From the fake emperor to the concubine

He sensed a trace of lightning within his spiritual power, and his overall strength had increased. Although he hadn't yet broken through to the late stage of the Mahayana realm, he was not far from it.

"This purple lightning stone still has a lot of power that hasn't been fully absorbed." He looked at the purple lightning stone in his hand. "If I could absorb it all, perhaps I could break through."

But he knew this would take time. The power within the purple lightning stone was too violent; he couldn't absorb too much at once, or it would harm him. He could only take it slowly, absorbing a little each day, accumulating it bit by bit.

"It's alright, there's still time." He put the purple lightning stone back into his Sumeru Bracelet. "Just keep trying."

He stood up, stretched his limbs, and then walked towards the courtyard.

The next day, Zheng Yi arrived at Wanxiang Tower on time.

Zhao Mingyuan was already waiting for him and led him to a larger room.

There were already three people sitting in the room, the three experts that Zheng Yi had taken a liking to yesterday—Tieshan, Fengling, and Qingsong.

Tieshan was a burly man with a full beard, looking quite rugged. He wore coarse cloth clothes, and the muscles on his arms were bulging, clearly indicating that he was a strength-type cultivator.

Feng Ling was a slender woman with delicate features, fair skin, and a refined appearance. She wore a black, close-fitting outfit, a short sword at her waist, and her eyes were cold and sharp.

Qingsong was an elderly man with white hair and a long white beard, who looked very kind. He wore a blue Taoist robe and held a whisk in his hand, giving him a somewhat otherworldly and ethereal air.

When the three of them saw Zheng Yi come in, they all sized him up.

“This is the employer who wants to recruit you,” Zhao Mingyuan introduced. “You can call him Mr. Dark Night.”

"Dark Night?" Tie Shan raised an eyebrow. "Is that the Dark Night who's been making headlines in Tianyuan Domain lately?"

“Exactly.” Zheng Yi nodded.

"I heard you once single-handedly killed five experts at the early stages of the Mahayana Realm?" Tie Shan asked, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Is that true?"

“It’s true,” Zheng Yi said.

"Good! Strong enough!" Tieshan laughed loudly. "I, Tieshan, love dealing with strong people. If you can beat me, I'll fight you."

"Tieshan, stop fooling around," Fengling said coldly. "We're here to talk business, not to fight."

"Hmph, what do you know?" Tieshan retorted defiantly. "When working for someone, you naturally have to consider their abilities. If the employer is a good-for-nothing, why should I risk my life for them?"

“Brother Tieshan is right,” Zheng Yi smiled slightly. “If I want to recruit you, I should indeed demonstrate my abilities.”

He looked at Tieshan, "Brother Tieshan, would you like to have a spar?"

"Of course!" Tieshan jumped to his feet. "I've been itching for a fight. Come on, let's go outside and have a match."

“We can do it here,” Zheng Yi said. “No need to go out.”

"Here?" Tieshan was taken aback. "This room is so small, how can we fight?"

“We don’t need a big space,” Zheng Yi said. “We’re just sparring, not a life-or-death battle. Let’s stop here.”

Tieshan thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, here it is."

He walked to the center of the room and struck a pose.

“Come on, I’ll give you three moves,” he said. “If you can make me move even half a step within those three moves, you win.”

“No need to give way,” Zheng Yi said. “We’ll compete fairly.”

He walked up to Tieshan and struck a pose.

The two faced off, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Both Fengling and Qingsong watched with great interest, wanting to see just how powerful this legendary "Dark Night" really was.

“Let’s begin,” Zheng Yi said.

Without saying a word, Tieshan threw a punch at Zheng Yi.

His fist, accompanied by a whistling sound, pressed down like a small mountain, its momentum astonishing.

Zheng Yi did not dodge, but instead met the punch head-on.

boom!
The two fists collided, producing a muffled thud.

Tieshan felt an immense force emanating from his opponent's fist, so strong that his entire arm went numb. His body involuntarily staggered back several steps, nearly crashing into the wall.

"What?" His expression changed drastically.

He considered himself incredibly powerful, with virtually no rivals among cultivators of the same level. But to his surprise, this Dark Night's power was even greater than his own.

"Brother Tieshan, you flatter me." Zheng Yi withdrew his fist and said calmly.

Tieshan was stunned for a long time, then burst into laughter.

"Good! Good! Good!" he exclaimed three times. "You're really something, kid! I, Tieshan, am impressed!"

He walked up to Zheng Yi and patted him on the shoulder.

"From this day forward, I, Tieshan, will serve you. If you want me to go east, I will never go west. If you want me to kill, I will never blink."

"Thank you, Brother Tieshan," Zheng Yi said.

Feng Ling watched from the side, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

She knew Tie Shan's strength; he was a late-stage Integration Realm expert with astonishing power. Yet, he couldn't even withstand a single move from An Ye.

This Dark Night's strength has probably reached the Great Ascension Realm.

“Wind Chime Girl, what do you think?” Zheng Yi turned to her and asked.

Wind Chime was silent for a moment, then spoke, "I have witnessed Mr. Dark Night's strength. But I have one more question to ask."

"Please say."

"What do you want us to do?" Wind Chime asked. "As bodyguards or assassins?"

“As bodyguards,” Zheng Yi said. “I have a friend who’s recently run into some trouble and needs some help. Your task is to protect him and help him through this difficult time.”

"What kind of trouble?" Wind Chime pressed.

After a moment's hesitation, Zheng Yi decided to tell her the truth.

“My friend is the city lord of Qingyun City, named Wang Tianhai,” he said. “Recently, the Lu family, one of the nine great families, wants to control Qingyun City and force him to submit. He refuses, so he needs to recruit some experts to help him.”

"The Nine Great Families?" Feng Ling's expression changed. "You mean, we're going to fight against the Nine Great Families?"

"It's not confrontation, it's maneuvering," Zheng Yi said. "We won't engage in direct conflict with the Lu family; we simply want to buy more time and space. Your mission is to protect Lord Wang's safety and deal with any potential dangers."

The wind chimes fell silent.

Taking on the nine great families is no small matter. Even just maneuvering around them carries significant risks.

"Mr. Dark Night, forgive my bluntness," she began, "but the nine great families are incredibly powerful, far beyond what we can contend with. Even if you are strong, you are no match for them."

“I know,” Zheng Yi said. “That’s why I said to maneuver, not confront. We won’t have a direct conflict with the Lu family; we just want to preserve Qingyun City’s autonomy.”

"How do we protect it?" Wind Chime asked.

“Delay the inevitable, build up our strength, and contact allies,” Zheng Yi said. “If we can buy enough time, perhaps we can find a way out.”

After listening, Feng Ling remained silent for a long time. "Okay, I agree," she finally said, "but I have one condition."

"What conditions?"

“If things don’t go well, I have the right to leave at any time,” Wind Chime said. “I don’t want to die in vain.”

“Of course,” Zheng Yi nodded. “I won’t let you die in vain. If the situation becomes truly unmanageable, I will have you evacuate first.”

"That's good." Wind Chime nodded.

Zheng Yi turned to Qingsong, "Senior Qingsong, what do you think?"

Qingsong listened quietly the whole time without saying a word.

Hearing Zheng Yi's question, he stroked his beard and slowly said, "I've lived to a ripe old age and long since become indifferent to life and death. Whether I can stand against the nine great families is not my concern. What I care about is finding a peaceful place to retire."

“Although Qingyun City is just a small border town, it’s relatively stable,” Zheng Yi said. “As long as Lord Wang is still here, Qingyun City will not descend into chaos. If you are willing to stay, I can guarantee you a peaceful environment.”

"Can you guarantee that?" Qingsong looked at Zheng Yi, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. "What makes you think you can guarantee that?"

"With my strength," Zheng Yi said, "as long as I live, I will not let Qingyun City fall into the hands of the Lu family."

After listening, Qingsong remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

“Very well, I’ll trust you this once,” he said. “I’ll stay in Qingyun City and lend you a hand.”

"Thank you, senior," Zheng Yi said, bowing.

With all three agreeing, Zheng Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

With the addition of these three experts, Wang Tianhai's strength will be greatly enhanced. Tieshan can serve as his personal bodyguard, Fengling can handle intelligence gathering, and Qingsong can help set up formations and refine elixirs. Each of them has their own strengths, and by cooperating with each other, they can achieve great results.

"Then it's settled," Zheng Yi said. "You all pack your things, and we'll go to Qingyun City tomorrow."

“Okay,” the three replied in unison.

Zheng Yi and Zhao Mingyuan settled the bill and then left Wanxiang Tower with the three of them.

Once outside the Wanxiang Tower, Tieshan couldn't wait to ask, "Mr. Dark Night, how much force did you use when we exchanged blows just now?"

“Fifty percent,” Zheng Yi said.

"Fifty percent?" Tieshan's eyes widened. "You only used fifty percent of your strength and you still managed to defeat me?"

"More or less," Zheng Yi nodded.

Tieshan gasped, "What realm are you at, kid? Mid-stage Mahayana Realm? Or late-stage?"

“Mid-stage Mahayana Realm,” Zheng Yi said.

"Such power at the mid-stage of the Mahayana realm?" Tieshan said incredulously. "How did you cultivate it?"

"Talent plus hard work," Zheng Yi said.

Tieshan shook his head. "You're someone I both envy and admire."

"Tieshan, stop talking nonsense," Fengling said coldly. "Mr. Dark Night has other matters to attend to; don't waste his time."

"Alright, alright, I won't say anything more." Tieshan waved his hand.

Zheng Yi arranged for the three of them to stay at an inn in Tianyuan City, and they agreed to set off for Qingyun City early the next morning.

Then he returned to his residence and told everyone about recruiting experts.

"Patriarch, you recruited three experts at once?" Zheng Bowen said in surprise, "and one of them is at the Great Ascension Realm?"

“Yes,” Zheng Yi nodded. “Although Senior Qingsong is advanced in years, his strength is considerable, and he is skilled in formations and alchemy, which will be of great help to City Lord Wang.”

"That's wonderful," Zheng Bowen said. "With these three experts, Lord Wang's strength will be greatly enhanced."

“These three people alone are not enough,” Zheng Yi said. “The Lu family is one of the nine great families, with a profound foundation; they cannot be contended with by just a few experts. We need to continue our efforts to secure more resources and allies.”

“The patriarch is right,” Zheng Hongzhi nodded.

Zheng Yi looked at Zheng Hongzhi, "Hongzhi, how's the formation research going?"

“Great progress has been made,” Zheng Hongzhi said. “I’ve already drawn up the blueprints for the Heavenly Thunder Formation; we just need all the materials to set it up. However…”

"But what?"

“However, there’s only one Purple Lightning Stone, which would be a waste to use for setting up the Heavenly Thunder Array,” Zheng Hongzhi said. “I’m thinking of using a portion of the Purple Lightning Stone to set up the array, and keeping the other portion for the family head’s cultivation.”

Zheng Yi thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. You can arrange it as you see fit."

“Yes,” Zheng Hongzhi replied.

Over the next few days, Zheng Yi cultivated while preparing for his trip to Qingyun City.

He used the purple lightning stone every day to aid his cultivation, absorbing its lightning power. As time went by, the lightning power within his body became increasingly concentrated, and his spiritual power became increasingly abundant.

That evening, Zheng Yi sat cross-legged in his room, holding the purple lightning stone in his hand, and closed his eyes to cultivate.

The lightning power within the purple lightning stone surged through his meridians like a raging electric dragon. However, Zheng Yi's control over it had grown stronger, allowing him to gradually integrate this power into his own spiritual energy.

After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly felt the spiritual energy within his body begin to fluctuate violently.

"Is he about to break through?" He was overjoyed.

He quickly composed himself and focused all his energy on circulating his spiritual power.

The spiritual energy within his body surged and flowed through his meridians like a mighty river. The spiritual energy in his dantian grew increasingly dense and solid, as if it were about to condense into a bead.

boom!
A muffled thud resounded within his body, and the spiritual energy in his dantian suddenly expanded and then contracted, repeating this several times before finally stabilizing.

Zheng Yi opened his eyes, a hint of joy on his face.

He broke through.

Late stage of Mahayana realm!
His cultivation finally broke through to the late stage of the Mahayana realm, and his strength made another qualitative leap.

He stood up, stretched his muscles, and felt the surging power in his body.

Now, even if he faces a late-stage Mahayana realm expert like Lu Tianming, he has the strength to fight.

"Excellent," he thought to himself. "With this strength, I'll have much more confidence going to Qingyun City."

He carefully put away the purple lightning stone and left the room.

In the courtyard, the moonlight, like water, spilled onto the bluestone slabs, giving them a soft glow. A gentle night breeze blew by, bringing a touch of coolness. The chirping of insects rose and fell, making the night exceptionally peaceful.

Zheng Yi took a deep breath and felt the spiritual energy around him.

His perception was much stronger in the later stages of the Mahayana realm than before, and he could clearly sense everything happening within a radius of several miles.

"Patriarch?" a voice came from behind.

Zheng Yi turned around and saw Su Wanqing standing at the door, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"Wanqing, why aren't you asleep yet?" he asked. (End of Chapter)