Xianye

Chapter 499 Huangwu Zhou Clan
It was late spring, and looking down from the clouds, the scenery here was breathtaking, with endless mountains and clear waters, green willows and fragrant peach blossoms. The landscape was truly magnificent.

When Chen Heng landed on a hilltop, he looked along the babbling river that wound around the mountain. Just a few dozen miles away was a rather large city, with shops everywhere and houses standing side by side like jagged teeth.

I don't know what kind of festival this place is celebrating today, but every street and alley is packed with people, shoulder to shoulder, it's so lively.

A series of shouts and calls could be heard, rising and falling, and a quick glance revealed that the city was indeed densely populated.

Chen Heng had rarely witnessed such a mundane and lively atmosphere in the past twenty-four years.

He wasn't in a hurry to leave, but stood quietly on the hilltop, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

After parting ways with Elder Fu that day, Chen Heng did not linger in that small realm for long.

Because he was not far from Hong Jingtian, he first went back to Mowu Luzhou and took Ge Ji, who had guided him and given him advice, away from Mowu Luzhou. Then he sent a spiritual message, asking Wei Yuanzhong to send someone to take him to Xudu Tian.

Although Ge Ji was a nobleman's son from the Yu Cang Demon Kingdom, he did not have a very happy life in the Demon Kingdom because of his background.

After helping Chen Heng capture Yu Xiaoyu and learning Chen Heng's true identity, Ge Ji completely gave up the idea of ​​staying in the Demon Kingdom. Naturally, he was willing to sign the Essence Blood Pact again and go to Xudu Heaven to cultivate. From then on, he joined Chen Heng's household.

After completing this task, Chen Heng selected dozens of mission tokens for the sect in front of the Jade Tree in the Jade Hall of Merit.

Suppressing the rebellion in Xiping was only one of the tasks.

There are also various other things such as slaying demons and ghosts, and vanquishing evil spirits and bandits.

Therefore, during his twenty-four years of traveling through the heavens, he also completed the sect's missions and accumulated a lot of Daoist cultivation.

On the other hand, they take this opportunity to comprehend the profound mysteries, hoping to break through the barrier to cultivation in front of them as soon as possible and develop an inner realm.

The hardships and changes of the past few years are beyond words.

Chen Heng witnessed the freezing cold of the snow-capped mountains and the desolate chill of the frost, as well as the raging winds and towering waves of the sea.

He had traversed the desolate plains, dealing with those bizarre and unspeakable hybrids of gods and monsters, resulting in a bloodbath.

I have also been to the desolate wilderness caused by the catastrophe. Although some creatures have managed to settle and reproduce there, they are still uncivilized and mostly use knotted ropes for record-keeping and live by slash-and-burn agriculture. Let alone cultivating any Taoist magic or supernatural powers, or opening the gates to immortality...

The reason Chen Heng has gone through several realm gates and endured hardships to reach this wondrous land is because of this.

The reason for this was that, in addition to killing a traitor from the Jade Emperor lineage, he also wanted to fulfill a request he had made many years ago.

Liu Huo Hong Hua Cave Heaven, Qi Ling Zi—

Back when Chen Heng was still cultivating at the Changying Lower Temple, he became famous overnight for single-handedly challenging the various clans at Baishi Peak, successfully spreading his family's reputation to Xiaoming Great Swamp.

Because of this audacious act, Chen Heng was specially bestowed with two talismanic artifacts, the Purple Robe and the Mountain-Sinking Seal, by the Jade Emperor Sect, which aroused the envy and resentment of many aristocratic families.

As the incident gradually unfolded, and with Jiang Daolian's deliberate efforts to promote him, he was even given the title of "Crown of the Four Academies," ranking alongside Xie Su, Sima Quantong, and other elders of the lower academies. He was also granted exceptional access to the Liu Huo Hong Hua Cave Heaven to cultivate and seek his destiny.

In the Flowing Fire Grand Heaven, Chen Heng saw the creations left behind by Qi Lingzi before his death and his last writings in an underground palace...

"Gentiana macrophylla, 'Qilingzi's Personal Transmission and Direct Instructions'"

Looking back, this ninth disciple of the Fire Mist Ancestor was quite composed in the face of death, displaying all his treasures before him, leaving them all to his descendants, only asking that his remains be returned to the Yellow Crow Mountain of the Wonderful Treasure Land for burial. And that Yellow Dragon Gallbladder was truly invaluable to me back then.”

Facing the howling mountain wind, Chen Heng's thoughts suddenly turned to the past, and he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

Although he later won first place in the Dragon Palace selection of a son-in-law, and was entrusted by Tong Xuan to Ao Yang, who sent him five kinds of innate five elements of the highest quality, he never lacked external materials in filling the furnace and cauldron of the Golden Core realm.

Therefore, the yellow dragon gall he obtained in the Liuhuo Honghua Cave Heaven was of little use.

But for Chen Heng, who had just entered the cave at that time, it was just a chance experience in the cave that allowed him to obtain such a precious treasure as the Yellow Dragon Gallbladder.
Even with Chen Heng's temperament, he couldn't help but be overjoyed, and he kept Qi Lingzi's kindness in his heart forever.

"Since we have inherited the legacy of our predecessors, we should repay them. I have been too busy to do so before, but now that I have come to this wonderful place by chance, I will go to Huangwu Mountain and then get rid of that traitor of the Dao lineage."

Chen Heng had made up his mind at this moment.

Having made up his mind, he didn't delay and immediately unleashed his sword light once more.

At this moment, in the distant city, someone looked up and saw a crimson rainbow streak across the sky, like a fiery dragon soaring through the air, its blazing light intense.

However, before the person could even utter a word of surprise, the rainbow light vanished in the blink of an eye.

Only a patch of blue clouds drifted lazily across the sky, sometimes to the east, sometimes to the west, while below, the long river continued to flow gently around the mountains, washing away all the filth and dust.

It was the same a thousand years ago, and it seems it will remain the same in the future...

……

Five days later.

Wonderful land, Huangwu Mountain.

A streak of sword light flew over in an instant and came to a steady stop in the clouds.

As the sharp sword light gradually faded, Chen Heng slowly stepped out and looked down at the landscape below.

The mountains are extremely high and steep, with lush forests. Palaces, temples and pavilions rise along the mountainside, shimmering with golden light in the sunlight, dazzling and quite a sight to behold.

Through the lingering mist in the forest, one can see wisps of bright yellow earth energy rising several meters high, swirling playfully in the air before returning to the ground.

It rises again after a short while, then sets again, repeating the cycle without stopping.

"Two Ren-level spiritual veins. It seems that although the Huangwu Zhou Clan has declined considerably, they still have some old foundations. Otherwise, it would be difficult to maintain this foundation."

Chen Heng seemed to be deep in thought.

Along the way, he thoroughly investigated the details of Huangwu Mountain and learned about its past.

Qi Lingzi's original name was Zhou Peng. He was born into the Huangwu Zhou clan of Miaobao Land. This is the message that Qi Lingzi left in his posthumous writings.

According to Chen Heng's investigation, less than three hundred years after Qi Lingzi was taken to Xudu Heaven by the Fire Cloud Ancestor to cultivate, the Huangwu Zhou Clan suddenly experienced an internal strife.

The patriarch was poisoned and murdered by several elders and outsiders, and those elders and outsiders were driven out by the patriarch's old subordinates before they could even secure their positions.

The two sides fought back and forth like this for hundreds of years, with neither able to gain the upper hand.

Then, with the sudden rise of a demonic sect called the Yin Corpse Cult, the struggle finally came to an end.

Since even Huangwu Mountain was occupied by the Yin Corpse Sect and became the lair of this demonic sect, the so-called struggle for power was naturally out of the question.

The reason why the Zhou family of Huangwu Mountain is able to regain control of Huangwu Mountain today is because the Yin Corpse Sect underwent a major upheaval thousands of years ago. The Zhou family seized this opportunity to regroup and narrowly reclaimed their ancestral property.

However, thousands of years have passed, and the Zhou clan's influence is not as great as it was when it defeated the Yin Corpse Sect. They have suffered repeated defeats in their attempts to expand their territory, and many of their disciples have died or been injured.

Today, they can barely maintain the ancestral property of Huangwu Mountain.

As for the idea of ​​restoring the family's reputation, to outsiders, it's probably just a joke...

"Although the cultivators of this wondrous land know the Huangwu Zhou clan's past like the back of their hand, clearly possessing profound knowledge, when Qilingzi Zhou Peng is mentioned, they all shake their heads in unison, as if they've never heard of him before," Chen Heng thought to himself.

"Is it because of the passage of time, and the world has changed beyond recognition?"

Is this situation due to Qi Lingzi not returning to Miaobao Land since he went to Xudu Heaven to cultivate?

Just as he was pondering this, a commotion suddenly arose from below the clouds, growing ever closer.

Chen Heng looked over and saw two demon cultivators leading the charge at the foot of the mountain, followed by a large group of aquatic spirits and monsters, including dragons, carp, turtles, and snakes, all carrying knives and guns. A rough glance revealed that there were at least a hundred of them.

The two demon cultivators in the lead were a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl with deer antlers, red lips and white teeth, and a delicate appearance. She held a cold, gleaming iron sword, which was taller than her.

A sharp aura emanated from the sword, its light rising, seemingly capable of easily cutting through steel and iron, and severing a hair in an instant!

The other was a burly man in his thirties, as strong as a bear. Judging from his appearance, he must have been a bear demon. He was tall and strong, with a broad face and long beard. With a swing of his arms, he had the strength to carry ten thousand pounds.

The burly man had a crystal palm-leaf fan hanging from his waist with a jade-green silk ribbon. The fan was shrouded in the faint flow of thunder and fire, making it quite extraordinary.

The Zhou family of Huangwu seemed to be quite familiar with this scene. Before long, the family head, Zhou Zhen, personally led a group of Zhou family disciples down the mountain to deal with it. Various kinds of escape lights flew up, making quite a show of force.

Before they could exchange more than a few words, the shouting and cursing grew louder and louder, creating a tense atmosphere.

Before long, as expected, with a soft shout, the antler-clad girl could not hold back any longer. She raised her iron sword in the air and slashed at one of the Zhou clan members who was jumping the most enthusiastically.

The Zhou clansman's pupils contracted, but his reaction was swift. He quickly summoned a small shield shaped like a sun wheel and braced himself to fight her.

This scene was not what Chen Heng had expected. According to his inquiries, the Zhou family had not seemed to have any major conflicts with any forces in recent years, and had only been concerned with protecting their own little territory, which could be described as cautious and prudent.

After a moment's thought, he made a hand seal and casually summoned a few clouds to cover his figure before flying towards the foot of the mountain.

……

……

Its cold light was chilling, and it moved and darted through the air like a bolt of lightning!
However, within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, two of Zhou's best fighters were defeated by the antler-wearing girl's sword, and even the one who is now fighting is only barely holding on with sheer courage.

Judging from his panting appearance, it was clear that defeat was only a matter of time, and he would find it difficult to turn the tide.

“Patriarch, this is the third time this month that these demon cultivators have come to our door. If we don’t come up with a solution soon, I’m afraid all the surrounding forces, big and small, will treat our Huangwu Zhou Clan as easy prey!”

Just as the battle raged nearby, an elder of the Zhou family, dressed in a robe with pine-patterned clouds and cranes, suddenly approached the family head, Zhou Zhen, his face grim.
"Take Iron Horse Palace for example. A group of horse slaves who made their fortune by selling dragon horses. The other day when we were doing business with them, these scoundrels dared to raise the price on the spot, wishing they could ask for a price higher than the sky. This has never happened before."

"It's all because of these demonic cultivators coming to cause trouble! Patriarch, if this continues, my Zhou family may face annihilation!"

Seeing the elder's stern tone, Zhou Zhen remained largely unmoved, only offering a wry smile:
"What good plan do you have?"

The old man gave Zhou Zhen a wink and said cautiously:
"I wonder which water lily it is?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhen felt a rush of blood to his head. He managed to close his eyes and regulate his breathing for a few moments before finally suppressing his anger. He said coldly:
"I've told you this several times, but you still won't believe me!"

I didn't keep that Water Mushroom for myself. I'm not a dragon-type demon cultivator. No matter how powerful the Water Mushroom is, what use is it to me? Can it compare to the position of family head under my butt?

Given this situation, if I keep this thing, can I sell it for money, or can I use it to exchange for a spiritual vein?

These words were spoken in a simple and straightforward manner, but the old man still didn't quite believe them, muttering to himself:

"While that's true, the idea of ​​a powerful being reincarnated specifically to collect a debt is too far-fetched. Even the old dragon wouldn't believe it, and the clan's members would be skeptical. Could it be—"

The old man wanted to say more, but seeing that Zhou Zhen's eyes were already murderous, he chuckled twice and quickly stopped talking.

"However... we still need to come up with a plan."

Before long, the old man couldn't hold back any longer and whispered a suggestion:

"Let's just go all the way!"

When Zhou Zhen saw the old man's gaze fall on the two demon cultivators at the head, he secretly made a couple of gestures on his neck.

Zhou Zhen was terrified and, forgetting his frustration, shook his head repeatedly.
"Don't seek death. Although the old dragon's methods are not as good as his father and grandfather, nearly 90% of the aquatic spirits in this wonderful land give him face. If all the demon cultivators in the world rush up, how many of us have enough lives to die?"

Besides, do you really think they weren't on guard?

Zhou Zhen's gaze lingered on the antler-wearing girl's iron sword and the palm-leaf fan at the bear demon's waist for a moment, then he said bitterly:

"Unless we bring out the clan's most treasured possessions, it will be extremely difficult to deal with them."

These two were also very measured in their actions, only injuring but not killing the Zhou clan members who went into battle, and even the injuries were only minor.

The old dragon is a dignified elder; we must not take advantage of him!

"It's hard to beg for mercy, and we can't beat them in a fight, so what can we do?" the old man said indignantly.

Before Zhou Zhen could speak, the antlered girl not far away exclaimed in surprise:
"Oh no! The evil spirit within the sword has gone out of control! Get out of the way!"

The Zhou clansmen who were fighting the antler-wearing girl were immediately startled upon hearing this, and almost lost their composure.

He subconsciously looked up and saw the iron sword in the air suddenly emit a bright blood-red light, emitting a roar like an angry lion or tiger. A fierce and malevolent aura surged into the sky, making people tremble with fear.

The antler-wearing girl tried to subdue him with a hand seal, but unexpectedly, the iron sword slashed down, and a snow-white arm fell tragically from the air.

If the antler-wearing girl hadn't dodged in time, she probably wouldn't have even kept her head.

"Oh no! How did the evil spirit go out of control at this time? Didn't Junior Sister give it the Tranquilizing Incense?"

The other leading bear demon was no longer calm and collected. He hurriedly took out a palm-leaf fan from his waist, and with a powerful wave, unleashed several balls of lightning and fire.

However, the iron sword flew incredibly fast, easily dodging the lightning and fire before it even got close.

Then it spun in mid-air and set its sights on the weakest of the Zhou family boys in the arena, intending to take his life and drink his blood.

Zhou Zhen and Xiong Yao both rushed to their aid, but neither could stop him.

Boom!
Just as the boy was at a loss, the iron sword was suddenly blasted away dozens of feet away as if it had struck something incredibly solid, its momentum greatly diminished.

At the same time, a figure vaguely appeared in the clouds, seemingly looking in this direction.

The iron sword let out a sharp whistle, and a murderous aura surged like mist, radiating light in all directions. It transformed into a streak of blood-red light, slashing straight into the clouds!

Chen Heng glanced at the menacing sword but made no other move, simply raising his hand and pointing.

With a deafening roar, as if a city had collapsed and buildings had crumbled, the dense clouds in the sky instantly dissipated and were shattered into pieces!
A blinding light caused everyone in the room to panic, raising their sleeves to cover their faces, their hearts filled with terror!
Once everything had calmed down, the iron sword, along with the evil spirit within it, had been blasted to pieces, leaving no fragments that could be pieced together.

A few breaths later, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Chen Heng descended from the clouds and came down to this place.

　Bonus chapter for Brighton of the Silver Alliance (3/10)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)