From the fake emperor to the concubine

"The Bloodthirsty Scholar is finished!"

It's clear to everyone that the Bloodthirsty Scholar is on the verge of collapse.

No one understood why, even after the fight had reached this point, this Bloodthirsty Scholar, known for his cunning and treacherous nature, still kept his promise and did not use his Foundation Establishment stage power.

Doesn't he realize that if this fight continues, he will really die?

If the person standing on the battlefield now is someone like Zhuo Liqun, they can still understand.

In their eyes, promises are more important than anything else.

I will do whatever I promise, even if it means death.

But the Bloodthirsty Scholar is different. As long as his interests are threatened, any oath or promise is no different from farts in his eyes.

It's impossible that Zhang Yunfan is too powerful, even able to suppress the Bloodthirsty Scholar and prevent him from using his Foundation Establishment stage power, right?

"Another piece of trash who has completely disgraced us Foundation Establishment cultivators."

"This kid's name is Zhang Yunfan, right? He's really as persistent as a leech."

"Look, the Bloodthirsty Scholar is doomed."

As they spoke, Zhang Yunfan's greatsword had already unleashed the Ghost Domain Blade technique, bypassing the Bloodthirsty Scholar's defenses.

With the true essence of martial arts, which is to strike without thinking, it easily breaks through the body of the Bloodthirsty Scholar, who is unable to exert his full strength.

He didn't even have time to scream before his upper body was smashed to pieces by the greatsword.

Those present watched with twitching eyes.

This great sword is less of a sword and more of a sledgehammer, so ferocious that it's unbearable to look at.

"They actually won?" Zhuo Liqun stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

He was the most opposed to Zhang Yunfan fighting the Bloodthirsty Scholar.

That guy has a notorious reputation for being ruthless and has no bottom line.

Zhuo Liqun never expected that this guy would rather die than use the power of the Foundation Establishment stage.

Could it be that they misjudged the Bloodthirsty Scholar before? Or is the claim that he is treacherous, cunning, and utterly unscrupulous just baseless rumor?

However, after the Bloodthirsty Book died under Zhang Yunfan's sword, it no longer mattered.

Only Wei Siling wasn't too surprised by this.

After discovering that the Bloodthirsty Scholar had been fighting Zhang Yunfan with only Qi Refining stage cultivation, Wei Siling understood.

Clearly, it must have been the terrifying entity hidden within Zhang Yunfan that made its move.

After all, his own contract also came from that guy.

After realizing this, Wei Siling suddenly had an urge to slap herself hard.

I've been blinded by greed; I've actually started caring about the life and death of that little bastard Zhang Yunfan.

There is a terrifying entity lurking within Zhang Yunfan.

How many people could threaten Zhang Yunfan's life or death?

The Foundation Establishment cultivators around them, who had witnessed everything, exchanged bewildered glances.

Today is truly bizarre; two Foundation Establishment cultivators of considerable stature have been defeated by a mere Qi Refining cultivator.

There was even one unlucky guy who was directly killed by the other side.

This bizarre situation was something they had never seen before in their lives.

Zhang Yunfan's voice rang out: "It was this fellow Daoist who yielded. If he hadn't refrained from using his Foundation Establishment stage power, I certainly wouldn't have been a match for him."

His voice sounded simple and honest, but to the Foundation Establishment cultivators, it was incredibly grating.

What utter nonsense about yielding.

Even if someone's brain has been kicked by a donkey, they wouldn't give up their own life.

They felt there was something wrong, but nobody knew where the problem lay.

These people might be considered very powerful experts in this world.

However, compared to Zheng Yi, it's like a firefly trying to compete with the bright moon; they're not even in the same league.

It would be incredibly easy for him to fool these people.

The battle lasted for quite some time. While Zhang Yunfan was fighting these Foundation Establishment stage experts, the cultivators in the small cave had gradually arrived at the well.

By this time, no one had come over for quite some time.

After waiting for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, several beams of light flew out of the sky towards the exit of the cave.

Clearly, those were the cultivators who were unable to reach the well and were still alive.

After those people left, a dazzling white light suddenly burst forth from the wellhead.

Everyone instinctively closed their eyes or covered their vision with their arms.

The light came and went quickly, disappearing in no time.

When the light disappeared, everyone couldn't help but gasp.

They had appeared in another place without anyone noticing.

Beneath my feet is a transparent chessboard, suspended above thousands of miles of mountains and rivers.

Above, stars of all colors displayed their own unique brilliance.

The chessboard is enormous; even a single square is the size of a palace.

The thirty-odd cultivators present, even just standing on a single grid, felt quite spacious.

The next moment, Zheng Tianhao, the patriarch of the Zheng family, and several elders appeared beside the chessboard.

Their figures were incredibly tall, like giants looking down at the cultivators present.

"The fact that you fellow Daoists have overcome all obstacles to reach this place proves that you are all of superior talent and fortune."

“You are all exceptional talents, and we hope that you will all join our Zheng family.”

Then, Zheng Tianhao changed the subject: "Unfortunately, my Zheng family has limited resources and cannot recruit everyone."

"Therefore, we can only select the best of the best and recruit the ten people with the strongest abilities and aptitude among you."

"Next, we will suppress everyone's cultivation level to the Qi Refining stage. You can fight freely on this Starry Chessboard until the last ten people are left to fight."

Upon hearing Zheng Tianhao's words, some of the more seriously injured cultivators immediately became unhappy.

"Patriarch Zheng, don't you think this approach is too hasty? With so many people fighting in a chaotic battle, there are too many variables. And the remaining people may not all be strong, right?"

Some people try to reason with others, but others are not so polite.

"Hmph, we were all eager to join, and this is how the Zheng family plays us? Deciding who gets to join through a free-for-all is ridiculous."

“If it were a one-on-one fight, I could accept it. But this is just a joke.” Some even stood up and angrily confronted Zheng Tianhao: “I originally thought that the Zheng family, which has existed in Xuanzhou Continent for thousands of years, must have its own foundation.”

As he spoke, the man's tone became increasingly disdainful: "In the end, they are no different from those ordinary forces."

“This kind of family is not qualified for me to join. I am giving up now, and you can send me away.”

Their words were practically tantamount to pointing a finger at Zheng Tianhao and calling them idiots.

In the past, if such a public humiliation of the clan leader had occurred, no matter what the Zheng family thought, they would never have let this guy off the hook.

The dignity that the Zheng family possesses must not be allowed to be desecrated by just anyone.

However, after the ancestor was resurrected, such things no longer mattered.

Because what their ancestors gave them was something far more powerful than so-called face.

That is, the true capital and "power" that allows one to continue to exist in this world of cultivation.

Although the ancestor only appeared for a very short time before going into seclusion to cultivate again, the cultivation techniques he left behind brought about a fundamental change in the Zheng family, much like the transformation of the body's marrow.

Zheng Tianhao, facing this situation, is like a lion that has just woken up, facing the provocation of a kitten.

To them, the other party's roaring was no different from acting cute.

“Since this fellow Daoist is determined to leave, my Zheng family will naturally not try to stop him.” Zheng Tianhao’s tone was filled with deep regret.

The sight was like watching a fool struggling through the desert, who, just one dune away from the oasis, suddenly turns around and goes in a different direction.

Then a beam of light appeared, enveloping the person and sending him soaring into the sky, where he quickly disappeared among the stars.

After seeing that person off, Zheng Tianhao's gaze fell on the remaining people, his tone neither happy nor sad: "Is there any other fellow Daoist who thinks my Zheng family has done a bad job and wants to leave? My Zheng family will not stop you. We will send you away now."

There was silence.

Although many people are not satisfied with the Zheng family's approach, feeling that such a chaotic battle has too many unexpected factors and does not reflect their true strength.

But they have already worked so hard to get to this point, and they would naturally be unwilling to leave without giving it a try.

Just when everyone thought that no one would raise any objections, the handsome, otherworldly-looking cultivator slowly stood up.

"You Zheng family really have a clever plan to make us fight each other to the death."

Beside him, the flirtatious woman who had been staring at him chuckled, her laughter carrying a chilling killing intent: "Using huge rewards to lure rogue cultivators, and then making us kill each other through layers of harsh selection, I feel that your Zheng family doesn't want to recruit disciples, but rather wants to wipe out all the outstanding young cultivators of Xuanzhou in one fell swoop?"

Afterwards, the woman who looked like a country bumpkin also spoke up with mockery.

Although she clearly looked like a woman, the voice she spoke at this moment was that of a man: "Your Zheng family, could it be that you have sided with the Demonic Sect and want to offer a token of your allegiance, which is why you are targeting us cultivators?"

Now, the remaining independent cultivators were starting to panic.

Some people who were close to the Zheng family immediately stood up and rebuked them.

"What nonsense are you spouting? The Zheng family has a thousand-year history. Although they have done some bad things in the past, I don't believe for a second that they are colluding with the demonic sect!"

“That’s right. Even if the Zheng family really wanted to join the Demonic Sect, they should be targeting the disciples of the major sects, not us rogue cultivators.”

These words seemed to ignite a lamp in everyone's hearts.

The Zheng family's actions were indeed somewhat strange, which displeased those present.

So when those three people started to lead the way, the cultivators present began to feel something was strange.

But now, they've all come to their senses.

That's right. Even if the Zheng family has some kind of conspiracy, they should be targeting the disciples of those major sects, causing them considerable losses.

These rogue cultivators, neither fish nor fowl, attacking them for no apparent reason will only push them to the enemy's side.

Anyone with a brain wouldn't do that.

So, since the Zheng family has no problems.

Those guys who suddenly stood up at this moment and accused the Zheng family...

Perhaps it wasn't from a good source?

Wow, they really hid it well, only revealing it now.

Upon realizing that something was wrong, all the surrounding cultivators retreated in all directions, centered on these three people.

This immediately highlighted the three individuals.

As Zhuo Liqun retreated, fearing that Zhang Yunfan wouldn't be able to keep up, he even took the initiative to pull him along.

"These guys are clearly well-prepared. Be careful later, or you'll get caught up in their mess."

Zhang Yunfan's expression was solemn: "I didn't expect these people to have been hiding for so long before they started making their move."

"These big shots are doing what they want, and we little people are just going to suffer because of them," Zhuo Liqun said dejectedly.

All he wanted was to join a faction so he could cultivate in peace, why was that so difficult?

Zheng Tianhao looked at the handsome man at the head of the three and suddenly burst into laughter: "I wondered who it was. I never expected that the famous Wan Dao Sect Master would also be interested in joining our Zheng family. It is truly an honor to have you here."

Having his identity exposed, Ling Xiaoyun, the master of the Ten Thousand Blades Sect, simply stopped hiding and transformed into a completely different persona with a flash of light.

He also said to the other two, "Our identities have already been exposed, there's no need to continue acting. You two should also drop your ridiculous pretenses."

Upon hearing this, the flirtatious woman sighed with a resentful expression: "They were having so much fun, couldn't you let them enjoy themselves a little longer?"

As she spoke, her body also changed. Although her appearance was not much different from before, she became incredibly sharp and murderous.

He was like a newly drawn sword, as if looking at him too closely could cause injury.

The biggest change was among the village girls, who transformed from seemingly weak and timid village girls into rugged and strong men.

Every time a person changes, the independent cultivators can't help but exclaim in amazement.

"Heavens! Ling Xiaoyun of the Ten Thousand Blades Sect of Lingjue Mountain."

"This is Dugu Yunfeng, the city lord of Lieyun City!"

"Flying Eagle Pavilion Master, Yu Xinghai, what is this damned, ruthless killer doing here?"

These three individuals, one righteous and one wicked, were all powerful rulers who dominated their respective regions.

They are usually elusive, rarely seen, and it's difficult to catch a glimpse of any of them.

Unexpectedly, we've all gathered here today.

and many more……

Some quick-witted people suddenly changed their expressions drastically.

This was merely a grand ceremony for the Zheng family to accept disciples.

However, these powerful figures, who held sway over their own territory, went to great lengths to disguise themselves and sneak in...

The more they thought about it, the more they sensed the eeriness of the situation. (End of Chapter)