Let Me Game in Peace #Chapter 715 - Magical Hair Gu - Read Let Me Game in Peace Chapter 715 - Magical Hair Gu Online - All Page - Novel Next

Chapter 715: Magical Hair Gu

However, very quickly, Worm Dugu's expression turned ugly. After the tiny Black Blood Gu entered the dorm, he lost contact with them one after another.

Originally, Worm Dugu believed that even if a portion of the more than a hundred Black Blood Gu was discovered, there would definitely be quite a number of them which successfully infiltrated. One was enough as long as it succeeded.

However, by the time Worm Dugu realized that something was amiss, more than a hundred Black Blood Gu was almost wiped out. He didn't even know who killed the Black Blood Gu.

In the dorm, a golden chick flew around. As long as a Gu worm crawled in, it would eat them. No worm could come in alive.

Worm Dugu refused to believe it as he released his Companion Beasts one after another, trying his best to infiltrate Zhou Wen's dorm.

However, no matter what kind of Companion Beast he released, he immediately lost contact with them the moment they entered Zhou Wen's building. It was like a rock sinking into the sea.

I don't believe that you can even kill my Magical Hair Gu. Worm Dugu had sacrificed many Companion Beasts, but he refused to have his beliefs shaken. He just wanted to win once in his competition with Zhou Wen.

He did not realize that Zhou Wen had no idea what was happening in his dorm. He was lying in his bedroom on the second floor, grinding instance dungeons.

The moment Worm Dugu's Companion Beasts entered the building, they entered the chick's stomach without alarming Zhou Wen.

Worm Dugu's Magical Hair Gu was extraordinary. It was a Mythical dimensional creature.

That's right. It was a dimensional creature, not a Companion Beast.

The truly powerful thing about the Dugu family was that they could tame dimensional creatures. Companion Beasts were secondary.

Magical Hair Gu was a dimensional creature that Worm Dugu had tamed himself. He had spent a lot of effort and nearly lost his life to subdue and tame it.

This Magical Hair Gu was a Mythical dimensional creature. Its abilities were very special. As long as it came into contact with the enemy's body, it could parasitize their hair and use the power of their hair.

It could control the growth of hair in reverse, causing the hair to grow inside the brain and body, taking root in the brain and flesh. It was terrifying.

The hair absorbed the nutrients of the body, and in the end, all the flesh and blood in the body would be sucked dry. The interior would be filled with hair, leaving only a layer of human skin on the outside. This way of dying was extremely painful.

When Worm Dugu caught the Magical Hair Gu, he had almost died. It was only by chance that he had managed to subdue it.

A black thread thinner than a strand of hair appeared in front of Worm Dugu. As though it was a strand of hair that was blown by the wind, it swept into the building through the crack in the door.

Punk, when you know how powerful my Magical Hair Gu is, won't you end up following me back to the South District and be my disciple? Dugu Gu felt that he could definitely deal with Zhou Wen by releasing such a powerful weapon.

He didn't really want to do anything to Zhou Wen. All he wanted was to take him in as a disciple of the Dugu family and raise worms with him.

The main reason was that Zhou Wen's method of extracting the Blood Thread Brain-Eating Gu was so shocking. Worm Dugu felt that such talent made him gifted at rearing Gu worms. It would be a pity if he didn't do so.

The Dugu family was a true presence in the South District. However, the Dugu family didn't just rear worms. In fact, they raised too many things.

As the drop rate of Companion Beasts was too low, especially Mythical Companion Eggs which were also difficult to find, the Dugu family did the opposite.

Killing a Mythical creature only gave one a certain chance of obtaining a Companion Egg. But, the chances weren't high.

However, if they could tame a Mythical creature, it was equivalent to having a 100% chance of obtaining a pet.

Coupled with the research of ancient spells and generations of people, the Dugu family was unmatched in the Federation when it came to rearing strange dimensional creatures.

However, taming dimensional creatures was very dangerous. Furthermore, the dimensional creatures that the Dugu family domesticated were strange, making them even more dangerous. Many members of the Dugu family were killed by the dimensional creatures they domesticated.

In the eyes of Worm Dugu, Zhou Wen was born to nurture Gu worms. Therefore, he wanted to recruit him into the Dugu family.

Of course, if he was recruited into the Dugu family to learn the art of taming dimensional creatures, he had to first implant a Gu in Zhou Wen to prevent him from learning the Dugu family's abilities only to end up dealing with the Dugu family.

However, Worm Dugu never expected that all the Companion Beasts he had sent in would die for no apparent reason. This was why he released his most precious Magical Hair Gu.

When it comes to worms, I, Worm Dugu, am an expert. Worm Dugu was thinking about what he would do when Zhou Wen came crying to him with black hair overgrowing everywhere.

The moment the Magical Hair Gu entered the building, it was discovered by the chick. However, this time, it didn't immediately fly over. It stood on the table and watched as the Magical Hair Gu rolled towards the stairs on the second floor. It seemed to be hesitating.

Just as the Magical Hair Gu was about to roll to the side of the stairs, the chick finally moved. Like a golden bolt of lightning, it landed in front of the bedroom door and pecked at the Magical Hair Gu, hoisting it up. It raised its neck and swallowed the Magical Hair Gu.

The Magical Hair Gu twisted in the chick's stomach, but a golden flame burned in its stomach, gradually melting the Magical Hair Gu.

Pfft!

On the grass outside, Worm Dugu suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. He returned to his original form, dispelling his mosquito-like form. His face was terrifyingly pale and filled with disbelief.

Impossible... The Magical Hair Gu is almost invulnerable... It grows once it enters the flesh... How can this be... Worm Dugu's face was pale as he broke out into a cold sweat.

He had been raising worms for so many years, but this was the first time he had encountered such a terrifying opponent—one who could even easily kill a Magical Hair Gu.

Could this Zhou Wen really be my nemesis? He can even easily kill a Magical Hair Gu. It's probably easy for him to take my life... If I had known this would happen... I shouldn't have come... The more Worm Dugu thought about it, the more terrified he became. He gritted his teeth and got up from the ground to knock on Zhou Wen's door.

Zhou Wen was grinding dungeons when he heard the doorbell ring. He thought it was a classmate, but when he opened the door, he saw an old man standing at the door. It was none other than Worm Dugu.

Zhou Wen was secretly wary. Could it be as An Sheng said? Worm Dugu is here to settle scores?

Just as Zhou Wen was thinking about how to deal with Worm Dugu, the latter suddenly bowed at him. "Young Master Wen, it's all my fault. I was blind. I shouldn't have offended you. According to the rules of our Dugu family, I've lost this match. Feel free to punish me, even if it takes my life. I'll do whatever you want."

Zhou Wen was puzzled when he heard that. He had indeed been wary of Worm Dugu, but he didn't discover anything entering his room. What was this Worm Dugu talking about?

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Chapter 716: Master

Translator: CKtalon

"Do you know how you lost?" Zhou Wen asked Worm Dugu.

He had no idea what had happened, so he wanted to figure it out.

Worm Dugu ended up misunderstanding Zhou Wen. He said bitterly, "Young Master Wen, you are indeed brilliant. I used the Blood-Sucking Spider, Black Blood Gu, and seven other types of miniature Companion Beasts. Each one was smaller than the last, but none of them escaped your notice. All the Companion Beasts were killed by you. In the end, I had no choice but to use the Magical Hair Gu. I originally thought I could use the Magical Hair Gu to teach you a lesson, but I never expected that I would be the one being taught a lesson."

"Why did you attack me?" Zhou Wen asked again.

Worm Dugu blushed and stammered, "When I saw your technique at the hospital, I felt that you were more suited to learning my techniques of raising insects and worms, so I wanted to take you to the South District to learn how to raise insects and worms from me."

"You mean that you want to take me in as your disciple?" Zhou Wen asked Worm Dugu in a daze.

Worm Dugu's face flushed red. "Young Master Wen, I'm really sorry. I've really embarrassed myself. Only today did I realize that there's always someone better out there. What a joke about you being my disciple; I'm not even qualified to be your disciple. If you wish to kill me, just give the word. I won't dirty your hands."

"Did the dimensional creature in Governor Qin's brain have anything to do with you?" Zhou Wen asked directly.

Worm Dugu immediately said with a serious expression, "Definitely not. Although our Dugu family does need a batch of Essence Gold, we wouldn't go to such an extent, much less harm Deputy Governor Qin who defends against a dimensional zone."

"In that case, leave," Zhou Wen said after some thought.

However, Worm Dugu had no intention of leaving. He gritted his teeth and said to Zhou Wen, "Young Master Wen, I've raised worms my entire life. This is the first time I've suffered such a terrible defeat. I don't even know how I failed. Can you tell me how you killed the Magical Hair Gu?"

"I don't know," Zhou Wen said casually. He really didn't know how the Magical Hair Gu died. He didn't even see it.

On second thought, the chick had been flying around without him knowing why. He could roughly guess that the chick had resolved the miniature Companion Beasts and the Magical Hair Gu. However, it wasn't appropriate for him to tell Worm Dugu.

"You don't know how the Magical Hair Gu died?" Worm Dugu naturally didn't believe such an answer.

"It was dead before I even saw it. How would I know how it died?" As Zhou Wen spoke, he prepared to close the door. He wasn't in the mood to say anything more to Worm Dugu.

If it wasn't for the fact that he didn't wish for Worm Dugu to die in school thus causing a conflict between the Dugu family and Luoyang, he would have taken action.

Although he didn't plan on taking action now, Zhou Wen had no intention of letting Worm Dugu off the hook. He planned on using the Invisibility Cloak to tail Worm Dugu and see if he had any accomplices before deciding what to do.

Zhou Wen was only making a passing remark, hoping to send Worm Dugu on his way. It also gave him an opportunity to test the effects of the Invisibility Cloak.

However, when Worm Dugu heard that, he was alarmed. "You killed the Magical Hair Gu without seeing it?"

"Yes. If there's nothing else, leave. Don't disturb me again," Zhou Wen said as he closed the door.

To his surprise, Worm Dugu rushed over and held the door open. "Young Master Wen, can you let me see your Companion Beast. A Companion Beast that can easily kill a Magical Hair Gu must be extraordinary..."

Just as he was about to say something, Worm Dugu suddenly saw the chick standing on the table. He immediately widened his eyes in shock.

"What's wrong with you? Do you really think I don't dare kill you?" Zhou Wen said with a cold expression. If Worm Dugu continued pestering him, he would have no choice but to attack.

"That... That can't be..." Worm Dugu didn't seem to hear Zhou Wen's reprimand as he stared intently at the chick and stammered," Could that be the legendary phoenix fledging?"

"You recognize it?" Zhou Wen looked at Worm Dugu in surprise.

The chick had been with him for quite some time, but not many people recognized its origins. Now, the chick looked like a tiny golden eagle. It didn't look anything like a phoenix.

"I recognize it, of course I recognize it. How can a person who plays with worms and insects not recognize a phoenix? A phoenix is the nemesis of insects and worms. No matter how powerful a Gu worm is, they are powerless against it... No wonder... No wonder..." As Worm Dugu spoke, he tore off its clothes, revealing his dry chest muscles.

"What are you trying to do?" Zhou Wen took two steps back and looked at Worm Dugu in surprise.

However, Worm Dugu turned around, allowing Zhou Wen to see his back. On his back was a huge blood-colored phoenix tattoo. It looked extremely realistic as though it could flap its wings and fly out at any moment.

"You have a phoenix Companion Beast?" Zhou Wen was alarmed.

Worm Dugu said in embarrassment, "How can I have a phoenix Companion Beast? The teacher who taught me how to raise worms tattooed this on me. It's called the Phoenix-Hooking Evil Painting. This is a rule passed down from my ancestors. It uses a mixture of special avian blood and medicinal herbs for the tattooing. It can be used to ward off insects and evil. It's to prevent me from being injured when catching insects and raising Gu. In my lineage, there are also ancient books regarding phoenixes. The phoenix fledging described in them is very similar to yours. It's just slightly different... Young Master Wen... Is this really a phoenix fledgling?"

"I see." Zhou Wen didn't answer as he nodded and said, "If there's nothing else, go back. I won't let you off so easily the next time I see you."

However, Worm Dugu didn't move. He said to Zhou Wen in a fawning manner, "Young Master Wen, do you lack any errand boys? Do you want me to be your assistant?"

"I don't need an assistant," Zhou Wen said with a frown.

"That's right. Men usually find young ladies to be their assistants... Then, what do you think about you becoming my master?" Worm Dugu's eyes darted around as he suddenly said something unexpected.

"How old are you? Why are you still taking me as your master? I..." Before Zhou Wen could finish his sentence, Worm Dugu had already plopped to the ground.

"Master, please accept a bow from your disciple, Worm Dugu..." Worm Dugu didn't hesitate at all. He was about to pay his respects to his master by kowtowing.

Zhou Wen was dumbfounded. He had no idea what was happening. Before he could react, Worm Dugu had already finished kowtowing.

"What are you trying to do?" Zhou Wen stared at Worm Dugu and frowned.

Worm Dugu crawled up and said, "From now on, you are my master. Master, when are you going to teach me how to raise a phoenix?"

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Chapter 717: Worm Dugu's Plan

Translator: CKtalon

Zhou Wen took out his saber and prepared to slash at him. After all this back and forth, Worm Dugu was actually targeting the chick.

Worm Dugu hurriedly retreated out of the yard when he saw Zhou Wen take out his saber. As he retreated, he shouted, "Master, I'll visit you another day. Call me if there's anything you need. I'll be there anytime."

Zhou Wen closed the door and immediately summoned the Invisibility Cloak. Then, he jumped out of the window at the back of his residence and tailed Worm Dugu from afar to see what he was up to.

Zhou Wen saw Worm Dugu secretly arrive at an uninhabited spot before turning into a mosquito. He then flew out of the school.

Zhou Wen wore the Invisibility Cloak and had Truth Listener on his ear. He kept monitoring the movements of Worm Dugu and soon followed him to a dilapidated warehouse.

There's indeed an accomplice. Zhou Wen used Truth Listener to listen and realized that there was another person in the warehouse besides Worm Dugu.

Zhou Wen listened attentively, hoping to gather some useful information.

With Truth Listener around, he didn't need to risk entering the warehouse.

"Second Grandpa, what took you so long? How did the matter regarding Essence Gold go?" The person who spoke to Worm Dugu was a girl. She appeared rather young. She had a round face and huge eyes. She looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old at most.

"I screwed up. The Blood Thread Brain-Eating Gu in Qin Wufu's body was extracted by someone else," said Worm Dugu.

"Apart from our Dugu family, there's actually someone who can extract a Blood Thread Brain-Eating Gu that has entrenched a brain?" the girl said in disbelief.

"I didn't believe it either, but it was indeed extracted. Furthermore, Qin Wufu was completely unharmed," said Worm Dugu helplessly.

"What about the Essence Gold? Is the An family willing to sell so much refined Essence Gold to us?" the girl asked worriedly.

"Probably not." Dugu Gu smiled and said, "But don't worry. Even if we don't use Essence Gold, I've already thought of a way to capture the Myriad Poison Gu King."

"Second Grandpa, didn't you try that the last time? Even the Magical Hair Gu is helpless against the Myriad Poison Gu King. It was almost destroyed. Do you have any more powerful Gu?" The girl looked at Worm Dugu in disbelief.

Dugu Gu chuckled and said, "I don't have one, but I've just become a disciple to a master. If I can get his help, I'll definitely be able to capture that Myriad Poison Gu King."

"Second Grandpa, didn't you say that the master you had is already dead? Where did this master come from?" The girl's face looked puzzled.

"Didn't I just say that I just became a disciple of this master? He has a phoenix fledging. With the help of the phoenix fledgling, we don't need to forge an Essence Gold Worm Nurturing Furnace to still capture the Myriad Poison Gu King," said Worm Dugu.

"Then, Second Grandpa, quickly get your new master to help," the girl said.

"Cough, cough. There's no rush." Worm Dugu knew very well that it wasn't that easy to get Zhou Wen to use the phoenix fledgling to help him capture the Myriad Poison Gu King.

The girl sighed and said, "I originally thought that our luck was good and we happened to encounter the situation of Qin Wufu having his brain invaded by a Blood Thread Brain-Eating Gu. I thought we could exchange for enough Essence Gold, but I never expected that we wouldn't even get a single bit of Essence Gold. I wonder when we will be able to capture the Myriad Poison King."

"Mi'er, don't worry. With Second Grandpa around, I guarantee that I'll help you obtain the Gu King of Myriad Poison Valley. Furthermore, other than me, no one else has the ability to take the Gu King away. Just relax." Worm Dugu changed the topic and said, "Stay in Luoyang and have some fun for a few days. When we are to return to the South District, I'll naturally seek you out. Don't run around. You can't leave Luoyang City, understand?"

"Got it, Second Grandpa." Mi'er agreed seriously.

After some thought, Mi'er asked again, "Second Grandpa, should I visit your master? Second Grandpa, how should I address your master?"

"No need, no need. You don't have to worry about this matter." After Worm Dugu sent Mi'er away, he muttered to himself, "I don't know if there's a second phoenix fledgling. I reckon the possibility of there being a second one is very low. Even if there is one, I'm afraid it won't be easy to obtain it. I should think of a way to invite Master to follow me to Myriad Poison Valley, but how can I move him? From the looks of it, I have to think of a way."

Zhou Wen listened outside all this time. He heard them talking about Gu, but he didn't hear any plans. From Mi'er's tone, Qin Wufu's injuries didn't seem to have anything to do with them.

Although I don't know if the chick is a real phoenix, it does seem to be able to restrain dimensional creatures like Gu worms. In the future, I have to bring it along if I have to go to the South District, Zhou Wen thought to himself.

After Worm Dugu left the dilapidated warehouse, he returned to the hotel and didn't come out again.

Zhou Wen eavesdropped for a long time, but he didn't gather any useful information. Finally, he gave up on monitoring Worm Dugu and returned to the school dorm.

The ability of the Invisibility Cloak is really useful. Even if I walk on the streets during the day, I don't need to worry about being seen by others. Even if I don't use the Wheel of Destiny, it's enough to remain invisible under normal circumstances. Zhou Wen thought about how he could use the Invisibility Cloak to do something big.

Before the dimensional zones are fully unlocked, I should download some game dungeons. I'll download the famous dimensional zones first. I wonder what dimensional zones Primordial Immortal Sword, Origin Realm King, and Death of the Underworld Companion Beasts come from. After some thought, Zhou Wen decided to start with the nearest dimensional zones.

The famous dimensional zones closer to Luoyang should be the Xia family's dimensional zones, right? Zhou Wen looked up the information and quickly made up his mind. He planned on heading to the Xia family's territory.

The Xia family controlled many mysterious dimensional zones. Zhou Wen had always wanted to go to a few of them.

One of the most famous dimensional zones was named Ancient Sword Tomb. It was said that there were many legendary swords there. The Xia family's old hero had once obtained a Mythical sword-type Companion Egg from Ancient Sword Tomb and used it to reign supreme.

However, that was decades ago. The Xia family had controlled the Ancient Sword Tomb for so long, so they definitely had more than one Mythical Companion Beast sword.

Zhou Wen suspected that the demonic sword that Demonic Neonate snatched from Xia Xuanyue was from the Ancient Sword Tomb.

After I'm done with the Xia family, I'll tour the six families' territories and download the dimensional zones they control. When that happens, I can grind for any Companion Beast I want. There's no need for me to risk my life. Zhou Wen did as he said. He planned on informing An Sheng before setting off for the Xia family.

This time, Zhou Wen didn't dare leave the chick and antelope behind. He was mainly afraid that the Dugu family would target the chick. Although the possibility of the antelope being stolen was very low, Zhou Wen still planned on taking them with him to prevent any accidents.

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Chapter 718: Teacher Square

Translator: CKtalon

The chick stood on Zhou Wen's shoulder and looked around curiously.

However, the antelope looked listless; it didn't seem to like walking.

Zhou Wen wasn't in a rush. This trip was also a form of training. He planned on taking a look at all the dimensional zones along the way. He planned on taking a picture of all the dimensional zones with the tiny palm symbol to prepare for a full-scale break-out of dimensional zones in the future.

Ancient Sword Tomb was in Imperial Capital. Zhou Wen could also take this chance to visit Wang Lu and repay his debt.

Imperial Capital was also known as Capital. Unlike the Holy City that was jointly controlled by the six families, Imperial Capital was basically controlled by the Xia family. However, to everyone's surprise, the Special Inspector Bureau's headquarters was also in Imperial Capital, not Holy City.

Zhou Wen had plans of making a trip to the bureau's headquarters on his visit to the Imperial Capital.

As many roads were blocked by dimensional zones, all he could do was circle around them. He had to travel further. Even with Zhou Wen's present strength, he didn't dare barge into unexplored dimensional zones to prevent any accidents.

The route Zhou Wen chose was the one An Sheng had planned for him. Although it was a little further, it was safe and reliable.

After carefully studying the information, the first relatively famous dimensional zone he encountered was called Five Dragons Mouth.

It was originally a scenic spot. After the dimensional storms, the Five Dragons Mouth turned into a complicated, stacked dimensional zone that had multiple dimensional zones within.

One of the most famous dimensional zones of the Five Dragons Mouth was called Mount Confucius. There was a Teacher Square in the western Mount Confucius, and Mount Laojun was in the east. Legend had it that the Confucian and Daoist families had competed here, leaving behind many moving tales.

After the dimensional storms, Mount Confucius became even stranger. One could often hear the sound of reading from Teacher Square, but when one really looked over, there wasn't a single soul.

There was also Arrow Atop. It was the highest peak of Five Dragons Mouth. It had many legends related to Hou Yi.

There were also other dimensional zones that had their own specialties. Zhou Wen planned on heading to the Five Dragons Mouth to take a look. If he could download the dimensional zones, it wouldn't be bad to keep them for future research.

...

Worm Dugu didn't know that Zhou Wen had left Luoyang, so he went to look for him early in the morning.

"Master, are you awake? I'm here to pay my respects to you. When are you free? Teach me, your disciple, how to raise a phoenix." In order to learn the way to raise a phoenix, Worm Dugu didn't care about his reputation at all. He kept using the words, "master" and "disciple," without any hesitation.

"Why are you making such a din so early in the morning?" Li Xuan walked out of Zhou Wen's dorm.

Before Zhou Wen left, he got Li Xuan to take all the food in the fridge to prevent it from spoiling.

"Who are you? Where's my master?" Worm Dugu glared at Li Xuan.

"How would I know who your master is?" Li Xuan sized up Worm Dugu and saw that the old man was already in his seventies or eighties. To think he still had a master.

"You walked out of my master's dorm, and you still say that you don't know who my master is?" said Worm Dugu.

"Zhou Wen is your master?" Li Xuan widened his mouth as he sized up Worm Dugu in disbelief.

Zhou Wen was only seventeen or eighteen years old. How could he have such an old disciple?

"That's right. Zhou Wen is my master. Has he woken up?" Worm Dugu said matter-of-factly.

"If Zhou Wen is your master, then wouldn't I, Zhou Wen's classmate, be your martial uncle? Disciple-Nephew, there's no need to continue shouting. Zhou Wen has gone out and isn't on campus," Li Xuan joked.

Worm Dugu narrowed his eyes. He recognized Zhou Wen as his master because he wanted to learn how to rear a phoenix from Zhou Wen. It didn't mean that others could use him as a joke.

"Sure. That depends on whether you have the fortune to be my martial uncle." Worm Dugu remained unperturbed as he secretly released a Black Blood Gu, hoping to teach Li Xuan a lesson.

However, when the Black Blood Gu crawled to Li Xuan's side, it suddenly stopped moving. It sprawled on the ground and trembled. No matter how the Worm Dugu urged it, the Black Blood Gu didn't dare approach Li Xuan.

"Eh?" Worm Dugu was slightly taken aback. He had never encountered such a situation.

He summoned a few more Gu, but the moment they approached Li Xuan, they immediately curled up in horror, not daring to touch him.

Worm Dugu wore a look of surprise. What's going on? Why are my Gu worms afraid of him? Does he have a phoenix too?

...

Zhou Wen continued forward and didn't encounter any danger. Along the way, he saw a Companion Beast caravan that transported goods.

As motor transportation became increasingly difficult, many transportation companies had chosen to use Companion Beasts to transport goods.

He successfully arrived at Five Dragons Mouth. Zhou Wen walked along the mountain path, hoping to find the tiny palm symbol. After searching for a long time, he didn't find it.

Instead, he saw many people fighting a monkey-type dimensional creature. The monkey was muscular and had a short tail. It looked rather ferocious.

Zhou Wen took a look at the information and knew that this dimensional creature was called a macaque. It was a relatively common dimensional creature at Five Dragons Mouth. There were many of them, and they were typically at the Mortal stage. Occasionally, one could see a Legendary Monkey King. Legend had it that the macaque here had the bloodline of the Handsome Monkey King. He didn't know if it was true.

The Macaque King's combat strength was considered quite powerful among Legendaries. Furthermore, the Macaque King Companion Beast's companion form was very special, giving it a rather high value. The nearby Legendaries would often come here to hunt the Macaque King, hoping to gain something.

Zhou Wen wasn't interested in hunting the Macaque King. He just searched for the tiny palm symbol.

Suddenly, Zhou Wen heard a strange sound coming from a nearby mountain. It sounded like children reading textbooks. The sound was drawn out, making it sound odd.

However, those voices were clearly not children's voices. They were the voices of adults.

Zhou Wen looked at the source of the sound and then at the map. He immediately knew that it was the legendary Teacher Square.

The legends are true. There's actually the sound of reading in broad daylight at Teacher Square. Zhou Wen's interest was piqued as he walked towards Teacher Square to see what was so magical about it.

However, Zhou Wen couldn't help but be taken aback when he reached Teacher Square and saw the scene in front of him.

There were many people sitting on Teacher Square. They were all twirling their heads as they read. The voice Zhou Wen had heard wasn't a phenomenon, but a result of actual people reading.

These people were engrossed in their reading. They twirled their heads and read loudly, as though they were primary school students who were seriously reciting their textbooks. They also resembled scholars from ancient times. Their voices were especially charming as they dragged out their last words.

Could this be a reading activity that's hosted here? Zhou Wen thought as he climbed onto Teacher Square.

However, just as he stepped onto Teacher Square, he couldn't help but open his mouth and emit the same voices as the others. He began reading with them, but he had never heard the content that he was reading.

There's something odd about this place! Zhou Wen was alarmed.

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Chapter 719: Injured

Zhou Wen couldn't help but sit down and become one of them. He began reciting with them.

Zhou Wen recited in a rhythmic manner as though he was very familiar with it, but he had no idea what he was reciting.

Thankfully, the mysterious power of Teacher Square wasn't harmful. All he did was sit there and read. There was no further development. Zhou Wen wasn't in a rush to escape the mysterious power's control. He wanted to figure out what the mysterious power was up to.

There were more than a hundred people sitting on the huge Teacher Square. They looked like people who cultivated. Zhou Wen felt that it wasn't a coincidence that they were here.

Why isn't there any mention of such a strange power on Mount Confucius? Zhou Wen recited whilst studying the content he was reciting.

The content was very esoteric. The language and words were very different from what modern people were used to. It was clearly an ancient article.

Zhou Wen's level of literacy was very ordinary. He could still understand some simple ancient texts, but he really couldn't understand such obscure ancient texts.

Previously, Zhou Wen had studied the ancient texts of Daoism and Buddhism, but this ancient text was clearly different from the two. He had never heard of many terms, so he couldn't figure out what it meant, even after listening for a while.

Zhou Wen originally wanted to memorize the article he was reciting and slowly study it later, but he soon realized that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember a single word.

After reciting a sentence, it was as if it had vanished from his memory. He couldn't memorize it at all.

From the looks of it, I can only try recording it. Zhou Wen wanted to take out his phone to record his voice.

However, he realized that his body wasn't listening to him. All he could do was sit there and chant. He couldn't do anything else.

With a thought, Zhou Wen switched his Essence Energy Art to the Dao Sutra. He wanted to use the power of Gods Retreat to break the rules of Teacher Square and take out his phone to record the recital.

Bam!

Just as Zhou Wen switched to the Dao Sutra, he suddenly felt a terrifying force strike him like lightning. The jade infant nearly cracked.

Zhou Wen's body tumbled down Teacher Square like a balloon. Thankfully, after leaving Teacher Square, Zhou Wen regained control of his body and quickly found his footing.

He spat out a mouthful of blood as his organs were severely injured. Some of his bones had even fractured. Zhou Wen was alarmed. Is the taboo power of Teacher Square that domineering?

However, on second thought, he felt that something was amiss.

The taboo power in Netherworld City was already extremely terrifying, but it wasn't as potent as this. The taboo power in Teacher Square was no longer something that could be explained by the word "potent." Zhou Wen felt that the taboo power of Teacher Square was targeting him.

Wait, I think I understand. Zhou Wen immediately recalled.

Legend had it that Mount Confucius was the place where the Confucian and Daoist practitioners fought for supremacy, and Teacher Square was the territory of Confucianism. It was highly likely that he had been targeted when he used the Dao Sutra on Teacher Square.

In that case, I should head to Mount Laojun to take a look. That's Daoist territory. Zhou Wen wanted to stand up, but his injuries were too severe. The moment he moved, he grimaced in pain.

I should heal my injuries first. Zhou Wen switched to the Inverse Ancient Sovereign Life Soul and used its powerful lifeforce to heal his injured organs and bones.

However, the Inverse Ancient Sovereign only had a powerful lifeforce. Its self-healing speed was far inferior to Li Xuan's Life Soul.

The antelope looked at Zhou Wen gloatingly, as though it already knew the mystery of Teacher Square.

The chick skipped about on the rocks beside him. It was filled with curiosity about everything.

"Are you alright?" A woman in her thirties walked over and squatted down to ask Zhou Wen.

"I'm fine. It's just a small injury." Zhou Wen shook his head.

The woman smiled and said, "You aren't from around here. It's your first time at Mount Confucius's Teacher Square, right?"

"How did you know?" Zhou Wen asked.

"The locals know that you can't use Daoist Essence Energy Arts on Teacher Square. You must have used the Daoist Essence Energy Art just now to be struck out," the woman explained.

The recital had ended, and the people sitting on Teacher Square had returned to normal. They were walking down in twos and threes.

They looked at Zhou Wen with a smile. Clearly, they, like the woman, knew why Zhou Wen had been expelled.

"Teacher Square is a holy land for cultivating Confucian Essence Energy Arts like Righteousness. If you cultivate in Daoist Essence Energy Arts, you should head to Mount Laojun."

The woman thought for a moment and reminded him, "Teacher Square has an hour of recital daily. If you want to tour the area, you can go up after that hour."

"Thank you for your advice. I wonder if Mount Laojun has any taboos?" Zhou Wen hurriedly asked.

"Not really. There's a Dao book on the top of Mount Laojun, but it requires self-enlightenment. There's no force that can force you." The woman sized up Zhou Wen and said, "Your injuries don't seem light. Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"

"There's no need. I'll be fine after resting for a while." Zhou Wen hurriedly thanked the woman for her kindness.

After the woman left, Zhou Wen sat there to recuperate. However, his injuries were too serious. On the second day, the woman and many people who cultivated in Confucian Essence Energy Art came to Teacher Square again. Yet, Zhou Wen hadn't completely recovered from his injuries.

"Why are you still here? Are you really fine?" the woman asked Zhou Wen in surprise.

Typically, even if someone was expelled, they wouldn't be too heavily injured.

"It's fine, it's fine. I just like the scenery here. I want to take a break here," Zhou Wen said with a smile.

The average person's injuries wouldn't be that serious, but not only did Zhou Wen use the Dao Sutra, but he had also used Gods Retreat, hoping to nullify the taboo power of Teacher Square. That was why he was so heavily injured.

Seeing that Zhou Wen's expression was much better than yesterday, the woman didn't say anything else. Like the others, she got onto Teacher Square and sat down. Soon, Zhou Wen heard the familiar recital.

Those people basically came to Teacher Square to read every day. Zhou Wen chatted with the woman a few times and knew that everyone called her Sister Gui.

According to Sister Gui, reading on Teacher Square accelerated one's cultivation efficiency of Confucian Essence Energy Arts. However, there were very few people cultivating the Confucian Essence Energy Arts now. Therefore, the people who came to Teacher Square for the daily recital were basically acquaintances. They had known each other long ago.

After a few days, Zhou Wen finally recovered from his injuries. However, his injuries were secondary. The primary reason was that it took until now for the jade infant to recover from its injuries.

After recovering, the jade infant gave Zhou Wen a strange feeling as though it was about to break through.

Could it be that being injured helps the jade infant break through? Zhou Wen had a thought.

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Chapter 720: Comfort Only When Thrown Out

Translator: CKtalon

Zhou Wen decided to give it another try. Gods Retreat had already reached its peak. It couldn't continue improving even in Netherworld City.

If the power of Teacher Square could really allow Gods Retreat to advance to a Perfect Body, it would be Zhou Wen's first Perfect Body Life Soul.

When it was the recital session at Teacher Square, Zhou Wen gritted his teeth and walked towards it.

When Sister Gui saw that Zhou Wen had mostly recovered from his injuries, she said with a smile, "This time, make sure not to circulate a Daoist Essence Energy Art when you step into Teacher Square."

Zhou Wen didn't know what to say.

The others laughed. After recuperating here for a few days, they had basically recognized Zhou Wen and knew about his embarrassing use of a Daoist Essence Energy Art on Teacher Square.

Just as she was about to say something, the recital session began.

A mysterious force enveloped Teacher Square. Everyone suddenly sat down and began to recite an article in all seriousness—one that they didn't understand.

Zhou Wen was one of them, but just as he started reciting, he switched his Essence Energy Art to Dao Sutra.

Boom!

As though he was struck in the soul, Zhou Wen felt his soul tremble as his body involuntarily flew out. He slammed onto the stone steps and rolled a distance before he managed to control his body.

His injuries were worse than before, but Zhou Wen was pleased to discover that the jade infant's injuries were much lighter than the previous time. After the previous injury, his resistance seemed to have improved significantly.

Could it be that this method really works? Zhou Wen was pleasantly surprised.

An hour later, Sister Gui and company came down from Teacher Square and passed by Zhou Wen, who was recuperating. Sister Gui said in a speechless manner, "Little Zhou, didn't I tell you that you can't use Daoist Essence Energy Arts on Teacher Square? Why didn't you listen to me? I won't harm you."

Zhou Wen hurriedly said, "Sister Gui, I know that I can't use Daoist Essence Energy Arts on Teacher Square, but I have a bad temper. The more I'm not allowed to do it, the more I have to do it."

"Child..." Sister Gui was instantly rendered speechless.

"Sister Gui, don't bother about him. There's something wrong with this kid's brain."

"That's right. Who cares what he's doing? He's just looking for trouble. I think it's because life in the Federation is too good that there are so many young people out there looking for trouble."

"Young people have never endured suffering. It's understandable why they want to seek out excitement. I was the same when I was young. My mom said that girls will have children when they sleep with men. I didn't listen to her, and I ended up giving birth..."

From then on, there was an additional young man with an antelope and chick on Mount Confucius's Teacher Square. In the beginning, he was sent flying every two to three days.

Later on, it became worse. He was sent flying daily during the recital session on Teacher Square because of his circulation of a Daoist Essence Energy Art as though he would feel uncomfortable if he didn't get thrown out.

Sister Gui tried persuading him at first, but Zhou Wen didn't listen. She got used to it over time.

After the recital, a young girl left with Sister Gui. When they passed by Zhou Wen who was lying by the roadside, the girl looked at him and said to her, "Sister Gui, do you think that Little Zhou is silly? Why does he have to go against Teacher Square for no reason? Isn't he just looking for trouble? He really has nothing better to do."

Sister Gui smiled and said, "How is Little Zhou silly? He's such a good lad. I think he has his reasons for doing so."

"What reason could there be? I think he's just bored." The young girl paused before continuing, "Why is there such a senseless person? If everyone was like Xu Tong, the Federation's land wouldn't be constantly devoured by dimensional zones."

As she spoke, the young girl couldn't help but look at the youth in front of her.

The young man had an imposing appearance. He had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. He was indeed a very handsome young man.

Xu Tong was very famous at Five Dragons Mouth. He cultivated Righteous Energy and had advanced to the Epic stage at the age of twenty-seven. In this region, no one was better than Xu Tong.

It was understandable that Xu Tong could win the girl's admiration.

Sister Gui said with a smile, "Xu Tong is not bad, but there are many outstanding girls around outstanding men. Why don't you consider Little Zhou? I think that young lad is pretty good. He looks quite handsome and is about the same age as you. No one is vying with you for him yet."

"Tch, I don't fancy such a senseless man. If I want to find a boyfriend, I have to find an outstanding man like Xu Tong." The girl curled her lips and turned her head to look at Zhou Wen who was lying on the mountain path. No matter how she looked at him, he was far inferior to the dignified and refined Xu Tong.

Sister Gui said with a faint smile, "It's understandable that little girls like men like Xu Tong. When you reach my age, you might feel that some special men might be more interesting."

"Perhaps. However, I won't find such a man interesting at any time." The girl didn't find Zhou Wen interesting when she saw him sleeping on the mountain path. His clothes were disheveled and there was a chick skipping around him. He resembled a wandering performer.

Days passed. Every time the jade infant was struck, Zhou Wen would have the illusion that he was about to break through. Although this feeling was very real, no matter how realistic it was, it was still an illusion. He couldn't advance to a Perfect Body.

Strange. I clearly feel that I can advance to a Perfect Body, so why haven't I advanced? What's the difference? Zhou Wen kept pondering over this question.

After some thought, Zhou Wen thought of a possibility.

Back then, Zero Taboo was a crystalline body. After the crystal exploded, the Gods Retreat jade infant was born.

Zhou Wen was wondering if it was possible that the jade infant needed to be destroyed before it could advance to a Perfect Body. This explained the reason why he felt that he was about to break through every time the jade infant was injured.

However, as the jade infant's body healed, the feeling of a breakthrough vanished.

After some thought, Zhou Wen realized that there was only one possibility. However, it was too risky to shatter the jade infant. If his guess was wrong and the jade infant was really destroyed, he would be doomed. He would have to condense the Life Soul again.

Therefore, Zhou Wen was still hesitant about giving the jade infant a try.

It was time for the recital session again. When Sister Gui and company arrived at Teacher Square, many people greeted Zhou Wen. As Zhou Wen had been here for more than two weeks, the people who often came to Teacher Square were already familiar with him.

However, most people felt that Zhou Wen was a little silly and only wanted to joke with him. They didn't have any ill intentions.

Sister Gui got Zhou Wen to head to Teacher Square with her as she asked, "Little Zhou, are you still circulating the Daoist Essence Energy Art today?"

"Yes." Zhou Wen nodded.

Everyone waited on Teacher Square for the recital session to begin. Zhou Wen wasn't in the mood to chat, so Sister Gui and the girl beside her chatted.

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Chapter 721: Reconstitution after Collapsing

Translator: CKtalon

When it was time for the recital, everyone involuntarily sat down and began reciting.

Although everyone was conscious, they couldn't control their bodies or mouths. They could only move freely after the recital session ended.

During this period of time, they could do nothing but recite.

Zhou Wen was considering if he should use the power of Teacher Square to shatter the jade infant and reconstitute it when he suddenly saw a figure rushing across the mountain path at an astonishing speed.

Upon closer inspection, it was actually a macaque. However, this macaque seemed to be a little different from ordinary macaque. The average macaque was only about 1.5 meters tall. Even a Legendary Macaque King maxed out at 1.9 meters. That would make it look majestic.

However, this macaque was nearly three meters tall. It looked even more ferocious than a macaque. Its eyes were glowing red, and its fur appeared metallic black. It looked like a ferocious wrath from afar.

Sister Gui and the others also noticed the blood-eyed black macaque. They were somewhat surprised, but no one was worried.

Even if this blood-eyed black macaque was an Epic dimensional creature, as long as it entered Teacher Square, it would be affected by Teacher Square's power. Like all humans, it would sit on the ground and recite ancient texts.

Something similar had happened in the past. A macaque that accidentally entered Teacher Square ended up sitting down and reading like the humans. It wouldn't threaten the scholars here.

However, the moment the blood-eyed black macaque entered Teacher Square, everyone's expression changed drastically, revealing shock.

The blood-eyed black macaque actually didn't sit down to recite. Its eyes were glowing with blood-red light as it walked step by step towards the humans sitting on Teacher Square. It exposed its fangs and looked like it was going to devour someone.

The color drained from everyone's faces, but they couldn't move. All they could do was watch as the blood-eyed black macaque walked over as they recited.

Everyone wore odd expressions. Their faces looked prim and proper as they swirled their heads while reciting. However, their eyes and voices were filled with fear. There was even the sound of sobbing in their voices.

If they could move now, they would have run as far away as they could.

It was especially so for the three people who were closest to the blood-eyed black macaque. Their expressions were as if they had been tied up and fed feces. It was as uncomfortable as it could be.

The blood-eyed black macaque walked over step by step. From its heavy footsteps, Zhou Wen knew that it was still affected by the power of Teacher Square. However, it didn't suffer as significant an effect as them.

Just as the blood-eyed black macaque was about to reach the crowd, a man suddenly stood up and shouted at the macaque, "How can we allow you to taint the Holy Land of Teacher Square? Leave!"

Zhou Wen was somewhat surprised. He never expected someone to be able to stand up while reciting. On careful look, he saw that it was Xu Tong.

At that moment, Xu Tong's entire body was emitting a kind of aura. That aura was formless and intangible. It wasn't as resplendent as divine light, nor was it as grand as Buddhistic light. It was an indescribable aura.

Everyone was overjoyed. They had thought that they were doomed for sure, but they didn't expect Xu Tong to stand up to resist the blood-eyed black macaque. They felt that there was hope.

Xu Tong was already an Epic expert, so he should be able to kill the blood-eyed black macaque. After all, no high-level dimensional creature had ever appeared near Mount Confucius.

The blood-eyed black macaque didn't retreat because of Xu Tong's berating and imposing manner. Instead, it became even more ferocious. A bloody light flashed in its eyes as its majestic body broke through the sound barrier. With a sonic boom, it threw a violent punch at Xu Tong.

"Pervading Heaven and Earth is the aura of righteousness. A righteous heart empowers..." Xu Tong's words seemed to be augmented by a magical power. As he spoke, the righteous aura in his body became even stronger. It was as if his entire being was enveloped by the righteousness that pervaded the world.

At the instant the blood-eyed black macaque rushed in front of him, Xu Tong's palm also struck it with a terrifying force that was akin to the sea or dragon.

What a powerful Essence Energy Skill... Zhou Wen was somewhat surprised. The power of Xu Tong's palm strike was extremely powerful at the Epic stage.

Boom!

Xu Tong's palm collided with the blood-eyed black macaque's claw, producing a terrifying shockwave that sent the people beside him staggering. Meanwhile, Xu Tong flew out like a runaway kite and slammed into the mountain rocks, causing him to vomit blood. After struggling a few times, he got up and sat there. As he vomited blood, he chanted ancient texts.

Everyone felt a chill in their hearts. In their eyes, Xu Tong was already an invincible existence since he was able to forcefully resist the power of Teacher Square. However, such a powerful Xu Tong was severely injured by the blood-eyed black macaque's attack. He even lost the ability to resist the mysterious power of Teacher Square. No matter how serious his injuries were, he had to sit there and recite.

Everyone was horrified, but they could only sit there and recite. No words to describe their feelings any longer.

The blood-eyed black macaque roared and extended its claws to grab a person in front of it. Its nails were as sharp as daggers. If one were to be swiped by them, five bloody holes would probably appear on their head.

Zhou Wen frowned slightly. He couldn't use any Companion Beasts on Teacher Square. Even his Essence Energy Art and body were suppressed, preventing him from summoning any Companion Beasts.

"What are those two fellows doing outside? Why aren't they coming over to help?" Zhou Wen realized that the antelope and chick were standing on a distant mountain path. They were looking over, but they had no intention of coming over to help. It was as though they were watching a show.

Zhou Wen couldn't help but curse inwardly. I raised you all this while for nothing. To think you are there watching this with relish. Don't you know that people will die? It's fine if others die, but I'm here. Wouldn't I end up dying with them later?

That's not right. They cultivate in Confucian Essence Energy Arts, but I'm different. I can switch to the Dao Sutra and be sent out by the power of Teacher Square. With a thought, Zhou Wen didn't hesitate to switch to Dao Sutra.

Zhou Wen originally wanted to think of a way to save them after he left, but he realized that Sister Gui and company were too close to the blood-eyed black macaque. It would probably be too late by the time he returned.

Forget it. I was planning on trying to see if the jade infant can be reconstituted after collapsing anyway. I'll give it a try now. At the instant Zhou Wen switched to the Dao Body, he unleashed the power of the jade infant.

Boom!

The terrifying power on Teacher Square struck Zhou Wen like divine lightning from the nine heavens. The jade infant suffered an extremely terrifying taboo attack.

Zhou Wen sat motionless on the ground as he forcefully endured the terrifying taboo force. Taking advantage of the instant his body could move, he drew his saber and slashed at the blood-eyed black macaque.

Everyone was already in despair. The people who were going to bear the brunt of the attack in the first wave had already closed their eyes in resignation.

However, a blood-colored saber beam suddenly flashed. The blood-eyed black macaque's body was split into two as both pieces fell to the sides.

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Chapter 722: Heaven-Opening Scripture of the Highest Elder

Translator: CKtalon

As they watched the blood-eyed black macaque die, everyone felt as though they had escaped death. They were still in disbelief.

Even Xu Tong wasn't a match for the blood-eyed black macaque. Who had halved it?

Their heads couldn't move, but their eyeballs could. Everyone looked in the direction of the saber beam and saw Zhou Wen sitting on the ground with a saber in hand. The blade had already returned to its scabbard.

It's him? The girl sitting beside Sister Gui was taken aback. She couldn't believe that Zhou Wen was the one who had killed the blood-eyed black macaque.

Zhou Wen had returned the saber to its scabbard, but he sat there motionless with his eyes closed. He wasn't sent flying by the power of Teacher Square, nor did he continue reciting.

As Zhou Wen forcefully resisted the rules of Teacher Square, the jade infant suffered the brunt of the terrifying taboo power. It didn't last long before shattering.

With the jade infant shattered, Zhou Wen originally imagined that he would be severely injured. At best, he would vomit blood, but the worst situation would be having his Dao Sutra crippled.

However, that wasn't the case. After the jade infant shattered, the power that formed the Life Soul didn't dissipate. Instead, it reformed again and completed the restructuring in an instant.

The reassembled Life Soul looked extremely strange. Its appearance was completely different from the jade infant's. It had turned into something extremely strange.

Now, his Life Soul looked like a book, but he couldn't open it. There were no words on the cover.

Zhou Wen couldn't sense any powerful force from the ancient book-like Life Soul, but he knew that the Dao Sutra Life Soul had successfully advanced.

This was because he was currently in Teacher Square. The Dao Sutra in his body was still circulating, but the taboo power in Teacher Sutra seemed to have vanished. It was completely useless against him.

When he opened his eyes and looked around, he saw that Sister Gui and company were still reciting under the power of Teacher Square. Zhou Wen knew that he had really succeeded.

With his Life Soul complete, Zhou Wen wasn't in the mood to continue listening to their recital. He got up and said to Sister Gui, "Sister Gui, thank you for taking care of me these past few days. I'm leaving."

Zhou Wen didn't really like farewells. Coincidentally, Sister Gui was still reciting, so she couldn't speak to him. Zhou Wen waved at her before turning around and walking out of Teacher Square. He quickly left Mount Confucius with the antelope and chick.

When everyone saw that Zhou Wen could move freely on Teacher Square without being affected by its power, they were convinced that he was the person who had killed the blood-eyed black macaque.

When the recital ended, everyone regained their freedom.

"I could tell long ago that Little Zhou is extraordinary. I was right."

"Bullsh*t. You always liked to call him silly."

"What do you know? I was just joking with him. How can an ordinary person have such great perseverance? He's clearly not an ordinary person. I've long seen how different he is."

"I don't think he's even twenty years old. To have such a cultivation level, he probably comes from the families of the six heroes, right?"

"I think it's very likely. Apart from the families of the six heroes, which family can nurture such a young talent?"

Sister Gui couldn't take it anymore. She rolled her eyes at them and said, "Which of the six hero families have the surname Zhou?"

"Apparently none!" Everyone looked at each other, momentarily unable to guess Zhou Wen's origins.

The girl looked in the direction Zhou Wen had left with mixed feelings.

Zhou Wen left Five Dragons Mouth. His identity had definitely been exposed this time, so he didn't head to the other dimensional zones.

The main reason was that he hadn't found the tiny palm symbol at Five Dragons Mouth. If he were to stay here to study it, it would probably take him more than a year to figure out the entire Five Dragons Mouth dimensional zone.

When he arrived at an uninhabited spot, he summoned the Great Might Vajra Bull. As Zhou Wen rode the bull, he checked the game's information.

The Dao Body's Life Soul was no longer Gods Retreat. It had changed again.

Heaven-Opening Scripture of the Highest Elder (Perfect Body): Before the chaos was separated, there was no heaven or earth, no Yin or Yang, no sun or moon, no crystal or light, no east or west, no south or north, no front or back, no source or sink. Infinite changes, grand and majestic, formless and intangible, natural and mysterious. Destitution to the limits, boundless and immeasurable, only the Highest Elder...

Zhou Wen didn't understand what the introduction meant, but it sounded very impressive even though he didn't know what it was for.

In the past, Zero Taboo and Gods Retreat could only exist in his consciousness and not be summoned.

Now that it had transformed into the Heaven-Opening Scripture of the Highest Elder, Zhou Wen's mind stirred. The Life Soul that resembled an ancient jade scripture appeared in front of him. Despite it clearly being named Heaven-Opening Scripture of the Highest Elder, there wasn't a single word on it. Zhou Wen couldn't open it either. After studying it for a while, he realized that its use was only to resist taboo powers. He didn't discover any other effects.

Zhou Wen tried in Netherworld City again and realized that the taboo power in Netherworld City was useless against the Heaven-Opening Scripture of the Highest Elder. Only now could Zhou Wen be said to be truly a person of zero taboos.

The jade infant from Gods Retreat couldn't last long in Netherworld City. Zhou Wen wasn't willing to be tortured, so he hadn't been able to reach the Netherworld Divine Throne in-game.

Now that he had the Heaven-Opening Scripture of the Highest Elder, none of the taboos were effective against Zhou Wen and the blood-colored avatar. Zhou Wen controlled the blood-colored avatar to walk along the stone path that didn't even reveal the numbers.

However, when he stepped onto the stone slab, punishment ghosts would still appear. Zhou Wen casually killed them and quickly reached the Netherworld Divine Throne.

Yet, he didn't see City Lord Netherworld in-game. After Zhou Wen sounded the Golden Bell, the Golden Divine Throne automatically separated, revealing the door to leave.

After leaving the door, the blood-colored avatar came out of the Netherworld City dungeon.

Is this all there is to the Netherworld City dungeon? There isn't even a Mythical boss? Zhou Wen felt that something was amiss.

Thinking back to what City Lord Netherworld had said to him, Zhou Wen's heart stirred. Could it be that I really have to pay a visit to all the torture chambers as City Lord Netherworld said and endure all the punishments before I can see the real Netherworld City? What is the real Netherworld City?

Zhou Wen was very interested in the secrets of Netherworld City, but he gave up when he thought of the punishments.

When I have the chance in the future, I'll take Li Xuan to Netherworld City in real life and let him suffer the punishments. Then, I'll know what the real Netherworld City is like. Zhou Wen placed his sights on Li Xuan.

After Zhou Wen left Five Dragons Mouth, his deeds spread around the area. Everyone nearby knew of this young man, but they didn't know his name. All they knew was that his surname was Zhou.

Even so, this matter was still detected by the bureau.

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Chapter 723: The Antelope Leads the Way

Translator: CKtalon

"Minister Qiao, are you sure the person who appeared at Five Dragons Mouth is Zhou Wen?" Shen Yuchi asked with a frown as he looked at the report delivered by Qiao Siyuan.

"I've confirmed his age and appearance. It matches Zhou Wen in many areas," Qiao Siyuan answered respectfully.

"It's normal for young people at this age to have similar looks," Shen Yuchi said.

"Director-General, you're right. However, I still think that the young man who appeared at Five Dragons Mouth is Zhou Wen," Qiao Siyuan said.

"What evidence do you have?" Shen Yuchi asked.

"We're still investigating, but there's nothing new for the time being. However, my intuition tells me that it's Zhou Wen," Qiao Siyuan said with certainty.

Shen Yuchi wasn't angered by Qiao Siyuan's seemingly irresponsible words. In fact, in their line of work, their intuition was sometimes very accurate.

Intuition wasn't just a blind guess. It was a sharp sense of an event's systematic development that they had honed after experiencing countless incidents.

"If that young man is Zhou Wen, why do you think he went to Five Dragons Mouth? What's his next destination?" Shen Yuchi said after some thought.

"According to intelligence, someone has been seeing Zhou Wen in the vicinity of Luoyang recently. However, I feel that this may be a ruse from the An family. Their goal is to cover Zhou Wen. According to this inference, Zhou Wen's goal isn't as simple as staying at Five Dragons Mouth for a period of time."

Qiao Siyuan paused before continuing, "I'm guessing that Zhou Wen won't be returning to Luoyang next. According to his current trajectory, he should be heading north. I think he might come to the Imperial Capital."

"There are so many cities in the north. Why do you think that he will definitely come to the Imperial Capital?" Shen Yuchi frowned.

"I don't have any evidence yet, but it's best to make some preparations," Qiao Siyuan said.

"That's right. However, Zhou Wen has already reached a certain level of attainment. Even without the An family's protection, it won't be easy to touch him," Shen Yuchi said after some thought.

"Director-General, why don't you discuss it with the Xia family? Perhaps they are also interested in Zhou Wen," Qiao Siyuan said.

Shen Yuchi naturally understood what Qiao Siyuan was referring to. He glanced at Qiao Siyuan and said meaningfully, "Then help me make a trip to the Xia family and inform them of this matter."

"Yes, sir." Qiao Siyuan received the order.

After Qiao Siyuan left, the woman Shen Yuchi called "Button" walked out. Shen Yuchi looked at the documents and said, "What's your take?"

"Qiao Siyuan's attention on Zhou Wen seems to have exceeded the attention he places on Wang Mingyuan's other disciples," said Button.

"Are you saying that he has ulterior motives for Zhou Wen?" Shen Yuchi looked up at Button.

"I don't know. I've investigated him. Just as you said, Director-General, this person is too simple. His life seems to revolve around nothing but work. He doesn't have any obvious personal hobbies, no wife, children, family, or friends. He doesn't even have a lover. He doesn't eat, drink, prostitute, or gamble. It's hard to imagine how he does it given his age and status," said Button.

"Perhaps he's a workaholic," Shen Yuchi said.

Button's red lips curled up slightly as she continued, "You can say that, but as a workaholic, he doesn't seem to be so focused on other parts of his work."

"Then why do you think Qiao Siyuan mentioned the Xia family?" Shen Yuchi continued.

"There's no way to deduce it for the time being. However, from what I know, in the past few decades, there have been many young geniuses who died young, and all of them have something to do with the Xia family. If the Xia family learns of Zhou Wen's arrival in the Imperial Capital, perhaps there's really no need for you to think about it, Director-General."

"Then let's take a wait and see approach for now." Shen Yuchi lowered his head and continued working.

...

Zhou Wen traversed mountains and forests. Although the dimensional storms had brought a huge calamity to humanity, Earth was brimming with vitality. It was unlike the past where everywhere was filled with buildings made of concrete and steel.

"What are you doing? It's not over there. We're going this way." When they reached a fork in the road, Zhou Wen was supposed to take the left fork, but the antelope actually walked to the right.

The antelope ignored him and bit Zhou Wen's sleeve as it walked to the right, forcing him to follow.

"What's here? Why do you have to walk this way?" Zhou Wen found it odd. Although the antelope had been very willful and aloof in the past, it had never interfered with Zhou Wen's actions.

This time, the antelope had taken the initiative to alter his path. This left Zhou Wen somewhat puzzled.

The antelope didn't answer as it walked ahead as though it hadn't heard Zhou Wen.

If Zhou Wen stopped and didn't leave, it would come over to pull him back.

Zhou Wen studied the map. The right fork was originally a road, but because there were too many dimensional zones there, as well as the appearance of many break-out creatures, it was abandoned due to the danger.

Zhou Wen felt that there was definitely something going on and he was somewhat intrigued. He wanted to know what the antelope was up to, so he followed it.

However, Zhou Wen summoned Six-Winged to prevent any accidents.

He hadn't managed to successfully create a Substitute Talisman yet. He had drawn quite a number of them whenever he was free, but unfortunately, he hadn't succeeded. The success rate of producing a Substitute Talisman was just too low.

Due to the encroachment of the plants on both sides of the originally spacious road, many branches and roots were strewn across the road. Green vines crawled everywhere.

The trees on both sides of the road were extremely tall. The tree crowns were squeezed together, blocking out the sunlight. Zhou Wen felt that walking on the road was no different from walking in a forest.

As he walked, Zhou Wen suddenly felt that something was amiss. There were trees everywhere, but there wasn't a single bird or insect in the huge forest. The entire forest was terrifyingly quiet.

Zhou Wen had already expanded Truth Listener's range to its limits, but he still didn't discover any animals. There wasn't even an ant.

How can this be? Zhou Wen couldn't help but frown as he secretly became wary.

The antelope remained oblivious as it continued walking ahead. The chick stood on Zhou Wen's shoulder and looked around curiously.

"Where are you going?" Zhou Wen asked the antelope in front of him.

The antelope didn't know how to speak at all. Even if it could speak, it had no intention of answering Zhou Wen. Just as Zhou Wen was hesitating about following it down, it suddenly left the road and burrowed into the grass beside it.

It was a dense grass patch and many vines coiled together. After the antelope entered, it immediately vanished. Thankfully, Zhou Wen had Truth Listener and could see the situation in the grass.

After the antelope burrowed into the grass, it continued walking in. Soon, it arrived at an empty spot.

The empty spot was rather strange. There were dense plants all around, but there was not a single blade of grass growing in that small area. It was as if a strong weed killer had been used.

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Chapter 724: 100% Head Turner

1

Translator: CKtalon

The antelope walked to the clearing and began digging with its hooves.

Could there be some treasure buried there? Zhou Wen was curious as he burrowed into the grass and quickly arrived beside the clearing.

The antelope dug very quickly. By the time Zhou Wen arrived, it had already dug more than a meter deep. The soil dug out was piled up beside it.

When Zhou Wen saw the soil, he immediately knew why there weren't any plants growing here. The antelope wasn't digging out soil, but grayish-black ash. It looked like it was mixed with some form of metallic powder.

He looked into the pit and saw that there was indeed metallic powder underneath.

"Ol' Ante, what are you digging?" Zhou Wen asked curiously.

The antelope ignored him and continued digging.

Zhou Wen thought to himself, This antelope usually acts like a big shot. It sees everything beneath it and is the laziest. It's like a lord that enjoys life and doesn't do anything. Now that it's digging a hole by itself, there must be something good down there.

With this in mind, Zhou Wen said with a smile, "Ol' Ante, it's not convenient for you to dig with your hooves. Why don't I help you dig? If there's anything good down there, why don't you share half with me?"

The antelope glanced at him and after some thought, it raised its front hooves and gestured at Zhou Wen.

Zhou Wen was puzzled as he thought to himself, You only have a hoof. There aren't any fingers. What does your gesturing mean?

Seeing that he didn't understand, the antelope wrote "20%" on the ground.

Only then did Zhou Wen understand what the antelope meant by its hoof gesture. There was a groove in front of its hooves, making it look like a V. It could also represent two.

"Twenty percent is too little. How about forty-sixty?" The antelope ignored him and continued digging.

"So be it. 20%. I'll help you dig." Zhou Wen felt that he had nothing better to do. He could help dig and save time. Furthermore, he could split the benefits. Why not?

The antelope jumped out of the hole and pointed down, indicating for him to dig.

Why would Zhou Wen dig it himself? He summoned Tyrant Behemoth. The two horns on Tyrant Behemoth's head were like spinning electric drills as it dug at a fast speed.

What surprised Zhou Wen was that the metallic powder below was indeed extraordinary. Despite Tyrant Behemoth's immense strength, it failed to easily penetrate the metallic powder.

After drilling for a while, it had dug a hole more than ten meters deep. The metallic powder it dug out turned darker and darker like coal.

Furthermore, the metallic powder had a smell. It wasn't pungent, but it resembled the smell of ink on a newspaper.

"Ol' Ante, what's down there? How deep do we have to dig?" Zhou Wen knew that the antelope was very intelligent and could definitely answer him. It depended on its willingness to speak.

The antelope extended its hoof and drew two words on the ground: "Eight meters."

"There are still eight meters to go? It looks like this digging will go on for a little while longer." Zhou Wen did some calculations. The metallic powder was getting harder to dig the deeper it went. He estimated that it would have to dig for another forty to fifty minutes.

After some thought, he decided to take out his phone to grind dungeons for a while. He would wait until Tyrant Behemoth dug out the item.

After grinding dungeons for a while, he didn't get anything good.

The antelope suddenly nudged him with its hooves. Zhou Wen knew that something had been dug out. He walked to the side of the deep pit and looked down. He saw that Tyrant Behemoth had dug a twenty to thirty-meter deep pit.

However, Tyrant Behemoth's body was too huge. It nearly blocked the entire mouth of the pit. Zhou Wen had no choice but to let it out before looking down.

This time, he saw something in the deep pit. It looked like a wooden stake with a diameter of about fifty to sixty centimeters. It was completely black, but there were tree lines on the surface. It was probably wood.

The antelope pointed at the log and nudged Zhou Wen. Clearly, it wanted Zhou Wen to bring the log up.

Although the log looked huge, Zhou Wen had plenty of strength too. Even if it weighed several tons, it wouldn't be a problem for him.

However, Zhou Wen didn't wish to take the risk. He got Tyrant Behemoth to go down and pull out the wooden stake.

Tyrant Behemoth hugged the wooden stake with its claws and pulled with all its might. The wooden stake wasn't pulled straight out. It only moved a little and rose by ten to twenty centimeters.

Tyrant Behemoth pulled it out bit by bit, revealing more and more of the wooden stake. When the wooden stake was completely out, it was about three meters long.

Tyrant Behemoth placed the wooden stake on the ground. Zhou Wen carefully sized it up and realized that it was indeed a log. It was likely a segment of a certain tree, and the bark was rather pristine.

Zhou Wen didn't know what kind of log it was. The bark and tree core were black, about the blackness of charcoal, but it wasn't dirty at all when touched. It was a little cold.

"Ol' Ante, is this the treasure?" Zhou Wen asked the antelope.

The antelope nodded and circled the log a few times as though it was examining something.

What's the use of this log? Zhou Wen didn't discover anything special about it. Apart from being a little black and heavy, it didn't seem to be anything special.

The antelope pointed at the log and then at Zhou Wen's shoulder, indicating for him to carry it.

"If you don't have a place to put it, I'll help you store it. Ask me when you need it," Zhou Wen hurriedly said.

The antelope glanced at Zhou Wen, making him feel a little uncertain. However, he never expected the antelope to nod in agreement.

Zhou Wen was overjoyed as he reached out to lift the log. He realized that it wasn't as heavy as he imagined. He could still lift it.

Zhou Wen originally imagined that he wouldn't be able to lift it since Tyrant Behemoth had exerted so much strength to pull it out.

After opening the chaos space, Zhou Wen placed the large log piece inside.

"Ol' Ante, what's the use of that log? Tell me." Zhou Wen wanted to obtain some information from the antelope. Otherwise, it would be useless even if the entire log was his.

The antelope ignored him and crawled out of the grass before returning along the path. Clearly, it was here to dig up the log and didn't plan on disturbing Zhou Wen's advance.

After returning to the fork, Zhou Wen took the correct path and continued heading for Imperial Capital.

After walking for a while, Zhou Wen suddenly felt something amiss. He felt uncomfortable, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.

Am I reading too much into it? Zhou Wen carefully checked his surroundings with Truth Listener, but he didn't discover any problems.

After a long journey, he entered a city. That's when Zhou Wen realized that something was amiss. This was because the people walking towards him, be they men or women, were looking at him with strange eyes. Some women were even giggling at his face.

What's going on? Zhou Wen was puzzled. Although he felt that he was good looking, his handsomeness wasn't to the point of being loved by everyone. To be such a head-turner with a 100% rate creeped him out a little.

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Chapter 725: Riding A Bull and Carrying Wood

Translator: CKtalon

Zhou Wen hurriedly found an empty spot and took out a mirror from his chaos space to take a look at his face.

Zhou Wen was immediately stunned.

There was a pitch-black word, "slave," on his originally smooth forehead. It looked as if it had been written in ink, and was written beautifully.

"Ol' Ante, what's going on? Are you up to no good?" Zhou Wen hurriedly rubbed it with his hand, but no matter how he rubbed it, the word "slave" seemed to be embedded into his flesh. Despite abrading his skin, the word "slave" was still clearly visible.

The antelope wore an innocent expression like a human. Then, it wrote a line on the ground with its hooves. "I told you to carry it, but you didn't. You can't blame me."

"You mean that piece of wood?" Zhou Wen was slightly taken aback.

The antelope nodded with a faint smile as it looked at the word "slave" on Zhou Wen's head with an admiring gaze.

Zhou Wen hurriedly took out the wooden log from the chaos space and placed it on the ground. He asked the antelope in an extremely distrustful tone, "Tell me honestly, what is this?"

The antelope looked at Zhou Wen with an innocent look as though it was saying: "I'm just an antelope. I can't speak."

Zhou Wen had no choice but to grit his teeth and ask, "Will the word on my forehead disappear if I carry it?"

The antelope quickly nodded as though it was waiting for Zhou Wen to say that.

Zhou Wen had tried all sorts of methods to remove the mark on his forehead to no avail. All he could do was give it a try. He raised one end of the log with both hands and lifted it with his shoulder.

The log was really heavy. Even with Zhou Wen's strength, he found it difficult to lift it up.

However, when Zhou Wen looked into the mirror, he realized that the slave word on his forehead had really vanished.

Zhou Wen placed the log on the ground and the word "slave" appeared again. When he lifted it up, it vanished.

"Ol' Ante, what the hell is this? Are you expecting me to carry it all the time?" Zhou Wen felt like killing the antelope, but he was no match against it.

Antelope didn't give excuses. It drew another line of words on the ground with its hooves. "Go to the Imperial Capital and terminate the contract."

"You mean that as long as we get it to the Imperial Capital, we can terminate this contract?" Zhou Wen asked.

Seeing the antelope nod, Zhou Wen asked, "Then can I put it away and take it to the Imperial Capital?"

Zhou Wen planned on wearing a hat to cover the word "slave" on his forehead. The log was just too heavy. He could forget about doing anything while carrying it.

"If you aren't afraid of death, sure." The antelope wrote a few succinct words.

Zhou Wen immediately felt his balls ache as he thought to himself, If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have shot my mouth and tried to share the benefits with the antelope.

Suddenly, Zhou Wen realized that something was amiss.

With the antelope's usual lazy personality, it wouldn't have dug itself. It would definitely have gotten Zhou Wen to help it.

However, it had started the digging itself and at an extremely slow pace. Zhou Wen realized from recalling the sequence of events that the antelope was clearly trying to entice him into offering his help.

What kind of society is this? Even an antelope will lie? Zhou Wen was somewhat depressed. It was too late to say anything now. If he were to question the antelope now, not only would it not help matters, but he would also be making a fool of himself.

"Isn't it just carrying a log to the Imperial Capital? What's the big deal? I, Zhou Wen, have nothing else but strength," Zhou Wen said as he lifted the piece of wood.

How freaking heavy! Zhou Wen took a few steps and felt his body break out in sweat.

The log was about three meters long and was about fifty to sixty centimeters in diameter. Its density and weight were about the same as steel. Zhou Wen found it taxing.

After walking half a street, Zhou Wen felt that he couldn't let things continue. He would probably die of exhaustion on the way before he reached the Imperial Capital.

After some thought, Zhou Wen summoned the Great Might Vajra Bull. He carried the wooden log and got the bull to carry him. This way, he could save some strength.

"This isn't against the rules, right?" Zhou Wen looked at the antelope.

The antelope nodded and didn't object.

Zhou Wen heaved a sigh of relief and ordered the Great Might Vajra Bull to continue traveling. He was in no mood to carry such a piece of wood. All he wanted to do now was rush to the Imperial Capital and get rid of the slave word on his forehead.

"Is that person a fool? He's riding a bull and carrying a piece of wood? Doesn't he know that he can place the piece of wood on the bull's back?"

"You don't understand. He's just showing off."

"In what sense?"

"He's showing off his great strength that he's able to carry such a huge log. He's showing off his ferocious mount that's capable of lifting him and the log together."

"Haha, that makes sense, but no matter how I look at it, I find him a little foolish!"

Wherever Zhou Wen passed, people wagged their tongues at him as though they were looking at a fool. The number of heads turning became even higher than before.

Zhou Wen ignored them and urged the Great Might Vajra Bull to speed up. He hoped to leave the city as soon as possible. Once he entered the wilderness, there wouldn't be so many people gawking at him.

"Interesting!" On the second floor of a cafe, three men were sitting by the window and drinking coffee. One of the men saw Zhou Wen riding the Great Might Vajra Bull.

The other two men looked towards the street and immediately discovered Zhou Wen.

One of the men's eyes suddenly lit up as he said to the other two men, "Dugu Ge, Zhang Chunqiu, why don't we use that person as a bet and decide the ownership of that thing?"

"Tell me about it," Dugu Ge said expressionlessly.

Zhang Chunqiu also smiled and nodded. "As long as it's fair, I have no objections."

"It's definitely fair. Let's guess when that person will put down the log on his shoulder. Whoever guesses the closest time will get the thing. What do you think?" Xia Liuchuan said.

"Sure," Dugu Ge said directly.

"I have no objections," said Zhang Chunqiu.

"Eh, you guys actually didn't suspect that I arranged this person? Could it be that you guys know him?" Xia Liuchuan asked, a little surprised.

"Wang Mingyuan's disciple, adopted son of Madam Lan of the An family. It's quite difficult to not know him these days," Zhang Chunqiu said.

"So he's Zhou Wen." Xia Liuchuan thought for a moment before smiling again. "That's good. None of us will be at a disadvantage by using a third party as a bet. It'll be fair and square. No one will complain even if they lose."

After a pause, Xia Liuchuan continued, "If it were an ordinary person, after hearing so much from wagging tongues, he would probably put down the log very quickly. Since he's not an ordinary person, it depends on when he plans to put down the log to rest. I guess it won't take long. It should be around seven in the evening. What do you think?"

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Chapter 726: Sister Return Lightning Pool

Translator: CKtalon

"With the bull's gait, it should arrive at the nearest city around seven or eight in the evening. If Zhou Wen doesn't wish to sleep in the wilderness, the chances of him spending the night there is very high. It makes sense to guess seven," Zhang Chunqiu said with a smile.

"I can't compare to Brother Zhang's clairvoyance. It's just a random guess," Xia Liuchuan said with a smile.

"Then I'll make a random guess too. 7:01," Zhang Chunqiu said in all seriousness.

"Since you are guessing 7:01. Then I'll guess 6:59," Dugu Ge added.

"Hey hey, aren't you guys going overboard?" Xia Liuchuan said unhappily.

Zhang Chunqiu replied with a smile, "Actually, it's too easy to guess the time. Why don't we change what we are betting on?"

"What else can we guess other than time?" Xia Liuchuan couldn't think of anything else.

"Let's guess which city he's taking that piece of wood to. What do you think?" Zhang Chunqiu said.

"Alright, let's bet on that. I'll let you guys guess first this time," Xia Liuchuan said.

"There's no need. Let's write it on paper and open them together." Zhang Chunqiu handed paper and pen to Xia Liuchuan and Dugu Ge.

The three of them gave their answers and opened them together.

After looking at each other's answers, the three of them looked at each other in dismay. Among the three of them, two of them wrote the Imperial Capital, while Xia Liuchuan wrote the Capital.

However, the Imperial Capital and the Capital were basically the same. It was just that the locals of the Imperial Capital were more used to calling it the Capital.

"It looks like we can't bet on this either." Xia Liuchuan smiled.

"Why don't we make it simpler? We'll bet on whether he can reach the Imperial Capital alive," Dugu Ge said.

"There are only two answers—yes or no. How are the three of us going to bet?" Xia Liuchuan said.

"That's simple. Reaching the Imperial Capital alive, reaching the Imperial Capital after he's dead, and not being able to reach the Imperial Capital. Isn't that three options? The time limit is a month. What do you think?" Dugu Ge said.

"That makes sense. Who will choose first?" Xia Liuchuan looked at Dugu Ge.

"Since I was the one who suggested the rules, I'll make the final choice," Dugu Ge said.

Zhang Chunqiu wore a heavy expression as he did some calculations. After a while, he said, "If no one wants to snatch the option from me, I'll choose the option that he reaches the Imperial Capital after he's dead."

"I won't vie with you for that choice. I'll choose the option that he reaches the Capital alive," Xia Liuchuan said.

"Then the remaining choice is mine. I guess he won't be able to reach the Imperial Capital," Dugu Ge said.

"In that case, let's travel together and follow him. Let's see the outcome," Zhang Chunqiu suggested.

"Fine with me." Dugu Ge stood up.

The three of them left the cafe and chased after Zhou Wen.

Zhou Wen carried the wooden log and left the city. Although he was riding the Great Might Vajra Bull, he still needed to expend a lot of stamina to carry the wooden log. When he left the city, Zhou Wen's forehead was already beading with sweat, and his clothes were drenched.

Helpless, Zhou Wen could only switch to the Ancient Sovereign Sutra and fuse with the Defy Ancient Sovereign Life Soul. With the augmentation of the powerful lifeforce, he could continue while carrying the log.

The Great Might Vajra Bull wasn't having an easy time either. It slowed down significantly and its speed was nothing like usual. It ran like an old bull dragging a cart.

Not long after leaving the city and entering the mountains, the sky suddenly darkened. Dark clouds covered the sky as lightning bolts flashed like divine dragons. Occasionally, ferocious shadows would appear in the dark clouds.

Is it going to rain? Zhou Wen couldn't help but frown when he heard the thunder. He stared at the thick, dark clouds.

Dugu Ge, Zhang Chunqiu, and Xia Liuchuan followed behind Zhou Wen from afar. They didn't chase too closely. With Zhang Chunqiu, who was clairvoyant, there was no need to be afraid of losing him, nor did they need to get too close.

At that moment, they also saw the dark clouds and lightning that filled the sky. However, they weren't as optimistic as Zhou Wen.

"Chunqiu, what do you think?" Xia Liuchuan stared at the dark clouds in the sky with a serious expression.

Zhang Chunqiu did a simple divination and said, "An ominous omen..."

"Don't try to fool me with those charlatan methods. I want to hear the truth." Xia Liuchuan interrupted Zhang Chunqiu.

"To be honest, a break-out creature is about to appear. Furthermore, it doesn't look too weak. From the looks of it, you will be busy," Zhang Chunqiu said with a smile.

Among the three of them, only Xia Liuchuan needed Zhou Wen to reach the capital alive to win the bet. He naturally wouldn't let Zhou Wen die here. As long as he could win, Xia Liuchuan didn't mind helping Zhou Wen.

As they spoke, Zhou Wen sped up, hoping to reach the city earlier.

Unfortunately, the log was too heavy. Even if the Great Might Vajra Bull ran with all its might, it couldn't run fast.

Zhang Chunqiu pinched his fingers, divining as he walked. He looked around and suddenly, his expression changed as he shouted, "That's not right!"

"What's wrong?" Xia Liuchuan asked curiously.

Before Zhang Chunqiu could answer, he heard an explosion in the sky. A bolt of lightning descended from the sky and struck a nearby forest.

Strangely, when the lightning struck the forest, there were visible electric arcs. The forest that was enveloped by the lightning only flashed with lightning, but there was no fire.

And this was only the beginning. Large swaths of lightning kept striking the forest, covering all the plants with a layer of lightning. However, the plants didn't die. Instead, they became more spirited.

"Thunder-trigram above, lake-trigram below. It's Sister Return Lightning Pool. It looks like things aren't looking good," Zhang Chunqiu said as he did the calculations.

After spending some time with Zhang Chunqiu, Xia Liuchuan had a basic understanding of divination. Upon hearing that, he said, "I don't think it's a dangerous divination, right? I remember hearing you say that Sister Return Lightning Pool means that in order to obtain greater benefits, one needs to pay a certain price in exchange. It's just like marrying off one's sister."

"Although what you said isn't entirely correct, it's not too far off. However..." Before Zhang Chunqiu could finish his sentence, he suddenly saw the plants that were covered in lightning seem to come alive. Their leaves and branches trembled as they shot out bolts of lightning.

Instantly, the criss-crossing lightning enveloped Xia Liuchuan and company.

This level of lightning naturally didn't affect them much. Xia Liuchuan shattered the lightning with a wave of his hand.

Thunder boomed in the sky again. This time, the thunder was especially loud, causing the entire mountain range to tremble. And in the dark clouds in the sky, a ball of green lightning fell like a meteor.

Boom!

A large area of the forest was destroyed as a figure emitting lightning appeared in the ruins.

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Chapter 727: Hotel

Translator: CKtalon

Xia Liuchuan looked over and saw that it was a tiger with wings on its back. Azure lightning danced on its body as though every cell was flashing with lightning.

The tiger immediately saw Xia Liuchuan and the other two. It flapped its wings and instantly transformed into lightning.

"Not good!" Xia Liuchuan's expression changed as he summoned an ancient sword. The ancient sword split into two at every turn until there were eight. It transformed into a sword formation that resembled a metallic wall of copper and iron that defended Xia Liuchuan.

Dugu Ge rapidly retreated like a ghost. He was unbelievably fast. Zhou Wen's all-out use of Transcendent Flying Immortal was not much better.

Zhang Chunqiu flicked his sleeve and talismans appeared in front of him, turning into a talisman formation that protected his body.

At that instant, an azure bolt of lightning tore through the sky and transformed into a lightning net. Instantly, it enveloped the sword formation and the talisman formation. No matter how fast Dugu Ge's movement technique was, he wasn't as fast as the lightning. He was also enveloped.

Rumble!

The sword formation shattered and the talismans were burned. The might of the lightning was like heavenly punishment that could destroy everything.

"Ah!" The three of them cried out tragically as their bodies convulsed from the lightning. Their hair was smoking.

Zhou Wen, who was riding with the wooden log on his shoulder, looked in the direction behind him in puzzlement. He saw lightning striking in the distant mountain, producing incessant rumbling sounds. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Why is this lightning so terrifying? Could it be that the lightning and rain have mutated? From the looks of it, I should rush to the city ahead and find a place to stay."

Zhou Wen urged the Great Might Vajra Bull, hoping that it could run faster.

However, the big guy was panting in exhaustion. It had no way of running any faster.

Zhou Wen was somewhat worried. The dimensionalization was still limited to Earth itself and didn't involve the satellites outside. Therefore, the Federation could still guarantee basic communication with artificial satellites.

If the artificial satellites were affected in the future, the means of communication would be even weaker.

Thunder rumbled in the distance as bolts of lightning descended from the sky. The sound of thunder was terrifying.

Thankfully, Zhou Wen wasn't struck by lightning. He rushed all the way and finally arrived at a nearby city at 6 p.m.

The lightning in the mountains rumbled, but it wasn't that terrifying in the city. It was just a little cloudy. There was a drizzle that didn't feel cold. It felt refreshing when the rain landed on his skin.

This city was relatively small. After the dimensional storms, it had suffered a serious loss of population. Now, very few shops opened on both sides of the streets. There were very few pedestrians. Most of them had probably moved to a large city.

This was a good thing for Zhou Wen. At the very least, there weren't many onlookers wagging their tongues at him as he rode on a bull and carried a log. Occasionally, pedestrians would pass by and look at him in surprise.

Not long after Zhou Wen entered the city, he saw a small hotel. The door of the hotel was open, but there was no one inside. The tables and couches were in a mess and there was quite a bit of dust on them. From the looks of it, the owner had already left.

Zhou Wen went in and found a room. He realized that there was a bed with a blanket in there, so he chose to stay.

In any case, he only needed to rest for a while before continuing on his journey. He didn't have too high a requirement for a place to stay. All he needed to do was shield himself from the elements.

Shortly after Zhou Wen entered the hotel, it began pouring heavily outside. The rain seemed to be water from an overturned basin. In just a short period of time, rainwater began to pool on the roads. The sewers were unable to keep up with the quantity of rainwater.

From the looks of it, I can only continue on my journey after the rain stops. Just as Zhou Wen was about to put down the log on his shoulder, the antelope suddenly tugged at him, indicating for him to look at the ground.

Zhou Wen looked down and saw a few words on the ground. It was obvious that the antelope had written them with its hooves.

"Body must remain inseparable from the log. Separation means certain death."

"What do you want? This place is still far from the Imperial Capital. I can't keep carrying it, right?" Zhou Wen said gloomily.

"Can't you read? Do you not know what it means for your body to remain inseparable from the log" The antelope gave Zhou Wen a disdainful look before writing a line on the ground.

So that's how it is. Is it fine as long as my body doesn't leave the log? Zhou Wen placed the log on the ground and sat on it.

With his body greatly enervated, Zhou Wen could finally heave a sigh of relief.

This piece of wood was heavy. Even after using the power of the Defy Ancient Sovereign Life Soul, he still felt that his body couldn't take it.

Since he couldn't leave the log, he didn't even need to sleep on the bed. Zhou Wen pulled a blanket over himself and slept on the log.

The antelope slept comfortably on the bed; so did the chick. It even covered itself with a blanket by pecking a rug over.

With the heavy rain outside, Zhou Wen didn't dare rashly set off. He planned on leaving after the rain stopped.

"That's not how you kick a ball..."

Zhou Wen was sleeping soundly when a voice suddenly sounded. It nearly made him jump up in fright.

Thankfully, Zhou Wen still remembered the words that the "body must remain inseparable from the log." He forcefully stopped himself from leaping off the log.

When he opened his eyes and took a closer look, he realized that the television in the room had turned on and it was playing an old movie.

I was nearly scared to death. How did this crappy television switch on by itself? Zhou Wen turned his head and saw that the chick had woken up at some point in time. It was fiddling with a remote control with its claws.

"I'm sleeping. Stop fooling around." Zhou Wen reached out and sucked the remote control over. Then, he used the remote control to turn off the television. Seeing that it was still early and that the rain was still pouring outside, Zhou Wen lay down and continued sleeping.

He had just fallen asleep when he was suddenly woken up by a sound.

"This move is clearly called An Old Man Pushing A Cart. Don't write me off as ignorant..."

Zhou Wen was woken up again and saw the television turn on again. It was playing the old movie.

"Little Feifei, stop fooling around, alright? Let me rest for a while. I'm really tired." Zhou Wen was just about to take the chick's remote when he realized that the chick wasn't holding the remote at all. The remote was still beside him. The chick crawled out of the blanket and looked at him blankly.

What's going on? Did I touch the remote control myself? That's not right... That's not right... This hotel has been abandoned for some time. There's no electricity. How can the television be switched on? Zhou Wen finally snapped out of his daze and sat up to carefully watch the television.

At this glance, Zhou Wen couldn't help but change his expression. This was because the television's power cable was hanging down. It wasn't plugged in at all. Even if there was electricity in the hotel, it was impossible for the television to be switched on.

"Watch and see..." The old movie on the television was still playing. Zhou Wen frowned as he stared at the television and used Truth Listener to inspect it.

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Chapter 728: Concerned Person

Translator: CKtalon

Truth Listener's ability allowed Zhou Wen to hear the internal structure of the television.

However, Zhou Wen didn't know much about circuit boards, nor did he notice anything amiss. He didn't discover any Companion Beasts or dimensional creatures inside, but he realized that there was an electric current flowing inside.

It's impossible for there to be no problems. Zhou Wen checked several times, but he failed to find anything wrong.

He tried turning the television off with the remote control, and it was switched off again. It looked no different from a normal television.

What the hell? Could it be that the electric current produced by the thunderstorm has run into the television, giving it electricity? Zhou Wen studied it for a long time, but he still couldn't figure out why there was electricity in the television. However, even he couldn't come to terms with his guess.

I want to see what's messing around. Zhou Wen used Truth Listener to monitor the entire hotel and the nearby area. Nothing could escape his ears even in the heavy rain.

Zhou Wen sat on the log and stared at the television.

Boom!

After a while, thunder sounded in the sky again. It felt like the lightning was very close, as though it had exploded outside the building.

Suddenly, the television lit up and the movie started playing.

"Cut the crap. Take off... Ah, take off your clothes... Hey, what are you doing... Are you trying to kill me... You're really amazing. I don't even mind you beating me to death..."

Zhou Wen kept staring at the television, while Truth Listener kept monitoring all its components. However, for some reason, there was suddenly electricity in the television.

There were no suspicious signs inside or outside the inn. There was no one, nor were there any dimensional creatures.

Strange. Could it be that the lightning outside has entered the television? Zhou Wen felt that this matter was odd. Ignoring the fact that the lightning couldn't be transmitted in, even if it could, it would only damage the components. It was impossible for the television to work normally.

This time, Zhou Wen didn't switch off the television. He sat there watching. The television had plenty of power. It continued playing even after quite some time.

"Who can be more miserable than me!" A person on the television tragically cried out at the sky before collapsing to the ground.

Zhou Wen couldn't help but laugh when he saw this.

Although he found it odd, this old movie was still quite funny.

Even if there's really someone causing trouble, I might only end up falling for someone's scheme if I were to leave this place and enter the heavy rain. I'll just take a wait and see approach for now. Zhou Wen decided to turn off the television and sleep on the log.

He kept Truth Listener's ability active the entire time. Zhou Wen would immediately know of any movement. He also switched his Essence Energy Art to Dao Sutra. With the Heaven-Opening Scripture of the Highest Elder Life Soul, he could be somewhat safe.

The television kept playing old movies, one after another, but other than that, nothing else happened.

After sleeping deep into the night, Zhou Wen suddenly heard footsteps coming from the entrance of the hotel. He immediately woke up. With Truth Listener's ability, he immediately saw a strange person run in.

The person's clothes were tattered and his hair was charred black. He looked like he had just been struck by lightning.

He finally can't hold back? Zhou Wen sat up and monitored the person's every move.

After the person entered, he sniffed around before walking towards Zhou Wen's room.

He's indeed coming for me, Zhou Wen thought.

When the person arrived at the door, Zhou Wen was waiting for him. He wanted to see what tricks he had up his sleeve, but he never expected the person to knock on the door a few times.

"Who is it?" Zhou Wen was somewhat surprised as he asked after some thought.

The person outside said, "Zhou Wen, I'm here to snitch. You have to be careful along the way. Someone wants you dead, and it's not just one."

"Who wants me dead?" Zhou Wen asked.

"You should know the Dugu family and the Zhang family of the Federation's six families, right? The Dugu family's Dugu Ge and the Zhang family's Zhang Chunqiu both want your life," the person outside the door answered.

"I have no grudge with them. Why do they want me dead?" Zhou Wen asked again.

This time, the person outside didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "You're going to the Imperial Capital, right?"

"What has my whereabouts got to do with them wanting to kill me?" Zhou Wen didn't quite believe the person in front of him. This person looked problematic.

"They don't want you to enter the Imperial Capital alive," the person outside said.

"Why?" Zhou Wen frowned.

"Don't worry about the reason. Just be careful." The person prepared to leave.

"Who are you? Why are you telling me this?" Zhou Wen hurriedly asked.

"Just call me Concerned Person," the person said firmly and turned to go downstairs.

If it wasn't for the fact that his clothes were tattered and his hair was charred black, he would have looked rather cool.

Zhou Wen found the name Concerned Person familiar. After being stunned for a while, he recalled that wasn't the name used frequently in primary school composition?

Who is this person? Zhou Wen frowned.

He naturally wouldn't completely believe this person's words, but from the looks of it, he really didn't have any ill intentions.

Is he behind the television? Zhou Wen was somewhat unsure.

The television was still playing, so Zhou Wen didn't think too much about it. He decided to sleep first and wait for the rain to stop. After all, he was determined to make this trip to the Imperial Capital. He would deal with whatever came his way. There was no use worrying.

Not long after he fell asleep, Zhou Wen heard someone enter the hotel again.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

After the person entered the hotel, he didn't even take a sniff before heading to the second floor and running towards Zhou Wen's room.

His appearance was similar to the person from before. He was also wearing tattered clothes and his hair was charred black. However, it was obvious that he wasn't the same person. This person was taller.

Could it be that the person in question is here? Just as Zhou Wen was thinking, the person had already arrived at the door. He had actually raised his hand to knock.

"Who is it?" Zhou Wen asked patiently.

"Are you Zhou Wen?" the person at the door asked.

"I'm Zhou Wen. Who are you?" Zhou Wen asked.

"I'm just a nobody. If you're happy, call me Nameless. I'm here to tell you that someone wants to harm you on your way to the Imperial Capital. You have to be careful," the person outside said.

Zhou Wen felt that something was amiss as he asked calmly, "Who wants to harm me?"

"It's the Dugu family's Dugu Ge and the Zhang family's Zhang Chunqiu. You have to be careful of them." The person outside said the exact same thing as the person who had just come.

"Who are you?" Zhou Wen asked.

"There's no need for us to know each other. Let's meet again if fate allows for it." With that said, the person went downstairs.

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Chapter 729: Messy Information

Translator: CKtalon

What the hell is up with these people? They were all struck by lightning, but they still came running to tell me to be careful of a sneak attack? In this day and age, has the human mind reached such a sublime level? Zhou Wen doubted such good things existed.

The two of them shouldn't be from the same faction. Otherwise, they would only need to come once. There's no need for the two of them to run over. However, from the lightning wounds on their bodies, they seem to have experienced similar injuries. What's going on? Zhou Wen thought about it and couldn't figure it out.

If it were anyone else, they definitely wouldn't be able to sleep after suffering such a disturbance.

Thankfully, Zhou Wen wasn't someone who was afraid of trouble. He lay down before falling asleep again.

After Concerned Person and Nameless came, the thunderstorm became much smaller and gradually dissipated.

When Zhou Wen woke up in the morning, the rain had already stopped. The television had also switched off by itself.

Could it be that it's really because of the thunderstorm that the television was running on its own? Although Zhou Wen didn't believe it, there was no better explanation.

The phone suddenly rang. Zhou Wen took out his phone and saw that it was An Sheng.

"Young Master Wen, are you in Weihui now?" An Sheng asked directly.

"Yes, how did you know?" Zhou Wen asked in puzzlement.

"The bureau has already found your whereabouts. It might not be the best choice to make this trip," An Sheng said.

"I have to make a trip to the Imperial Capital. Don't worry, I'll be careful." Zhou Wen had no choice. If it was any other time, he would definitely have turned around and returned to Luoyang. At most, he wouldn't go to the Imperial Capital.

But now that he had the log on him, if he didn't go to the Imperial Capital and couldn't separate from the log at all, how was he going to pass his days?

What was worse was that being inseparable from the log was only when he was resting. If Zhou Wen wanted to move, he had to carry it. Who could stand that?

"Young Master Wen, if you insist on going, it's best you change your route and progress speed. I've revised the routes for you." An Sheng sent a document to Zhou Wen.

Zhou Wen chatted with An Sheng for a while before opening the document An Sheng had sent him. He wanted to know what to do next, but when he opened the document, his eyes widened.

The content of the document wasn't a map at all, but a dynamic emoji. It was a picture of two tall and muscular men wearing only briefs. One of them had his arms around the other's neck while the other was hugging his waist as they danced together.

Zhou Wen was immediately dumbfounded as his expression turned odd. It should have been sent wrongly... However, why would An Sheng have such a picture... Could it be...

Zhou Wen shivered and hurriedly shook his head to deny his thoughts. He sent a message to An Sheng and asked, "Ah Sheng, did you send the wrong document?"

"Wasn't it a map of the routes?" An Sheng quickly replied.

"No, it's an animated picture." Zhou Wen sent the picture along with the message.

After a while, An Sheng sent another message. "There's something wrong with the message. I didn't make a mistake, but the message you received isn't right. The reason isn't clear. It's no longer safe to use my route. I'll send you a few routes later. You shall choose the route yourself. Don't tell anyone, including me."

"Alright." Zhou Wen nodded.

An Sheng sent a simple sketch over. It was obvious that it was hand drawn. It showed the routes from where he was to the Imperial Capital. He could choose one of them.

As the communication line could be compromised, An Sheng didn't say much. He exhorted Zhou Wen to be careful before ending the call.

Zhou Wen studied the map before choosing a path to continue his journey.

In a cave on Chess Mountain, a seductive woman chained up was fiddling with some experimental equipment as though she was doing some research.

The phone beside her rang. The woman glanced at the phone screen and realized that the message was from Zhou Wen. With a thought, an invisible force immediately controlled the phone to tap open the message.

The phone automatically flew to the woman, allowing her to see the message.

The woman frowned.

"Baby, I want you to be my slave tonight..."

"Zhou Wen, you sure are gutsy! You want me to be your slave? I'll satisfy you immediately." The woman narrowed her eyes as a strange glint flashed in them.

With a thought, the woman automatically sent a message to Zhou Wen.

"I'll fulfill your wish tonight."

Zhou Wen was walking when he heard his phone ring. He took it out and saw that it was from The Thearch. He immediately clicked it open and was momentarily at a loss. He sent a message over.

"What do you mean? Did you send the wrong message?"

"Wrong message? Then who did you plan on sending your message to?" The Thearch quickly replied.

"How would I know who your message was meant for?" Zhou Wen felt even more puzzled.

The Thearch didn't reply. Zhou Wen muttered to himself, "Crazy."

After putting away his phone, he continued his journey. Zhou Wen changed his previous route and took another detour. He didn't take the same old route.

Although taking the original path might have an unexpected effect, the probability of Zhou Wen changing his route and not changing his route was one in two. However, the chances of accurately determining which one of the new routes that Zhou Wen would take were much lower. Therefore, Zhou Wen decided to change his route.

An hour after Zhou Wen set off, Xia Liuchuan and company set off from another hotel in Weihui and continued following Zhou Wen.

They looked much better now. The day before, they had encountered the mysterious dimensional creature that nearly killed them. Although they had managed to escape in the end, they had suffered minor injuries.

With Zhang Chunqiu's deduction, they slowly followed behind. They weren't afraid of losing Zhou Wen.

"We were really unlucky yesterday to encounter such a terrifying dimensional creature. Thankfully, I'm smart enough and ran fast enough," Xia Liuchuan said gloomily.

Zhang Chunqiu pondered and said, "I did some divinations when I came out today."

"What do they say?" Xia Liuchuan asked.

"Today's divination is still Sister Return Lightning Pool," Zhang Chunqiu said.

"No way! Something similar will happen today?" Xia Liuchuan frowned.

"I hope not. Logically speaking, this Sister Return Lightning Pool isn't a bad divination, but this matter seems a little odd. It's best to be careful," Zhang Chunqiu said.

The trio left the city and followed Zhou Wen's path for less than two hours before feeling that something was amiss. In the wilderness, there seemed to be pairs of eyes peeping at them, but upon careful inspection, they didn't discover any dimensional creatures or humans.

"Don't tell me something is up again!" Xia Liuchuan felt uneasy.

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Chapter 730: Loving You for Ten Thousand Years

Translator: CKtalon

"I'm afraid it's already happened," Zhang Chunqiu said as he sized up the dark forest.

Dugu Ge didn't say a word, but many tiny worms flew into the forest.

Although the Gu worms weren't at the Mythical stage, they had hidden techniques. Furthermore, they were small in size, making it difficult for ordinary creatures to discover them.

However, after the Gu worms entered the forest, they simultaneously lost contact with Dugu Ge. No matter how Dugu Ge summoned them, he couldn't obtain their memories. This made Dugu Ge's expression turn ugly.

"Quick, let's go..." As Dugu Ge spoke, he spread open a pair of insect wings, wanting to retreat along his original path.

Xia Liuchuan also summoned his ancient sword to use Sword Kinesis Flight. His straight line speed wasn't slower than Dugu Ge's. Zhang Chunqiu wasn't slow either. He took out a talisman and was about to escape underground.

However, just as the trio was halfway through their actions, they saw a pair of ghostly eyes open in the pitch-black forest. The eyes stared at them, and they felt their minds blur. They were so tired that they couldn't even open their eyes.

Bam!

The three of them fell to the ground in a daze. No matter how they struggled, their eyelids slowly closed.

As Zhou Wen walked in front, all he felt was that the surrounding forest was especially quiet.

However, it was different from the path the antelope had taken him. Although this path was quiet, there were many animals. However, they seemed especially lazy and were still sleeping.

Zhou Wen felt that something was amiss. He walked carefully, but he didn't encounter any problems along the way. By the time he arrived at the next city, the sky had already darkened.

After a day of carrying the log, Zhou Wen felt exhausted. He found a hotel in the small city and settled down.

This small city was similar to the previous city. Almost everyone had left. Zhou Wen randomly found an empty hotel, and no one asked him for money.

That night, Zhou Wen slept very soundly. When he woke up, he stretched his back and was filled with energy.

Nothing strange happened that night, unlike the hotel the night before. The television didn't automatically switch on.

However, Zhou Wen felt that something was amiss. His chest seemed especially heavy. He looked down and immediately screamed.

For some reason, the clothes in front of his chest were lifted up as though there were two huge papayas stuffed inside. Zhou Wen hurriedly pulled open his clothes and immediately discovered two things that shouldn't have appeared on him.

"How did this happen?" Zhou Wen realized that his voice had become extremely feminine. He hurriedly took out a mirror and looked at himself. He immediately realized that he had become a woman.

Zhou Wen immediately thought of the message The Thearch had sent him. He hurriedly took out his phone and sent The Thearch a message. "The Thearch, did you turn me into a woman?"

"Yes." The Thearch quickly replied and admitted it readily.

"Why? I haven't offended you recently, right?" Zhou Wen held back his anger and asked.

"Don't you know why?" The Thearch asked.

"I really don't know. Tell me clearly, what's the reason?" Zhou Wen felt that something was amiss. From The Thearch's tone, it seemed like he had provoked her first, but he hadn't contacted The Thearch recently. The Thearch hadn't contacted him either.

"Have you forgotten the message you sent so quickly? Do you still need me to remind you?" The Thearch replied.

"I really don't know what's going on. I'm begging you, alright? Tell me. What message did I send you?" Zhou Wen increasingly felt that there was definitely something wrong.

When The Thearch heard Zhou Wen's words, she seemed to realize that something was amiss. With Zhou Wen's character being so afraid of death, how could he tempt fate by sending such a teasing message?

The Thearch thought for a moment before sending a screenshot of the message to Zhou Wen.

"Baby, I want you to be my slave tonight..." Zhou Wen's head turned livid when he saw the screenshot.

He originally wanted to say that it wasn't posted by himself, but looking at the chat history on the screenshot, it was indeed sent from his account.

It's no wonder The Thearch is so angry. So that's how it is. However, I've never sent such a message. If The Thearch wants to mess with me, there's no need to go through so much trouble to send me a fake message. Could it be that my account has been hacked? Did someone send a message to The Thearch using my account? Zhou Wen was suspicious.

"The Thearch, I really didn't send that message. How could I send you that message? Someone must have hacked my account and sent you that message." Zhou Wen wanted to explain the matter clearly and get The Thearch to quickly transform his body back. He really had no way of going out to meet anyone.

"What do you mean it's impossible for you to send me such a message?" The Thearch replied.

"You are a flower. How can I have any thoughts about a flower? The Thearch, just believe me. Even if I were to tease a sow, I wouldn't dare tease you. Quickly change me back," Zhou Wen explained.

It was fine if Zhou Wen didn't give his explanations, but his explanations only served to make The Thearch even angrier. She replied coldly, "Just wait. You will recover on your own."

Then, The Thearch didn't reply to any more of Zhou Wen's messages. Despite thinking hard, Zhou Wen couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. She was fine just moments ago, so why was she suddenly unhappy?

Thankfully, recovery was still possible. It was probably similar to the last time he transformed into a cat. He would recover after some time.

Zhou Wen didn't leave. He planned on staying in the hotel and waiting for his transformation to end.

During this period of time, Zhou Wen restored his phone to its factory settings. Then, he redownloaded the apps and changed the password. He used all the available methods to prevent his account from being hacked again.

...

Feng Qiuyan was practicing his saber techniques as usual.

Suddenly, his phone rang. Feng Qiuyan usually didn't pick up his phone or read messages when he was practicing with his saber. However, when he heard that the message was a ringtone that he had specially set, he guessed that it was from Zhou Wen. Feng Qiuyan stopped practicing with his saber and picked up his phone to take a look.

Indeed, the message was from Zhou Wen. Feng Qiuyan opened the message and his expression immediately turned odd.

"There was once a sincere love that was placed in front of me, but I didn't cherish it. I only regretted it when I lost it. This is the most painful thing in the world. If the heavens can give me another chance, I will say three words to you: I love you. If you must add a deadline to this love, I hope it will be... ten thousand years!"

Feng Qiuyan stared blankly at the message as he looked extremely confused.

How did this happen... Why would Coach treat me... How can I reject Coach without hurting his pride? Feng Qiuyan was conflicted.

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Chapter 731: Coach, You're a Nice Guy

Translator: CKtalon

Beep... Zhou Wen was grinding while sitting on the log when he suddenly heard his phone ring. He picked it up and realized that it was from Feng Qiuyan.

"Coach, you're a nice guy. I believe you'll meet the best person in the future. I just want to focus on practicing my saber. I don't plan on considering personal problems. It's not you, it's me..."

Zhou Wen was confused, unsure of what was going on.

Feng Qiuyan was usually cool. Apart from practicing his saber techniques, he seldom spoke to others. Why would he suddenly send such a strange message to him? It didn't seem like his style at all.

Could it be that he was hacked like me? As Zhou Wen thought about it, he sent Feng Qiuyan a message: "Little Yanyan, have you been hacked?"

When Feng Qiuyan received Zhou Wen's message and saw the way he addressed him as Little Yanyan, he suddenly shivered for some reason.

This nickname was given to him by Li Xuan. He was used to being called that, so he didn't feel anything. He didn't mind it either.

However, for some reason, when he saw this nickname today, he found it a little strange. It weirded him out in an indescribable manner.

"I wasn't hacked. Coach, we are still students. We should prioritize our studies. Besides, the Federation is in a dire situation now. Everyone has a responsibility for the Federation's rise and fall..." Feng Qiuyan thought about how to reason with Zhou Wen without making him lose his dignity and not be sad about being rejected. He also hoped that it could be an impetus for him to work even harder.

Zhou Wen felt that something was amiss as he suddenly realized something. He immediately sent a message to Feng Qiuyan. "Before this message, did I send you a message? If there's one, send me a screenshot."

Zhou Wen took a screenshot of the first message Feng Qiuyan had sent him and sent it over. He felt that something was amiss.

Indeed, it didn't take long for Feng Qiuyan to send a screenshot over. He even added, "Coach, it's really not that you aren't good enough, but that I really just want to focus on practicing my saber."

When Zhou Wen saw the screenshot, he wished he could immediately find a hole to burrow in.

F*k your sister. Who the hell is behind this? Zhou Wen felt like killing someone. If this continued, he would definitely go crazy.

Left with no choice, Zhou Wen sent a message to Feng Qiuyan to explain the theft of his account.

"Yes, yes. I understand, Coach. I won't tell anyone about this," Feng Qiuyan replied.

"F*k that, what are you thinking? My account has really been hacked." Zhou Wen felt like crying, but Feng Qiuyan's words reminded him of something.

Zhou Wen hurriedly sent a message to all his friends, telling them that his account had been hacked. If there were any abnormal messages from him, they mustn't believe it.

Not long after, people replied to him with all sorts of messages. Some said that he had cheated them of their money and wanted them to return it. Others said that they had confessed to her and wanted him to take responsibility. However, they were all joking. Zhou Wen heaved a sigh of relief when he learned that the rest hadn't received any special messages.

Zhou Wen switched off his phone before considering the matter. He felt that something was amiss, as though it wasn't as simple as being hacked.

This seems to have happened after I entered the hotel which had the television automatically switched on. Could it be that something has happened to my phone? Zhou Wen felt that the two matters were related.

He checked his phone and didn't find any problems. Everything inside was normal.

For this, Zhou Wen even especially found the internal structure of the phone and compared it to his own. However, there was nothing abnormal. No special components were installed inside.

After switching on the phone again, Zhou Wen wiped his phone again and restored its factory settings. He did it again, but he didn't know if it was of any use.

That's not right. Zhou Wen looked at the screen and suddenly discovered a problem.

The phone was normal, but the only abnormal thing was the battery.

In the past two days, Zhou Wen hadn't charged his phone at all. Although he didn't usually use the phone, it had been on standby for a few days. Furthermore, he had been using it for quite some time; yet, the battery was still at 100% charge. This was clearly abnormal.

Zhou Wen discovered this anomaly and immediately thought of the television that had automatically switched on in the hotel.

I don't know why there was an electric current in the television previously that allowed it to automatically switch on. Now, the battery in my phone doesn't run out of charge. Could it be caused by the same thing? Zhou Wen used Truth Listener to check the phone's battery, but he didn't find any problems. He just found plenty of charge in the battery.

Although smashing the phone might resolve the problem, it was only a possibility. Zhou Wen thought for a moment and didn't smash the phone. He switched it off.

Not long after, his body finally returned to normal. Zhou Wen continued on his journey with his phone.

On the way, Zhou Wen paid close attention to the phone. Truth Listener's ability was constantly paying attention to the interior of the phone, especially the battery. However, he didn't discover anything amiss.

When he arrived at the next city, Zhou Wen stopped to rest again. His phone remained silent.

However, in the middle of the night, something abnormal happened. The phone that had been switched off, automatically switched on.

When the phone was switched on, an app automatically started playing the old movie. Zhou Wen had already seen this old movie in the hotel.

The problem is indeed there. Zhou Wen was now certain that something had happened at the hotel in the thunderstorm.

Zhou Wen switched off his phone again, but not long after, the phone automatically switched on again. It was still playing the old movies. Furthermore, no matter how long it played them, the phone's battery didn't decrease.

Zhou Wen switched it off a few times, but his phone would automatically switch on. Therefore, he decided not to turn it off.

Nothing happened to the phone until the morning.

Zhou Wen observed the battery in his phone the entire night. He could sense that there was a fluctuation in the battery, and it was extremely abnormal.

Could it be that the electric current is a special dimensional creature? Zhou Wen felt that the possibility was very high.

If the electric current inside was a Companion Beast, no one would use a Companion Beast like this. Although it created some trouble for him, it wasn't fatal.

If his enemy had such a Companion Beast, they wouldn't have used it in such a manner. It could definitely deal him a lethal blow and throw him into eternal damnation.

How can I get the electric current out? Zhou Wen looked at his phone and thought about how to confirm if there was a dimensional creature inside.

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Chapter 732: Disappeared

Smash my phone? It's probably not of much use. It could silently run from the television into my phone, so it should be able to move elsewhere. That would make it even harder to find it. Now that it's in my phone, at least I know where it is, Zhou Wen thought to himself.

What kind of dimensional creature is this? A pure electric creature? Zhou Wen used Truth Listener to monitor it and could only sense electric waves. He couldn't tell anything else.

Zhou Wen thought about it carefully. The electric-elemental creatures he had heard of in the past had powerful destructive powers. They were especially ferocious when it came to roasting meat.

However, this was the first time Zhou Wen had seen an electric-type creature that could enter electronic products, control electronic products, and use his software to send messages. He had never even heard of it before, much less seen it.

If it was a traditional electric-type creature, Zhou Wen could blast it apart even if it was at the Mythical stage.

However, such a sneaky fellow was not easy to deal with.

Zhou Wen was momentarily at a loss for a good solution. He wanted to use his phone to contact The Thearch to ask if she knew the origins of this strange electric-type creature, but he was afraid that the information would be tampered with. He didn't know what trouble it would cause.

After daybreak, Zhou Wen carried the wooden log to the phone shop. There were very few people in the small city. After circling the city for some time, he finally found a phone shop and bought a few new phones and a new SIM card.

After returning to the hotel, Zhou Wen placed the new phones in front of him and used Truth Listener to monitor the internal electric current in them.

Only his first phone had a strange electric current fluctuation. Zhou Wen left it on the table and took out a new phone. He went to the yard outside and called The Thearch.

Thankfully, The Thearch didn't reject the call because it was an unknown number. Zhou Wen heaved a sigh of relief and recounted what he had encountered in detail.

"To think I've never seen such a dimensional creature before." The Thearch actually didn't know the origins of this dimensional creature.

After pausing for a moment, The Thearch continued, "However, from your description, it should have an electromagnetic attribute. It might even have a magnetic field ability. It's probably impossible to destroy it by simply destroying the phone. It can easily transfer elsewhere."

"That's what I think too. I just can't think of a good way to deal with it," Zhou Wen said.

The Thearch curled her lips and said, "Were your studies for nothing? Waves need to be transmitted through matter, and particles will be affected by a force field. Even if it's formed from pure electric energy, it can't break these laws. Why don't you try using the power similar to a black hole created by Tyrant Behemoth's Absolute Strength?"

Zhou Wen was immediately taken aback. He had been considering how to restrain the electric-type creatures that existed in myths and legends. He never expected that a dimensional creature like The Thearch would take to him using human scientific knowledge.

"How do you know that Tyrant Behemoth is mine?" Zhou Wen suddenly reacted. He hadn't told The Thearch that Tyrant Behemoth belonged to him.

"What do I not know?" The Thearch said disdainfully.

After hanging up, Zhou Wen returned to his room. Just as he was about to test if Tyrant Behemoth's Absolute Strength was effective, he suddenly realized that the special electric current in his phone had vanished.

Zhou Wen carefully checked the other phones and checked everything in the hotel that could be connected to electricity. He didn't discover any abnormal electric waves.

Why is it gone now? Zhou Wen pondered for a moment and thought of a possibility.

It was very likely that the strange electric creature had overheard his conversation with The Thearch and had escaped.

Unwilling to give up, he searched the entire night without discovering any problems. In the day, Zhou Wen had no choice but to set off.

After this, nothing abnormal happened on the phone. Everything returned to normal.

Has that electric-type creature really escaped? Zhou Wen found it unbelievable that such a strange and cunning dimensional creature would be frightened away by a few words.

Not long after Zhou Wen left, three men entered the small city where he had stayed. The three of them looked haggard and they had dark eye circles. They looked like they had stayed up all night for a week and were about to die.

These three people were naturally Xia Liuchuan, Zhang Chunqiu, and Dugu Ge.

"Don't you think that there's something wrong with this matter? The first time we encountered that terrifying electric beast, we were nearly electrocuted to death. The second time, we encountered a Nightmare and almost lost ourselves in a dreamland forever. Why did we encounter such powerful Mythical creatures?" Xia Liuchuan said.

Dugu Ge said with certainty, "It's definitely not a coincidence."

Zhang Chunqiu pondered for a moment and said, "I think this matter might have something to do with Zhou Wen. Wherever he goes, nothing happens. But he leaves a wake of problems behind him."

"Are you saying that Zhou Wen is secretly up to no good and wants to harm us?" Xia Liuchuan frowned.

"That's not it. He probably doesn't know that we are here. After all, it was a coincidence that we met him previously," Zhang Chunqiu said.

"Then what do you mean?" Xia Liuchuan looked at Zhang Chunqiu in confusion.

Zhang Chunqiu pondered for a moment and said, "Did you notice that there's something wrong with the piece of wood Zhou Wen has been carrying?"

"Of course there's a problem. I've never seen such a block of wood before. It looks a little like a Gloomy Wood, but it looks even more solid than the Gloomy Wood," Xia Liuchuan said.

"No, I'm not talking about that." Zhang Chunqiu reorganized his thoughts before saying, "Do you feel that the log is a little sinister?"

"Sinister?" Xia Liuchuan and Dugu Ge exchanged looks, puzzled.

Seeing that they were silent, Zhang Chunqiu guessed that they had not noticed it before. He continued, "I think there's something wrong with that piece of wood. It seems a little sinister. It doesn't feel like a simple log."

"If it doesn't look like a log, what does it look like?" Xia Liuchuan asked in confusion.

"How should I put it? Nowadays, we carry out cremation or promession. In ancient times, land burials were popular. It used a wooden coffin to store a person's corpse before burying it in the ground. Although that piece of wood looks different from a coffin, the sinister aura emitted from it makes me think of a coffin." Zhang Chunqiu shared his feelings.

"A coffin? Are you saying that there might be a dead person's corpse in that piece of wood? Zhou Wen is traveling with a dead person's corpse on his back? Why is he carrying that thing?" Xia Liuchuan widened his eyes.

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Chapter 733: Sister Return Lightning Pool Again

Translator: CKtalon

"I'm only saying that the piece of wood gives me the feeling of a coffin, but I didn't say that it's definitely it. Perhaps it's not. Even if it's real, there might not be a corpse inside. Even if there's a corpse, it might not be a human corpse," Zhang Chunqiu said as he beat around the bush.

"Then isn't it as good as not saying anything? Are we still following?" Xia Liuchuan asked.

"Yes, of course. This concerns the Guardian's ownership. It doesn't matter if you follow or not, but I have to see the outcome with my own eyes," Zhang Chunqiu said.

"In that case, what are we waiting for? Let's go," Xia Liuchuan said.

The three of them set off again, but this time, they deliberately lagged far behind, trying to keep a greater distance from Zhou Wen.

However, after walking for a while, they felt that something was amiss. The surrounding fields seemed to be filled with a cold wind that made their hearts tremble.

"Old Zhang, why do I feel that something is amiss? Try divining again," Xia Liuchuan said.

As he said, Zhang Chunqiu did another divination before his expression turned odd.

Seeing his expression, Xia Liuchuan and Dugu Ge knew that the situation wasn't good. They hurriedly asked, "What's going on?"

"The divination is still Sister Return Lightning Pool," Zhang Chunqiu said with a bitter smile.

Xia Liuchuan and Dugu Ge's expressions changed as well. During the first Sister Return Lightning Pool, they had encountered an electric beast. They met a Nightmare the second time. Now, they were encountering it again.

"Is this sister never getting married?" Xia Liuchuan said gloomily.

Xia Liuchuan's words suddenly gave Zhang Chunqiu a flash of inspiration. He said in surprise, "Do you think that the divination of Sister Return Lightning Pool refers to that piece of wood?"

"What do you mean?" Xia Liuchuan and Dugu Ge didn't understand.

"If my previous guess wasn't wrong, that piece of wood is really something like a coffin. Do you think there's a woman inside?" Zhang Chunqiu said in a bold and unconstrained manner.

"What woman? If it's really a coffin, there should be a female corpse inside," Xia Liuchuan corrected.

"It doesn't matter if it's a woman or a female corpse. Over the past few days, no matter how I divine, the results are always Sister Return Lightning Pool. I think this matter definitely has something to do with that piece of wood." The more Zhang Chunqiu spoke, the more convinced he was.

Xia Liuchuan was about to say something when he suddenly heard a roar. The fields beside them split open and a huge earth dragon crawled out.

Zhou Wen walked ahead. Although he felt that the atmosphere was somewhat odd his entire journey, he didn't encounter any other strange things other than the electric-type dimensional creature.

Zhou Wen was in no mood to visit other dimensional zones. He walked whenever he could and rested when exhausted. He kept rushing towards the Imperial Capital, hoping to rid the crappy piece of wood from him as soon as possible.

Zhou Wen himself was fine, but Xia Liuchuan and company, who were following behind him, suffered. They experienced all sorts of difficulties along the way, almost losing their lives several times.

Xia Liuchuan ultimately couldn't take it anymore and decided to take a detour back to the Xia family in the Imperial Capital.

Zhang Chunqiu decided to continue, but Brother Dugu didn't plan on following.

"Young Master, everyone is here. When are we going to take action?" The members of the Dugu family came in front of Dugu Ge and bowed.

"Abort the plan for now," Dugu Ge said.

Everyone was taken aback. One of them asked in puzzlement, "Young Master, why are you aborting it? This concerns your contractual with a Guardian."

"It's a long story. I'll explain this matter to the elders in the clan. Just do as I say," Dugu Ge said.

"Yes." The group had just arrived and didn't even get to rest. All they could do was turn back.

Xia Liuchuan rushed back to the Xia family. He wasn't really afraid that he would encounter danger if he followed behind, but he had already received the news that the Xia family was prepared to attack Zhou Wen before he entered the capital. Xia Liuchuan wanted to rush back and convince Xia Dongyue to give up on this operation.

The wooden log Zhou Wen was carrying was indeed odd. Xia Liuchuan was afraid that the Xia family would end up dying as a result.

Xia Liuchuan embarked on his journey with light gear. He chose the shortest path and returned to the capital much earlier than Zhou Wen.

"Liuchuan, why are you back? Didn't I tell you to follow Zhou Wen?" Xia Dongyue couldn't help but frown when he saw Xia Liuchuan.

"Uncle Yue, can we abort this operation?" Xia Liuchuan was in a hurry to rush back because he might not be able to convince Xia Dongyue over the phone.

"Why should we abort it?" Xia Dongyue asked Xia Liuchuan.

"Zhou Wen is carrying a strange piece of wood to the Imperial Capital. That piece of wood has a strange background and is very sinister. I'm afraid something will happen if we touch him now," Xia Liuchuan said.

"A piece of wood?" Xia Dongyue was a little puzzled. Xia Liuchuan had always been fearless, so how could a piece of wood make him so cautious? This was completely different from the Xia Liuchuan that Xia Dongyue knew.

Xia Liuchuan recounted what had happened when the three of them followed Zhou Wen.

"Zhang Chunqiu guessed that the terrifying Mythical creatures we encountered along the way are related to that piece of wood. I think it's very likely," Xia Liuchuan said.

"It sounds reasonable, but even so, it doesn't mean that we can't touch Zhou Wen. We can choose to carry out the operation near the capital. The dimensional zones there are under our control. We don't have to worry about any break-out creatures causing trouble," Xia Dongyue said after some thought.

"Uncle Yue, why take such a risk? The grudge between Zhou Wen and the bureau is known by the entire Federation. It's highly likely that he came to the capital this time for the bureau. Why should we be used by the bureau?" Xia Liuchuan continued with his persuasion.

Xia Dongyue shook his head and said, "This is Old Master's idea. You know his temper. No one can change what he has decided."

When Xia Liuchuan heard the words "Old Master," his heart sank. He knew that this operation was already a foregone conclusion and could not be changed.

"Liuchuan, you don't have to worry too much. Although that piece of wood might be a little strange, with our Xia family's heritage, there's no need to worry about it. It's just Zhou Wen. Taking him down isn't difficult." Xia Dongyue patted Xia Liuchuan on the shoulder and said, "Since you're back, stay home and get some rest. I'll get someone from the East Courtyard to handle this matter."

"I hope so." Xia Liuchuan felt that this matter wouldn't succeed so easily, but there was nothing he could do.

The Old Master of the Xia family was the supreme existence in the Xia family. Even Xia Dongyue, who had become a member of the Senate, didn't dare disobey his words. No one could change his mind.

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Chapter 734: Erected on the Peak of the Forbidden City

Translator: CKtalon

Although Xia Liuchuan was a little worried, he had no choice but to leave Xia Dongyue's office.

"Brother, you seem to have something on your mind. Is it because you didn't obtain the Guardian cocoon?" Xia Xuanyue asked with concern when she saw Xia Liuchuan frowning.

"Zhou Wen is on his way to the Imperial Capital. Old Master has already ordered the people from the East Courtyard to bring him back before he enters the Imperial Capital," Xia Liuchuan said.

"Why is Old Master taking Zhou Wen into custody?" Having not heard of this, Xia Xuanyue's expression changed slightly when she learned of it.

Xia Liuchuan hurriedly stopped Xia Xuanyue from continuing. He looked around and seeing that no one was passing by, he said softly, "You should be the only person to know about this. Don't mention it again, and don't tell anyone. Also, don't ask too much about the Old Master. Do you understand?"

"Why?" Xia Xuanyue was still confused.

In fact, Xia Xuanyue's impression of the Old Master was very vague. Although the Old Master was the true head of the Xia family, Xia Xuanyue had only seen him a handful of times despite having grown up in the Xia family.

In her impression, the Old Master was a stern old man in a white robe. He occasionally appeared at important Xia family ceremonies. He usually lived in the East Courtyard.

The East Courtyard was also a restricted area in the Xia family. Without the Old Master's summoning, even Xia Dongyue couldn't enter and leave the East Courtyard freely.

Only those who were in charge of taking care of the Old Master's daily needs could enter the East Courtyard.

Most of the people who were in charge of taking care of the Old Master's daily needs were not from the Xia family. However, they were all loyal to the Old Master and wouldn't hesitate or doubt his orders.

When Xia Xuanyue was young, she had seen an elder of the Xia family who was seized by the people from the East Courtyard for some unknown crime. After entering the East Courtyard, he never came out again.

"Don't ask why. Trust me. I'm your brother. I won't harm you," Xia Liuchuan said as he looked into Xia Xuanyue's eyes.

"I understand." Xia Xuanyue nodded slightly.

"Get some rest. Since this matter has already been handed over to the East Courtyard, we don't have to bother about it anymore." Xia Liuchuan seemed to have something on his mind. After saying that, he returned to his residence.

However, before he could open the door, someone sent a message saying that the Old Master wanted to see him.

Xia Liuchuan's heart quaked. He had already guessed why the Old Master was looking for him.

Xia Liuchuan took a deep breath and followed the butler to the East Courtyard.

If it wasn't necessary, Xia Liuchuan would rather not enter the East District ever again.

When he was young, he had actually liked visiting the East Courtyard. The Old Master doted on him very much. The other members of the Xia family were not allowed to enter the East Courtyard, but he was specially permitted by the Old Master to enter freely.

At that time, Xia Liuchuan could be said to be able to get whatever he wanted. Even if he plucked the flowers personally planted by the Old Master, the Old Master would only laugh and never punish him.

However, after he turned fifteen, Xia Liuchuan seldom went to the East Courtyard. Although he still had the privilege of doing so, he was unwilling to go again.

As he stepped into the familiar garden and saw the familiar decorations and flowers, Xia Liuchuan had mixed feelings.

"Little Chuan, Dongyue has already told me about your matters. Don't worry, I'll let Zhou Wen enter the Imperial Capital alive. I'll let you win the bet and obtain the chance to contract the guardian." A white-robed elder sat in a stone pavilion with a pond by its side, feeding the carp in it.

"Sorry to trouble you." Xia Liuchuan bowed slightly.

He was a fearless person who dared to do anything, but in front of this Old Master, he didn't dare to do anything rash.

As the elder fed the fish, he continued, "It's nothing much. It's just a matter of time. After you contract the Guardian, I want you to personally bring Zhou Wen back to me. Can you do it?"

"Old Master, everyone around you is stronger than me. Why must I go?" Xia Liuchuan said.

"If you aren't willing, let Xuanyue go," the elder said indifferently.

Xia Liuchuan gapped his mouth as though he wanted to say something, but he didn't say anything in the end. He only nodded. "Got it. I'll bring Zhou Wen back."

"Remember, you are the future master of the Xia family. No matter how strong the people under you are, they are ultimately servants," the elder said.

"I understand," Xia Liuchuan lowered his head and said.

...

Zhou Wen rushed all the way to the Imperial Capital and didn't encounter anything strange. Apart from the fact that the log was especially heavy and making it difficult for him to go any faster, there wasn't much trouble.

When Zhou Wen saw the two words—Imperial Capital—from afar, he couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.

"Ol' Ante, where should I place this log when I reach the Imperial Capital?" Zhou Wen asked the antelope.

The antelope wrote on the ground with its hooves, "Erect it on the peak of the Forbidden City."

Zhou Wen saw the words written by the antelope and immediately widened his eyes.

The Imperial Capital's Forbidden City was now a very special dimensional zone. It was also one of the dimensional zones that the Xia family valued the most. Its importance was no less than that of the Ancient Sword Tomb.

According to what Zhou Wen knew, ever since the dimensional storms, the Xia family had sealed off the Forbidden City dimensional zone, preventing anyone from approaching.

If he wanted to enter, it shouldn't be difficult for him to do so with the Invisibility Cloak's ability.

However, it was impossible for him to enter the city without anyone noticing while carrying such a huge object. He had to clash with the Xia family.

"Ol' Ante, are you deliberately setting me up?" Zhou Wen seriously suspected that the antelope had deliberately set him up because he had forcefully dragged it out to come with him on this trip.

The antelope ignored him and stepped across the Imperial Capital's Boundary Stone.

Zhou Wen had to follow. He had no other choice at this point in time.

Zhou Wen seldom went out, so he had never seen a city as big as the Imperial Capital. Compared to it, Luoyang appeared rather small in scale and numbers.

As there were too many people, Zhou Wen didn't ride the Great Might Vajra Bull. He walked forward while carrying the wooden log.

Although this was the Imperial Capital, people still gawked when they saw Zhou Wen walking on the streets with such a huge block of wood.

Zhou Wen originally planned on contacting Wang Lu when he arrived in the Imperial Capital. However, it wasn't appropriate for him to treat her to a meal while carrying a huge log. Therefore, he decided not to contact her. It wouldn't be too late to contact her after resolving the matter with the log.

He found a hotel and checked in. The room was rather expensive, but Zhou Wen still paid for it without any hesitation. Furthermore, he booked the room for a week.

This place was relatively close to Forbidden City. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the room, one could see the distant Forbidden City. This was also why Zhou Wen chose to stay here.

How can I sneak this log in? Zhou Wen stood in front of the window and stared at the ancient Forbidden City in the distance as many thoughts flashed through his mind.

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Chapter 735: Creditor Comes Knocking

Translator: CKtalon

Ever since he entered the Imperial Capital, Zhou Wen felt all sorts of gazes staring at him. Furthermore, there were definitely more than one or two people staring at him.

It was almost impossible to enter the Forbidden City without anyone noticing.

Do I have to barge my way in? Zhou Wen was somewhat hesitant.

Although his present strength could be considered top-notch in the Federation and he had many Mythical Companion Beasts, he probably wouldn't be able to gain an advantage against a hero family.

After all, they had been operating for decades. Even if they didn't have a phone to grind for resources, they definitely had a lot of resources in real life.

What puzzled Zhou Wen was that despite a large number of spies staring at him, no one attacked him despite him being in the capital for so long.

When did the bureau become so good-tempered? They actually haven't come looking for trouble? Zhou Wen felt that there was something amiss.

Zhou Wen was right. Something had happened on the way.

However, due to an accident, the Dugu family, who had originally planned to attack him, aborted the operation. The bureau was waiting for the Xia family to take action, and because the Xia family wanted Xia Liuchuan to win the bet, they allowed him to arrive at the Imperial Capital safely.

Now that the Xia family was waiting for Xia Liuchuan to sign a contract with the Guardian, everything was calm.

As he was thinking, he felt a fluctuation from a Companion Beast. Explosive Fiend Man that had evolved again had finally completed its evolution.

Zhou Wen checked Explosive Fiend Man's stats in-game.

Explosive Fiend Man: Epic (Evolvable)

Life Providence: Unlawful

Life Soul: Destroyer

Strength: 41

Speed: 41

Constitution: 41

Essence Energy: 41

Talent Skill: Death List, Time-Blast

Companion Form: Self-detonation Device

His stats had risen in a normal fashion. His skills hadn't changed, but he had gained a Life Soul.

Zhou Wen summoned Explosive Fiend Man in-game. It didn't look much different from when it was at the Legendary stage. It looked like a very modern armored soldier.

Let me see what use your Life Soul has. Zhou Wen got Explosive Fiend Man to use the Destroyer Life Soul.

With a thought, the red liquid in the glass tubes on Explosive Fiend Man's back injected into his body through the pipes. Then, Zhou Wen saw Explosive Fiend Man's armor emitting strange red flames. Its body was filled with a dangerous aura.

Explosive Fiend Man seemed to have been injected with stimulants. His Speed and Strength had greatly increased, and his skills had also been strengthened.

Previously, he needed at least thirty seconds to complete a Time-Blast. However, with the augmentation of the Destroyer Life Soul, he only used less than three seconds to complete a Time-Blast. His efficiency had increased by ten times.

This Destroyer Life Soul is quite strong! Zhou Wen was overjoyed. In the past, Explosive Fiend Man's skill cast time was too slow, so it wasn't convenient to use it.

Although the speed of a skill at three seconds was still a little slow, much slower than an instantaneous skill, considering Explosive Fiend Man's special skill, three seconds was considered rather powerful.

I can consider using Explosive Fiend Man to set up some time bombs nearby. If anyone tries to sneak up on me, I'll make sure they have no chance of returning. Zhou Wen only had this thought. After all, this was a hotel. It wouldn't be good if he injured the workers who were cleaning up the room.

If Explosive Fiend Man advances to the Mythical stage, I might be able to instantly release a time bomb. That would be awesome. Zhou Wen looked forward to Explosive Fiend Man's growth.

The doorbell rang. Zhou Wen used Truth Listener to take a look and was immediately stunned. The person standing outside the door was Wang Lu.

Zhou Wen hurriedly opened the door. When Wang Lu saw him, she said unhappily, "You didn't inform me, your debtor, despite coming to the Imperial Capital? Are you trying to renege on your debt?"

"Sorry, I encountered some trouble. I originally planned on contacting you after resolving it, but I never expected you to come here yourself. By the way, how did you know that I was in the Imperial Capital?" Zhou Wen asked.

"What's so strange about that? After all, our Wang family has some influence in the Imperial Capital. For a famous person like you to come to the Imperial Capital, I have no choice but to know. This news keeps buzzing around my ears. It's so irritating that I can't sleep," Wang Lu said.

"As you know, I'm in a lot of trouble now. I don't have the time to eat with you for the time being. Go back now and I'll look for you when I'm done with my matters," Zhou Wen said.

Zhou Wen mainly didn't want his matter to implicate Wang Lu, but when Wang Lu heard that, she curled her lips and said, "If you want to renege on your debt, just say so. Why do you have to come up with so many excuses? Since I came looking for you, I'm naturally not afraid of trouble. Why are you being so wishy-washy? Don't tell me you don't even have time to go downstairs to eat?"

"It's not that I don't have time, but it's really inconvenient." Zhou Wen pointed at the wooden log under his buttocks and said, "I have to carry this with me at all times. Where do you think I can eat conveniently when I have to take it with me?"

"What's this? Why are you carrying it? Just leave it in the room. If you find it unsafe, I'll get someone to look after it for you," Wang Lu said.

"It's not about safety. I can't leave it. I have to carry it with me. It's a long story," Zhou Wen said helplessly.

Wang Lu thought for a moment and said, "It doesn't matter. Just take it with you and follow me. I'll find a place. It's very quiet there. That place can easily accommodate a few more logs of the same size."

"That's not very nice, right? You know that my relationship with the bureau isn't good. This is where the headquarters of the bureau is..." Zhou Wen really didn't wish for Wang Lu to be embroiled in his matters.

"Cut the crap. I don't like hearing that. Just follow me." Having known him for so long, Wang Lu knew Zhou Wen's temper quite well. There was no need to waste her breath on him. All she needed to do was drag him away.

"I'm afraid it will affect your family." Zhou Wen had no choice but to make things clear.

"I've already said it. Since I dared to come, I'm naturally not afraid. Although the bureau is very powerful, they can't do anything to me. Don't worry. Quickly follow me. I didn't eat anything the entire morning just to eat this meal of yours. I'm starving," Wang Lu said.

The chick smartly flew onto Wang Lu's shoulder. Even the antelope took the initiative to approach her and fawned over her. Zhou Wen had no choice but to carry the wooden log and follow Wang Lu.

Looking at Wang Lu teasing the chick in front of him, Zhou Wen's mood improved significantly. Under such circumstances, it was indeed rare for Wang Lu to be willing to seek him out. Typical schoolmates would probably keep their distance from him.

Zhou Wen originally imagined that Wang Lu was taking him to a restaurant, but to his surprise, Wang Lu brought him all the way to a traditionally-styled ancient building complex.

After circling the alley for a while, he entered one of the ancient buildings' courtyard.

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Chapter 736: The Geniuses' Accidents

Translator: CKtalon

After entering the yard, Wang Lu's expression turned solemn. "Do you know that you are in grave danger now?"

Zhou Wen nodded. "I know."

"Why are you still here when you know? Do you feel uncomfortable if you don't get beaten up for a day?" Wang Lu rolled her eyes at him.

"I didn't plan on coming here like this." Zhou Wen originally planned on using the Invisibility Cloak to enter the Imperial Capital, preventing others from knowing that he had been here.

But now, he was carrying a huge log. It was useless even if he was invisible. The Invisibility Cloak couldn't cover such a huge log. Anyone would know that something was amiss when they saw a log floating in midair.

"I'm afraid you still don't know the current situation. If it was just the bureau finding trouble with you, that would be fine. With your abilities and me acting as your informant, it shouldn't be difficult to deal with it. However, the person who wants to touch you isn't just the bureau. There's also the real master of the capital, the Xia family. It's easy for you to come to the Imperial Capital, but I'm afraid it won't be easy for you to leave," Wang Lu said.

"Why does the Xia family want to deal with me?" Zhou Wen asked in puzzlement.

He didn't have any deep feud with the Xia family, so there was no reason for them to kill him, right?

"The intricacies are very complicated. I'll get my grandmother to tell you later." As Wang Lu spoke, she walked towards the main room.

"Grandma, I've brought a friend," Wang Lu shouted into the hall as she walked.

"Crazy girl, just come. What are you shouting for?" A voice came from the backyard and an old woman walked over.

The woman looked quite old. Her hair was already white, but for some reason, there weren't any wrinkles on her face. She looked very elegant, and it was easy to guess that she must have been a beauty when she was young.

"This lad is the Zhou Wen you often mention, right?" the old woman said as she sized him up.

"When did I? It's just that he owes me so much and hasn't paid me back that I occasionally mention him. I'm afraid that I'll forget the debt," Wang Lu said as she tugged the old woman's arm.

"I see." The old woman smiled at Zhou Wen and said, "Lad, you look so young. Why did you get yourself in debt? Furthermore, your debtor is a female student. Don't tell me you want to be a freeloader?"

"Grandma Wang, it's not like that." Zhou Wen wanted to explain.

However, before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by the old woman. "But it doesn't matter. Our Wang family doesn't have much of anything else, but we have plenty of money. There's no way to spend it all eating. Just treat it as doing a good deed and come often to have a bite. It doesn't matter if you stay here. Our Wang family happens to be lacking a live-in son-in-law..."

"Grandma, what are you talking about?" Wang Lu's face flushed red. "Zhou Wen is only my classmate. It's not what you think."

After a pause, Wang Lu added, "Grandma, you must already know about Zhou Wen's situation. Tell him how dangerous his current situation is."

Upon hearing Wang Lu's words, Grandma Wang retracted her smile. "Let's talk inside."

Zhou Wen followed them into the hall. Wang Lu gestured for him to sit down before she brewed tea for them all.

"Grandma Wang, I heard from Wang Lu that the Xia family wants to find trouble with me, but I don't have much of a grudge with the Xia family. Why are they targeting me?" Zhou Wen couldn't help but ask.

Grandma Wang nodded and said, "The crazy girl is right. The Xia family might really attack you. You shouldn't have come to the Imperial Capital."

After a moment of silence, Grandma Wang continued, "The crazy girl is willing to bring you here because she doesn't treat you as an outsider. So I won't say things meant for outsiders. What I'm about to say next is just speculation. It's not necessarily the truth. So don't take it too seriously."

"Grandma Wang, don't worry. I'm not a talkative person," Zhou Wen said.

"It's fine even if you are talkative. Anyway, I won't admit to what I said today, nor will the Wang family." Grandma Wang said with a smile, "According to my guess, the reason the Xia family is targeting you isn't because your teacher was Wang Mingyuan, nor is it because you crippled the Xia family's juniors' Essence Energy sea in the Holy Land."

"Then what's the reason?" Apart from these two reasons, Zhou Wen really couldn't figure out what connection he had with the Xia family.

Although Demonic Neonate's demonic sword was snatched from Xia Xuanyue, Xia Xuanyue herself didn't know that it was done by Demonic Neonate. The Xia family shouldn't pin the blame on him.

Grandma Wang said with a strange expression, "If there's a reason, there's only one. You are too talented."

Zhou Wen was slightly taken aback. He found it difficult to believe that the Xia family wanted to kill him just for this reason.

There were many talented youths nowadays, and he wasn't the only one. Even if the Xia family were to suppress the other wealthy families, it shouldn't have to resort to such means.

After all, the dimensional zones' seals weren't stable. The six families alone probably wouldn't be able to withstand the dimensional army. To suppress the local factions would only make them appear short-sighted.

As if she had seen through Zhou Wen's thoughts, Grandma Wang continued, "In the past, there were precedents of geniuses disappearing or encountering accidents in the Federation. Furthermore, there has been more than one incident. Similar incidents happened every once in a while. It's fine if it's just ordinary geniuses, but most of these geniuses are targets that the various families focused on grooming. With the protection of the various families, it's almost impossible for them to take such a huge risk. Yet, something happened to them."

"In Luoyang, you should know that there's a Li family in Luoyang. The Li family once had a talented youth. His talent wasn't inferior to the current Overseer An, but before he truly grew in strength, he died because of some problem," said Grandma Wang with a sigh.

"You mean that the disappearance of these geniuses has something to do with the Xia family?" Zhou Wen had already heard Li Xuan mention the matter regarding his elder brother's demise.

However, Li Xuan had learned about it from Li Mobai. He never expected Grandma Wang to know about it.

Grandma Wang declined to comment and continued, "In the past, our Wang family also had such a genius. Similarly, he died because of some matters. That matter looked like an accident, but I didn't think it was that simple. Therefore, I secretly did investigations, but I didn't manage to find anything. However, during this period of time, I discovered something. The accidents of those young geniuses seemed to have something to do with the Xia family."

"Is the Xia family resorting to every means possible, to the point of attacking their competitors, just to consolidate their forces?" Zhou Wen frowned.

"This is also what I found strange back then. The Xia family didn't target their opponents who had conflicts of interest with them. They seemed to be only interested in those outstanding geniuses and didn't differentiate between friend and foe. Therefore, when I investigated in the beginning, I was also confused and didn't think about the Xia family. Later, after investigating for a long time, I realized that it appeared to be the Xia family behind this matter," Grandma Wang said.

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Chapter 737: Where Is the Highest Spot?

Translator: CKtalon

After Zhou Wen left the yard, he kept thinking about what Grandma Wang had said.

Although there was no evidence that the Xia family was related to the geniuses' demise, Zhou Wen also felt that there was something amiss.

It didn't seem right to explain it away as the Xia family deliberately suppressing ordinary families as a way to strengthen their status.

According to Grandma Wang's investigations, some of the young geniuses who had gotten into trouble didn't belong to the East District, much less the Xia family's circle of influence.

The situation in the other regions was chaotic. It was a happy outcome for the Xia family, but they clearly didn't think so.

Regardless, I have to think of a way to get this crappy piece of wood into the Forbidden City. Otherwise, it won't be convenient for me to do anything. When Zhou Wen was with the Wang family, he had also asked some questions regarding Forbidden City.

Wang Lu and Grandma Wang didn't know much about Forbidden City. This was because the Xia family had occupied it from the beginning of the dimensional storms. They never allowed outsiders to enter, so no one knew what had happened inside after the dimensional storms.

However, Grandma Wang told Zhou Wen something very interesting. She had lived through the dimensional storms, so she had entered Forbidden City quite often before they occurred.

She said that she had once visited the Forbidden City when she was young. Back then, the weather suddenly turned bad and thunder rumbled in the sky.

She originally wanted to return home quickly, but when she passed a certain spot in the city, she suddenly saw some strange shadows.

The shadows wore ancient clothes as they walked in the alley of Forbidden City. They looked like ancient consorts and palace maids.

What was even stranger was that their figures were transparent like spirit bodies.

Spirit bodies weren't rare now, but before the dimensional storms, they were terrifying.

At that time, Grandma Wang was still very young. She was quite frightened and immediately ran away. However, her youth made her curious. Later on, she went to the same place a few times, but she didn't see those shadows again.

Grandma Wang checked the information on the Internet. It said that the magical phenomenon might be a result of lightning during a rainy day. It was like a camera that recorded past scenes. Under identical weather conditions, the footage would be played.

Of course, this was only a guess. No one could verify its authenticity.

However, this wasn't strange. What was strange was that after the dimensional storms, every time there was a thunderstorm, strange sounds would come from the Forbidden City.

Although outsiders couldn't enter Forbidden City, one could still hear some sounds from it during a thunderstorm if they lived close.

After Grandma Wang heard about this matter, she waited for a thunderstorm. Indeed, she heard some strange sounds coming from inside.

Some of the sounds reminded her of the palace maids and concubines she had seen back then.

This had all been personally experienced by Grandma Wang, so it was naturally true.

Zhou Wen had previously searched for information about the Forbidden City on the Internet. In fact, compared to the other ancient cities, the history of Forbidden City wasn't too long. From its establishment, it had only experienced two feudal dynasties.

However, its scale was incomparable to the other ancient cities.

Forbidden City also had the title of Eight-Armed Nezha Demonic City. If one were to mention the tallest building in the city, it would be the Hall of Supreme Harmony. It was nearly forty meters tall.

Zhou Wen looked up the information mainly to confirm the location of the so-called peak of Forbidden City. It was to prevent him from having to seek it out after entering. That would be troublesome.

However, when Zhou Wen looked over from the hotel's top floor, he discovered a strange place. The tallest building he saw from the hotel wasn't the Hall of Supreme Harmony, but a Corner Tower in the corner of the city.

Zhou Wen didn't know if it was because he was too far away or if it was because of the angle, he could only see the Corner Tower and not the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Despite this, Zhou Wen still searched for information on Corner Towers. This search left him alarmed. Although Corner Towers were inconspicuous, the meaning it represented was extraordinary.

These Corner Towers were not meant for mortals to live. It was similar to Deer Terrace Pavilion. Their purpose was to guide immortals down to the mortal world and protect the safety of the imperial city. The reason they were named Corner Towers was that the immortals which were meant to be received were the corner mansions of the twenty-eight Lunar Mansions.

The corner mansion wasn't unfamiliar to Zhou Wen. He even had it as a skill, so when he saw the information, Zhou Wen felt that this place was extraordinary. It might really be the peak of Forbidden City.

Furthermore, the architectural standards of the Corner Tower were extremely high. It had three eaves, nine beams, eighteen pillars, and seventy-two spines. Such an architectural style was unique in the Forbidden City.

Zhou Wen originally imagined that the famous Hall of Supreme Harmony was at the peak of Forbidden City, but the more he looked at it, the more he felt that a Corner Tower was the true peak of the Forbidden City.

Corner Towers are built on the city walls of Forbidden City, so it might indeed be taller than the Hall of Supreme Harmony, but there are four of them. Which Corner Tower should I erect the log on? Zhou Wen thought to himself.

Without any accurate information, Zhou Wen could only wait until he entered Forbidden City before comparing them to the Hall of Supreme Harmony Hall.

Zhou Wen also asked the antelope, but the antelope only said to erect it on the peak of Forbidden City. It didn't know the exact location of the erection.

Could it be that I can just randomly erect it on a higher spot? Zhou Wen thought.

What Zhou Wen was most worried about was how to enter Forbidden City.

If he barged in, it would only give the Xia family an excuse to attack him. However, on the other hand, he would be free once he rushed into the city and erected the log.

With the Invisibility Cloak, who could stop him from escaping?

This plan looked perfect, but the premise was that he could really abandon the log. If he still couldn't abandon it when the time came, he would be in trouble.

Just as Zhou Wen was hesitating, he heard someone walking towards his room.

Through the door, Zhou Wen could sense that the person's bearing was extraordinary. He was in his twenties and probably not much older than An Tianzuo.

Zhou Wen found the person somewhat familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had seen him.

"Is Zhou Wen around?" Xia Liuchuan knocked on the door and asked.

When Zhou Wen heard the voice, he immediately recalled where he had seen him. This fellow was the Concerned Person who had tipped him off on that stormy night.

Zhou Wen opened the door and asked Xia Liuchuan, "Concerned Person, are you here to tip me off again?"

Xia Liuchuan said calmly, "I don't understand what you're talking about. My name is Xia Liuchuan. I'm here to challenge you. This is my challenge letter. I hope you can give me an answer now."

"Why are you challenging me?" Zhou Wen asked as he looked at Xia Liuchuan's challenge.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten that you once crippled the Essence Energy sea of my Xia family members in the Holy Land?" Xia Liuchuan said.

"I see. I accept your challenge." Zhou Wen actually agreed without any hesitation, surprising Xia Liuchuan.

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Chapter 738: Decisive Battle at the Peak of the Forbidden City

1

Translator: CKtalon

"Did you read it carefully? This isn't an ordinary challenge. We have to fight until one person falls," Xia Liuchuan reminded him.

"I've read it carefully. I can agree to a life-and-death duel with you, but on one condition. The location of the duel has to be chosen by me," Zhou Wen said.

"Don't tell me you want to have the duel in Luoyang?" Xia Liuchuan said with a smile.

Xia Liuchuan would have done such a thing himself. If Zhou Wen also did the same, Xia Liuchuan could have agreed if he had any say. However, he had no choice in this duel. He couldn't agree to Zhou Wen's request.

"No, it's in the Imperial Capital," Zhou Wen said.

"Where do you want it to happen?" Xia Liuchuan asked.

To be able to fight an expert like you can be considered a boon in life. I probably won't have many opportunities like this in life, so I naturally have to choose a place that matches you and me. How about we fight at the peak of Forbidden City? Just as Zhou Wen was worrying about how he could enter the Forbidden City, Xia Liuchuan came knocking on his door.

Zhou Wen didn't care about life-and-death duels at all. As long as he could settle the crappy piece of wood, he would immediately put on the Invisibility Cloak and leave. It didn't matter if he won.

"This..." Xia Liuchuan was in a difficult position.

It was fine to have the duel elsewhere, but Forbidden City was under the Old Master's control. Without the Old Master's orders, even the Xia family members couldn't enter.

"What? Are you still worried when it's your Xia family's territory?" Zhou Wen asked.

"Alright, I promise you. Since you decided on the location, I'll decide on the time," Xia Liuchuan said.

"Sure. When?" Zhou Wen asked.

"Wait for my news." Xia Liuchuan turned around and left.

This fellow is really odd. He was clearly the Concerned Person that night. Why isn't he admitting to it? Zhou Wen was puzzled.

However, as long as nothing unexpected happened, the matter of entering Forbidden City had been resolved by accident. With the opportunity of a duel with Xia Liuchuan, Zhou Wen could try erecting the log at higher spots.

Dealing with Xia Liuchuan was better than dealing with the Xia family's gank.

While waiting for Xia Liuchuan's reply, Zhou Wen stayed in his room to grind. He didn't go anywhere.

Since he had nothing to do, Zhou Wen planned on trying to kill the nine black dragons. He could use Doctor Darkness's Darkness Right Hand to kill the three black dragons.

After bringing all his Mythical Companion Beasts, Zhou Wen arrived at the underground sea again.

With Behemoth on the left, Truth Listener on the right, Six-Winged on his back, he held a golden sword in his hand. Along with the old bull under his crotch and a Torch Dragon coiled behind him.

Zhou Wen had even summoned the extremely weak Medusa. Perhaps it would be of some use if she stood by the shore to provide support.

Demonic Neonate naturally didn't need to be mentioned. She had already joined the battle. However, she found a cave beside the underground sea and hid there. She had no intention of participating in the battle head-on.

"Come, my Doctor Darkness." Zhou Wen summoned his most important Companion Beast and made Doctor Darkness transform into a soul that fused with him.

Zhou Wen immediately felt his physique improve significantly. He was almost comparable to a Mythical stage entity.

This was the benefit of Doctor Darkness. Not only could his Companion Form bestow Zhou Wen with skills, but it could also raise Zhou Wen's basic stats, allowing him to have the ability to fight against Mythical creatures. This was something no other Companion Beast could do.

Unfortunately, Banana Fairy hasn't completed her evolution. Otherwise, I would have a greater chance. Zhou Wen prepared everything and summoned some Poison Bat Companion Beasts to use as bait to lure the nine black dragons over.

In a short while, he saw a huge wave stir above the surface of the sea. Nine black dragons tore through the waves and wiped out the horde of Poison Bats in the blink of an eye.

"Fight, my pets." After Zhou Wen issued the order, Torch Dragon, Behemoth, and Truth Listener rushed into the sea.

As the Great Might Vajra Bull was afraid of water, it didn't dare enter the water to fight. On the bank, it transformed into the thousand-armed, bull-headed state. Golden light shot out from its palm as it attacked the nine black dragons.

Torch Dragon didn't use Bright Torch Vision World. Although using Bright Torch Vision World could instantly kill the black dragons, nothing would be left behind. That would make killing the black dragon useless.

In a one-on-one battle, Torch Dragon was unable to gain the upper hand without using Bright Torch Vision World. It was obvious that the black dragons were top Mythical creatures.

The moment Tyrant Behemoth's Absolute Strength was unleashed, the invisible chains between the nine black dragons produced effects. They condensed the power of the nine dragons and collided with Tyrant Behemoth's Absolute Strength. Tyrant Behemoth immediately fell into a disadvantage.

Truth Listener constantly harassed them from the side, but it didn't dare clash head-on with the black dragons.

Zhou Wen had been waiting for an opportunity to use Darkness Right Hand. All he needed was for his hand to touch one black dragon.

However, the black dragon's body was too huge. It was probably unrealistic to pull out its heart with a single palm, so Zhou Wen's target was their brains.

He didn't expect to dig out their brains. All he needed to do was stir them up.

Although the nine black dragons were independent Mythical creatures, they were connected by invisible chains. In battle, they were like one. Their attack and defense were flawless. Zhou Wen watched for a while, but he failed to find an opportunity to attack.

These nine black dragons are really difficult to deal with. Zhou Wen activated Doctor Darkness's Eyes of Penetration to see if there were any weaknesses in the black dragons' bodies.

If Doctor Darkness hadn't advanced to the Mythical stage, he wouldn't have been able to see so far with his Eyes of Penetration. His ability to see through things wasn't that strong either, so he definitely wouldn't be able to see through the black dragon's body. Now, all he needed to do was approach it a little and he could clearly see the situation inside the black dragon's body.

This glance left Zhou Wen slightly taken aback. In the black dragon's brain, there was a crystal-like bead with a faint dragon-shaped stream of light swirling inside.

That thing can't be the legendary dragon pearl, right? Zhou Wen carefully sized up the pearl in the black dragon's brain and quickly made a new discovery.

The black dragon's brain had the pearl as its core. Although there were parts similar to the brain, it looked like those parts were just supplementary. It was somewhat different from a human's brain.

What was even more magical was that when the dragon-shaped stream of light in the dragon pearl circulated, it looked like a word. Zhou Wen carefully identified it as the word "Kan."

Could it be... Zhou Wen hurriedly looked at the other eight black dragons and indeed, he found a dragon pearl in their heads. However, the words in the dragon pearls were different.

Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui, and Wu. The nine black dragons' dragon pearls each had these words. The first eight words were from the Eight Trigrams, and the last word was Wu. Zhou Wen guessed that it represented Wuji—Limitless.

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Chapter 739: Killing the Nine Dragons

Translator: CKtalon

Zhou Wen observed for a long period of time. By the time he was done, his luxurious lineup of Mythical pets had been destroyed by the nine black dragons. Torch Dragon was heavily injured, and despite Tyrant Behemoth roaring repeatedly, it was unable to reverse the situation.

Truth Listener showed signs of going berserk. The Great Might Vajra Bull onshore had been killed at some point in time.

Demonic Neonate apparently failed to find a chance to attack. She had been hiding all this time.

Zhou Wen directly unsummoned Truth Listener, preventing it from shattering another earring. Torch Dragon was also unsummoned. The heavily injured Torch Dragon basically didn't have any combat strength left.

Torch Dragon, who couldn't use Bright Torch Vision World, could only be considered top-notch in combat, but being top-notch wasn't enough in such a battle.

Only Tyrant Behemoth was at the front line. It was being tortured by the nine black dragons as it roared angrily, but it remained completely suppressed.

Not only was Zhou Wen not discouraged, he even felt happy.

This was because, after his long period of observation, he discovered a secret of the nine black dragons.

If one looked at their appearance and abilities, the nine black dragons were no different. Their offensive methods were also similar, so they could be seen as nonuplets.

Therefore, Zhou Wen's initial plan was to kill them one by one.

However, when Zhou Wen used his Eyes of Penetration to see the dragon pearls in their bodies, he discovered a special phenomenon.

Although the power in the nine dragons' bodies could be transferred freely without any problems during the transfer, Zhou Wen realized that the Wu dragon pearl would light up every time their powers were transferred.

For example, when the Li dragon attacked by gathering the power of the nine dragons, the Li dragon pearl would light up, but the Wu dragon pearl would also light up. The other dragon pearls didn't light up.

However, when the Kan dragon pearl attacked, the Kan dragon pearl would light up along with the Wu dragon pearl.

In other words, no matter which dragon condensed the power of the nine dragons, the Wu dragon pearl would light up along with it. Only when the Wu dragon pearl's dragon attacked would only its dragon pearl light up.

From this vantage, Zhou Wen suddenly realized that perhaps the Wu dragon pearl's dragon was the core of the nine black dragons, or rather, a transit station. Perhaps it was because of its existence that the nine black dragons could freely transfer their powers.

If I kill the black dragon with the Wu dragon pearl first, will the ability to combine the nine dragons' strength as one be ineffective? Zhou Wen decided to give it a try.

After quitting the game and respawning the dungeon, Zhou Wen entered the game again and summoned his luxurious lineup of Mythical pets. However, this time, after getting Doctor Darkness to possess him, he switched his Essence Energy Art to the Godfiend Era. The Lost Country Life Soul ring also appeared on his finger.

Since I can't find an opportunity, I'll create one myself. Zhou Wen stared intently at the nine black dragons in the middle of the battle and locked onto the black dragon with the Wu dragon pearl.

The six wings on his back flapped gently as Zhou Wen gradually approached the battlefield. When the nine black dragons noticed him and were about to attack, Zhou Wen suddenly vanished.

The black dragon that was about to attack was slightly taken aback as Zhou Wen's figure appeared above another black dragon.

He genuflected on the dragon's head. With his left hand pressing on the dragon's skull, his right hand stabbed into the dragon's head with a devil-like force.

The hard dragon scales and dragon bones failed to block the ghostly palm. In an instant, Zhou Wen retracted his palm from the dragon's head. And between his slender fingers was a crystalline dragon pearl.

After losing the dragon pearl, the black dragon was like an empty shell that had lost its brain. Its body lost its vitality and fell to the bottom of the sea.

What surprised Zhou Wen even more, was that after he crushed the dragon pearl, the invisible chain that connected the nine black dragons shattered. The nine black dragons were immediately in a state of disunity.

Two black dragons roared as they charged at Zhou Wen. With Transcendent Flying Immortal, Zhou Wen's speed wasn't any slower than the black dragons'. Without the augmentation of the nine dragons' collective strength, the black dragons couldn't catch up to Zhou Wen.

A blackish-purple sword beam streaked across the sea and stabbed into the eye of a black dragon, piercing through the dragon pearl in its head. Demonic Neonate had finally taken action and dispatched one.

Meanwhile, Tyrant Behemoth was even more excited. Without the suppression of the nine dragons' collective strength, its Absolute Strength unleashed, snapping the dragon horn off a black dragon. Then, it threw punch after punch, shattering the black dragon's head.

The nine black dragons that originally had the absolute advantage immediately became the ones being ravaged after losing the key black dragon with the Wu dragon pearl.

There was no need for Zhou Wen to do anything else as the luxurious lineup of Mythical pets killed the remaining black dragons.

Indeed, it's difficult for those who aren't in the know, but it's not difficult for those who do. Knowledge is power. If I had known that these nine black dragons had such a relationship and weakness, I wouldn't have waited until today to kill them. The saying of the forefathers is right. Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Zhou Wen sighed at the importance of knowledge.

'Killed a Mythical Creature, True Blood Demon Dragon. Discovered Dimensional Crystal.'

After the True Blood Demon Dragons were killed, notices kept coming in. Finally, a True Blood Demon Dragon dropped a dimensional crystal with 80 Strength. It was very high-level and valuable, but Zhou Wen couldn't use it now.

There are only two black dragons left! Zhou Wen was still looking forward to having a black dragon Companion Egg drop.

However, even when the last black dragon was penetrated by Demonic Neonate's sword, it failed to drop a Companion Egg. Instead, another dimensional crystal dropped, an Essence Energy Skill Crystal.

Zhou Wen picked up the Essence Energy Skill Crystal and realized that the stat requirement was 41 Strength and 21 Fire stat. It was different from the True Blood Demon Dragon Crystal he had previously obtained.

With his Strength and Fire stat lacking, Zhou Wen had no choice but to give it up.

Zhou Wen was already used to it, so he didn't feel the pinch. Seeing that his Companion Beasts weren't injured, he led them towards the war wagon.

Now that the nine black dragons weren't disturbing him, Zhou Wen wanted to give it a try to see if he could kill the Guardian in the war wagon. This was the hope for Slaughterer Life Soul's advancement.

After opening the door, Zhou Wen entered with his Companion Beasts and saw the cocoon floating in the void.

He wasn't in a rush to approach it. Zhou Wen used his Eyes of Penetration to look at the cocoon, hoping to see what the creature inside looked like.

Something strange happened. The white cocoon was clearly right in front of him, but the Light of Penetration seemed to be separated from the white cocoon by a massive distance. No matter how hard he tried, his vision couldn't reach the white cocoon.

Zhou Wen immediately recalled that he had encountered the same situation when he first entered. Back then, he had wanted to pierce through the white cocoon to extract the blood, but he couldn't touch the white cocoon no matter what. It was only because of the characteristics of the Overlord Sword that he could tear through space and touch the white cocoon in the void.

Light of Penetration clearly didn't have such characteristics, so it was impossible to reach the white cocoon.

Since we are going to fight, there's no point in watching. Zhou Wen summoned the Golden Overlord Sword and slashed out a sword beam that tore through the void and headed straight for the white cocoon.

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Chapter 740: Six Fingers

Translator: CKtalon

With the augmentation of Ever-Victorious and Unstoppable, the golden sword beam tore through the white cocoon's shell.

As the cocoon cracked, Zhou Wen saw a palm extend out of the white cocoon.

It was a man's palm with long and powerful fingers. Zhou Wen could clearly see that there were six fingers on the palm, but the layout of the six fingers didn't seem out of place. It was about the same as a normal palm.

There was a different ring on each of the six fingers. The design and material seemed to be different. As he could only see the palm, he didn't know what the rings looked like from the front.

Just as the Golden Sword Aura was about to strike the palm, an invisible fluctuation seemed to ripple from one of the rings.

Wherever the fluctuations passed, time and space seemed to freeze. Countless dust fragments froze as the Golden Sword Aura stopped in front of his palm.

Although the Golden Sword Aura was less than an inch away from the palm, it was unable to advance any further.

It wasn't just the Golden Sword Aura. Zhou Wen's pets were affected by the fluctuations. Although they tried to resist the fluctuations, it was to no avail.

Apart from Tyrant Behemoth being able to move thanks to Absolute Strength, most of the Companion Beasts were in a frozen state.

Companion Beasts at Torch Dragon and Truth Listener's level found it difficult to move amidst the fluctuations.

The blood-colored avatar was also immobilized. Zhou Wen felt that the blood-colored avatar's bodily functions had stopped circulating. Its Essence Energy seemed to freeze as it was completely unable to move according to commands.

Tyrant Behemoth roared as it charged at the white cocoon and threw a punch at the palm with six fingers.

The frozen dust and Golden Sword Aura were shattered by Tyrant Behemoth's fist. Just as Tyrant Behemoth was about to strike the palm, another ring on the palm flickered.

Boom!

Tyrant Behemoth punched Torch Dragon's body and immediately sent Torch Dragon's huge body flying. It caused blood to spray out of Torch Dragon's body.

Zhou Wen was somewhat surprised. Tyrant Behemoth had clearly struck the white cocoon, but for some reason, its fist struck Torch Dragon's body. It looked like a spatial dislocation skill.

From the looks of it, the guardian in the white cocoon has spatial skills, Zhou Wen thought to himself.

Tyrant Behemoth continued its violent attacks, but every time its fists struck the white cocoon, it would strangely strike a companion. After a few punches, the palm in the white cocoon didn't suffer any damage. Instead, Zhou Wen's Companion Beasts were beaten up by Tyrant Behemoth.

After watching for a while, Zhou Wen was certain that the Guardian was definitely a spatial expert.

Once Tyrant Behemoth's Absolute Strength timer ran out, it was immobilized by the spatial fluctuations.

At that moment, a void that resembled a black hole appeared in the palm of the palm. It sucked in the Companion Beasts and the blood-colored avatar before the game screen went black.

A Guardian with spatial attributes has abilities like spatial solidification, spatial fold, and black hole. Tyrant Behemoth can fight it while using Absolute Strength... Zhou Wen organized the clues he knew, hoping to find a way to counter it.

I wonder if Lost Country's spatial powers will be of some use. After some thought, Zhou Wen realized that unless Torch Dragon used Bright Torch Vision World from the beginning, it would be very difficult to kill the Guardian.

Why are Guardians so strong? Are there no weak Guardians that can allow me to kill for the advancement of my Life Souls? Zhou Wen waited for some time. After all his cooldowns were over, he dripped his blood to respawn and enter the game again.

The nine black dragons in the underground sea had yet to respawn. The war wagon was still parked at the bottom of the sea, but the door had been closed. Zhou Wen didn't summon any other pets other than Explosive Fiend Man.

Tyrant Behemoth's Absolute Strength couldn't be used yet. Therefore, Zhou Wen didn't think of killing the Guardian this time. He just wanted to see if his Godfiend Era was useful when fighting the Guardian.

Zhou Wen got Explosive Fiend Man to plant time bombs all over the war wagon one after another. After more than an hour, the war wagon was covered with time bombs.

Under Zhou Wen's orders, the huge war wagon exploded like an atomic bomb. It formed a terrifying shockwave at the bottom of the sea, producing a huge jellyfish-like cavity.

Zhou Wen had severely underestimated the might of the explosion. He had already retreated to a hundred meters away, but he still died from the blast. The game screen went black.

Is the war wagon's energy so massive? Zhou Wen was somewhat surprised.

When he arrived in front of the war wagon again, it had already recovered to its original state. Zhou Wen began getting Explosive Fiend Man to plant time bombs around the entire wagon.

This time, Zhou Wen had experience. He retreated far away and watched from a distant bank.

With a command, Explosive Fiend Man ignited all the time bombs. Zhou Wen, who was standing by the bank, saw the waves churning before they stirred up a tsunami-like wave.

Ignoring the winds and shock waves, Zhou Wen immediately dived into the sea. However, when he saw the war wagon, he was slightly taken aback. Such a terrifying explosion had failed to blast through it. The war wagon's outer shell was damaged, but it was undergoing automatic self-repair. It didn't take long for it to recover to its original state.

Seeing that it was impossible to blast the war wagon and the Guardian inside to death, Zhou Wen had no choice but to open the door and rush in.

This time, Zhou Wen used the Godfiend Era Essence Energy Art. The Lost Country ring appeared on his finger before he slashed at the white cocoon.

After the white cocoon was sliced apart, the palm appeared again. The spatial fluctuations caused everything around it to fall silent again. The blood-colored avatar's body was no exception.

However, it was somewhat different this time. Although the blood-colored avatar couldn't move, the Godfiend Era's Essence Energy Art continued flowing. This meant that Zhou Wen could still use Essence Energy Skills and other abilities.

Without any hesitation, Zhou Wen used Lost Country's spatial teleportation ability and teleported into the white cocoon. He wanted to see what the Guardian inside the white cocoon looked like.

However, when Zhou Wen teleported, he realized that he wasn't able to teleport into the white cocoon as he wished. Instead, he appeared in front of the palm.

What awaited him was a black hole that had already opened in the palm. In the next second, the game screen went black again.

Zhou Wen thought for a moment and understood what was going on. The other party was a spatial expert, and his Lost Country was only a Primordial Life Soul. The difference in level was too great. It was already pretty good that he hadn't been sent into the black hole when he used spatial teleportation.

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Chapter 741: Duel

Translator: CKtalon

However, Zhou Wen wasn't discouraged. Instead, he felt that this might be an opportunity.

With this Guardian around, it was equivalent to having another spatial expert as a sparring partner. Perhaps there was a chance to improve Lost Country.

Zhou Wen dripped his blood to revive and once again entered the game to challenge the Guardian. He naturally suffered a crushing defeat, but Zhou Wen also sensed the influence the other party's spatial powers had on him.

Through watching and personally experiencing the various spatial-type skills of the Guardian, Zhou Wen gained a lot more insight into spatial-type skills. No matter how much he had studied in the past, it was only theoretical knowledge. It was very rare to have such an opportunity to experience it.

...

While Zhou Wen was repeatedly dying from gaming, Xia Liuchuan came to the East Courtyard again and mentioned the battle he had scheduled with Zhou Wen on the peak of Forbidden City.

"You should know that Forbidden City is a forbidden zone of our Xia family. Outsiders are not allowed to enter," said Old Master Xia.

"I know, but I also wish to fight him there." Xia Liuchuan didn't explain much.

"In that case, so be it. However, defeat is not an option. No matter what, Zhou Wen can't leave Forbidden City again," said Old Master Xia indifferently.

Xia Liuchuan didn't say anything and just bowed slightly.

"Let's set it to be in four days. There are still problems in Forbidden City that need handling. You should head back and prepare for now," Old Master Xia said.

...

Zhou Wen was grinding when he suddenly heard his phone ring. It was none other than Wang Lu.

"You really agreed to battle Xia Liuchuan?" Zhou Wen heard Wang Lu's voice the moment he picked up the phone.

"Yes," Zhou Wen replied.

"To battle a Xia family member in the Imperial Capital, and in the Forbidden City which they control? Are you ignoring what Grandma said to you?" Wang Lu said anxiously.

"Don't worry. I have my own plans. Nothing will go wrong... Alright, let's just end it here. I have a call coming in. I'll answer it first..." Zhou Wen picked up the other call as he spoke. It was from Ouyang Lan.

"Little Wen, did you really agree to a duel with Xia Liuchuan in Forbidden City? Don't be afraid. If you were forced by the Xia family, I'll be able to help you," Ouyang Lan said.

"Sis Lan, the Xia family didn't force me. I did it willingly. Don't worry. I can handle it." Zhou Wen felt touched when he heard Ouyang Lan.

Although they were not related by blood, Ouyang Lan was indeed very concerned about him.

"Little Wen, your father only has you as a son. We won't be able to have children in the future. You need to think twice before doing everything. Don't risk your life. Tell me if there are any problems. I'll help you resolve them." Ouyang Lan didn't quite believe Zhou Wen. She remained very worried.

"Sis Lan, there's really no need for you to worry. It's not convenient to speak on the phone. However, I have the ability to protect myself. Nothing will go wrong." Zhou Wen was afraid that his phone was bugged, so he didn't dare inform Ouyang Lan about his possession of the Invisibility Cloak.

Ouyang Lan pleaded with Zhou Wen a few more times before his phone rang, bringing an end to his phone call with Ouyang Lan.

It was An Sheng. He was clearly aware that Zhou Wen was going to duel with Xia Liuchuan. However, he didn't persuade Zhou Wen not to fight.

"I'm already on my way to the Imperial Capital. Is there anything I need to do in advance?" An Sheng said simply.

"Don't come. I'm leaving the Imperial Capital soon," Zhou Wen hurriedly said.

"I'll wait for you outside the Imperial Capital," An Sheng said.

"Don't do it near the Imperial Capital. Let's have it somewhere far away." Zhou Wen knew that he couldn't stop An Sheng.

"Alright, I'll think of a way to inform you when the time comes." An Sheng hung up after saying that.

...

This news quickly spread in the Imperial Capital. Anyone who was in the know felt that Zhou Wen was courting death.

Ignoring the fact that Xia Liuchuan was a rare genius in the Xia family, just the fact that he was dueling someone from the Xia family in their territory made people place their bets against Zhou Wen.

Dugu Ge and Zhang Chunqiu were in the Imperial Capital, so they naturally heard the news.

"This battle will give us a perfect opportunity to see how much strength that Guardian raised Loser has," Zhang Chunqiu said with a smile.

"It looks like your divination wasn't accurate at all. You actually let Xia Liuchuan get the Guardian," said Dugu Ge.

Zhang Chunqiu smiled and said, "Destiny is unpredictable. Don't take my divinations seriously. I'm just spouting nonsense."

"Then do some more divinations. Who will win in the duel between Zhou Wen and Loser?" Dugu Ge said.

"Based on my divination, the Xia family will definitely not lose," Zhang Chunqiu said.

Dugu Ge glanced at Zhang Chunqiu in contempt before returning to his room.

Zhou Wen had already received Xia Liuchuan's notice to fight in Forbidden City in four days. However, only Zhou Wen was allowed to enter.

Zhou Wen had no choice but to contact Wang Lu, hoping to leave the antelope and chick with her.

"You hung up so quickly just now. Why am I in your sights again?" Wang Lu said angrily.

"It was my stepmother. Do you think I could reject her call?" Zhou Wen consoled.

"Zhou Wen, you know about the Xia family. You really shouldn't have agreed to the duel with Xia Liuchuan. Xia Liuchuan might not be famous and his fame might not be comparable to the younger generation's John and Lance, but this person is definitely much more terrifying than Lance. He's someone who has truly survived countless life-and-death situations. He's different from those elites who were brought up in safe environments."

Wang Lu continued, "Although Xia Liuchuan is known as the most profligate scion of the Xia family, his talent and social connection aren't inferior to An Tianzuo's. My grandmother met him when he was six. Back then, Old Master Xia took him to the Ancient Sword Tomb to play. At that time, a Mythical sword happened to appear. Xia Liuchuan, who was only six years old, saw the battle between the Mythical sword and humans and actually comprehended a Mythical sword technique. His talent in combat is terrifying."

"If he's not strong, it would be meaningless," Zhou Wen said with a smile. He just didn't want Wang Lu to be too worried.

"If it were anywhere else, it wouldn't be a problem for you to fight Xia Liuchuan. However, that's Forbidden City. How can you fight Xia Liuchuan there? Even if you defeat him, it will be difficult for you to walk out," Wang Lu sighed.

"Don't worry. If I, Zhou Wen, want to leave, no one in the Federation can stop me," Zhou Wen said with certainty.

Wang Lu knew that it was too late to say anything now. Zhou Wen had already accepted the challenge, so it was too late for regrets.

Four days quickly passed. The Xia family took the initiative to send a car to pick Zhou Wen up, but Zhou Wen rejected them. He carried the wooden log and walked towards Forbidden City.

It wasn't that he didn't want to take the car, but the car couldn't fit the log.

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Chapter 742: Pure Hook Evil-Slaying

Translator: CKtalon

Zhou Wen arrived in front of Forbidden City's city gates and saw many people gathered outside. They were all here to watch the battle, but because the city gates were sealed, no one could enter.

The Meridian Gate was tightly shut with people from the Xia family standing guard outside. Forbidden City had four city gates, but usually, only Meridian Gate could be opened. The other three city gates needed a certain opportunity for their opening, so the only way to enter and exit Forbidden City was through the Meridian Gate.

"Zhou Wen, Young Master Xia is already waiting for you in the city. Please enter," a Xia family guard said to Zhou Wen.

Zhou Wen was about to walk in with the log when he was stopped by the guard.

"People can enter, but things have to be left outside," the guard said as he pointed at the log on Zhou Wen's shoulder.

"Does your Xia family have to take away their opponent's weapons before a battle?" Zhou Wen said indifferently.

The moment Zhou Wen said that, the onlookers roared with laughter. Although they didn't believe that Zhou Wen really used such a huge club as a weapon, it didn't stop them from feeling contempt towards the Xia family's high-handedness.

"Let him in," a middle-aged man on top of the city gates said to the guard.

Only then did the guard let Zhou Wen enter the city with the log.

"Old Master, is it really a good idea to let him in like this? If there's really something wrong with the log as Liuchuan said, wouldn't it be very disadvantageous for him?" the middle-aged man said to Old Master Xia, who was sitting at the top of the city gate to watch the battle.

"It's fine. This is Forbidden City. Even if Leng Zongzheng is hidden in that log, he won't be able to escape unscathed today," Old Master Xia said calmly.

...

On a tall building in the distance of Forbidden City, Shen Yuchi was looking at the situation around Meridian Gate with his binoculars.

He couldn't enter Forbidden City; he probably wouldn't be able to see anything even if he went to the Meridian Gate.

"Siyuan, what's your take regarding this battle's outcome?" Shen Yuchi asked Qiao Siyuan when he saw Zhou Wen enter the Meridian Gate.

"I believe regardless of the outcome today, it will be very difficult for Zhou Wen to walk out of Forbidden City," Qiao Siyuan replied.

Shen Yuchi didn't comment as he continued using his binoculars to observe the situation inside Forbidden City.

However, there was a mysterious interference from Forbidden City. They could only see the area above the buildings, but not the actual situation inside.

...

Zhou Wen walked through the Meridian Gate and saw five white compounds leading to the Gate of Supreme Harmony. Xia Liuchuan was standing in front of it.

Passing through the Gate of Supreme Harmony was the Hall of Supreme Harmony. However, it was unknown if the layout of the city had changed after the dimensional storms.

Zhou Wen looked around but didn't see any dimensional creatures.

"There's no need to look around. There are no dimensional creatures in Forbidden City. You can fight me with all your might without worry," Xia Liuchuan said.

"That's great. However, since it's the final battle at the peak of Forbidden City, let's fight at a higher spot. I think it's quite high there. Why don't we head there?" Zhou Wen said as he pointed in the direction of a Corner Tower.

"There's no need to go through so much trouble," Xia Liuchuan said as a sword appeared in his hand. "This sword's name is Ancient Pure Hook. It's a Mythical Companion Beast. I believe you also have a Mythical Companion Beast, so I won't hide it."

With that said, Xia Liuchuan thrust his sword at Zhou Wen. He was a straightforward person who fought without any hesitation.

The sword beam was like snow. His body and sword seemed to instantly appear in front of Zhou Wen at an unbelievable speed.

Although Zhou Wen was proficient in movement techniques, it was impossible for him to dodge such a fast sword while carrying such a heavy log. Therefore, he could only draw his saber to fend off the attack.

Clang!

The saber and sword collided. Zhou Wen's body remained motionless, but Xia Liuchuan was forced to take a few steps back.

It wasn't that Zhou Wen's strength was stronger than Xia Liuchuan's, but that the log he was carrying was too heavy. It pressed down on his body, stopping him from retreating.

Although Xia Liuchuan retreated, he didn't lose his balance. He tapped the ground with his toe and thrust his sword forward again. His sword technique was swift and fierce like a ghost.

Zhou Wen's saber techniques weren't slow either. He held the log with one hand and brandished his saber with the other. The saber and sword constantly clashed, and Zhou Wen advanced step by step, gradually approaching the Gate of Supreme Harmony.

Zhou Wen wanted to try his luck at the Hall of Supreme Harmony. After all, it was the most honorable place in the city. It was most likely the peak of Forbidden City.

Furthermore, there was only one Hall of Supreme Harmony, but there were four Corner Towers. If the Hall of Supreme Harmony didn't work, it wouldn't be too late for him to consider trying the Corner Towers.

"To be able to master such a mature and steady saber technique at such a young age, this Zhou Wen is indeed extraordinary." Old Master Xia narrowed his eyes as though he was admiring a treasure.

"Zhou Wen once defeated John who had a contract with the Guardian. His strength is indeed extraordinary. Furthermore, according to our investigations, he definitely has more than two Mythical Companion Beasts," the middle-aged man said.

"The stronger he is, the better." Old Master Xia smiled.

Zhou Wen originally hoped to fight all the way to the front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, but Xia Liuchuan clearly wouldn't be suppressed by him the entire time.

Xia Liuchuan's figure suddenly changed as he appeared behind Zhou Wen like a phantom, stabbing at his back.

Zhou Wen was just too slow while carrying the wooden log. He didn't have the time to turn around, but he didn't plan on doing so anyway. He swung his saber and blocked Xia Liuchuan's strike.

"The log on your body is too heavy. Why don't you put it down so that we can fight?" Xia Liuchuan didn't continue attacking as he looked at Zhou Wen's back.

"I'll naturally put it down when it's time to put it down," Zhou Wen turned around and said to Xia Liuchuan.

Xia Liuchuan didn't say anything else. However, the Pure Hook Sword in his hand emitted a strange glow. It was like a holy sword that made people have the urge to prostrate themselves in worship.

This time, Xia Liuchuan attacked again, but it wasn't that easy to deal with. When the Bamboo Blade and the Pure Hook Sword met, Zhou Wen felt his palm shake as he involuntarily took a few steps back. The Bamboo Blade nearly flew out of his hand.

"The Pure Hook Sword is known as the Exalted Peerless Sword. It can bestow me with power at the Mythical stage," Xia Liuchuan said as he brandished his sword again.

With a thought from Zhou Wen, Doctor Darkness transformed into a soul and attached to him. Zhou Wen brandished his saber to fend him off again. Although he was still sent retreating by the Pure Hook Sword, he wasn't as pathetic as before.

"Just show me what you've got. There's no need to hide it," Zhou Wen said as he held his saber.

"As you wish." Xia Liuchuan waved his left hand and another sword appeared in his hand.

This sword was different from the Pure Hook Sword. It was a small sword that was about sixty centimeters long. It wasn't as beautiful as the Pure Hook Sword, as though it carried a sense of resentment.

"The sword's name is Evil-Slaying. It's also a Mythical Companion Beast. I've cultivated for so many years, and most of my techniques are delivered through these two swords," Xia Liuchuan said as he glanced at the sword in his hand with a glazed look.

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Chapter 743: Sword Warp

Translator: CKtalon

Zhou Wen felt that Xia Liuchuan's aura changed once he had two swords in hand. His expression couldn't help but turn solemn.

The sword in Xia Liuchuan's hand finally moved, but his body didn't move. The Evil-Slaying Sword flew over and stabbed at Zhou Wen in a flash, as though it was about to penetrate his right eye.

Zhou Wen brandished his saber and slashed, sending the Evil-Slaying Sword flying. However, Xia Liuchuan and his Pure Hook Sword arrived in front of Zhou Wen.

The Bamboo Blade had just slashed out, preventing it from being retractable in time. Zhou Wen abruptly crouched and dodged the Pure Hook Sword's thrust. At the same time, the log smashed down on Xia Liuchuan's head.

Suddenly, Xia Liuchuan's figure flashed and vanished in front of Zhou Wen. As for the Pure Hook Sword, it turned from a stab into a slash that was aimed at Zhou Wen's neck.

Xia Liuchuan arrived beside the Evil-Slaying Sword through some unknown means. He grabbed it with one hand and stabbed it down at Zhou Wen's back.

Zhou Wen brandished his saber to fend off the Pure Hook Sword, but he no longer had the time to block the Evil-Slaying Sword behind him.

Clang!

A scalpel appeared behind Zhou Wen and blocked the Evil-Slaying Sword's attack as Doctor Darkness separated from Zhou Wen's body.

As for Zhou Wen, he had also switched to the Ancient Sovereign Sutra and fused with the Defy Ancient Sovereign. His body became filled with energy as he used the Demon Dragon True Body, allowing him to gain Mythical combat strength for a short period of time. He forcefully sent the Pure Hook Sword flying.

After sending the Pure Hook Sword flying, Zhou Wen turned around and slashed at Xia Liuchuan. Xia Liuchuan's expression remained unchanged as the Evil-Slaying Sword in his hand continued stabbing at Zhou Wen. It was as though he hadn't seen Doctor Darkness's scalpel or Zhou Wen's Bamboo Blade.

If the two of them continued the trajectories of their thrust, the scalpel and Bamboo Blade would hit Xia Liuchuan while the Evil-Slaying Sword would pierce through Zhou Wen's chest.

Zhou Wen used Bamboo Blade to block the Evil-Slaying Sword, but Xia Liuchuan's figure vanished. He appeared beside the Pure Hook Sword that had been sent flying and grabbed it for another midair slash.

Xia Liuchuan's figure kept moving about as though he was performing a magic trick. He appeared beside the Evil-Slaying Sword one moment and appeared beside the Pure Hook Sword the next moment.

This teleportation wasn't as simple as being fast. It was similar to Lost Country's teleportation, but there were no restrictions on the teleportation.

However, he didn't have as much freedom as teleportation. It could be seen that Xia Liuchuan could only move between the two swords.

Although that was the case, it was already difficult for Zhou Wen to deal with him. Xia Liuchuan used two swords and constantly moved back and forth like a ghost. It made Zhou Wen feel that it was harder than fighting three Mythical opponents at the same time.

The most uncomfortable thing was that he couldn't fight Xia Liuchuan because Xia Liuchuan could move to the side of another sword at any time. If he attacked, he wouldn't be able to injure Xia Liuchuan and would only end up being injured by him.

Zhou Wen and Doctor Darkness joined forces, but they were still suppressed by Xia Liuchuan. They had no chance of charging to the Gate of Supreme Harmony.

If I wasn't carrying such a huge object, I wouldn't be at such a disadvantage. Zhou Wen was best at movement techniques. However, the log prevented him from using the movement techniques he was good at. It was extremely uncomfortable fighting.

"Liuchuan's Sword Warp technique has improved," the middle-aged man praised.

"Sword Warp requires talent, and it's easy to learn but difficult to master. Little Chuan likes such techniques, but there's actually not much need for it. The time spent would be better spent on Guardians," Old Master Xia said calmly.

Although Old Master Xia didn't approve of Xia Liuchuan spending all his time on the Sword Warp technique, Zhou Wen was now quite depressed from being suppressed by it.

This Sword Warp technique was like an illusion. Under Xia Liuchuan's usage, it was unpredictable and dazzling.

Zhou Wen thought to himself, Letting this continue wouldn't work. Since I've already entered Forbidden City, there's no need to fight him. I should quickly place the log on the Hall of Supreme Harmony and give it a try.

Without any hesitation, Zhou Wen summoned the Great Might Vajra Bull.

The moment the Great Might Vajra Bull came out, it shook the bell on its neck. Once the Soul Suppression Bell rang, Xia Liuchuan immediately felt dizzy. The two swords fell from the sky with him.

Zhou Wen took this opportunity to get Doctor Darkness to possess him again as he charged in the direction of the Gate of Supreme Harmony.

However, after running a few steps, a sword beam flashed. Zhou Wen tilted his head and saw the Evil-Slaying Sword fly past his ear. Xia Liuchuan instantly moved to the side of the Evil-Slaying Sword and slashed at Zhou Wen's face with it.

Zhou Wen swiped up his saber and clashed with Xia Liuchuan's Evil-Slaying Sword several times. Xia Liuchuan's sword techniques were unpredictable, so Zhou Wen wasn't able to gain any advantage.

The Great Might Vajra Bull turned around to help Zhou Wen, but the moment it turned around, Xia Liuchuan appeared behind the Great Might Vajra Bull like a phantom. He held the Pure Hook Sword and stabbed the Great Might Vajra Bull's buttocks.

"Moo!" The Great Might Vajra Bull's pupils constricted as it raised its hind legs and kicked Xia Liuchuan.

In response, Xia Liuchuan waved his hand and threw the Pure Hook Sword at Zhou Wen. At the same time, he warped to the side of the Evil-Slaying Sword and continued fighting Zhou Wen with it. The entire process was like a magic show. If not for the Great Might Vajra Bull's powerful physique, any ordinary person would have been killed by Xia Liuchuan.

As Zhou Wen blocked the Evil-Slaying Sword, he summoned the Golden Overlord Sword. However, he didn't have any spare hands to use it. All he could do was let the Golden Overlord Sword attack autonomously in its original form.

The Great Might Vajra Bull used its Life Soul and transformed into the thousand-handed, bull-headed state. Golden light shot out from its palm as it attempted to kill Xia Liuchuan.

However, Xia Liuchuan was one with his two swords. He constantly teleported and fought, making it seem harder to fight him than simultaneously fighting three people. Zhou Wen, together with the Great Might Vajra Bull and the Golden Overlord Sword, failed to gain the upper hand.

What swordplay do you practice? Why aren't you a magician? Zhou Wen was somewhat depressed. He originally didn't want to be too ostentatious, but now that he couldn't escape Xia Liuchuan, he had no choice but to think of other solutions.

Should I let Tyrant Behemoth fight? Zhou Wen considered Tyrant Behemoth. It had already appeared on the rankings, so exposing it didn't matter much.

Carrying such a heavy piece of wood, Zhou Wen really couldn't escape Xia Liuchuan. Without any hesitation, he summoned Tyrant Behemoth.

Boom!

Tyrant Behemoth landed on the ground out of thin air, causing the ground to tremble.

"Tyrant Behemoth? It's actually Zhou Wen's Companion Beast?" Old Master Xia and the middle-aged man revealed looks of surprise.

Many people were investigating the identity of Tyrant Behemoth's owner. Most people believed that Tyrant Behemoth was a Companion Beast of an expert in the West District, but they never expected it to be in Zhou Wen's hands.

Outside Forbidden City, there was someone who was even more surprised than Old Master Xia and company. It was Zhang Chunqiu. Zhang Chunqiu had used his Heavenly Eye to see Tyrant Behemoth in Forbidden City. Furthermore, he knew very well that the Tyrant Behemoth Companion Egg had originally belonged to the Zhang family, but it had been smuggled out by a traitor.

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Chapter 744: Myriad Sword Formation

Translator: CKtalon

After Tyrant Behemoth appeared, it directly activated Absolute Strength. Space distorted as the Pure Hook and Evil-Slaying swords were attracted towards Tyrant Behemoth.

Although Xia Liuchuan had tried his best to escape this situation, Tyrant Behemoth's Absolute Strength was just too powerful. He couldn't escape the two Mythical swords as he flew towards Tyrant Behemoth with his sword.

Zhou Wen didn't stop as he ran towards the Gate of Supreme Harmony without waiting for the outcome.

Zhou Wen couldn't run fast while carrying the wooden log. Before he reached the Gate of Supreme Harmony, he suddenly heard a terrifying sound. The shock wave broke through the sound barrier and produced a terrifying sonic boom.

Zhou Wen turned his head and saw Xia Liuchuan levitating in midair. He was wearing a strange black armor that resembled some kind of black jade. It also emitted a mysterious black light.

Xia Liuchuan held Pure Hook and Evil-Slaying with both hands as he crossed them in front of him, blocking Tyrant Behemoth's punch. He wasn't sent flying.

That's... Guardian... Zhou Wen could tell that the armor was somewhat odd. Its aura didn't seem like a Companion Beast but resembled more of a Guardian.

Furthermore, Xia Liuchuan was able to withstand Tyrant Behemoth in its Absolute Strength state. This wasn't something an ordinary Companion Beast armor could do.

Xia Liuchuan wasn't at a disadvantage when fighting Tyrant Behemoth. The two swords in his hands criss-crossed as he fought Tyrant Behemoth.

When Zhou Wen saw that Xia Liuchuan didn't have the upper hand, he immediately continued running towards the Gate of Supreme Harmony. He had to first escape the log. Otherwise, even if the Guardian was in front of him, he wouldn't be able to kill the Guardian while carrying it.

Zhou Wen rushed past the Gate of Supreme Harmony and couldn't help but stop. This was because after passing the gates, there were many people standing in the open space. There were probably more than ten thousand of them.

The ten thousand people stood in a square formation on the empty ground. Each of them held a sword in their hands, but no one spoke. They were silent.

Upon seeing Zhou Wen walk over, the eyes of the ten thousand people looked at him in unison.

In front of the square formation stood a woman in black. She was none other than the Xia Xuanyue whom Zhou Wen knew.

"Zhou Wen, why are you here instead of dueling Xia Liuchuan?" Xia Xuanyue asked Zhou Wen.

"Ahem, I'm just taking a stroll. It's rare to come to the legendary Forbidden City. I want to see the legendary Hall of Supreme Harmony," Zhou Wen said with a light cough.

"It's best you go back and fight. Forbidden City isn't a place outsiders can enter as they wish," Xia Xuanyue said.

"Since I'm already here, let me take a look." Zhou Wen naturally wasn't willing to retreat. Although the Xia family was already wary of him, he had to make an attempt on the Hall of Supreme Harmony regardless.

Just as Zhou Wen took two steps forward, Xia Xuanyue raised the ancient sword in her hand. The ten thousand people raised the sword in their hands at the same time. In an instant, countless sword beams surged into the sky and condensed towards the ancient sword in Xia Xuanyue's hand.

With the augmentation of more than ten thousand ancient swords, the sword beam produced by the ancient sword in Xia Xuanyue's hand was already terrifying beyond imagination. Even the Golden Overlord Sword paled in comparison.

Zhou Wen could roughly tell that the ancient sword in Xia Xuanyue's hand was similar to the Golden Harp. They could gather some kind of power.

The difference was that the Golden Harp allowed sound waves to resonate, while the ancient sword in Xia Xuanyue's hand could condense the sword beams of other sword-type Companion Beasts.

Every sword in the sword formation of more than ten thousand people was probably an Epic Companion Beast. With the augmentation of more than ten thousand sword beams, and the fact that the ancient sword might be at the Mythical stage, the might of the sword was probably not inferior to a top-notch Mythical creature.

"Zhou Wen, you should return to fight Xia Liuchuan," Xia Xuanyue said to Zhou Wen.

"What if I insist on touring Forbidden City?" Zhou Wen walked towards the sword formation.

Xia Xuanyue slashed with her sword as a terrifying sword beam slashed down like a heavenly river. It was difficult for Zhou Wen to dodge, so he could only use the Golden Overlord Sword's Golden Sword Aura to meet it.

The Golden Sword Aura was indestructible. In the beginning, it had indeed sliced through the sword beam that resembled a heavenly river, but the sword beam seemed to pour down endlessly. Soon, it drowned the Golden Sword Aura.

Xia Xuanyue didn't really slash down. She retracted the ancient sword in her hand and the sword beam circled back like a dragon before returning to the sword formation.

"Please return," Xia Xuanyue said expressionlessly.

With a thought, Zhou Wen turned around and left the Gate of Supreme Harmony. The ten-thousand sword formation was just too powerful. It would probably take quite some time to storm through it. Zhou Wen planned on heading to the unguarded building to give it a try to prevent any delays.

When Xia Liuchuan saw Zhou Wen come out, he had no intention of attacking him. He continued fighting Tyrant Behemoth.

When Tyrant Behemoth used Absolute Strength, it could only fight Xia Liuchuan to a draw. Once Absolute Strength ran out, it probably wouldn't be Xia Liuchuan's match.

Zhou Wen rushed to the Corner Tower and, when he arrived in front of it, he leaped up and jumped onto the city wall before jumping to the top of the Corner Tower.

It wasn't that he didn't want to complete the jump in one try, but the log was too heavy. He couldn't do it with a single jump.

Zhou Wen erected the log at the top of the Corner Tower and realized that there was no reaction. He tried to release the log and the word "slave" immediately appeared on his forehead.

It's not here? Zhou Wen was somewhat disappointed as he carried the log down Corner Tower. He knew that this time, he could only attempt the Myriad Sword Formation led by Xia Xuanyue.

It was highly likely that the peak of Forbidden City was the top of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

After this ordeal, Absolute Strength didn't have much time left. There were probably only about ten minutes left.

Xia Liuchuan clearly wanted to defeat Tyrant Behemoth first, so he wasn't in a rush to chase after Zhou Wen.

Zhou Wen passed through the door again and could already see the Hall of Supreme Harmony in front of him. However, with the Myriad Sword Formation obstructing him, it was impossible to gain passage without destroying it.

The ten-thousand sword formation's might is too powerful. Among my Companion Beasts, probably only Torch Dragon's Bright Torch Vision World can match it. If Truth Listener breaks two earrings, it might be able to put up a fight, but it's not convenient for either of them to be exposed... Zhou Wen thought of something as his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Zhou Wen, why are you back?" Xia Xuanyue asked with a frown when she saw Zhou Wen running over.

"Xia Liuchuan isn't my match. There's no point in fighting him. I still want to visit the Hall of Supreme Harmony," Zhou Wen said as he walked towards Xia Xuanyue.

Xia Xuanyue raised her sword again without any hesitation. The sword formation regenerated as a terrifying sword beam emitted a terrifying might. From afar, it made one's scalp tingle.

With a thought, Zhou Wen summoned a Companion Beast.

This Companion Beast wasn't Torch Dragon or Truth Listener, nor was it Demonic Neonate. Instead, it was a beautiful girl. She was unbelievably beautiful. She had long hair that made all women envious, and her eyes were extremely charming. It was as though a single glance would entrance one, preventing them from moving their eyes away.

The Xia family disciples in the Myriad Sword Formation couldn't help but look at the beautiful girl.

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Chapter 745: Eyes of Enticement

Translator: CKtalon

Previously, Medusa had caused a stir on the Peninsula of Gods, letting the entire Federation know of her existence.

However, all the videos that people saw were of Medusa—the snake-haired demoness. Not many had seen her maiden form.

Furthermore, ever since Medusa had been killed, no new Medusa had passed through the spatial rift to enter the Curse Demon Palace.

Therefore, the Xia family members didn't recognize the maiden Medusa. If they knew her, they definitely wouldn't dare to look at her or her eyes.

Unlike the snake-haired demoness, Medusa did not have the ability to petrify others. Her Eyes of Enticement needed others to see her eyes before they could be of use.

At this moment, more than ten thousand Xia family disciples saw Medusa's eyes. Immediately, their bodies petrified as they turned pale with fright.

Xia Xuanyue's expression changed drastically as she immediately realized the problem. She closed her eyes and slashed at Medusa.

However, because many owners of Epic swords had seen Medusa's eyes, their bodies slowly petrified. They were unable to circulate their Essence Energy, nor could they use the Epic swords in their hands to cooperate with Xia Xuanyue. This greatly reduced the might of Xia Xuanyue's sword beam.

Zhou Wen held the Golden Overlord Sword and slashed out a sword beam to clash with Xia Xuanyue's sword beam.

The ancient sword in Xia Xuanyue's hand was also transformed from a Mythical Companion Beast. It wasn't inferior to the Golden Overlord Sword, but the stats of the Golden Overlord Sword were too domineering. When the sword beams collided, the ancient sword beam shattered due to the loss of the Myriad Sword Formation's augmentation. The Golden Overlord Sword's sword beam continued slashing at Xia Xuanyue.

Xia Xuanyue closed her eyes and shifted her body, dodging the Golden Sword Aura. At the same time, she brandished her sword and attacked Zhou Wen. Her movement technique was the Path to Snatching Heaven that Zhou Wen had seen before.

Back then, Zhou Wen had fought Xia Xuanyue, giving him the chance to advance the Transcendent Flying Immortal to the divine level. In that battle, Xia Xuanyue had also comprehended the profundity of the Path to Snatching Heaven, allowing it to advance to the divine level as well.

Now, Xia Xuanyue's Path to Snatching Heaven had become more mature, giving her the boldness to snatch a path from heaven Just her movement technique alone gave others a huge sense of oppression.

As Zhou Wen was carrying the log, he was unable to use Transcendent Flying Immortal to compete with Xia Xuanyue's Path to Snatching Heaven. The Golden Overlord Sword was a little clumsy and wasn't suitable for fighting Xia Xuanyue. Zhou Wen threw the Golden Overlord Sword out and allowed it to attack autonomously. He drew his Bamboo Blade and clashed with Xia Xuanyue's sword.

Medusa retreated to the side under Zhou Wen's control. Her combat strength was very weak, so he was afraid that Xia Xuanyue's sword beam could kill her. It wasn't suitable for her to participate in the battle.

However, Zhou Wen couldn't summon her back. This was because the Eyes of Enticement couldn't permanently petrify people. It required them to see her to remain petrified.

If Zhou Wen were to unsummon her, those people would shortly recover from their petrified states.

Although they were both petrification skills, Medusa's skill was Eyes of Enticement. Its nature was different from the Eyes of Petrification.

Previously, when Zhou Wen had fought Medusa, Truth Listener's Evil Nullification could restrain the snake-haired demoness's Eyes of Petrification, but it couldn't restrain the Eyes of Enticement. This was because the two had different attributes.

Xia Xuanyue thought that Zhou Wen had killed the ten thousand swordsmen. She was filled with grief as she no longer held back with the ancient sword in her hand. Together with the Path to Snatching Heaven, she slashed at Zhou Wen again and again.

...

"Although my Xia family is big, among the younger generation, only Liuchuan and Little Yue are promising talents. To be able to cultivate the Path to Snatching Heaven to such a level, I'm afraid even Liuchuan couldn't do it at her age, right?" On the city gates, the middle-aged man sighed.

A strange look flashed across Old Master Xia's eyes and he said calmly, "Little Yue is very talented, but it's a pity that she's a girl and can't inherit the Xia family's business."

The middle-aged man said, "However, our Xia family can be considered extremely lucky since Little Yue can support Liuchuan in the future."

...

Zhang Chunqiu was also paying attention to the battle in Forbidden City. When he saw Xia Xuanyue's movement technique, he couldn't help but praise, "Excellent movement technique. Dugu, your movement technique isn't much better, right?"

"Her movement technique isn't inferior to mine." Dugu Ge nodded.

Dugu Ge couldn't see the situation inside Forbidden City, but when Zhou Wen entered the city, he had already secretly released some Gu worms to sneak in. Using the information transmitted by the Gu worms, he was also aware of the situation inside.

...

Shen Yuchi and the others from the bureau had been using their binoculars to observe the situation inside the city. However, there was a mysterious force inside the city that prevented ordinary binoculars from seeing anything. They could only occasionally see terrifying sword beams shoot out, but nothing else.

...

Zhou Wen was rather familiar with the Path to Snatching Heaven. Although he couldn't dodge, the Bamboo Blade in his hand blocked Xia Xuanyue's sword again and again. As he fought, he retreated in the direction of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

"This Zhou Wen is really impressive. He can actually withstand such an amazing movement technique and sword technique despite carrying such a heavy piece of wood," praised Dugu Ge.

"Don't you think that Zhou Wen seems to know Xia Xuanyue's movement technique very well? It looks like he can predict the future," Zhang Chunqiu said with narrowed eyes.

"Is it a special ability? I heard that there's a girl in the Ultimate Family Clan who has the Eye of Odin and can see through everything," Dugu Ge mused and said.

"No, I think it's more like Zhou Wen knows Xia Xuanyue's movement technique very well," Zhang Chunqiu said.

"Are you saying that Zhou Wen and Xia Xuanyue have something between them?" Dugu Ge said straightforwardly. He wasn't like Zhang Chunqiu who spoke half-truths.

"I only know that Zhou Wen definitely knows Xia Xuanyue's movement technique very well. I don't know if there's anything between them," Zhang Chunqiu said with a shrug.

...

Up on the city gates, Old Master Xia and the middle-aged man also frowned. Clearly, they shared the same thoughts as Zhang Chunqiu. Xia Xuanyue's amazing Path to Snatching Heaven was actually blocked by Zhou Wen's saber. It was as though he had predicted the future. This was definitely not something that could be explained by just having powerful saber techniques.

"Little Yue once represented our Xia family to be the witness for Zhou Wen's battle in Luoyang. Perhaps she crossed paths with him back then. Perhaps she fought Zhou Wen before and not because she deliberately leaked the Path to Snatching Heaven," the middle-aged man said.

"Zhou Wen's understanding of the Path to Snatching Heaven isn't as simple as exchanging blows," Old Master Xia said indifferently. "Ah Cheng, go and settle this matter."

"What about Liuchuan..." The middle-aged man, Ah Cheng, was somewhat hesitant.

"I've given him too much time," Old Master Xia said expressionlessly.

"I know what to do." Ah Cheng bowed slightly before jumping down the city gates and walking towards the Gate of Supreme Harmony.

When Xia Liuchuan, who was fighting Tyrant Behemoth, saw Ah Cheng coming down, his expression changed slightly.

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Chapter 746: Great Array

"Uncle Cheng, I can handle it myself. You don't have to do anything," Xia Liuchuan said.

"Sorry, Old Master can't wait any longer." As Ah Cheng spoke, he continued walking towards the Gate of Supreme Harmony. Soon, he passed through it and saw Zhou Wen fighting Xia Xuanyue.

"Little Yue, you can stand down. Leave this to me," said Ah Cheng.

"Uncle Cheng, I can handle it myself," Xia Xuanyue replied.

"This is Old Master's order," Ah Cheng said.

When Xia Xuanyue heard the words "Old Master," she had no choice but to back out from the battle and go to Ah Cheng's side.

Ah Cheng extended his hand and a strange yellow talisman appeared. The moment it appeared, golden runes lit up on the ground in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. It blanketed the huge space in golden light instantly.

Zhou Wen immediately felt as though he had fallen into a huge vortex. The Essence Energy in his body was sucked out before rapidly flowing into the vortex.

It wasn't just Zhou Wen himself. Even the Companion Beasts he summoned suffered the same fate. The Golden Overlord Sword and Medusa were rapidly drained of their Essence Energy.

The petrified Xia family disciples and their Epic Companion Beast swords didn't receive any special care.

Zhou Wen hurriedly retracted Medusa and the Golden Overlord Sword. At the same time, he switched his Essence Energy Art to the Dao Sutra. The Heaven-Opening Scripture of the Highest Elder also appeared in his consciousness.

Such an array formation was similar to the Explosive Fiend Man's time bomb. It needed to be prepared ahead of time. Clearly, the Xia family was very careful and had prepared everything. Even if Xia Liuchuan couldn't win, they could still kill Zhou Wen.

With the appearance of the Heaven-Opening Scripture of the Highest Elder, Zhou Wen immediately felt the Essence Energy in his body stop leaking. With a thought, he retracted Tyrant Behemoth who was fighting Xia Liuchuan.

Tyrant Behemoth's Absolute Strength was almost up. There was no need to continue fighting.

"We agreed on a duel. Isn't your Xia family being too shameless?" Zhou Wen pretended to be alarmed as he struggled to retreat.

Ah Cheng said indifferently, "You were the one who didn't duel. How can you blame our Xia family for not honoring our promise?"

"Alright, count yourselves lucky. I'll admit defeat, alright? Stop your array formation," Zhou Wen shouted as he retreated. He was already very close to the Hall of Supreme Harmony—less than fifty meters away. Any closer and he would be able to jump onto the top of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Unfortunately, Zhou Wen didn't know if the Hall of Supreme Harmony was the peak of Forbidden City or if it could help him escape the log.

"It's already too late," Ah Cheng said.

"It's easy for you to want my life. But don't tell me you have zero concern about the lives of the ten thousand Xia family members?" Zhou Wen pointed at the petrified Xia family members.

As Medusa had been unsummoned by Zhou Wen, their petrified bodies were gradually recovering.

Seeing that they weren't dead, Xia Xuanyue couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. She had thought that Zhou Wen had killed all of them and was extremely furious. Only now did she realize that Zhou Wen hadn't really killed them.

However, just like Zhou Wen, they were trapped in the array. Furthermore, they didn't have the protection of the Heaven-Opening Scripture of the Highest Elder. Their Essence Energy was constantly devoured by the array. Before the petrification on their bodies completely subsided, their Essence Energy was nearly sucked dry.

Xia Liuchuan walked over and said, "Uncle Cheng, stop. If this continues, they will all die."

Ah Cheng shook his head. "Before dealing with Zhou Wen, the array can't be deactivated."

Zhou Wen was still retreating. Having already retreated to the edge of the array, the light barrier formed at the edge of the array blocked his path. The thin layer of golden light was like a metal wall. Zhou Wen tried his best several times, but he failed to slam through it.

Furthermore, as long as Essence Energy struck the barrier, it would immediately be absorbed by the barrier, making its defense even stronger.

Zhou Wen was still fine. His Essence Energy hadn't really been sucked away.

The Xia family's disciples didn't share his prowess. They were nearly drained dry. Some of them had already recovered from the petrification. They rushed to the edge of the array formation, but like Zhou Wen, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't break through the barrier.

Soon, their Essence Energy was sucked dry. After their Essence Energy was sucked dry, the array didn't let them off. Their essence, vitality, and spirit were extracted after their Essence Energy was drained.

Their bodies aged at a speed visible to the naked eye. They looked extremely terrifying.

Many Xia family members shouted in horror as they struggled to escape the hellish array.

Xia Xuanyue's expression was complicated. She never expected to see such a scene. Furthermore, she was part of the reason why these people ended up like this.

If she hadn't failed to stop Zhou Wen, Ah Cheng wouldn't have taken action—the ten thousands of Xia family members wouldn't have been trapped in the array.

"Uncle Cheng, I'm sorry!" Xia Xuanyue gritted her teeth and suddenly brandished her sword, stabbing the yellow talisman in front of Ah Cheng.

Ah Cheng never expected Xia Xuanyue to unsheathe her sword beside him. He was caught off guard as the yellow talisman was pierced by the sword beam.

As the yellow talisman shattered, the array's golden light immediately cracked. The light barrier vanished as the golden runes on the ground dimmed.

"Little Yue... You..." Ah Cheng's expression changed drastically. He wasn't worried that the array formation would release Zhou Wen after breaking, there was another reason.

Xia Liuchuan was also shocked. He turned to look in the direction of the city gate tower and his body immediately trembled. Old Master Xia, who was sitting on the city gate tower watching the battle, had already disappeared.

When he turned around, he realized that Old Master Xia was already standing in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony with his hands behind his back.

Zhou Wen was just about to forcefully break through the light barrier when he realized that it had suddenly vanished. Just as he was overjoyed and was about to rush up the Hall of Supreme Harmony, a figure appeared in front of it as though he had teleported. He stood at the end of the stairs and blocked his path.

Zhou Wen took a careful look and saw that the person's body was majestic. He was about two meters tall and his hair was completely white. He looked like an elder, but his aura was extremely powerful. He didn't look like an elder at all.

Zhou Wen's heart palpitated as though he had sensed an extremely dangerous aura. He couldn't help but feel alarmed.

"Who allowed you to destroy the array without permission?" Old Master Xia didn't look at Zhou Wen, but his gaze landed on Xia Xuanyue.

"Old Master, Xuanyue didn't do it on purpose. She just couldn't bear to see the Xia family's members die..." Xia Liuchuan hurriedly pulled Xia Xuanyue to kneel down and admit her mistake.

"Is that so?" Old Master Xia glanced expressionlessly at the Xia family members who had been drained of their vitality and had luckily escaped.

Suddenly, Old Master Xia extended his hand and grabbed. Xia Xuanyue's body seemed to be grabbed by an invisible hand as she was instantly pulled in front of Old Master Xia. He had his hand on her head.

On the ground, the golden runes appeared once again. The array was activated again, trapping everyone inside once more.

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