.

Nonetheless, that was the exact reason the generals were drowned in the tidal surge of rage.

Zhang Yinli was the elder brother of Assistant Supervisor Zhang Yinfan from the Provision Camp and was also a well-known Yang Grade powerhouse. Besides, the man was also an official in the capital and was considered an important figure in every aspect.

That said, he sneaked into the military camp and decided to ambush Ou Yangming, so much so that he did not hesitate to kill the other soldiers.

Judging from his actions, did he even respect the generals at all?

The general would not be this furious if a passerby had committed those deeds instead, but a targeted attack meant that the man was simply slapping them in their faces, and he slapped them hard.

Fang Yihai chuckled and said, "General Deng, this incident was caused by me, so I'd like to kill the scum in the military to avenge our brothers' deaths. What do you think?"

Deng Zhicai asked with a dark face, "Does this head really belong to Zhang Yinli?"

Chen Yifan answered coldly, "This was definitely Zhang Yinli. I worked with him for a year in the past, so I won't be mistaken!"

"Alright!" Deng Zhicai nodded and said, "General Fang, do as you wish. If anything happens, I'll bear the responsibility with you!"

"General Fang, count me in!" Chen Yifan expressed in a cold manner.

"Okay, since I have your word, I feel assured." Fang Yihai laughed out loud. He turned around and waved, then led his men back to the military camp at the speed of light.

Deng Zhicai turned to ask, "General Chen, why did you tread on this muddy water too?"

Fang Yihai was the one who invited Ou Yangming, hence he was bound to bear the responsibility no matter what. As for Deng Zhicai, he was the Middle Camp's commanding general, so he would be too ashamed to hold his head up in the camp if he shrunk from this. However, Chen Yifan did not need to stick out for Ou Yangming at all. After all, the Zhang family was not to be messed with. Although they did not have a strong foundation in the prefecture, they were famous in the capital.

The Fang family's head was a formidable ancestor at the peak of Extreme Grade.

Chen Yifan smiled plainly. "General Deng, you may not know this, but I'm the one who taught Ou Yangming martial arts. Heh, we're not a master and a disciple, but there's some sort of relationship between us, so I can't just sit by idly if he's bullied, right?"

Deng Zhicai was stunned. He could not help but cast an unusual look at General Chen.

'Is he the one who taught Ou Yangming martial arts?'

"Oh? You taught Master Ou martial arts?" Xiaoxiao Sheng raised his eyebrows and asked in astonishment.

Chen Yifan answered proudly, "That's right!"

Xiaoxiao Sheng looked at Chen Yifan from head to toe, then furrowed his eyebrows when he recalled the few blows he had exchanged with Ou Yangming. "General Chen, how long have you taught him?"

Chen Yifan answered after some thought, "Around 3 to 5 months." "3 to 5 months?" Xiaoxiao Sheng widened his eyes and remarked, "General Chen, can you please not joke around?"

Chen Yifan was mad, but he dared not fall out with Xiaoxiao Sheng because the elder was prestigious and had a cultivation base at the peak of Yang Grade. Thus, the general responded, "What can I joke about?" Xiaoxiao Sheng could not help but laugh. "I've seen countless people in my life, but I've never heard of anyone who can advance to Yin Grade after cultivating martial arts for just 3 to 5 months."

"What Yin Grade?" Chen Yifan was stunned for a while, then he pointed at the sleeping Ou Yangming. "Are you saying that he has the cultivation base of Yin Grade?"

"That's right," Xiaoxiao Sheng replied. "Though there are some flaws in the way he uses essential Qi… Apart from the Yin Grade cultivation base, his techniques are quite odd

too."

He did not fight Ou Yangming for long but was able to sense in the short span of time that Ou Yangming's techniques were different from normal techniques. Nevertheless, he could not link it with the integration of Heaven and man.

"Impossible!" Chen Yifan shook his head and commented, "How can he have the cultivation base of Yin Grade? He should be in Force Grade Class Four!"

'The young fella has only battled Liu Zhengye a while ago, how did he suddenly advance to Yin Grade?'

Xiaoxiao Sheng pulled a long face and said, "I've exchanged a few blows with him, and I'm definitely right!"

Chen Yifan's face changed. 'Since it's Xiaoxiao Sheng who said it, he must be telling the truth, but how could a fella who didn't know the martial-art squat and hasn't cultivated martial arts for more than half a year break through to Yin Grade?'

Deng Zhicai suddenly asked after studying the men's expressions. "General Chen, what techniques did you teach him?"

Xiaoxiao Sheng pricked up his ears right away. If Ou Yangming's martial arts skills were really taught by Chen Yifan, the secret technique that could bring up a Yin Grade powerhouse seemed very attractive. Even though Xiaoxiao Sheng did not expect Chen Yifan to teach him the technique, it would be good to gain some experience from listening to it.

Chen Yifan's face twitched, and he forced a smile. "Hehe, I actually didn't teach him much…" "Not much means how much?" Deng Zhicai questioned and looked like he wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Cheng Yifan cleared his throat and answered, "The… Martial-art squat."

"What?" Xiaoxiao Sheng asked impatiently.

He cursed, 'If you say that you're not going to share it, nobody will force you to, but you look nothing like a man if you're stammering.' Chen Yifan blushed. "Didn't I answer already? Did you not hear me!"

"What did you say? What does the martial-art squat mean…" Xiaoxiao Sheng was furious. "Are you saying that you only taught him the martial-art squat?"

Deng Zhicai frowned too because he was disappointed in Chen Yifan. 'This fella usually carries out his tasks efficiently, why is he suddenly letting me down during a crucial moment?'

However, Chen Yifan giggled and put his hands behind his back to show that he no longer wanted to comment on this.

Xiaoxiao Sheng's eyebrows twitched as he was mad. He could not believe that he would be teased like that. If it was not because Chen Yifan was a general in the military, he would definitely slap him to show him what it meant to be at the peak of Yang Grade.

Deng Zhicai suddenly raised a question, "Brother Chen, you didn't really just teach him the martial-art squat, did you?"

Xiaoxiao Sheng glanced at him unhappily and thought, 'Even if you want to cover up for Chen Yifan, you shouldn't do it so obviously…'

That being said, just as he thought so, Chen Yifan nodded and responded, "That's right, I only taught him the martial-art squat!"

Deng Zhicai and Xiaoxiao Sheng looked at each other as they found it funny.

"Brother Chen, if you only taught him the martial-art squat, how dare you say that you taught him martial arts?" Xiaoxiao Sheng asked in disbelief.

Chen Yifan replied to him proudly, "The martial-art squad may be simple, but it's the foundation of all martial arts. Heh, I was the one who taught him the first martial arts foundation, and I planted his roots, so is it not considered my legacy!"

Deng Zhicai and Xiaoxiao Sheng exchanged glances again and cursed, 'You're twisting words and forcing logic, how shameless!'

"Other than that, someone from the West Camp also taught him some martial arts techniques," Chen Yifan added as he was embarrassed too, and he continued after a pause. "This is probably why Ou Yangming's skills have arrived at the state of the integration of Heaven and man."

"The integration of Heaven and man?!" Deng Zhicai and Xiaoxiao Sheng exclaimed.

Countless thoughts crossed their mind at that moment, and they eventually came to a sudden realization.

Deng Zhicai recalled Ou Yangming's stunning performance at the end of the smithing challenge that day. Although it was hard for someone with a certain profession to understand something from a different profession, Deng Zhicai was finally enlightened. 'So that's the integration of Heaven and man.'

On the other hand, Xiaoxiao Sheng recalled the strange feeling he had when he battled Ou Yangming earlier. They only exchanged a few blows, but he felt like his hands and legs were tied. He initially thought the feeling was a result of Ou Yangming's odd techniques, but it turned out to be the integration of Heaven and

man.

It would be hopeless to contend techniques with a powerhouse who had the state of such an integration. 'But how did Ou Yangming achieve the state?' Xiaoxiao Sheng wondered.

He inhaled deeply and said in all seriousness, "Brother Chen, which mighty being in your camp taught Master Ou the martial arts techniques? Can you please inform him that I'd like to pay him a visit?"

"Wow, Chen Yifan, there's actually a hidden talent in the camp. Hehe, is he an elder from the Chen family?" Deng Zhicai had a stern look on his face too. He quickly thought about every elder from the Chen family, but could not remember anyone who had achieved the integration of Heaven and man.

Chen Yifan smiled awkwardly. "You've misunderstood, it was an ordinary soldier who taught Ou Yangming those techniques. Uhm, the techniques taught aren't unparalleled techniques, they're the most basic fist art and blade technique in the military."

Deng Zhicai and Xiaoxiao Sheng suddenly held their breaths and looked at Chen Yifan hatefully. If it was not because of various concerns, they would have pressed down on Chen Yifan and beat him into a pig's head. After a long time, Deng Zhicai remarked, "I understand now. Master Ou is able to break through to Yin Grade and achieve the integration of Heaven and man because of opportunity and talent. It has nothing to do with you, not even a-single-thing!"

Chen Yifan panicked so he said, "How does it have nothing to do with me! Without the martial-art squat, the basic blade technique, and fist art, how could he have pursued the martial arts path?"

Deng Zhicai and Xiaoxiao Sheng rolled their eyes at the same time and turned a deaf ear to him.

'You only taught him the martial-art squat, the basic fist art, and blade technique. How can you claim credit for grooming an absolute genius who advanced to Yin Grade within half a year and even comprehended the integration of Heaven and man?

'How can there be such a good thing in the world? In your dreams!'

While the three of them were deep in their thought, hurried gallops were suddenly heard in the military camp.

Fang Yihai rode his horse into the camp and headed straight to the Provision Camp. His eyes burned with rage as he let out a deafening roar, "Zhang Yinfan, you damn murderer! Get your *ss out here now!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 102 Evil Is Rewarded With Evil

Fang Yihai's voice spread far and wide, and the entire military camp seemed to be alarmed.

If anyone else had the audacity to do so in the camp, countless people would share a common hatred for that person. Even if Xiaoxiao Sheng, a powerhouse at the peak of Yang Grade, had done the same, he would be besieged and would die of spite. Though he would certainly make many people his scapegoat before that, he would not be able to escape death.

However, the situation was completely different when Fang Yihai, who was usually known as General Thunder, personally appeared.

Nobody in the military camp would meddle in the case, let alone anyone in the Provision Camp.

In fact, many people gloated over Zhang Yinfan's misfortune as they cursed, 'That miser likes to embezzle the provisions from the camp. Look, you're bound to wet your shoes if you walk by the river for a long time. He really deserves bad luck this time to have embezzled the provisions for the South Camp that's led by Commanding General Fang Yihai.'

Supervisor Qu Jianming peeped from the Provision Camp but quickly shrunk. He would not be able to hide if Fang Yihai had looked for him directly, but since the general passed by him, why would he look for trouble?

It was true that Zhang Yinfan was Qu Jianming's subordinate, but it was not like he did not have his own standpoint. The fella has always opposed me in the Provision Camp. Now that he has offended a superior, it's impossible that I'll stick out for him.

Fang Yihai looked around the area for some time with his lightning eyes, then laughed maliciously and said, "If this rat dares not come out, drag him out. Yu Hailiang!"

"Here!"

"Get some men to search for him, and find him by hook or by crook!"

"Yes!" Yu Hailiang responded to him. When he waved his hand, the Guards behind him instantly stormed into the Provision Camp like ferocious tigers going down a mountain.

Qu Jianming's face changed, and he harbored strong resentment. 'How did Zhang Yinfan offend Fang Yihai? How dare he offend the general so much so that the general broke out in such an intense and thunderous wrath?'

Although he was displeased with Fang Yihai's actions, he dared not stop the general while the general was still furious, thus he secretly devised a plan to make a complaint to Deng Zhicai.

"We caught him alive!" A cheer was heard after a brief moment.

A few soldiers quickly brought a person out of the Provision Camp by force. They treated the man rudely by punching and kicking the man mercilessly along the way. Though they did not kill the man, by the time he arrived in front of Fang Yihai, his face was already swollen and bruised, and one of his teeth was beaten out of his mouth.

"General, when we found him, not only did he try to escape, but he also wanted to sneak an attack on us. We used more force on him to defend ourselves. General, please question him," Yu Hailiang reported loudly.

Zhang Yinfan, who cried bitterly on the ground while holding on to the aching parts on his body, quickly screamed as he was terrified, "Injustice! Injustice! I didn't escape, neither did I resist!"

In actual fact, Zhang Yinfan never thought to resist when the fierce and violent soldiers barged in earlier, let alone sneak an attack.

He had allowed himself to be seized, but the soldiers punched and kicked him aggressively as soon as they saw him, to the extent that he almost suffered internal injuries. Zhang Yinfan's body hurt terribly at the moment, and his voice was indistinct because of the missing front tooth.

Fang Yihai sneered and pretended to have not heard his explanation. "How bold and reckless you are to attack brothers of our own. Why are you still standing there!"

Yu Hailiang and the other soldiers were stunned at first, but they quickly understood what the general meant. They proceeded to beat up Zhang Yinfan, who ended up howling in grief on the ground and eventually had a husky voice.

Qu Jianming's face was ever-changing. He finally walked out and yelled as he could not take it any longer, "General Fang, please stop!"

Nonetheless, the South Camp soldiers turned a deaf ear to him as they continued to punch and kick ruthlessly.

Needless to say, they were particular with where they attacked Zhang Yinfan, by which they only inflicted pain on him instead of giving him fatal injuries.

Qu Jianming was red with anger. "General Fang, don't you think you're going overboard?"

Fang Yihai looked at him coldly and said, "Overboard? What do you mean?"

Qu Jianming expressed, "General Fang, even if Sir Zhang embezzled from the South Camp's provisions, it isn't an offense so serious that he should be punished like this, right?"

"Embezzled?" Fang Yihai's smile became grimmer as he suddenly said, "Boys, tell him what exactly this damn murderer did!"

Yu Hailiang stated out loud, "Zhang Yinfan colluded with his elder brother, Zhang Yinli, to attack Master Ou halfway through his journey. Ten brothers from the South Camp's Guards were killed, as well as a squad leader from the Middle Camp's Guards. We were ordered by General Deng to capture the culprit, and anyone who tries to stop us will be killed!"

"Wh-what?" Qu Jianming widened his eyes in disbelief. "He actually had the guts to do that…"

Zhang Yinfan, who was still crying in pain, had his eyes roll back and passed out as he was too frightened.

He initially thought the plan he had schemed with his elder brother was seamless, and nobody would notice that he was involved. Therefore, Zhang Yinfan still took his chances when Fang Yihai suddenly came with his men.

However, Fang Yihai exposed the matter and even called out his elder brother's name, so Zhang Yinfan instantly knew how it would end.

He was terrified out of his wits at the thought of the military's cruel tortures, hence he passed out right away.

Fang Yihai scoffed in disdain and said, "What a timid person. Guards, bring him away to interrogate him with torture, I'll make sure he no longer has secrets to hide!"

"Yes—"

Naturally, some South Camp soldiers went forward to drag Zhang Yinfan away. On the other hand, Qu Jianming's face was green and red, and he was so startled that he dared not utter a single word anymore.

The news of the assassination case being resolved soon spread to the entire camp and Zhang Yinfan was sentenced to death by the Middle Camp's commanding general.

Eleven soldiers-two of which were squad leaders—from the Guards of two camps had lost their lives, after all. If Deng Zhicai and Fang Yihai did not solve this matter in a way that their subordinates could vent their hatred, it would be difficult for them to lead soldiers in the future.

Ni Yunhong and his younger sister were surprised when they heard the unexpected news. Nevertheless, they had their guards up against the Zhang family in the capital. While they wanted to involve the others from the family in the case, they ended up with nothing definite.

Faintly, Ou Yangming woke up from being unconscious, he had already slept for three days.

That said, he was completely awake the moment he opened his eyes.

"Swoosh!" He sat up right away and realized by looking at his surroundings that he had returned to his room in the Armament Camp. Ou Yangming could not help but sigh a breath of relief. 'I'm glad I trusted the right person.'

In actuality, he was already like an arrow at the end of its flight when he ran the distance with Xiaoxiao Sheng.

Ou Yangming completely cast his worries aside when he saw Yu Hailiang, and his exhaustion gushed out like an unstoppable flood. He quickly raised the question to Yu Hailiang, but could actually not hold on any longer regardless of the captain's answer.

Even then, he was still somewhat concerned.

After all, Ou Yangming was invited by Fang Yihai from the South Camp but was attacked during the journey. Although ten brothers from the camp had fought and lost their lives, he was still slightly dubious, but it seemed like there was no need for him to worry anymore.

Ou Yangming sprung up from his bed, then saw the beautiful sunlight in his courtyard as soon as he pushed the door open.

When he focused on the view that was usually a very normal one to him, it seemed to be more obscure, and he felt that his mental state had improved.

Ou Yangming noticed by sensing the area between his eyebrows that his mental power had become more powerful.

Feeling moved, Ou Yangming rubbed his hands after noticing that nobody was around, then the Appraisal Light landed on his body.

(Race: Human)

(Equivalent Rank: Ordinary Human, Yin Grade Class One]

[Power: 6]

[Agility: 6]

[Physique: 6]

[Mental Power: 25]

[Skills: Military fist art, military blade technique, Military Fire Smithing Art, appraisal art, Precious Stone Embedding Art]

[State: Integration of Heaven and man]

Ou Yangming's eyebrows twitched as he reached his hand to his waist. Sure enough, the treasure that gave him Physique, the Blood Flight Art, and the Substitution Power was gone.

The most powerful attribute that Ou Yangming currently possessed was unquestionably the Devouring attribute from the Fire-absorbing Badge. Secondly, it was the waist sash that he had enhanced through a lot of effort.

Without the waist sash, almost half of his strength could not be exerted.

Nonetheless, putting aside the fact that Ou Yangming was not used to losing the waist sash, he was glad to find that his Power, Agility, and Physique attributes had 6 Points each after he entered Yin Grade. What surprised him more was his mental power even took a leap from 20 Points to 25 Points. The 5-points increment could not be treated lightly because it was equivalent to 25% of growth. Besides, if the points were actually implied on the other three basic attributes, it would mean that he could advance through five boundaries.

Ou Yangming somewhat figured that great improvement in his mental power was not wholly due to his recovery after overusing it.

The seven days in the dense forest, the danger when he was ambushed and attacked, the control he had over the Blood Flight Art in the end, as well as the joy and the perception after killing Zhang Yinli; everything added up was the real reason he could achieve 25 Points of mental power.

None of it could be replicated such that even if Ou Yangming had gone through the same process again, without enough comprehension and opportunity, he could not achieve the same results.

Ou Yangming exhaled deeply. When he looked around his room and his courtyard, he noticed that he was the only person around.

He touched his tummy as he was starving.

In fact, he felt that if a cow appeared in front of him at the moment, he could swallow it at one go.

All of a sudden, Ou Yangming's ears twitched as he heard his door being opened.

He instantly saw a familiar face when he turned to look.

Ni Yinghong noticed Ou Yangming, who was bathing in the sunlight at the courtyard, right away. Her eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "Brother Ou, you're awake!"

"Yes, I'm awake." Ou Yangming flashed a smile at her, then stretched and said, "The sun today feels great!"

"Grr…"

An extremely strange voice was heard coming from Ou Yangming's stomach at the spur of the moment.

Ou Yangming paused while he was stretching halfway, and looked embarrassed and helpless.

Ni Yinghong's eyes wandered about when she looked at his tummy and his expression. She could not help but smile with her lips pursed.

'This disappointing little thing,' Ou Yangming thought as he glared at his tummy angrily, but also wondered, 'That fella actually looks good when he smiles!'

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 103 Paying A Visit

Ni Yinghong carried a meal box in her hand, and she unpacked the food one by one in the courtyard.

There was not much as she only brought a small bowl of porridge and some pickles, but the tempting aroma from them almost made Ou Yangming swallow his own tongue.

Ou Yangming looked at Ni Yinghong strangely as he asked, "Brother Ni, why did you bring these here?"

Ni Yinghong smiled rather proudly and said, "I'm adept in Mystery Art. I know that you're awake after counting with my fingers, so I was well-prepared!"

Ou Yangming looked at her dubiously. 'Perhaps this strange genius can really achieve that.'

Ni Yinghong twitched her mouth as she felt uneasy being stared at by Ou Yangming's unrestrained eyes. "Okay, I'll tell you the truth. Our family's medical elder said that you'll be awake soon, so I prepared these for you."

"Your family's elder?" Ou Yangming was taken aback. "Ah, young masters like you are really extravagant. Why do you have to bring an elder, who's adept in medical skills, from the prefecture to the camp…".

Ni Yinghong's face changed for a split second, and she pretended like she was going to pack the food back into the meal box. "Do you want to eat them? They're getting cold, so if you don't want to eat them, I'll take them away."

"I'll eat them, why won't I eat them! I'd rather die on a full stomach than starve to death!" Ou Yangming quickly responded. He took the bowl of porridge and tilted his head backward to swallow the food hurriedly. Following that, he gobbled up the pickles on the small plate and commented while he chewed, "They taste good, but they're a little salty."

Seeing how he looked like a starved ghost that had just been reborn, Ni Yinghong was both amused and annoyed. "The prickles are meant to be eaten together with the porridge, so of course they're salty if you eat them like a snack!"

COM

"The porridge was good, but there wasn't much. That said…" Ou Yangming rubbed his tummy as he remarked. He pouted his lips and looked like he did not have enough, so he continued, "The porridge was really good, it tastes more delicious than the ones made from the kitchen!"

Ni Yinghong said to herself, 'You've just woken up after three days and three nights, so you mustn't eat oily food on an empty stomach. The porridge was specially made for you, which contained many restoratives. It's considered a medicinal food, so of course, its taste can't be compared to a normal bowl of porridge that's cooked in a big pot.

Ou Yangming still looked like he was starving after he devoured the pickles. His eyes wandered about before he asked brazenly, "Brother Ni, do you have more?"

Ni Yinghong answered without any hesitation, "The elder said that you can only have some to fill your stomach since you've just awakened. You can't eat too much!"

"Okay then." Ou Yangming spread out his hands in despair. He later looked up at the sky and said, "Ah, the weather is beautiful, I'd like to go out for a walk so as to not waste my life away…"

However, his view was blocked as soon as he took a step forward. Ni Yinghong blocked his path and smiled faintly at him.

Ou Yangming asked in guilt, "Brother Ni, what are you doing?"

Ni Yinghong sneered. "You're planning to look at the fine view in the kitchen, aren't you?"

Ou Yangming could not help but feel abashed that his thought was instantly perceived. In actuality, he understood that a person in poor health could not consume too many restoratives and that he could not overeat after waking up from a long sleep.

Ni Yinghong was doing this for his own good.

Needless to say, if someone else had done the same, Ou Yangming might actually ignore the kind gesture and would perhaps leave with a dark face. After all, he was no longer the person he was before. In particular, the seven days spent trying to kill Zhang Yinli were like seven days of training that steeled him in becoming sharper and shrewder.

Nonetheless, Ou Yangming could not treat Ni Yinghong fiercely.

This was because he could never forget what Ni Yinghong had done for him throughout the appraisal task.

If Ni Yinghong had not helped him covertly by revealing some appraisal art knacks through conversations and encouraged Zheng Ziwen to perform the art numerous times, Ou Yangming could not have grasped the unique ability.

Due to the friendship shared, Ou Yangming would dismiss with a laugh if Ni Yinghong actually offended him seriously, let alone if she restricted him from eating and drinking anything he wanted.

Afterward, Ni Yinghong furrowed her eyebrows slightly when soft knocks were heard on the door. She seemed to be displeased, whereas Ou Yangming's eyes lit up. He was feeling troubled about having to reply to Ni Yinghong, hence the knocks were undoubtedly the best way for him to get away.

He quickly hurried to the door while saying, "Someone's here, I'll go open the door!"

Ou Yangming was stunned when he opened the door because Fang Yihai and Xiaoxiao Sheng were outside, as well as Captain Yu Hailiang from the South Camp's Guards, who was standing behind them.

Nevertheless, Ou Yangming only took a quick glance at them because he soon fixed his gaze on the wooden box carried by Yu Hailiang.

Although the box was of a different style from the one brought by Ni Yinghong, Ou Yangming could not care less about its appearance because he was starving; he only needed something to fill his tummy.

After welcoming the three men with a bright smile, he asked in a friendly manner, "Gentlemen, why have you come all the way here?"

Ou Yangming obviously knew they were here to convey their greetings, and he wanted to quickly exchange the pleasantries so that he could shovel down the food.

"Brother Ou, the attack took place because of my lack of consideration. Ah, you almost got killed, it's all my fault," Fang Yihai expressed after clearing his throat, then stood up to bow at Ou Yangming.

Ou Yangming's face quickly changed. The man was the South Camp's commanding general, who had an extremely noble status in the camp as he was only second to Deng Zhicai. On the contrary, Ou Yangming was only a Military Fire Blacksmith. Even though he had been performing greatly of late, as a simple man, he never intended to be a dominant character. Therefore, Ou Yangming panicked when the general humbled himself to extend a formal apology to him.

At the very least, Ou Yangming was no longer aggrieved and suspicious.

On the other hand, Ni Yinghong, who was watching coldly aside, sighed. 'When you know what happened, you won't be thinking that way anymore.'

Once the two men sat down again, Fang Yihai gestured to Yu Hailiang with a wave to present the box to Ou Yangming.

Ou Yangming's eyes glowed and he thought, 'You should've given it to me long ago. Isn't it tiring to beat around the bush? I'm starving already!'

However, Fang Yihai said with a stern face, "This incident was caused by me, so I must give you an explanation."

He asked in all seriousness, "Brother Ou, can you please take a look and tell me if you're satisfied?"

Ou Yangming was dumbfounded. 'What does he mean?'

When he noticed the grim expression on the three men's faces, he somewhat guessed that the wooden box did not contain any food.

After pondering for a while, Ou Yangming moved forward to open the box. Once he saw what was inside, his stomach jerked such that he almost vomited the hot porridge that he ate.

Sure enough, no food was found in the wooden box as it contained a person's head instead. While the head was not bloody, nobody would feel comfortable after being presented with a person's head.

Ou Yangming was no longer hungry at all. Even if delicious dishes were placed in front of him at the moment, he could not bring himself to swallow any food.

That being said, he had personally killed someone, chopped his enemy's head off, and cut the person's body into pieces. He was more courageous than he was before, so he uttered after identifying who it was, "Zhang Yinfan…"

"Yes, Zhang Yinfan is the culprit behind everything," Fang Yinhai said with a deep voice, "I guarantee that this matter has come to an end, and nobody will cause you trouble anymore!"

Ou Yangming asked after some thought, "I heard that the Zhang family is quite formidable in the capital?"

Fang Yihai could not help but laugh. "The capital is the capital while the prefecture is the prefecture. No matter who comes to the prefecture, we'll make sure they bear all the consequences!"

As the saying went, a mighty dragon could not crush a snake in its old haunts. Being one of the well-known tyrants in the prefecture, Fang Yihai could definitely afford to say something like that.

Ou Yangming slowly closed the wooden box and said, "Since you're so certain, General Fang, the case is closed."

He understood what the general meant. The Zhang family could never set foot in the military camp anymore, and the Fang family would remember this lesson from now on. Nonetheless, if Ou Yangming was still not resigned to the outcome and wanted to take revenge on the Zhang family in the capital, the Fang family's hands were tied.

As said by Fang Yihai, a local snake in the prefecture was authoritative enough to suppress a mighty dragon from the outside, but once he was outside his territory, he would be rootless duckweed that would not be feared.

It was evident that Fang Yihai was relieved. He glanced meaningfully at Ni Yinghong before he assured, "Brother Ou, don't worry, Zhang Yinfan was sentenced to death. Before he died, he was crippled by our furious brothers from the South Camp, so much so that he couldn't talk anymore."

Ou Yangming suddenly looked up and curled his lips into a smile. "I understand, thank you, general."

Ni Yinghong raised her eyebrows and sneered. 'Fang Yihai is obviously being ironic, I wonder what Zhang Yinfan has told him, but since he said that, it's clear that he's determined to keep the secret hidden forever.'

Xiaoxiao Sheng expressed all of a sudden, "Master Ou, there's something that I couldn't figure out, so I'd like to inquire about it."

Ou Yangming dared not be negligent, so he quickly replied to him, "Senior Xiaoxiao Sheng, please."

"I'd like to know how exactly Zhang Yinli died in the forest. Who killed him?" Xiaoxiao Sheng asked seriously.

"What do you think?" Ou Yangming hesitated before he replied with another question.

Xiaoxiao Sheng responded slowly, "When I arrived at the scene, though Zhang Yinli's corpse was already devoured by the wild beasts in the forest, I could at least deduce that his body was chopped into pieces. Heh, there aren't many people who have the ability to slice a Yang Grade powerhouse's dead body into pieces…"

Ou Yangming answered after some thought, "Senior, I can only tell you that I was the one who killed Zhang Yinli. Please forgive me for not disclosing more information about that."

If Ou Yangming was still the helper he was in the past, Fang Yihai could simply seize him because of what he said and could interrogate him with torture. Nevertheless, the general only smoothed things over when Ou Yangming refused to give Xiaoxiao Sheng a full explanation.

The three men left after 15 minutes.

Subsequently, Ou Yangming was faced with a pair of clear and limpid eyes when he turned around. The eyes were full of curiosity, which gave Ou Yangming a splitting headache.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 104 Courtyard Crowded With Visitors

"I didn't lie to them, I really did kill Zhang Yinli." Ou Yangming spread out his hands helplessly, then blurted for some reason, "Even if I lied to them, I won't lie to you!"

Ni Yinghong blinked her big eyes and chuckled. "Oh, I didn't know that we're so close?"

Ou Yangming laughed and said, "If it wasn't for your help, how could I have learned appraisal art? Based on that alone, I can't lie to

you."

Ni Yinghong was shocked. "What? Did you actually learn the art?"

It was true that she had helped Ou Yangming several times throughout the appraisal task by talking about some techniques during conversations, but she did not teach him in an orderly manner. Ni Yinghong only did everything conveniently and agitated Zheng Ziwen to perform appraisal art with her for a number of times.

Yes. Ni Yinghong previously spared no effort in helping Ou Yangming not only because of the strange feeling she had but also because she wanted to do him a favor. As such, Ou Yangming would not refuse to help her in the future if she ever needed help.

However, as much as Ni Yinghong helped, she never expected Ou Yangming to actually grasp appraisal art.

If the art could be fathomed so easily, appraisers would not be rare individuals.

Following that, Ou Yangming grinned and rubbed his hands to release the Appraisal Light.

Nonetheless, there was no equipment around, and as thick-faced as he was, he could not just settle the light on Ni Yinghong's body. Hence, he shook his wrist to shoot the Appraisal Light on the ground.

[Insufficient mental power, appraisal failed]

A notification suddenly appeared in Ou Yangming's mind.

He was instantly stunned. 'What does this mean? I used appraisal art on the ground, so it should appraise the soil for me. Why does it show that I have insufficient mental power?'

Appraisal art was an exceptionally mysterious ability. Once it was performed, it could automatically appraise the equivalent rank and the specific attributes of a piece of equipment or a person. Why did something like this happen?

Upon seeing Ou Yangming's confused look, Ni Yinghong finally curbed her thoughts after being taken aback for a moment. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing. Look, what do you think about my appraisal art?" Ou Yangming immediately shook his head and asked, but said to himself, 'If you use your appraisal art on the ground, you'll understand how I feel.'

Nevertheless, he understood that the art was extremely precious for normal appraisers, who would never use it so casually as he did.

Although Ni Yinghong did not want to admit it, she knew that Ou Yangming indeed used the Appraisal Light. She scoffed and belittled him. "Isn't it just appraisal art? I know it too, what's so amazing about that!"

Ou Yangming was struck dumb. He suddenly realized that she was right…

'I must've been bewitched, why did I use appraisal art in front of an appraiser, am I not bringing contempt upon myself?'

Ni Yinghong quickly changed the topic. "Come with me!"

She brought Ou Yangming to a side room. Fortunately, Ou Yangming had been given a much better treatment lately such that he was almost at Old Craftsman's level. He had a master bedroom, a side room, as well as a courtyard. If that was not the case, his previous small unit would be quite embarrassing.

Once Ou Yangming entered the room, he instantly noticed the pieces of equipment he was familiar with, including the waist sash, which was placed at the most eye-catching spot.

Ni Yinghong pouted her lips and said, "There, your things are here. I guarantee that nobody has touched them, and nobody used appraisal art on them."

Ou Yangming nodded and thanked her from the bottom of his heart, "Thank you."

He had thanked her seriously because he knew that countless people were curious knowing he had carried Zhang Yinli's head out of the dense forest. In particular, his unique pieces of equipment would attract their attention.

While Ni Yinghong said it so easily, he knew that she must have paid a huge price.

That said, this was not Ou Yangming's first time owing Ni Yinghong a favor. When one had too many debts, one stopped worrying about them, thus he did not need to be especially thankful this time.

Another knock was heard on the door at the spur of the moment.

Ou Yangming was slightly displeased, but he swallowed his irritation after he opened the door.

This was because Deng Zhicai was the person standing outside. Being the main general in the military, he was more prestigious than Fang Yihai. Besides, Ou Yangming was even his subordinate. Since the general had paid him a special visit, how could he be irritated? Even if he was courting death, he should not do it so obviously.

Deng Zhicai's purpose of visitation was very simple; he was here to convey his greetings. Even though he was also curious about Zhang Yinli's death, he avoided talking about it after seeing that Ou Yangming was reluctant to disclose the full truth.

It was worth noting that Deng Zhicai would not have treated another subordinate the same way, and would only treat a friend, who was on an equal footing as him, slightly better than that.

Deng Zhicai bid his farewell after 15 minutes, but before Ou Yangming could take a seat, Chen Yifan's loud laughter was heard.

Ou Yangming dared not neglect General Chen, whom he was already familiar with for a long time, by which he respected the general more than he did Deng Zhicai and Fang Yihai. Nonetheless, Chen Yifan had also visited for the same reason but did not talk about Ou Yangming's encounter in the forest.

After Ou Yangming managed to send Chen Yifan away and thought that he could finally have some peace, a person who he had not expected to see actually visited.

It was commanding General Tian Boguang from the East Camp. Ou Yangming initially thought the big boss in the military had come to pick a fight with him, but the general was so well-mannered and friendly that he felt warm.

Finally, Ou Yangming exhaled deeply after sending off the fourth general. He felt that the need to engage with everyone was even more tiring than his battle against Zhang Yinli.

He did not expect to hear another knock on his door again.

Supervisor Kang Weibo from the Armament Camp, Supervisor Qu Jianming from the Provision Camp, and other respected figures from the other camps had come as though Ou Yangming's courtyard was a place for gathering. Apart from the North Camp's commanding general who was still away, the others who were present had visited him.

Only when the sun was slowly setting, the courtyard that was crowded with visitors became peaceful again.

Ou Yangming grinned from ear to ear. He had never been chased after like that, and his visitors were all people with high statuses. Moreover, other than the few generals who had to consider their image, the other visitors spoke to him respectfully.

Since he had never seen such a grand occasion, he was on cloud nine.

Nevertheless, Ou Yangming did not notice that Ni Yinghong had been observing him carefully, and her sharp-witted eyes somehow showed a hint of worry.

At last, when everyone left and Ou Yangming's residence became quiet again, Ni Yinghong suddenly said, "Brother Ou, there's actually something I haven't told you about."

Ou Yangming smiled brightly. "What is it?"

Ni Yinghong told him slowly, "Brother Ou, the elder from my family said that your mental state was affected this time, so it's best not to have extreme emotions in the near future."

Ou Yangming was stunned, and he somehow felt anxious.

Without Ni Yinghong's reminder, perhaps he would not have noticed because he had been immersed in everyone's flatters, but he immediately became doubtful when Ni Yinghong said that out of the blue.

Almost at the next instant, Ou Yangming quickly recalled someone.

'Old Craftsman!'

While he and Old Craftsman were not related by blood, they were definitely as close as a father and a son. No, they were actually more intimate than that.

Theoretically, Old Craftsman would not have neglected Ou Yangming after Ou Yangming suffered an attack and survived by luck.

Ou Yangming's residence had been bustling for a day, where he was visited in turns by people who should or should not have come, as well as those who were either qualified or unqualified to drop by.

When Ou Yangming's place was full of activity, he did not have the time to think too much as he had to rack his brain to deal with the situation.

However, he was suddenly surprised.

His mouth twitched as he mumbled, "Oh right, where's Old Craftsman? Why didn't he come?"

Ou Yangming did not realize that his voice trembled a little when he spoke.

Ni Yinghong looked at him in shock. She did not think that Ou Yangming could figure out what she wanted to say only after hearing a small clue.

When she fixed her gaze on Ou Yangming, she suddenly noticed that the cheerful and high-spirited young man had suddenly become timid. Not only was his voice shaking, but his hands had subconsciously tensed up.

"Hehe, I know, Old Craftsman must be busy smithing a divine weapon for General Chen Yifan, right?" Ou Yangming looked at Ni Yinghong eagerly. "He has delayed it for too long, so he mustn't delay it any further."

Ni Yinghong hesitated for a while before shaking her head.

Ou Yangming then slapped his forehead. "I know, Old Craftsman must've received news about a place with good ores, so he hurried over to take a look. Hmph, how dare he leave me alone, I must question him once he's back!"

"Ah…" Ni Yinghong sighed and reached her hand out to put it on Ou Yangming's chest.

Before she even said anything, Ou Yangming uttered in a hurry, "I guessed it, Old Craftsman must be mad at me for being so bold that I took the risk and contended with Zhang Yinli, right? As long as I apologize to him, he'll come to meet me, right…"

Ni Yinghong was startled. Just as she was going to shake her head, she felt something cold on her hand.

When she looked, she noticed a drop of clear liquid on the back of her hand, then big teardrops kept rolling down from Ou Yangming's eyes.

Despite that, Ou Yangming, who had been talking in a hurry, had not noticed it.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 105 A Slim Chance Of Survival

Perhaps because it was nightfall and the bright moonlight washed away the noise in the day, the courtyard was so quiet that it was almost soundless.

When Ou Yangming arrived outside the door with Ni Yinghong, he suddenly felt his knees go weak, and could not take another step forward.

His ears twitched slightly when he heard the soft and faint breathings coming from the room.

By looking through the window gap, Ou Yangming noticed a familiar yet strange face.

Old Craftsman had indeed aged. As he lay on his bed, though they had not met for over ten days, Ou Yangming could tell that his face had become shockingly thin. The old man's eyes were shut, and the wings of his nose undulated. He looked like an old machine that had been operating for years and was lingering at death's door.

Ou Yangming slowly bent over while pressing where his heart was.

It hurt terribly and was an intense feeling of grief that would explode at any time.

He wanted to cast everything aside and burst into tears by Old Craftsman's bed. Perhaps that was the only way to soothe the pain in his heart.

Despite that, Ou Yangming did not act on impulse even though he was already biting his lips so hard that two deep blood traces were seen.

He slowly stood up and tipped his toes to back away silently. Just like how Ou Yangming did not make a single sound when he came, he left in silence too.

Before long, he walked out of the courtyard and saw Ni Yinghong in the dark.

Under the indistinct moonlight, Ni Yinghong seemed to have turned into a mysterious yet cold and noble spirit that one dared not treat with disrespect. Additionally, the moonlight made her look more brilliant as though she had a light muslin on her body.

That said, Ou Yangming seemed to have not noticed at all. He approached Ni Yinghong to ask her softly, "Why did Old Man become like this?"

Ni Yinghong sighed. "I previously asked around about Old Craftsman's past achievements. Let me ask you, do you know why he adopted you for two years but decided to exchange all his credits this year for you to acquire the Military Fire?"

Ou Yangming trembled. He had guessed the answer, but only moved his lips a little as he could not bring himself to say it.

"You guessed it right. Old Craftsman knows he's getting old and that his time will be up soon. He wanted to help you obtain a survival path and a stepping-stone for your future while he's still able to do so," the considerate Ni Yinghong answered it for him, then continued after a pause, "But even he didn't expect you to be a koi that'll transform into a dragon through the wind and clouds."

Ou Yangming was agitated, but he mumbled, "If Old Man can remain in a good condition, it doesn't matter if the koi don't transform into a dragon!"

Ni Yinghong was slightly moved. Although she was still young, she had seen the fickleness of the world.

Countless evil beings would sacrifice everything including the benefits of friends and family in order to succeed in life. Nonetheless, the things they pursued and the pinnacle of life that they achieved were as far apart as Heaven and Earth from Ou Yangming's current state.

Ou Yangming had just spoken from the bottom of his heart, and Ni Yinghong believed that he would not hesitate to exchange all his achievements thus far for Old Craftsman's life.

Old Craftsman had not achieved anything spectacular in his life as he was only the chief of Military Fire Blacksmiths in a small military camp, but he had a good son, or perhaps a good grandson.

'Perhaps he'll be glad when he's in Heaven?' Ni Yinghong wondered.

Nevertheless, looking at Ou Yangming's gloomy face at the moment, she obviously was not going to say anything that would rub him the wrong way.

Ou Yangming inhaled deeply and asked, "Why didn't you let me go in earlier?"

Previously when Ni Yinghong brought him here, she did not urge him too much and only told him one thing.

She told him to look through the window on the outside without entering the room if he did not want Old Craftsman to die right away. If Ni Yinghong had advised Ou Yangming with other reasons, he would have ignored her. However, when he heard the reason given, he reacted like the monkey that was cursed by the Band-tightening Spell[1, where he dared not go even one step beyond the line.

Ni Yinghong sighed again and explained, "Old Craftsman is in a very complicated situation, and he's actually at the end of his life due to old age. Before this, he had been forcing himself to hold on because he was still healthy. It was only after Old Craftsman heard you've been attacked outside the camp by a Yang Grade powerhouse that he became so furious, and his heart eventually became so weak that he can only lie in bed."

Ou Yangming clenched his fists, and the sounds of his bones cracking were heard.

While Zhang Yinli and his younger brother had died, they had harmed Old Craftsman, hence Ou Yangming hated them to their bones.

"It's them, it's really them!" Ou Yangming expressed his resentment, "If anything bad happens to Old Man, I'll never let them go!"

Ni Yinghong remarked slowly, "Zhang Yinli and his brother are dead."

Ou Yangming had a sinister look in his eyes as if he was a disgruntled ghost from hell. "They're dead, but the people who raised them, supported them, promoted them, and taught them martial arts are still alive, aren't they?"

Ni Yinghong quivered upon hearing him. In actual fact, guilt by association was not rare in the world, but it was usually done by the strong to the weak.

While Ou Yangming had a great cultivation base and a bright future, he was unquestionably insignificant as compared to the Zhang family in the capital.

Based on this current strength, if he wanted to overturn the Zhang family, he would be like an ant trying to shake up a tree or a mantis trying to stop a chariot; it would be impossible. That being said, Ni Yinghong somehow had a feeling that the Zhang family would be in huge trouble.

She cleared her throat and commented, "Brother Ou, the Zhang family in the capital isn't an easy match, even the Fang family avoids going against them."

Ou Yangming could not help but laugh. "Don't worry, I won't act rashly, but I'll be keeping an eye on the Zhang family for the rest of my life."

Ni Yinghong instantly felt troubled. 'I suppose any family that's being secretly eyed by someone like Ou Yangming won't end well.'

"You still haven't told me why you won't let me go in," Ou Yangming suddenly said after a short pause.

Ni Yinghong quickly curbed her thought and answered him, "Once Old… Man fell sick, I immediately informed my family to invite a medical elder here, and to bring a spiritual pill along to save his life."

She discreetly changed from using Old Craftsman to Old Man at this moment. Normally, Ou Yangming would have put on a fierce look because the term of address was only uniquely enjoyed by him in the entire military camp. If anyone else had used it, even Commanding General Deng Zhicai from the Middle Camp—the old man himself would correct them.

Of course, Old Craftsman would not be given the special treatment if he was not the chief of Military Fire Blacksmiths in the camp, and his head would have been chopped off already.

That being said, Ou Yangming dared not refute when Ni Yinghong suddenly changed the way she addressed Old Craftsman.

Seeing as Ou Yangming gave tacit consent, Ni Yinghong was secretly delighted, but a worried expression remained. "Old Man's time is almost up, so even the spiritual pill could only let him hang by a thread. On top of that, his mental state needs to cooperate too."

Ou Yangming raised his eyebrows and asked, "What's the cooperation?"

Ni Yinghong replied, "We need to make the Old Man have the desire to live. As long as he has the heart to, the spiritual pill's greatest magical effect can be unleashed, and the fire of his life can be prolonged for a period of time."

"The spiritual pill is very precious, isn't it?" Ou Yangming looked deeply at her.

"It can save the life of a person with weak vitality, so it's naturally not something that can be compared by ordinary items." Ni Yinghong nodded.

"Thank you," Ou Yangming uttered after taking a deep breath. He had nothing else to say other than those two words because he was aware that the favor was not something that could be repaid with a simple thank you.

Ni Yinghong shook her head. "Old Man is most concerned about you now. He's still hanging by the thread because he can't let you go, which is why he's able to stay alive for now. If Old Man suddenly sees you, what do you think will happen?"

Ou Yangming shivered and felt the deepest fear from the bottom of his heart.

He closed his eyes to ponder for a long time before he suddenly opened his eyes to stare at Ni Yinghong without blinking. "Brother Ni, I'd like to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"Since a pill that can be used to save one's life exists in this world, is there one that can be used to prolong one's life?"

Ni Yinghong secretly praised him, 'Ou Yangming's not an ordinary person indeed. Once he calms down, he quickly finds the key to the problem.'

"Yes, but…" She nodded and said hesitantly, 'It's not just difficult to obtain a longevity medicine, it's exceptionally difficult."

Ou Yangming's eyes lit up, and he quickly became high-spirited.

Ever since he knew Old Craftsman had one foot in the grave, his eyes became so dark that they were terrifying. Ou Yangming suddenly became radiant at that instant as though he had transformed into another person.

"Brother Ni, how can I obtain the spiritual medicine?"

Ni Yinghong had mixed feelings when she saw a completely different Ou Yangming, but she sighed softly. "Brother Ou, I told you, it's exceptionally difficult and dangerous."

Ou Yangming could not help but laugh, but it was a disdainful laugh.

"Difficult and dangerous? Perfect, I like challenges the most. The more difficult and the more dangerous they are, the happier I am," he responded proudly, "Don't worry, I can definitely do it."

Ni Yinghong was moved when she saw Ou Yangming glowing in spirit, and she felt like someone had plucked a string in her heart. Nonetheless, she cast away the thought and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Brother Ou. You're so young, so you shouldn't take the risk. I can't…"

"Thud…"

Ni Yinghong widened her eyes in disbelief and was appalled when Ou Yangming kneeled on the ground.

"How can y-you do this?"

Ou Yangming smiled bitterly. If someone else had been so secretive instead, he would certainly attack that person to force the answer out of him or her; even if he had to employ the evilest torture in the world.

However, Ni Yinghong had been helping him all along, and he was not an ungrateful person.

Since he could not adopt rough measures, he had to forget his ego and beg her.

As for losing face, if Old Craftsman could recover and live a few more years, why would he not be willing to lose it?

[1] This refers to Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 106 Shameless

"Brother Ni, I'm eternally grateful for the repeated help that you've given me," Ou Yangming looked up and said sincerely, "but no matter what, please help me this time. If you help me this time, even if I have to face torture and execution, even if I have to go through mountains of daggers and seas of flames, I'll do it if you ask me to."

Ni Yinghong stomped her foot and said, "Ah, you're so unreasonable. Let's talk this out, get up quickly."

Ou Yangming was secretly delighted because he could tell from Ni Yinghong's tone that she was not as stubborn as before. Since that was the case, he must persevere because Ni Yinghong might change her mind again if he got up so soon.

Thus, he shook his head and expressed resolutely, "If you don't promise me, I'll continue kneeling and not get up."

"If you don't get up, I'm leaving." Ni Yinghong was slightly mad. She was unwilling to talk to Ou Yangming if he continued to kneel, thus she turned around and pretended to leave.

Just as Ni Yinghong lifted one foot, she felt a heavy burden on her other leg. Feeling shocked, when she lowered her head to look, she found that Ou Yangming had pounced on her leg. Though he was still kneeling, he had reached out his hand to grab Ni Yinghong's leg tightly.

Ni Yinghong widened her eyes. Although ever since she was a child she had been weird and could not get herself to be ladylike,which resulted in her being treated like a boy, there was still a difference between the sexes. Nobody had ever grabbed her calf, let alone her thigh!

When Ni Yinghong felt Ou Yangming's hands and chest on her thigh, she was so abashed and angry that she subconsciously kicked.

Nonetheless, Ou Yangming was like a drowning person who was clinging onto his last chance. It was easy to take his life away, but it was extremely difficult to make him let go.

Based on Ni Yinghong's power, she could easily kick a normal person away. However, it would be wishful thinking if she wanted to kick away a Yin Grade martial artist who swore not to give up until he achieved his goal and would rather die than submit.

Ni Yinghong was already so shy that her face looked like a ripe peach, and the back of her ears and her neck were red as well. The thing she regretted the most at this moment was not having revealed her identity to Ou Yangming, or the pervert would not have had the guts to cling onto her at all.

She lowered her voice and said, "Quickly let go…"

"Tell me, then I'll let go."

"You let go first."

"No!"

"Do you want to die?"

"I won't let go even if I die!"

Ni Yinghong stared at Ou Yangming hatefully. If another person had done this, she would have slapped the person right away to smash his brain juices out, but she could not bring herself to slap the determined Ou Yangming, who did not seem lewd at all.

"Let go of me first, don't let someone else see us," Ni Yinghong was somewhat begging him as she could not take it anymore.

"I'm not scared!"

'Not scared… You *ss!'

Ni Yinghong almost fainted. 'You're not scared, but I am!'

"My elder brother and the elder from my family are nearby. If they see you, you're definitely not going to end well," she advised him earnestly, "If they see you, you're doomed."

Despite that, Ou Yangming still shook his head and said, "I won't let go even if your father sees us, let alone your elder brother!"

Ni Yinghong almost choked on her own breath. 'If someone sees the Ni family's little princess give in because of this, will I become the greatest laughing stock in the prefecture?'

"Okay, I'll tell you, quickly let go of me now."

"Really?" Ou Yangming's eyes lit up, but still looked at her dubiously.

Ni Yinghong gritted her teeth and uttered word by word, "I swear, if you don't let go now, I won't even tell you a single…

Before she finished her sentence, her leg was free again because Ou Yangming had scurried a couple of meters away.

Ou Yangming could tell by examining Ni Yinghong that she was truly mad. If Ni Yinghong had not agreed to tell him, he would not have let go even if he was beaten to death, but since she promised, how would he be so bold as to make his benefactor angry?

Ni Yinghong was stunned for a while. Even though she had sighed a breath of relief, she somehow felt like there was beautiful snow in her heart, as if she had been sad that it had ended so soon.

She immediately cast the thought aside as she was taken aback.

Ni Yinghong was furious when she looked at the eager Ou Yangming. She shifted her body and ran over to him to slap him hard with her slim hand.

Ou Yangming was dumbfounded. He subconsciously wanted to evade the slap, but stood still when a thought crossed his mind. He did not move an inch even when he was slapped.

"Pow!"

A loud slap was heard, and Ou Yangming's face quickly turned red and swollen.

Ni Yinghong was struck dumb. Her fury quickly disappeared, and she felt sorry when she noticed the clear and slightly swollen palm print on Ou Yangming's face. "Idiot, why didn't you dodge?"

Ou Yangming chuckled. "I offended you, so I should let you vent your anger by slapping me."

"Hmph, even if you wanted to be slapped, you can't lean in with your face…" Ni Yinghong bit her lower lip.

'You're the one who slapped my face right away, I didn't even lean in.' Ou Yangming felt wronged, but instead of wanting to explain, he asked in a hurry, "Brother Ni, can you tell me now?"

Ni Yinghong pouted her lips and said, "Come with me."

Ou Yangming's eyes glowed, and he thought, 'I stand a chance.'

Ni Yinghong led him to a huge mansion. She went over a wall instead of entering from the front, and Ou Yangming did the same after a moment of hesitation.

Since Ou Yangming decided to get information from Ni Yinghong, he could only follow her. Even if he had to climb a mountain of swords or plunge into a sea of fire, he had to do it.

Nevertheless, his heart tensed up just as he went past the wall, and he had goosebumps. This was because he clearly sensed a powerful aura in the dark that had locked onto him.

The aura was threatening, so much so that it was more threatening than Zhang Yinli.

'But Zhang Yinli is a Yang Grade powerhouse, does it mean that the fella who's lying in ambush here has a more fearsome cultivation base?'

"Careful!" Ou Yangming warned softly as he shifted his body without hesitation, and pulled Ni Yinghong behind his back. He regretted not being fully equipped at this moment. If he had his armor, helmet, treasure saber, waist sash, and so on, he would not be afraid at all.

That said, if he actually walked into the military camp with a full equipment set, he would likely attract unnecessary troubles.

Soon enough, the atmosphere in the dark became tenser, and Ou Yangming could feel that the powerhouse, who was lurking in the dark, was about to make a move. Countless thoughts crossed his mind, and he suddenly stretched his body.

Ou Yangming could not hide because Ni Yinghong was behind him, so the only way was to leverage force to counter force, and to draw away his enemy's power through the integration of Heaven and man.

He had gained 4 taels of power after advancing to Yin Grade, hence he could attempt to shift 500 kilograms of power.

However, just as both sides were going to launch the most intense attack, Ni Yinghong uttered softly as she recalled something, "Big Yellow, don't bark!"

'Big Yellow? Don't bark?

'What does that mean…'

Just as Ou Yangming had no idea what was going on, a shadow jumped out from the dark.

Ou Yangming widened his eyes when he saw the shadow.

'Is that… A dog?'

Yes. Although the dog carried a fearsome aura, it was just a dog and not anything else.

Ou Yangming pouted his lips, and felt that his head was filled with paste. It was actually a dog-a yellow-haired dog-that had given out such a frightening pressure that he felt as if he had encountered a strong enemy.

In a flash, Ni Yinghong walked out from behind Ou Yangming. She approached the big yellow dog to hug its neck, whereas the dog kept wagging its tail to respond to her affection. Nonetheless, it stared coldly at Ou Yangming as though it was afraid he would do something inappropriate.

Ou Yangming's mouth twitched. When he looked at Ni Yinghong being so friendly with a big yellow dog that bore a Yang Grade aura, he felt that they were out of place.

"Big Yellow, this is Ou Yangming, my friend. You mustn't bark at him next time, understood?" Ni Yinghong said sternly as if she was talking to a person.

The big yellow dog blinked and finally became at ease. Following that, it sniffed in Ou Yangming's direction, thus Ou Yangming no longer felt the enormous pressure.

Ou Yangming exhaled deeply. While he was confident if he had to fight, he was glad that he did not need to fight a big yellow dog in Yang Grade.

After all, dogs and humans were different; a human could not bite a dog. Without carrying any weapon, nobody would dare to provoke Big Yellow for fun.

"Brother Ni, is Big Yellow a half-spirit beast?" Ou Yangming suddenly asked as a thought crossed his mind.

Ni Yinghong giggled and replied to him, "That's right, you really have a good eye!"

Ou Yangming gasped. 'A half-spirit beast… Ni Yinghong actually has a half-spirit beast as a watchdog? Uhm, but the big yellow dog is indeed a guard dog.'

Nevertheless, it was quite unbelievable that the dog was actually a half-spirit beast.

Ou Yangming could not help but have a strange look on his face when he thought about half-spirit beasts.

He had once absorbed a half-spirit beast's flesh and blood through the Devouring attribute. Not only did his essential Qi improve, but his mental power increased by a huge margin that was almost more than twice of what he originally had.

After that, the half-spirit beast was taken away by the others in the military, so Ou Yangming could not lay a finger on it anymore.

On the other hand, a living half-spirit beast was wagging its tail in front of him at the moment.

Suddenly, the big yellow dog stopped wagging, and it turned its head to glare fiercely at Ou Yangming as though it sensed the unusual ill intent.

Ni Yinghong quickly comforted it, "Big Yellow, be good, don't be naughty."

Ou Yangming quickly looked away and thought, 'This watchdog is quite clever."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 107 A Long Talk At Night

When Ni Yinghong brought Ou Yangming into her room, the big yellow dog actually wagged its tail and followed them inside too.

Seeing as Ni Yinghong was so affectionate with it, and after looking at the decoration in the room, Ou Yangming's face took on a strange expression.

The big yellow dog glanced at him warily as it was afraid he had another wicked idea in his head.

"Brother Ou, don't be afraid, Big Yellow has already regarded you as a friend, so it won't hurt you," Ni Yinhong said with a smile.

'Who is friends with him (it)…' Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog looked at each other and had the same thought. That said, they did not show the enmity between them in front of Ni Yinghong.

Ou Yangming finally plucked up his courage after pondering for a while, and he uttered, "Brother… Ni, I have another question for

you."

Ni Yinghong could not help but laugh. "You really have a lot of questions."

"Are you…" Ou Yangming chuckled as he asked, but suddenly stopped halfway. He quickly looked at his hands, then decided to swallow his words.

'If I guessed it right, isn't my action earlier…' He thought about an extremely serious problem, and the thought of it stressed him out. If he exposed Ni Yinghong's disguise, he might not be able to save his hands that had stayed with him for 16 years.

Ni Yinghong asked in confusion, "Am I what?"

Ou Yangming quickly thought of something else and asked, "I wanted to ask, are you suddenly not going to tell me anymore…"

"Hmph, I won't lie to you since I promised you, but it's exceptionally difficult and dangerous to acquire the spiritual medicine, so much so that it's far beyond your imagination," Ni Yinghong responded snappily.

"It's fine, tell me about it first." Ou Yangming could not help but laugh.

He had quite a cheerful attitude because he had decided not to shrink no matter how difficult it would be. Even if it would cost his life, he would consider it fate because there was nothing he could do.

Therefore, Ou Yangming was truly unaffected, and he did not force himself to put on an act.

Ni Yinghong asked after some thought, "Tell me first, how did you figure out that there's a spiritual medicine like that?"

Ou Yangming answered without any hesitation, "Because of the way you acted!"

"What? What does it have to do with us?"

"You're neither a relative nor a friend of Old Craftsman, but you're willing to pay such a huge price to keep him alive," Ou Yangming replied to her frankly, "If you're only keeping him alive so I can see him one last time, you wouldn't have stopped me from meeting him, and would've let him leave in peace instead once his wish is fulfilled. Since you didn't let me in, you must be clinging on to a ray of hope that Old Man can be saved, am I right?"

Ni Yinghong looked at him in astonishment as if it was her first time meeting him. "Go on."

Ou Yangming nodded slightly. "If I guessed it right, the method that you said probably has something to do with me, but there's one thing I can't figure out. If your clan is so powerful, why do you need help from a nobody like me?"

"Do you know my clan?" Ni Yinghong questioned.

"I don't," Ou Yangming gave an unusually brief answer.

"You don't? If you don't, why did you say that my clan is powerful?"

Ou Yangming glanced at the big yellow dog while Ni Yinghong reached her head out to hold her forehead. She had been so mad about Ou Yangming's abnormal behavior earlier that she became confused, and her IQ was lowered.

'I have a half-spirit beast as a pet, isn't it enough to tell?' She thought to herself

"Brother Ou, since you guessed it, I'm not going to hide it from you anymore," Ni Yinghong later sighed and said in all seriousness, "Our clan is indeed seeking help. We initially only wanted to do you favors and planned to ask you for help after paying a certain price, but Old Man's time is almost up and he's already at death's door. Coincidentally, the place we need you to go has a longevity spiritual medicine, so…" She looked at Ou Yangming earnestly. "Brother Ou, will you blame me for hiding the truth?"

"I can't even thank you enough, how can I blame you?" Ou Yangming shook his head and expressed from the bottom of his heart, "I don't care what the reason behind it is. You're willing to save Old Man's life with a spiritual medicine, and are giving me a chance to obtain another one. If I actually bear a grudge against you, am I not worse than a pig or a dog?"

Ni Yinghong smiled with her lips pursed, and was glad that she did not choose the wrong person.

In actual fact, there were many things that one could not do at one's free will when one was still alive.

If Ou Yangming was worthless, Ni Yinghong and the others would only save Old Craftsman with a spiritual medicine if they had nothing better to do. In fact, Ni Yinghong would not have put so much effort into helping Ou Yangming during the appraisal task if she did not need a favor from him.

Ou Yangming was incredibly glad at that moment that he was still useful.

At the very least, his worth was enough to keep Old Craftsman alive for the time being. With that as the base, everything else was unimportant.

Some people were born evil, they would feel at ease even if they used and enjoyed resources from another clan or team. On the contrary, when the clan or team asked for a favor in return or for a share of the profit, those people would think that it was a disgraceful act.

Mine was mine, and yours was mine too. This was the idea of such people.

However, those people had never wondered. Without the team that gave them a platform, and without the clan that provided them with resources, could they have achieved a great height?

Ni Yinghong had seen many selfish and petty people like that, which was why she was delighted when she sensed Ou Yangming's kindness.

Only a person like him would be treated with respect and gain someone's trust to work together, and only a person like him would have a broader path and become more powerful in the future.

"Since you're able to understand, I'll be honest," Ni Yinghong said sternly, "You've comprehended the integration of Heaven and man, and you're the first person we found who's also below Extreme Grade."

"The integration of Heaven and man?" Ou Yangming was startled. He pondered then asked with a bitter smile, "I suppose what you saw was my performance during the smithing challenge?"

He did not remember being in a deadly battle with the Ni family siblings, hence after linking the matter to the time when they suddenly treated him with a different attitude, he easily drew a conclusion.

"Yes, but there are thousands and ten thousands of cultivation paths in the world, and the apprehension in one leads to the apprehension in ten thousand more. Since you fathomed the integration of Heaven and man when you were smithing, you're able to fathom it fully by cultivating martial arts. Besides…" Ni Yinghong smiled, then continued after a moment of hesitation, "What we need is the integration of Heaven and man, not your martial arts cultivation base."

"Woof!" The big yellow dog suddenly barked. Instead of looking at Ou Yangming in disdain, it had a grave expression on its face.

Ni Yinghong laughed out loud. "Big Yellow says it doesn't believe that you've achieved the integration of Heaven and man."

Ou Yangming responded with a soft smile, but he did not have the mood to prove anything to the big yellow dog even though it was actually a half-spirit beast.

After a brief moment, Ni Yinghong returned to the topic. "The Ni family's ancestors once set a forbidden area when our family's foundation was first established. The forbidden area is exceptionally mysterious and dangerous. For generations, only seniors who have achieved the integration of Heaven and man can enter without being hurt."

Ou Yangming was moved. "Are you asking me to enter the forbidden area?"

"Yes."

"Since you have people who can enter the area, why must it be me?" Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows.

"Because you're not an Extreme Grade powerhouse. Our ancestor has said that only martial artists below Extreme Grade can find the legacy," Ni Yinghong answered without holding back. She looked rather distressed when she said, "How many Extreme Grade powerhouses can actually apprehend the integration of Heaven and man, let alone martial artists below Extreme Grade?"

Ou Yangming understood right away. "Is the legacy left by your ancestor very important?"

"Of course," Ni Yinghong said snappily, "Which clan's legacy isn't important!"

Ou Yangming immediately smiled apologetically after having brought contempt upon himself. "This is simple, I just have to enter the forbidden area to acquire the spiritual medicine. Oh, yes, I have to get your clan's legacy too!"

Ni Yinghong looked at him helplessly. 'If our clan's elder sees his attitude, I'm afraid that he wouldn't let him in so easily.'

"Ni… When are we setting out?" Ou Yangming initially wanted to address her as Brother Ni, but suddenly realized that he could not bring himself to say it anymore, so he used a vague term of address.

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I have to hurry!" Ou Yangming showed a bitter smile. "Old Man is still lying there, so I'm worried…"

Ni Yinghong shook her head, but could understand his feelings. The fellow had gone so far as kneeling to beg her for the spiritual medicine, thus it was obvious that he was anxious.

"It's pointless even if you're so impatient, you have a test to pass before you enter the forbidden area. If you can't pass the test, you won't be able to enter."

Ou Yangming was stunned. "What test is that?"

"You have to walk the Testimony Path to prove to us that you have strong confidence, or you won't be qualified to enter the forbidden area," Ni Yinghong answered seriously, "Don't underestimate the Testimony Path. The Ni family has plenty of powerhouses over a thousand years, but the number of people who finished the path can be counted with one hand."

Ou Yangming's eyelids twitched. He was somewhat in a daze when he saw the soft and fair hand moving in front of him.

Nonetheless, he quickly cast his imagination aside and responded calmly, "Don't worry, no matter how difficult the Testimony Path is, I'll definitely complete it!"

'Looks like it won't be easy to save Old Man, but as I said, no matter how difficult the road ahead is, I won't flinch.

'Whether it's God or Buddha, I'll kill them if they stop me. Nothing can stop me from moving forward.'

Nevertheless, just as Ou Yangming made his decision, the big yellow dog blinked and looked at him indifferently.

'This young fella wants to walk the Testimony Path? In his dreams!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 108 General Meeting

A flaming sun rose slowly amidst purple mist, emitting dazzling rays to the surroundings. It was like a huge round plate that hung high above the horizon far away.

From the military camp, a group of people on horses charged out to head to the prefecture.

After learning a lesson from the incident where soldiers were obstructed halfway and killed, a huge team escorted Ou Yangming this time.

Although the military's commanding generals could not easily leave the camp, apart from the North Camp's commanding general, the other four generals had actually sent their respective Guards Captains.

Needless to say, Guards Captain Mei Jianyi from the East Camp was actually there to escort the Ni family young masters instead of Ou Yangming.

As for Guards Captain Wu Guotu from the Middle Camp, Guards Captain Yu Hailiang from the South Camp, and Guards Captain Liu Zhengye from the West Camp, they were naturally there to escort Ou Yangming.

Master Ou had been intercepted once before. Though the attacker failed and lost his life, it was like a slap in their faces. If a similar incident took place again, the military camp would really lose its face.

Wu Guotu was the only Yang Grade powerhouse other than the five generals in the camp, and while Yu Hailiang and the other captains were not in Yang Grade yet, they had a cultivation base at the peak of Yin Grade Class Five. With them joining hands together, and with assistance from numerous soldiers, if someone like Zhang Yinli attacked again, that person would be dead for sure.

Ou Yangming traveled by horse. He was not adept in horsemanship, but Ni Yinghong had kindly picked an elite war horse for him, so as long as he sat on it steadily, it would gallop with the rest of the squad without falling behind even if he did not ride it.

They traveled at the speed of light till afternoon, where they took a break at a shaded area. As soon as they finished their lunch, Ou Yangming asked impatiently, "Captain Wu, can we hit the road already?".

After all, Wu Guotong was Middle Camp's Guards captain, hence he was considered the person in charge.

He looked at Ou Yangming strangely and asked, "Master Ou, don't you want to take a

break?"

The captain would not have looked at Ou Yangming in the eye if he had urged him in the past. However, Ou Yangming defeated Ni Yunhong in a smithing challenge, and even killed Zhang Yinli, a Yang Grade powerhouse, in the dense forest, thus Wu Guotu dared not belittle him anymore.

Ou Yangming shook his head. "Saving a person is like saving a fire, the sooner, the better."

'A bit of hard work is obviously not worth mentioning for tough men in the military, but what about the Ni family siblings?' Wu Guotu nodded, but wondered. Not far away, a middle-aged man scoffed and said, "General Wu, it's a bit too rushed to set out again now, the young masters from my clan are still resting…"

"There's no need to." Ni Yunhong stood up to cut him off. "Let's leave now, and the faster, the better."

The middle-aged man was stunned. He dared not disobey Ni Yunhong even though he was displeased, so he responded to the young master softly. That said, the middle-aged man could not hide his hatred for Ou Yangming when he looked up at him.

Ou Yangming smiled bitterly and said to himself, 'I can't believe that I offended someone again for no reason.'

Nonetheless, he always kept Old Craftsman in his mind. Ou Yangming wanted very badly to have wings so that he could hurry to the Ni residence in the prefecture to retrieve the spiritual medicine. Therefore, he could not care less about offending insignificant people.

With that, everyone continued to travel day and night, and spurred their horses to full speed. On the third day, they finally arrived at the prefecture.

Looking at it from afar, it was a magnificent giant city, but the wall around it was roughly 3 meters tall. It was Ou Yangming's first time seeing such a gigantic structure, but he did not have time to admire it, so he looked at Ni Yunhong after taking two glances at the wall.

While he had promised Ni Yinghong to do this, the person who was really in charge was unquestionably the smithing master.

Ni Yunhong grinned when he noticed Ou Yangming looked at him. "Brother Ou, don't worry, we won't delay this."

He naturally understood how eager Ou Yangming was, and honestly, his desire for the legacy in the forbidden area was not at all lesser than Ou Yangming's yearning.

Wu Guotu cupped his hands at the other people and said, "Everyone, we've arrived at the prefecture. We have to report to the military, so we'll make a move first."

Following that, the Guards captains and the soldiers whipped their reins to ride their horses away.

They were officers and soldiers from the military, after all, so they must not desert their post. Although it was easy to find an excuse to leave, they must report to the military since they had arrived at the prefecture.

Ni Yunhong watched them leave, then said, "Brother Ou, please."

They soon entered the city and arrived at a grand residence.

Once they entered the residence, someone brought Ou Yangming to a side room to rest.

Ou Yangming was as anxious as an ant on fire, but he controlled himself and waited quietly in the room.

In the main hall at the Ni residence's main room, around ten powerhouses gathered, each of them carrying a rich, substance-like aura. Some auras were valiant and sharp, some were as cold as ice, and some were like a blazing fire that kept people away.

Everyone present was a Yang Grade powerhouse.

It was worth noting that each Yang Grade powerhouse was also known as a tyrant in an area, but there were only six people in the military camp whose cultivation base was at that level. On the other hand, there were already more than ten of them present in the Ni family's Elders Meeting.

Indeed, the Ni family's profoundness was far beyond comparable for ordinary families.

Right then, a middle-aged woman asked with a deep voice, "Great Elder, why have you gathered us here?"

The leader seemed to be a roughly 40-year-old man; he was the Ni family's great elder, Ni Xueshu. He sighed and responded, "Elders, I have something that I dare not decide, so I called for this Elders Meeting to get your opinions."

Everyone else exchanged glances as they were rather surprised.

Another outspoken man stood up and asked, "You're the Ni family's great elder, what is it that even you can't decide?".

Ni Xueshu smiled bitterly and answered, "Yunhong and Yinghong have returned, and they… Want to open the Testimony Path."

"What?"

Once Ni Xueshu finished his sentence, the other elders were in an uproar.

"No, that mustn't be allowed!"

"It's true that Yunhong's a rare genius in our clan, but it's still too early for him to walk the Testimony Path."

"What do you mean that it's too early? Idiot, did you forget that one has to have the cultivation base of at least Yin Grade to walk the path? I wasn't informed that Yunhong has advanced to Yin Grade."

"You old fart, who are you calling an idiot? You're the biggest idiot!"

"Uhm." Ni Xueshu cleared his throat then said, "Everyone, please keep in mind where we're at now."

The two raging men, who looked like they were ready to fight at any time, instantly trembled and lowered their heads as if they were done venting their anger.

As long as a clan was of a certain scale, some members would oppose each other in all sorts of matters regardless of the seriousness. After many generations, those clan members might eventually become enemies too.

Of course, the rest of the clan would turn a blind eye to them so long as they did not collude with outsiders to harm those in the clan.

Ni Xueshu shook his head and added, "When Yunhong and Yinhai visited the Immense Forest Military Camp this time, not only did they invite Elder Xuehai, who studies medicine art intensively, but they also took three Life-prolonging Spiritual Pills."

The hall was dead silent immediately after the great elder spoke, and an extremely odd atmosphere filled the air.

A Life-prolonging Spiritual Pill was not just an ordinary item; it was one of the most valuable resources in the clan. Each of the spiritual pills was expensively made, and they were one of the best weapons used by the clan for diplomacy.

Even though three Life-prolonging Spiritual Pills were far from anything serious, they were still resources that must not be treated lightly.

Besides, based on Ni Yunhong and his young sister's position in the clan, as well as how they were doted on by the three great ancestors, it did not matter if they took only three spiritual pills. Nevertheless, if they had taken them without asking, the other people would more or less have a knot in their hearts.

Ni Xueshu shook his head and continued, "I'm able to bear it if only three Life-prolonging Spiritual Pills are needed, but based on Ni Yunhong's tone, I think he's asking for more."

The woman who had spoken first earlier asked, "Did he say what they're for?"

"Yunhong said he made a friend at the Immense Forest Military Camp, and that friend of his has a senior whose life is hanging by the thread. Hence, Yunhong asked Elder Xuehai to the camp, and used Life-prolonging Spiritual Pills to prolong the senior's life," Ni Xueshu quickly answered, then glance at the other elders before he said, "Yunhong has returned, but he asked Elder Xuehai to remain at the military camp, and requested for ten more of those spiritual pills in one go."

The other elders looked at each other in disapproval.

If only three Life-prolonging Spiritual Pills were requested, none of the elders would have said anything, even if they were displeased. However, they could not sit by idly anymore if Ni Yunhong were to use more than ten of those pills.

"Ah, Yunhong is such an innocent child." One of the elders sighed. "His friend only became friends with him to go after the spiritual pills. Heh, I'm doubtful if his friend's senior is actually ill."

Another elder laughed. "If the senior faked an illness, Elder Xuehai would've found out, but I'm sure they lied to Yunhong to get the spiritual pills. Hmph, how can they be so daring? Their offense is unforgivable."

The elders were in a heated discussion, and their remarks implied the same thing.

Ni Yunhong and his younger sister were too young, and were deceived by outsiders who took advantage of their feelings to obtain the Life-prolonging Spiritual Pills from their clan.

Nonetheless, no matter how they criticized, nobody dared to denounce the siblings directly.

The big man from before stood up and assured, "Everyone, Yunhong and his younger sister are definitely not reckless people. Perhaps there's an inevitable reason behind what they're doing."

"Ah, no matter what the reason is, it's too much to ask for ten Life-prolonging Spiritual Pills in one go," a skinny elder expressed plainly.

His statement was instantly agreed upon by many people.

The big man furrowed his eyebrows deeply and suggested, "Everyone, since they've returned, why don't we ask them to come to explain? What do you think?"

Everyone else looked at each other, and none of them objected to the suggestion.

"Alright," Ni Xueshu uttered, then gave the order. After some time, Ni Yunhong and his younger sister arrived together.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 109 Supreme Great Ancestor

Ni Yunhong and his younger sister bowed respectfully at the elders once they entered the hall.

While their age and seniority were the lowest, in terms of cultivation base only, they were also nothing compared to the Yang Grade powerhouses who were present. Nonetheless, once Ni Yunhong and his younger sister showed up, whether it was the elders who commended them earlier for their kindness or the sharp-tongued elders who gave scornful remarks, they all flashed smiles at the siblings; they did not look like they just had a dispute.

"Yunhong, you have a greater aura now. Hehe, is this a sign of you advancing to Yin Grade?" The big man said proudly.

Ni Yunhong smiled and answered, "Twelfth Uncle, I indeed plan to cultivate in isolation during my return this time to break through to Yin Grade Boundary."

Every other elder lamented and thought, 'The young fella is very much doted on by the great ancestors, and has great achievements in martial arts cultivation and smithing art, which shouldn't be underestimated and can't be nitpicked. As long as he's really able to advance to Yin Grade, he'll definitely be number one among the youths and the middle-aged.'

The big man who spoke earlier was Ni Wangyang, the uncle of Ni Yunhong and his younger sister. He smiled brightly at the moment, and was grinning from ear to ear while glancing at the other elders provocatively.

"Yunhong, even if you really enter Yin Grade, it's still too early to walk the Testimony Path," the skinny elder from before remarked after letting out a dry cough, then shook his head and explained, "Don't misunderstand me, I'm not interfering with your cultivation path, I'm only considering for you."

Ni Wangyang hesitated before he said, "Yunhong, your Seventh Grandfather has a point this time."

The skinny elder was Ni Xueming, who had higher seniority than Ni Wangyang, but was beyond the five generations. Therefore, he had less power of discourse than Ni Wangyang in the clan even though he was also a Yang Grade powerhouse.

"Ni Wangyang, when did I ever not have a point? Tell me." Ni Xueming was slightly mad when he heard Ni Wangyang.

Ni Wangyang sneered, but just as he was going to refute, Ni Xueshu shouted, "Enough, stop talking so much!"

When Ni Wangyang glanced around the room, he noticed that the great elder had suppressed everyone with his voice.

"Yunhong, tell us what exactly happened," Ni Xueshu suddenly spoke seriously, "It's fine that you asked Xuehai to go over to the Immense Forest Military Camp and left him there, but why are you requesting for ten Life-prolonging Spiritual Pills? Hmph, don't you know how valuable the pills are? How can you use them on an outsider? Besides, based on your current cultivation base, you're having wishful thinking to want to attempt the Testimony Path. Heh, do you think that the path is easy to complete, and that the countless ancestors in our clan aren't as good as you?"

He sounded so stern as though he was going to give Ni Yunhong a good beating as a lesson, but Ni Xueming and the other elders exchanged glances because they knew it was a typical example of action speaking louder than words. 'To count on the Great Elder to punish Ni Yunhong and his younger sister… Instead of clinging to that hope, it's better to wash up and sleep.

"First Grandfather, I can't disclose it in detail for now, but…" Ni Yunhong replied to him after some hesitation, then spoke loud and clear, "The pills and the opening of the Testimony Path are necessary."

The other elders could not hold it in any longer, hence they furrowed their eyebrows deeply. In fact, Ni Wangyang's face even changed as he reprimanded, "Yunhong, how could you speak to a senior like that? Quickly apologize to Great Elder!"

Ni Xueshu was actually quite displeased too. 'Has the young fella become so arrogant from being spoiled that he became unrestrained? But he usually treats people with grace, why did he change so quickly?'

Ni Yinghong's eyes wandered about, and she chuckled. "First Grandfather, please don't blame Elder Brother, he's actually not going to walk the Testimony Path himself."

"What?"

After hearing her, the elders were even more in disbelief that they were struck dumb.

"Yinghong, what are you talking about? Do you know what it costs every time to open the Testimony Path?" When Ni Xueming stood up, his small and skinny body made him look like a big monkey. He was concerned as he said, "I won't say anything if the Testimony Path is to be opened for the two of you, but if it's for someone else, heh…"

The other elders nodded in agreement too. In actuality, they would not be willing to open the Testimony Path for the siblings too, but Ni Xueming's words were high-sounding, which was a perfect excuse for them to object to the idea.

"Forget it, since everyone's present, let's vote. If more than half of us agree, we'll do as they say, but if we have less than half…" Ni Xueshu sighed and said. His eyes glowed all of a sudden, and he looked extremely fierce. "Yunhong, as the eldest son's eldest son in the clan, you should know what to do for being so rash and muddled."

"First Grandfather…" Ni Yunhong smiled bitterly at him.

"Don't call me that, I'm talking to you as the clan's great elder. Hmph, you've become wild after leaving the clan this time. Once you get less votes, you'll be sent to Taichi Cave as a punishment, and you can't leave until you enter Yin Grade!" Ni Xueshu waved his hand and said.

Ni Xueming and the others cursed after hearing what he said, 'Is that a punishment or a gift? I want to enter Taichi Cave to…'

On the other hand, Ni Wangyang sighed a breath of relief and stopped pleading. 'Yunhong should experience some setbacks since he disrespected his elders.'

Following that, Ni Xueshu looked at everyone else and addressed, "Okay, we can vote now. If you agree with Yunhong's suggestion, please raise your hand."

Many elders sat up properly without moving an inch, and did not spare Ni Yunhong and his younger sister a look at all.

Ni Xueming asked with a dark face, "Yunhong, do you see this?"

"First Grandfather, this isn't fair." Ni Yinghong suddenly smiled sweetly and clung to Ni Xueshu's arm. "You should ask those who disagree to raise their hand instead."

Ni Xueming was stunned, and he could not help but laugh. "Little girl, don't cause any trouble!"

"First Grandfather, do Elder Brother and I look like mischievous people?" Ni Yinghong blinked.

Ni Xueming and many elders were startled, and they quickly began thinking. 'Ni Yunhong and his younger sister clearly knew that the suggestion won't be accepted, yet they stuck to their opinion. There must be a reason behind it.'

Just as Ni Xueming wanted to question the siblings after some hesitation, a hoarse voice was heard. "Hehe, it's so lively here…"

The faces of the elders who were present changed right away, and they stood up at the same time to greet respectfully, "Welcome, Great Ancestor."

An elder paced slowly out of the inner hall, and nodded after seeing everyone. "Sit down."

The Ni family's Three Great Ancestors were the real pillars and masters in the clan. Although Ni Jingtong was the only one who came, his pressure was so enormous that everyone in the room found it hard to breathe.

Ni Xueming quickly approached him to apologize, "Great Ancestor, I'm truly unfilial to have alarmed you, I deserve to die."

"I wanted to be more active after resting for a long time, so I'm out for some exercise, it's fine."

"Second Great-grandfather!" Ni Yinghong had a cheerful smile on her face, and did not look surprised at all.

The other elders were immediately shocked. It was no wonder the siblings were so fearless; they had already contacted the great ancestor before they returned. That said, the fact that the great ancestor had personally come to support them was out of their expectations.

Ni Jingtong showed a satisfied smile when he saw the siblings. "Yunhong, Yinghong, come sit next to me."

The Yang Grade powerhouses were envious, and they looked at the siblings in a more friendly manner than before. Even the two elders who were the most displeased with them earlier were full of smiles at the moment.

Nevertheless, nobody knew what exactly the two elders were thinking.

Ni Yinghong beat Ni Yunhong to it, where she quickly went over to Ni Jingtong and said, "Second Great-grandfather, you're out from isolated cultivation."

"You quirky little girl, I came out because I've missed you." Ni Jingtong smiled with his eyes so squinted that they could almost not be seen.

Ni Yinghong pouted her lips and complained, "Second Great-grandfather, you're lying again. If it wasn't for Elder Brother's letter, would you have come out?

The other Yang Grade powerhouses looked at each other and lamented. The only person in the entire Ni family who could be so unrestrained in front of the great ancestor was probably the little sprite who was deeply doted on by the three great ancestors.

"Oh no, does the princess not trust me anymore?" Instead of being mad, Ni Jingtong actually laughed out loud. "I've really missed you, and I wanted to hear your voice, so I came out of isolated cultivation."

Ni Xueshu cleared his throat. "Great Ancestor,

you…"

"Alright, your business is important, I won't be nagging." Ni Jingtong waved his hand, then continued after a pause, "I'll only be sitting here to watch, and I won't interfere. Do what you need to do, and just pretend I'm not here."

The other elders gasped. 'You make it sound so nice, but if you don't actually want to interfere, why are you still sitting here? Pretend you're not here? That's what you say, but if we actually do that, what will the consequences be?'

Upon having the thought, even Ni Xueshu's temper rose.

"Uhm." Ni Xueming straightened his skinny body and said righteously, "Actually, I think Yunhong and Yinghong have their reasons to request the pills and to open the Testimony Path. I believe that the eldest son of the clan's eldest son and his first wife will never do anything to harm the clan, so I agree."

The rest of the elders were dumbfounded. They cast strange looks at him, and secretly cursed the two-faced man for bullying the weak but fearing the strong.

Despite feeling unresigned to the outcome, nobody dared to object to Ni Yunhong's suggestion anymore because Ni Jingtong was present.

Hence, the elders began having contrasting views.

Just as they fought to give their opinions, Ni Jingtong, who had been resting with his eyes shut, coughed out of the blue. It was an extremely soft cough, but the room fell dead silent in an instant such that nobody dared to take another breath.

"Yunhong and Yinghong sent me a letter to say that they have something to report about our ancestor's legacy," Ni Jingtong announced slowly and said with fiery eyes, "I'm not aware of the exact situation, but I'm sure they won't fool me with something like that."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 110 Verify One's Identity

The other elders looked at each other. It was evident that apart from the great ancestor, even the great elder had no idea about this.

Ni Jingtong glanced at the people present and said, "It's an extremely important matter, so I gave a secret order that Yunhong and Yinghong mustn't reveal it to anyone other than Xuehai."

It was then that the rest of the elders came to a sudden realization, and they exchanged resentful looks with each other.

Nonetheless, nobody would have questioned Ni Yunhong and his younger sister if they knew that the matter was related to their ancestor's legacy. This was because the Ni family had spent an uncountable time and effort for the legacy, but their efforts had been in vain. It had become the clan members' obsession and inner obstruction, and they were willing to acquire the legacy at all costs.

Ni Jingtong ordered, "Yunhong, tell us what exactly it is."

Although Ni Yunhong had sent the great ancestor a letter, he had only talked about it briefly to keep it a secret. That said, it was enough to shake Ni Jingtong.

"Yes, Second Great-grandfather. Seniors, I accepted an invitation to the Immense Forest Military Camp because I wanted to accumulate experience. I initially planned to take a look around to see if I'll gain anything, but…" Ni Yunhong answered with a deep voice, then his eyes lit up as he continued, "I found a genius Military Fire Blacksmith at the camp. He's a few years younger than me, but has accomplished great achievements in smithing art. Feeling delighted upon seeing his skills, I suggested that we have a challenge."

"Hehe, since he's younger than you, he's definitely not comparable with you in terms of smithing art even if he's talented." Ni Wangyang nodded with a smile. "You must've been victorious, haven't you?"

The other elders nodded as well because they were well aware of Ni Yunhong's ability in smithing art, especially his grasp in the secret Suit Skill that made him become like a tiger with wings. Hence, it was exceptionally difficult to find someone who could defeat him.

Ni Xueshu commented, "Since Yunhong values that person's smithing art so much, that person must have great potential. We could try recruiting him into our clan as he'll be an advantageous addition."

From the beginning till the end, nobody thought that Ni Yunhong was defeated.

However, Ni Yunhong's face twitched as he stated, "Seniors, I was defeated."

"What?" Ni Wangyang was in disbelief. "You were defeated?"

"Yes."

"Is that person really younger than you?"

Ni Yunhong had a bitter smile on his face when he answered, "That person is younger than Yinghong by a year, and from acquiring the Military Fire to controlling it, he has only spent… Half a year!"

Everyone fell dead silent at that moment, and could notice by looking at each other that they were all surprised.

Though nobody in their clan could control the Military Fire, they were familiar with it. In actual fact, it was not bewildering that a person could control the Military Fire in half a year's time, but it was definitely not easy for Ni Yunhong to say that he was defeated.

Ni Wangyang asked seriously, "My good nephew, how were you defeated?"

The other people were also curious about how the young fellow defeated Ni Yunhong, who possessed the Suit Skill.

Ni Yunhong exhaled deeply and answered, "He mastered the Layering Art, and I suspect he's able to perform more than just single-layering."

"Impossible. How can a blacksmith that young grasp the ability?" Ni Xueshu remarked with a deep voice, "Besides, multilayering is much more difficult than single-layering, it's impossible that someone his age can execute

it."

Everyone else nodded as well. If the young blacksmith was able to perform single-layering, he could be considered as an exceptionally talented person, but multilayering was truly not something that could be performed by being talented. Without sufficient experience, it was simply out of reach.

Ni Yunhong had already expected everyone's reaction, thus he said, "It's definitely impossible under normal circumstances, but what if he's a blacksmith who has comprehended the integration of Heaven and man?"

"The integration of Heaven and man?"

"Did you say the integration of Heaven and

man?"

"Are you sure that it's really the integration of Heaven and man?"

Questioning voices filled the room almost at the same time. At this moment, the powerful Yang Grade masters could not care less about being reserved as they became unusually agitated.

This was because they knew very well that if they wanted to obtain their ancestor's legacy, they needed a cultivator who had apprehended the integration of Heaven and man, and was also below Yang Grade.

It was worth noting they had attempted countless methods, but their efforts were to no avail.

Ni Jingtong opened his eyes too. While he seemed to be composed, he was deep down so agitated that it was the complete opposite of how he looked on the outside.

"Seniors, you can verify it yourself. If what we said isn't true, we're willing to be punished according to the clan's law," Ni Yinghong suddenly spoke, and her loud voice echoed in the room.

"Haha, I trust you, I trust you!" Ni Xueming laughed. "Of course I trust what you say. Oh right, where's that person now?"

Ni Yinghong said, "Seniors, that person's name is Ou Yangming, and he has an aging senior whose time is almost up. Ou Yangming and his senior have been sticking with each other for a long time, and he's willing to do anything for his senior."

"Life-prolonging Golden Pills?" Ni Xueshu suddenly uttered.

"That's right. I saw the opportunity, so I quickly invited Grandfather Xuehai over to save the old man's life with a Life-prolonging Spiritual Pill, and promised that I'll acquire more Life-prolonging Golden Pills," Ni Yinghong responded with a serious face, "Great Elder, that senior won't be able to hold on for a long time even after consuming Life-prolonging Spiritual Pills. Once he passes away, it'll be a hundred times more difficult for Ou Yangming to be motivated enough to search for our ancestor's legacy for us."

Ni Xueshu looked deeply at her. "Yinghong, have you forgotten that one has to have the cultivation base of at least Yin Grade to walk the Testimony Path!"

"Great Elder, Ou Yangming has just advanced to Yin Grade, so he's qualified." Ni Yinghong grinned.

The other elders were struck dumb, and their faces took on an odd expression.

'A man who's a year younger than Ni Yinghong has not only grasped multilayering in Layering Art, as well as the integration of Heaven and man, but is also a Yin Grade martial artist. How exactly did that fella cultivate?'

They were so incredibly curious that they were eager to meet Ou Yangming, so as to see how remarkable the man was to be able to have such achievements.

Ni Xueshu nodded hard. "Okay, if that's the case, let's vote again."

"Hmph, is a vote still necessary? Bring us to that man, and if it's true, we'll immediately open the Testimony Path." Ni Jingtong finally could not take it anymore, and he looked at Ni Xueshu unhappily. "If you're as fussy as a woman, even the best opportunity will be wasted!"

"Yes, I'll obey you, Great Ancestor." Ni Xueshu's face reddened, but he sighed. 'Great Ancestor, I'm only the great elder. Unlike you, I'll cause huge trouble if I act arbitrarily.'

Ou Yangming squatted on an empty spot in the room; it was a standard martial-art squat.

Slowly and surely, negative emotions such as anxiousness and worry went away. His head became blank, and he could only feel the abundant essential Qi flowing in his body.

Since haste would not help, Ou Yangming decided to relax and cast away his emotions to cultivate as much as he could.

In actual fact, he was not very obsessed with martial arts cultivation, but became encouraged after his battle against Zhang Yinli.

Even though it seemed like Ou Yangming was no longer threatened by the Zhang family and was not surrounded by danger anymore, he began to yearn for his own strength. This was because he realized that only by being truly mighty could he be less threatened and less restrained by worldly affairs.

Ou Yangming did not want to encounter another person like Zhang Yinfan, hence the most important thing to do was to improve his strength.

All of a sudden, Ou Yangming's face twitched. He slowly opened his eyes as he looked forward to what would happen.

His consciousness had naturally zoned out when he practiced the martial-art squat, and he actually sensed Ni Yunhong and Ni Yinghong bringing over ten powerhouses to his room.

While Ou Yangming could not understand why many powerhouses had come, he could not help but feel excited since they had come to see him.

The more he was valued, the higher the other people regarded him. Besides, he needed the Ni family members' approval to walk the Testimony Path or to enter the forbidden area for the spiritual medicine.

Ou Yangming stopped his practice and took a deep breath. He looked radiant and highly spirited.

He had guessed the powerhouses' visitation purpose, thus he needed to welcome them in his best state and to convince them.

This was because he could not afford to waste any more time.

Among the people who were walking toward the room, Ni Jingtong suddenly halted and exclaimed while looking ahead.

The great ancestor's movements were constantly being watched by the other people, so Ni Xueshu quickly asked, "Great Ancestor, you're…"

Ni Jingtong waved his hand and asked, "Yunhong, the Master Ou that you mentioned earlier-is he staying in that room?"

"That's right," Ni Yunhong quickly answered.

"Great, that's great!" Ni Jingtong's eyes glowed as he laughed.

The other elders looked at each other as they could not figure out what the old man was so joyful about.

Ni Jingtong chuckled and explained, "I sensed a power earlier, and the power is extremely close to Third Brother's."

Everyone instantly exclaimed. The third brother that was mentioned by Ni Jingtong was Ni Jingmao, the third great ancestor. Although he was the third great ancestor because he was the youngest among them, he was acknowledged as the number one powerhouse in the Ni family due to his combat power, and was the only one who apprehended the integration of Heaven and man.

If someone from the Ni family could break through the worldly boundary to arrive at the mysterious boundary told in legends, perhaps Ni Jingmao was the only person who could achieve it.

What did it mean to have power similar to Ni Jingmao's then?

At the moment, the elders were surprised and elated as they became more curious and were more eager to meet the stranger.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 111 Bullying The Weak

Ou Yangming had already opened the door to welcome Ni Yunhong, his younger sister, and the big bosses they brought from their clan when they led them to the side room.

"Brother Ou, let me introduce you to the Ni family's Supreme Great Ancestor, the Honorable Jingtong."

Ou Yangming trembled. He knew very well the weight of the title 'Supreme Great Ancestor' because it was an honorary title for Extreme Grade powerhouses only.

Although he had guessed that the Ni family was definitely overseen by a Supreme Great Ancestor, he did not expect to meet a powerhouse like him on his first day in the residence.

Ou Yangming bowed respectfully at Ni Jingtong and greeted, "Greetings, senior."

Even the proudest peerless person favored by Heaven would treat a Supreme Great Ancestor with respect and dared not be ill-mannered at all.

Ni Jingtong chuckled and reached his hand out to faintly hold Ou Yangming, and an invisible power instantly gushed out to hold up the young man.

Ou Yangming's eyes lit up upon sensing the power that seemed to have not utilized internal heat at all as he could feel the mightiness and the subtlety of it. He would have normally activated his mental power to study it for a while but forced himself to get rid of the thought because a group of strangers were present.

"Young man, you're a genius indeed. I'm not good with words, so I'll cut to the chase." Ni Jingtong laughed and stared at Ou Yangming with eyes that were full of vigor. "I heard you've grasped the integration of Heaven and man at such a young age?"

Ou Yangming pondered and answered, "It's true that I fathomed the way of nature, but I'm not certain if it's actually the integration of Heaven and man."

"Ah, the way of nature, that's an insightful way to put it. Isn't the integration of Heaven and man the way of nature?" Ni Jingtong sighed and commented, then continued after a thought, "Yunhong said that you'd like to enter our clan's forbidden area to search for the Life-prolonging Golden Pill."

Ou Yangming bowed low and said, "Please fulfill my wish, senior."

Ni Jingtong chuckled. "It's certainly not easy to enter the forbidden area. Not to mention your current identity, without having sufficient ability, it's best that you don't take the risk."

"I believe that I'm qualified to enter, you'll find out if you test me," Ou Yangming responded seriously with glowing eyes.

He was not hesitant at all when he replied be it his expression or his attitude. This was because Ou Yangming was clearly aware that this was the only way to save Old Craftsman.

Therefore, he had to boast as much as he could even if he had to bite the bullet.

"I'll be bullying the weak if I personally make a move, how about…" Ni Jingtong could not help but laugh when he expressed. He suggested after turning to look at the other elders, "Wangyang, test him."

Ni Wangyang responded to him, but secretly cursed, 'You'll be bullying the weak if you make a move, but what's the difference if I do it instead? Wouldn't I be bullying the weak too?'

Nonetheless, he only kept those words to himself as he dared not disobey the great ancestor.

Ni Wangyang took a step forward and said, "Be careful."

Following that, he shifted his body to launch a hit with his fist.

Even though Ni Yunhong and his younger sister had repeatedly told them that Ou Yangming was already a Yin Grade martial artist, who had also acquired the integration of Heaven and man, hearing it was one thing because Ni Wangyang did not regard the young fellow to be on his level.

After all, there was a huge disparity between Yin Grade and Yang Grade. A martial artist at the peak of Yang Grade Class Five was not even qualified to be showy in front of Ni Wangyang, let alone a young fellow who had just entered Yin Grade.

Ni Wangyang gathered his power at his fist but did not release it because he was afraid of being denounced if he injured Ou Yangming with his punch.

However, Ni Wangyang's face changed in the next instant as he suddenly realized that Ou Yangming had undergone a huge transformation. The young fellow was still standing on the same spot, but his body was swaying lightly. That said, the seemingly insignificant sways gave Ni Wangyang a sense of uncertainty.

While Ni Wangyang was looking at Ou Yangming, he somehow could not feel his existence. The intense and contradicting feeling was almost making him go mad.

Nevertheless, Ni Wangyang was not an ordinary person. He continued swinging his fist and locked on the person in front of him. At this moment, he even cast away all his senses except for his sight.

Since only his eyes could see his opponent, he decided to trust them as it was the most straightforward way.

Besides, Ni Wangyang's punch was no longer soft and powerless. It was suddenly filled with energy that it was a violent and irresistible blow.

The eyes of Ni Xueshu and the other people sparkled with anticipation as they looked forward to the outcome.

Just as the fist was about to hit Ou Yangming, Ou Yangming actually reached out his palm to press the fist softly.

Everyone else was shocked because it seemed like child's play. They thought, 'You must know that it's a Yang Grade powerhouse's thunderous hit, how can a little Yin Grade Class One martial artist like you be so presumptuous? Aren't you afraid of getting killed right away?'

Despite that, they witnessed an exceptionally frightening scene at that moment. Ou Yangming suddenly fluttered up and moved back like a cloud.

Though Ni Wangyang's surging power had hit Ou Yangming's hand, the movement of backing away had completely disintegrated the power.

"Heh." Ni Xueming gave a hollow laugh. "Wangyang, my dear nephew, you're being merciful…"

The other people nodded too. If Ni Wangyang had not shown mercy, how could Ou Yangming have backed away without being hurt at all?

It was worth noting that there was a huge difference between Ni Wangyang and Ou Yangming's cultivation bases, and the difference could not be easily made up. Furthermore, Ou Yangming did not look like his Qi and blood were surging at all.

"Wangyang, be serious!" Ni Xueshu cleared his throat and ordered.

Ni Wangyang's face reddened, but he was forced to suffer in silence.

After noticing Ou Yangming's unusual performance, as dumb as he could be, he must be alert, so he dared not attack haphazardly. Although Ni Wangyang did not give his all during the punch earlier, the attack was actually more than enough to injure a Yin Grade martial artist.

Hence, after seeing how Ou Yangming disintegrated the punch so effortlessly, Ni Wangyang actually wondered if he was being merciful.

On the other hand, Ni Jingtong curled his lips into a faint smile. He saw everything clearly and had a strange, indescribable feeling.

'I've undergone the same situation when I exchanged blows with Third Brother in the past. Unless one has personally experienced the feeling, it can't be put into words at all.

'That being said, Third Brother's cultivation base is too high that the junior disciples in the clan can't exchange blows with him, so they can't feel the mightiness of the integration of Heaven and man. Now that Ou Yangming is here, it'll be great if the others can have a taste of it.'

Therefore, Ni Jingtong swallowed his words just as he wanted to ask them to stop.

Ni Wangyang furrowed his eyebrows deeply. He shifted his body in a flash to take a swift step forward and punched continuously. Each punch was steady and powerful, and explosive fist winds were produced as a result.

Nonetheless, Ou Yangming seemed to have turned into a fluttering butterfly when he was faced with the intense attacks. He kept flying in the fist winds, where he constantly went with them and did not go against them at all.

As Ou Yangming moved in the wind, his body was so graceful. It was as though the person who was forced to be incapable of striking back was not him, but Ni Wangyang, who had been giving his all.

Everyone else looked at each other because the feeling was becoming stronger.

The integration of Heaven and man was an exceptionally mysterious and wonderful state that was beyond words.

Under the state, Ou Yangming could clearly spot his enemy's weak points, and could easily give tit for tat.

Previously when he faced Zhang Yinli, his martial arts cultivation base was only Force Grade, and there was a large difference between their essential Qi. Even when Ou Yangming could identify the weak points, he could not attack effectively. However, the situation changed when he advanced to Yin Grade. He possessed 4 taels of power to shift 500 kilograms of weight, so while he could not resist a Yang Grade powerhouse yet, he could easily remain undefeated.

Moreover, if Ou Yangming could utilize his mental power to control the Blood Flight Art and had a sharp weapon with him, it would not be tough for him to kill a Yang Grade powerhouse.

Thus, even though Ni Wangyang's attacks were incredibly violent, they were more like tickles for Ou Yangming because his life was not threatened at all.

Ni Yunhong and his younger sister looked at each other happily. Since they had brought Ou Yangming here, the more outstanding his performance, the happier they were.

Though their bright and open-hearted uncle, who had always loved them, was suffering some setbacks, he would probably not mind if it was for the good of their clan, right?

As the battle prolonged, Ni Wangyang's body was so heaty that he felt like water was boiling when he circulated his essential Qi.

At that moment, Ni Wangyang had definitely given his all without holding back, but even then, nothing changed.

The faces of Ni Xueshu and the others finally changed because they understood how fearsome the integration of Heaven and man was.

While a person in that state could not kill his opponent with one slap during a battle, the process was like cutting meat with a blunt knife; it was torturous.

At last, Ni Jingtong exhaled deeply and uttered, "Enough."

"Coward, do you not have the guts to really fight me?" Ni Wangyang roared right after hearing him and backed away while glaring at Ou Yangming angrily.

Ni Xueshu and the others were stunned, and they could not help but smile awkwardly.

It was obvious that Ni Wangyang was out of his mind. How could a cultivator in Yin Grade Class One fight him recklessly?

"Hmph, you're embarrassing us!" Ni Xueshu pulled a long face and ordered, "Back off!"

Ni Wangyang was indignant, but he dared not disobey the great elder, thus he slowly backed off.

"Xueshu, go make the preparations, I'll personally host the Testimony Path's formation," Ni Jingtong said.

"Yes," Ni Xueshu and the others responded together and bowed at him respectfully.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 112 The Testimony Path

A six-level high tower stood in the Ni residence's backyard. Beneath the tower, Ni Jingtong looked at Ou Yangming and said, "The Testimony Path is extremely difficult, but it's the only way to ensure that you won't lose your mind in the forbidden area. If you can't get through the path, I won't allow you to enter the forbidden area even if you possess Heaven and man's integration state."

Ou Yangming nodded and responded, "Yes, I understand."

Ni Jingtong shifted his body and was suddenly at the tower's entrance. "Everyone else, let's prepare. You may enter the tower in an hour's time."

"Young fella, concentrate and recuperate. Be careful." Ni Xueshu nodded at Ou Yangming, then led several elders into the tower, whereas the other elders spread out around the tower.

Ou Yangming calculated in his head and found that a Supreme Great Ancestor and five Yang Grade powerhouses had entered the tower. It was evident that the so-called Testimony Path could not be opened easily. Nonetheless, Ou Yangming would not be afraid of whatever was stopping him.

He inhaled deeply and performed the martial-art squat. This time, Ou Yangming did not do it to cultivate his essential Qi, but to slowly adjust his breathing so that his body could eventually approach a near-perfect state.

Ni Yinghong and his younger sister, who were standing beside Ou Yangming, felt it clearly. They actually experienced a rather wonderful feeling when Ou Yangming breathed, where the whole world seemed to be moving in a wave motion when he inhaled and exhaled. No, it was more like Ou Yangming grasped a mysterious rhythm when he breathed, which allowed him to be one with Heaven and Earth.

The siblings happened to have the same strange thought at the moment.

'Could it be that Heaven and Earth need to breathe too?'

After one whole hour, a luster was emitted from the tower's entrance.

It was not a dazzling luster, but one that gave off a warm feeling instead. Nevertheless, Ni Yunhong and Ni Yinghong had a grave expression on their faces the moment they saw the luster.

"Brother Ou, you may enter. Be careful!" Ni Yunhong said with a deep voice.

Ou Yangming opened his eyes and smiled. "Okay."

He had already adjusted himself to be in his peak condition. If he could not pass… No, he strongly believed that he could pass the test successfully.

With his head held high and his chest stuck out, Ou Yangming paced toward the tower's entrance that was shining in a mysterious luster.

Just as he was going to enter, Ni Yinghong called out to him, "Brother Ou, think about why you've come!"

Ou Yangming paused and nodded slightly. "Thank you."

Following that, he flashed into the tower.

Ni Yunhong turned to look at his younger sister as he was surprised. Although he also hoped that Ou Yangming could successfully pass the Testimony Path, he felt that Ni Yinghong was being too obvious.

Ni Yinghong blushed a little, and her eyes were still fixed on the luster at the entrance.

"It's over…" Ni Yunhong mumbled.

"What?"

"Ah, I was saying that I hope it'll be over soon."

"Is that so…"

"Of course…" Ni Yunhong nodded, then emphasized with an affirmative tone, "Absolutely!"

Once Ou Yangming entered the tower, he sensed the subtle change in his surroundings.

It was an extremely sharp feeling where only someone like him, who had achieved the integration of Heaven and man, could notice because he was especially sensitive to everything inside out.

That said, he could only sense some abnormalities at the moment, but was not certain what exactly was different.

Ou Yangming continued forward after a moment of hesitation. His target was the top of the tower, and the only way to get there was through the spiral staircase.

As Ou Yangming kept moving forward and stepped on the first step, he finally understood how the tower was different from the outside world.

Gravity.

Yes, the tower that was enveloped in a mysterious luster had an unusual gravity.

Needless to say, the nearer he was to the tower's entrance, the lower the gravity, so much so that it was difficult to notice the difference. On the opposite, he could clearly sense the gravity difference at the stairs. When Ou Yangming began climbing the stairs, gravity kept increasing according to the steps.

One step, two steps, three steps…

Ou Yangming slowed down. Since he knew that the gravity inside was different from the one outside, he was obviously not going to let his guard down.

The best choice in this strange environment was undoubtedly to progress with a steady course. If one actually had wishful thinking to dash to the top in one breath, one definitely did not think it through.

With that, Ou Yangming advanced step by step to the second floor while carrying power that was slowly getting heavier.

Outside the tower, Ni Wangyang approached Ni Yunhong and his younger sister and said, "The Testimony Path has been opened, move further away."

Ni Yunhong and Ni Yinghong looked at each other, then backed away. Even though they were concerned about the situation inside the tower, they knew that they could not help by standing where they were.

After moving back a hundred meters, they met Ni Xueming.

The skinny old man laughed. "Yunhong, the young fella you brought, how many floors can he pass at least?"

Ni Yunhong pondered and answered, "Grandfather Xueming, Brother Ou is determined and tough, he'll at least walk past the fourth level."

"Oh, you actually think so highly of him," Ni Xueming commented, "He'll be able to enter the forbidden area if he passes the fourth level."

"Grandfather Xueming, Brother Ou can probably pass the fourth level under normal circumstances, but now…" Ni Yinghong's lips curled into a beautiful smile instead. She also squinted her eyes and said, "I'll keep you guessing, perhaps the final outcome will shock

us."

Ni Xueming was stunned because he did not expect her to think even more highly of Ou Yangming.

He let out a hollow laugh and asked, "Hehe, little girl, you don't think he can arrive at the sixth floor, do you?"

"Even if he arrives at the sixth level and finishes the entire Testimony Path, what's wrong about that?" Ni Yinghong grinned.

Ni Xueming and Ni Wangyang's face changed, where the former even remarked, "Yinghong, ever since the Testimony Path was opened, among those who are below Extreme Grade and have attempted it, there are very few who actually arrived at the sixth level and even passed the entire path. On top of that, in the last 300 years, Third Great Ancestor was the only one who achieved that."

Among the Ni family's Three Great Ancestors, only the third great ancestor had accomplished the impressive feat, but he was already a Yang Grade powerhouse back then. Therefore, as optimistic as they were about Ou Yangming, they would never think that he could be on par with the third great ancestor.

However, Ni Yinghong's eyes glowed when she recalled the night Ou Yangming kneeled to beg her without any hesitation.

Ou Yangming was an orphan, but after getting along with him, Ni Yinghong realized that he was an emotional, simple, and kind boy with a rather high ego.

The incident where he helped the West Camp soldiers during the night battle was no longer a secret, and through the smithing challenge against Ni Yunhong, his tenacity and obstinacy were vividly portrayed.

A person like that valued his reputation very much.

Despite that, Ou Yangming was able to cast away his reputation and put down his ego for Old Craftsman. In fact, Ni Yinghong had seen a gruesome look in his eyes that showed how resolute he was to achieve what he wanted by hook or by crook.

Ni Yinghong truly looked forward to how far Ou Yangming, who gave up his ego and cast his worries aside for Old Craftsman, could go.

She looked up at the shining light at the tower's entrance as she called out to him through her heart, 'Go on, use your ability and show them how far you can go.'

Right then, the color of the tower's light underwent a marvelous change.

"The second level. He's very slow…" Ni Xueming mumbled.

"Slow work yields fine products." Ni Wangyang laughed and expressed, "That fella played me as if I was a monkey earlier, hehe, I believe that he won't be too poor."

Sure enough, the light's color changed again after a brief moment, and the color seemed to have become richer.

The people who surrounded the tower discussed among themselves, and they kept talking about the man who was walking in the tower.

Finally, the light changed again.

This time, both Ni Xueming and Ni Yunhong were no longer interested in having a conversation anymore.

Everyone paid attention to the tower's entrance quietly because they knew Ou Yangming would be qualified to enter the forbidden area once he arrived at the fourth level.

That being said, among the excellent disciples from the clan who had entered the tower from the past, there were actually very few who made it to the fourth level, let alone arriving at the sixth level and completing the entire path. Moreover, some of those disciples who climbed up to the fourth floor had fallen halfway due to various reasons, while the rest who survived were now elders in the clan.

Hence, everyone knew how difficult it was to enter the fourth level.

Ni Xueming suddenly uttered, "He finally made it to the third level, so he should've probably experienced it already."

"What?" Ni Yinghong asked as she was taken aback.

"You're both rising stars in the clan, and will certainly achieve great things in the future, but you've never walked the Testimony Path." Ni Xueming giggled, then nodded at Ni Wangyang. "Tell them."

Ni Wangyang hesitated for a while before he asked, "Do you remember the people who attempted to walk the Testimony Path?"

"Of course, they're all excellent disciples in the clan."

"Yes, if they're not excellent enough, they wouldn't have been qualified to walk the path." Ni Wangyang sighed and questioned again, "Do you remember their cultivation bases then?"

Ni Yunhong's face changed as he answered, "They're either at the peak of Yin Grade or in Yang Grade."

"That's right. If Ou Yangming has the cultivation base of Yin Grade Class Three, I'll definitely think that he can get to the fourth level, but now… Heh." Ni Xueming smiled strangely.

Subsequently, Ni Yunhong and his younger sister exchanged glances. Their hearts sank, and Ni Yinghong even clenched her fists together. Although she had expressed her unlimited support for Ou Yangming, nobody was actually as worried as she was.

She gritted her teeth and asked, "Why didn't Great Ancestor tell us?"

Ni Xueming replied to her faintly, "Great Ancestor naturally has his own reasons, but it's not something that I'll know."

The other people fell silent, but the light at the entrance suddenly changed again at the spur of the moment.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 113 One Step One Flight

The third level.

When Ou Yangming arrived at the first step of that level, he was already staggering.

The first level's pressure was actually next to nothing such that an ordinary person could have easily withstood it. However, after walking the steps to the second level, Ou Yangming could already feel enormous pressure.

It was as though he was fully equipped with pieces of White Slate Equipment that weighed over a hundred kilograms in total, so much so that he could not breathe even if he stood still. If one had to actually walk while bearing the weight of those armaments, it would be a real struggle.

Nonetheless, Ou Yangming was already aware before walking the Testimony Path that it would not be a simple walk, thus he was mentally prepared. Although each step was difficult, he gritted his teeth and managed to endure the process.

It was when he finally took the step onto the third level that the unimaginable and massive pressure suppressed him like a tidal wave.

The third level and the second level were simply worlds apart.

If the second level's pressure was said to only affect a person's body surface where only the outside of one's body had to bear the pressure, the third level was completely different. The third level's power actually had an effect on both the inside and outside of one's body.

Not only was one's body surface experiencing the same pressure, but one's internal organs were also being gnawed by the strong pressure.

Ou Yangming's face changed because he suddenly realized why one had to be in Yin Grade to attempt the Testimony Path. It was because a martial artist whose cultivation base was in Force Grade had only tempered his body surface and bone strength. Such a martial artist could surely pass the first two levels by having strong willpower, and could even crawl his way up even if he did not have sufficient power.

That said, on the third level, the pressure was omnipresent.

Especially when gravity began to reflect on the inside one's body, the feeling became more obvious.

Ou Yangming curled his body a little. His forehead and body were covered in beads of sweat, and each breath he took was like a bellow being squeezed; he sounded like a panting cow.

If Ou Yangming was only a Force Grade cultivator, his internal organs would have ruptured when he took the step, and he would vomit blood until he died.

However, since he had the cultivation base of Yin Grade, the essential Qi released in his body could protect his organs.

The essential Qi in his dantian eventually gushed out to every corner of his body without end. "Crack" sounds were heard coming from his bones, and his body immediately became much lighter.

After exhaling deeply and feeling his essential Qi circulating around his internal organs, Ou Yangming continued to move forward slowly.

Despite that, he had another concern in the next instant; the essential Qi consumed increased by a few times when he moved forward under the internal and external pressure.

He came to a shocking realization that his essential Qi seemed to be unable to support himself in moving forward any longer.

Looking at the path ahead of him, which was not long but felt like it could not be completed, Ou Yangming was distressed.

If someone else was in Ou Yangming place at the moment, perhaps that person would consider giving up already, but Ou Yangming did not have another option.

Instead of panicking, he calmed down to ponder how the previous challengers had done it.

Ou Yangming faintly thought about a problem. Ni Xueming and the others had said that one had to at least be in Yin Grade to attempt the Testimony Path but never mentioned if the cultivation base of Yin Grade Class One was enough to complete the path.

He reached to touch his waist sash, then made his decision after thinking for a while.

Since Ou Yangming would definitely not be able to withstand the whole process, he would have to borrow external force. As he took a deep breath, strong essential Qi flowed into the waist sash.

Next, extremely familiar energy returned to his body. Ou Yangming instantly felt that his body became lighter, and the fact that he was surrounded by such gravity made the feeling of being as light as a falling leaf stand out more.

His powerful mental power burst out right away, and he became one with the Blood Flight Art.

A step forward!

Ou Yangming stepped forward, but the step actually allowed him to pass the entire third level, and he landed on the next flight of stairs.

On the tower's top level, Ni Jingtong looked at the light in front of him.

The light was the same as the one at the entrance, where they could clearly identify the challenger's movement on the Testimony Path by observing the changes in the light's color and gradation.

Ni Jingtong sighed when Ou Yangming stepped on the third level, and suddenly asked, "Xueshu, what was your cultivation base when you attempted the Testimony Path in the

past?"

Ni Xueshu and the four other elders, whose cultivation base was already at the peak of Yang Grade, were surprised when they looked at Ni Jingtong while maintaining the formation.

"I was already in Yang Grade Class One when I walked the path," Ni Xueshu answered after some thought.

"What about the rest of you?"

The other elders responded, and it turned out that three of them were already in Yang Grade while one of them was already at the peak of Yin Grade Class Five.

Ni Jingtong laughed and asked, "You've all experienced the path, do you think the young fella can make it past the third stage?"

"Impossible," Ni Xueshu and the other elders answered at the same time after thinking for a while.

Indeed, the third stage was where one would undergo internal and external pressures, by which enormous pressure was inflicted on one's skin, bones, flesh, and even the organs. Even though a person who had advanced to Yin Grade had essential Qi that could protect his whole body, the consumption rate was so high that it could not possibly be withstood by someone in Yin Grade Class One.

Even if Ou Yangming had spiritual pills with him that allowed him to replenish his essential Qi very quickly, the recovery process could not be faster than the rapid consumption. Therefore, after careful consideration, the elders were unanimous in their conclusion that Ou Yangming could not make it past the third level if he relied only on his power.

"Yes, you're right, he definitely won't make it through the third level." Ni Jingtong added after a pause, "Once he can't take it anymore, I'll make a trip down to send him to the fourth level."

Ni Xueshu asked with a deep voice, "Great Ancestor, since you're sure that he won't make it, why…"

"Because I want to see if he has the ability to get out of trouble," Ni Jingtong replied after keeping quiet for some time.

Ni Xueshu was stunned. "Great Ancestor, that's impossible."

"It's obviously impossible for normal people, but a young fella who was able to kill a Yang Grade martial artist is worth noting…"

"Kill a Yang Grade martial artist? Him?" Ni Xueshu and the rest were startled.

Though Ou Yangming was never in a disadvantageous spot when he exchanged blows with Ni Wangyang earlier, the elders could not believe that he had killed a Yang Grade powerhouse.

It was worth noting that defeating someone and killing someone were two completely different things. Besides, Ni Wangyang was always the one who initiated an attack on Ou Yangming during the battle earlier.

Nevertheless, Ni Jingtong's face suddenly changed. His anchoring force that was as steady as a mountain seemed to be ineffective at that moment.

"This young fella is truly making me regard him differently now!"

Ni Xueshu and the other elders were in disbelief when they turned to look.

The light for the fourth level changed again, and it could only mean one thing; Ou Yangming had successfully passed the third level to arrive at the fourth flight of stairs.

"H-how did he do it?" Ni Xueshu mumbled, "And he did it really fast…"

After making it to the third level, Ou Yangming actually completed it while the elders conversed. He made it look like the internal and external pressures from that level did not affect him at all as he managed to complete the level at the speed of light.

That was the speed that could be achieved by the elders if they had attempted instead.

Nonetheless, the elders were powerhouses at the peak of Yang Grade.

The Ni family elders looked at each other in confusion.

Ni Jingtong laughed. "The light is a little strange, isn't it? I'd like to see how far exactly he can go."

The other elders were rather concerned when they saw the look of anticipation in Ni Jingtong's eyes. 'A young man like him is hard to come by, and he's the key to finding our ancestor's legacy. Hopefully, Great Ancestor will curb his thought and not ruin the fella.'

Everyone below the tower, including Ni Xueming, was thrilled.

This was because they knew Ou Yangming had passed the third level and was climbing the stairs to the fourth level. It was the only reason the luster changed.

"Didn't you say he won't make it? Look…" Ni Yinghong said excitedly.

Ni Xueming and Ni Wangyang smiled bitterly, but no matter how they racked their brains, they could not figure out what exactly Ou Yangming had done to complete the level.

"Ah." Ni Xueming sighed and expressed helplessly, "Heroes are made from youngsters, I've aged indeed."

Ni Wangyang looked at him snappily and thought, 'You say that you're old, but a strong man like me couldn't even defeat Ou Yangming after a long battle, am I considered old too?'

All of a sudden, someone remarked, "Hey, why is the luster's color so strange?"

The crowd was surprised. When they turned to look, they realized that the luster's color was completely different from before as though there was a hint of red.

Countless people from different generations in their clan had attempted the Testimony Path, but according to the records, a peculiar light like this had never appeared before. Everyone had a strange look on their faces, and they looked at each other as they were at a loss.

On the other hand, Ni Yinghong's eyelids twitched. For some reason, she was unusually worried and was even regretful.

'If I hadn't told Ou Yangming about this, and waited until he advanced to the peak of Yin Grade or even to Yang Grade before asking him to attempt this, would things be better?'

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 114 As Easy As Walking On Flat Ground

Although the flight of stairs to the fourth floor was heavy as usual, the distance could not stop Ou Yangming anymore.

He progressed forward step by step and was calm even when he felt the enormous pressure inside and outside his body.

This was because he knew he could definitely make it to the fourth level before his essential Qi depleted. Sure enough, just as Ou Yangming had a bit of essential Qi left, he managed to put one foot on the fourth level's stairs.

However, when he stepped with his other foot too, his body suddenly loosened up.

Yes, the flight of stairs still exerted pressure on him due to the gravity, but it seemed lesser than the second level.

This meant that a Force Grade martial artist could also complete this flight of stairs by having strong willpower.

Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows a little. He was not afraid of the difficult test, but even if one had thought with one's toes, one would know that each level on the Testimony Path was harder than the last. Why was the fourth level easier instead?

After a moment of hesitation, Ou Yangming tried to take a step forward.

He was extremely cautious that his consciousness had also risen to the maximum point where he could make judgments in advance no matter the changes ahead.

One step, two steps…

Nonetheless, even when he walked carefully through the fourth level as though he was walking on thin ice, and arrived at the top of the flight, he did not feel extra pressure.

Ou Yangming looked behind him in disbelief and in confusion.

'Are the Ni family's powerhouses suddenly making things easier for me? But isn't this too obvious?'

Regardless of the reason, Ou Yangming had completed another level and was only two levels away from his final target.

Even then, he had no idea that he was already qualified to enter the forbidden area after successfully walking past the fourth flight of stairs.

The first three levels of the Testimony Path tested a person's fitness and power. As long as one was at the peak of Yin Grade Class Five and had extraordinary willpower, one could make it to the fourth floor even if one would be exhausted.

That said, everything was completely different from the fourth level onward.

This was because the fourth level tested one's mental power instead of one's physical power.

It was especially impossible for a person without sufficient mental power or the potential to pass the fourth level.

The Ni family had many geniuses each generation, but not all had the mental power or the potential. Therefore, most geniuses failed the fourth level after passing the third level.

On the other hand, not to mention Ou Yangming's potential, his mental power alone had doubled after he absorbed the half-spirit beast's flesh and blood, as well as when he broke through in the dense forest to control the Blood Flight Art. With that, the restriction could be regarded as nothing for him.

If his mental power or its potential was lower than 10 Points, he could not pass this stage regardless, but with 25 Points of mental power…

The point advantage allowed him to get through the stage effortlessly.

Ou Yangming advanced to the fifth level at ease as if he had taken a stroll in the park.

Nevertheless, he was not aware that his freaky performance had caused everyone in the Ni family to be in an uproar.

At the top of the tower, Ni Jingtong and the five most powerful Yang Grade powerhouses looked at each other as though they had just seen a ghost.

"Did he really pass the fourth level?" Ni Jingtong mumbled.

Ni Xueshu and the other elders smiled bitterly because they wanted to know more than Ni Jingtong did. Though they knew very well that the luster would not lie to them, the fact that Ou Yangming passed the fourth level in a flash…

They looked at the great ancestor and thought, 'Can Great Ancestor achieve it too?'

"If I had attempted the fourth level instead, I can easily complete it too." Ni Jingtong scoffed as if he perceived their looks, then said to himself after a pause, 'Maybe I'll be slightly slower than the young fella?' That being said, he did not ponder upon how long exactly it would take for him to pass the level.

'Perhaps Third Brother is the only one in the Ni family who can compete with the young fella in this aspect,' Ni Jingtong wondered.

"Great Ancestor, given that Ou Yangming actually passed the fourth level so quickly, could his mental power…" Ni Xueshu expressed as he thought. The eyes of the four other elders glowed as well when they thought about the possibility.

Ni Jingtong responded with a bitter smile, "We've seen plenty of people who are gifted with strong mental power, for instance, Yinghong the little girl, who was born with great mental power and is able to use it as she wishes after cultivating for years, but the young fella is one year younger than the little girl, even if he had started cultivating in his mother's womb, it's impossible for him to have such mental power…"

The other elders nodded in agreement. It was understandable for them to think that way because it was recorded in their clan's history that it was impossible for someone of Ou Yangming's age to be born with such massive mental power.

Despite that, they would have never figured that Ou Yangming was truly born with great mental power potential, but had also activated the mysterious Military Fire, comprehended the integration of Heaven and man, had the opportunity to absorb a half-spirit beast's flesh and blood, and forced himself to control the Blood Flight Art.

Everything added up—the huge opportunity and his hard work between life and deathwas what made Ou Yangming's achievement.

Ni Xueshu's eyes suddenly lit up as he said, "Great Ancestor, Ou Yangming probably borrowed external force during the third level. Did he do the same for the fourth level?"

"The light obviously had a hint of red when the fella passed the third level, so he probably employed a magical trick of inciting his Qi and blood or something of that sort. On the opposite, the luster was pure and flawless when he passed the fourth level. Not only did he not use any external power, but he also passed the stage in the easiest way," Ni Jingtong shook his head as he answered.

Ni Xueshu and the rest were completely speechless, but they could not figure out the theory behind it no matter what.

"Hehe…" Ni Jingtong laughed out loud. "It's fine, the stronger the young fella is, the higher the possibility of him finding our ancestor's legacy. I'd like to see how outstanding his performance will be for the fifth level."

The other elders were less worried. Over a thousand years, there were only three people from the Ni family who had actually made it through the fifth level to arrive at the highest level. Among those men, the third great ancestor was the only one who was still alive.

In spite of Ou Yangming's stunning performance before this, he could forget about finishing the fifth level.

Nonetheless, a thought lingered in the elders' minds and resonated deep within their hearts.

'Is this young fella really not able to make it through the fifth level?'

X XXX

Outside the tall tower, cheers filled the air.

Just as the light at the entrance changed when Ou Yangming made it to the fifth level, whether it was Ni Yunhong and his younger sister or the elders who were guarding the tower, they could not help but smile brightly.

It was because they knew that since Ou Yangming passed the fourth level and was at the fifth level, at the very least, he was qualified to enter the forbidden area notwithstanding his final outcome on the Testimony Path.

This was a huge matter—the most important matter-for everyone in the Ni family.

Finding their ancestor's legacy had been the biggest issue that weighed heavily on their minds for over a thousand years, so much so that it had become an inner obstruction for them. The Ni family was willing to do anything to fulfill their wish.

It was similar to how Ou Yangming was willing to save Old Craftsman at all costs.

"No!" Ni Xueming suddenly regained his senses after being immersed in elation, and his face changed as he commented, "It's too fast…"

"Grandfather Xueming, what are you saying?" Ni Yunhong was rather unhappy.

Ni Xueming was not optimistic about Ou Yangming from the start, thus Ni Yunhong had conflicting thoughts with him.

After shaking his head, Ni Xueming turned to say, "Wangyang, they've never attempted the Testimony Path, and we can't explain to them due to the clan's law. On the other hand, not only have you walked the path, but you've also watched it a few times. What do you think?"

Ni Wangyang pondered for a long time before he exhaled deeply. "Yes, it's too fast…"

"Twelfth Uncle, what exactly are you talking about?" Ni Yinghong's eyes wandered about as she pouted her lips playfully.

"I've told you everything I can, and I can't tell you things that I can't disclose even if you ask." Ni Wangyang smiled bitterly and said after a pause, "If you really want to know the exact situation, it's best that you cultivate hard enough to arrive at Yang Grade or the peak of Yin Grade as soon as possible, then you'll find out after walking the Testimony Path."

Ni Yunhong and his younger sister stopped questioning because they knew it could only mean one thing if even Ni Wangyang's lips were sealed. The answer would do the siblings more harm than good, which was why the elders kept it a secret.

"Hmph, it's fine even if you don't tell us, as if I care!" Ni Yinghong pouted her lips disdainfully and said, "Grandfather Xueming, Twelfth Uncle, my brother said that he'll definitely make it to the fifth floor, didn't he?"

Ni Xueming and Ni Wangyang looked at each other. Since the fact was already in front of them, what else could they say?

"What's the obstacle at the fifth level?" Ni Yinghong suddenly mumbled. While she did not know the Testimony Path's specific situation, it was a given that the six levels in the tower represented six obstacles.

Ni Xueming responded, "Little girl, you don't have to lure us anymore because… We don't know either."

"That's right, we've always guarded at the bottom, and we've never made it to the fifth level, so we really don't know what's up there, but…" Ni Wangyang laughed brightly, then looked at Ni Yinghong with anticipation. "If you're able to walk the Testimony Path in the future, you'll probably make it to the fifth level to see the view up there."

Ni Xueming and a few elders nearby nodded slowly with envious looks.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 115 Why Have You Come?

The fifth level.

Ou Yangming finally set foot on the fifth level but was rather excited because he was a level away from reaching the top, where he would complete the Testimony Path.

However, just as he placed his other foot on the fifth level, his face suddenly changed.

He could easily pass the fourth level without obstruction because his mental power was enough to overcome the restriction.

It was just like how Ou Yangming, who was only at Yin Grade Class One, could not have completed the first three levels by only depending on his own power. On the other hand, Ni Xueshu, who was at the peak of Yang Grade, or even Ni Jingtong the Supreme Great Ancestor, could pass those levels effortlessly.

That said, it was a rare sight, so it had never happened before.

The fifth level was different because it no longer tested one's mental power and potential, but one's spiritual will.

Therefore, Ou Yangming immediately felt a strong and irresistible weariness when he officially entered the fifth level.

The intense fatigue felt as though he had struggled between life and death for three days and three nights such that he did not have the opportunity to sit and rest at all.

It was fine if the feeling was able to make one pass out quickly, but on the contrary, Ou Yangming was extra conscious instead of feeling like wanting to faint.

He could feel the slightest change in his body, where the strong sleepiness quickly spread to every corner of his body, which really frightened him.

Ou Yangming took a deep breath and fixed his gaze on the flight of stairs in front of him. After going through the first few levels, he understood that he must not linger about during situations as such. Ou Yangming had to complete the steps as fast as he could to arrive at the next platform, or he would not withstand the exhaustion if it became stronger.

By taking difficult steps, Ou Yangming made his way up.

Although the gravity that was imposed on his body was not as exaggerated as it was during the third level, he rather withstood the unbearable pressure than staying a second longer on the fifth level.

Ou Yangming made an extremely wise choice because the longer he stayed on the fifth level, the more intense the weariness was, to the extent that he would collapse.

He charged forward while he still had remaining energy, and arrived roughly halfway after a brief moment. Nonetheless, it was then when he halted because he could not take even half a step forward anymore.

Ou Yangming came to a shocking realization that his endurance was already at its maximum.

It was a rather realistic feeling where the sleepiness from his bones had spread to every corner of his body. It was difficult for him to progress forward earlier, but it had become an issue for him to even stand still at that moment.

"Cough…"

Ou Yangming let out a few coughs, each time feeling like he was going to fall.

He vaguely realized that the lethargy was not really released from his body, but from his mind. Nevertheless, it was the exact reason he could not deal with it.

Ou Yangming could only passively receive the tiredness but had no way to resist it.

Besides, it was an exceptionally fearsome process to watch his body being worn away by the feeling, and it resulted in an unimaginable pressure on his mind and body. The pressure slowly turned into despair such that he could not resist it anymore.

Finally, Ou Yangming staggered and fell butt first to the ground.

Under the enormous pressure, the 16-year-old finally could not take it anymore.

The clear-headed feeling after having just fought the exhaustion was slowly fading away, and Ou Yangming's eyelids were struggling.

He knew once he completely shut his eyes, it would mean that he had given up on resisting, and could no longer continue on the Testimony Path. That being said, the pressure inflicted on his mental state was not something bearable for a teenager.

Ou Yangming did not feel guilty because he had given his all to make it this far.

However, a voice suddenly rang in his ears from deep in his heart.

In the beginning, it was an extremely soft voice that sounded similar to a chirp, but as ou Yangming slowly closed his eyes, the voice became louder and finally echoed like thunder in his mind.

"Brother Ou, think about why you've come."

"Ah, he can't walk past it…"

At the top of the tower, the six powerful cultivators lamented at the same time when they saw the luster that flashed.

Over the thousand years, there was something common in the martial artist who had attempted the fifth level on the Testimony Path.

Unless the martial artists crossed the fifth level in one breath, once they sat down, they would not stand up again.

In particular, these powerhouses who had passed the fifth level would turn pale at the mention of the pressure on one's mind due to the fatigue. If they had attempted it again, even Ni Jingtong dared not claim that he could complete it.

Hence, after seeing the change in the luster, which proved that Ou Yangming had fallen down on the fifth level, the elders only had one thought in their mind.

This was the end of the Testimony Path.

Ni Xueshu expressed slowly, "Great Ancestor, Ou Yangming failed to arrive at the sixth level, but since he made it to the fifth, it proves that he's indeed qualified to enter the forbidden area. That's… Enough."

"Ah, what a pity…" Ni Jingtong nodded and responded in regret.

"It's truly a pity." Another elder at the peak of Yang Grade agreed. "If the young fella is at least ten years older than he is now, perhaps he'll really pass the fifth level."

The fifth level tested one's mental stress and endurance.

Those with stronger endurance and ability to resist pressure could easily complete it.

Nonetheless, it was incredibly difficult for one to meet those requirements. Normally, a person would have to be steeled through worldly affairs and experience the ups and downs in life to have unshakable willpower.

Ni Xueshu and the other elders were already in Yang Grade Class One or Yin Grade Class Four when they walked the Testimony Path. Additionally, their body condition, age, and experience were already at the peak.

Only then could they be exceptionally strong-willed, and could overcome all difficulties to make it through the fifth level in one vigor.

While Ou Yangming was a rare genius, he was really too young. How could someone his age have experienced the fickleness of life? How could he have found a thought of his own where he would go on regardless of the cost?

In actuality, the fact that Ou Yangming had come this far, stepped on the fifth level's platform, and completed over half of the flight was praiseworthy as it was completely out of their expectations.

Nobody could outrage their conscience to reprimand him for the result he had achieved.

After all, the results of the countless geniuses in the Ni family over a thousand years proved how mighty Ou Yangming was.

He made it through half of the fifth level's flight of stairs, so how were his willpower and age less than satisfactory?

Ni Jingtong pondered silently as though he was hoping for something.

After a long time, Ni Xueshu asked carefully, "Great Ancestor, it has been quite long, and a considerable amount of resources are needed to maintain the Testimony Path. Since Ou Yangming is already qualified to enter the Chaos Cave, should we stop the formation?"

Ni Jingtong was stunned. He shook his head and could not help but laugh. "Heh, looks like I held out extravagant hope. It's true, how could a young child like him make it through the fifth level?"

"Great Ancestor, he might not be able to do it now, but we can give him another chance after ten years," Ni Xueshu replied with a smile.

The other four Ni family elders hesitated for a while before they nodded.

Even though Ou Yangming was not a Ni family disciple, and theoretically could not receive such a treatment, the clan would be struck by lightning if they did not find ways to rope in a talented person like him.

Ni Jingtong laughed and said, "Go ahead and do it, I'll take respon… Hey, wh-what's that?"

The other elders trembled as they turned to look and suddenly stood up as they were dumbfounded.

Ni Xueming suddenly sighed below the tower. "He's done."

"What?" Ni Yinghong asked in shock.

Ni Xueming explained, "Look at the change in the luster, it shows that Ou Yangming has fallen on the fifth level."

The initially dazzling luster at the entrance had become so dim that it was faintly visible.

"What's the big deal about falling down? He can get up again!" Ni Yinghong knew that it was not as simple as that, but she pouted her lips because she did not want to concede.

Nevertheless, Ni Wangyang shook his head and said helplessly, "Yinghong, you have no idea. Once someone falls down on the fifth level, one will pass out. Unless he leaves the Testimony Path, he'll never wake up again."

Ni Yinghong was stunned. For some reason, her gut was twisting.

"Younger sister, though Brother Ou didn't complete it, he made it to the fifth level. He's qualified to enter the forbidden area, so it was worthwhile," Ni Yunhong quickly comforted her.

Ni Yinghong forced a smile and remarked, "Ah, the young fella did a great job."

"It wasn't just a great job, it was terrifying!" Ni Xueming sighed. "Being in Yin Grade Class One, he completed the first three levels, and finished the fourth without any pressure. Hehe, he'll be preoccupied in the future."

"Yes, our clan won't let go of a talented person like him." Ni Wangyang grinned. "Perhaps we'll be a family in the future."

At the spur of the moment, Ni Yinghong's voice was heard, but it was shaking.

"Grandfather Xueming, Twelfth Uncle, is it true that one can't get up anymore after falling down on the fifth level?"

"That's right. Let's wait, Great Ancestor and the other elders will close the Testimony Path at any time now," Ni Wangyang answered first.

"But look…"

Everyone else was stupefied when they turned to look. The dim light had somehow lit up again like the red sun in the morning; it was filled with the hope of rising again.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 116 Stay With Me, Stay Alive!

"Brother Ou, think about why you've come…"

A graceful figure appeared in Ou Yangming's mind. In the beginning, it was only a tiny black spot that seemed to be extremely far away, but the figure approached him quickly. It stopped when it was right in front of him and was clearly visible.

It was a delicate and charming face that looked at him coquettishly, and the red lips that kept opening and closing suggested that the person was saying something.

"Brother Ou, think about why you've come?"

'What do you… Mean?'

"Brother Ou, think about why you've come!"

'Why have I come? What exactly have I come?'

Ou Yangming, whose consciousness was about to sink, suddenly awakened. The figure became bigger and louder in his head, so much so that the voice resounded in his consciousness like deafening thunders.

'Why, have, I, come?'

A pair of withered hands appeared in Ou Yangming's mind.

He was an orphan, an orphan who, ever since he was a child, had no one to care for him. His biggest fortune in life was that he grew up being fed by a hundred families in the village. Once he grew up, he left the village to wander here and there.

That year, Ou Yangming was 13 years old, and it had become difficult for him to beg for leftovers from adults. He wanted to be a helper, but suffered from malnutrition and was as thin as a match, so nobody was willing to take him in.

Ou Yangming's favorite season was summer because he could find more food, and could rest in any corner on the street if he was tired. The warm sunlight helped him stay away from cold, and he did not need to worry about freezing to death at night.

He hated winter the most because it was very unlikely for him to find food during severe winter, and most importantly, freezing nights were a survival test for him. Ou Yangming had seen too many wanderers, stray cats, and stray dogs that fell asleep on a winter night without ever waking up the next day. Additionally, their corpse or carcass ended up being an energy source for other living beings that were also struggling between life and death.

Ou Yangming did not want to become one of them. He did not want to at all. Therefore, he adopted all sorts of methods and did his best to survive.

However, he fell sick.

That winter night, he felt terribly sick. As he lay on the ice-cold floor, he felt the heat from his body dissipating. Even his thick hundred-families-clothes[1] could not stop the process.

Ou Yangming vaguely saw pairs of evil eyes staring at him, so he subconsciously kept his guard up because he did not want to die.

All of sudden, through his half-blurred vision, he saw a pair of withered hands covered in aged spots.

Following that, he felt something warm. It was a warmth that was stuck in the deepest part of his memory; a warmth called family affection.

a wa

Ou Yangming saw the hands' owner after his high fever went away.

Old Craftsman had carried Ou Yangming back to the military camp, and took the initiative to take care of him. The old man had managed to save the young boy from a serious illness.

Hence, from that day onward, Ou Yangming lived in the military camp, not having to worry about food and clothes anymore.

Ou Yangming's ear suddenly hurt as it was being pulled hard.

"Ouch, old man, be gentler! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts…"

Ou Yangming's scream was heard outside the drill ground, and waves of laughter were heard as a result.

In the military camp, Ou Yangming envied the disciples from decent families because they could become soldiers. They were well-nourished, had a strong body, and could learn martial arts. Since Ou Yangming envied them, he often peeped at them.

Nonetheless, Old Craftsman despised this habit of Ou Yangming's, so the old man would run to him whenever he peeped, and pull him by the ear to drag him away.

"You're peeping again! Aren't you afraid they'll suspect that you're a spy, and chop your head off with a slash!"

"Ouch, old man, look at what you're saying. As long as you're around, they won't lay a finger on me!"

"Hmph, one day, I won't be here anymore. I'll see what you can do then!"

"Old Man, you'll live a long life, so you'll definitely be able to protect me."

"Stop flattering me and get your book. How much of what I taught you yesterday do you remember?"

"Ah, old man, what's the point of reading and learning words? It's not as interesting as practicing martial arts like them."

"Pfft! Look at your thin body, how could you think about practicing martial arts? Look after your health and learn more words before you think about that!"

"Ah, reading… It's difficult…"

"Young fella, are you going to read or not?"

"Ouch, old man, let go! I'll read, of course, I'll read! Don't you know that I love reading!"

After being threatened by Old Craftsman's fists, palms, rods, and sticks, Ou Yangming finally learned all the basic words, and could read a book on his own.

"B*stard, why are you eating so little today? Don't you want to cultivate martial arts? If you don't eat more, how are you going to practice martial arts in the future?"

"Old man, I heard from the people in the kitchen that this is a medicinal food, and it's quite expensive. It's best not to have this next time."

"Pfft, what the hell do you know? Your body has been weak ever since you were a child, and you have an incompletely cured illness. If you don't recuperate through medicinal food, how many more years do you think you can live? Hmph, I brought you here to bury me in the future, not the other way round!"

"But…"

"Are you going to eat or not? Hey, where's my stick? Where did you hide it?"

"Ouch, old man, I'm almost done eating. Look, did I not finish even the bones?" Perhaps because Ou Yangming ate too quickly, intense coughs were heard coming from him.

"Bones? Are you a dog? Be careful not to choke on your food. Eat slowly, nobody's snatching your food from you. Ah, look at your short temper, when will you change…"

"Have you remembered the way to identify raw materials?"

"Of course, even if you're old, you should know who I am."

"Is that so? Bring me a featured iron ingot then."

"Old man, it's here!"

"Idiot, I asked for a featured iron ingot, why did you bring me a normal iron ingot? I knew you didn't learn well. Where's my stick?"

"Ouch, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Old man, please show mercy…"

X XXX

"Watch closely, you must remember the way to smith from raw materials and to extract purity. This is the basic skill of a blacksmith, so you must grasp it."

"Old man, I'm not a Military Fire Blacksmith, why must I learn this?"

"Hmph, are you not allowed to learn because you're not a Military Fire Blacksmith? Even a normal blacksmith can smith armaments, and as long as you pick up this skill, you won't starve to death."

"Oh, I see… Okay, I'll learn it!"

"Cough, cough…"

"Hey, old man, you're coughing again. Did you catch a cold last night?".

"Ah, I'm getting old, I must admit it… Hey, why are you distracted again? Where's my

stick?"

While in a trance, streams of clear liquid rolled down Ou Yangming's closed eyes. He finally realized that Old Craftsman had already begun to show signs of his life's exhaustion, but Ou Yangming had not cared.

He had always not cared!

"Oh right, take this saber to Zhang Yinfan, he's looking for you."

"He's a stingy person, it's not good if he's looking for me."

"Aren't you going?"

"Good fella, take this!" Old Craftsman picked up a fractured saber and tossed it to Ou Yangming

The fractured saber was slowly restored in Ou Yangming's hands, and became a usable military saber again.

"Listen carefully, a real Military Fire Blacksmith isn't an ordinary blacksmith. Each time you forge a weapon, you must use your heart.

"Come, watch how I do it, and use your heart to perceive.

"Do you remember it?

"Repeat it.

"Idiot, you can't even memorize the formula. Who should I hit if not you?

"Okay, I'll tell you again. Listen carefully… Memorize it!

"Ah, sorry, I'm too used to it. Continue… Why are you staring at me? Are you unhappy?

"Stop flattering me, memorize it again!

"Okay, I'll teach you the Layering Art. It's my final trump card, so I have nothing else to teach you after this.

"You damn b*stard, today's supposed to be a gleeful day, but you just had to embarrass me. I've been taking care of you for nothing!"

The voices slowly faded away and seemed to have agglomerated into an image.

Through the window gap, Ou Yangming saw the old man who was lying in bed. The familiar and old face was scarily thin, as though it belonged to another person.

This was the last image in Ou Yangming's memory, and everything was blank after that.

An intense and unbearable sorrow burst out from the deepest part of his body like a downpour of galaxy water; it was unstoppable.

Unknowingly, Ou Yangming's eyes were filled with tears, and due to the blurred vision, he could not see anything even in the spiritual world.

"Brother Ou, think about why you've come!"

It sounded like an alarm in the morning, and he was completely awoken.

'Why have I come… Yes, why have I come?

'I've come for Old Craftsman, I've come to prolong his life. Before I acquire the Life-prolonging Golden Pill to prolong Old Craftsman's life, I mustn't fall down! I mustn't!'

As Ou Yangming's body trembled violently, he had an upsurge of emotions, and he became high-spirited. His heavy eyelids opened up bit by bit.

A considerable amount of tears rolled down his cheeks and soaked the clothing in front of his chest, but his eyes were resolute like never before.

Ou Yangming's body that had fallen down earlier was full of power again, and the enormous mental stress could not bother or restrain him anymore.

"Old man, you've done enough.

'I'll be filial to you in the days ahead. You'll enjoy life in comfort.'

Subsequently, Ou Yangming stepped forward with determination, and each step taken was firm and steady.

His body was like a solitary rock in turbulent and boundless waves as he made his way to the sixth level's platform.

'Old man, I want nothing but you to stay alive…

'Stay with me, stay alive!'

[1] Clothes made from various cloth strips

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 117 Finished Walking The Path

Ou Yangming swayed as if he would fall again at any time.

Nonetheless, no matter how dangerous his upper body looked, his legs were steady like rocks, and he looked like a 10,000-year-old ancient tree. Even if there was a strong and violent wind, as long as it did not overturn the Earth, it would certainly not blow him away.

With that, Ou Yangming made it through the fifth level, step by step, and arrived at the platform for the sixth level.

When Ni Jingtong and the other elders, who were on the sixth level, saw Ou Yangming's state, they were in such disbelief that their faces took on a strange look.

Their hearts crumbled at that moment.

'The young fella got up, he actually got up!' 'How did he… Get up?' The elders had walked the Testimony Path in the past, so they knew very well how difficult the fifth level was. It was possible for one to complete it in one breath, but if one fell down halfway…

They were horrified at the thought of it, and were sure they would not have the courage to get back up again if they had fallen down.

However, an actual miracle had just taken place in front of the elders. 'Ou Yangming. How did this young fella get up?' "Could this fella…" Ni Jingtong mumbled, "Has his consciousness already surpassed his body?"

The other five Ni family powerhouses shivered because they were too aware of what it meant, but it was the exact reason they dared not believe it.

As Ni Jingtong and the other elders watched the seemingly exhausted Ou Yangming in disbelief, they broke out in a cold sweat. This was because they wanted to know if the teen, who had just walked the fifth level, had the remaining energy required to complete the sixth flight of stairs.

If Ou Yangming could really do it, it would mean that his quality and ability were not inferior at all to every genius in the Ni family over a thousand years. No, perhaps he was actually superior to them.

It was worth noting that Ou Yangming only had the strength of Yin Grade Class One at the moment.

Even the three Ni family powerhouses who had completed the Testimony Path in the past had attempted it when they were at least at the peak of Yin Grade.

Therefore, Ni Jingtong and the rest had the same thought at the same time. 'Is this young fella going to break the Ni family's record?'

It was not a glorious thing because no disciple from the Ni family would be willing to see an outsider break their clan's record. Nevertheless, the six powerhouses seemed to have forgotten about this because they looked quietly at Ou Yangming without wanting to disturb him.

Ou Yangming breathed heavily and instantly saw Ni Jingtong and the other elders when he looked up.

The elders were sitting in a spot furthest from the stairs, and each of them looked at him expressionlessly and with a cold look.

Ou Yangming smiled bitterly as he immediately realized that he had to walk over to them.

Despite that, he was already fearless. Unless he lost his life, he would not be taken down regardless of how difficult the situation was.

When Ou Yangming took a step out, he finally moved to the sixth level.

Although he did not know what the sixth level's test was, he was well-prepared. He had somewhat figured out a pattern; the first three levels were related to one's physical fitness, hence one with strong physical power and willpower could pass them.

From the fourth level onward, one's mental state was tested.

Ou Yangming could easily pass the fourth level, but suffered terribly on the fifth level, thus the sixth level—the final level-was definitely going to be a challenge. If he was slightly careless, his previous efforts would be in vain.

He slowly took a step forward.

Ou Yangming suddenly raised his eyebrows and seemed to be in disbelief. There was neither a feeling of difficulty nor irresistible pressure. It was as though the path ahead was a flat road, and he could easily walk with big strides to the finishing point.

He had experienced the feeling once, when he was on the fourth level, and he had passed it with no surprises and at ease.

As such, when he experienced the same feeling again, he could not help but feel relaxed.

After taking two more steps, Ou Yangming had loosened up even more. An inexplicable and unstoppable feeling of delight rose from his heart, and was about to take over his other emotions.

From being extremely pressured and dispirited, he suddenly experienced a completely different emotion, and the intense impact from the instant change was vastly different.

Ni Jingtong and the other elders widened their eyes and stared at Ou Yangming. They had crumbled in the past from undergoing the drastic change of emotions, changing from being in great suffering to feeling great joy. If anyone could withstand the instant change of feelings from one extreme end to the other, it must be someone with non-human and freaky willpower. That said, a freak like that was extremely rare, so there were only three in the Ni family over a thousand years.

When Ou Yangming suddenly halted, Ni Jingtong and the rest said to themselves, 'It's here!'

Nonetheless, it was then that Old Craftsman's thin face flashed in Ou Yangming's mind.

Upon seeing the thin and unrecognizable face, Ou Yangming only had sorrow left in his heart, and could not feel even a bit of joy.

Hence, when the emotion of wild joy had not even been brewed in his heart and spread out, it was already driven out by sorrow, so much so that none of the joy was left. Ou Yangming's half-developed smile on his face froze at that moment, and it looked like an incredibly odd and hideous smile instead.

Following that, he curbed his thoughts and composed himself again to walk toward Ni Jingtong and the other elders step by step.

It was not a long road, so he arrived before them in no time.

After making a deep bow at Ni Jingtong, Ou Yangming asked, "Senior, did I pass?"

Ni Jingtong's face twitched as he answered, "You passed." "Close the formation, quickly close it!" Ni Xueshu quickly ordered as if he had just woken up from a dream.

The other elders jumped as well, and they stopped the formation around them at the speed of light.

They moved extraordinarily quickly, as though they were afraid of delaying something. In the blink of an eye, the peculiar color that filled the tower vanished.

"Ou Yangming, how did you come here?" Ni Jingtong asked after taking a deep breath. Ni Xueshu and the other elders pricked up their ears as well as they were eager to find out how Ou Yangming withstood the clash and sudden change of the extreme emotions.

In the past, Ni Jingtong had also asked the third great ancestor the same question when he finished the path, but even after pondering for a long time, the great ancestor said that he had no idea how he did it. As a result, Ni Jingtong was mad.

This time, since someone had completed the entire path again, he was obviously going to ask the question again. Ou Yangming wondered in all seriousness, then replied to Ni Jingtong hesitantly while everyone watched him with anticipation, "I… Walked here."

"Walked here?"

The elders were stunned, and they could not help but curse.

'You don't say. If you didn't walk here, did you fly here?" However, they did not know that Ou Yangming had indeed flown his way past the third level.

Ni Jingtong twitched his mouth and said, "I was asking how you managed to mediate the two emotions." "Emotions?" Ou Yangming was stunned, and he asked probingly, "Senior, are you asking about the strange emotion of joy?"

"That's right." Ni Jingtong's eyes lit up as he asked with a deep voice, "How did you overcome it?"

Ou Yangming spread out his hands and answered honestly, "The feeling of joy came too suddenly, but I was only concerned about my senior and could not be happy at all, so the emotion disappeared by itself."

He finally realized that the sixth level's test was the feeling of joy that appeared without warning.

If a normal person had undergone the same situation, it was actually possible for one to go mad. In fact, even a Yang Grade powerhouse could not avoid the mental impact.

That being said, all things in the world were restricted by something.

Nothing could be done if the emotion of joy clashed with deep sorrow. "Is… Is that even possible?" Ni Xueshu mumbled.

The other elders looked at each other too. They either pondered or discussed with each other, but they soon had a strange look in their eyes.

Before this, they had cultivated their Qi before walking the Testimony Path to be fully mentally prepared. During that time, they cast away everything that would distract them.Therefore, their energy was fully focused when they attempted the path, and they stressed on being emotionless to be in their best state.

Nevertheless, under that state, if one was suddenly surprised after experiencing hardships, one's situation would be placed in jeopardy. On the contrary, Ou Yangming was already inconsolable, and even gained superb power during a difficulty, which allowed him to complete the fifth level in one vigor. On the sixth level, the emotion of being wild with joy could not compete with Ou Yangming's concern and sorrow for Old Craftsman, thus he could not be happy at all.

Ni Jingtong cleared his throat and said, "Let's ponder upon this in the future. Ou Yangming… You've passed the test, so please go rest, and I'll send you into the Chaos Cave tomorrow morning."

Ou Yangming responded to him. He was starting to feel exhausted too.

When he turned to leave, it was already bustling outside the tower. Whether it was Ni Yunhong and his younger sister or the skinny Ni Xueming, they all flashed smiles at him.

In particular, when Ou Yangming exited the tower, everyone was generous in giving him words of praise.

Ou Yangming smiled faintly at everyone, then suddenly went forward to give Ni Yinghong a big hug while the others watched.

"Thank you!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 118 The Big Yellow Dog Visits

Ni Yinghong suddenly froze.

Apart from her, the other people around were also dumbfounded, and the atmosphere changed from a lively one to an extremely quiet one in an instant.

These were two extremes too; extremes that gave people faint chills.

Ou Yangming let go after giving her a tight hug, and smiled sincerely as he said, "Thank you."

Ni Yinghong was usually quirky, but could always make the most appropriate decisions in the shortest time, no matter the issue, so she was deeply doted on by the three great ancestors and the other elders.

However, now that she was being stared at by a crowd of people, her quick wits seemed to have flown away, as though they had grown wings.

When Ni Yinghong sensed the strange and quiet looks around her, she was so ashamed and angry that she suddenly kicked Ou Yangming.

Ou Yangming held his ankle and cried in pain, whereas Ni Yinghong escaped like a frightened snowbird.

On the other hand, Ni Yunhong twitched his mouth and commented while being in a daze, "Brother Ou, you've gone too far!" Ou Yangming knew that he was in a bad situation, but he had thought about the fifth level in the tower when he came out.

If he had not suddenly thought about Ni Yinghong's reminder then, he would have passed out long ago, and would not have successfully finished the Testimony Path.

Therefore, as soon as Ou Yangming came out, he was just so grateful that he revealed his true sentiments.

Nonetheless, after being kicked by Ni Yinghong and sensing the strange situation around him, he knew that he had gone overboard, but even then, he could not admit it.

Ou Yangming grimaced in pain and asked with an innocent look, "What do you mean that I've gone too far?"

"You, you, you…" Ni Yunhong pointed at Ou Yangming, but could not utter a single word even after a long time.

'How can I explain? Should I tell him that Ni Yinghong is actually my younger sister and not my younger brother? I can't bring myself to say that…'

"Hehe… Ou Yangming, you've just finished the Testimony Path, so you should be quite tired. Come, come, I'll bring you to rest, perhaps you'll have to go into action again very soon." Ni Xueming suddenly laughed, then gave Ni Wangyang a look before pulling Ou Yangming away.

Ni Yunhong stamped with fury. He wanted to stop them, but Ni Wangyang blocked him and comforted, "My good nephew, don't be mad." 'Yes, Yunhong, don't be mad. He probably did it unintentionally.' This was Ni Yunhong giving himself a piece of kind advice.

"That's right. Even if you want to mess with him, you should wait until he's out from the Chaos Cave.' This was him wanting to plan an act of revenge.

Nevertheless, be it a good intention or an ill intention, his central idea remained the same; this was not the right time to take revenge on Ou Yangming

Hence, Ni Yunhong could only angrily put this aside for now, but deep down he was not as furious as he seemed. In fact, he vaguely had a thought, 'It's true that that fella doesn't have a good background, but he's quite capable. Even if he's matched with Yinghong… Maybe-just maybe-he'll be a good match!'

The situation below the tower could not be hidden away from the elders at the top of the tower. When they looked down at the other people, everything was clearly visible to them. Ni Xueshu and a few elders exchanged glances and said, "Great Ancestor, look…"

"Ou Yangming is about to enter the Chaos Cave to search for our ancestor's legacy, and it's our clan's top and unshakable priority," Ni Jingtong responded.

"Yes," the elders replied to him.

"But the Chaos Cave is the Ni family's forbidden area, after all. Outsiders aren't allowed to enter." Ni Jingtong suddenly sounded very cold.

"Great Ancestor, you're saying…" Ni Xueshu looked up and asked softly while making a gesture of swinging a saber.

"The young fella was able to complete the Testimony Path, and he also comprehended the integration of Heaven and man. He has a very promising future," Ni Jingtong shook his head and explained, then added after a pause, "A talent like him is what the Ni family needs."

One of the elders stood up and remarked, "Great Ancestor, you're right. I heard from Yunhong that he wants to acquire the Life-prolonging Golden Pill for his senior, so it's clear that he values his family and close friends greatly. If that's the case, he's worthy of being roped in."

The other three elders nodded. Even if a clan wanted to rope in a master from the outside, they had to consider the price to be paid and that person's character.

If that person had a great reputation, the clan was obviously willing to pay a higher price, but if that person would break promises and had a terrible reputation, they would not consider him even if it would cost them very little.

"Don't meddle in this. Since he was brought here by Yunhong and Yinghong, let them handle it," Ni Jingtong ordered. Ni Xueshu and the other elders bowed and responded to him, but said to themselves, 'Great Ancestor still favors the siblings the most, he always leaves the best for them.

Under Ni Xueming's company, Ou Yangming returned to the side room that he was temporarily staying in. Ni Xueming had a friendly smile on his thin face as he said, "Look, are you comfortable staying in this room? Let me know if you're unhappy about anything, and I'll ask them to change you to another room."

Although Ni Xueming was not from the direct line of descent and was only part of the five-generation system's branch, he was still an elder in the clan. Based on his cultivation base of Yang Grade, he had a place in the Ni family.

As such, as long as he gave the orders, Ou Yangming could have a comfortable stay here.

"Thank you for your kindness, senior, but I'm very satisfied with his room," Ou Yangming quickly said, then asked after a moment of hesitation, "May I ask when I'll be entering the Chaos Cave tomorrow morning?"

Ni Xueming was stunned, but he quickly understood that it was an instruction given by the great ancestor.

He chuckled and answered, "Just get some good rest for now, and try your best to replenish your lost energy. As for what will happen tomorrow, the great ancestor has made arrangements, and you definitely won't be disappointed." Ou Yangming nodded slightly. Even though he wanted to seize every minute and second by entering the so-called Chaos Cave right away, since the Ni family did not allow him to, he could not be too proactive or they might be suspicious, which would not be good. Ni Xueming turned around, but just as he was about to leave, he could not help but ask, "Ou Yangming, do you really not know?" Ou Yangming's heart skipped a beat, and he thought, 'It's finally here.'

Fortunately, he was well-prepared, thus he asked in reply to the elder as if he was confused, "Know what?"

Ni Xueming stared at him closely, but could not notice anything strange from his face, so he let out a hollow laugh and said, "Nothing, I'll be leaving. Please have a good rest." Following that, he turned to leave in a hurry. The elder was feeling rather gloomy because he failed to see if Ou Yangming really had no idea or if he was simply pretending.

Ou Yangming turned to close the door, and he exhaled deeply as soon as he did.

Though he had pulled it off earlier, his back was already drenched in a cold sweat. If Ni Xueming had stayed any longer, perhaps he would be able to notice a clue.

Ou Yangming slapped his forehead and thought, 'Ni Yinghong is indeed…' Subsequently, he suppressed the thought as he dared not think about it in detail.

Suddenly, Ou Yangming was alarmed. It was a feeling of extreme danger, as though he was being eyed by something powerful.

Despite that, he was glad that the powerful being was not powerful enough to fight him.

As Ou Yangming breathed steadily, he swayed his body a little. Each time he swayed, his body seemed to be interacting with his surroundings on a certain level, allowing his body to blend in with the environment around him.

It was the integration of Heaven and man, and this was the most mysterious thing about it.

If he fully released the energy, it would be when he would counterattack.

That said, a dog's bark was heard out of the blue.

"Woof!"

Ou Yangming instantly stopped the aura from the integration of Heaven and man because he quickly figured what was spying him.

After all, he was in the Ni residence. How could other powerhouses sneak in easily to spy on him? It must be someone or something from the Ni family.

A sound of the wind was suddenly heard coming from behind Ou Yangming, and he flashed to hide without thinking.

The big yellow dog had arrived in an aggressive manner, and it opened its mouth after seeing Ou Yangming hide.

Its mouth seemed to have turned into a fearsome bloody mouth at that instant, which was way beyond the extent a normal dog could open its mouth to. Besides, its large mouth seemed to be generating something as it released a hair-raising aura. Ou Yangming immediately widened his eyes. He was highly focused and felt nervous.

This was because he sensed a strong crisis that seemed to be a few times more dangerous than what he felt before, and he was certain that the big yellow dog's mouth was not a bluff, but mighty energy that was similar to a killing weapon.

However, Ou Yangming could not identify it due to his limited knowledge.

The big yellow dog left its mouth open, but was clearly hesitant. At last, it glared at Ou Yangming before closing its mouth. Ou Yangming sighed a breath of relief when the dog closed its mouth, and he seemed as if he had just survived a huge crisis."Woof!"

The big yellow dog barked at Ou Yangming once more, then took two steps outside. Seeing as Ou Yangming was indifferent, it could not help but bark again.

This time, as dumb as Ou Yangming was, he understood it.

He asked in shock, "Are you asking me to follow you?"

The big yellow dog nodded like a human.

Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows as he was hesitant. Ni Jingtong had asked him to rest before entering the forbidden area, yet the big yellow dog-a half-spirit beast—that had human feelings was asking him to follow it.

It was a difficult choice for Ou Yangming. The big yellow dog eventually looked displeased, so much so that its fur was about to stand up.

Ou Yangming smiled bitterly as he finally decided. "Don't be mad, I'll go with you."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 119 The Yellow Dog Breathes

Ou Yangming figured that while he urgently needed the Life-prolonging Golden Pill to save Old Craftsman, the Ni family valued their ancestor's legacy just as much. Therefore, at the very least, before he walked out of the Chaos Cave, he would be safe and sound in the residence.

Even if someone wanted to stir up trouble, Ni Jingtong, the Supreme Great Ancestor, would certainly disallow it.

'If that's the case, why should I hesitate? No matter who the big yellow dog is bringing me to, I'll just meet that person once.'

The big yellow dog seemed to not want to attract any attention because it avoided the main road when it led the way, and opted to go through the garden instead. Ou Yangming shook his head, but could only follow it. In actual fact, he was somewhat worried along the way. If they were noticed, the other people would be displeased even if he carried the big yellow dog out.

Nonetheless, the dog seemed to be extremely familiar with the guard stations in the Ni residence, be they covert or open ones. It led Ou Yangming past the guards and arrived at a big courtyard.

Even though the Ni family had a huge territory, a person who owned a courtyard of this scale in the prefecture was surely not an ordinary person.

The big yellow dog turned to look at Ou Yangming, then stuck its tongue out as though it was looking at him indifferently.

Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows and wondered, 'Are all half-spirit beasts this annoying?' Following that, three figures slowly walked out from the courtyard, and they seemed to have been aware of Ou Yangming's presence for a long time. One of them was Ni Jingtong, who waved at him and said, "Ou Yangming, come here."

Ou Yangming finally sighed a breath of relief. He could guess who the other two figures were, and was quite certain that he was right.

There could only be one reason the Ni family's Three Great Ancestors were present at the same time and kept it a secret from the rest.

They must have extra instructions for Ou Yangming's trip to the Chaos Cave tomorrow, and were the only ones in the clan who knew about it.

Nevertheless, Ou Yangming was not happy after realizing this, and he frowned instead as he sensed, from the bottom of his heart, a deep crisis.

'My Blood Flight Art can be used against a Yang Grade powerhouse, but what about Supreme Great Ancestors?'

Ou Yangming sighed, but quickly cast away the thought. In any case, he had neither acquired the Life-prolonging Golden Pill nor the Ni family's ancestor's legacy, so he would take one step at a time.

He paced forward and greeted respectfully, "Greetings, great ancestors."

The first person was the oldest elder, who had white hair and beard. He nodded and said, "So, you're Lil' Ou. Not bad, heroes are truly made from youngsters. Third Brother, what do you think?"

"Uncle, you're right, the fella has a bright future," the person who was addressed as Third Brother answered with a smile. He was a middle-aged man who seemed to be around Ni Xueshu's age.

Ou Yangming was startled, and he looked at the three men with a questioning look. Ni Jingtong chuckled and said, "Young fella, let me introduce you to my big brother, Ni Jingshen. He's also the oldest Supreme Great Ancestor alive in the Ni family."

"Second Younger Brother, look at what you're saying. Do you despise me because I've lived too long?" Ni Jingshen scolded jokingly. Ni Jingtong laughed out loud and continued, "This is our Third Brother, Ni Xuetian. He's a peer of Ni Xueshu and the others, but has advanced to Extreme Grade and comprehended the integration of Heaven and man. As such, he's considered the Ni family's dragon."

Ou Yangming trembled a little and looked at Ni Xuetian as if he wanted to ask for advice.

Ni Xuetian could not help but laugh, and he asked, "Do you have something you'd like to ask?"

"Yes," Ou Yangming answered in a serious manner, "I'm confused about how I achieved the integration of Heaven and man, so I'd like you to clarify some of my doubts."

Ni Jingshen and Ni Jingtong were envious. They thought, 'He grasped the integration of Heaven and man in confusion, whereas we've cultivated for so many years yet we're still bewildered and have gained nothing. Ah, constant comparisons will only make us angry.'

"Honestly, I can only describe the way I achieved the integration of Heaven and man in one word," Ni Xuetian replied to him and giggled.

Ou Yangming's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "What word?"

He knew how important the integration of Heaven and man was, and he vaguely sensed that the state was exceptionally important for him.

"Confusion," Ni Xuetian replied smilingly

Ni Jingshen and Ni Jingtong had already known the answer, hence they smiled at Ou Yangming too.

"What?" Ou Yangming was surprised and in disbelief.

Ni Jingtong sighed. "Ou Yangming, those who achieve the integration of Heaven and man can't say how they managed to do it. No matter who you ask, you'll only get the same answer."

"That's right. The integration of Heaven and man is a mysterious state that can't be replicated. Everyone has their own opportunity and apprehension in advancing to the state, but one's opportunity and apprehension aren't very helpful to another person," Ni Jingshen explained helplessly and sighed. "If it wasn't because of that, we would've fathomed the state as well." Ou Yangming pouted his lips and said, "I see, thank you for your advice, seniors."

Though he was told the reason, he was not happy at all. The feeling of being confused was unquestionably an irritating one for someone like him, who always liked to get to the bottom of everything.

Ni Jingshen later cleared his throat and asked, "Lil' Ou, do you know why we've summoned you here?"

Ou Yangming answered without hesitation, "The Chaos Cave."

There was no need for him to hide anything from the three masters. After all, his mind was set on obtaining the Life-prolonging Golden Pill, so he was not willing to waste any time or energy.

Ni Jingshen smiled. "That's right, but while you remember our conversation, please keep it to yourself." Ou Yangming responded in all seriousness, "I'll listen well and remember well. If another person knows what we talked about…"

Before he finished his sentence, Ni Jingshen cut him off. "Lil' Ou, you don't have to say that. Since we're willing to tell you, it means that we trust you. Besides, the future is unpredictable. If we're able to become family in the future, these taboos will mean nothing."

Ou Yangming was moved, and he could not help but blush.

The three great ancestors looked at each other with smiles on their faces, and the atmosphere seemed to have been lightened.

Ni Xuetian said, "Ou Yangming, I believe that your mental power is very powerful already."

Ou Yangming was taken aback. "Senior, why do you say that?"

"Hehe, I heard Second Uncle say that you passed the fourth level with ease, and did not get affected by the pressure," Ni Xuetian said with a deep voice, "The fourth level is a place that tests one's mental power and potential. Unless your mental power is able to suppress the restriction there, you couldn't have passed the level so effortlessly."

Ou Yangming hesitated as he did not know if he should be honest.

However, Ni Xuetian quickly dispelled his worry. "Lil' Ou, don't think about deceiving us because it's closely related to whether you can find our ancestor's legacy."

"I did achieve something with my mental power, but the specifics…" Ou Yangming quickly looked up to reply to him, but was helpless. "I don't have a reference, so it's hard for me to say."

Ni Xuetian's eyes glowed as he told him, "That's easy. We'll get a rough idea if your mental power can be manifested in a form to shift Heaven and Earth's power."

Ou Yangming was puzzled. 'What exactly are the Ni family's great ancestors saying?" Ni Xuetian grinned. "Lil' Ou, it looks like you fumbled about on your own to acquire mental power."

"Yes, I'm also very confused about it…" Ou Yangming nodded.

Ni Jingshen and Ni Jingtong shook their heads, and were so envious that they were almost resentful.

"If that's the case, I suppose you don't know the right way to release mental power?" Ni Xuetian questioned. Ou Yangming was struck dumb. "Senior, what do you mean?"

Ni Xuetian explained, "When humans like us cultivate, we can also cultivate spiritual secret techniques other than martial arts. That said, secret techniques are difficult to understand, and clans that actually possess a similar legacy are like phoenix feathers and unicorn horns; they're very rare."

"Senior, what about your clan?" Ou Yangming was moved.

"We have it," Ni Xuetian answered firmly.

Ou Yangming's eyes instantly shone. If he had the chance to grasp a bit of mental power's release method or cultivation method, it would be a bonus.

He had long sensed that mental power was unusually powerful energy. While he possessed the power, he could neither cultivate nor release it. It was similar to being exceptionally wealthy but having nowhere to spend his money, and it was a frustrating feeling. "Senior, I wonder…"

"No, you can't." Ni Xuetian immediately interrupted him.

Ou Yangming was slightly angry, but was not truly indignant. It was normal for the elders to disagree because it would only be weird if they agreed.

Despite that, Ni Xuetian added, "It's not that I'm not willing to teach you, but because the spiritual secret technique is part of our ancestor's legacy, I can't actually teach you."

an

Ou Yangming widened his eyes and thought, 'I see, he's only feeding on illusions, and is making something out of nothing.'

Ni Xuetian chuckled as if he perceived Ou Yangming's look. "But I can show you the exact might if mental power is released."

He shouted, "Big Yellow."

The big yellow dog wagged its tail and moved forward, but it was displeased.

Ni Xuetian reprimanded it jokingly, "You little wimp. If you do well this time, I'll ask Yinghong to make you a good meal."

The big yellow dog's eyes lit up at once, and saliva was seen dropping out of its mouth.

"If you don't do well, you'll get nothing!" Ni Xuetian pulled a long face.

Subsequently, the big yellow dog roared and turned around before opening its mouth again into the size of a sacrificial bowl.

A vague yellow light was then emitted.

Next, within a few meters in front of the dog, over ten sharp giant stalagmites emerged from the ground without warning, and only stopped when they were roughly the height of a person.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 120 Luster Everywhere

Ou Yangming gasped as he was in disbelief.

'What ability is this? It's simply a miracle…'

Ou Yangming flashed to the side of the stalagmites, then smiled bitterly after observing them for a while. "The stalagmites' toughness were in no way inferior to steel. I really wonder how the big yellow dog managed to do this.

He suddenly wondered, 'If it didn't breathe at the empty ground, but directed its ferocious and huge mouth at me instead, what would have happened?'

Ou Yangming shook his head and felt a chill down his spine because he somehow felt that he had escaped death.

If he was caught off guard, even if he had fathomed the integration of Heaven and man, he might not be able to avoid the stalagmites that suddenly emerged.

Ou Yangming could not believe that the half-spirit beast possessed such a mighty ability.

In comparison, the beast that he encountered in the dense forest in the past was inferior to it.

Ni Xuetian smiled when he noticed how shocked Ou Yangming was. "Lil' Ou, you've finally seen it. This is the right way to use mental power's secret might."

Ou Yangming's face changed as he asked, "Senior, Big Yellow's a half-spirit beast, so it's probably gifted to be able to execute it. How are humans like us going to do the same?"

"Everything is recorded in our ancestor's legacy." Ni Xuetian sighed, then assured after a pause, "The three of us promise that we'll pass on the knowledge to you if you find the legacy and bring it out."

"Yes, thank you, senior," Ou Yangming responded with a serious face.

If he could really grasp a power like that, it would be an indescribably delightful thing. Feeling moved, he questioned, "Senior, is it helpful to have mental power before seeking your clan's Land of Inheritance?"

"Yes, it's extremely helpful," Ni Jingtong answered sternly, "but we've only found some clues from our clan's inherited books. If the seeker has especially mighty mental power, he or she can sense the Land of Inheritance's position. That said, once you enter the forbidden area, you'll have to probe and face anything you encounter on your own."

Ni Xuetian touched the big yellow dog briefly and ordered in a solemn manner, "Oh right, Big Yellow will journey into the Chaos Cave with you. I hope you'll coordinate with each other along the way. Remember, you must bring Big Yellow into the Land of Inheritance."

Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog were both startled, and they looked at each other at the same time.

The human and the dog gazed at each other in dismay and were somehow feeling helpless.

Nonetheless, Ou Yangming did not object to the idea. It was evident that the big yellow dog was a reserve arranged by the elders, and he did not know what the consequence would be if he rejected them.

Ni Jingtong said, "You'll be staying together tonight to connect and form a mutual understanding. The Chaos Cave is quite dangerous, so you must be careful tomorrow."

Ou Yangming hesitated before he said, "Thank you for your concern, senior." Afterward, Ni Xuetian went forward to rub the big yellow dog's neck and instructed, "Big Yellow, tomorrow's matter is extremely important. You're a senior in our clan, so you must put the interests of the whole above everything else."

Ou Yangming twitched his mouth. Although he knew that the big yellow dog had human feelings, it was somewhat strange and unacceptable for someone to speak to it like

that.

The big yellow dog barked softly, then jumped on the courtyard's wall and swung its head at Ou Yangming.

Ou Yangming bowed at the three Supreme Great Ancestors after a moment of hesitation, and he left with the dog.

Once they were far away, Ni Jingtong suddenly asked, "What do you think about him?"

Ni Xuetian responded with a deep voice, "The young fella's mental power is probably more powerful than we imagined it to be. Plus, he has the determination and is in the state of the integration of Heaven and man. Hehe, if even he fails, I really can't think of anyone else who can find our ancestor's Land of Inheritance."

"It's set then, I hope everything goes smoothly for him." Ni Jingshen nodded.

When Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog returned to the side room, the dog drooped its head and jumped onto the bed unhappily.

Feeling stunned, Ou Yangming decided not to go onto the bed anymore after seeing the bed sheet that had turned yellow after the big yellow dog stepped on it.

Being an orphan, he obviously did not despise the soil on the dog's paws, but he feared its teeth and sharp claws. If Ou Yangming was accidentally touched by the dog when they slept together, he would definitely regret it. Ou Yangming was feeling uncertain, but he decided to ask probingly, "Big Yellow, why did the great ancestors insist that you enter the Land of Inheritance? Is it because your body…"

He suddenly paused because the big yellow dog looked up at him fiercely as though it was warning him.

Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows a little, but did not flinch this time.

"Big Yellow, I know there are things that I shouldn't ask, but we're about to enter the Chaos Cave very soon. I feel that we should be honest with each other, or the search for the Land of Inheritance will be delayed if we have a misunderstanding in the cave. If that happens, it'll be a big issue."

The big yellow dog's ears twitched as if it was considering Ou Yangming quickly struck while the iron was hot. "Your breathing is very powerful, which is an incredibly useful power. If we encounter an accident halfway through and I'm not aware of your ability, won't it be such a waste?" The big yellow dog tilted its head to look at Ou Yangming distantly, but still remained silent.

Ou Yangming was helpless as he never imagined himself reasoning with a dog. Even though the big yellow dog was not an ordinary dog, a dog was a dog, and it was an unchangeable fact even if it was a half-spirit beast.

Seeing as the big yellow dog was stubborn and indifferent, Ou Yangming frowned and said, "Okay, since you're not willing to cooperate, we'll see how things go. But I promised the Ni family's great ancestors, so I'll definitely send you in if I find the Land of Inheritance."

The big yellow dog's ears twitched again, but this time, it seemed to be moved.

It jumped off the bed gently, then glanced at Ou Yangming before going to the side of the window, and lifted its leg to kick it open.

Following that, it opened its big mouth to spit out an earthly yellow gem. The sky had completely turned dark at that moment, but a bright and clear half-moon was seen hanging up there.

For some reason, the gem emitted a mysterious ray that resonated with the moonlight at a distance like there was an invisible power connecting them.

Ou Yangming blinked hard a few times as he wondered what the gem was, as it was able to interact with the moonlight.

Although he did not know the gem's background, after witnessing the scene, even a fool could guess what it was for.

"Big Yellow, you have to place this item at the Land of Inheritance, am I right?" Ou Yangming continued slowly, "If I've guessed it right, the Ni family has a method to locate the land through the item, so they'll be able to access the land freely in the future even without me."

The big yellow dog hesitated before opening its mouth again to swallow the gem.

Subsequently, it jumped out of the side room and squatted on the ground to look up at the moon above.

Ou Yangming found it strange, and he pondered, 'What is that fella up to this time?'

However, his expression changed wonderfully in the next instant.

This was because he saw a peculiar aura soaring from the big yellow dog's body. It was an aura, and not a dazzling multicolored ray of light, but it actually had a strange and nearly unbelievable function.

In particular, the aura had a mysterious connection with the moonlight when it boiled. During that moment, the big yellow dog also seemed to have transformed its body into the mysterious gem, and was communicating with the moonlight in a certain way. Ou Yangming watched quietly for some time before he was suddenly struck with a thought.

"The big yellow dog isn't taking the opportunity to display its cultivation method, is it?'

Needless to say, a cultivation method like this was very odd, and could not be understood by everyone.

Only by having mighty mental power and being in the state of the integration of Heaven and man could one sense the change in the big yellow dog's body. At the very least, there was no suitable candidate in the Ni family for the time being On the spur of the moment, the big yellow dog turned to cast a scornful look at Ou Yangming. Strangely enough, Ou Yangming actually understood it.

'I was actually belittled by a dog…' His face changed as he scoffed, then he strode out of the room to squat beside the big yellow dog. Once Ou Yangming began practicing the martial-art squat, the essential Qi inside his body naturally circulated.

Nevertheless, he did not need to cultivate essential Qi at the moment.

When Ou Yangming released his conception and suppressed his essential Qi's circulation, he realized that he could not gather his mental power no matter what.

After some consideration, he gave up controlling the essential Qi and let it circulate freely instead, but concentrated on his mental conception as much as possible.

Ou Yangming could transfer the mental power between his eyebrows, but the power was only applied on equipment smithing and when he controlled the Blood Flight Art.

He was clueless as to how he could cultivate it.

As he sensed the change in the big yellow dog's aura, he gritted his teeth to release his mental power on a large scale.

This time, Ou Yangming did not control his mental power with the purple light's assistance; he carried out the whole process through his mental conception. Under the conception's restriction, the mental power transformed into a light beam, which was invisible to the naked eye, that shot up to the sky.

The instant the light beam left his body to arrive at the vast and boundless void, his eyes glowed.

Ou Yangming had a sudden feeling that he "saw" an entirely different world.

There were countless lights and energies in that world, and they were like gold that were casually scattered around for him to collect.

'If only I can use all these lights for myself…'

Ou Yangming dared not believe that his mental power could arrive at such a height.

The moment he was struck with a thought, the mental power in the form of a light beam began surging to absorb the lights around the moon.

Ou Yangming could clearly feel his mental power rejoicing, and each time he absorbed a light, his mental power increased.

As he felt an upsurge of emotions, he opened up the light beam to turn it into a black-hole-like vortex to absorb the lights as much as he wished…

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 121 The Chaos Cave

An obscure and orange autumn moon was probably the most adorable thing. It hung low in the velvety sky while emitting a mysterious yet mighty power.

The power was released to every corner in the world. Through the eyes of an ordinary person, the moonlight was just light for illumination that had no other purpose. However, when one's mental power detached from one's body on a silent night as such, one would realize that the moon's luster was an energy that could be transformed into mental power.

Streams of energy gushed into Ou Yangming's body at the moment through his mental power vortex. They nourished his body like a hot spring, where their effects in the spiritual world became even more obvious. Ou Yangming could even sense that his mental power had grown.

Nonetheless, he quickly furrowed his eyebrows because he realized something at the same time.

Ou Yangming's mental power's growth was not proportionate to what he had expected. Although he absorbed plenty of moonlight, very little of it was actually transformed into power for his own. If he had to describe it, less than a hundredth had actually converted.

"Woof!"

All of a sudden, he heard a loud and clear voice in his mind.

Yes, the voice was not sent through his ears, but it rang in his mind.

Ou Yangming was slightly stunned. He immediately curbed his thought, as well as the mental vortex.

When he opened his eyes slowly, he noticed that the sky had turned bright. Ou Yangming had learned from the big yellow dog, where he absorbed Heaven and Earth's essence to improve his mental power. The entire process felt like it happened in a blink of an eye, but in actuality, the whole night had passed. Ou Yangming saw the big yellow dog as soon as he turned around.

The dog was looking deeply at him, and it wagged its tail before running into the side room.

Ou Yangming rubbed his eyes as he was dumbfounded. 'Did I see it right? The big yellow dog actually wagged its tail at me.'

If a dog gave you a cold look while bearing its teeth, you must be careful because it might pounce on you at any time and bite you; if a dog wagged its tail at you, you could approach it without worries at all.

This was because it was cheerful and only had good intentions.

That said, the Ni family's half-spirit beast was different, hence Ou Yangming dared not draw a conclusion so easily.

Someone sent them breakfast after a brief moment, but to Ou Yangming's surprise, the big yellow dog's breakfast was heartier than his.

Perhaps the big yellow dog sensed Ou Yangming's look, it looked at its food, then at his. Following that, it gave a portion of its food to Ou Yangming. Ou Yangming widened his eyes at half of the golden roast duck given to him, then glanced at the big yellow dog, who was staring at him. At last, he reached out to rip off the duck leg and put it in his mouth.

The big yellow dog opened its mouth to smile adorably.

On the other hand, Ou Yangming had mixed feelings. 'I actually shared food with a dog in the Ni residence. Will I be a laughing stock if people find out about this?'

Ni Xueshu came when they were halfway through their breakfast. "Big Yellow?" He could not help but exclaim when he entered the room.

He had no idea that Big Yellow was in the

room.

The big yellow dog looked at him indifferently, then continued enjoying its sumptuous meal.

Ni Xueshu was very sharp-eyed, so he shouted in disbelief when he noticed the roast duck in Ou Yangming's hand, "Ou Yangming, y-you actually snatched Big Yellow's food!"

'As pathetic as I am, I don't have to go so far as to snatch food with a dog, do I?' Ou Yangming's face turned dark, but when he looked at the halves of the roast duck in his hand and in the big yellow dog's plate respectively, he could not explain himself.

Nevertheless, he was surprised when Ni Xueshu did not ridicule him but lowered his voice to ask curiously with a serious face, "Lil' Ou, how did you do it?"

Ou Yangming was startled, and he asked in shock, "What?"

Ni Xueshu responded sternly, "Big Yellow only obeys the three great ancestors, and it never regards anyone else. In particular, it disallows anyone from touching its food, not even the great ancestors. How did you snatch its food from it?"

"I didn't snatch it at all, it gave the food to me!" Ou Yangming twitched its mouth and replied to him angrily. "It gave it to you?" Ni Xueshu could not understand him. "How's that possible? You're not its kind, why would it give it to you?"

Ou Yangming inhaled deeply to suppress his dissatisfaction.

'Can we even hold a happy conversation? What do you mean by its kind? I think you look quite like a dog, a lapdog to be exact!'

Seeing as Ni Xueshu was so astonished, Ou Yangming lost his appetite. It was only after Ni Xueshu looked at them for some time when he asked, "Lil' Ou, the great ancestors have decided to send you to the Chaos Cave. Are you willing to go?"

Ou Yangming answered without hesitation, "Of course."

"Alright, let's go," Ni Xueshu said with a smile.

When he stood up to leave the room with Ou Yangming, he noticed that the big yellow dog had followed them.

Ni Xueshu was struck dumb, but he said, "Big Yellow, I'm bringing Lil' Ou to meet the great ancestors, you shouldn't follow us."

The big yellow dog looked at him in discontent without responding, whereas Ou Yangming laughed and thought, 'I'll respect you if you're able to stop Big Yellow from following us.'

It was evident that Ni Xueshu could not handle the big yellow dog, so he shook his head and let the matter drift, then brought Ou Yangming to the big courtyard that he had visited the night before.

More than ten people had gathered in the courtyard at the moment.

Apart from the three top-notch Supreme Great Ancestors, most of them were the Ni family's elders, but the most eye-catching ones were Ni Yunhong and his younger sister. Ni Yunhong openly displayed his killing intent when he saw Ou Yangming. 'How dare this young fella take advantage of Younger sister, I must teach him a good lesson or I'm a useless elder brother.'

On the other hand, Ni Yinghong took a quick glance at Ou Yangming and looked away. She seemed like she was still mad. "Lil' Ou, you're here, come." Ni Jingtong waved his hand and said, "We'll be setting out soon, so prepare…" "Hey, you…" Ni Xuetian suddenly voiced out. He scanned Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog a few times before he remarked, "Why are your auras suddenly matching so well?" The other people were surprised, and they quickly looked at them.

Afterward, they vaguely sensed that even though Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog were casually standing there, for some reason, the human and the dog connected on a deep level with each other. It was as though there was an indescribable connection between them that linked them together.

Ni Yinghong blinked her beautiful eyes as she was amazed and delighted.

She clearly remembered that they were not fond of each other when they first met, but they had somehow become closer to each other.

Ou Yangming was baffled earlier as he was the person involved, but after receiving surprised looks from the crowd, he could not ignore it anymore.

He fixed his gaze on the big yellow dog and happened to be staring at its big and round eyes. It was unexplainable, but Ou Yangming indeed felt something different; he seemed to have sensed what the dog meant to say through its eyes.

It was expressing that it would cooperate well with him in the forbidden area.

'Why can I understand it?' Ou Yangming felt chills at that moment. A thought quickly crossed its mind, and he came to a realization that his cultivation at the moon last night was not as simple as it seemed.

While he had indeed grasped the method to upgrade his mental power, he did not know what the big yellow dog had done during the process that they suddenly shared a mysterious connection.

'This big yellow dog isn't merely an ordinary half-spirit beast…'

"Since Big Yellow is following you inside, it's good to have a deep connection with each other." Ni Jingshen laughed out loud, then clicked his tongue and commented, "It's god's will that you share such a connection."

Ni Xuetian was still confused, but he figured after some thought that it was a good thing indeed, so he no longer looked into it.

"Great-grandfather, is Big Yellow going too?" Ni Yinghong suddenly asked.

"That's right, Big Yellow is going too, so they can look out for each other. That being said, Lil' Ou is still in charge." Ni Jingshen nodded and looked at her lovingly.

Ni Yinghong went forward to hug Big Yellow's head, and said softly, "Big Yellow, take care of that young fella when you're inside. I'll definitely cook the best food for you when you're back!"

Big Yellow opened its mouth and nodded right away as it was excited. Ou Yangming wondered, 'Is she really good at cooking?' "Lil' Ou, please excuse me." Ni Jingtong then approached Ou Yangming's and covered his eyes with a blindfold. Subsequently, the great ancestor flapped his sleeves before grabbing Ou Yangming's arms, then rose to head outside the city.

Ni Jingshen and Ni Xuetian flashed to follow them as well, whereas Big Yellow ran behind them. Despite that, it was clear that the big yellow dog ran effortlessly without exerting all its force, but it was so fast that it overtook Ni Jingtong after just a brief moment.

When Ou Yangming heard the whistles of the wind, as well as a dog's pants that were always around him, he said to himself, 'A dog is a dog, it runs so much faster than a human.'

After an hour, all of them slowed down.

Ou Yangming found himself inside a cave when the blindfold was finally removed.

When he looked around, he noticed jagged and peculiar rocks, as well as the cave whose depth was unfathomable.

"Is this the Chaos Cave?" Ou Yangming twitched his mouth.

"That's right."

"Is your ancestor's legacy here?" "It should be…"

"How am I supposed to find it?"

Ni Xuetian was in a daze when he replied to Ou Yangming, "I don't know."

Ou Yangming. "…" Ni Xuetian. "…"

They looked at each other speechlessly.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 122 Searching Hard

"Cough, cough… Lil' Ou, we've brought you to the Chaos Cave, so it's up to you on how you're going to seek the Land of Inheritance." Ni Jingtong let out a few dry coughs to break the silence and awkwardness. He looked regretfully at the deep, dark, and weird cave as he expressed, "It's such a pity. When an Extreme Grade martial artist enters the cave, he or she will attract the Black Magic Crawlers. The crawlers are extremely detestable; they'll cling to you endlessly. Ah, our powers aren't inexhaustible, after all, so we can't go too deep…"

Ou Yangming raised his eyebrows and asked, "What are Black Magic Crawlers?"

"They're unique creatures in the Chaos Cave," Ni Xuetian explained, "The most powerful thing about those creatures is their quantity and teeth. Even if we're surrounded by them, we'll only end up dying if we don't charge away as fast as we can."

Ou Yangming was shocked as he understood the weight of those words.

It only made sense to attach importance to creatures that could even take a Supreme Great Ancestor's life away. Ni Xuetian added, "The Chaos Cave is chaotic. Unless you find the Land of Inheritance and use the power there, you won't be able to survive inside even if you leave marks."

"Does that mean that I won't be able to come out after I go in?" Ou Yangming's face changed.

"That's not the case. You won't lose your way if you only roam near the cave's entrance, but the deeper you go, the lower your possibility of connecting with the outside world. You'll eventually get lost, and will be trapped so deep that you can't get out." Ni Xuetian could not help but laugh, then assured Ou Yangming, "But you don't have to worry."

Ou Yangming blurted, "The integration of Heaven and man?"

"Yes, martial artists who fathomed the integration of Heaven and man can naturally sense the exit while being inside the cafe. As long as you don't encounter a huge amount of Black Magic Crawlers on your way out, you'll be able to leave easily," Ni Xuetian responded slowly.

"How do you know?" Ou Yangming asked with a deep voice.

"I've experienced it myself." Ni Xuetian sighed as if he recalled his past experience. "Unfortunately, I had advanced to Extreme Grade back then and I attracted a huge bunch of Black Magic Crawlers not long after I entered the Chaos Cave. Seeing as things were getting out of hand, I immediately turned to escape. Hehe, if I was slightly slower, I would've turned into a skeleton already."

Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows deeply. He remembered the Black Magic Crawlers well.

Ni Xuetian comforted as though he noticed Ou Yangming's worry, "You don't have to be too worried. Since you're not even in Yang Grade, the Black Magic Crawlers won't notice you. As for Big Yellow, it is being protected by the Blood Meridian Power, so it won't be a burden to you. As long as you're both careful enough to avoid the crawlers, you'll be fine." "Okay, if that's the case, I'll be entering now." Ou Yangming smiled.

Although he knew that the Chaos Cave was exceptionally dangerous, he did not have a choice at that moment.

Ou Yangming flashed to one of the entrances and stared ahead for a while. Just as he was about to enter, he noticed through the corner of his eyes that a yellow figure—the big yellow dog-was already making its way in.

He was stunned because he could somehow sense the big yellow dog's thoughts.

The half-spirit beast had actually entered first because it was worried about his safety. Ou Yangming quickly caught up to it. When he was going to call out to it, he was struck with an idea, hence he said it in his head, 'Stop.'

He looked in front of him with bright eyes and the big yellow dog that was scouting ahead really stopped. It even turned around to look at Ou Yangming strangely.

Ou Yangming felt his heart shake. He immediately realized that something had indeed happened between him and the big yellow dog because their spiritual worlds were connected.

Nonetheless, though the big yellow dog could understand him, he could only roughly guess what the dog wanted to express, but could not converse with it like it was a human.

Ou Yangming suddenly caught his breath to recollect himself.

He did not know if the mysterious spiritual connection he shared with the big yellow dog was temporary or permanent, but if it was a latter, it would probably be unacceptable for a normal person.

Nevertheless, they had a common target at the moment, thus the connection was beneficial as they would live or die together.

Ou Yangming shook his body a little before putting down the bag he had carried.

He was well-prepared since he knew what he had come for. The bag contained the pieces of High Grade equipment that he had smithed for himself, and the effects of wearing and not wearing them were as apart as Heaven and Earth.

After putting down the pieces of equipment, Ou Yangming checked them carefully and put them on.

Following that, he used his Military Fire to burn his military saber, where he attached it with the 2 Points of Devouring attribute stored in his mind.

The big yellow dog immediately took a few steps back while staring fearfully at the military saber.

Ou Yangming was stunned. He clearly remembered that the dog had only glanced at the military saber indifferently earlier as if the treasure sword, which was at the peak of High Grade and was attached with 4 points of attributes, was nothing worth mentioning. However, once the 2 Points of Devouring attributes were bound to it, the big yellow dog's face took on a completely different expression. It was evident that not only did the big yellow dog sense the change of attributes in the military saber, but it was also wary of the Devouring attributes. Ou Yangming frowned because it was his first time meeting a creature that could sense the Devouring attribute. He wondered if the big yellow dog was gifted with the ability or if all half-spirit beasts could notice it.

He smiled and curbed his thought, then sent messages through his mind to let the dog know that they would help each other, lov… Oh, fight together, and that they were as close as brothers.

The big yellow dog slowly let its guard down as it finally understood what Ou Yangming meant.

While the saber made it extremely alert, it did not need to worry about being threatened by the strange item for now.

During yesterday's cultivation under the moonlight, the big yellow dog had activated the Blood Meridian Power that it was gifted with, and a mysterious connection appeared between them as a result. Under this state, if one of them harbored evil thoughts against the other, it definitely would not be kept as a secret.

The big yellow dog had initially treated Ou Yangming lightly, but it was deeply moved by him that night, which was why it did this.

Seeing as the dog had become normal again, Ou Yangming sighed a breath of relief.

'This fella is definitely not an ordinary half-spirit beast. If I fall out with it, this journey will become an incredibly difficult one.'

As Ou Yangming channeled his essential Qi, they resonated with his armor and the other pieces of equipment, allowing his strength to increase by a huge margin. If Ou Yangming did not consider his essential Qi's explosive force, based on the mere 11 Points of Power he gained, even a powerhouse at the peak of Yang Grade could not lay a finger on him. Furthermore, he gained 4 Points of Agility and possessed different mysterious abilities because of his waist sash. The maximum insurance was what gave Ou Yangming the courage to enter the cave.

He approached the big yellow dog with brisk steps.

When he turned to look, he realized that the cave's entrance was not far away. Judging from the distance, Ou Yangming could instantly exit the cave if he charged out.

After a moment of hesitation, he walked inside with the big yellow dog.

Before long, the light behind him became smaller and unnoticeable.

In actual fact, the cave was not pitch-dark. Strange moss grew on the rock walls around them, and the plants actually emitted obscure lights. Even though the lights were not bright, they were enough for Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog to see.

By going deeper into the cave, they soon arrived at crossroads.

The big yellow dog immediately stopped and turned to look at Ou Yangming. Ou Yangming did not make a rash decision; he stood on the spot to sense for a while.

Next, his face changed because he finally understood what Ni Xuetian meant. 'Why does the state of the integration of Heaven and man allow me to sense the exit? This is what it means.'

Ou Yangming sensed something familiar when he was nearer to the exit, whereas he had a particularly unfamiliar feeling when he was further away from the exit.

That said, when he went deeper into the Chaos Cave, the feeling of being one with Heaven and Earth became weaker. Ou Yangming actually had a misconception that the cave seemed to be in a different world from where he came from. If that was not the case, the fact that his feeling about the integration of Heaven and man was slowly fading away could not be explained.

"Woof!" The big yellow dog urged him.

Ou Yangming smiled bitterly and looked around him, but was not sure where their target was, so he simply pointed in a direction. In any case, he could deduce the cave exit's location through the integration of Heaven and man, hence he was not too worried about getting lost. At most, they could retrace their steps later.

Despite that, Ou Yangming was actually worried that he did not have much time to waste.

A human and a dog walked in the endless cave. They knew what they were searching for, but the place was truly too huge, so much so that it was beyond their imagination. After walking for an hour, even the big yellow dog had lost its way. It kept twitching its nose but could not pick up anything useful. In fact, the smell of the different areas they had passed dissipated so quickly that they could not be preserved.

"Hey?" Ou Yangming, who was scouting ahead, stopped all of a sudden. He was surprised and delighted when he looked at the stone walls around them.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 123 Black Magic Crawlers

The big yellow dog glanced at Ou Yangming suspiciously, then turned its head to look around, but no matter how hard it looked, it could not see any pattern from the stone walls.

Although it could not communicate with Ou Yangming through human language, its wisdom was already opened. Moreover, the big yellow dog knew more things than Ou Yangming did because it had the Blood Meridian Legacy and had lived long enough. Nonetheless, there were some aspects where even spirit beasts in real legends could not be mentioned on equal terms with humans, let alone a half-spirit beast like the dog.

Ou Yangming reached out his hand to touch the stone walls nearby and clicked his tongue in wonder.

"Big Yellow, the stones here aren't ordinary at all, they're steel. No, they're better than steel; they're featured steel," Ou Yangming mumbled, "This is my first time seeing naturally formed featured steel!"

Ou Yangming could come into contact with a considerable amount of featured iron ingots in the military camp and could retrieve an appropriate amount of steel from the depot, but it was difficult to get featured steel.

It was neither because the military camp did not have it nor because he was not qualified enough, but because featured steel was so small in quantity that almost all Military Fire Blacksmiths treated it as precious treasure. At the beginning of each month, featured steel of a certain quota received by the depot would be distributed among the Military Fire Blacksmiths such that none was left.

Even though Ou Yangming became popular during the smithing challenge, he gained his reputation too late. Kang Weibo had already adjusted next month's featured steel quota and distribution ratio, but it was for the next month, after all.

Therefore, apart from Old Craftsman's smithing workshop, Ou Yangming had not seen the precious material elsewhere.

It was said that featured steel was refined through a certain mysterious method, and it was extremely yearned by every trade and industry around the world, thus a limited amount was distributed to the Immense Forest Military Camp.

On a certain level, featured steel's rarity could be considered roughly the same as normal Power Ores and Agility Ores.

Ou Yangming's eyes wandered about as he thought, 'If this stone wall has a huge range and is considerably thick, the natural featured steel alone in the Chaos Cave is enough to make up a massive wealth that could shake the whole country.' If the information was leaked, even the three Supreme Great Ancestors from the Ni family would not necessarily withstand the greedy eyes from all around the nation.

Nevertheless, this was not Ou Yangming's concern and he would definitely not leak the information on purpose.

The big yellow dog cast a bewildered look at Ou Yangming as it could not understand what exactly was going on with him.

Featured steel or not, nothing was more attractive for the dog than a roast duck.

Ou Yangming was reluctant to leave such that he turned to look repeatedly at every step he took when he left the stone wall with the big yellow dog. If it was not because Ou Yangming was concerned about Old Craftsman's safety, he would definitely not leave the place. At the very least, he had to get to the bottom of it and find out the wall's rough range. However, Old Craftsman's life was Ou Yangming's priority at the moment, hence he sighed and left with the big yellow dog.

After leaving the stone wall, they advanced forward without an aim.

All of a sudden, the big yellow dog stopped. It twitched its nose and seemed to be alert.

Though it would stop at every fork in their path to let Ou Yangming make the choice, once Ou Yangming chose the next path, it would always lead the way.

While the big yellow dog could not say it, Ou Yangming was grateful for what it did.

Regardless of the reason, having an easy-going partner, who would take care and assist him wholeheartedly, was indeed something that made Ou Yangming happy, so he naturally put his trust in the dog. As such, Ou Yangming waited with full focus when the big yellow dog was alarmed.

When he scanned the area around them, the Vision 1 attribute on his helmet played a great role.

Ou Yangming suddenly fixed his gaze somewhere because he noticed an exceptionally strange living creature on the left of their path ahead.

It was a scorpion-like monster the size of a human baby, and its body was pitch-black. Without the Vision attribute, Ou Yangming could not have noticed it so easily.

He immediately realized what it was as a thought struck him.

The creature was probably a Black Magic Crawler that Ni Xuetian described.

Since the three Supreme Great Ancestors were all afraid of the creature, it must be unordinary. After exchanging glances with the big yellow dog, Ou Yangming sent the image in his vision to it. He initially wanted to just give it a go but did not expect the big yellow dog to really receive the image.

The big yellow dog nodded at Ou Yangming, then moved forward without a sound.

Soon enough, they were near the weird crawler, which was still staying where it was as it did not notice their presence at all.

They looked at each other again and nodded.

Following that, Ou Yangming flashed to pounce on the crawler, and the saber-light from his saber slashed down like thunder.

His military saber turned into a luster that split the weird crawler into two with ease. When the saber touched the creature's flesh and blood, the Devouring attribute was unleashed to absorb part of them that was near the creature's wound.

Familiar energy gushed into Ou Yangming's body right away, which felt so good that he wanted to moan.

Ou Yangming had activated the Blood Flight Power from his waist sash once when he was on the Testimony Path's third level yesterday. He did not consume much Qi and blood because the process was short, but it was still a consumption after all, so his mental state could not be maintained at its peak. After slashing the crawler, Ou Yangming more or less compensated for some of the loss, and he quickly became spirited again. The halves of the crawler's body fell to the ground respectively, which twitched for a while before they stiffened.

Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog were both stunned, and they could tell by looking at each other's eyes that they were in disbelief.

They were already mentally prepared before the attack, where they would not be surprised no matter how difficult it would be to deal with the Black Magic Crawlers. It was worth mentioning that even the Supreme Great Ancestors dared not resist the mighty creatures because they treated the great ancestors as food.

Even if the crawler had suddenly jumped to evade Ou Yangming's attack and injured Ou Yangming, he and the big yellow dog would not be taken aback.

However, the reality was that Ou Yangming killed the crawler in one slash. Yes, he killed it…

They were confused about how weak the crawler was.

Ou Yangming pondered for a while. He certainly did not think that Ni Xuetian and the other elders had exaggerated things on purpose because it was not necessary.

"Big Yellow, do you think what we encountered was a larva?"

The big yellow dog nodded kindly after some thought to express that that was likely the case.

They felt that only an immature larva could not withstand even one blow.

Nonetheless, the appearance of a larva meant that there must be a place where the Black Magic Crawlers lived in a group, thus they had to be careful.

The big yellow dog later approached the crawler's remains and twitched its nose to remember the creature's smell.

Subsequently, it continued moving forward.

Ou Yangming followed behind it, but when the big yellow dog was slightly further away, his military saber shone as he stabbed it through the two halves of the crawler's remains.

The Devouring ability was quickly unleashed to absorb the crawler's flesh and blood.

As Ou Yangming continued to walk, he suddenly paused because he felt an upsurge of joyful emotion.

WC

Before he could suppress the feeling of joy, it was already transmitted to the big yellow dog due to their spiritual connection.

The big yellow dog stopped in shock, then stared at Ou Yangming in confusion as though it was asking if he had found something.

Ou Yangming quickly said, "Big Yellow, I think I sensed that the Land of Inheritance is really in the Chaos Cave."

The big yellow dog glared at him snappily and probably would have scolded him if it was human. 'You don't say. If the Ni family's Land of Inheritance wasn't here, why would it take so much effort?'

After looking away, the big yellow dog continued forward while twitching its nose so no smell could hide from it.

On the other hand, Ou Yangming was still elated when he followed closely behind the dog.

The instant he absorbed the Black Magic Crawler's flesh and blood to transform them into energy for his own, he discovered something

Not only could the energy from the crawler's flesh and blood replenish his lost Qi and blood, but it could also recover his mental power.

Yes, mental power.

When Ou Yangming previously used the Devouring ability, he could only replenish and upgrade his mental power through a half-spirit beast. Other than that, no matter how powerful the wild beasts were, they were not beneficial toward his mental power.

That said, the Black Magic Crawler made Ou Yangming feel like he had just encountered another half-spirit beast.

Needless to say, the crawler's flesh and blood were too little as compared to a half-spirit beast's. Their sizes were Heaven and Earth apart, and most importantly, the energies contained in their flesh and blood had a huge disparity.

In any case, Ou Yangming found a new replenishment point. As long as he could enter the Chaos Cave to kill Black Magic Crawlers, he could regain Qi, blood, and mental power at the same time.

With that, Ou Yangming hoped that the Black Magic Crawlers were weaker instead.

The big yellow dog stopped once more, and Ou Yangming picked up a strange smell. After feeling startled for a while, Ou Yangming understood that he had not smelled it, but it was the unique ability of the dog's nose.

Similar to how Ou Yangming could transmit images to the big yellow dog, it shared its ability with him too.

Ou Yangming quickened his pace while observing the area carefully. The Vision 1 attribute's power was undoubtedly portrayed in great detail in this situation.

Sure enough, three Black Magic Crawlers were lying quietly ahead. The mouthparts on the top of their heads were moving as if they were munching on something, and they did not notice the threats behind them.

Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog looked at each other before pouncing on them at the same time.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 124 Fled

A flash of saber-light was seen and a yellow shadow moved swiftly.

Almost unobstructed at all, whether it was ou Yangming's military saber or the big yellow dog's sharp claws, they easily killed the Black Magic Crawlers. The process was as easy as one-two-three.

Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog were more puzzled when they looked at the dead bodies beneath them.

'If we've previously met a Black Magic Crawler's larva, what about now?

'Could it be that the Black Magic Crawlers are all larvae? That doesn't sound right no matter what.'

Ou Yangming picked up a crawler with the tip of his sword to observe it carefully, especially its mouthparts. After inspecting it for some time, his face changed. This was because he clearly saw stone chips between its mouthparts.

Ou Yangming gasped, and his face took on a grave expression when he checked the stone walls around them.

Although the stone walls there were not of featured steel's standard, their quality was not too far from that. In other words, even the steel from the military camp was inferior to the stone walls.

However, the Black Magic Crawlers were actually munching on the stone walls' bits.

The big yellow dog shivered as it sensed Ou Yangming's discovery as well. "Big Yellow, do you remember what Senior Ni told us before we came in?" Ou Yangming said slowly, "He said that the most powerful thing about the Black Magic Crawlers is their quantity and teeth. I don't know what their total quantity is, but I know that their teeth are indeed not easy to deal with."

The big yellow dog nodded. It was closely related to its life, after all, thus it could not be indifferent

Ou Yangming scanned the dog's body and suggested, "But in order to test their teeth's toughness, it's best to be bitten by them once."

The big yellow dog was stunned and instantly looked at Ou Yangming with rage.

Ou Yangming quickly explained, "Take it easy, I meant that I'll try it. Let's not sneak an attack on them the next time, and fight them to see how exactly powerful they are."

It was only then when the big yellow dog looked more at ease. Evidently, Ou Yangming, who was fully equipped, was a better candidate than the big yellow dog for the test.

After twitching its nose, the big yellow dog continued walking. On the other hand, Ou Yangming said to himself when he looked at the remains of the Black Magic Crawlers, 'What a pity!' Though he really wanted to turn their flesh and blood into energy for himself, he could not keep it a secret from the dog if he absorbed everything. Hence, Ou Yangming made a wise decision to give up the idea after some consideration.

While they had only encountered Black Magic Crawlers near this area after walking for a long time, since they knew that the crawlers would win by quantity, they were sure that the creatures lived in groups. Therefore, finding one meant that there was a group nearby. As expected, the big yellow dog picked up the same smell after a brief moment.

When Ou Yangming and the dog sneaked closer without a sound, they saw five Black Magic Crawlers gnawing on stone chips with their heads lowered. The crawlers were so focused that they were unconcerned about their surroundings.

Ou Yangming thought, 'If Big Yellow and I sneak and attack again, we'll easily eliminate the crawlers again, but since we want to test their combat power, we can't do that.'

He held his military saber and walked past the big yellow dog to advance forward. His heavy footsteps finally alerted the crawlers, which were chomping on food with their heads lowered. They looked up almost at the same time and noticed Ou Yangming, who was approaching them slowly.

Without any hesitation, the five Black Magic Crawlers crawled toward Ou Yangming.

They were exceptionally fast, so much so that they did not seem like crawlers at all. Instead, they looked like agile lynxes that arrived before Ou Yangming in the blink of an eye.

Ou Yangming lowered himself into a half squat, then a flash of saber-light was seen as he slashed one of the crawlers. The crawler's body was instantly split into two but it did not affect its other companions' fighting spirit. As such, the four remaining crawlers opened their mouths to bite Ou Yangming.

Ou Yangming knew what the creatures fed on, so he was not going to let them hurt his fatal body parts so easily. He took a step back, and saber-light was seen again as he killed another crawler. Nonetheless, the remaining three crawlers were already getting closer to him one after another. Following that, they actually jumped at the same time as though springs were attached to their legs, where they sprung toward Ou Yangming at the speed of light.

The jumps were unexpected. If the crawlers jumped as fast as they crawled, Ou Yangming was likely going to suffer a huge loss. Nevertheless, Ou Yangming was well-prepared, and his mental power was already in a near-perfect state.

His spiritual sense caught every change happening outside his body.

It was reasonable for him to be wary. After all, the creatures were feared by the Supreme Great Ancestors, so how could he underestimate them?

Thus, when the three crawlers moved at a strange speed, Ou Yangming responded in advance. That said, instead of slashing the crawlers into halves, he tilted his military saber and lightly tapped it twice in the void. Consequently, the three crawlers fell on his body and bit his armor, greave, and military saber respectively.

Ou Yangming had done this on purpose, or the five crawlers could not have hurt him at all.

Next, he heard ear-piercing grinding sounds as though a hacksaw was being used to cut steel. It made his teeth feel itchy.

Ou Yangming felt chills down his spine, and he dared not delay it any further. Flashes of saber-lights were seen when he turned his military saber to kill the crawlers on his armor and greave, then he turned the saber to stab it to the ground, killing the crawler that was attached to it.

When Ou Yangming went against the five Black Magic Crawlers on his own, he was fierce and decisive as he killed them quickly.

Despite that, he was not delighted at all.

The big yellow dog walked out of the dark and was shocked when it noticed the damage on Ou Yangming's armor and military saber.

Ou Yangming's equipment set was at the peak of High Grade, where each of them had 15 Points of Toughness, but they seemed like fake products after being bitten by the crawlers. Be it his armor, his greave, or his military saber, they were obviously damaged with notches on them. Even though the notches were not big, it was only because Ou Yangming had killed them as fast as he could.

If he was a little slower, the crawlers would have definitely bitten through the pieces of equipment, and the consequence would be unbearable.

Ou Yangming smiled bitterly as he finally understood why even the Supreme Great Ancestors dared not enter the Chaos Cave.

It did not matter if they were the Supreme Great Ancestors because their body was made of flesh and blood, and they could not resist tough teeth as such. If a Supreme Great Ancestor was encircled by the strange crawlers, as powerful as one was, one would only end up

dying.

At the spur of the moment, the big yellow dog's nose twitched intensely, and it could not help but roar.

Ou Yangming was startled. Just as he was about to ask, he also smelled a rich and incredibly odd smell.

It was the smell of Black Magic Crawlers, and the richness could only mean that there were plenty of them.

Ou Yangming craned his neck to take a look, and he noticed after a brief moment that hundreds of densely packed Black Magic Crawlers were speeding toward them.

He immediately figured that there had to be a mysterious connection between the damn crawlers. It would be fine if he killed them in a split second, but if he disturbed one of them, he would have alarmed the rest of the group too.

"Go!"

Without further ado, Ou Yangming darted in the opposite direction.

However, he noticed through the corner of his eyes a flash of yellow shadow; the big yellow dog had already overtaken him and fled.

Ou Yangming cursed, 'My trustable comrade has worsened so much that it became unreliable.'

The Black Magic Crawlers were not slow, but they were not worth mentioning as compared to Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog, who were running for their lives. After just 15 minutes, Ou Yangming and the dog had gotten away from the crawlers, and they entered a safe passage.

If they had the cultivation base of Extreme Grade, the crawlers would actively seek their aura. In that case, either the crawlers would be eliminated or the Extremely Grade powerhouse would fall.

Nevertheless, it was obvious that Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog did not have that strength, so they did not need to fear after getting away from the crawlers.

Ou Yangming panted heavily after he stopped. The Black Magic Crawlers that swarmed at them looked like they had the spirit to conquer mountains and rivers, and they frightened him and the big yellow dog to the extent that the human and the dog did not want to resist at all.

'You damn fella that abandoned your friend and fled,' Ou Yangming said while glaring at the big yellow dog.

The big yellow dog hesitated for a while, then opened its mouth and wagged its tail as it approached Ou Yangming to lick him with its big tongue.

Ou Yangming was dumbstruck and could not help but laugh.

'The fella's actually apologizing to me in this way.'

When he looked at his equipment set, then at the big yellow dog's yellow fur, he finally understood how it felt.

Ou Yangming could fight back if he needed to, but the big yellow dog would be dead if he was encircled, so much so that even its bones would not be left.

He rubbed the dog's head to show that he accepted its apology.

Inside the deep and dark Chaos Cave, they were actually relying on each other to survive. As long as Big Yellow did not bite Ou Yangming, he could withstand everything else. They rested for a while before they continued searching aimlessly again.

There was neither sunrise nor sunset in the cave, but Ou Yangming could roughly tell how much time had passed.

After a day and a night, he finally became impatient because they still did not find signs of the Land of Inheritance.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 125 Thoroughly Meticulous

"Big Yellow, this can't go on…" Ou Yangming stopped and complained anxiously, "I must find that damn place as soon as possible, or Old Man won't be able to hold on any longer!"

In actual fact, the human and the dog did not really get along in the beginning, so much so that they competed with and disliked each other.

However, due to their common goal, the big yellow dog passed on its mental power cultivation method to Ou Yangming, then used a mysterious art from its Blood Meridian Legacy to build a spiritual connection with him.

It was also the big yellow dog's way of protecting itself because if it was accidentally separated from Ou Yangming, without the integration of Heaven and man, it would be stuck in the Chaos Cave forever. With the spiritual connection, at the very least, they could find each other even if they lost each other.

Nonetheless, they did not expect to be able to sense one another's thoughts through the wonderful spiritual connection. Therefore, not only did they cooperate with a deeper connection from then on, but most importantly, they became closer to each other.

The feeling did not merely come from their personal preferences but was born from the connection produced through the mystery art.

That said, the big yellow dog was not aware of the outcome at all.

Throughout the journey, they had only spent half a day progressing from being forced to cooperate with each other to actually having a mutual understanding.

Besides, although they had both given their all to flee on their own earlier when they encountered a big group of Black Magic Crawlers, the conflict was easily resolved when the big yellow dog expressed its guilt and Ou Yangming accepted its apology. With that, the relationship between them became more harmonious.

The big yellow dog wagged its tail as though it was asking Ou Yangming what to do.

"They said that my mental power is helpful in finding the Land of Inheritance, but how am I supposed to utilize it?" Ou Yangming pondered and said. He was not a fool, so he had already used his mental power when they searched without an aim before this, but he did not gain anything The big yellow dog suddenly stopped. It hesitated for a while before opening its mouth to spit out the mysterious gem.

Two days ago, the big yellow dog would not present the gem to Ou Yangming even if it was beaten to death. On the opposite, it only considered for a while at the moment before deciding to show it to him.

Ou Yangming's eyes lit up because he immediately understood that the gem was related to the Land of Inheritance.

He picked up the gem and inhaled deeply. The precious stone was his final hope.

Driven by his consciousness, Ou Yangming released a hint of mental power into the precious stone. Next, a peculiar thing happened as the gem actually emitted a beautiful yellow ray. It was even more unbelievable that the yellow light was actually directed in a certain direction far away as though it was an arrow that was guiding them.

Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog could not help but cheer internally when they exchanged glances. He supposed that the Ni Xuetian and the other elders were actually unaware of this, or they would not have kept it a secret if they were so eager to find the Land of Inheritance.

If Ou Yangming knew that the gem had such a wonderful effect, why would he have wasted so much time?

Nevertheless, he did not find out too late.

Following that, Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog headed in the direction pointed by the arrow.

After walking for a long time, they backed away again sulkily because the big yellow dog picked up a rich and weird smell halfway through. Even though they could not identify based on the richness of the smell the exact number of Black Magic Crawlers ahead, they were sure that there were way more crawlers than before. Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog did not want to die meaninglessly in the cave, thus they quickly decided to back away.

"It's okay, we'll find another path if this one doesn't work," Ou Yangming comforted while patting the dog's head.

The big yellow dog wagged its tail and barked softly to express that it agreed with his suggestion. Therefore, they drove the power on the precious stone from time to time and began going around the area. Despite that, after a considerable amount of time, the faces of Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog took on a ghastly expression. This was because they came to a shocking realization that regardless of the direction they entered from, countless Black Magic Crawlers were stationed. In other words, if they wanted to advance forward according to the path guided by the gem, they would be obstructed by numerous crawlers.

It would not be a coincidence.

When Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog looked at each other, they somehow guessed the answer.

'Has the Land of Inheritance become the Black Magic Crawlers' nest? If that's really the case, the consequence is unbearable.'

Ou Yangming gritted his teeth and tossed the gem to the big yellow dog. "Keep it first, we have to try and see if we can sneak inside."

The big yellow dog swallowed the gem, then nodded obediently after a moment of hesitation.

Since they had to go through one way or the other, they had to give it a go no matter the danger that lay ahead. If they did not have the guts to try, how could they find the solution?

They would not delay the matter further since they had decided.

Inside the cave, some paths were narrow, some were wide, while some had glowing mosses on the wall, which were brighter. There were also some paths that were truly pitch-black.

Countless Black Magic Crawlers lived inside the cave, but they seemed to yearn for light and avoided complete darkness. As such, a dark path happened to be the only passage that Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog could sneak through.

They curled their bodies and curbed their aura as much as they could to not give out a scent.

Through the big yellow dog's nose and Ou Yangming's improved vision, they could always spot the fearsome crawlers in advance. Each time they did, they would hide in places without mosses to get out of the Black Magic Crawlers' sight.

Hmm, that was if the crawlers actually had sight.

However, as Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog went deeper, they began to shudder with fear.

The number of Black Magic Crawlers kept increasing, to the extent that they mostly traveled in groups, hence it was difficult for the human and the dog to completely avoid them. Nonetheless, since they had already gone quite far, they could not retreat, so they could only bite the bullet and continue moving forward.

When they arrived at an empty area, they could not advance any further.

This was because hundreds of Black Magic Crawlers were scattered around the giant empty area, which had a radius of roughly 35 meters.

Although there were plenty of them, they were insignificant as compared to the entire empty ground.

Ou Yangming looked around and noticed the situation beforehand through his improved vision.

The hundreds of Black Magic Crawlers were gathered in one spot, which was a rather big cave. Outside the cave, stones of different sizes were seen distributed unevenly.

Some crawlers entered the cave while some lay on the stones outside. They kept gnawing on the stones, but Ou Yangming, who had the Vision 1 attribute saw them clearly.

While the Black Magic Crawlers had extremely sharp mouthparts, they could not do harm to the stones.

Only after munching on the same spot for a long time, an unnoticeable mark was seen on the stone. This meant that the crawler could only gain a trivial amount of stone powder.

Even then, the Black Magic Crawler crawled down from the stone as though it found treasure, then transferred the stone powder to a shallow pit.

Ou Yangming was startled. 'What does that mean?

"The stone powders are probably food for the Black Magic Crawlers, and the higher the powder's rank, the more useful it is for the crawlers.

'Theoretically, the crawlers should eat the stone powder after acquiring them through hard work, why are they piling it up in the shallow pit?'

When Ou Yangming fixed his gaze on the shallow pit, he noticed something undulating inside.

It was then when a pair of dark eyes surfaced from the pit.

There was actually a Black Magic Crawler inside, and Ou Yangming was frightened to his wits because those eyes locked on to where he and the big yellow dog were hiding.

'Oh no, we're exposed!'

A thought crossed Ou Yangming's mind at that instant, and the big yellow dog sensed it too. They retreated without thinking because they had gone into a tiger's den and would probably be dead if they could not escape a distance away. Nevertheless, just as they ran a few steps away, they quickly halted.

This was because the scattered Black Magic Crawlers had somehow run crazily in different directions like startled hares, and had blocked the way of escape in the blink of an eye.

"Charge!" Ou Yangming gritted his teeth and turned to charge into the hall.

The hall was spacious, but there were only more than a hundred Black Magic Crawlers inside, whereas there were more than ten thousand crawlers behind them.

Since Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog would certainly die if they went through the path behind, they might as well try to charge forward. Even if they were meant to die, they were determined to perish with the Black Magic Crawler inside the shallow pit.

When Ou Yangming's essential Qi circulated and his hot Qi boiled, his consciousness rose.

In the crucial moment of life or death, he could not hide his ability anymore. His mental power and the purple light rose almost at the same time, and the state of the integration of Heaven and man seemed to have been stimulated to a greater height due to the huge crisis.

Everything in the enormous space seemed to have slowed down at that moment such that the Black Magic Crawlers, which were throwing stones away, and Ou Yangming himself were moving in slow motion.

Thoroughly meticulous!

During the moment when Ou Yangming only had a narrow chance to escape, he suddenly advanced to a higher state than the integration of Heaven and man.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 126 Survive In The Midst Of Death

"Swoosh…"

A flash of saber-light was seen when Ou Yangming's military saber drew a wonderful yet strange path in the void. The instant the saber dropped, six Black Magic Crawlers were killed.

The timing of the slash, the path that was drawn by the blade, as well as the swaying movement of Ou Yangming's body, corresponded with each other seamlessly. From an outsider's point of view, it would seem like the Black Magic Crawlers had been killed because they threw their bodies onto the saber's blade.

Ou Yangming charged forward courageously with his saber-lights.

When he entered the thoroughly meticulous state, he somehow came up with an idea to survive, and it was the only way out of the situation.

"Big Yellow, stop them, and buy time!"

Ou Yangming roared and increased his speed to the maximum, then charged into the deep and dark cave before the Black Magic Crawlers in the hall could gather on him. The cave was not massive, but it was more than enough to fit roughly ten people. Different stones were piled up inside, and over thirty crawlers were seen matching their strengths with the tough stones.

Nonetheless, the Black Magic Crawlers quickly abandoned the stones below their mouthparts when they saw Ou Yangming, and they jumped on him while baring their teeth.

The crawlers were not only fast in crawling, but their jump was also more powerful than normal creatures. If they suddenly jumped within a certain distance from a person, it was unlikely that the person could escape.

Nevertheless, Ou Yangming was well-prepared as he had witnessed their strengths before. He swayed his body and unexpectedly dodged all the Black Magic Crawlers by a few millimeters. At the same time, he continuously killed them with his military saber without showing any weakness. Each time Ou Yangming attacked, one or more crawlers were slaughtered. All the Black Magic Crawlers in the cave were killed after a brief moment, and Ou Yangming had only spent a couple of breaths to deal with them.

Once the crawlers in the cave were taken care of, Ou Yangming quickly flashed out.

At that moment, the big yellow dog's body had expanded to roughly twice its original size, and it looked unusually funny, as if air had been pumped into its body. However, the funny-looking big yellow dog had actually blocked the cave's mouth and killed as many Black Magic Crawlers as it could. A layer of light kept flickering on its surface as though the light contained certain lethal energy. Once the crawlers contacted the dog's body, before they could bite it, their body quivered and they bounced away hard.

Some lucky Black Magic Crawlers crashed into leaves or moss, and they crawled up again after shaking their body; some unlucky ones crashed into stones instead.

Although their mouthparts were incredibly tough, they could munch stones that were comparable with feature steel, their body was weak. Once they were hit by force and crashed into solid stones, they would break and die.

With that, the big yellow dog was like a lion in the lower realm that guarded the cave so that nothing could enter.

Despite that, Ou Yangming and the dog itself knew that this was its last resort.

"Big Yellow, come inside!"

Ou Yangming roared at the big yellow dog, then flipped his body to the side of a big rock and pushed it with his palm.

His palm contained surging energy that instantly pushed the exceptionally heavy rock toward the cave's mouth.

The big yellow dog's eyes lit up. Even though it knew that Ou Yangming's action was the same as trapping them inside the cave, they could at least survive longer inside instead of being killed right away by the crawlers outside.

After exhaling deeply, the big yellow dog's body deflated, and it went back to its normal size.

Following that, it jumped nimbly to avoid the big rock.

"Boom…" The big rock blocked the cave's entrance, and was stuck there. Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog could neither advance nor retreat. Ou Yangming had obviously planned this. He had only managed to come up with a plan to survive in the midst of death and quickly picked a rock to block the hole because he was under the thoroughly meticulous state.

Flashes of saber-lights were seen once more as Ou Yangming killed a few more Black Magic Crawlers and kicked some smaller stones to the cave's mouth.

Almost in a split second, stones of different sizes piled up in front of the only cave in the hall, and the hole would soon be fully covered.

"Screech…"

Suddenly, a weird and chilly scream was heard coming from behind Ou Yangming. It sounded like a steel saber had stabbed deep inside Ou Yangming's mind.

"Humph…" Ou Yangming was instantly stunned by the unforeseen attack.

He never imagined such a strange power would exist in the world, and the power was attacking his mental state instead of his body.

Feeling weak at the knees, Ou Yangming collapsed to the ground.

He immediately understood that it was the doing of the Black Magic Crawler inside the shallow pit because it was stranger than others of its kind. Though he was already on guard, he could not escape the attack.

When Ou Yangming fell, a few Black Magic Crawlers crawled up his body and bit him with their mouthparts.

Ou Yangming was appalled. He tried his best to struggle, but found that his spiritual world was in chaos, and he could not move his limbs.

Cracks were heard coming from his body. Fortunately, he was fully armored with greaves and arm guards. On top of that, he was terribly lucky that the Black Magic Crawlers bit his equipment first.

If one of the crawlers had been smart enough to bite his face first, he would have died already.

That said, Ou Yangming had just been bitten once. Since he could not move, more Black Magic Crawlers crawled toward him, and he would soon be completely buried under a sea of crawlers.

Ou Yangming felt like an ant on fire. He gritted his teeth, but a black shadow kept suppressing his power in his spiritual world, hence his consciousness could not directly connect with his body.

Soon, a new Black Magic Crawler pounced on him and widened its mouth at his face.

A thought crossed Ou Yangming's mind at that moment.

'Am I really going to die here?' Even then, the last thought he had was, 'Old man, I can't save you, I'll be leaving first…'

However, just as the widely opened mouthparts were about to touch Ou Yangming's face, he heard an earth-shaking roar. "Roar…"

Subsequently, a series of "crack" sounds were heard around him.

Tens of stalagmites emerged from the ground, each one piercing through a Black Magic Crawler with its tip. The crawlers kept twitching and struggling on the tip, but their efforts were in vain because they could not get free no matter what.

As a result, the black shadow that lingered in Ou Yangming's mind vanished too. Once the power that suppressed him left, he quickly regained control over his body.

Ou Yangming got up without any hesitation and saw the biggest stalagmite that emerged from the shallow pit.

There was also a Black Magic Crawler on the tip of the stalagmite, but it was thrice the size of a normal crawler, and could be compared with a toddler who was around 6 years old.

Its body hung high in the air, but it had not died. Instead, it slowly crawled up and broke free.

Almost simultaneously, Ou Yangming heard the big yellow dog's mournful shriek.

Ou Yangming exerted force through his toes and flew toward the dog speedily. Saber-lights flashed when he killed the five Black Magic Crawlers on the big yellow dog's body, but the dog was already covered in blood and was trembling due to the pain. Any living creature would be in immense pain after being bitten by the crawlers.

Nevertheless, Ou Yangming did not waste time. He snapped his wrist to throw the big yellow dog into the cave.

Afterward, he moved swiftly and kicked tens of Black Magic Crawlers' dead bodies inside as well.

The rock outside the cave had basically covered more than half of the cave's mouth at the moment, leaving a gap that could only fit a person. Therefore, Ou Yangming zoomed inside without hesitation after everything was done.

As soon as he found his footing, he proceeded to kick the smaller stones inside the cave to seal the entrance.

Next, he shook his wrist to release the Military Fire and burn the stones.

It was Ou Yangming's first time using the Military Fire on such a large scale. While he knew that the move was inevitably a huge burden for his body, so much so that he would be hurt, he was left with no choice.

"Swoosh…" The surface of the tough stones melted quickly due to the mighty Military Fire, and the stones merged together. When Ou Yangming curbed the fire after a short while, the stones of different sizes had already blocked the cave's mouth. There were some tiny gaps in between, but the Black Magic Crawlers could not get through, and the gaps were enough for Ou Yangming and the big yellow to breathe. "Pow…"

Ou Yangming fell butt first on the ground once he was done.

His Military Fire did not burn for a long time, but he felt like he had just fought a battle for three days and three nights. The mental power consumed could not be mentioned in the same breath as the amount usually used for smithing.

"Huff, huff…" Ou Yangming breathed heavily while forcefully shifting his body to the big yellow dog. Although the crawlers on the dog had died, their mouthparts were deeply rooted inside its body, hence it could not help but shudder due to the pain.

Ou Yangming looked at the big yellow dog with mixed feelings, then stomped his feet and handed his military saber to the dog. "Hold this!"

The big yellow dog stopped shivering, but it widened its eyes at its paws, then at the military saber in front of it, and finally, at Ou Yangming

It furiously denounced Ou Yangming through its eyes.

If it was not because the big yellow dog was in so much pain that it could not stand up, it would definitely have bitten him.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 127 The Yellow Dog Fawns

Ou Yangming came to a sudden realization when he noticed the bitter and furious looks in the big yellow dog's eyes.

He slapped his forehead and blamed himself for the mistake. Earlier on, he was muddle-headed after being mentally attacked by the powerful Black Magic Crawler through a strange method, hence he forgot about the big yellow dog's identity. 'The fella's valiant and has mighty combat power, but it's not a human. It's just a big yellow dog.

'No matter how nimble it is, it is born with paws that aren't able to hold weapons used by humans.'

"Endure it," Ou Yangming uttered and gritted his teeth when he saw the big yellow dog being covered in blood. Following that, the Military Fire flashed in his hand as he withdrew the Devouring attributes from his military saber, then he stabbed the big yellow dog with the saber.

The big yellow dog turned a blind eye to the saber, but it was already clenching its teeth.

When Ou Yangming turned his saber slightly, part of the dog's flesh and blood flew out with a mouthpart that was rooted inside.

Ou Yangming worked at the speed of light and dug out all the mouthparts in the big yellow dog's body in a flash. Nonetheless, the dog was already powerless due to the immense pain, so much so that it could only roll its eyes.

After looking at the mouthparts, Ou Yangming immediately realized that something was odd about them, or the big yellow dog-a half-spirit beast-would not seem so weak.

The more he understood, the more grateful he was toward the yellow dog.

Ou Yangming retrieved the Incised Wound Medicine that he brought to bandage the big yellow dog's wounds.

He said to the dog, which looked distraught due to the pain and seemed like it would pass out at any time, "Big Yellow, don't worry, I'll definitely return you a perfect body, but you mustn't sleep now or I can't go on."

All of a sudden, intense gnawing sounds were heard outside the cave. The big yellow dog's face changed, and it tried its best to crane its neck to look outside.

Ou Yangming chuckled and assured, "Big Yellow, don't worry, I've checked earlier and noticed that the stones here are exceptionally tough. With their mouthparts alone, not that I'm belittling them, they can't peck through even if they gnaw for ten years."

In actual fact, the stones that were piled up by Ou Yangming in a hurry were unreliable.

If an Extreme Grade powerhouse or a man with brute force was present, one could easily make an opening by hammering the stones with a giant hammer.

On the other hand, the Black Magic Crawlers were great in numbers and had powerful mouthparts, but their strength… Even an ordinary person could throw them out to the street effortlessly.

Sure enough, Ou Yangming's observation under the thoroughly meticulous state was accurate.

He had grasped the Black Magic Crawlers' weakness and knew that they could not do anything to the cave for the time being.

The big yellow dog cast a strange glance at Ou Yangming.

It meant to ask what difference it would make even if the Black Magic Crawlers could not enter the cave; they were still trapped inside.

Ou Yangming giggled. "I have an idea, and we can give it a shot."

Subsequently, he turned to pick up a stone.

The stones inside varied in sizes, but they shared a common feature; their toughness was unbelievable. In fact, featured steel would be inferior to the stones.

Ou Yangming inhaled deeply and said, 'Hopefully, everything goes well.'

By using his mind, he released the Military Fire to burn the stone.

Ou Yangming's forehead was already covered in beads of sweat after a brief moment. As expected, the stone's toughness was beyond his expectations. However, not only was he going to melt the thin layer on its surface, but he also wanted to reshape the stone as he wished, so the difficulty increased by a huge margin.

The Military Fire successfully burned the surface layer, but when it tried to go deeper, the process exceeded Ou Yangming's ability. If Ou Yangming's mental power was at its peak at the moment, he could at least refine the stone slowly to melt it, but he could not endure it any longer as he had just gone through a big fight.

Suddenly, the purple light in Ou Yangming's mind was released.

Therefore, a purple hue was seen in the burning Military Fire.

When the hue appeared, the stone in Ou Yangming's hand melted right away as though it had turned into butter.

Ou Yangming was overjoyed, and he quickly made the adjustments. Before long, a strange piece of equipment that was similar to a gauntlet was produced. He nodded with satisfaction when he studied it for some time. [Item: Extraordinary paw gauntlet (Red)]

(Equivalent Rank: Ordinary Tool, Fine Grade, Rank Five]

[Attributes: Sharpness 20, Toughness 20, Power 5]

Fine Grade. The equipment smithed using the material found inside the cave could actually achieve Fine Grade.

Needless to say, it was the result of adding attributes that were stored inside Ou Yangming's mind. Besides, he had a vague feeling that the ore's limit was not the peak of Fine Grade Rank Five; there was a limit to the number of attributes he could attach to the equipment even though he used the Military Fire.

If Ou Yangming wanted to smith it to a higher level, it would likely fail and crack.

He dared not take the risk due to his body condition.

After a moment of hesitation, Ou Yangming fixed 1 Point of Devouring attribute to the equipment.

Afterward, he approached the big yellow dog to put the gauntlet on one of its paws.

The big yellow dog was clearly unhappy about his action, and the gauntlet was inconvenient as it did not need the equipment given that it was such an inappropriate timing.

That said, just as it wanted to get rid of it, Ou Yangming squatted beside it and said with a serious face, "I'm a human."

The big yellow dog was stunned, but it thought, 'You don't say.'

"I'm a human, so I have human Qi, and the Qi we cultivate is known as essential Qi," Ou Yangming added, then pointed at the dog and said, "You're a dog, so you have dog Qi. Do you cultivate animal Qi?"

The big yellow dog was startled for a while, and it glared at Ou Yangming to the extent that its eyeballs seemed like they would fall out. Fortunately, the dog could not speak, or it would have cursed at Ou Yangming long ago instead of being so calm. "I don't know what Qi you cultivate, but no matter what it is, you must exert it," Ou Yangming continued and disregarded the dog's looks. He proceeded to fully insert the gauntlet into the big yellow dog's front right leg and said, "If you'd like to live and regain your health, bring out your dog Qi, animal Qi, spiritual Qi, or whatever." His last sentence sounded like he was reproaching the dog.

The big yellow dog shivered and subconsciously tensed up, causing the Blood Meridian Power inside its body to flow into the gauntlet. Next, it felt the pleasant sensation that came from the equipment upgrade.

Ou Yangming grinned and dragged over one of the dead Black Magic Crawlers. "Try piercing its body with your claws."

The big yellow dog was hesitant for a while. Based on its character, it would never touch a dead body, but it finally gave in after seeing how confident Ou Yangming was. "Puff…" It pierced its claws into the Black Magic Crawler's dead body.

Later, the big yellow dog roared in a surprising manner, and its eyes were filled with indescribable joy.

Ou Yangming nodded. He knew that the dog had finally experienced the equipment's real power. He turned around to kick the remaining dead Black Magic Crawlers, which he had either left in the cave or kicked in from the outside, to the big yellow dog. The dog answered his expectations by sticking its claws into the dead bodies one by one.

Seeing as the dead bodies disappeared in front of the big yellow dog one after another, Ou Yangming let out a soft sigh.

He had initially planned to never reveal the Devouring attribute to anyone, but in order to get out of trouble and to save the dog, he was forced to show it.

Although the big yellow dog was not a human and could not perfectly communicate with a human, it was more or less still a hidden trouble…

Nonetheless, Ou Yangming could not bring himself to eliminate Big Yellow when he saw how it jumped happily and barked from time to time.

'In any case, this fella saved me a while ago when my life was at risk, and it was only bitten by the Black Magic Crawlers because it wanted to save me.'

The big yellow dog stopped after devouring the flesh and blood of twelve Black Magic Crawlers.

Its bloody wounds had actually recovered and only faint blood traces could be seen. If one did not look closely, one could probably not notice that it was injured before.

Additionally, the dog was releasing powerful Qi and blood power from its body without any reservation. Its high spirits made it seem like it had become a different… Dog. The big yellow dog jumped beside Ou Yangming after noticing that he was looking at it, and it seemed like it was fawning on him with a big smile. Yes, do not ask Ou Yangming how he understood the dog's expression because he just did, and he saw a flattering look through its eyes.

After that, the big yellow dog wagged its tail happily while reaching out its other paw to Ou Yangming

Ou Yangming could not help but laugh when he saw the empty paw that was not equipped with anything

He knocked the big yellow dog's head softly and uttered, "Wait."

Through the Military Fire and the Devouring attribute, Ou Yangming kept absorbing the Black Magic Crawlers' flesh and blood for energy. He could sense a mysterious power gushing into his body, causing his mental state to arrive at a peak condition in a short span of time like never before.

The Black Magic Crawlers were not big in size as they were only as big as a human baby, but their bodies contained humongous energy. A few of them were enough to fulfill Ou Yangming's needs, and his mental power was faintly upgraded too.

Indeed, the Black Magic Crawlers' flesh and blood were able to upgrade mental power.

Ou Yangming looked at the remaining stones in the cave, the dead Black Magic Crawlers, and the big yellow dog's eager face.

He grinned and said, "Now, I can start working!"

The big yellow dog cheered. It suddenly felt confident even though they were in the cave that seemed like a dead end. This time, we'll definitely go back alive.'

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 128 Massive Slaughter

The Military Fire kept burning and equipment after equipment was born in Ou Yangming's hands.

He was like an inexhaustible machine that kept releasing the Military Fire. Of course, whenever he felt like he lacked energy, he lifted his military saber to stab one of the dead Black Magic Crawlers to transform its flesh and blood into energy that upgraded his mental power. Ou Yangming was in high spirits, and his mind was constantly in a hyperactive state.

He was extremely busy but was never tired because he enjoyed the busy process. Pieces of equipment were formed in his hands while the big yellow dog's body slowly started shining

Unlike pieces of equipment that were already shaped for humans, the equipment set smithed for the big yellow dog was a unique work. If it was not for the extreme environment that they were in at the moment, Ou Yangming would not necessarily have thought about it.

Therefore, Ou Yangming designed while he smithed.

Apart from the exposed joints, the big yellow dog's body was basically covered in steel.

Ou Yangming stopped only when the dog's furry tail was also equipped with a steel rim.

The big yellow dog shook its head and tail. Although it was not very used to it, it was extremely obedient because it knew what it would soon be up against.

Once it was fully equipped, it charged with a surging aura at the stones that blocked the cave's mouth.

Small Black Magic Crawlers could obviously not move the stones, but if the big yellow dog that was equipped with pieces of Attribute Equipment crashed into them, the defense network that was built by Ou Yangming would crumble from the inside.

Ou Yangming's face changed, and he quickly grabbed the eager dog while he cursed, "Big Yellow, do you want me to die?"

The big yellow dog was stunned, and it looked at Ou Yangming in confusion.

Ou Yangming pointed at his body and asked, "Look at me now, do you think now's the right time to go out?"

It was then that the big yellow dog came to a sudden realization. When it looked at Ou Yangming's armor and greaves that were damaged after being bitten by Black Magic Crawlers, it wandered its eyes about and even raised its paws to cover its eyes.

Ou Yangming was startled, then he burst out laughing. He had never been so happy ever since he entered the cave.

Nevertheless, as happy as he was, he must finish his task. Not only was it related to his safety, but most importantly, Ou Yangming did not have time to waste because of Old Craftsman.

The Military Fire burned again, and brand new pieces of equipment were made in Ou Yangming's hands.

A helmet, armor, arm guards, greaves, and a military saber. He smithed everything again, and naturally transferred the attributes from his original equipment set to the new pieces of equipment.

After advancing to Yang Grade, Ou Yangming's mental power improved greatly, and the number of purple lights in his mind reached a new height.

According to the deduction Ou Yangming made with his appraisal art, he found a rough deduction formula. Each time he advanced a class in martial arts, he would earn five extra slots to store purple lights; each time he gained 1 Point of mental power, he would earn roughly ten slots.

Based on the attributes that Ou Yangming possessed, his mind could store more than 300 purple lights. Before Ou Yangming left the military camp, he had snuck into the abandoned armament depot to sweep all the attributes there and had drawn attributes from the precious ores from before. This was why he could smith such astonishing equipment sets for himself and the big yellow dog.

When every piece of equipment was eventually replaced, Ou Yangming used his military saber to absorb the remaining dead Black Magic Crawlers with the Devouring ability. Consequently, his condition was at a peak once more.

The big yellow dog was not going to be outdone after seeing what Ou Yangming had done. It used its sharp claw that had the Devouring attribute to eliminate the remaining dead bodies too. Once they were both done, whether it was their mental state or Qi and blood, they were highly stimulated.

In fact, Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog could not be in a better condition than they were in at the moment.

After exchanging glances, they exhaled and let out a vocal breath. As Ou Yangming yelled while the big yellow dog roared, they charged at the stones at the speed of light.

"Boom…"

Through the burning Military Fire, the defensive network that was built with piled-up stones instantly exploded, and they zoomed out through the gaps between the falling stones. There were at least 10,000 Black Magic Crawlers outside the cave, and they were so densely packed together that it would get one's dander up.

Nonetheless, Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog were fearless. They flashed and killed tens of the creatures in the blink of an eye.

Ou Yangming's body actually had a drawback; he was still wearing the boots he acquired from Zhang Yinli, and they could not resist being bitten by the Black Magic Crawlers' bites even though they were bound with attributes. That said, Ou Yangming entered the thoroughly meticulous state once he charged out, and he was always able to fit a steady and reliable landing point whenever he jumped. By wielding his military saber at the same time, Ou Yangming could easily get rid of the crawlers that threatened him.

Wherever he went, he left behind a rain of blood.

As compared to Ou Yangming, the big yellow dog was a moving steel fortress.

Other than its four leg joints, its body was covered in thick armor. It was also worth noting that the equipment set that the big yellow dog had were not only made of pieces of Attribute Equipment, but also had layered attributes.

A normal human powerhouse would definitely be envious and drool at the equipment set. With the equipment set, the big yellow dog was like a heavy tank among the crawlers. It went berserk by sweeping everything in its way. Needless to say, there were times when Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog could not manage since the place was full of Black Magic Crawlers, but it was fine as long as they protected the important parts of their body.

It did not matter if the Black Magic Crawlers bit the armor or the greaves because their tough mouthparts were ineffective against the pieces of equipment. After all, when the pieces of equipment were still in the form of stones, the crawlers had to spare no effort in gnawing the same spot for around 15 minutes to acquire an insignificant amount of stone powder.

How could they have so much time during the intense fight?

Moreover, even if the crawlers managed to get some stone powder, how would it benefit them? They were definitely fools with wishful thinking if they wanted to bite through the pieces of equipment.

Suddenly, Ou Yangming heard an ear-splitting voice when he was killing halfway. An exceptionally powerful mental power was coming at him.

Ou Yangming suffered when he encountered it the first time as he was caught off guard, and he almost lost his life as a result.

He was well-prepared this time, and had fully compressed his mental power while he waited for the sneak attack.

Regardless of the external power's impact, Ou Yangming's consciousness would not be disintegrated. When his enemy's mental power tried to retreat after seeing that its efforts were to no avail, he suddenly widened his eyes and counterattacked with his purple mental power.

The two invisible powers clashed hard in the void.

Ou Yangming grunted as he felt that his mental power was slipping away, to the extent that he was going to crumble.

His face took on a ghastly expression. He quickly wielded his military saber to connect five Black Magic Crawlers together, then wonderful energy gushed into its body. Ou Yangming's Qi and blood were replenished, and his lost mental power was also being recovered. This was the greatest advantage of killing the Black Magic Crawlers; he could disregard lost mental power.

"Screech…"

A seemingly painful shriek burst out from the group of crawlers, and the bodies of the creatures that heard the sound stiffened.

The big yellow dog was already on guard. It immediately opened its fierce and wide mouth to breathe out.

Next, stalagmites emerged where the crawlers were, each one hanging at least one crawler on the tip.

However, the thing that truly caught the big yellow dog's attention was the three stalagmites that crossed with each other. They twisted like ropes, an especially huge Black Magic Crawler was contained in the middle.

The big yellow dog moved like lightning and killed several crawlers with its claws along the way. It then jumped and scratched the giant Black Magic Crawler's head with its claw that was equipped with 20 Points of Sharpness.

In the end, the giant Black Magic Crawler was split into two.

It did not die right away, but its struggling body was obviously slowing down.

On the other hand, the remaining Black Magic Crawlers swarmed at Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog as though they sensed that their king was going to perish. Furthermore, the crawlers no longer attacked according to areas or formations; they simply charged without order.

Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog shifted and quickly found each other. They cooperated with a deep connection, slashing and piercing the Black Magic Crawlers with a saber and a claw. Simultaneously, they kept changing their battleground to prevent the crawlers from cornering them into one spot. As Ou Yangming observed through the thoroughly meticulous state, they were always able to act ahead, hence the crawlers' attacks were pointless.

When Ou Yangming swung his saber and slashed, he utilized the contact between his saber and the crawlers to absorb the crawlers' flesh and blood for replenishment. Whether it was their physical condition or their mental power, he and the big yellow dog remained in peak condition.

After slashing for uncountable times, Ou Yangming noticed that there were finally lesser Black Magic Crawlers around them.

"Roar…"

Once again, the big yellow dog roared loudly, and the stalagmites that kept emerging from the ground got rid of the crawlers in big batches.

The Breathing Attack was undoubtedly a huge burden for the half-spirit beast, so if the big yellow dog breathed out too much during a fight, it would be worn out very quickly.

That being said, it could breathe without being restrained throughout the fight because its claw could easily recover its lost energy.

At last, Ou Yangming made the final slash. There were no longer living Black Magic Crawlers around them, and the piles of dead bodies proved how horrifying the fight was.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter