Martial arts ascend to the gods

Chapter 602 Not Appearing
Zhou Leng wandered around the old fertile land for a while, collecting a large amount of resources.

Looking at the time, it was already March, and the third year of university was about to begin.

He glanced back at the old fertile land and headed straight for the Tree Man Base.

They spent several days cultivating with the help of the Tree of Life at the Tree Man Base to consolidate their strength.

When Zhou Leng arrived at the base, the monster alliance's army in the Old Fertile Lands was retreating.

The reason was that the plan failed because of heavy casualties before reaching the target.

Everyone knows it's because of the Mad Master, but since the Heavenly Calamity doesn't mention it, they dare not say it either.

Wherever there is a forest, it is a place for people to grow trees.

The events of these past few days are clearly visible to the people.

The elders of the tree people sighed in admiration, "As expected of Zhou Leng, he single-handedly killed tens of millions of demons and hundreds of grandmasters."

Afterwards, they compiled the spell images and will send them to the Demon City Army to express their gratitude.

However, the monster alliance then split its forces again, attacking different treant tribes.

3 month 15 day.

Zhou Leng left the Treant Base, entered the Water Continent Demon City, and headed towards the Human Base.

Water Island Magic City, near the old site of the Heavenly Rank Joint Examination.

A clear blue lake is nestled on a flat meadow. Along the lake, people have drawn out fighting arenas with sides of 100 meters on the ground.

Outside the arena area, many people stood, some nearby and some far away.

These people were extraordinary; the weakest among them were all innate masters of muscular strength, there were many great innate masters, and even hundreds of grandmasters.

Not only Chinese, but also people from other countries.

Some people wore hoods, crossed their arms, and watched from a distance.

On the west side of the lake, there are many magical tents, with all kinds of camping equipment. Some of the people there are rich and noble, dressed in designer brands.

Not only were there martial artists, but they also brought many followers.

Hundreds of people gathered together, as if they were having a picnic.

On the east side of the lake, there were only a few tents, with small groups of people gathered together, all dressed in camouflage.

There are also some people positioned between the two sides.

The largest group consists of those who are innate masters or grandmasters, like those from Rucheng.

The innate talents of Rucheng gathered together, discussing animatedly.

There are many people around Zhang Nanchao, the Great Innate One. He is not only well-known for his chivalry in Rucheng, but his son Zhang Feng is also a very popular figure in the Ancient River Research Bureau. The status of the Zhang family has risen significantly in recent years.

As one of the earliest members of the Ancient River Sect, Zhang Feng stood beside his father, gazing at the arena ahead.

"Old Zhang, what do you think?" asked a martial artist named Zhu Wanlai with a smile.

"It's hard to say. The battle between the lower and middle ranks is uncertain, but the battle between the upper-level grandmasters is a foregone conclusion. As long as Hu and Xiong fight, the upper-level grandmasters will definitely win two matches in a row. Even someone at Su Fenghe's level on the other side won't stand a chance."

"Su Fenghe has been famous for a long time, and he may not be inferior to Chen Shouhu or Wang Boxiong."

Zhang Nanchao said, "If Su Fenghe were ten years younger, he might have a 50% chance of winning, but youth has its advantages. He is old and has lost his courage and vigor. On the other hand, Hu and Xiong are in their prime. Among the Grandmasters, they are firmly in the top two in the Dragon Kingdom. Others... are far behind."

What do you think of the outcome?

Zhang Nanchao shook his head and said, "How can I say? One side is an established family, and the other is a rising power. Both sides could win, and both sides could lose."

"However, behind the sixteen families..." Zhu Wanlai stopped halfway through his sentence.

The others seemed not to hear, and no one responded.

Zhang Feng smiled and said, "Uncle Wanlai, I heard that you are also from No. 8 Middle School, the same school as Zhou Leng."

Zhu Wanlai sighed, "Yes. Our No. 8 Middle School could have produced two grandmasters, Zhang Xinglie and Zhou Leng, but... at this year's opening ceremony, Lao Lu invited me back again, but he... never mind, I won't say anymore. Do you know Zhou Leng?"

“We’ll enter the Ancient River Ruins together; he’s our senior brother,” Zhang Feng said.

"Do you still acknowledge him as your senior brother?"

"Yes, we still ask him for martial arts advice in the group chat, but he hasn't replied recently. Once he's feeling better and his emotions have stabilized, we plan to bring him back to the Guhe Research Bureau so he can guide the Guhe Sect disciples in their cultivation."

"Good, that's loyal," Zhu Wanlai praised.

"There are some things we can't control, but we disciples of the Ancient River Sect would never do something so shameless."

Zhu Wanlai smiled and said, "I've heard that the properties of the Sixteen Families are still frequently attacked?"

Zhang Feng shrugged and said, "Retribution."

Zhang Nanchao coughed lightly. After Zhao Cong was promoted to governor, he said that one could say anything in front of family members, but outside, one should try not to mention Zhou Leng.

Zhang Feng suddenly turned his head to look at the person walking slowly in the distance and whispered, "It looks like Li Shenkong, but he's not carrying a sword."

People nearby all looked over and, upon recognizing that it was indeed Li Shenkong, praised him highly.

"He's too fierce. Did you guys see that video? As a Grandmaster, he wielded an ordinary legendary sword and killed eighteen demon Grandmasters in succession. He even killed two demon Grandmasters in the end. It's terrifying."

"Watching it was so exciting! He's only about twenty-two or twenty-three, but he's stronger than Hu Xiong."

"He hasn't even used the Starry Sky Divine Sword yet. If he really had the Starry Sky Divine Sword, he could have slaughtered half of the Grandmasters in that battle."

"That's a bit much. The demons and orcs also have powerful grandmasters."

"Li Shenkong has never been defeated since he went into battle. In his last battle, he was forced to retreat by more than a dozen demonic grandmasters."

"He is ultimately just one person and cannot significantly influence the overall battle. There are simply too many monsters."

"I heard that Xu Minglian only has a few men left. It's too tragic."

"Look, there are many people from the Sixteen Families who have gone to welcome Li Shenkong."

Zhang Feng's expression changed slightly, and he said, "No way, does he support the Sixteen Families?"

“He is the grandson of the Wu clan and has close ties with the Zhao clan. Once he arrives, he can only visit the sixteen families, no matter what. If he doesn’t go, the news of the discord between the Li and Zhao clans will spread throughout the land that very night.”

"Hmm? He doesn't seem to care much about the people from the Sixteen Families... He's been looking at the Tiger and Bear camp the whole time... Why is he coming towards us?"

The people from all three factions were surprised to see that Li Shenkong neither went to the Sixteen Factions nor the Tiger Bear Faction.

Move to the neutral camp.

The three camps were immediately thrown into an uproar.

The older folks were still hesitating, but Zhang Feng and the other young people didn't care about that and flocked to Li Shenkong's side.

They were prepared to be ignored; this was Li Shenkong. From the number one sword of Qi and Blood to the number one sword of Innate Realm to the number one sword of Grandmaster Realm, a true martial arts legend.

Aside from his widely known poor math and English scores, he had no other flaws.

To everyone's surprise, although Li Shenkong was a man of few words, he was very polite to people and was not as arrogant as the legends suggested.

Many people took the opportunity to ask Li Shenkong for advice on martial arts, and he answered all their questions without reservation. The group of people hurriedly took notes.

Time passed slowly, and suddenly, a quarrel broke out in the tiger and bear camp.

Then, a master martial artist actually bowed to the crowd in apology before running away.

Then, the group left.

Zhang Feng and the others rushed over to find out what was going on, and even Li Shenkong frowned as he listened.

In the Tiger and Bear camp, several of the Grandmasters who had been selected to participate in the battle suddenly left for unknown reasons.

The group looked at each other and then at the sixteen factions.

"I never expected them to resort to such despicable means."

"I want to see what they do when Chen Shouhu and Wang Boxiong arrive!"

Everyone waited patiently.

Soon, some people's alarm clocks went off.

"Nine o'clock, the agreed time has arrived."

"Weird."

"It's a pity there's no internet, so I can't contact you..."

The group looked at each other, all feeling uneasy.

Before long, four innate martial artists ran over from a distance.

They gazed at the sixteen camps for a long time before running to the Tiger and Bear camp to explain the situation.

The Tiger and Bear faction remained silent for a moment, then erupted in a tirade of curses.

Several hot-tempered martial artists directly cursed the ancestors of the sixteen families for eighteen generations.

The neutral faction went to investigate and quickly obtained the information.

Just two hours ago, the monster alliance attacked the Treant Base, the Demon Spirit Base, and the Iron Dwarf Base simultaneously.

Meanwhile, they gathered deep within the Water Island Demon City, intending to launch another attack on key locations such as Tiger Hill Fortress.

Zhao Cong, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, was authorized by the Supreme Court to personally lead the expedition and issued an order requiring some of the Grandmasters to accompany the army.

Military orders are paramount, and war is of utmost importance. Chen Shouhu and Wang Boxiong were forced to abandon the Battle of Life and Death and follow Zhao Cong to the gathering place of the demons.

“I’m not even going to act anymore…” Zhang Feng muttered to himself.

"Shut up!" Zhang Nanchao hissed.

"What did I say?" Zhang Feng retorted.

“Do you think we don’t know what you’re talking about?” Zhang Nanchao glared at his son.

The gazes of the crowd were deep and gleaming.

Some people looked at Li Shenkong.

Li Shenkong suddenly felt difficulty breathing.

Even faint auditory hallucinations appeared in my ears.

He heard the sound of a flute, coming from somewhere far away.

At this moment, the people from the sixteen families headed towards the Tiger and Bear camp.

"Everyone, time's up. This Grandmaster's Life and Death Arena, give us a straight answer: whether to compete or not! If you choose to compete, please select nine people to participate. If you choose not to compete, then let's call it a day and not dwell on this any longer."

Many people on the other side were so angry that their faces turned purple and they gritted their teeth.

Zhang Nanchao sighed and said, "The outcome is already decided."

Everyone was silent.

Without Hu and Xiong, the battle for the higher-level grandmasters would undoubtedly be lost.

What's more, several grandmaster-level experts who participated in the battle left ahead of time.

"As expected of the Sixteen Families, as expected of a powerful clan. We've seen it all." Zhang Feng and the other disciples of the Ancient River Sect narrowed their eyes, looking at the people from the Sixteen Families.

Remember them one by one.

How could I ever forget the humiliation suffered by my senior brother Guhezong?

Li Shenkong narrowed his eyes and gently moved the five fingers of his right hand.

He glanced at the sixteen families, then looked at the warriors of the Tiger and Bear camp. Among them were many grandmasters known for their combat prowess, some of whom were still plagued by injuries and illnesses, and most of them served in the Demon City army.

Li Shenkong thought of Chen Shouhu.

He listened to the flute music and suddenly smiled.

If the two sides continue their life-or-death battle, then I will go to the Grandmaster level battle myself.

Count me in.

The Tiger and Bear faction was leaderless; some wanted to fight, and even if they lost or died, they still wanted to fight.

Some people believe that since Chen Shouhu and Wang Boxiong are not present, this life-or-death battle should have already ended.

Just as they were discussing, a young, masked figure ran over from not far away, suddenly stopped, and looked in their direction.

Some people glanced at it and then looked away; perhaps they were just passing by, or perhaps they were late.

Only a few high-ranking grandmasters and great grandmasters glanced at that person a few more times.

He has the aura of a grandmaster, but with a touch of something special.

Li Shenkong glanced at it, and a familiar feeling welled up in his heart.

Even though the other party was masked, he recognized him at a glance as the mysterious grandmaster who had caused the sword to resonate.

Judging from the route the person was running, it seemed like they were just passing by.

(End of this chapter)